"A book should serve as the axe for the frozen sea within us."
— Franz Kafka
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Madame de Sable. Etudes sur les femmes illustres et la societe du XVIIe siecle.
Paris: Didier, 1854. Signed presentation copy. Octavo. Bound in half brown calf over marbled paper, with raised bands highlighted with gilt, and brown and gilt label to spine. Signed by the author, and presented to Viscount Mahon, later Earl Stanhope, MP, prominent historian and biographer.Binding is rubbed, both leather and..... More
Modern Weapons of War: By Land, Sea and Air.
London: Blackie and Son, 1916. First Edition. Octavo. pp. 192. With 34 photographic plates and a colour frontispiece. In publisher's explosive pictorial tan cloth, with titles to spine and upper board. With rare original monochrome dust jacket. Grey end-papers. Large red stain to jacket back cover, and some slight wear..... More
Biggles Scores A Bull.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1965. First Edition. Octavo, pp. 160. Red cloth with gilt titles to spine, in pictorial dustwrapper designed by 'Studio Stead' depicting Biggles swooping throughout the sky in a helicopter with a somewhat indifferent looking Bovine overlaid by concentric circles. Textblock is clean and bright apart from..... More
The New London Family Cook.
London: Albion Press, Printed for James Cundee, 1808. [Cookery]. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.634. Full tan diced calf, respined to style with a red title label, marbled endpapers. With a portrait frontispiece and ten further plates. Textblock is nice and clean with just occasional light spotting, embossed library stamps to..... More
More Goon Cartoons.
London: M. and J. Hobbs, in association with Michael Joseph, 1983. INSCRIBED First edition. Illustrated by Michael Clarke. Quarto. Publisher's illustrated boards. Inscribed by Milligan to copyright page with a charming doodle of a flower. Near fine, very minor edgewear. Internally clean. More
A Narrative of the Campaign of the British Army in Spain, Commanded by His Excellency Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, K. B. etc. etc. etc. Authenticated by Official Papers and Original Letters.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1809. THIRD EDITION, First in octavo. Octavo, pp.[2]; xx; 388; 136; [2]. With two folding maps, each with hand-coloured marches and battle positions, as well as a large appendix with letters, etc. In later horizontal-grained brown calf boards, recently re-backed in brown calf with gilt..... More
The British Encyclopedia, or Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. Comprising an Accurate and Popular View of the Present Improved State of Human Knowledge.
London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, 1809. FINE ENGRAVINGS. In six volumes. Octavo. With over 150 fine copper engravings. In contemporary brown half calf with raised bands, gilt titles to spines and marbled boards and endpapers. Upper joint to vol. I split through; very weak. Black ink gift inscriptions to..... More
The State Policy of Modern Europe, from the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century to the Present Time.
London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, and Roberts, 1857. INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. In two volumes. Octavo, pp.xvi, 334; x, 392. INSCRIBED by the author in black ink to front free end-paper, dedicated to Sir Edward Shepherd CREASY, author of 'Fifteen Decisive Battle of the World' (1851). In publisher's light tan embossed..... More
Meridiana, or Adventures in South Africa. The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians in South Africa.
New York, Scribner, Armstrong and Co. 1874. FIRST AUTHORIZED US EDITION, FIRST STATE. Octavo. Excellent, full page black and white illustrations throughout, including frontispiece. Publisher's tan cloth. Titles beautifully set out in gilt to the front board and spine with two strips of blind tooling travelling from the back to..... More
The Autobiography of Francis Arago. The Traveller's Library 78.
London: Longman, Brown, and Longmans, 1855. FIRST EDITION, with rare original covers. Crown octavo, pp.[6], 122. In publisher's original cream paper wraps with black titles printed to spine and covers. Covers lightly browned; more heavily to spine. Some loss to tail of spine. Very good indeed, especially considering the rarity..... More
Sonnets from the Portuguese, by E.B. Browning. To which is prefaced a 'Little Journey' to the Home of the Author, written by E. Hubbard.
East Aurora, NY: The Roycroft Shop, 1898. Limited Edition to 480 copies of which this is No.217. SIGNED by Elbert Hubbard. Publisher's quarter white cloth with gilt titles to upper, grey paper boards and end papers; edges untrimmed. Hand coloured stylised capitals throughout the text; superb printing on thick pages..... More
The Spy in Black.
Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1917. First Edition. Publisher's red cloth with titles in gilt to spine and upper. Faded spine, dusty edges, extremities lightly rubbed. A sound and tight copy of this scarce title. A Great War espionage tale from the author of 'Carrington's Cases', etc. More
Atlas to the Memoirs of John Duke of Marlborough; Containing Armorial Bearings, Fac Similes, Maps, and Military Plans.
