Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

BELL, John (publisher). [Bell’s British Theatre.] London: for the Proprietors, under Direction of John Bell, British Library, Strand, 1791-1797. 30 vols. [only, of 46.] 12mo (139 x 84mm.) Engraved frontispieces and titles for each play. (Toning, occasional crease.) Contemporary black half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, gilt sunbursts and lettering to spines (extremities rubbed). Note: a complete run of the series from volume 1 to 30 (30).

SHACKLETON, Ernest. – Samuel SMILES. Self-Help, with Illustrations of Conduct and Perseverance. London: John Murray, 1908. Inscribed by Ernest Shackleton to the initial blank, 8vo (184 x 121mm.) Photographic portrait of David Livingstone as frontispiece, portrait plates also of Horatio Nelson, Brunel, and others. (Toning, some spotting to preliminaries.) Contemporary blue full calf, red morocco lettering piece to spine, gilt insignia of Brockley Secondary School to upper cover (extremities rubbed). Note: when the Shackleton family moved from Ireland to South London in 1884, Ernest was ten years old. In 1885 he attended Fir Lodge Preparatory School in Sydenham, and then Dulwich College. The County Secondary School Brockley is not far from Fir Lodge, so it would likely have been a school known to the Shackleton family. Following the return of the British Antarctic Expedition in 1909 and the lecture tour that Shackleton undertook around the world, a visit to the local schools in South-East London might have felt like returning home.

BOTANY. – [Mary Matilda HOWARD.] Wild Flowers and Their Teachings. Bath: Binns and Goodwin, 1845. 8vo (197 x 123mm.) Half-title, 35 mounted plant and flower specimens with descriptive text, errata leaf, 4pp. publisher’s advertisements to rear. (Toning, lacking 1 specimen, some offsetting, illegible name to half-title.) Original red blind-stamped cloth, gilt decoration to covers and spine (small marks, lightly rubbed). Note: scarce.

DARWIN, Charles. The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. London: John Murray, 1871. Vol. 1 [only, of 2]. First edition, 8vo (183 x 119mm.) Half-title, illustrations, 16pp, publisher’s advertisements to rear. (Toning, endpapers replaced.) Rebound in green cloth with original cloth and spine laid-down (some rubbing to lower cover). Note: contains the first appearance of the word ‘evolution’ in Darwin’s works, before its appearance in the 6th edition of ‘The Origin of the Species’. Provenance: R. Clifford Gill (ink name inscribed to title, dated 1871).

FABIAN SOCIETY. – G.B. SHAW and William MORRIS and Oliver LODGE and Sidney WEBB, et al. Fabian Tracts. London: The Fabian Office, 1891-1909. 75 tracts (approx.), mixed editions, 8vo (210 x 133mm.) One original wrapper bound-in. Contemporary cloth (lightly rubbed). Note: approx. 75 tracts from nos. 1-147, including William Morris’ ‘Communism’, 1907, and four by G.B. Shaw, plus a reprint of no. 1. ‘Why Are the Many Poor?’, originally written by a house painter called W.L. Phillips but subsequently revised by Shaw.

PAINE, Thomas. The Rights of Man; Being an Answer to Mr. Burke’s Attack on the French Revolution. London: W.T. Sherwin, 1817. In 2 Parts, separate title for ‘Part the Second’, ink annotation verso last leaf. (A few ink marks to margins, toning, occasional ink annotation.) [Bound with:] Thomas PAINE. Common Sense, addressed to the Inhabitants of America. London: W.T. Sherwin, 1817. (Spotting to title.) [Bound with:] Thomas PAINE. The American Crisis. London: R. Carlile, 1819. (Light spotting to title.) 8vo (216 x 128mm.) Contemporary brown calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (lightly rubbed, newspaper cutting mounted front endpaper). Provenance: Captain Duberly (name-plate to front pastedown); A.I. Tulloch, Shetland (bookplate verso front endpaper).  - And a further two volumes (William Roscoe’s ‘Considerations on the Causes, Objects and Consequences of the Present War, and on the Expediency, or the Danger of Peace with France’, second edition, 1808, 8vo, and M.J. Miot’s ‘Narrative of the French Expedition to Egypt, and the Operations in Syria’, 1816, 8vo) (3).

