Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

MOTORING. – Tony ADRIAENSENS. Ottovu. Antwerp: Corsa Research, 2005. 2 vols., limited edition this being number 287 of 1500 copies, signed and inscribed by the author, 4to (248 x 246mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations. Original black cloth, dust-jackets (minor mark to lower panel of vol. 1 dust-jacket), original clamshell card box with handle (slight rubbing).

CATALOGUE. Pryke & Palmer, Ltd. General Catalogue Illustrated, No. 330. London: Upper Thames Street, [circa 1930.] 4to (303 x 234mm.) Numerous colour plates, ‘Discount Sheet’ loosely inserted. (Toning.) Original pale blue cloth, black lettering (extremities bumped, minor marks). Note: an extensive catalogue of fixtures and fittings from this ironmonger and building merchants that had a showroom on Oxford Street.

BUTLER, Arthur G. and F.W. FROHAWK (illustrator). British Birds With Their Nests and Their Eggs. London: Brumby & Clarke Limited, [n.d. but 1896-1898.] 6 vols., 4to (316 x 250mm.) 24 chromolithographed plates by Frohawk, tissue-guards, numerous black and white plates. (Toning, 5 chromolithographed plates with light spotting, light to moderate spotting within text.) Original cloth, gilt lettering to upper cover and spines (extremities bumped, wear to joints of vol. 6, some finger-marking, dis-colouring to lower cover of vol. 1). Provenance: Henry C. Maude (ink name to front-free endpapers); Emily Fitzwalten (gift inscribed from on front pastedown of vol. 1) (6).

BIBLE, In English. The Illustrated Family Bible: Being the Old and New Testaments… to which are added original notes by John Kitto… and Rev. Canon Birks. London: James Sangster and Company, [n.d. circa 1872]. 4to (311 x 241mm.) Numerous engraved plates, some chromolithographed, wood-engraved illustrations. (Light scattered spotting.) Original blind-stamped and pictorial gilt, g.e.

BIBLE, In French. La Sainte Bible, Contenant L’ Ancien et Le Nouveau Testament; Traduite en Francois Sur La Vulgate, par Monsieur Le Maistre de Saci. Paris: Guillaume Desprez, 1701. 2 vols., 4to (253 x 193mm.) Titles in red and black, engraved folding map. (Browning throughout, marginal tear and dust-soiling to the map, several leaves with annotation in blue pencil, annotation verso map, lacking blank to vol. 1). Contemporary calf, gilt lettering to spines (extremities rubbed, minor loss to spine ends) (2).

SHERIDAN, Thomas. A General Dictionary of the English Language. London: J. Dodsley, C. Dilly and J. Wilkie, 1780. 2 vols., first edition, 4to (257 x 203mm.) Half-titles, 7pp. ‘List of Subscribers’. (Browning and light spotting to the preliminaries, occasionally thereafter, dust-soiling to pastedowns, lacking list of Sheridan’s works to rear of vol. 2.) Contemporary tree calf, red and brown morocco lettering pieces to the spines (minor loss to spine ends and joints, extremities bumped, upper hinge of vol. 2 weakened). Provenance: John Thackeray (bookplate to front pastedown); Christ’s Hospital (presentation plate to front pastedown). – And a further three volumes (Samuel Johnson’s ‘Dictionary of the English Language’, 2 vols., ninth edition, 1806, 8vo, and Mary Tighe’s ‘Psyche, With Other Poems’, 1811, 4to) (5).

EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED. – John NICHOLS. Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century; Comprising… Biographical Anecdotes of a Considerable Number of Eminent Writers and Ingenious Artists. London: for the Author, 1812-1815. 9 vols., 8vo (212 x125mm.) Numerous engraved portraits, including ‘Jacob Butler Esq. of Barnwell’ after Rembrandt, [1815], and extra-illustrated with engraved portraits and views, some folding. (Toning, occasional light spotting.) Near contemporary full diced morocco, two black morocco lettering pieces to the spines (spine sunned, extremities rubbed, scuffing). – And a further six volumes (John Nichols’ ‘Illustrations of the Literary History of the Eighteenth Century’, 1817-1831, 6 vols. [of 8], 8vo) (15).

FOLIO SOCIETY. – J.R.R. TOLKIEN. The Lord of the Rings. London: The Folio Society, 1997. 3 vols., reprint, 8vo (219 x 142mm.) Illustrations by Ingahild Grathmer and Eric Fraser. Original decorative gilt and with roundels to upper covers, slipcase (light scuffing and minor marks). – And a further three volumes published by The Folio Society (including ‘The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm’, illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 1999, 8vo) (6).

FOLIO SOCIETY. – Charles DICKENS. [The Works of Charles Dickens.] London: The Folio Society, 1994-1995. 16 vols., 8vo (231 x 152mm.) Illustrations by Charles Keeping. Original pictorial cloth (spine panel of ‘Tale of Two Cities’ rubbed, minor staining), slipcases. Provenance: Felix Dennis, poet (bookplates to front pastedowns) (16).

