"Outside of a dog, man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
— Groucho Marx

New York, NY: New American Library, 1963. [Spy novel] FIRST U.S. EDITION. A superb association copy, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO HUGH HEFNER. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.299; [1], blank. Cloth-backed blue paper-covered boards, decorated in gilt to spine, ochre top edge and endpapers, illustrated jacket priced at $4.50. With..... More
London: Chapman and Hall, 1843-1848. [Festive Ghost Stories] ALL FIRST EDITIONS, each with an associated letter tipped-in. Five volumes, octavo (19 x 13 x 10cm). Publisher's red cloth covers (brown cloth for 'Carol') with gilt blocking and gilt edges. [1] A Christmas Carol: FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, FIRST STATE, with..... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. [Spy novel] FIRST EDITION, SIGNED PRESENTATION COPY. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.288. Publisher's dark grey cloth-effect paper over boards with silver titles to spine, in original jacket designed by Richard Chopping, priced at 16s. Inscribed by the author to his close friend John Hayward; "To John..... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1953. [Spy novel] FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.218; [2], blank. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards with red titles and 'heart' design to upper, tail edge untrimmed, pictorial dust-wrapper priced at 10/6. Some moderate toning, jacket with some chips and tears, 1cm loss..... More
New York, NY: The Viking Press, 1960. FIRST US EDITION. ASSOCIATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. Octavo, pp.218. Publisher's yellow and green cloth in pictorial dust-wrapper illustrated by Richard Chopping, priced at $3.50. With presentation note to the flyleaf 'The rest will have / to wait. / x / Ian..... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1962. [Spy thriller] FIRST EDITION, State A. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. Crown Octavo (21 x 13cm), pp.221; [1]. Publisher's cloth-effect paper over boards with scarlet endpapers in pictorial dust-jacket illustrated by Richard Chopping, priced at 15s. A near fine copy with a slight spine lean, one tiny..... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. FIRST EDITION, SIGNED LIMITED ISSUE. Octavo (195 x 35mm), pp.288. Colour frontispiece of the author by Charles Amherst Villiers. Signed by Ian Fleming to limitation page marked 'presentation' Publisher's quarter vellum over black cloth with gilt titles to spine, top edge gilt, in original clear plastic..... More
London: Victor Gollancz, 1937. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15 cm), pp.viii; 264. With 32 black and white photographic plates. Not including the foreword, which appeared in the first Left Book Club edition. In publisher's blue cloth with yellow titles to spine. With original light yellow dust-jacket with titles to..... More
London: Foyles' Book Club, n.d. [1961]. UK BOOK CLUB EDITION. ASSOCIATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. Octavo, pp.192. Publisher's green cloth in pictorial dust-wrapper illustrated by Cuthill. With presentation note to the flyleaf 'The sixth will have / to wait. / x / Ian. (underlined). A fine copy in a...... More
London: Jonathan Cape. 1961. [Spy novel] INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. First edition, first Issue, Binding A, octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.254. With characteristic ballpoint inscription to the flyleaf; To/ Peter Werner/ from/ the Author. The recipient Peter Werner later became a prolific American film director. This is one of a...... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1956. FIRST EDITION, First Impression, Binding A. Octavo, 257 pp. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards, titled in silver, in pictorial dustwrapper designed by Pat Marriott, housed in a quarter leather clamshell box. An ASSOCIATION COPY, formerly belonging to Sefton Delmer, a fellow intelligence agent, journalist colleague..... More
Tokyo and London: Wunternaum Press and Peter Owen, 1964, 1970. An important archive relating to the British publication of Yoko Ono's Grapefruit, comprising the true first edition limited to 500 copies [Tokyo, 1964] used for setting the UK edition; the UK publisher's file copy, being the first English language edition..... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. FIRST EDITION, First State, Binding A. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.256. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper ('Excelin') over boards with silver titles to spine and Japanese characters in gilt to upper, bamboo patterned endpapers. With the dust-jacket illustrated by Richard Chopping priced at..... More
