Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

GEOLOGY. – Abraham Gottlob WERNER. Traité des Caracteres Extérieurs des Fossiles. Dijon: L.N. Frantin, 1790. First French edition, 12mo (158 x 94mm.) 8 folding tables. (Lacking 1 table.) Near contemporary marbled paper-covered boards, later red morocco label to spine (rebacked, minor loss to extremities). Note: first published in German in 1774 and translated into English in 1804. Werner has been called the ‘father of German geology’ and is known for demonstrating chronological succession in rocks.

[ROHMER, Sax.] Little Tich. A Book of Travels (and wanderings). London: Greening and Co. Ltd., 1911. First edition, first impression, 8vo (184 x 122mm.) Half-title, photographic portrait frontispiece, 16 photographic illustrations on 8 plates, 2pp. advertisements to front and rear, advertisements verso covers. (Spotting to first and last leaves, thereafter scattered.) Original pictorial covers (creases to spine, small corner loss to upper cover, wear at head of spine). Note: scarce. ‘Little Tich’ [Harry Relph] was a hugely successful music-hall comedian known for his diminutive stature and for his ‘Big-Boot Dance’ for which he wore boots 71cm long. Provenance: J.W. Sewell (ink name to title, dated 1911). – And a further twenty-two volumes related to theatre (including Charles Henry Ross’ ‘Stage Whispers and Shouts Without’, [circa 1881], 8vo, and H.G. Pélissier’s ‘Potted Pélissier’, 1913, 8vo, and Harry Reynold’s ‘Minstrel Memories’, 1928, 8vo, and three copies of ‘The London Review, a Moral Pantomime’ by F.J. Harvey Darton and Albert Rutherston, 1923, 8vo) (23).

THEATRE. – Maud ALLAN. My Life and Dancing. London: Everett & Co., [n.d. but 1908.] First edition, 8vo (181 x 118mm.) Photographic plates. (Spotting, sometimes heavy, toning.) Original green cloth, lettering in red and gilt, mounted photographic illustration of Maud as ‘Salome’ to upper cover (some fading, extremities bumped). Provenance: Minnie Caroline Bell (bookplate to front pastedown). – And a further twenty-three related volumes (including [Sax Rhomer’s] ‘Little Tich’ by Little Tich, 1911, 8vo, and ‘The Mask, A Journal of the Art of Theatre’, vol. 10, 1924, 4to, and Ellaline Terriss’ ‘By Herself and with Others’, signed by Ellaline Terriss, 1928, 8vo, and ‘Plays Produced Under the Direction of David Belasco’, signed by David Belasco, 1925, 8vo, and Phyllis Dare’s ‘From School to Stage’, 1907, 8vo, and Walter Calvert’s ‘Sir Henry Irving and Miss Ellen Terry’, 1897, 4to) (24).

MILITARY. Drill and Rifle Instruction for the Corps of Rifle Volunteers. London: for H.M.S.O by W. Clowes and Sons, 1860. Seventh edition, 8vo (181 x 101mm.) Plates, drill notes in pencil to rear leaves signed by ‘Instructor’, dated 1920. (Browned, lacking rear endpaper, pencil drawing to front-free endpaper.) Original olive blind-stamped cloth. – And a quantity of approximately seventy further military drill and exercise booklets (including ‘Rifle and Field Exercises for His Majesty’s Fleet’, 1907, small 8vo, and ‘Regulations for Musketry Instruction’, 1887, small 8vo, and ‘Revised Infantry Sword Exercise’, March 1875, small 8vo) (a quantity)

FAIRBAIRN, W.E. All-In Fighting. London: Faber and Faber, 1942. First edition, first impression, 8vo (199 x 128mm.) Numerous illustrations by ‘Hary’. Original brown cloth, dust-jacket (browned, chipped to upper margin, a few marks to upper panel). Note: scarce. A book written to help those in unarmed combat to ‘conquer our ingrained repugnance to killing at close quarters’. – And a further seven military related volumes (including W.E. Fairbairn and E.A. Sykes’ ‘Shooting to Live’, 1942, 8vo, and Frederick G. Cooke’s ‘Scouting by Night’, 1916, small 8vo, and Labore’s ‘Bomber’s Handbook’, 1943, 8vo, and ‘Land Mines and Booby Traps’, 1943, 8vo) (8).

