" It is a man's duty to have books. A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessaries of life. "
— Henry Ward Beecher
The Arts & Sciences
Aerodynamics of the Helicopter.
New York, NY: The Macmillan Company, no date [1952]. [Aviation] GALLEY PROOF. A4 photocopied paper, ring-bound in black plastic with clear plastic covers. (28 x 24cm), lacking pages 2 and 3 (one sheet of paper). pp.[6] 1; 4-343. A small blank area of the first page cut away. Browned throughout..... More
The World's Foundations, or, Geology for Beginners.
London: Seeley and Co., 1892. Octavo; fine prize binding for Aske's Hatcham School for Girls, 1894; full red calf-leather with gilt lettering / tooling and green title background; all edges marbled; inner dentelle and marbled endpapers; prize bookplate on front free endpaper; 16 illustrations; pp. xiv, 315; some slight wear..... More
Arctic Trader. The Account of Twenty Years With The Hudson's Bay Company.
London: Putnam, 1935. FIRST UK EDITION, WITH DUSTJACKET. Octavo, pp. xiv; 304. Bound in publisher's light blue cloth, titled in silver to spine, in striking blue and silver dustjacket (scarce). Minor discolouration and edgewear to cloth, otherwise clean. Rarely-surviving dustjacket in very good condition, with some marginal fraying and two..... More
Thoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions and Discoveries.
London: Effingham Wilson, 1831. [Phillosophy] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.[2]; viii; 471; [5]. Publisher's original brown paper-covered boards, with a later respibne in green cloth with the original paper title label retained and laid on, new endpapers supplied. All edges untrimmed. Occasional thumbmark and some sporadic light spotting..... More
The Citizen of the World; or Letters from a Chinese Philosopher, Residing in London, to His Friends in the East.
London: Printed for N. Newbury, 1762. FIRST COLLECTED EDITION. In two volumes. Foolscap octavo, pp.viii, 286 [2]; pp.[2], 238 [16]. In contemporary mottled calf boards, recently re-backed to style with raised bands and gilt titles to original red labels to spines. Armorial bookplates of the De Burghs, Earls of Clanricarde..... More
Geography Anatomiz'd: or, the Geographical Grammar. Being a short and Exact Analysis of the whole Body of Modern geography, After a New and Curious Method. Comprehending I. A general View of the Terraqueous Globe, Being a Compendious System of the true Fundamentals of Geography; Digested into various Definitions, Problems, Theorems, and Paradoxes; with a transient Survey of the Surface of the Earthly Ball, as it consists of Land and Water. II. A particular View of the Terraqueous Globe, Being a clear and pleasant Prospect of all remarkable Countries upon the Face of the whole Earth; shewing their Situation, Extent, Division, Sub-division, Cities, Chief Towns, Name, Air, Soil, Commodities, Rarities, Archbishopricks, Arms, Religion. Collected from the best Authors, and illustrated with divers Maps.
London: Printed for A. Ward [etc.], 1744. [Maps]. FINELY BOUND, the Eighteenth Edition, corrected, with new maps. Octavo (21 x 13cm), pp.[24]; 432. With 16 folding maps depicting most parts of the world known at that time. Contemporary brown calf, recently re-backed with original brown calf spine with gilt titles..... More
The Complete Plain Words.
London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1954. [Official English]. FIRST THUS. Octavo (22 x 14 cm), pp.vi; 209; [1]. In publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to black strip on spine. With original cream dust-jacket. Jacket spine lightly toned, with some rubbing to edges. Very good indeed. An amalgamation of 'Plain..... More
The Story of St Thomas's 1106-1947.
London: Faber and Faber, 1947. SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Large Octavo, pp.72. With eight colour plates and 41 further illustrations. SIGNED by 35 members of the hospital nursing staff, in blue and black ink to the front free endpaper. In publisher's cream paper-covered boards with blue and red titles and hospital..... More
Trout Culture.
New York. 1870. 8vo., pp. 90 + ii. Original brown embossed cloth. Waterstaining to a few leaves. An early book on this subject. Very Good. More
The Trees of Old England: Sketches of the Aspects, Associations, and Uses of those which Constitute the Forests, and give Effect to the Scenery of our Native Country.
London: F. Pitman, 1868. [Nature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.[8] 96 [2]. With occasional in-text engravings. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles and blind decoration to boards. Dark brown coated endpapers. Browning throughout. Light rubbing to cloth. Some marks and soiling to upper board. Very good... More
The History Of The Great Northern Railway 1845-1895.
Methuen and Co., London. 1898. 8vo., pp. vi, 429, (+ publisher's catalogue pp. 40.) Publisher's dark red cloth. Ex-library copy, with bookplates and stamps internally and number to spine, previous owner's name. Light rubbing, edges bumped, hinges starting, overall light wear. Very Good. More
Travels on Foot through the Island of Ceylon. Translated from the Dutch.
London: Printed for Sir Richard Phillips and Co., 1821. FINELY BOUND. Small quarto, pp. 118. Complete with 3 engraved plates including 2 folding. Bound in recent burgundy half calf with gitlt titles to spine, marbled boards. Some 25 leaves have been added at the end to give the book a...... More
The Evolution of Man.
