Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

THATCHER, Margaret. The Path to Power. London: HarperCollins, 1995. First edition, signed by the author, 8vo (232 x 150mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original black cloth, dust-jacket. - And a further two volumes by Margret Thatcher, including a signed volume (a first impression of 'The Downing Street Years', 1993, 8vo) (3).

THATCHER, Margaret. The Path to Power. London: HarperCollins, 1995. Deluxe edition signed by Margaret Thatcher, 8vo (233 x 149mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations, signed in blue ink on a paper label mounted to the half-title. (Slight toning.) Original white cloth-backed over blue cloth (slight abrasion to the titling on the spine), slipcase. - And a further deluxe edition by Margaret Thatcher ('The Downing Street Years', 1993, 8vo) (2).

JOHNSON, Boris. The Churchill Factor. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2014. First edition, first impression, signed by the author, 8vo (233 x 148mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original black cloth, dust-jacket (slight sunning to upper panel). - And a further five political biographies, all signed (including Harold Wilson's 'A Prime Minister on Prime Ministers', 1977, 4to, and Edward Heath's 'The Course of My Life', 1998, 8vo) (6).

JOHNSON, Boris. The Churchill Factor. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2014. First edition, signed by the author on the half-title, 8vo (234 x 149mm.) (Mild toning.) Original black cloth, dust-jacket. Note: includes a photocopy of a photograph of the author at the event where the book was signed. - And a further six volumes of signed books (including Peter Mayle's 'A Year in Provence' signed by both author and the illustrator, 1989, 4to, and 'Glyndebourne, a Celebration' containing the signatures of, among others, Jane Glover and Peter Hall, 1984, 8vo) (7).

POTTER, Beatrix. The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes. London: Frederick Warne and Co., 1911. First edition, 16mo (138 x 100mm.) Half-title, frontispiece, 26 colour plates. (Frontispiece loose, toning, occasional finger-mark.) Original green cloth, mounted colour plate to upper cover (spine ends bumped, small mark to upper cover). [Linder, p. 429]. - And a further thirteen volumes by Beatrix Potter (including first editions of 'The Tale of Pigling Bland', 1913, 16mo, and 'The Tale of Tom Kitten', 1907, 16mo, and 'The Tale of Flopsy Bunnies', 1909, 16mo) (14).

COOKERY. - Elizabeth DAVID. French Country Cooking. London: Macdonald & Co., 1958. Second edition, first impression, 8vo (195 x 126mm.) Illustrations by John Minton. (Toning.) Original grey cloth (spine ends bumped), dust-jacket (rubbing to extremities, minor tape repairs verso). - And a further volume by Elizabeth David (the second edition of 'A Book of Mediterranean Food', 1958, 8vo) (2).

LEWIS, C.S. [The Narnia Chronicles.] London: Geoffrey Bles and The Bodley Head, 1950-1963. 7 volumes, mixed editions, 8vo (198 x 132mm.) 2 colour plate frontispieces and illustrations by Pauline Baynes. (Toning, minor loss to front pastedown of 'The Lion' and minor surface loss to front-free endpaper, some soiling to front pastedowns of 'The Magician's Nephew' and 'The Last Battle' and to front-free endpaper of 'The Last Battle'.) Original vari-coloured cloths (damp-staining and pen scrawl to upper cover of 'The Lion'), dust-jackets to two volumes only (tape repairs verso to 'The Last Battle' and areas of spine panel missing to 'Prince Caspian'). Note: 'The Lion' and 'Prince Caspian' are first impressions, 'The Magician's Nephew' is a third impression of 1963, 'The Horse and His Boy' is a fifth impression of 1963, 'The Silver Chair' is a fourth impression of 1961, 'The Last Battle' is third impression of 1961 and 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' is undated.

