Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

BINDINGS. - Charles DICKENS. [The Works.] London: Chapman and Hall, 1893-1896. 16 vols., 8vo (197 x 123mm.) (Toning, spotting to front and rear blanks.) Near contemporary tree calf, two red morocco lettering pieces to the spines (faint rubbing). Note: nine volumes are undated (16).

CHILDERS, Erskine. The Riddle of the Sands, A Record of Secret Service. London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1908. Second edition, eighth impression, 8vo (186 x 120mm.) 2 maps, 1 folding, 2 charts. (Toning, light spotting to title, blanks replaced.) Near contemporary green half morocco over green cloth boards, gilt lettering to spine, t.e.g. (rubbing to extremities, endpapers replaced). Provenance: Vincent W.G. Granger (gift inscribed to on the initial blank). - And a further four volumes (including a signed copy of David Garnett's 'Go She Must!', 1927, 8vo) (5).

AUSTEN, Jane. The Novels of Jane Austen. Edinburgh: John Grant, 1911. 3 vols. (only). The 'Winchester Edition', 8vo (208 x 137mm.) (Toning, browning to front and rear leaves). Original green cloth, gilt lettering to spine (light rubbing, minor marks to spine panel and upper cover of 'Emma' vol. 1). Note: comprises volume 1 and 2 of 'Emma' and also 'Persuasion'. - And three further volumes by Jane Austen, published by Grant Richards ('Sense and Sensibility', 2 vols., 1898, 8vo, and 'Persuasion', 1898, 8vo) (6).

RACINE, Jean. Oeuvres. Paris: Chez Ch. Le Clere pere, 1755. 3 vols., 12mo (137 x 77mm.) Titles in red and black with engraved vignettes, half-titles. (Toning, illegible ink name to titles.) Near contemporary mottled calf, two red morocco lettering pieces to the spines (some surface loss, especially to vol. 1, rubbing, label residue to front pastedown of vol. 2). Provenance: A.R. Delepinay (name inscribed to titles). - And a further twenty-two volumes of, mainly, 18th century literature (including the abridged version of 'The Life and Exploits of the Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha', 1778, 12mo, and Cicero's 'De Officiis Libri Tres', 1688, 8vo) (25).

BURR, Thomas Benge. The History of Tunbridge-Wells. London: M. Hingeston, 1764. List of subscribers, index to rear. (Light to moderate spotting and browning throughout, blanks replaced.) Early 20th century half calf over marbled paper-covered boards, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (light rubbing, endpapers replaced). - And a further seven volumes (including 'The Offices, According to the Use of The Church of England, for the Solemnization of Matrimony', 1780, 8vo' and, published by Thomas Hookham, 'Circle of the Seasons, and Perpetual Key to the Calendar and Almanack', 1828, 8vo) (8).

JUNIUS. Stat Nominis Umbra. London: Alex Hamilton, 1792. 2 vols., 8vo (200 x 116mm.) (Light spotting to titles, toning, blanks replaced.) Mid-19th century black half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards (scuffing to spines, light rubbing to extremities). - And a further twenty-seven literary volumes (including the second collected edition of John Gay's 'Poems on Several Occasions', 2 vols., 1731, 12mo) (29).

LONDON. - Sholto and Reuben PERCY. The Percy Histories, or Interesting Memorials of the Rise, Progress, & Present State of all the Capitals of Europe. London: for T. Boys, 1823. 2 vols., 24mo (133 x 81mm.) Folding engraved map of London by Benjamin Davies, engraved frontispieces of Somerset House and King George IV. (Toning, a 3-inch tear and a further 2-inch tear along the fold of the map, browning to titles, occasional spotting.) Near contemporary black half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards (light rubbing). Provenance: Lydia Monk (name inscribed to front-free endpaper). Note: the map shows London along the River Thames from Chelsea to the East India Docks and from Regents Park to Greenwich Park, showing all the streets, parks and important buildings (2).

MOUNTAINEERING. - Alfred WILLS. 'The Eagle's Nest' in the Valley of Sixt; a Summer Home Among the Alps: Together With Some Excursions Among the Great Glaciers. London: Longman, Green et al., 1860. First edition, 8vo (192 x 117mm.) 2 folding engraved maps, 12 tinted lithographed plates. (Lacking publisher's advertisements to rear, toning, some creasing to one map.) Near contemporary green half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, t.e.g. (browning to spine, extremities lightly rubbed). Note: Alfred Wills was an earlier pioneer in Alpine mountaineering and the third president of the Alpine Club. He was also the judge who sentenced Oscar Wilde to two years hard labour.

SARRATT, J.H. A Treatise on the Game of Chess. London: William Miller, 1808. 2 vols., first edition, 8vo (209 x 126mm.) (First blank loosening in vol. 1, toning, lacking half-titles?) Contemporary mottled calf (lacking lettering pieces, one present but detached, upper cover of volume 2 loosening, extremities rubbed). Provenance: 'Allsopp' (name inscribed to second blanks). 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).

