Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

WOODROFFE, Paul (illustrator). - William SHAKESPEARE. Songs From the Plays of Shakespeare - edited by Ernest Rhys. London: printed for the Guild of Women Binders, 1899. Limited edition, this number 90 of 100 copies on Japanese paper, 8vo (212 x 148mm.) 12 engraved plates with tissue-guards. (Slight browning.) Later cloth-backed paper covered boards (endpapers replaced). - And eleven more volumes, mainly illustrated (12).

WARNER, Sylvia Townsend. Opus 7. London: Chatto and Windus, 1931. Limited edition, this number 82 of 110 copies, signed by the author, 8vo (206 x 135mm.) Original buckram-backed decorative paper-covered boards (slight sunning to spine, minor spotting to front and rear endpapers). Note: additionally signed by Townsend to title-page. - And three more literary volumes (including Gilbert Chesterton's 'Greybeards at Play', 1900, 4to) (4).

LAWRENCE, S.T.E. Boxwood Blockmaker - Wood Engravings Collected in Honour of his Eightieth Birthday. Gloucestershire: The Whittington Press, 1980. Limited edition, this number 206 of 250 copies, 4to (264 x 184mm.) Numerous wood-engraved plates by various artists. Original cloth-backed marbled paper boards, slipcase.

MILITARY. - Ian HAMILTON. Jean - a Memoir. London: [privately printed], 1941. First edition, signed by the author, 4to (239 x 164mm.) Numerous colour and black and white illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original patterned boards (rubbing to spine ends), dust-jacket (browning, chipping to upper edge). Provenance: Roderick Jones (affectionate presentation inscription from the author to front-free endpaper). Note: General Sir Ian Hamilton led the failed attack on Gallipoli in the First World War, but also saw extensive service in the Boer Wars, Bengal and Japan and was also chief of Staff to Lord Kitchener. This memoir of his wife, Jean, was later republished by Faber.

ULLMANN, Anne (editor). The Wood Engravings of Tirzah Ravilious - with recollections by Henry Swanzy and Robert Harling. London: Gordon Fraser, 1987. Limited edition, this number 476 of 1000 copies, 4to (300 x 209mm.) Numerous full-page illustrations of Tirzah's wood-engravings. Original plain card wrappers, floral patterned dust-jacket (faint rubbing). Note: Tirzah Garwood was Eric Ravilious's student and, later, his wife. This book was compiled by their daughter, Anne Ullmann.

ARDIZZONE, Edward (illustrator). - James REEVES. Arcadian Ballads. Gloucestershire: The Whittington Press, 1977. Limited edition, this number 66 of 200 copies, signed by the author and illustrator, 4to (279 x 185mm.) Numerous illustrations. Pink and cream decorated cloth with oval paper label to upper cover (small rub to upper cover), salmon coloured slipcase (some fading to case).

THOMAS, Edward. These Things Also Are Spring's - poems selected and introduced by Patrick Garland. London: The Folio Press, 1988. 8vo (246 x 154mm.) 12 wood-engravings by James Bostock. Moiré silk-backed spine over marbled paper boards, paper label to upper cover and spine, some uncut pages. - And sixteen more illustrated literary volumes (including Roland Gnat's 'Stubble Burning', 1982, 4to) (17).

DRINKWATER, John. From the German - Verses Written from the German Poets. London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1924. Limited edition, this number 7 of 250 copies, signed by John Drinkwater at the end of the introduction, 4to (222 x 144mm.) Original vellum-backed boards, vellum onlay to upper cover with gilt lettering. Provenance: Norman F.H. Freudenthal (bookplate to the front pastedown). - And fifteen more volumes, mainly literary or private press editions (including James Storer's 'Cowper, Illustrated by a Series of Views', 1803, 8vo) (16).

WAGNER, Richard. - Eric FRASER (illustrator). The Ring… translation by Andrew Porter. London: Dawson, 1976. 2 vols., limited edition, this number 106 of 200 copies, signed by the illustrator and accompanied by a separate suite of plates, 8vo (232 x 150mm. and 287 x 150mm.) Numerous illustrations to vol. 1, 46 loose-leaf woodcut illustrations on mold-made paper, to vol. 2. Original cloth, paper label with title to upper cover or contained within cloth folder with green ribbon ties, both within a single slipcase (a few marks to upper panel). Note: signed by Eric Fraser to title-page to vol. 2. - And with twelve more literary, illustrated volumes, many from private presses (including Vida's 'A Game of Chess' illustrated and signed by Richard Stanton, 1921, 4to) (14).

BETJEMAN, John. A Pictorial History of English Architecture. London: John Murray, 1972. Limited edition, this number 52 of 100 copies, signed by the author, 4to (258 x 224mm.) Numerous illustrations. Original cloth-backed boards (a few minor marks to the cloth), matching slipcase (lightly rubbed). - And two more limited edition volumes (including W.S. Landor's 'The Sculptured Garden', 1948, 4to) (3).

FARLEIGH, John (illustrator). - Sacheverell SITWELL. Old Fashioned Flowers. London: Country Life, 1939. First edition, 8vo (246 x 175mm.) 11 colour plates by John Farleigh, numerous illustrations. (Minor toning to margins.) Original green cloth (lightly bumped to spine ends), dust-jacket (chipping and small tears to upper edge, browning). - And ten more illustrated literary volumes (including 'Green Kirtled Spring', 1924, 4to) (11).

