"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."
— P.J. O'Rourke
History & Biography
Old Waldorf Bar Days. With the Cognomina and Composition of Four Hundred and Ninety-one Appealing Appetizers and Salutary Potations Long Known, Admired and Served at the Famous Big Brass Rail; also A Glossary for the Use of Antiquarians and Students of American Mores.
New York, NY: Aventine Press, 1931. [Cocktails] INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[8] 242 [6]. With occasional vignette illustrations. INSCRIBED by Oscar Tschirky (1866-1950), Head Waiter at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, in black ink to flyleaf: 'To | Judge Byron K. Elliot | with best wishes | from Oscar..... More
A Pageant of the Spice Islands.
London: John Bale, Sons and Danielsson, 1936. First Edition. Octavo, pp. i, 131. With 5 b/w plates including frontispiece. In publisher's green cloth with yellow titles to spine. With original cream dust jacket, featuring black titles to spine and upper board. Corners slightly bumped, and some light wear to boards..... 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
The Great Tone-Poets: Being Short Memoirs of the Greater Musical Composers.
London: Richard Bentley and Son, 1881. [Musical Biographies] FINE PRIZE BINDING, the fourth edition. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[2] xvi; 373 [3]. With a very large Atlas Moth wing loose to preliminaries. Contemporary navy full calf by RELFE BROS of London, with gilt titles to red label and further gilt..... More
A History of the Sikhs, from the Origin of the Nation, to the Battles of the Sutlej.
New Delhi: S. Chand & Co., 1966. [Sikh History] FACSIMILE REPRINT. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.l; 402. Publisher's orange leatherette, titled in black to spine and upper. With the illustrated dust-jacket by Chadda. Some damp rippling to front endpapers. Pencil ownership of Roderick Cavaliero to front fly-leaf, and a postcard..... More
Life Lines. Politics and Health 1986-1988.
London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1989. [Politics] INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (25 x 17cm), pp.xii; 291; [1] blank. Publisher's black cloth, gilt titles to spine, yellow endpapers, dust-jacket designed by Slatter-Anderson featuring a photograph by David Montgomery with printed price of £13.95. Illustrated with a suite of black and white plates..... More
Blake: General-at-Sea.
Taunton: Barnicott and Pearce, the Wessex Press, 1934. [Naval History] FIRST EDITION WITH JACKET. Octavo (23 x 16cm), pp.xvi; 200. With 20 lithographic maps, plans and illustrations, including a frontispiece. Publisher's blue cloth with black titles to spine and upper board. With rare original light blue dust-jacket featuring an engraving..... 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
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
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