Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

CURTIS, John. British Entomology; being Illustrations and Descriptions of the Genera of Insects found in Great Britain and Ireland containing Coloured Figures from Nature. London: printed for the author, 1824-1839. 16 vols., 8vo (234 x 141mm.) 761 hand-coloured engraved plates only (of 770), indices, subscribers' lists. (Lacking 9 plates to the rear of volume 16, lacking the prefatory text at rear of same volume, occasional minor spotting.) Contemporary green morocco blind-tooled with gilt borders to covers (volume 16 with front cover detached and loss to top of spine cover, volume 15 front cover loosening, gilt titles fading) (16).

SHAW, George. Zoological Lectures delivered at the Royal Institution. London: G. Kearsley, 1809. Vol. 2 only [of 2]. 8vo (234 x 168mm.) Additional title with engraved vignette, 77 engraved plates, errata. (Browning to margins.) Contemporary half green morocco over marbled paper boards, gilt lettering to spine (surface rubbing, wear to spine ends). - And seven more volumes relating to animal life (including F.E. Beddard's 'Animal Colouration', 1892, 8vo) (8).

ORNITHOLOGY. - Thomas Rymer JONES. Cassell's Book of Birds. London & New York: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, [n.d. but circa 1870.] 4 vols. in 2, 4to (258 x 180mm.) 40 chromolithographed plates, numerous wood-engraved illustrations. (Some spotting, occasionally heavy.) Contemporary half-morocco (extremities bumped and scuffed, joints splitting, spines slightly faded) (2).

SOWERBY, John E., and Charles JOHNSON. The Ferns of Great Britain. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1859. [Bound with:] The Fern Allies. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1859. 8vo (241 x 148mm.) 80 hand-coloured plates by Sowerby. (Moderate spotting to preliminaries, occasional thereafter, browning.) Contemporary half green morocco over marbled paper boards, five raised bands to spine (rubbing to extremities, especially spine, minor surface loss). - And two more volumes relating to ferns (including E.J. Lowe's 'A Natural History of New and Rare Ferns', 1874, 8vo) (3).

BECKMANN, John. A History of Inventions and Discoveries… translated from the German, by William Johnston. London: printed for J. Bell, 1797. 3 vols., 8vo (207 x 123mm.) (Occasional minor spotting or browning.) Contemporary speckled calf (rebacked and recornered). Provenance: James Robinson Planché, British dramatist, antiquary and officer of arms (bookplate to front pastedowns); Wilfred Ashley (signature dated 1906 to front free endpaper of vol. 1) (3).

SCOTT, Walter. - SWINTON FAMILY. [An album containing 18 silhouette portraits of members of the Swinton Family. N.p.: n.d. but circa 1842-1848.] 4to (199 x 148mm.) The album also includes a loosely inserted clipped signature of Walter Scott, cousin to the Swintons, and two autograph letters, one from F.E. Swinton and dated 1891. (Light soiling to portraits, light creasing to clipped signature.) Contemporary half-morocco (extremities rubbed and scuffed). - And a related privately printed volume ('Concerning Swinton Family Records and Portraits', 1908, 8vo) (2).

[ELLIS, William.] The London and Country Brewer, containing the Whole Art of Brewing all Sorts of Malt-Liquors. London: for T. Astley, 1750. Sixth edition. Engraved frontispiece, 4 parts with separate title for each. (Part 2 with a duplicate title page of part 3, browning, moderate spotting.) [Bound with:] The Art and Mystery of Vintners and Wine-Coopers. London: J. Roberts, 1734. Head and tail-pieces. (Marginal damp-stain to rear leaves, minor corner loss with insect damage to I1-K4). 2 vols. in 1, 8vo (203 x 124mm.) Modern half-calf over old boards, five raised bands to spine, red morocco lettering piece to the second compartment (rebacked, surface rubbing).

LOWE, Robert. General View of the Agriculture of the County of Nottingham with Observations on the Means of its Improvements. London: W. Smith for G. Nicol, 1798. Hand-coloured folding map frontispiece. (Spotting to preliminaries.) [Bound with:] John BOY. General View of the Agriculture of Kent. London: G. Nicol, 1796. Hand-coloured folding map frontispiece, 1 folding plate, 1 folding table, errata leaf. 2 works in 1 vol., 8vo (210 x 128mm.) Original calf-backed boards, five raised bands with red morocco lettering piece to the spine (rubbing to extremities). Provenance: John McDowall (bookplate to the front pastedown).

KENT, Nathaniel. General View of the Agriculture of the County of Norfolk, with Observation for the Means of its Improvement. London: George Nicol, 1796. Folding engraved map frontispiece, 3 plates (1 folding). (Light browning.) [Bound with:] General View of the Agriculture of the County of Suffolk. London: B. Macmillan, 1798. 2 vols. in 1, 8vo (207 x 119mm.) Hand-coloured folding map frontispiece, 2 folding engraved plates. (Light browning). Original calf-backed boards, five raised bands to spine with red morocco lettering piece (rubbing to extremities). Provenance: John McDowall (bookplate to the front pastedown).

[BLOUNT, Thomas.] Glossographia: or a Dictionary Interpreting all Such Hard Words… as are now Used in our Refined English Tongue. London: Thomas Newcomb, 1656. First edition, 8vo (163 x 87mm.) Title, engraved initials and headpieces, double-column. (Browning, trimmed with marginal loss to border of G7-G8, lacking front and rear blanks.) Original boards, red morocco lettering piece to spine (rebacked, endpapers replaced).

