"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all. "
— Oscar Wilde
Illustrated & Plate Books
Geological Observations on the Volcanic Islands and Parts of South America. Selected Works of Charles Darwin: Westminster Edition.
New York, NY: D. Appleton and Company, no date [circa 1896]. [Geology] FINELY BOUND LIMITED EDITION. Octavo (22 x 16cm), pp.[2] xiv; 648 [2]. With two folding maps, one colour folding plate, and three further folding illustrated plates, as well a numerous in-text illustrations. Number 127 of 1000 copies thus..... More
Mr. Tootleoo One and Two.
London, The Nonesuch Press 1932. FIRST THUS: Quarto. Unpaginated. Publisher's pale blue boards with red fish device. Original scarlet end papers. Contains 40 delightfully comic monochrome illustrations. Exterior is still remarkably bright. Some scattered foxing to first and last leaves, otherwise a very good copy indeed. This is a cheaper..... More
The Botanic Garden, A Poem. In Two Parts. Part I containing The Economy of Vegetation. Part II The Loves of Plants. With Philosophical Notes.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1799. [Botany]. FINE CONTEMPORARY BINDING, the fourth edition. In two volumes. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.[2] xiv; xvii-xx; 492 [2]; pp.[4] xii; xv-xvi; 282 [6]. With 21 etchings and copper engraved plates, including a frontispiece to each volume. Contemporary navy full diced calf with gilt..... More
The Promise.
London: Walker Books, 2013. [Children's Illustrated] SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Small quarto (27 x 26cm), pp.40. With colour illustrations to every page by Carlin. SIGNED by the artist in black ink to half-title. Publisher's colour-illustrated paper-covered boards, and pavement illustrated endpapers. With the contrasting illustrated dust-jacket, priced at £12.99. A fine..... More
Electric Railways and Tramways, their Construction and Operation. A Practical Handbook, setting forth at length the modern application of Electricity as a Motive Power for Railways and Tramways; containing Complete Financial and Engineering Data as to Design, Construction, Equipment and Working; fully Illustrating all modern and accepted types of Machinery and Apparatus; and describing in detail the principal Installations of Europe and America.
London: Offices of "Engineering," 1897. [Engineering] FINE PRIZE BINDING, a revised and enlarged edition. Quarto (29 x 23cm), pp.[20]; xxviii; 678; [22]. With frequent in-text engraved illustrations and tables. Contemporary burgundy half morocco with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, and red cloth over boards with a UCL stamp in..... More
Babar the King.
London: Methuen & Co., 1936. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST UK EDITION. Folio (37 x 27cm), pp.48. Printed with fine colour illustrations throughout, including the charming blue endpapers. Publisher's black quarter cloth, with illustrated yellow paper-covered boards. Somewhat shaken, with hinges starting. Internally clean, with perhaps a hint of toning. Quite heavy..... More
William Tell, or the Patriot of Switzerland. And Hofer, the Tyrolese.
London: J. Harris, no date [circa 1824]. [Swiss Legend] FINELY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED, a New Edition. Duodecimo (16 x 11cm), pp.[2] 252. With 10 engraved plates, and a decorated title page from the 1823 edition. Contemporary brown half calf, with gilt titles to brown label, and further decoration in gilt..... 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
This Year: Next Year.
London: Faber and Faber, 1937. SIGNED LIMITED EDITION. Small Quarto, unpaginated. SIGNED by both artist and author in black ink to verso of front free endpaper; hand-numbered 100 of 100 copies. Brightly illustrated throughout with lithographs by Jones. In publisher's colour-illustrated cloth boards, with matching jacket and illustrated endpapers. Some..... More
Told Again: Traditional Tales Told by Walter de la Mare.
Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1927. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.viii; 320. With six colour plates, and numerous in-text line drawings, by Watson. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. A nice clean copy, with some offsetting to fly-leaf only. Light toning to spine, and..... More
Paul and Virginia. With an original Memoir of the Author; and Three Hundred and Thirty Illustrations.
London: W.S. Orr and Co. 1839. [French Literature in Translation] First Edition in English. Quarto. pp. xxix, 306. With 30 large engravings on India paper, and hundreds of other smaller in-text engravings throughout, by various artists. In brown full morocco, with raised bands and gilt titles and tooling to spine..... More
The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.
