Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

SASSOON, Siegfried. Vigils. [Bristol: Douglas Cleverdon], 1934. Limited edition, this being number 14 of 303 copies signed by Siegfried Sassoon and by engraver Charles Sigrist, 4to (228 x 159mm.) Engraved frontispiece by Stephen Gooden, engraved throughout by Charles Sigrist, signed to colophon at rear, printer’s slip loosely inserted. (Toned to margins.) Original niger morocco bound by John B. Gray & Son, Cambridge, t.e.g. (minor stain to upper cover, slight scuffing). Provenance: Robert Elwell (bookplate to front pastedown).

CORNWALL. – Charles SIMPSON (illustrator). A Pastorale… with a Foreword and Poem by Lady June Butler. St. Ives, Cornwall: Charles Simpson, 1922. 4to (258 x 189mm.) 16 woodcuts by Charles Simpson, 13 of them signed by him in pencil, 2 with his initials, tissue-guards. (Mild toning, blanks replaced.) Later green cloth, gilt lettering to spine (endpapers replaced). Note: together with his wife, Ruth Simpson (née Alison), Charles Simpson set up a painting school in St. Ives, ‘The Shore Studio’. An exhibition of his work was held at the Penlee House Gallery in 2005. Provenance: Worthing Public Library (labels to pastedowns and verso front-free endpaper).

BINDINGS. – Thomas Jefferson HOGG. The Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley. London: Edward Moxon, 1858. 2 vols., 8vo (189 x 109mm.) Engraved portrait frontispiece. (Toning, spotting and browning to preliminaries of volume 1.) Early 20th century half calf over marbled paper-covered boards, teal and brown morocco lettering pieces to the spines, g.e. Provenance: Lord Battersea, M.P. (armorial bookplate to front pastedowns). – And a further six volumes (including ‘The Poems of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’, bound by Bumpus, 1907, 8vo, and ‘The Oxford Book of French Verse’, bound by Bumpus, 1907, 8vo, and [Charles Asselineau’s] ‘Le Livre des Sonnets’, bound by Bumpus, [1875], 8vo, and ‘The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott, Bart’, 1866, 8vo) (8).

WALLIS, John. The Natural History and Antiquities of Northumberland: And so much of the County of Durham As lies between the Rivers Tyne and Tweed, Commonly Called North Bishoprick. London: for the Author, by W. and W. Strahan, 1769. 2 vols., first edition, 4to (297 x 224mm.) 2 engraved folding maps with outline hand-colouring, 4pp. ‘List of Subscribers’ in vol. 1, 2 errata leaves, loosely inserted 3pp. hand-written letter by John Hodgson. (Several leaves with marginal damp-staining, light spotting to preliminaries of vol. 2, occasional finger-mark and marginal annotation.) Near contemporary calf with later beige and green morocco lettering pieces, blind-stamped and gilt borders (rebacked, extremities rubbed). Note: John Hodgson’s main work was ‘The History of Northumberland’, 1820-1858. His letter is addressed to William Darnell, academic and antiquarian. – And a further five volumes (including W. Hutchinson’s ‘A View of Northumberland’, 2 vols., 1778, 4to, and William Freke Williams’ and Henry Tyrrell’s ‘England’s Battles By Sea and Land’, 3 vols., [circa 1860], 4to) (7).

ARCADIA PRESS. – Samuel Taylor COLERIDGE. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. London: Arcadia Press, 1972. Limited edition, this being number 89 of 100 copies signed by the artist, calligrapher and paper-maker, folio (343 x 246mm.) 10 tipped-in colour plates by Errol Le Cain, calligraphic text by David Howells printed in green and black on ‘Seaweed’ paper made by Philip Rowson, loosely inserted publisher’s prospectus. Half-vellum over ‘Seaweed’ paper-covered boards by Zaehnsdorf, silver letting to spine, t.e.g., original slipcase (knock to inner edge).

ARCADIA PRESS. – [Barnard Law] MONTGOMERY, Viscount of Alamein. A History of Warfare. London: Arcadia Press, 1969. Limited edition, this being number 5 of 265 copies signed by Montgomery, 4to (242 x 174mm.) Numerous illustrations. Original full black crushed morocco by Zaehnsdorf with morocco and gilt design of a cannon onlayed to the upper cover, g.e., original buckram drop-back box (sunned to the spine).