MORRIS, William. The Roots of the Mountains. London: Reeves and Turner, 1890. Limited edition, this being one of 250 copies printed on Whatman paper, 4to (195 x 157mm.) (Browning to the uncut fore-edge.) Original 'honeysuckle' Morris designed cloth, especially for this edition, gilt lettering to spine (slight browning to spine). Provenance: David Whitelaw (bookplate to front pastedown and a gift inscription on the front-free endpaper addressed to him). Note: in his introduction to a later edition of this book, Graham Seaman suggests that Morris's fantasy novel was a direct influence on Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings'. Morris himself was pleased with the look of it, writing to his daughter that 'it was the best looking book produced since the seventeenth century'.

BINDING. - John RUSKIN. Les Pierres de Venise - Études locales pouvant servir de direction aux voyageurs sèjournant à Venise et à Vérone. Paris: Librairie Renouard, 1906. Deuxième edition, 4to (246 x 140mm.) Portrait frontispiece, 23 plates. (Browning to page margins.) Vellum boards with elaborate floral decoration to covers and spine in watercolour and ink with gilt beads to the upper cover, four leather ties, gauffered t.e.g. (browning and light rubbing to extremities).

LITTLE, [Alicia]. Intimate China - the Chinese as I Have Seen Them. London: Hutchinson & Co., 1899. First edition, 8vo (240 x 152mm.) Numerous illustrations. (Moderate spotting throughout.) Original red cloth, pictorial gilt and black stamped to upper cover (rubbing to all extremities, upper joint weakening). Note: Alicia Little originally campaigned for women's rights in England. Having married Archibald Little in 1886, they moved to China, where she continued campaigning for the rights of women and fought for the abolition of the Chinese practice of binding the feet of women and young girls. In 1898 she formed a group called the 'Tien Tsu Hui' (the 'Natural Foot Society'). Provenance: Grosvenor Gallery Library (a sticker to the lower cover). - And nine more travel related books (including Joseph H. Longford's 'The Story of Old Japan', 1910, 8vo) (10).

RAFFÈ, W.G. Poster Design. London: Chapman & Hall, 1929. First edition, 4to (255 x 184mm.) Numerous colour and black and white plates, some tipped-in. (Faint spotting to front and rear endpapers.) Original orange cloth blocked in black (slight sunning to spine, bumped to extremities). - And four more volumes relating to poster design (including Austin Cooper's 'Making A Poster', 1938, 4to) (5).

MUSICAL SCORE. The New Musical and Universal Magazine - consisting of the most favourite Songs, Airs &c as performed at all Public Places adapted for the G flute, violin, guitar and harpsichord. London: for I. French, [n.d. but 1775]. Vol. 2 only, 4to (234 x 154mm.) Engraved vignette to title-page, 192pp. of musical scores. (Damp-stain to lower margin of rear leaves, browning.) Contemporary calf (loss to spine ends, rubbing to extremities, missing lettering piece to spine). Note: rare. Contains the music for instrumental pieces, songs, glees and sacred anthems. - And eighteen more volumes, mainly leather-bound (including 'Memoirs of the Private Life and Opinions of Louisa, Queen of Prussia', 1847, 8vo) (19).

BINDINGS. - John MILTON. The Poetical Works. London: Thomas Tegg, 1846. 8vo (156 x 98mm.) Frontispiece, 10 steel- engraved plates (7 after J.M.W. Turner). (Browning, some damp-staining to plate margins.) Contemporary black morocco with elaborate foliate gilt to upper and lower covers, five compartments to spine, lettering to the second and repeating gilt pattern to the rest, gilt turn-ins, g.e. (light rubbing to extremities). Provenance: Alice Hoare (gift inscription to front-free endpaper). - And twenty-five more volumes, mostly literary, most leather-bound (including John Gay's 'Fables', 1737, 8vo) (26).

LONDON SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES (publisher). Archaeologia: or, Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity. London: the Society of Antiquaries of London, 1770-1833. 27 vols., 4to (272 x 199mm.) Numerous engraved plates, many folding. (Occasional browning, a few small circular stamps to page margins.) Later calf, red and black lettering pieces to the spines, gilt borders with foliate corners (rubbing to extremities, minor loss to two spine ends, one board loosening). Note: a run of volumes from 1-25, and includes 'Catalogue' volume, 1816, and 'Index' to volumes 1-15, 1809. 'Archaelogia' was published until 1991 and contains a vast archive of early archaeological material including reports on Stonehenge and Avebury. There is also material from the Middle East, including a report and plates in vol. 2 relating to Tartarian antiquities. Provenance: Worthing Public Library (bookplates to front pastedowns) (27).

ELIZABETH I. Certain Sermons or Homilies Appointed to be Read in Churches in the Time of Queen Elizabeth of famous Memory and now Thought to be Reprinted by Authority from the King's most Excellent Majesty. Oxford: printed at the Theatre, 1683. Folio (301 x 183mm.) Engraved royal coat-of-arms to title. (Repair to title, names in contemporary ink to verso of title, annotation to 'Table of Sermons', occasional stain, minor soiling, shaving with no loss to upper margins.) 20th century burgundy morocco-backed cloth, gilt to spine (replaced endpapers, rubbing to extremities). Provenance: Frederick S. Martin (bookplate to front pastedown). - And three more related volumes (including Charles Leslie's 'Theological Works', 2 vols, 1721, folio) (4).