ASTRONOMY. - James REYNOLDS (publisher). Astronomical Diagrams. London: J. Reynolds, [circa 1849.] Loose as issued, 4to (283 x 225mm.) 15 hand-coloured engraved plates on stiff card, including 4 with apertures and tissue-backing. (Browning to margins, marginal crease to one plate, light soiling verso.) Original blue blind-stamped cloth, gilt lettering to upper cover (rubbing to extremities and wear to spine panel, margins finger-marked). Note: the plates with apertures are intended to be held to the light to see the constellations. The plate titles are: 'Telescopic View of the Moon', 'The Planets', 'Eclipses', 'Constellations of the Northern Celestial Hemisphere', 'Methods of Ascertaining the Latitude', 'Constellations of the Southern Celestial Hemisphere', 'Methods of Ascertaining the Longitude', 'Diagram of Meteorology', 'The Earth's Annual Revolution Round the Sun', 'The Sun and Solar Phenomena', 'Transparent Diagram of the Phases of the Moon', 'The Earth and It's Atmosphere', 'The Seasons', 'Transparent Solar System' and 'Chart of the Heavens'.

[SHELLEY, Mary.] The Keepsake for MDCCCXXXIII… edited by Frederic Mansel Reynolds. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown et al., [1832.] 16 engraved plates. (Spotting and browning to plate margins and some leaves.) Near contemporary half calf (worn, lacking half spine panel). Note: contains two short stories by Mary Shelley, 'The Brother and Sister, an Italian Story' and her gothic tale of love lost and found, 'The Invisible Girl, a Tale'. - And a further two volumes ('The Iliad of Homer', 1712, 12mo, and Elizabeth Rowe's 'Friendship in Death', 1750, 8vo) (3).

[SHELLEY, Mary.] The Keepsake… edited by Frederic Mansel Reynolds. London: for the Proprietor by Hurst, Chance & Co., [1827-1836.] 8 vols., 8vo (178 x 113mm.) Numerous engraved plates. (Light spotting, occasionally moderate, lacking title for 'MDCCCXXVIII'.) Near contemporary green half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, red morocco lettering pieces to the spines (lacking two lettering pieces, and one torn, rubbing). Note: volumes for the years 1828-1832, 1834-1835, 1837. The Keepsake contained contributions from many of the leading figures of the Romantic period, including Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey, P.B. Shelley. In the 'Keepsake for MDCCCXXXI' there are two short stories by Mary Shelley, 'The Sisters of Albano', the gothic tale 'Ferdinando Eboli', and in 'Keepsake for MDCCCXXXII' is Mary Shelley's story 'The Dream, A Tale' (8).

BARRETT, Charles G. The Lepidoptera of the British Islands. London: L. Reeve & Co., 1893-1907. 11 vols., large illustrated edition, royal 8vo (254 x 172mm.) 504 hand-coloured lithographed plates by R. Morgan, 1p. of publisher's advertisements to rear of volume XI. (Toning to margins, some creasing to endpapers, volume 3 text-block cracked at p. 397, volume 4 with text-block detached from lower cover, some hinges cracked.) Original brown cloth (extremities bumped, volume XI with damp-spotting to boards), later dust-jackets with paper labels to spine and lettering in manuscript (sunning, tearing, staining). - And a related volume ('Alphabetical List of Species Contained in C.G. Barrett's Lepidoptera of the British Islands, forming a Supplementary Index To That Work', 1907, 8vo) (12).

[BUTLER, Alban.] The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints: Compiled from Original Monuments, and other Authentick Records. London: [N.p.:] 1756-1759. 4 vols. in 6, first edition, 8vo (198 x 122mm.) 6 title-pages, 1 engraved plate of Roman torture devices. (Repair verso title-page of volume 1, tear to X1 of same volume, occasional ink annotation, browning and occasional spotting.) Early 19th century calf, two green morocco lettering pieces to spines (some loss to lower cover of volume 4, paper labels to base of spines). Note: scarce in the first edition. It was printed with no stated author or publisher. Provenance: English College, Lisbon (bookplates to front pastedowns and ink inscribed to four title-pages). - And a further nine volumes (including a first edition of Charles Dickens' 'Our Mutual Friend', 1865, 2 vols. in 1, 8vo, and a book of engraved sheet music, mostly published by Clementi, with eleven longer pieces including work by Hadyn, Cramer and Dussek, with approximately twenty-four further songs and glees, [circa 1800], 4to) (15).