O'REILLY, Bernard. Greenland, the Adjacent Seas and the North-West Passage to the Pacific Ocean. New York: James Eastburn & Co., 1818. First American edition, 8vo (232 x 141mm.) 3 folding maps. (Heavy spotting to pastedowns, some to the title and frontispiece map, thereafter occasional.) Original boards (neatly rebacked, old label laid down, rubbing to extremities). Provenance: E.N. Coburn (pencil name to front free endpaper and rear pastedown.)

WYNDHAM, Henry Penruddocke. A Tour Through Monmouthshire and Wales. Salisbury: E. Easton, 1781. Second edition, 4to (276 x 210mm.) 16 engraved plates. (Minor offsetting.) Contemporary half-calf (joints split, sections of spine lacking). Provenance: William Van Mildert (armorial book plate to front pastedown); J.J. Whitaker (signature to title-page). - And two other volumes (Thomas Cromwell's 'History and Description of the Ancient Town and Borough of Colchester', 2 vols., 8vo) (3).

DRAYTON, Michael. Poems… Collected into one Volume with Sondry Peeces Inserted. London: by W. Stansby for John Swethwicke [sic], 1619. Folio signed in 4s (248 x 144mm.) Title with black borders, verso of title the full page portrait of Drayton signed in the plate by William Hole, the engraved additional title with the allegorical poetical figures, separate title-page for each section, all dated 1619, running pagination, woodcut initials, ornamants, head and tail-pieces. (Front and rear blanks replaced, gift inscribed in ink on B1, marginal browning, brief annotation to Nnn, marginal damp-stain to P1.) 19th century full speckled calf, triple and double fillet gilt, gilt fleurons to corners, five raised bands with red and green morocco lettering pieces to the spine, repeating gilt decoration to the rest, gilt turn-ins (minor rubbing). Note: the mis-spelling of the publisher's name ('Smethwick') and pages 200, 321 and 335 are mis-numbered. [STC 7222.3].

SMITH, T.J. Eighteen Etchings of Rural Scenery. London: William Tegg, [n.d. but circa 1850.] (282 x 220mm.) Title, 18 plates drawn and etched by T.J. Smith. (Spotting to title and to the margin of first plate.) Original green cloth-backed over marbled paper boards, paper label onlaid to upper cover (rubbing to extremities, gutta percha perished and plates now loosely inserted).

PRISONS. Rules for the Government of the County Gaol and Castle of Lincoln: made and Established in a court of Gaol Sessions Held at Lincoln on the 5th day of January 1827. London: Luke Hansard and Sons, 1827. 4to (268 x 206mm.) 4 lithographed plans of Lincoln Castle by William Webb, 3 folding. (Moderate spotting and damp-stain to the plans, text with toning only.) Contemporary black morocco-backed boards, morocco lettering piece to upper cover (rubbing to extremities).

DIBDIN, Charles. The Sea Songs of Charles Dibdin: with a Memoir of his Life by William Kitchiner. London: G. and W.B. Whittaker, 1823. First edition, 4to (263 x 170mm.) 32pp. memoir, numerous plates of the musical scores and lyrics for 99 of Dibdin's songs and sea shanties, 4pp. index. (Some damp-staining to the musical score, minor soiling.) Later calf-backed marbled paper boards, black morocco lettering piece to the spine (replaced endpapers, sunning to spine). Note: Dibdin wrote the song 'Tom Bowling', often played at the last night of the proms. His patriotic songs were used to maintain public spirit in the ongoing war with France. His 'manner of coming on the stage was in a happy style; he ran on sprightly with a nearly happy face, like a friend who enters hastily to impart to you some good news'.

STEELE, Richard, and John FALSTAFF. The Theatre… to which are added the Anti-Theatre. London: by and for the editor, 1791. 8vo (217 x 131mm.) Portrait vignette of Steel on the half-title, 2pp. of publisher's advertisement to rear. (Browning, occasional spotting.) Later cloth-backed boards (minor soiling). Note: two opposing theatre periodicals containing a wealth of other material relating to London life in the 18th century. Richard Steele also wrote under the pseudonym 'Sir John Edgar' and, clearly, the writer of 'Anti-Theatre', 'John Falstaff', was also a pseudonym, though not necessarily of Richard Steel.

[MACMICHAEL, William]. The Gold-Headed Cane. London: John Murray, 1828. Second edition, 8vo (182 x 108mm.) (Light browning, occasional spotting.) Contemporary straight-grain morocco, tooled in gilt, spine in five compartments with gilt lettering to the second and fourth (bumped to extremities). Note: first published anonymously in 1827, this story is the biography of a gold-headed cane that was once owned by John Radcliffe, Richard Mead, Anthony Askew, William Pitcairn and Matthew Baillie - all of them British physicians, as was the author himself.

DANIELL, William (illustrator). - Hobart CAUNTER. The Oriental Annual, 1839. Eastern Legends. London: Whittaker & Co., 1838. 8vo (238 x 143mm.) 21 engraved plates with tissue-guards, additional title page. (Spotting to verso of plates and to plate margins, lacking front free endpaper.) Original green morocco, gilt borders to covers, g.e. (rubbing to extremities).