HULME, Edward F. Familiar Wild Flowers. London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin, [n.d.: circa 1880.] 5 series in 5 vols., 8vo (198 x 133mm.) Numerous colour plates, tissue-guards. (Toning.) Contemporary half calf, red morocco lettering pieces to the spines (spines sunned). Provenance: Jessie Fotheringham (gift inscribed to in ink on initial blanks). – And another edition (F. Edward Hulme’s ‘Familiar Wild Flowers’, 6 Parts in 3 vols., [1900], 8vo, and Shirley Hibberd and F. Edward Hulme’s ‘Familiar Garden Flowers’, 5 Parts in 3 vols., [1900], 8vo) (11).

PRATT, Anne. The Flowering Plants, Grasses, Sedges, and Ferns of Great Britain. London: Frederick Warne and Co., [circa 1870.] 6 vols., 4to (228 x 153mm.) Numerous colour lithographed plates, 1 uncoloured plate. (Toning, light scattered spotting.) Original green cloth, gilt decorated, g.e. (wear to spine ends, extremities rubbed). Provenance: L.C. (name-plate to front pastedowns). – And a further four related volumes (John E. Sowerby’s ‘The Grasses of Great Britain’, [1861], 4to, and also Sowerby’s ‘The Ferns of Great Britain’, 1855, 4to, and Gertrude Jekyll’s ‘Old West Surrey’, 1904, 4to, and ‘Bingley’s Practical Introduction to Botany’, 1827, 12mo) (10).

PATENTS. Specification of Spilsbury Butler. Hearse. London: George E. Eyre & William Spottiswoode, 1858. No. 2323. 4to (258 x 174mm.) Original blue wrappers (chipping). – And a related patent (‘Specification of Samuel Hatchard the Younger and Frederick Talbot the Younger. Hearses and Biers’, [fold-out plates], No. 1095, 1875, 4to) (2).

OLDHAM, John. The Works of John Oldham, Together with His Remains. London: Jo. Hindmarsh, 1692. Mixed editions, 8vo (179 x 116mm.) Title, ‘Contents’ leaf, ‘Satyrs Upon the Jesuits’, with separate title dated 1685, ‘The Passion of Bybles’ with title dated 1685, ‘Poems and Translations’, dated 1684 with 6pp. ‘Advertisement’, ‘Poems and Translations’ title dated 1683, ‘Remains of John Oldham in Verse and Prose’ with separate title dated 1693. (Browning, lacking blanks.) Early 20th century brown morocco, gilt to spine (lightly rubbed). – And a further twelve miscellaneous volumes (including Henry Holden’s ‘The Analysis of Divine Faith’, [disbound], 1658, 4to, and ‘Étude Critique des Campagnes de 1800 en Italie, 1815 en Belgique, 1854-56 en Crimée, 1866 en Italie et en Allemagne et de 1870-71 en France’, 1878, 8vo, and William Maxwell’s ‘Stories of Waterloo’, 1838, 8vo, and Robert Parson’s ‘A Christian Directory, Guiding Men to Their Eternal Salvation’, 1739, 8vo, and Dr. Howell’s ‘Medulla Historiae Anglicanae. The Ancient and Present State of England. Being a Compendious History of all Its Monarchs, from the Time of Julius Caesar’, 1750, 8vo) (13).

WITTGENSTEIN, Ludwig. Philosophical Investigations. Oxford: Basil Blackwell & Mott Ltd., 1958. Second edition, 8vo (217 x 142mm.) Parallel German and English texts, translated by G.E.M. Anscombe. (Toning, a few pencil notes to rear endpaper, several pencil marks to margins, illegible name to front endpaper.) Original black cloth (extremities bumped), dust-jacket (browned to spine, chipping to spine panel). Note: the first edition was published in 1953.

HAYEK, F.A. (editor). Capitalism and the Historians. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, 1954. First edition, 8vo (189 x 124mm.) (Mild toning, a few pencil marks to margins.) Original blue cloth, dust-jacket (browned to spine and edges). Provenance: Corrine Jeffrey (ink name to front endpaper); C.J. Blackburn (pencil name to front endpaper).

BINDINGS. – Frederick ROBERTS. Forty Years in India. London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1900. New Edition, 8vo (200 x 132mm.) Numerous folding maps and plans. (Mild toning.) Contemporary red half morocco Arts and Crafts-style binding, t.e.g. (upper joint splitting). Provenance: J. McMuirtrie (gift inscribed to in ink on half-title). – And a further three volumes (‘Cowper Illustrated by a Series of Views in or near the park of Weston-Underwood Bucks’, 1803, 8vo, and Oliver Goldsmith’s ‘Choice Works’, 1872, 8vo, and W. Bromley-Davenport’s ‘Sport’, 1886, 8vo) (4).

