Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

[GRIMALDI, Stacey.] A Suit of Armour For Youth. London: by the Proprietor and R. Ackermann, [n.d. but 1824]. First edition, 12mo (172 x 98mm.) Hand-coloured engraved frontispiece and additional title, 11 hand-coloured plates with overslip flaps and tissue-guards, and 1 more hand-coloured plate. (Frontispiece and title shaved to upper edge without loss, surface tears to front pastedown, repeated name stamp and ink inscription to front-free endpaper.) Original cloth blocked in gilt to upper cover.

"STEADMAN, Ralph. Dogs Bodies. London: Abelard Schuman, 1970. First edition, signed by the illustrator to title-page, 8vo (227 x 169mm.) Numerous illustrations. (Toning to margins). Card wrappers (browned to spine). Provenance: ""Natalie"" (presentation inscription signed by author 'To Natalie, who I think has trodden in something, with much love, Ralph Steadman, Oct 70')."

PLUTARCH. Plutarch's Lives, translated from the Greek by Several Hands. London: Jacob Tonson, 1711. 5 vols., 8vo (180 x 112mm.) 5 frontispieces and 48 engraved plates of Roman emperors. (Small closed tears to frontispiece of volume three, browning, some areas of damp-staining.) Mid-19th century half-calf over marbled paper boards, six compartments to the spines with raised bands, red and black morocco lettering pieces to the second and third compartments (rubbing, replaced endpapers, some loss to spine ends and the black lettering pieces). - And seven more volumes relating to ancient history (including 'Quini Horatii Flacci Opera', 1804, 8vo) (12).

EROTICA. Les Faveurs et les Disgraces de L'Amour, ou les Amans Heureux, Trompez et Malheureux. Haye: chez Jean Neaulme, 1721. 2 vols., 12mo (160 x 92mm.) Titles in red and black, 38 engraved plates. (Browning, small loss to rear blank of vol. 1, closed hole to rear blank of vol. 2, marginal worm damage to rear leaves, emblematic bookplates to front pastedowns.) Contemporary calf with six compartments to the spines, red morocco lettering pieces to the second and third compartment of vol. 2, gilt design to the rest (vol. 1 lacking the lettering pieces to spine, some loss to spine ends, rubbing to extremities). Note: scarce. Copac records this edition as being in 2 volumes. The 1731 edition was issued in 3 volumes.

MANUSCRIPT. - Samuel SEYER. [An autobiographical manuscript written in ink covering the life of Bristol historian, schoolmaster and cleric Samuel Seyer. N.p.:] 1793-1801. Approximately 265pp., 4to (204 x 157mm.) A clearly written account of Samuel Seyer's life and family. (Occasional browning.) Contemporary limp calf (some surface rubbing and minor loss to spine). Note: the manuscript describes Seyer's upbringing in Gloucestershire, pastoral duties, his unhappy time at Oxford, a reference to Edmund Burke, the school he ran with day-scholars and borders, the flogging ('such are the pleasures of keeping a school'), recording all miscarriages and infant mortalities, the precarious lives of female relatives and friends, a reference to the Jacobites, the riots on Bristol Bridge and the full story of Sir William Desse (dancing master to the Royals) unmasked as a 'swindler', culminating in the night of the rebellion of the boys at his school intent on shooting him ('but only in the legs') due to the suffering and harsh discipline they endured. Samuel Seyer published a translation of Vida's 'The Game of Chess', works on Latin syntax and the principles of Christianity and two further works on the history and topography of Bristol.

SARRATT, J.H. A Treatise on the Game of Chess. London: William Miller, 1808. 2 vols., 8vo (209 x 124mm.) (?Lacking half-titles, preliminary leaf loosening to volume one.) Original mottled calf (missing lettering piece to spine of volume two, rubbing, surface wear to volume two). Note: known as 'the Professor of chess' J.H. Sarratt was a pupil of Verdoni and became renowned as a player and teacher in London in the early 19th century, and the first great English writer on chess (2).

[COLLIER, John.] 'T. BOBBIN'. [The Passions, Humourously Delineated. London: Edward Orme, 1810.] Oblong 4to (207 x 227mm.) Engraved portrait frontispiece, engraved decorative dedication page, 25 engraved plates. (Light browning, occasional spotting, minor soiling.) Contemporary marbled-paper wrappers (disbound).

MINIATURE BOOKS. The Infant's Alphabetical cabinet. London: John Marshall, [n.d. but early 19th century]. 2 vols., 64mo (46 x 35mm.) (Title to volume 1 has become affixed to the front pastedown). Decorative paper-covered boards with paper title labels (text of vol. 1 bound upside down, tape repair to spine of vol. 2). - And a further ten volumes of miniature books (12).

PATRICK, Q. File on Fenton and Farr. London: Jarrolds Ltd., 1937. 4to (254 x 189mm.) Numerous clues and pieces of evidence, including the lipstick dispenser. (Browning and some creasing to margins.) Card wrappers with ribbon ties (tears to spine, creasing). - And one more 'Crime File' related volume (Dennis Wheatley's 'Murder off Miami', [n.d. but 1936], 4to) (2).

NELSON, T., and Sons (publisher). Souvenir of Scotland… Its Cities, Lakes and Mountains. London, Edinburgh & New York: 1896. First edition, 4to (192 x 143mm.) 120 chromolithographic plates. (Moderate spotting.) Original decorative cloth, g.e. (bumped to extremities). Provenance: M. Hill (name inscribed in ink to front-free endpaper).

