"Books are a hardbound drug with no danger of overdose. I am the happy victim of books."
— Karl Lagerfeld
Gift Books & Fine Bindings
The Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, According to the use of the Church of England and Ireland: Together with the Psalter or Psalms of David, pointed as they are to be Sung or Said in Churches; and the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1855. FINELY BOUND EDITION, with quite large print. Octavo (23 x 15cm), unpaginated. Contemporary deep burgundy full morocco by Hayday, with raised bands and gilt titles to spine. Gilt embossed decoration to boards. All edges gilt. With a gilt embossed leather monogram roundel loose to prelims..... More
Alfred in the Chroniclers.
London: Elliot Stock, 1900. [Anglo-Saxon History] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.xii; 235 [1]. Lacking the map; with the errata slip. Contemporary brown morocco by STOAKLEY of Cambridge for Perse School for Girls, with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, green cloth over boards, and gilt armorial school crest..... More
The Works of James Fenimore Cooper. [Including 'The Last of the Mohicans'; 'The Pathfinder'; 'The Deerslayer' etc.] The Mohawk Edition.
New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, no date [circa 1895]. [American Literature] FINELY BOUND COMPLETE SET. 32 volumes, ctavo (22 x 15 x 96cm). Printed by the Knickerbocker Press. Each volume with a photogravure frontispiece reproducing illustrations by F.T. Richards. Contemporary tan half calf with gilt titles to contrasting red..... More
The Poetical Works of William Cowper.
Edinburgh: William P. Nimmo, 1864. [Poetry] FINELY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED. Octavo (18 x 13cm), pp.xxviii; 483 [1]. With 10 engraved plates by Cameron, including a frontispiece portrait of the author and a decorated title page. Contemporary red full morocco with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, heavy blind decoration all..... More
The Works of William Cowper: His Life, Letters, and Poems. Now First Completed by the Introduction of Cowper's Private Correspondence.
London: William Tegg and Co., 1849. [Poetical Works] FINELY BOUND. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.xx; 736; [2]. With six steel engraved plates by various artists including a frontispiece, as well as an engraved vignette title page. Contemporary full morocco with raised bands, gilt titles to spine and extensive gilt decoration..... More
Excursions in the County of Sussex: Comprising Brief Historical and Topographical Delineations; together with Descriptions of the Residences of the Nobility and Gentry, Remains of Antiquity, and Other Interesting Objects of Curiosity. Forming a Complete Guide for the Traveller and Tourist.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown [etc.], 1822. [Topography] FINE HAND-COLOURED PLATES, first edition. Sextodecimo (16 x 11cm), pp.iv; 201 [3]. With 46 engraved plates, including folding maps of the county, and of Chichester. Some plates hand-coloured. Contemporary or lightly later tan half calf with gilt titles..... More
Excusions in the County of Surrey: Comprising Brief Historical and Topographical Delineations; together with Descriptions of the Residences of the Nobility and Gentry, Remains of Antiquity, and Other Interesting Objects of Curiosity. Forming a Complete Guide for the Traveller and Tourist.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown [etc.], 1821. [Topography] FINE HAND-COLOURED PLATES, first edition. Sextodecimo (16 x 11cm), pp.iv; 214. With 45 engraved plates including a frontispiece and vignette title page, most hand-coloured, as well as a folding map of the county. Contemporary or lightly later tan..... More
The Peerage of Ireland: or, an exact Catalogue of the present Nobility both Lords Spiritual and Temporal, with an Historical and Genealogical account of them, containing the Descents, Creations and most remarkable Actions of them, their Ancestors, and some of their Monuments; also the Titles of Honour they now enjoy, both here and in England, their Preferments, and the time of their Promotions, with their Marriages and Issues, continued to this Time; with their Paternal Coats of Arms, and of the Archiepiscopal and Episcopal Sees, and the time of their Consecrations and Translations of each Family in Blazon, with their respective Arms, Crests, Supporters and Mottos; the whole collected from the most authentick Histories, Pedigrees, choice Manuscripts, Certificates, and other Records of this Kingdom. [Together with] The Signification of most Things that are born in Heraldry, with the Explanation of their Natural Qualities, and of those Persons that they ought properly to be born by.
Dublin: Printed by Thomas Hume, 1724 - 1725. FIRST EDITIONS. Two volumes bound as one. Folio (32 x 21cm), pp.[16]; 260; [14]; 86; [10]. In recent brown speckled full panelled calf, with raised bands and gilt titles to red label on spine. Blue ink library stamp to title page and..... More
Mistura Curiosa.
