"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."
— Mark Twain
Poetry & Drama
A Midsummer Night's Dream. With Illustrations by Arthur Rackham.
London: William Heinemann, 1908. [Fantasy drama] First Rackham Illustrated Edition, SIGNED LIMITED ISSUE. Large Quarto (30 x 24cm), pp.134; [1], blank; [1], imprint. With forty tipped-in colour plates, each with captioned tissue guards. Publisher's full parchment over boards pictorially blocked in gilt, fore-edge ties, top edge gilt. Number 712 of..... More
The Works of Shakespeare;
London: Routledge, Warne and Routledge, 1862. [Complete Works] FINELY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED. Three volumes. Quarto (26 x 19 x 17cm). Liberally illustrated with in-text engravings by the Dalziel brothers, after Gilbert. Contemporary red half morocco with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spines, and red leather-grain-effect cloth over boards..... More
The Works of William Shakespeare.
London: Archibald Constable, n.d [c.1910]. FINELY BOUND EDITION. 12 volumes. Crown octavo (19 x 14 x 40cm). Half scarlet calf by The Times Bindery, with green morocco title labels, gilt to spine, matching buckram sides, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. Contents a little thumbed, bindings with the odd mark or..... More
The Plays. Accurately printed from the Text of the Corrected Copies left by the late George Steevens and Edmond Malone, with Mr. Malone's various Readings. A selection of Explanatory and Historical Notes, from the most eminent Commentators. A History of the Stage, and a Life of Shakespeare, by Alexander Chalmers. The works include: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, King Lear, Antony & Cleopatra, The Merchant of Venice, etc.
London: Printed for Longman and Co., Rivington,... 1856. 8 volumes, 8vo. Contemporary full tan calf boards with gilt rule, later respined in light calf with twin, red and maroon title labels, and gilt tooling to spines; marbled end papers and edges. Portrait frontispiece of Shakespeare to volume I. Corners rubbed;..... More
Promotional photograph of Laurence Olivier as 'Othello', SIGNED by the actor.
no place, no date [1965]. [FILM MEMORABILIA] Black and white publicity shot. Postcard weight and format, size 5 x 3.5 inches, inscribed and signed by the subject in black ink to lower margin, below printed titles. Within archival window mount, professionally glazed and framed beneath 2mm float glass, backed with..... More
The Sensitive Plant. Introduction by Edmund Gosse.
London: William Heinemann, n.d. [1911]. First Charles Robinson Illustrated Edition, DELUXE ISSUE. Quarto. Publisher's vellum binding heavily decorated in gilt to spine and upper board, black and white illustrated end papers, top edge gilt. Profusely decorated with line drawings throughout, coloured cartouches and 18 tipped-in coloured illustrations. In the present..... More
Astrophel & Stella.
London: The Nonesuch Press, 1931. [Elizabethan Poetry] LIMITED PRIVATE PRESS EDITION. Octavo (24 x 15cm), pp.xl; 193 [7]. Number 157 of just 725 English copies (485 copies sold by Random House in America), printed on Van Gelder paper. Publisher's decorative paper-covered boards with a green paper title label to upper..... More
The Siege of Carthage (An Historical Episode), and Other Poems.
London: Remington and Co., 1880. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (17 x 11cm), pp.[6]; 124. publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. Dark brown endpapers. Bookplate of Jonathan Mark Hall to front pastedown, neat ownership inscriptions to verso of flyleaf and to first blank, some light spotting within..... More
Poems of Childhood.
London: Henry Frowde, Hodder and Stoughton, no date [1912]. [Children's Illustrated]. FIRST EDITION. Small quarto (24 x 19cm), pp.[8]; 46; [2]. With twelve chromolithographic plates including a frontispiece by Millicent Sowerby. In publisher's quarter cream cloth with textured cream red and green cloth over boards. Gilt titles to spine and..... More
The Faerie Queene: Disposed into Twelve Books, Fashioning XII Moral Virtues. To which is Added his Epithalamion.
London: George Routledge and Sons, 1866. [Classic Verse] FINELY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED. Octavo (18 x 13cm), pp.xii; 820; [2]. With eight wood engraved plates, including a frontispiece, by Corbould. Contemporary full red morocco with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and elaborate gilt panelled decoration to boards. All..... More
The Complete Poetical Works of Edmund Spenser. The Cambridge Edition.
Boston, MA, and New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1908. [Poetry] FINELY BOUND. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.xxiii; [1]; 852; [2]. Frontispiece portrait. Printed in double column. Contemporary red half morocco over lighter red cloth boards, raised bands and gilt to spine, top edge gilt. Textblock slightly toned, small closed..... More
The Works of Edmund Spenser.