London; Watts and Co. 1905. First UK Edition. Two Volumes, Large 8vo. Near fine in like dustwrappers, publisher's blue cloth with titles and ruling in bronze gilt to spines, minor edgewear. Handsome copies. Some minor edgewear to wrappers and uniform toning to spine panels, inside flap on volume 2 with..... More
History of the United States, From their first settlement as colonies, to the close of the war with Great Britain in 1815.
London: John Miller, 1826. First English Edition. Octavo. Bound in publisher's paper boards, with paper title label to spine; all edges uncut. Binding is worn, with bumping to corners and spine ends, spine chipped, extremities worn, joints cracked. Internally clean,with spotting to prelims and final pages. A popular early US..... More
Fashion Drawing and Dress Design. A Handbook dealing with Proportion, construction, pose and draping of the adult and child figure with numerous illustrations.
London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons Ltd., 1928. [Fashion] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (25 x 17cm), pp.xvi; 164; [4] of advertisements. Publisher's cloth, titled in red and black to spine and upper. Illustrated throughout in red and black. Neat gift inscription to half title, occasional marks to the textblock but generally..... More
A Descriptive, Diagnostic and Practical Essay on Disorders of the Digestive Organs and General Health, and particularly on their numerous Forms and Complications, contrasted with some Acute and Insidious Diseases; being an attempt to prosecute the Views of Dr. Hamilton and Mr. Abernethy; and a Second Edition of the Essay of the Mimoses, with Additions.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1820. First Edition of the first title; Second Edition of the work on the Mimoses. 8vo; pp. (4, publisher's catalogue dated Sept. 1820), (8), 184. Publisher's blue paper covered boards, later respine in grey paper with title labels. Some acceptable marking..... More
The Song of The Cotton Picker. With photos by Carl Julien.
Clinton, South Carolina: Jacob's Press. 1942. First edition, SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. 8vo. Publisher's red rexine, leather effect cloth with onlay photgraphic title label to front board. Bright and sharp, small square of fading to head of spine. In a very good dustwrapper, frayed and chipped to head of spine..... More
All About Confectionery Series: All About Biscuits; All About Pastries; All About Gateaux; All About Ices, Jellies, Creams, and Conserves; All About Genoese Glaces, Petits Fours and Bon Bons.
London: Offices of "The British Baker", Maclaren and Sons, no date [circa 1903-1930]. [Pastries, Cakes and Desserts] COMPLETE SET, FIRST EDITIONS. Five volumes. Quarto (26 x 21 x 11cm). With occasional black and white photogravure illustrations. Publisher's green cloth with black titles to spines, and white titles to upper boards..... More
Estuary Saga. A Wildfowler Naturalist on the Elbe.
London: H. F. and G. Witherby, 1952. Association Copy, Signed First Edition. Octavo, pp. Bound in publisher's White pictorial dustwrapper showing wid fowl circling above a wintery pond, titles in blue and black to front cover; unclipped, originally priced at 12s 6d. Bookplate. Binding is bright, with a touch of..... More
Pastures New. A Wildfowler Naturalist Explorers North-West Germany.
London: H. F. & G. Witherby Ltd, 1954. Signed First Edition. Octavo. pp. xv, 172. Bound in publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine. Green pictorial dust wrapper shows pheasants on dunes overlooking the sea, with titles in white to front cover and spine, advertisements for companion volume Estuary..... More
Screencraft, or the Making of a Photoplay.
New York, NY: Chalmers Publishing Co., 1916. [Early Film-Making] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.151; [1]. Publisher's burgundy cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper board. Simple typographic dust-jacket with titles and testimonials from well-wishing readers. Fore-edge untrimmed. Toned and a little dusty to edges. Light wear to..... More
Memorable London Houses: A Handy Guide. With illustrative anecdotes and a reference plan.
London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, 1890. Third Edition. Octavo. Bound by Wilson in contemporary half brown calf over marbled paper boards, with raised bands and black title label to spine; top edge speckled, green endpapers. Illustrated with one hundred engravings by Martin, and fold out reference plan by..... More
Cowboy Kate.
London: Haskins Press, 1975. [Fashion Photography / Sixties Culture] Influential photography book. Publisher's grey cloth hardcover in original dust-wrapper. Folio, unpaginated. Photographed throughout in black and white. Front flap states 'LIMITED EDITION'. One or two tiny marks to jacket; a fine copy. Originally published by Bodley Head in 1965, Haskins..... More
November Girl.
London: The Bodley Head, 1967. Cult photography book. FIRST EDITION. Publisher's marbled paper-covered boards in original dust-wrapper priced at 63s. Folio, unpaginated. Photographed throughout in black and white. One or two tiny marks to jacket, faint toning to flyleaf; a clean, near fine copy. More
A Brief History of Time. From the Big Bang to Black Holes.
London: Bantam Press, 1988. [Science] FIRST EDITION, FIFTH PRINTING. Printed in the same year as the first edition. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[x]; 198. Publisher's blue cloth titled in gilt to spine, photographic dust-jacket priced at £14.95 net, numerous in-text illustrations by Ron Miller. Ownership inscription to flyleaf, light spotting..... More