Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

BOWDLER, Thomas (editor). The Family Shakespeare… in which nothing is added to the original text; but those words and expressions are omitted which cannot with propriety be read aloud in a family. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, 1823. 8 vols., third edition, signed by the editor, 8vo (214 x 131mm.) (Toning, occasional light spotting.) Near contemporary red calf, two black morocco lettering pieces to the spine, gilt borders and blind-stamped emblem to covers, gilt turn-ins (some surface loss to covers, rubbing to extremities, sunning to spines). Note: signed 'from the author' but it was Bowdler's sister Henrietta Maria Bowdler who did most of the editing. Provenance: E. Hardwick (ink inscribed on the initial blank); the property of Michael Godfrey (8).

SMOLLETT, Tobias. A Complete History of England, from the Descent of Julius Caesar, to the Treaty of Aix la Chapelle, 1748. London: James Rivington and James Fletcher, 1758-1760. 11 vols., second edition, 8vo (207 x 123mm.) Numerous engraved plates, including the folding map frontispiece of England and Wales. (Some repairs verso the folding plates, browning, occasional spotting and creasing, marginal insect damage to volume eleven.) Contemporary calf, red and black morocco lettering pieces to the spines (some joints splitting, rubbing to extremities). Provenance: Elizabeth Haynes (name-plate to the front pastedowns). - And a further five volumes by Tobias Smollett ('Continuation of the Complete History of England', 5 vols., 1760-1765, 8vo) (16).

MANUSCRIPT. - Harold LISTER. [Notes of the daily life in diary form of the heavyweight boxer Harold Lister. Bournemouth: N.p.:] 1938. 49pp., manuscript, 12mo (118 x 66mm.) Unnumbered pages in a single legible hand relating the daily activities and feelings of Harold Lister as he trains and begins his boxing career, several colour maps. (Toning, browning.) Original printed paper covers (marginal losses, minor soiling). Note: based in Bournemouth ('fed up and far from home') the young Harold Lister starts off the year fairly depressed, notes how often he goes drinking with or without others ('had a few convivial beers, solo'), but as the year goes on he trains regularly and goes to the pictures with Kathleen - during 'Mad About Music' there was an 'amorous interlude'- and while there are some trips to local sites (Studland Bay, Sandbanks, Corfe Castle) and an Evelyn Waugh novel ('Vile Bodies'), it's the training that matters. He has his first professional fight on July 1st, fights in Yeovil and the Isle of Wight and wins these first bouts. But on 9th November he suffers defeat, to Dick Weller, and notes that 'he felt down in the mouth' but vows 'I am going to train hard… [underlined]... I am going to get to the top'.

MINIATURE BOOKS. - William SHAKESPEARE. [The Works.] London: Allied Newspapers Ltd., [n.d. circa 1930.] 40 vols., 12mo (49 x 31mm.) (Toning.) Original black cloth (some extremities bumped), all contained within a three-tier plywood miniature bookcase (40).

BIBLE, In Ge'ez. [A hand-written Ethiopian Coptic Bible in the Ge'ez script. N.p.: circa early 19th century.] 478pp., manuscript, 8vo (149 x 98mm.) 239 leaves with manuscript text in red and black, 3 initials in blue, red and yellow and 5 marginal decorations. (Soiling, some leaves adhering, marginal paper-repairs and numerous leaves with some textual loss, three leaves loose.) Contemporary blind-stamped wallet-style calf (lacking ties and strap, rubbing).

BINDINGS. - Thomas de QUINCEY. The Works of… Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, 1862-1871. 16 vols., mixed editions, 8vo (179 x 118mm.) 9 frontispieces, folding facsimile of de Quincey's hand-writing, includes the supplement. (Toning, occasional spotting and to fore-edges.) Near contemporary brown half morocco, t.e.g. (fading, minor staining to spines). Provenance: 'A.C.O.' (bookplates to front pastedowns) (16).

POTTER, Beatrix. The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse. London: Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., [circa 1920.] Later printing, 12mo (139 x 112mm.) 27 colour plates by Beatrix Potter. (Toning, hinges reinforced with tape.) Original boards with hexagonal pictorial onlay to upper cover (damp-staining to spine, browning). - And a further seventeen volumes by Beatrix Potter (18).

CRIME. - Billy HILL. Boss of Britain's Underworld. London: The Naldrett Press Ltd., 1955. First edition, 8vo (214 x 137mm.) Photographic illustrations. (Toning.) Original black cloth (spine ends bumped), dust-jacket (some loss to extremities). Note: a mentor to the Kray twins, Hill organised the £254,000 mailbag robbery of 1952 and the bullion robbery of 1954. During this time his bodyguard was 'Mad' Frankie Fraser. In the 1960's, after the publication of his autobiography, he worked with John Aspinall at the Clermont Club to fleece wealthy patrons at the gaming tables. He retired in the 1970's. - And a further three volumes relating to crime (including Leslie Payne's 'The Brotherhood', 1973, 8vo, and Henry Ward and Tony Gray's 'Buller', 1974, 8vo) (4).

FLEMING, Ian. You Only Live Twice. London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. First edition, second impression, 8vo (187 x 123mm.) (Marginal spotting from pp.18-26, and to fore-edge, crayon mark to front-free endpaper.) Original black cloth (spine ends bumped), dust-jacket (offsetting to inner flap, spotting to spine panel). - And a further two volumes by Ian Fleming (a sixth impression of 'The Spy Who Loved Me', 1964, 8vo, and a fourth impression of 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', 1963, 8vo) (3).