COMMON PRAYER, In English. The Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church. Oxford: at the Clarendon Press, by Dawson, Bensley, and Cooke, 1806. Title. (Crease and marginal spotting to title.) [Bound with:] A New Version of the Psalms of David. London: for the Company of Stationers, 1807. (Toning.) 4to (288 x 220mm.) Contemporary red morocco, g.e. (extremities rubbed, some fading and discolouring, minor scuffing). Provenance: Corporation of Bedford (gilt to upper cover). – And a further thirty-three volumes (including a further two copies of the ‘Common Prayer’, 1806, 4to, and Charles Darwin’s ‘The Descent of Man’, vol. 1 [of 2], 1871, 8vo, and ‘The Henry Irving Shakespeare’, 8 vols., 1898, 8vo) (34).

[HEATH, Henry.] Omnium Gatherum. London: Charles Tilt, [circa 1840.] First and Second Series, oblong folio (258 x 363mm.) Etched pictorial title, plates, including ‘The Art of Tormenting’, ‘Old Ways and New Ways’, ‘Nautical Dictionary’, ‘Sayings and Doings’, ‘Demonology & Witchcraft’ and ‘London Characters’. (Occasional spotting, slight dust-soiling.) Contemporary cloth (boards detached, worn).

NIBBS, R.H. The Churches of Sussex (First Series). Brighton: R.H. Nibbs, 1851. First edition, 4to (274 x 210mm.) Title in red and blue, etched frontispiece and 83 etched plates. (Light to moderate spotting to plate margins, browning to text leaves, stamps and labels verso title.) Near contemporary red full morocco by Hayday, g.e. (extremities rubbed, some scuffing to joints). Provenance: Sussex County Council Library (labels to front pastedown). – And a further eight volumes related to Sussex (including T.W. Horsfield’s ‘The History, Antiquities, and Topography of the County of Sussex’, 2 vols., 1835, 4to, and R. Willis’ ‘The Architectural History of Chichester Cathedral’, 1861, 4to) (9).

MANUSCRIPT. – John ANGELUS. [A hand-drawn Spanish antiphonal. N.p.: 1661.] 141pp., manuscript, folio (517 x 369mm.) ‘Contents’ leaf in manuscript, 53 leaves of Latin hymns and psalms in a 17th century hand with staves in red, square musical notation in black, initials in colour including a large two-stave initial in floral red, blue and yellow, 18 leaves in a later 18th century hand, black ink for Latin text and musical notation with no embellishments, manuscript pagination inaccurate to second part, later tabs to margins, armorial bookplates in colour verso ‘Contents’ leaf, the same bookplate in black and white mounted to front pastedown. (Corner damp-staining to first fifteen leaves, offsetting and minor dust-soiling.) 18th century boards (rebacked, lower cover repaired, scuffed). Note: the inscription mounted verso the ‘Contents’ leaf reads: ‘Joannes Angelus Amadei Carm: á Forolivio confecit anno Domini 1661’. Provenance: John Angelus (mounted authorship plate verso ‘Contents’ leaf).

ZULU WAR. The Illustrated London News. London: George C. Leighton, January-December 1879. 2 vols., folio (404 x 282mm.) Numerous wood-engraved illustrations, many double-paged and 23 folding, 2pp. ‘Index to Engravings’ to each volume. (Toning, occasional light spotting.) Original red blind-stamped and gilt cloth (rebacked with original spines laid-down, spines sunned, lightly rubbed). Note: covers in detail the major battles of the Zulu War (2).

[CAREW, Thomas.] An Historical Account of the Rights of Elections of the Several Counties, Cities, and Boroughs, of Great Britain: Collected From Public Records, and the Journals of Parliament. London: John Nourse, 1755. Folio (423 x 268mm.) Title, double-column text, in 2 parts with separate pagination. (Crease to initial blank, spotting to preliminaries and last leaves, tape repair to hinges, occasional ink underlining.) Contemporary calf, later morocco lettering piece (rebacked, extremities heavily rubbed, staining and scuffing). Note: the first significant work on the subject of parliamentary elections. Carew was an antiquary and M.P. for Minehead. Provenance: George Greenway (ink name to front pastedown).

[PRIOR, Matthew.] Poems on Several Occasions. London: printed for Jacob Tonson and John Barber, 1718. First edition, folio (468 x 280mm.) Engraved frontispiece and title-page with engraved vignette after Louis Charon, list of subscribers, numerous engraved headpieces, tailpieces and initials. (Spotting to margins, corner creasing to leaves.) Contemporary panelled calf (rebacked, extremities rubbed and scuffed). Provenance: Robert Milnes-Crewe (bookplate to front pastedown).

ENGINEERING. – Charles-Alfred OPPERMANN. Portefeuille économique des Machines de l’ outillage et du Matériel. Paris: Dalmont et Dunod, 1856-1889. 24 vols., series 1-3, 4to (373 x 278mm.) Numerous lithographed plates of machinery and machine parts. (Browned to margins.) Contemporary half calf (all covers detached, worn) (24).

CHAUCER, Geoffrey. – Charles MOZLEY (illustrator). The Canterbury Tales, translated by Nevill Coghill. [N.p: n.d. but 1985-1986.] 8 parts in 4 vols., elephant folio (588 x 413mm.) Numerous tinted and black and white lithographed plates by Charles Mozley. Unstitched as issued within pictorial card wrappers, contained within four cloth portfolios with ties (some creasing to inner flaps of one volume, minor scuffing). Note: includes ‘The Prologue’ and ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’, ‘The Summoner’s Tale’ and ‘The Clerk’s Tale’, ‘The Merchant’s Tale’ and ‘The Shipman’s Tale’, ‘The Miller’s Tale’ and ‘The Reeve’s Tale’ (4).