Edinburgh. Maclachlan and Stewart. 1896. First edition. 4to. Bound in publisher's dark green cloth covered bevelled boards, titled and decorated in gilt to spine and front board. Light edgewear, some slight frayiong to head of spine; bright, clean and handsome. All edges gilt. Internally clean. A bizarre and unusual collection..... More
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
The Music of the Poets. A Musicians' Birthday Book.
London and Felling-On-Tyne: The Walter Scott Publishing Co., Ltd., 1908. [Gift book] FINELY BOUND IN DUST-JACKET. Quarto (25 x 18cm), pp.xii; 357; [1]. The third edition, completely revised. Illustrated with twenty-six plates. Printed with excerpts of verse and song facing a page printed with dates and space for the owner's..... More
Curiosities of Literature.
London: Edward Moxon, 1851. [Literary Miscellany] FINELY BOUND, a new edition. Octavo (24 x 17cm), pp.[2] xii; 578 [2]. Very small print in two columns. With an engraved frontispiece portrait of the author, a vignette title page, and one folding facsimile of a manuscript by Alexander Pope. Contemporary brown full..... More
Rural Sports.
London: Bunny and Gold, no date [1801-1813]. [Hunting] FIRST EDITIONS. Three volumes, including the supplement. Quarto (27 x 22 x 17cm), pp.[10] 383 [5]; pp.[4] 520 [4]; pp.[16] 507 [25]. With 19 copper engravings and a lithographic frontispiece to volume I; 44 copper engravings and a lithographic frontispiece and decorated..... 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
A Memoir of the Life of Peter the Great.
London: John Murray, 1839. [Historical Biography] FINELY BOUND, the third edition. Small octavo (15 x 11cm), pp.xvi; 366. With a frontispiece etching of Peter the Great. Contemporary black half calf with gilt titles and decoration to spine. Marbled paper over boards; all edges and endpapers marbled. Lightly browned throughout. Moderate..... More
Supernatural Pamphlets.
1852-54. Five important pamphlets by a leader in the Spiritualist movement. Bound in contemporary full brown calf with gilt titles and ornate gilt decoration to spine, marbled endpapers and edges. 'The Approaching Crisis: Being A Review of Dr. Bushnell's Recent Lectures on Spiritualism', New York: Published by the Author, 1852..... 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
"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
The Revolutions of Portugal, Written in French by the Abbot De Vertot, of the Royal Academy of Inscriptions. Done into English from the last French Edition.
London: Printed for W. Taylor and C. Rivington, 1724. EARLY EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.viii; iv; 138; [10]. With a copper engraved frontispiece. In contemporary tan calf boards with blind decoration. Recently re-backed to style with raised bands and gilt titles to a red label on spine. Faint ink..... More
Le Ballon Fantome.
Tours: Maison Alfred Mame, n.d. [1909]. FIRST EDITION. Quarto, pp.142; [2]. French language. With frequent in-text wood engravings and full-page lithographic plates by Robida. In publisher's colour-illustrated grey cloth boards with gilt titles to spine and upper board, with further gilt decoration. All edges gilt and light blue endpapers. Light..... More
Our Mutual Friend.
London: Chapman and Hall [1896]. CROWN EDITION, in scarce original printed DUST-WRAPPER. Octavo, pp.x; 683; [1], blank. Publisher's russet-coloured buckram blocked in gilt and black, complete with rare paper jacket. With forty illustrations by Martin Stone. One of the author's most famous tales, issued as part of the 'Dickens Crown..... More
The Christmas Books. Being; A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man.
London: J.M. Dent and Co., 1905 and 1907. [English literature]. FIRST BROCK-ILLUSTRATED EDITION. 5 volumes, octavo (18 x 12 x 15cm). With illustrations in colour by Charles Brock. Finely bound in full deep red morocco with raised bands, gilt decoration and gilt titles to spines, marbled endpapers; top edges gilt..... More
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.
London: Chapman and Hall, 1873. [Classic Literature]. FINELY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED. In two volumes. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[4] xviii; 471 [5]; pp.[4] x; 491 [5]. With 43 wood engraved plates by Phiz, including frontispieces and a title page vignette. Contemporary dark brown full morocco with raised bands and gilt..... More
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.
London: Chapman and Hall, October 1891. [Classic Literature] FINELY BOUND, with illustrations. Octavo (22 x 17cm), pp.xvi; 624. With 39 engraved plates by 'Phiz' and a frontispiece of the young Dickens by Maclise. Reprinted from stereotype plates. Contemporary green half morocco with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine..... More