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Dear Friend,
Good wishes to you and yours in this holiday season. Our end of year selection of manuscripts and books includes a delightful George Eliot association copy and some gentle Parisian titillation.
See you in 2026,
Christian
M Tulii Ciceronis Verrinae - Verrine Orations — Marcus Tullius Cicero; Filippo Giunta — 1515
First separate edition of Cicero's Verrine orations with Giunta’s preface addressed to Tommaso Pighinucci. A little sequence of early ownership signatures on the first flyleaf take us back to 17th century Venice, the earliest from 1621; then from the town of Gorizia: ‘Andreas de Thomasinis Goritia Dolce ingano d'amor cossanon voglie’ and a later inscription relating to a Signor Parrocco. An inscription from 1645 appears on the verso of the flyleaf. DESCRIPTION Bound in 19th century vellum with t…… Read more
Camilla. An Opera. As it is perform'd at the Theatre Royal in Drury-Lane, by Her Majesty's servants. [Restoration Play Quarto translation of Neapolitan opera: Il trionfo di Camilla] — Peter Motteux, Mr Northman, Owen M Swinny, Silvio Stampiglia — 1706
First edition of this opera libretto in English, from the collection compiled by the financier and book collector, Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid (1778-1859) and rebound by 'T Connolly' of Dublin. [6] pp38 [2], collated and complete as per the English Short Title Catalogue. Bound in half vellum over attractive marbled boards with black Morocco label with gilt lettering, red edges, last quarter of the 19th century, binder's ticket of 'T Connolly, 10 Up. Ormond Quay, Dublin'. In very good condition, the…… Read more
The Committee, A Comedy As it is Acted at the Theatre Royal by Her Majesty's Servants [Restoration Play Quarto] — Sir Robert Howard — 1710
Quarto edition of Howard’s comedy, The Committee from a collection compiled by the financier and book collector, Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid (1778-1859) and rebound by 'T Connolly' of Dublin. [4] pp65 [1], no half title. Bound in half vellum over attractive marbled boards with black Morocco label, last quarter of the 19th century, binder's ticket of 'T Connolly, 10 Up. Ormond Quay, Dublin'. In very good condition, the verso of the title page is inscribed with biblical quotations from Proverbs chapte…… Read more
Love in a Wood, or St James's-Park. A Comedy by Mr Wycherley — William Wycherley — 1711
Quarto edition of Wycherley’s debut play from a collection compiled by the financier and book collector, Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid (1778-1859) and rebound by 'T Connolly' of Dublin. [6] pp66, collated and complete as per the English Short Title Catalogue. Bound in half vellum over marbled boards with black Morocco label with gilt lettering, last quarter of the 19th century, binder's ticket of 'T Connolly, 10 Up. Ormond Quay, Dublin', red edges. In near fine condition, the pages are crisp and clean…… Read more
A RIGHT ROYAL FUSS OVER THE PRINCE REGENT’S LIBRARIAN AT CARLTON HOUSE - Future Library Guide to Jane Austen — Mr A Becket; Colonel Benjamina Bloomfield [James Stanier Clarke] [Jane Austen] — 1811
Fascinating letter seemingly written on behalf of the Prince Regent’s very annoyed librarian - and correspondent of Jane Austen - James Stanier Clarke to another member of the Royal household, Colonel Bloomfield, demanding the return of a book denied his patronage. James Stanier Clarke (1766-1834) was a naval officer and biographer of Nelson, turned librarian for the Prince Regent from 1805, with whom he had a turbulent relationship. This letter written on his behalf by another government employ…… Read more
RARE ALMANAC WITH WATERCOLOURS OF SAINT-CLOUD Calendrier Portatif Pour L’Annee 1822 — Le Fuel — 1822
Delicious almanac with watercolour-illustrated boards of the gardens of what became Napoleon Bonaparte’s principal residence, with silk pockets and an unused set of reusable weekly cards for appointments. (10x6.5cm), watercolours of the Cascades of the Chateau de Saint-Cloud mounted behind glass, front and back - one image looking up the cascade, the other back down. Original brass topped pencil holds the two leaves of the binding together. Double sided folding almanac (74x95mm) mounted within a…… Read more
