Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

ART NOUVEAU. – J. FOORD. Decorative Flower Studies, for the Use of Artists, Designers, Students and Others. London: B.T. Batsford, 1901. Folio (375 x 268mm.) Half-title, 40 colour lithographed plates. (Light spotting to half-title, toning, occasional finger-mark.) Original pictorial green cloth, t.e.g. (some staining to lower cover, wear to spine ends, fading and finger-marking to upper cover). Provenance: ‘Mee’ (ink name inscribed to initial blank, dated May 1901).

AVIATION. – J.E. HODGSON. The History of Aeronautics in Great Britain. London: Humphrey Milford at the Oxford University Press, 1924. Limited edition, being one of 1000 copies, small folio (279 x 183mm.) Colour and black and white plates, illustrations, newspaper cutting to rear pastedown. (Toning.) Original cloth, gilt to upper cover, t.e.g., (slight fading), dust-jacket (extremities chipped, some loss at top of spine). Note: scarce in the dust-jacket. Provenance: British Gliding Association (presentation plate to front pastedown).

LEWES. – T. HACKMAN. A Historical Catechism, Containing the Most Interesting Events, Recorded in English History, From the Invasion of Julius Caesar, to the Present Period. Lewes: John Baxter, 1818. 12mo (158 x 94mm.) Title, 2 blanks to front and 1 to rear, 2 later blank leaves to front. (Stamps verso title and marginal tape and paper repairs to title.) Later calf-backed maroon cloth, gilt lettering to spine (endpapers replaced). Note: scarce. Only one copy recorded in JISC/Copac. Provenance: West Sussex County Council (label to front pastedown, stamp verso title). – And a further three volumes related to Sussex (‘Three Discourses, 1. On the Use of Books. 2. On the Result and Effects of Study. 3. On the Elements of Literary Taste. Delivered at the Anniversary Meetings of the Library Society at Chichester, Jan. 1800,1801,1802’, 1802, 8vo, and Samuel Potter’s ‘An Epitome of the Law of Landlord and Tenant’, published in Worthing, 1825, 8vo, and a 12pp. Parliamentary Act relating to Littlehampton Harbour, 1733, folio) (4).

GEOLOGY. – William Perceval HUNTER. Geological Notes. Comprising a Description of the Limestone Quarries and Petrifying Spring at Pounceford, in Sussex, with Preliminary Remarks on the Wealden Rocks. Hythe: for the Author by William Tiffen, 1835. Small 4to (185 x 117mm.) Half-title, folding frontispiece illustration supplied from a newspaper, 9 plates to rear. (Stamp to frontispiece and verso title, occasional creasing, red mark to title.) Later green cloth, gilt reference to spine. Note: scarce. Hunter is the forgotten scholar of English geology. He led an itinerant life, publishing his works privately, obscurely, and sometimes abroad. He made early conjectures towards the idea of dinosaurs and was the first to suggest the Isle of Wight as a source of fossils. Provenance: Worthing Public Library (endpapers replaced, labels to pastedowns).  – And a further thirteen volumes (including Charles Williams’ ‘Pickings on the Sea-Shore; or, Cliffs, Sands, Plants, and Animals… and the Vivarium at Home’, 1857, 8vo, and ‘Report of the Commissioners Upon the Subject of Harbours of Refuge’, [extra-illustrated with 5 hand-drawn folding maps bound-in], 1845, tall 4to) (14).

BINDINGS. – Samuel Taylor COLERIDGE. The Poetical and Dramatic Works. London: John James Chidley, 1845. New edition, 12mo (163 x 98mm.) Additional title with vignette, frontispiece. (Toning.) Contemporary black morocco, decorative gilt to covers and spine, g.e. (extremities rubbed, upper joints splitting). – And a further twenty-two volumes, mainly literary and historical (including ‘The Poetical Works of Robert Browning’, 1924, 2 vols., 8vo, and ‘The Life and Work of Robert Burns’, 1856, 4 vols. in 2, 8vo, and Mrs. J.B. [Annie] Webb’s ‘Naomi, or the Last Days of Jerusalem’, 1872, 8vo, and ‘The Works of Flavius Josephus’, translated by William Whiston, 1833, 8vo) (23).