London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1820. FINE COPPER ENGRAVED MAPS. Quarto, unpaginated. Containing 22 large coats of arms, facsimile letters and folding maps, being a supplement to the Octavo edition of the 'Memoirs'. Some maps with coloured battle positions. In original pink leather-effect cloth boards, recently re-backed in..... 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
Specimens of the Early English Poets, to which is prefixed an Historical Sketch of the Rise and Progress of the English Poetry and Language, in 3 volumes. Together with: Specimens of Early English Metrical Romances, chiefly written during the early part of the Fourteenth Century; to which is prefixed an Historical Introduction, intended to Illustrate the Rise and Progress of Romantic Composition in France and England.
London: Published for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1811. 6 volumes, 8vo., in a lovely contemporary full speckled calf with gilt raised bands, green and brown title labels and gilt tooling to spines, decorative gilt border to boards, grey end papers. Internally sound and clean. Binding a little rubbed..... More
American Belles.
New York: Dodd Mead and Company. 1911. Large Quarto, unpaginated, sixteen full page plates. Light pink cloth covers with a darker cloth spine, gilt titles to spine, top edge gilt. Housed in original card box with reproduction of cover image to front. Box show considerable wear with some loss and..... More
The Drift of Buddhism From India to the Mongols and Thibet.
London: Robert Banks and son, 1905. Octavo. Bound in paper covers; originally priced at 6d. With a coloured folding map showing the distribution of world religions. The paper cover is somewhat worn, with some small tears to joints, also somewhat tanned. Largely free from spotting, though with some rust spots..... More
A Treatise on the Venereal Disease
London; Sherwood, Neely and Jones. 1818. 'THE SECOND EDITION', with additions. Octavo, pp 569 + 5 (of 6) plates. Original half calf over marbled sides; some wear and rubbing to covers, discreetly rebacked, neat repair to lower portion of plate I (not affecting image). A serviceable copy of this landmark..... More
Little Songs of Long Ago. More Old Nursery Rhymes. Illustrated by H. Willebeek Le Mair.
London: Augener Ltd, c. 1912. Folio. Publisher's yellow cloth with gilt titles to spine, gilt titles and pasted down colour illustration to upper board. Corners slightly bumped. Pictorial dustwrapper, bright with small chips and tears to edges. 30 (+2) Beautiful full-page colour illustrations to accompany each song. A very good..... More
The Adventures of Judith Lee.
London, Methuen. 1916. First edition. 8vo. 314pp + 32pp ads. Publisher's light blue cloth titled in black to spine. Near fine copy with minor edgewear and bumping to spine ends. Internally clean, light offsetting to endpapers, very minor spotting to page edges.A remarkably handsome copy of a scarce collection of..... More
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. Including: Gertrude McFuzz and The Big Brag.
New York: Random House. 1958. First Edition; slim Quarto. Publisher's green and blue illustrated boards, with matching dust jacket. Titles in black and white to upper board and spine. Beautifully illustrated throughout by the author, including endpapers. Binding a little rubbed to extremities. Dust jacket showing light rubbing, frayed to..... More
The Keepsake for 1829.
London: Hurst, Chance, and Co., 1829. Octavo. Bound in green calf, with red and gilt label, raised bands and extensive gilt to spine, boards panelled with triple-ruled gilt and blind tooling, and central blind-tooled motif, all edges gilt and gilt board edge tooling, as well as blind-tolled dentelles. Includes bookplate..... More
The Rocky Horror Show: Mask of Columbia.
Los Angeles: Michael White Productions, n.d. [1974]. EPHEMERA FROM ROCKY HORROR SHOW U.S. OPENING. Card cut out mask of Columbia, approximately 26cm x 19cm with removable eyes and mouth, printed with production notes printed on the rear. Produced as a promotional item for the U.S. opening at the Roxy Theatre..... More
The Subterranean Club.
London; Hodder and Stoughton, 1932. First Edition. Octavo. 320pp. Fine in publisher's slate blue cloth titled and ruled in black to spine and front board. Clean and tight, in a splendid, Hodder Yellow-Jacket dustwrapper, very good indeed with some light spotting and very minor edgewear. Bright and very striking... More
A walk in and about the city of Canterbury with many observations not to be found in any description hitherto published.
Canterbury: Simmons and Kirkby, 1777. SECOND EDITION. Octavo, pp.[2]; 36; 402; [16]. With 24 copper plates including a frontispiece portrait of the author, a folding plan of Canterbury, and two other maps. Bound in contemporary tan calf, professionally respined to style with gilt titles on a red morocco square. Bookplate..... More