ARCADIA PRESS. – Christine DESROCHES-NOBLECOURT. Tutankhamen. London: Arcadia Press, 1969. Limited edition, this being number 5 of 265 copies signed by the author, 4to (248 x 176mm.) Numerous illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original tan morocco by Zaehnsdorf with scarab cartouche in morocco onlays to upper cover, g.e., original buckram drop-back box (sunned to the spine).

FOLIO SOCIETY (publisher). – Boris PASTERNAK. Doctor Zhivago… translated by Nicolas Pasternak Slater. London: The Folio Society, 2019. Limited edition, this being number 68 of 750 copies signed by Nicolas Pasternak Slater, 4to (282 x 194mm.) Colour illustrations by Leonid Pasternak. Original blue half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, g.e., slipcase. Note: signed by the translator to the tipped-in limitation page.

S.O.E. An Account of the Operations of Second Army in Europe 1944-1945… Compiled by Headquarters Second Army. [London:] August 1945. 3 vols. [inc. Map vol.], first edition, being one of only 48 copies marked ‘Secret’, this being unnumbered, folio (333 x 209mm.) Foreword by Lieut. - General Sir Miles C. Dempsey, numerous colour maps, many folding including 18 large loose maps with tabs in separate volume, 18 photographic plates, some folding, photographic illustrations, including those of Bergen-Belsen, and diagrams in the text. (Toning, occasional light spotting, a few marginal tears to preliminaries of vol. 1, a few maps with light handling wear, 1 leaf loose in vol. 1.) Original red full morocco with the blue and white emblem of the Second Army to upper covers, the name ‘Major E.P. Clarke’ in gilt to upper covers (extremities and covers rubbed and scuffed, panel sides to map case split, heavily rubbed). Note: these maps, documents, photographs and observations of the ground campaign in Europe were hastily put together just after the end of the war ‘while memories were fresh’. They were intended for the most significant military and political figures involved at that moment. This unnumbered copy was owned by the inventor and military engineer Cecil Vandepeer who- working for the SOE- was going under the name ‘E.P. Clarke’. Vandepeer had been involved in the development of the ‘limpet mine’, had developed the ‘spigot gun’, and was involved in Operations ‘Josephine’ and ‘Anthropoid’. In 1944, Clarke had been in France with his latest invention- the ‘The Great Eastern Ramp’ vehicle. He wasn’t discharged from military service until November 1945. It’s likely that the maps in this volume had a practical value for him, even after the wars end. A heavy smoker, he died of a heart attack, aged 61. These volumes still carry the scent of tobacco. Provenance: ‘Major E.P. Clarke’ [Cecil Vandepeer Clarke] (gilt name to upper covers) (3).

MANUSCRIPT. – Sara Jane MATHERS. [A hand-written diary by a nurse of the Territorial Force Nursing Service working for the 34 Ambulance Train in France towards the end of the First World War. N.p.:] France: June 1918-September 1919, manuscript, 8vo (218 x 167mm.) 45pp. in a mostly legible single hand relating to the almost daily movements of the 34 Ambulance train in France with brief mention of activities, medical and recreational, personnel etc. until demobilisation on 4th April 1919 and returning home to Ipswich where the entries are more social and local, numerous blank leaves to rear. (Toning.) Original card wrappers (browned, corner creases, small tears). Note: Sara Mathers was clearly an experienced and well qualified nurse and her entries for ‘loading’ and ‘unloading’ the soldiers are brief and succinct. She mentions the very worst of the injuries (‘got entangled with the propeller driver..’) and occasional gossip (‘Sister Ferguson reported Major Brown for not calling us’) and some social life, too (‘Played gramophone evening, very good night’) but interestingly there is no mention of the armistice on 11th November, or any mention of the war ending. – And with eight of Sara Jane Mather’s medical training certificates.

[JAMES, Edward.] ‘Edward Selsey’. So Far So Glad. London: Robert Stockwell for Duckworth & Co., [1933.] Limited edition, this being one of 750 copies only, 4to (272 x 191mm.) Illustrations by Edward Carrick. (Mild toning.) Original black cloth-backed marbled paper-covered boards, gilt lettering (slight toning).

JAMES, Edward. Reading Into the Picture. London: Duckworth, 1934. Limited edition, this being number 47 of 90 copies signed by Edward James, 4to (277 x 209mm.) Illustrations by Jörg v. Reppert-Bismark. (Mild toning.) Original multi-coloured buckram (spotting to lower cover).