PROVENANCE. – Thomas RUDDIMAN. The Rudiments of the Latin Tongue; or, a Plain and easy Introduction to Latin Grammar. Edinburgh: Wal. Ruddiman, 1769. Seventeenth edition, corrected, small 4to (158 x 89mm.) Note: on the rear pastedown in manuscript is the history of ownership, beginning with the father Thomas Wallis. He is represented pictorially by rule and compass, suggesting he was a draughtsman of some kind. And then, in turn, each of his children- as they learnt Latin and used the primer- are pictorially represented. The eldest son John Wallis is represented by a church spire so perhaps he entered the ministry. The youngest son has a quill and ink pot. A writer or clerk of some kind? The daughter, Susan, has a pictogram of a fortepiano or harpsichord so maybe she played, or tutored? Provenance: Thomas Wallis and family (ink name and pictograms to rear pastedown).

CRIME. – Tifield ALLEN. An Account of the Behaviour of Mr. James Maclaine, from the Time of his Condemnation to the Day of his Execution, October 3, 1750. London: J. Noon and A. Millar, 1750. Third edition, small 4to (188 x 113mm.) (Title browned and ink stained, faint creasing.) Later wrappers (creased). Note: James Maclaine came from a respectable Irish Presbyterian family. After a fairly dissipated youth he married and became a grocer. After the death of his wife and his business failing, Maclaine joined with William Plunkett and became known as the ‘Gentleman Highwayman’ after his victims reported his surprising courtesy during the robberies. Often accompanied by William Plunkett, and wearing Venetian masks, they were highly successful for a short time. A film of their exploits – Plunkett and Macleane - was released in 1999 starring Robert Carlyle. Maclaine was hanged at Tyburn in 1750.

VECELLIO, Cesare. [Habiti antichi, et moderni di tutto il mondo.] Venice: Bernardo Sessa, 1598. Second edition, 8vo (169 x 110mm.) Title in contemporary manuscript on mounted paper overlay on title, woodcut surround, woodcut initials and decorations, 207 woodcut illustrations of people in Renaissance costume. (Lacking nearly 300 woodcuts and numerous  text leaves, text-block broken, marginal losses to title, many leaves with marginal insect-damage, occasional damp-staining). Disbound. Note: an iconic and compendious work showing a vast range of European costume with an element of fantasy, too. Vecellio was a cousin of Titian, studied with him, and it is thought that Titian assisted him in the design of the illustrations.

MANTELL, Gideon. The Geology of the South-East of England. London: Longman, Rees, Orme et al., 1833. First edition, 8vo (224 x 141mm.) Half-title, lithographed frontispiece, 5 lithographed plates, including 1 folding, folding geological map with hand-colouring to rear, 16pp. publisher’s advertisements to front, wood-engraved illustrations to the text. (Newspaper clippings mounted verso half-title and verso frontispiece, toning, spotting to plate margins, newspaper clipping mounted over publisher detail on title-page.) Contemporary boards, later paper label to spine (extremities rubbed, discolouring). Provenance: George Greig (gift inscription in ink, dated 1837).  – And a further five related volumes (including Robert Bakewell’s ‘An Introduction to Geology’, fifth edition, 1838, 8vo, and Henry T. de la Beche’s ‘The Geological Observer’, 1851, 8vo, and Charles Lyell’s ‘The Student’s Elements of Geology’, 1871, 8vo) (6).

The Shakespeare Gallery: A Reproduction in Commemoration of the Tercentenary Anniversary of the Poet’s Birth. London: L. Booth and S. Ayling, 1864. 4to (203 x 156mm.) 98 mounted photographic illustrations related to Shakespeare from the Boydell Gallery. (Paper section mounted on initial blank to cover inscription, occasional spotting.) Original red cloth, pictorial gilt to upper cover, g.e. (slight fading to spine, scuffing to lower cover). – And a further eight volumes (including Alain Rene La Sage’s ‘The Devil Upon Two Sticks’, 1778, 12mo, and Horatio Smith’s ‘Festivals, Games, and Amusements, Ancient and Modern’, 1831, 8vo, and Crosby’s ‘Complete Pocket Gazetteer of England and Wales, or Traveller’s Companion’, 1807, 12mo) (9).

PRIDEAUX, Humphrey. The Old and New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, from the Declension of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah to the time of Christ. London: for R. Knaplock and J. Tonson, 1718. 2 vols. [in 3 Parts.] Fourth edition, 8vo (195 x 121mm.) 1p. publisher’s advertisement to rear. (Browning throughout, contemporary annotation to front pastedown of vol. 1.) Contemporary panelled calf (heavily rubbed, upper cover of vol. 1 detached, upper cover of vol. 2, part 2, loosely attached). Note: the fourth edition refers only to vol. 1. – And a further eight volumes (including ‘Geiriadur Saesoneg a Chymraeg- An English-Welsh Dictionary’, 1847, 16mo, and Thomas Warton’s ‘The Life and Literary Remains of Ralph Bathurst, M.D.’, 1761, 8vo, and John Campbell’s ‘The Present State of Europe’, fourth edition, 1753, 8vo, and John Bowden et al. ‘Works on Episcopacy’, 2 vols., 1831, 8vo) (11).