AMERICA. – John G. NICOLAY and John HAY. Abraham Lincoln, a History. New York & London: The Century Co. and T. Fisher Unwin, 1890. 10 vols., first edition, 8vo (232 x 148mm.) Half-titles, frontispieces, plates. (Toning, pencil annotation verso rear endpapers.) Original blue cloth, gilt lettering to spines (scuffing to several spine panels) (10).

AMERICA. – J.S. CAMPION. On the Frontier. Reminiscences of Wild Sports, Personal Adventures, and Strange Scenes. London: Chapman & Hall, 1878. First edition, 8vo (219 x 137mm.) Half-title, 8 woodburytype plates, 32pp. publishers’ catalogue to rear dated November 1877. (Toning, illegible contemporary signature to title, entry on p.13 of publisher’s catalogue excised.) Original boards, gilt lettering to spine (small stain to lower cover, lightly rubbed). – And a further fourteen books relating to America (including ‘Famous Adventures and Prison Escapes of the Civil War’, edited by G.W. Cable, 1898, 8vo) (15).

AFRICA. – Marguerite ROBY. My Adventures in the Congo. London: Edward Arnold, 1911. First edition, 8vo (224 x 139mm.) Engraved portrait frontispiece, tissue-guard, 16 photographic plates, folding map to rear, 24pp. publisher’s advertisements. (A few uncut leaves, scattered spotting throughout.) Original red cloth, pictorial gilt, white and black to upper cover (extremities rubbed, crease to spine). Note: scarce. Provenance: L. Bradshaw (ink name to front-free endpaper). – And a further twelve volumes relating to Africa (including Ben Burbridge’s ‘Gorilla’, 1928, 8vo, and Frederick Treves’ ‘Uganda For a Holiday’, 1910, 8vo, and T.T. Matthews’ ‘Thirty Years in Madagascar’, 1904, 8vo) (13).

Journal of the East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society. London, New York, Bombay etc.: Longmans, Green & Co., February 1918-July 1934. 30 vols. in 7, 8vo (211 x 143mm.) Numerous colour and photographic plates, some folding, illustrations in the text. (Toning.) Contemporary green cloth, gilt to spine (spine ends bumped, frayed to vol. 7, white mark to spines, labels to front pastedowns). Provenance: Colonial Office Library (presentation label to front pastedown); University of Nottingham Science Library (reference label to front pastedown). Note: being numbers 12, 16-18, 20-24, 27-28, 33-34, 36-52. – And a further 10 issues of the ‘Journal of the East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society’ (being numbers 14, 75-76, 85-88, 93, 113-114, and 12 volumes of ‘The East African Annual’, 1941-1965, 4to) (small quantity).

AFRICA. – Rupert FURNEAUX. The Murder of Lord Erroll. London: Stevens & Sons Limited, 1961. First edition, 8vo (214 x 132mm.) Photographic illustrations. (Toning.) Original black cloth, dust-jacket (price-clipped, browning and spotting verso). Note: as a glamorous member of the Kenyan ‘Happy Valley’ set, the murder of Lord Erroll provoked much speculation, and continues to do so. Not least, it inspired James Fox’s book ‘White Mischief’, which was adapted into the 1988 film directed by Michael Radford. – And a further fourteen volumes relating mostly to Africa (including Harry Dean’s ‘Umbala’, 1929, 8vo, and Dugald Campbell’s ‘Blazing Trails in Bantuland’, [1933], 8vo, and H.W. Lytle and John Dillon’s ‘From Dance Hall to White Slavery, the World’s Greatest Tragedy’, [1912], 8vo, and E. Alexander Powell’s ‘The Map That Is Half Unrolled’, 1925, 8vo) (15).

AFRICA. – Frank H. MELLAND and Edward H. CHOLMELEY. Through the Heart of Africa, Being an Account of a Journey on Bicycles and on Foot from Northern Rhodesia, past the Great Lakes, to Egypt, undertaken when proceeding home on leave in 1910. London: Constable & Company Ltd., 1912. First edition, 8vo (223 x 160mm.) Half-title, photographic frontispiece, numerous plates, folding map to rear. (Occasional faint spotting.) Original red cloth, pictorial gilt to upper cover, t.e.g. (some fading to spine and discolouring to lower cover). – And a further nine volumes related to Africa (including R.S.S. Baden-Powell’s ‘The Matabele Campaign’, 1901, 8vo, and F.C.’s ‘On Safari, Experiences of a Gunner in the East African Campaign’, 1917, 8vo, and Douglas Fraser’s ‘Through the Congo Basin’, 1927, and T. Alexander Barns’ ‘The Wonderland of the Eastern Congo’, 1922, 8vo) (10).