DUMAS, Alexandre. The Count of Monte-Cristo. London: Chapman and Hall, 1846. 2 vols., first English edition, 8vo (220 x 137mm.) 20 wood-engraved plates after M. Valentin. (Some spotting to plates, occasional small closed tears.) Early 20th century half-morocco over marbled paper boards, gilt lined, five raised bands to spine, lettered in gilt to the second and fourth compartments (endpapers replaced, frontispiece to vol. 2 paper-backed, inner hinge to vol. 2 with tape reinforcement). Provenance: Herbert Watney (bookplates to front pastedowns).

ROSS, Charles Henry. The Book of Brighton… As it Was and As it Is. London: 'Judy' Office, [n.d. but circa 1881]. Numerous illustrations by 'Judy' artists. [Bound with: R.E. Francillon. 'Under Slieve-Ban… A Yarn in Seven Knots', N.p. but London: n.d. but 1881.] 4 chromolithographed plates with advertisements verso. (Lacking all leaves prior to B1.) [Bound with:] L. Winter. 'Etherington's Christmas Annual, Danger'. London: [n.d. but 1881.] Numerous illustrations. (Spotting to preliminaries and stain to fore-edge, missing a preliminary blank.) Contemporary half-calf (worn).

CRUIKSHANK, George (illustrator). - [Matthew Henry BARKER.] Greenwich Hospital, a series of Naval Sketches Descriptive of the Life of a Man-of-War's Man by an Old Sailor. London: James Robins and Co., 1826. 4to (217 x 273mm.) 12 engraved plates by Cruikshank. (Occasional spotting.) Contemporary black morocco-backed boards over marbled-paper (rubbing to extremities.) Provenance: Charles Benson (bookplate to the front pastedown).

JACKSON, James Grey. An Account of the Empire of Morocco and the District of Suse… To which is Added, an Accurate and Interesting Account of Timbuctoo, the Great Emporium of Central Africa. London: for the Author by W. Bulmer and Co., 1809. First edition, 4to (261 x 206mm.) 13 engraved plates (5 folding, 2 hand-coloured, 2 folding maps, 1 hand-coloured in outline.) (The 'View of the City of Morocco and Atlas Mountains' folding plate is replaced in facsimile, some browning, small crease to one folding map.) Contemporary calf-backed boards with red morocco lettering piece to the spine (rubbing to extremities). Provenance: Charles Benson (bookplate to the front pastedown).

PHOTO-BOOK. - Alexey BRODOVITCH. Ballet… Text by Edwin Denby. New York: J.J. Augustin, 1945. Limited edition, this one of 500 copies, oblong 4to (214 x 277mm.) 104 black and white photographs by Brodovitch. (Mild toning.) Original boards, French-fold dust-jacket (pasted down at rear, some chipping, minor soiling). Note: scarce. Using a 35mm Contax camera, Brodovitch took photos depicting, among others, the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo and produced mainly blurred images of moving dancers - which he then exaggerated using high contrast paper and other techniques, thereby producing one of the most innovative photobooks in the history of the genre.

ALLAN, Maud. My Life and Dancing. London: Everett & Co., [n.d. but 1908]. First edition, 8vo (217 x 133mm.) 12 plates with tissue-guards. (Browning to tissue-guards, old prices in pencil to the half-title.) Contemporary green morocco, gilt lettering to upper cover, t.e.g. (rubbing to all extremities). Note: scarce.

FASHION. The Exhibition Le Théatre de la Mode in London. Paris: Aljanvic Publicité, 1945. Limited edition, this number 344 of an unspecified edition, folio (298 x 234mm.) 46pp. of colour advertisements, numerous tipped-in plates, essays and illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original pictorial spiral-bound card wrappers (minor browning, rubbing to extremities, slight loss to top of spine). Note: this is the exhibition catalogue for the first post-war show of Parisian couture. Following years of war-time privation and therefore lacking materials, this exhibition used two hundred miniature wire dolls to exhibit the work of the leading French designers. Utilising the skills of many leading people in the arts, the catalogue has photographs by Brassai and Doisneau and a contribution by Jean Cocteau. It was an exhibition that toured Paris, London, Leeds, Barcelona and Stockholm. The following year, with new designs, the dolls toured America.

SEAGO, Edward (illustrator) - John MASEFIELD. Tribute to Ballet. London: Collins, 1938. Limited edition, this number 60 of 100 copies, signed by the author and illustrator, 4to (311 x 248mm.) 9 tipped-in colour plates with captioned tissue-guards, numerous black and white plates and illustrations. Original morocco-backed buckram, lettered in gilt to spine, t.e.g. (sunning to spine), slipcase (rubbing to extremities).

SCOTSON-CLARK, G.F. (illustrator). - [George GAMBLE.] The 'Halls'. London: T. Fisher Unwin, [n.d. but 1899]. 24 lithographs by Scotson-Clark depicting music hall artists of the era, including Dan Leno, Marie Lloyd and George Robey, 4pp. of advertisements to rear, introductory essay by George Gamble. (Inner joint partially cracked.) Original pictorial cloth (minor soiling, front hinge partially split). - And four related volumes (including Cecil Beaton's 'Scrapbook', 1938, 4to) (5).