SIGNED BOOK. – Winston S. CHURCHILL. First Journey. London: Heinemann, 1964. Limited edition, this being number 144 of 260 copies signed by Winston S. Churchill, 8vo (214 x 136mm.) Photographic illustrations, map endpapers, inscribed to the limitation page. (Mild toning, faint spotting to fore-edge.) Original red publisher’s sheep (some fading, slightly marked, lacking slipcase). – And a further two volumes by Winston Churchill, with two printed notes (‘A History of the English-Speaking Peoples’, 2 vols. [only], 1956-1956, 8vo) (3).

SIGNED BOOK. – Winston S. CHURCHILL. My Early Life, a Roving Commission. London: Thornton Butterworth, Ltd., 1934. Keystone Library Edition, first impression, inscribed by Winston S. Churchill on the front blank, 8vo (222 x 137mm.) Photographic plates, maps, 1 folding, a loosely inserted typed compliments note from Churchill on ‘Chartwell’ headed paper, loosely inserted publisher’s advertisement. (Toning, corner creasing to compliments note, occasional light spotting.) Original pink cloth (slight spotting), dust-jacket (chipping to top of spine panel, tears with old tape repair to edge of upper panel, finger-marked). Note: The book is inscribed to Arnold Foster: ‘To Arnold Foster, from Winston Churchill, July 1935’. Foster would later serve as a Sub-Lieutenant RNVR at D-Day, taking his LCT onto the Normandy beaches. However, Foster’s connection to Churchill in the 1930’s was very likely through the firm W.D. & H.O. Wills Tobacco Ltd. After Oxford, Foster worked for the Bristol company for many years. It was through the connection between Wills and Bristol University- where Churchill was chancellor from 1929 to 1965- that the two most likely met. Bristol University named one of its most prestigious halls of residence after the tobacco company. And Wills, in turn, printed cigarette cards that featured Churchill’s face many times. Provenance: Arnold Foster (inscribed to by Churchill on the front blank, dated July 1935).

PROOF COPY. - Winston CHURCHILL. The World Crisis: The Aftermath. London: Thornton Butterworth Limited, [1927.] Vol. 4. Proof copy, 8vo (230 x 146mm.) 4 folding maps, several pencil marks to margins. (Spotting to preliminaries, lacking front-free endpaper.) Original blue cloth, gilt lettering to spine (small marks to spine, lightly rubbed extremities). Note: pencil markings indicate textual errors and spelling mistakes. Provenance: Z.M. Wyatt (ink name and address to front blank, dated 30.12.27).

COLLINGWOOD, R.G. The Idea of History. Oxford: at the Clarendon Press, 1946. First edition, 8vo (218 x 132mm.) (Toning, faint corner creasing.) Original green cloth (sunned to spine). Note: an influential work in the philosophy of history that was put together after Collingwood’s death by his student, T.M. Knox. In essence, Collingwood’s belief was that all history ‘is the history of thought’.

SIGNED. – Thomas QUAYLE. General View of the Agriculture and Present State of the Islands on the Coast of Normandy. London: Sherwood, Neely, & Jones et al., 1815. First edition, inscribed by Thomas Quayle on the front blank, 8vo (214 x 122mm.) 4pp. ‘Index’, 2pp. ‘List of Publications of the Board of Agriculture’, 2pp. publisher’s advertisements. (Toning, lacking map.) Near contemporary green straight-grain morocco, gilt borders (upper hinge weakened). Note: scarce. Provenance: ‘Mr. Bath’ (ink inscribed to by Thomas Quayle); James Bros (bookplate to front pastedown).

YORKSHIRE. The Regulations and Establishment of the Household of Henry Algernon Percy, the Fifth Earl of Northumberland, at His Castles of Wresill and Lekinfield in Yorkshire. Begun Anno Domini MDXII. London: [Privately printed:], 1770. Inscribed by the editor [Thomas Percy, Bishop of Bromore], 8vo (218 x 131mm.) Half-title, mounted newspaper clipping related to the book on half-title, 2pp. ‘Index’. (Toning.) Contemporary full crushed morocco, gilt borders, g.e. (rebacked, cloth tape reinforcement to hinges). Provenance: Joseph Aycoffer (ink inscribed to from the editor on half-title); Joseph Henry Straker (bookplate to front pastedown). Note: scarce. An interesting insight into the domestic life of the nobility in the early 16th century. Thomas Percy is better known for his book ‘Reliques of Ancient Poetry’ (1765), which laid the ground for the revival of the ballad form in English poetry of the Romantic period.