HARDY, Thomas. The Wessex Novels. London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1912-1920. Mixed editions, 8vo (223 x 138mm.) Half-titles, photogravure frontispieces with tissue-guards, 'Maps of the Wessex of the Novels and Poems' to rear of each volume. (Offsetting to titles, toning.) Burgundy cloth (sunning to spines of 'A Changed Man' and 'The Dynasts, Parts 1 and 2', some light staining to covers, white mark to spine of 'A Pair of Blue Eyes') (19).

CAMUS, Albert. - Daniel MAFFIA (illustrator). The Stranger… translated by Stuart Gilbert. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1971. Limited edition, this being number 270 of 1500 copies signed by the illustrator, 4to (213 x 190mm.) Illustrations by Daniel Maffia, signed at rear to limitation page. (Mild toning.) Original red cloth (rubbing to base of spine), slipcase (scuffing, occasional marks).

GEORGE, Waldemar. Picasso Dessins. Paris: Éditions des Quatre Chemins, 1926. 4to (253 x 203mm.) 64 lithographed plates. (Toning, some finger-marks, four plates loose.) Near contemporary red morocco, t.e.g. (wear to spine ends).

GRANT, Duncan (illustrator). - S.T. COLERIDGE. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. [N.p. but London: privately printed for Richard and Allen Lane,] 1945. Limited edition, being one of 700 copies, 8vo (227 x 140mm.) Text in red and black, 5 colour plates by Duncan Grant. (Faint spotting to pastedowns, toning.) Contemporary blue niger morocco with gilt medallion to upper cover, t.e.g. (spine rubbed, a few nicks to lower cover).

GRANT, Duncan (illustrator). - S.T. COLERIDGE. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. [N.p. but London: privately printed for Richard and Allen Lane,] 1945. Limited edition, being one of 700 copies, this one signed and inscribed by publisher Allen Lane, 8vo (228 x 140mm.) Text in red and black, 5 colour plates by Duncan Grant. (Mild toning.) Contemporary blue niger morocco with gilt medallion to upper cover, t.e.g. (extremities rubbed, fading to margins). Note: includes a signed Christmas card from Allen Lane. Provenance: Eve Garnett, writer and illustrator (ink inscribed to by Allen Lane on the initial blank).

POETRY. - Christopher LOGUE. The Girls. London: Bernard Stone, 1969. Limited edition, this being number 5 of 50 copies signed by the author, 4to (294 x 190mm.) (Toning.) Original black morocco-backed cloth-covered boards with a Vorticist design (small stains to upper cover). - And a further thirty-four volumes of poetry (including John Milton's 'Paradise Lost' illustrated by William Strang, 1905, 8vo) (35).

LEES-MILNE, James. William Beckford. Wiltshire, Tisbury: Compton Russell Ltd., 1976. First edition, 8vo (253 x 194mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original red cloth, dust-jacket (closed tear to upper panel, rubbing to spine ends). - And a further eighteen volumes by James Lees-Milne (including ten volumes of his autobiography, mixed editions, 1983-2005, 8vo) (19).

ORWELL, George. The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters… edited by Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. London: Secker & Warburg, 1969. 4 vols., second impression, 8vo (211 x 136mm.) Photographic frontispieces. (Mild toning.) Original blue cloth, dust-jackets (volume 1 price-clipped, lower panel of volume 4 with creasing). - And a further seventeen literary volumes (21).

HUNT, John. The Ascent of Everest. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1953. First edition, signed and inscribed by John Hunt with an a.l.s., 8vo (221 x 140mm.) Numerous coloured and uncoloured plates. (Spotting to title and some marginal spotting, toning.) Original blue cloth (bumped to spine ends), dust-jacket (chipping to spine ends, extremities rubbed). Note: the letter reads: 'Dear Jack, Nothing could give me greater pleasure than to propose [sic] for the Fellowship of the RLS [sic]! It is such a good experience from various points of view. Yours, John. P.S. I assume you will find a seconder before forwarding your application'. Provenance: 'Jack and Muriel' (inscribed to by John Hunt on the title-page); Grace Deuce [sic] (gift inscribed from on the front-free endpaper). - And a further seven volumes relating to climbing and mountaineering (including E.F. Norton's 'The Fight for Everest: 1924', 1925, 8vo, and C.G. Bruce's 'The Assault on Mount Everest 1922', 1924, 8vo) (8).

MOUNTAINEERING. - Alfred WILLS. Wanderings Among the High Alps. London: Richard Bentley, 1856. First edition, 8vo (189 x 115mm.) 4 sepia-tinted lithographed plates. (Toning.) Contemporary green morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (surface rubbing and to extremities, upper joint splitting). Note: Jill Neate says of Wills that 'while his ascent of the Wetterhorn was not particularly momentous, it is customarily accepted as ushering in the 'Golden Age' of mountaineering'. Provenance: Richard Barrington (name-plate to the front pastedown). [Neate, W94.] - And a further nine volumes related to mountaineering (including William Brockedon's 'Journals of Excursions in the Alps', 1833, 8vo, and the first U.K. edition of Hudson Stuck's 'The Ascent of Denali (Mount McKinley)', 1914, 8vo) (10).