The Ferns of Great Britain and Their Allies The Club Mosses, Pepperworts, and Horsetails — Anne Pratt — c. 1870
Undated but probable Second Edition, marvellously illustrated throughout with complete set of 40 chromo-lithographic colour plates. Original cloth binding with blind stamped decoration is faded, just cracking along spine edges but otherwise very sound. All edges gilt. Yellow endpapers fresh. Small bookseller’s plate to front pastedown reads ‘ J. Phillipps, 22 South St, Worthing.’ Each gorgeous colour plate is in excellent condition, protected by a tissue guard. Remaining leaves clean and crisp.…… Read more
PRESENTATION COPY Life of Jane Welsh Carlyle — Mrs Alexander Ireland - Annie E Ireland — 1891
In very good condition,. First edition in red cloth boards embossed and blind ruled to spine side. Spine panel sunned and nicked to tail. Binding square and firm. Black endpapers unmarked. Very minor foxing to preliminary leaves. Frontispiece protected by tissue guard depicts Jane Welsh Carlyle. Inscribed by author to top of title page ‘To R C Phillips - with the regard of Annie E Ireland. June 1892’. 324 pp. plus index and advertisements. This book is a biography of Jane Welsh Carlyle, the wife…… Read more
PRESENTED TO BENSON’S FRIEND, JOHN NEALE DALTON: Le Cahier Jaune Poems by Arthur Christopher Benson, of Eton College — A C Benson Arthur Christopher Benson — 1892
Presentation copy inscribed by Benson to ‘J.N.D. from the author ACB July 1892 No. 80/200’. J.N.D. seems certain to be John Neale Dalton (1839-1901) for whom he served as best man in 1886. Benson wrote in his diary of the older man that "Dalton showed me much fatherly kindness" while Dalton described Benson as "an object of adoration". Published at Eton while Benson was teaching there, this is copy number 80 of the 200 printed on Benson's behalf by George New. The colour yellow became associated…… Read more
ILLUSTRATED BY BEARDSLEY Bon Mots of Charles Lamb and Douglas Jerrold, edited by Walter Jerrold with Grotesques by Aubrey Beardsley — Aubrey Beardsley; Charles Lamb; Walter Jerrold — 1904
A beautiful copy in the publisher’s deluxe binding of this revised and expanded third edition. Small octavo format (13x8.5cm) bound in tan calf with stylised gilt foliate decoration to boards and spine; all edges gilt; gilt decoration to turn-ins. Dove grey endpapers; tissue guard to frontispiece. Beardsley’s ‘grotesques’ throughout the text. Aubrey Beardsley (1892-1898) was a leading member of the aesthetic movement whose black ink drawings were influenced by Japanese woodcuts, and emphasized t…… Read more
Poems of Emily Bronte — Emily Bronte — 1906
A scarce copy of this perfect little pocket book in very good condition. Green cloth boards incorporating embossed decoration very modestly worn. Titled and embossed in gilt to near perfect spine panel. Endpapers and flyleaves clean and crisp. Title page in excellent condition. A bound in publisher’s ticket reads ‘As there is no authentic portrait of Emily Bronte........ the publisher has thought it best to omit the frontispiece from this volume’. Introduction by Arthur Symons. Text block in won…… Read more
ROLAND STUART’S EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED COPY Letters from George Eliot to Elma Stuart — George Eliot, Elma Stuart, Roland Stuart, Frederic Kenyon — 1909
The editor Roland Stuart’s copy which he has had custom-bound as well as inserting a specimen of his mother’s handwriting, and the official letter from the British Museum in which Frederic Kenyon acknowledged the ‘gift of your precious George Eliot letters... valuable to all lovers of English literature.’ His mother Elma Stuart (1837-1903) first wrote to George Eliot in 1872, initiating an intimate correspondence in which she fulfilled a role of ‘spiritual daughter’ to Eliot with the older woman…… Read more
EROTIC PARISIAN POSTCARDS: Album Pour Cartes Postales — [Henry Mercier; Serjeant James J Bell] — 1910