BINDINGS. – Charles A. LIDGEY. Wagner. London: J.M. Dent & Co., 1902. Second edition, 8vo (171 x 126mm.) Engraved portrait frontispiece, tissue-guard, engraved plates. (Mild toning.) Near contemporary full blue morocco by Bumpus, g.e. (some fading). – And a further thirty-five volumes, mostly Victorian literature and history (36).

AFRICA. – Harry JOHNSTON. Liberia. London: Hutchinson & Co., 1906. 2 vols., first edition, 8vo (237 x 169mm.) Colour frontispieces, tissue-guards, 7 maps including 4 folding, numerous illustrations. (Toning, light spotting to folding maps.) Original cloth, pictorial gilt to upper covers, t.e.g. (extremities rubbed). Provenance: Walter Watts (ink name inscribed verso frontispiece of vol. 2). – And a further seven volumes, all by Harry Johnston (including ‘George Grenfell and the Congo’, 2 vols., 1908, 8vo) (9).

MINIATURE BOOK. – R. DAVIS (publisher). A New History of the Old and New Testament. London: for R. Davis, in Sackville-Street, Piccadilly, [1759.] 64mo (49 x 38mm.) Title. (Lacking seven leaves, browning, small corner creases.) Contemporary red morocco (rubbed). Note: rare. A verse abridgment of the Bible. Provenance: ‘Mansfield’ (ink name verso last text leaf).

BINDING. – John GOLDSMITH. An Almanack for the Year of our Lord God, M.DCC.LXXXXIII. London: for the Company of Stationers, [1782.] 12mo (101 x 52mm.) Title in red and black, interleaved with blanks, duty stamp in red ink to verso of title. (Toning, occasional spotting.) Contemporary red morocco with blue and gold onlays, gilt dots and saw-tooth borders (some loss at top of spine, rubbing to upper cover). – And a further almanack (‘London Almanack for the Year of Our Christ 1849’, [1848], 64mo) (2).

SUSSEX. Kelly’s Directory of Horsham and Neighbourhood 1955. London: Kelly’s Directories Ltd., 1955. First edition, 8vo (182 x 123mm.) Numerous advertisements, plan to rear endpaper. (Toning.) Original card covers (lightly rubbed, fading). – And a further eighteen volumes related to Horsham (including two auction catalogues, ‘Portions of the Horsham Park Estate’, 1948, 4to, and ‘The Valuable Residential & Agricultural Estate Denne Park, Horsham’, 1948, 8vo, and ‘Horsham Urban & Rural Directory 1951-1952’, 1951, 8vo, and Kelly’s Directories for Horsham for the years 1957, 1962 (x 2), 1967, 1969 and 1975) (19).

HORSHAM. – John COMBER. Sussex Genealogies. Cambridge: W. Heffer & Sons Ltd., 1931. First edition, 8vo (216 x 133mm.) Tipped-in copy of a typed letter to the author at half-title. (Mild toning.) Original black cloth, gilt lettering. Provenance: L. Cresswell (ink name inscribed to front pastedown); Peter John Cox (bookplate to front pastedown).  – And a further twenty volumes relating to Horsham and Sussex (including W.D. Parish’s ‘A Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect and Collection of Provincialisms in Use in the County of Sussex’, 1875, 8vo, and Charles Fleet’s ‘Glimpses of Our Ancestors in Sussex’, 1878, 8vo) (21).

AFRICA. Atlas of Kenya. Nairobi: The Survey of Kenya, 1959. Folio (444 x 444mm.) Colour title with decorative border, 45 maps, including 40 in colour, 3pp. ‘Index’ of Kenya to rear. (Title browned to margins with small tear, small marginal corner creases to maps.) Original cloth (extremities bumped, lettering faded).

EAST AFRICA. Atlas of the Tanganyika Territory. Dar Es Salaam: Survey Division Dept. of Lands & Mines, 1942. First edition, folio (439 x 442mm.) Title, ‘Index’, 30 leaves, mostly colour maps. (Title with dust-soiling, maps with corner creases.) Original cloth boards (heavily spotted and discoloured).