London: Edward Moxon, 1845. [Poetry] FINELY BOUND. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[1x]; 562; [ii], blank. Finely bound by HayDay in black full morocco, raised bands and gilt titles and tooling to spine, ornate gilt borders to boards, all edges gilt. Engraved frontispiece and half title page with engraved vignette. Internally..... More
The Blue Guitar. Etchings by David Hockney, who was Inspired by Wallace Stevens, who was Inspired by Pablo Picasso.
London: Petersburg Press, 1977. [Illustrated Poetry] FIRST THUS. Square octavo (22 x 22cm), pp.51; [1]. Twenty colour etchings by Hockney interleaved with Stevens' poetry. Publisher's grey paper-covered boards with paper title label to upper, brown endpapers, dust-jacket priced at £5.50. A little shaken; rubbing to board edges. Some wear and..... More
A Child's Garden of Verses.
London: Chatto and Windus, 1908. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST SOWERBY-ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Large octavo (23 x 17cm), pp.xvi; 125 [3]. With 12 colour plates including a frontispiece, as well as occasional vignette illustrations. Contemporary crushed blue half morocco with raised bands, gilt titles to spine and marbled paper over boards. Top edge..... More
Instead of Tears.
London: De La More Press, no date [circa1947]. [Poetry] FIRST SEPARATE EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[32] unpaginated. Publisher's purple lizard-skin-effect paper-covered board. with titles to paper labels on spine and upper board. Edges untrimmed. Spine sunned, some loss to spine label. Very good. A collection of poems in memory..... More
Selected Poems.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1927. LIMITED EDITION. Small octavo, pp.32. Number 206 of just 350 copies, hand-numbered in black ink. In publisher's quarter blue cloth with orange paper-covered boards and gilt titles to spine. With original cream dust-jacket. Also with a blue Jonathan Cape postcard and a loose advertisement for 'The..... More
A Song of Italy.
London: John Camden Hotten, 1867. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (17 x 12cm), pp.[10]; 66 [20]. First issue, complete with advertisements. Also with a related LETTER dated September 1919 from Thomas James Wise confirming that this copy is a first issue, one of 3000 copies, some of which were remaindered in..... More
Atalanta in Calydon. A Tragedy.
London: Edward Moxon and Co., 1865. [Drama]. FIRST EDITION. Small quarto (23 x 18cm), pp.[2] xii; 111 [1]. Publisher's cream cloth with gilt titles to spine and gilt devices stamped to upper board, designed by D. G. Rossetti (1828-1882). All edges untrimmed. Front free endpaper cancelled. Cloth browned and marked..... More
Becket.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1884. [Medieval drama]. FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[viii]; 213; [1], blank; [2], advertisements. In publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine, edges untrimmed. With accompanying printed note 'from the author' pinned to flyleaf and with an explanatory note about the recipient..... More
Enoch Arden, Etc.
London: Edward Moxon and Co., 1864. FIRST EDITION, first issue. Octavo, pp.[8], iv, 178 [2]. In publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine and blind tooling to boards. With the earliest adverts from August 1864 to prelims. Slight reading lean; upper hinge a little weak. Spine and fore-edges sunned..... More
The Holy Grail. And Other Poems.
London: Strahan and Co., Publishers, 1870. [Arthurian Legend] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.[8] 222 [2]. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine. Brown endpapers. Heavy pencil ownership to first blank. Rubbing to cloth, small split to top of lower joint. Very good. Begun in 1859, Tennyson's classic..... More
Idylls of the King.
London: Edward Moxon, 1859. FIRST EDITION. Crown Octavo, pp.[16], 261 [3]. With adverts bound in at front dated July 1859. In publisher's gilt-titled blind-stamped olive cloth, with coated yellow endpapers. Blue ink ownership inscription to front free endpaper, dated august 1859. Reading lean and sunning to spine. Pencil notes to..... More
Idylls of the King.
London: Henry S. King and Co., 1874. [Arthurian Legend] FINELY BOUND, a later edition. Small octavo (17 x 11cm), pp.[2]; x; 405' [3]. In contemporary navy full morocco with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and gilt panelled decoration to boards with the initials B.M.T. stamped to upper..... More
Uniform Collection of Leatherbound works. Including Poems, The Princess, Idylls of the King, In Memoriam, The Holy Grail, Maud, Gareth and Lynette, and Enoch Arden.
London: Henry S. King and Co., 1874. [Poetical Works, Arthurian Legend etc] FINELY BOUND. Eight volumes, o ctavo (16 x 11 x 17cm). Handsomely bound in full dark green calf, delicately tooled in blind, gilt titles on red morocco labels, all edges coloured red, combed marble endpapers. Same dated ownership..... More
The Complete Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson Poet Laureate.
London: MacMillan and Co. 1905. Finely bound. Octavo. pp.viii; 901, including index. With a frontispiece engraving of the author. Original half red straight-grained morocco, gilt to spine and top edge, buckram sides ruled in gilt, marbled end-papers. Owner's name neatly in ink. Light foxing to edges, minor rubbing. Very Good..... More