TRAVEL. – Charles-Lewis, Baron de POLLNITZ. The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz. Being Observations he made in his late Travels from Prussia thro’ Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &c. London: Daniel Browne, 1739. 2 vols., second edition, 8vo (198 x 116mm.) 1p. publisher’s advertisements, indices, translated into English by Stephen Whately. (Browning to blanks, occasional light spotting.) Contemporary full calf (inner hinges weakened, extremities rubbed, large scrape to upper cover of vol. 1, minor loss to spine ends). Note: after his adventures around the courts of Europe, Pollnitz returned to Berlin, securing a position in the court of King Frederick William I of Prussia and then with Frederick the Great, of whom he was a favourite. Provenance: William Gooch (ink name to title) (2).

[DODGSON, Charles Lutwidge.] ‘Lewis Carroll’. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. London: Macmillan and Co., 1872. Thirty-Six Thousand, 8vo (183 x 120mm.) Half-title, illustrations by John Tenniel, 1p. publisher’s advertisement to rear. (Toning.) Original cloth, g.e. (extremities bumped, some dis-colouring, slight spine lean, hinges weakened). Provenance: Florence Blanchard (ink name to front-free endpaper, dated 1872).

POTTER, Beatrix. The Roly-Poly Pudding. London: Frederick Warne & Co., 1908. First edition, first state, 4to (201 x 156mm.) Half-title, colour frontispiece, 17 colour illustrations and black and white illustrations by Beatrix Potter, gift inscription in ink, dated 1908. (Toning, occasional finger-mark, minor staining.) Original red cloth with mounted colour illustration (some fading to spine gilt, lightly rubbed). Note: with ‘all rights reserved’ at foot of title-page. – And a further three volumes (including Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, 1870, 8vo) (4).

POTTER, Beatrix. The Tale of Tom Kitten. London: Frederick Warne & Co., 1907. First edition, 16mo (139 x 103mm.) Colour frontispiece, title vignette, 26 colour illustrations. (Frontispiece loose, occasional minor soiling.) Original brown boards with colour illustration inset to upper cover, pictorial endpapers (upper joint splitting, small stain to upper cover, light rubbing). Note: dated on the title-page. [Linder 427.]

POTTER, Beatrix. The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse. London: Frederick Warne and Co., 1910. First edition, first or second printing, 16mo (139 x 102mm.) Colour frontispiece, title vignette and 26 colour illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original blue boards with colour illustration inset to upper cover, pictorial endpapers (toning, lightly rubbed, minor stain to lower cover). Note: dated on the title-page. Provenance: Lorna Joyce Ridgway (ink name inscribed verso front-free endpaper, dated 1910). [Linder, 429].

BIBLE, In English. The English Version of the Polyglott Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments; with Marginal Readings. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co., 1854. 12mo (141 x 86mm.) Engraved folding map, colour frontispiece and presentation leaf. (Intermittent browning.) Contemporary red velvet-backed mother-of-pearl covers with enamelled plaque after Raphael to upper cover, brass clasp, g.e., contained within a black morocco-covered box (minor stains to box).

BIBLE, In English. The Holy Bible. London: Charles Bill & Thomas Newcomb, 1704. 12mo (133 x 64mm.) OT only, double-column red ruled, engraved title. (Browning, a 2-inch tear to A1, lacking all before A1.) Contemporary black full morocco with engraved silver corner-pieces, bosses and clasps and central piece with crest, dated 1705 on clasp, g.e. (lacking a clasp, silver cloudy).

THEOLOGY. Der Wahre Romisch-Catholische Saltzburger. Saltzburg: Johann Joseph Manrs, 1745. Part 2 [of 2]. 4to (201 x 153mm.) Title in red and black, half-title, black letter. (Browning, marginal spotting throughout.) Contemporary blind-stamped pigskin, leather straps and brass claps (light rubbing, a few wormholes to lower cover, lacking one clasp). Note: an earlier part was published in 1737. A popular Catholic treatise that was intended to strengthen Catholic faith and refute Lutheran doctrine.