London: Ward, Lock and Co., no date [1932]. [Children's Illustrated] ILLUSTRATED ABRIDGED EDITION. Large octavo (26 x 19cm), pp.176. With 24 colour plates by Jackson, including a frontispiece. Publisher's green quarter cloth with black titles to spine and colour-illustrated paper-covered boards. Small pink ink ownership to front pastedown. Heavy spotting..... More
Action Cook Book. Len Deighton's Guide to Eating.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965 and 2009. [Gastronomy] UNCORRECTED PROOF, FIRST EDITION, and REISSUE. Three volumes. Octavo (20 x 24cm, and 14 x 21cm), pp.[6] 134 [4]; pp.[6] 138; pp.320. All volumes illustrated throughout, including diagrammatic endpapers to proof and first edition. Proof in publisher's green monogrammed soft covers, with provisional..... 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
![The Arabian Nights. Tales from the Thousand and One Nights. [Ali Baba, Sinbad, Aladdin, etc.]. E....](/pictures/thumb/51181.jpg?v=1526139672)
The Arabian Nights. Tales from the Thousand and One Nights. [Ali Baba, Sinbad, Aladdin, etc.]
London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, no date [1924]. First Detmold illustrated edition. Quarto (29 x 23cm), pp.240. Twelve tipped-in colour plates, captioned tissue guards. Publisher's white cloth pictorially blocked and lettered in gilt, Internally clean, endpapers browned. Cloth quite bright, gently toned to spine, light wear to head and tail..... More
![The Arabian Nights. Tales from the Thousand and One Nights. [Ali Baba, Sinbad, Aladdin, etc.]. E....](/pictures/thumb/58352.jpg?v=1605808325)
The Arabian Nights. Tales from the Thousand and One Nights. [Ali Baba, Sinbad, Aladdin, etc.]
London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, no date [1924]. [Illustrated] First Detmold illustrated edition. Quarto (29 x 23cm), pp.240. Twelve tipped-in colour plates, captioned tissue guards. Publisher's white cloth pictorially blocked and lettered in gilt. Contents clean, some spotting to edges and endpapers, contemporary ink note (1926) to flyleaf, cloth rather..... 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
Christmas Stories from 'Household Words' and 'All the Year Round.'
London: Chapman and Hall, 1876. [Classic Literature] VINTAGE COPY with the original illustrations. Octavo (23 x 16cm), pp.[8] 709 [3]. With 14 engraved plates, including a frontispiece. Publisher's green cloth, with gilt titles and black decoration to spine and upper. Yellow coated endpapers, and all edges untrimmed. Armorial bookplate of..... More
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1839. [Classic Fiction] FIRST EDITION, bound from mixed issue parts. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.xvi; 624. With 39 engraved plates by Phiz, and a frontispiece portrait of the author by Maclise. This copy does not have "visiter" for "sister" on p.123 line 17, but it does..... More
A Tale of Two Cities. With Illustrations by H.K. Browne.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1860. [Classic Literature] FIRST EDITION, THIRD ISSUE. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.[2] x; 254 [2]. With 16 engraved plates by "Phiz", including a frontispiece and vignette title page. One plate misbound. Lacking the signature 'b' on the list of plates, and the pagination of p.213 is..... More
The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1870. [Crime / Mystery] FIRST EDITION in book form. Large octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.viii; 190 [34]. With 12 wood engraved illustrations after Fildes, as well as a steel engraved frontispiece and vignette title page. Publisher's green cloth, recently re-backed with the original cloth spine laid..... More
Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son, Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation.
London: Bradbury and Evans, 1848. [Classic Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo. pp. xvi, 624 [1]. Illustrated with 38 plates, vignette title page and engraved frontispiece by Phiz. Bound from the parts with the vast majority of sheets in the earliest state of the text. 'Dark' plate opp. p.547 in fine order..... More
Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son, Wholesale, Retail and Exportation.
London: Chapman and Hall, no date [circa 1895]. [Classic Literature] FINELY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED. Octavo (22 x 17cm), pp.xvi; 624 [2]. With 40 engraved plates by Browne, including a frontispiece and vignette title page. Contemporary green half morocco, with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and textured green..... More
Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son, Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation.
London: Chapman and Hall, no date [circa 1870]. [Classic Literature] FINELY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED. Octavo (23 x 16cm), pp.xviii; 624 [2]. With 40 engraved plates by Browne, including a frontispiece and vignette title page. Contemporary burgundy half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and marbled paper..... More