London: University of London Press, 1950. SIGNED FIRST EDITION, thus. Octavo, pp.160. Publisher's softcovers. SIGNED BY JOHN LENNON. An interesting school text-book borrowed by Lennon whilst a student at Quarry Bank School, Liverpool. Lennon has signed the lending stamp to the inside cover 'J[ohn] W[inston] Lennon, IVC', and dated this..... More
London: Jonathan Cape. 1955. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.256. This is the scarce variant on the thin paper stock with 'shoo' for 'shoot' printed to p.10. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards, titled in silver, in 'flame' design dust-wrapper by Kenneth Lewis. In a leather-spined clamshell box. The edges of text..... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. SIGNED BY IAN FLEMING and additionally INSCRIBED BY THE DEDICATEE 'Sable Basilisk' (Robin de la Lanne Mirrlees). Second Impression. Publisher's black cloth with silver titles to spine. Housed in a leather-spined clamshell box. Very good indeed, with a little edge-spotting, neat reference number '1M' to flyleaf..... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. FIRST EDITION, SIGNED LIMITED ISSUE (no.73). Octavo (195 x 35mm), pp.288. Colour frontispiece of the author by Charles Amherst Villiers. Signed by Ian Fleming to limitation page. Publisher's quarter vellum over black cloth with gilt titles to spine, top edge gilt, in original clear plastic wrapper..... More
London: Bloomsbury, [1998]. [Fantasy] FIRST COLLECTED EDITION, SIGNED, which comprises early reprints of the first two titles (Stone is 4th with 'Young Wizard' jacket, 'Chamber' is 7th printing) housed in the publisher's illustrated card slipcase, priced at £12.99. Both titles are SIGNED by the author to the flyleaf. Publisher's illustrated..... More
London: Longman, 1813. [Economics] FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp. lii; 496. Original tan calf with raised bands to spine, gilt rules, red title label. Spotting to prelims and preface, otherwise contents clean. Binding lightly rubbed, crown of spine worn, tear to rear joint at head and tail. Overall an attractive copy..... More
London: George Allen and Unwin, 1954, 1954, 1955. [Epic Fantasy] FIRST EDITIONS, First impressions; signature '4' and 'sagging' type on p.49 of 'The Return', folding maps at rear of each volume. 3 volumes. Elegantly bound in full scarlet oasis morocco, gilt, with large gilt 'Eye of Sauron' motif blocked to..... More
London: Jonathan Cape. 1959. Hardcover reprint. AN INSCRIBED ASSOCIATION COPY. Publisher's black, gilt-embossed cloth-effect paper over boards, in purple dustwrapper. Minor wear, a little bumped, jacket with some wear to extremities, rubbed to joints. Very good. SIGNED by the author to the flyleaf. This copy is from the library of..... More
London: Jonathan Cape, 1953. [Spy thriller] FIRST EDITION, Second Impression, Jacket 'A' (the first edition d/w, over-printed with the Sunday Times review). Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.218; [2], blank. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards, decorated with heart motif to upper, lettered in red to spine. Pictorial dust-wrapper priced at..... More
London: Queen Anne Press, 2011. FINELY BOUND. Ten volumes bound by Shepherds, Sangorski and Sutcliffe in black full goatskin, gilt titles to spine and various onlays. Red endpapers and gilt top edges, each volume housed in a custom, lined slipcase with leather trim. The set housed in a black cloth..... More
London: Printed by W. Strahan, 1755. [Dictionary] FIRST EDITIONS. 2 volumes; Folio (42 x 27cm). Complete. Titles printed in black and red. Bound to style in full brown calf with red and green title labels, raised bands to spine, decorated in gilt and blind. Some expected spotting/toning from use; more-so..... More
London: George Newnes, 1906. [Humour] FIRST EDITION. A significant ASSOCIATION COPY. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.x; 312. Complete with four full-page black and white plates by H.M Brock [the frontispiece is positioned within the text, following binder's instructions]. Publisher's stone-coloured cloth, pictorially blocked in green, black and orange. With a...... More