PRIVATE PRESS. – Eleanor FARJEON. A Sussex Alphabet. Sussex, Flansham: The Pear Tree Press, 1939. Limited edition, this being number 7 of 220 copies, inscribed by Eleanor Farjeon, 4to (285 x 212mm.) 11 lino-cut illustrations in colour by Sheila M. Thompson. (Toning, browning to blanks.) Original pictorial boards (lightly rubbed extremities), original cellophane wrapper (large loss). Note: the inscription reads: ‘To My dear Violetta, a bit of Sussex after a lovely day in Surrey, from her loving Nellie’. Provenance: Violetta Farjeon, actor and singer (inscribed to from Eleanor Farjeon on the front blank).

CHINA. – C. Noel DAVIS. A History of the Shanghai Paper Hunt Club 1863-1930. Shanghai: Kelly and Walsh Limited, 1930. First edition, 4to (278 x 224mm.) Large folding frontispiece from a photograph of the Christmas 1929 hunt, numerous photographic plates and illustrations after drawings by Edmund Toeg, 2 coloured and 1 folding, 6 folding maps to the rear of the riding country outside Shanghai. (Toning, scattered spotting to some leaves, corner creasing to maps.) Original cloth (sunned to spine, extremities lightly rubbed).           Note: lacking Chinese foxes to hunt, in 1863 the English expatriate community in Shanghai established the ‘Shanghai Paper Hunt Club’. They rode Mongolian ponies known as ‘China Ponies’ and chased pieces of coloured paper around the countryside outside of Shanghai. The Chinese themselves were excluded from joining the club until 1920. This book is a photographic record of the clubs activities as well as a record of all the hunts, hunt handicaps, Steeplechases and Points-to-Points they achieved.

ROGERS, W.S. A Book of the Poster, Illustrated with Examples of the Work of the Principal Artists of the World. London: Greening & Co., Ltd., 1901. First edition, 4to (252 x 187mm.) Half-title, 13 colour plates, numerous black and white illustrations. (Toning, occasional marginal spotting, endpapers browned.) Original green pictorial cloth, t.e.g. (lettering to spine faded, extremities rubbed).

SAILING. – Winfield M. THOMPSON and Thomas W. LAWSON. The Lawson History of the America’s Cup, a Record of Fifty Years. Southampton: Ashford Press Publishing, 1986. Second edition, 4to (286 x 182mm.) Numerous illustrations, some in colour. Original white cloth, decorative gilt, g.e. Note: a facsimile of the 1902 edition. Provenance: Graham Lay, antiques expert (bookplate to the front pastedown).

BALLET. – [Nigel GOSLING and Maude LLOYD.] ‘Alexander Bland’. The Royal Ballet, The First Fifty Years. London: Threshold Books Ltd., 1981. First edition, multi-signed by members of The Royal Ballet, 4to (288 x 216mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original blue cloth, dust-jacket (price-clipped). Note: ‘Alexander Bland’ was the pseudonym for the husband-and-wife writing team of Nigel Gosling and Maude Lloyd. The book is signed on the front-free endpaper by ‘Alexander Bland’, and the dancers Merle Park, David Wall, Monica Mason, Brenda Last, Alfreda Thorogood, Julien Hosking, Derek Deane, Lesley Collier and Vergie Derman. – And a further twelve volumes relating to ballet, including three albums of photographs, postcards and mounted illustrations relating to ballet with 13 signed photographs of Robert Helpmann, 6 signed photographs of Margot Fonteyn, 1 of Harold Turner and 1 of Mary Honer (13).

KING, Stephen. Carrie. New York: Doubleday & Company Inc., 1974. Book Club edition, signed and dated by Stephen King on the front-free endpaper, 8vo (206 x 134mm.) (Mild toning, light corner creasing to preliminaries and pp.139-151.) Original salmon-pink boards, yellow lettering to spine (spine ends bumped), dust-jacket (tape repairs verso and also at top of spine). Note: signed by King and dated ‘3/29/80’. King’s first published work.

KING, Stephen and Glenn CHADBOURNE (illustrator). The Secretary of Dreams. Baltimore: Cemetery Dance Publications, 2006-2010. 2 vols., first edition, 4to (303 x 224mm.) Numerous illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne. Original leatherette, gilt and coloured lettering, dust-jackets, slipcases. Note: a graphically illustrated collection of Stephen King’s horror stories. Due to these volumes being published four years apart it’s unusual to find the two volumes together (2).