FRANCIS, Dick. Come to Grief. London: Michael Joseph, 1995. First edition, signed by Dick Francis, 8vo (232 x 148mm.) (Mild toning.) Original black cloth, dust-jacket (bumped at top of spine). Note: the inscription reads: 'Michael and Monica, we will surely miss seeing you both so often here on Grand Cayman's, but Mary and I send you our love and very best wishes, and hope it won't be long before our paths cross once again'. Provenance: 'Michael and Monica' (gift inscribed to on the half-title). - And a further nine volumes, all signed (10).

PRIVATE PRESS. - Eleanor FARJEON. A Sussex Alphabet. Sussex, Flansham: The Pear Tree Press, 1939. Limited edition, this being number 221(?) of 220 copies only, 4to (286 x 213mm.) 11 lino-cut illustrations in colour by Sheila M. Thompson. (Toning, stamps verso title-page.) Later grey cloth boards (lightly bumped, reference number to spine). Provenance: West Sussex County Library (labels to pastedowns). - And a further twelve volumes published by private presses (including Thomas More's 'Utopia', published by the Golden Cockerel Press, 1929, 4to) (13).

BUDGEN, Richard. The Passage of the Hurricane, from the Sea-side at Bexhill in Sussex, to Newingden-Level, the Twentieth Day of May 1729, between Nine and Ten in the Evening. London: John Senex, 1730. First edition, 4to (213 x 129mm.) Original card wrappers bound-in, manuscript titling to upper cover. (Toning, stamps to title and verso and margins of some leaves.) 20th century green cloth, gilt lettering to spine (lightly rubbed). Provenance: Worthing Library (bookplate to front pastedown and stamps to margins). - And a further four volumes relating to Sussex (including 'A Tour to Worthing, or, Idle Hours Not Idly Spent, containing A Slight Sketch of the Country, Anecdotes, &c', 1805, 8vo) (5).

CRUIKSHANK, Robert (illustrator). Brighton!! A Comic Sketch. London: William Kidd, 1830. First edition, 12mo (160 x 99mm.) Four wood-engraved illustrations. (Toning, 2 leaves lacking to rear.) Original printed paper wrappers, string-bound (upper cover detached). Provenance: West Sussex County Council (label and stamp verso upper cover). - And a further fourteen volumes relating to Sussex (including [Edward Berens'] 'The Smuggler. A Tale', 1823, 12mo, and 'C.D.''s 'Mrs. Wiggens's Trip to Sea, July 1842', 1843, 8vo) (15).

[BROWN, Thomas.] Brighton, Or, The Steyne. A Satirical Novel. London: for the Author, 1818. 3 vols., second edition, 12mo (194 x 111mm.) Half-titles. (Light spotting throughout, stamps verso titles, occasional minor soiling.) 20th century green half morocco (endpapers replaced, reference labels to base of spines). Provenance: Worthing Library (bookplates to front pastedowns, stamps verso title-pages). - And a further thirteen volumes, mostly private press editions (including E.B. Browning's 'Sonnets From the Portuguese', 1897, small 4to, and Robert Gibbings' 'The 7th Man, A True Cannibal Tale of the South Sea Islands', 1930, 8vo) (14).

ILLUMINATED LEAF. [A 15th century illuminated manuscript leaf in Latin]. Single leaf (123 x 100mm.) Brown ink on vellum, 6 initials, 3 line-end decorations, and a rectangular margin of foliate decoration in blue, green, red and yellow and with salmon-pink borders. (Mild toning.) Mounted and framed under glass in a faux-wood frame.

ILLUMINATED LEAF. [A late 15th century illuminated leaf in Latin]. Single leaf (158 x 103mm.) A woodcut leaf displayed recto and verso with hunting scenes to the margin, 22 lines of text with 10 single-line illuminated initials in red and blue and 1 double-line decorative piece, and verso 8 illuminated initials. (Minor spotting to margins.) Mounted and framed under glass in a faux-wood frame.

LEWIS, C.S. The Last Battle. London: The Bodley Head, 1956. First edition, first impression, 8vo (196 x 132mm.) Numerous illustrations in the text by Pauline Baynes. (Minor spotting to preliminaries and occasionally within.) Original blue cloth (sunned to spine ends, lightly bumped), dust-jacket (minor loss to spine ends, chipping to extremities). - And a further six volumes by C.S. Lewis (reprints, comprising 'The Chronicles of Narnia', 1956-1963, 8vo) (7).

DUCAREL, Andrew Coltee. The History and Antiquities of the Archiepiscopal Palace of Lambeth, from Its Foundation to the Present Time. London: for J. Nichols, printer to the Society of Antiquaries, 1785. Number XXVII of 'Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica', 4to (251 x 194mm.) 10 engraved plates, including 4 portraits, 4 views and 2 plans. (Toning, occasional browning.) Contemporary calf, red and black morocco lettering pieces to the spine (rebacked with original spine laid-down, some loss to spine panel, rubbing to all extremities, endpapers replaced). - And a further volume relating to London ('Croydon Inclosure', 1899, 8vo) (2).

DIXON, Frederick. The Geology and Fossils of the Tertiary and Cretaceous Formations of Sussex. London: Longmans, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1850. First edition, 4to (316 x 261mm.) Half-title, hand-coloured lithographic frontispiece, 44 lithographic plates, including 2 hand-coloured and 2 double-paged, index and 'Corrigenda' to rear. (Browning and spotting to plate margins and verso and to preliminaries- which are loosening, initial blank replaced.) Original blind-stamped cloth (rebacked, endpapers replaced). Provenance: Charles Hickman (gift inscribed to verso the dedication); J.H. Raymond de Jersey (ink name to initial blank).