BINDINGS. - Winston S. CHURCHILL. A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. London: Cassell and Company Ltd., 1956-1958. 4 vols., first editions, 8vo (233 x 151mm.) (Toning.) Near contemporary blue half morocco over blue cloth, three red morocco lettering pieces to the spines, g.e. (slight fading) (4).

BINDINGS. - Robert BROWNING. The Poetical Works… London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1889. 16 vols., 8vo (167 x 109mm.) 4 engraved frontispieces. (Toning.) Near contemporary tree calf, green and red morocco lettering pieces to the spines (light rubbing, upper cover of vol. 1 weakening). Provenance: Edith M. Browne (gift inscribed to on the initial blanks). - And a further five volumes (including the Oxford edition of 'The Works of Shakespeare', 3 vols., 1952, 8vo) (21).

KIPLING, Rudyard. Just So Stories for Little Children. London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1902. First edition, 4to (231 x 172mm.) Numerous illustrations by the author. (Toning, occasional soiling, tear to p.87, hinges cracked, spotting to pastedowns.) Original red pictorial cloth (fading, wear to spine ends). Note: second state binding. Provenance: John G. Wilson (pencil inscribed to front pastedown). - And a further seven volumes, including three works by Lewis Carroll in facsimile first editions ('Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', 1984, 8vo, and two copies of 'Through the Looking-Glass', 1984, 8vo) (8).

BINDING. - Dante ALIGHIERI. The Vision of Dante… translated by the Rev. H.F. Cary. London and New York: J.M. Dent, 1909. 8vo (181 x 109mm.) Extra-illustrated with 10 mounted plates relating to Dante and Italian art. (Toning, occasional browning.) Contemporary vellum with a hand-painted roundel portrait of Dante based on Sandro Botticelli's painting, surrounded by hand-painted floral design in art nouveau style, with ties (endpapers replaced).

MANUSCRIPT. - William Henry Baptist PROBY. [A log-book for Seaton Infant School, Devon, and an Account of the Estates in the Manor of Northleigh, Devon. N.p.: 1876-circa 1920.] 502pp., manuscript, 4to (226 x 184mm.) 19pp. of tabulated index relating to Northleigh, 22pp. concerning the significant events at Seaton Infant School from the years 1876-1880 in a single, legible hand, followed by 137pp. hand-written recto only relating to the history of Northleigh Manor, its estates, rentals, land and lease-holders, compiled by William Henry Baptist Proby, 199pp. blank to rear. (Minor spotting and soiling to first few leaves, toning, occasional spotting.) Original sheep-backed buckram with paper label in manuscript mounted to upper cover (minor loss to label, rubbing, soiling, damp-staining to lower cover). Note: the school log-book records visits, inspections and general attendance (affected by 'mumps' and 'hooping cough' or just 'very deep snow') while 'ordinary progress' is often mentioned. Quoting from the inspector's report we hear that the school is doing 'very fairly in reading, writing and numbers…singing is fair, needlework is very fair' but 'desks of proper construction ought to be provided'. The historical account of Northleigh Manor gives a very detailed account of the lineage of various estates and holdings, the owners and lease-holders, the length of tenure and amounts paid. It covers nearly all the 19th and early 20th century.

TRAVEL. - Wilfred THESIGER. Desert Marsh and Mountain. London: Collins, 1979. Limited edition, this being number 160 of 160 copies signed by the author, large 8vo (270 x 203mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original brown half morocco covers, gilt lettering to the spine, g.e. (staining to spine, marginal spotting to covers, lacking slipcase). Provenance: 'R.F.' (ink inscribed to the limitation page).

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE. - Alfred NOYES (editor). The Magic Casement, an Anthology of Fairy Poetry. London: Chapman & Hall, [1908.] First edition, 8vo (192 x 138mm.) Introduction and notes by Alfred Noyes, illustrations by Stephen Reid. (Toning.) Original red cloth, decorative gilt to upper cover and spine (slight dulling to spine, spine ends bumped). Provenance: E.H. Brandt (ink name inscribed and stamp to front-free endpaper). - And a further five volumes (including J.H. Dowd's 'Mr Punch Among the Children', 1934, 4to, and A.A. Milne's 'Once On a Time', 1917, 8vo) (6).