A collection of risque Belle Epoque French postcards with American military provenance linking the collection to US combatants in Europe during the First World War. Just off the boat from convoy during ‘Henry Mercier U.S.S. Albany’ has recorded his ownership first, before giving it to a member of the Marine Corps: ‘to James J Bell U.S.M.C.’ Artistic cartes postales - which meant naughty and erotic - were a prerogative of the Parisian print market in this period and no young man’s education was c…… Read more
Decorative Writing and Arrangement of Lettering — Professor Alfred Erdmann & Adolphe Braun — 1923
Scarce, beautifully printed work on lettering and writing from the 1920s bound in attractive lettered (of course) paper covered boards with a buckram spine. Bumping to corners and mild edgewear. Several examples of decorative writing laid down on the front pastedown, above a ‘Foyles’ bookshop sticker. Coloured frontispiece from the Curwen Press. Further examples of calligraphy on tracing paper laid in and occasional light pencil annotation. A series of finely printed plates to the rear. A desira…… Read more
‘PICTURES BY MANET, DEGAS, MONET, CEZANNE, VAN GOGH, BERTHE MORISOT AND MARY CASSATT HUNG ON THE WALLS’: Manuscript Autobiographical Essay by Lucien Pissarro — Lucien Pissarro — 1930
Considered and reflective of a full artistic life, a potted manuscript autobiography, titled ‘Reflections’ written by the painter, engraver and printer Lucien Pissarro. Written across two sheets of paper, Pissarro praises his impressionist painter father as ‘a splendid teacher, never imposing his personality on his pupils’ who ‘made me work direct from nature from the first.’ Happily he recalls a childhood at Eragny ‘surrounded by examples of the best work of the time. Pictures by Manet, Degas,…… Read more
ERNEST BEVIN AT TRANSPORT HOUSE: A Signed Photograph — Ernest Bevin [Pictorial Press Photographer] — 1940
Wonderfully evocative silver gelatin photo-portrait, signed, of the founder and secretary of the Transport and General Workers’ Union, sat at his desk in the original Transport House, just off Smith Square in Westminster. Lighting his pipe, with a Trades Union certificate framed behind him, books and files on the window sill and a bakelite telephone to hand, it’s hard to imagine a better image of this powerhouse political operator. Around the time of this image (the NPG holds a slightly weaker i…… Read more
'For you and your wonderful choir' INSCRIBED BY THE COMPOSER — Vaughan Williams — 1947
Inscribed by the composer at the premier of his opera Pilgrim’s Progress in the Festival of Britain year, 1951. This copy is a 1947 ‘New Impression’ of his Symphony in D Major (Full Score) with the composer’s inscription on the blue thick paper cover: ‘For you and your wonderful choir with ever gratitude R Vaughan Williams April 26 1951’. That night Covent Garden was premiering Vaughan Williams’ last opera but this work, his Symphony in D - 5th symphony - contains much related thematic material…… Read more
ASSOCIATION COPY Collected Poems of W B Yeats - annotated throughout by Yeats scholar Roger C Poole — W B Yeats — 1955
With notes and annotations throughout by previous owner, Roger C Poole, philosopher, literary critic and academic of English Literature at Nottingham University. Roger Poole notably wrote about W. H. Auden, often in the context of 20th-century literature and philosophy. He is listed as a reviewer in the PN Review on the subject of ‘Auden and Spender’ in 1988. First edition in original dust jacket in very good condition. Spine is sunned and a 2 small nicks are visible to jacket hinges. Binding sq…… Read more
Siege at Ma-Kouie: INSCRIBED & WITH ORIGINAL FIRST ROUGH IDEA FOR COVER AND AUTHOR’S NOTES — Derrick Wright — 1959
An excellent association copy in very good unclipped dust jacket. Boards and text block very sound. Two horizontal black lines across tail of text block; jacket minimally shelf worn to top and tail. Remnants of glue marks to front and rear pastedowns which are otherwise fresh. Front free endpaper contains an inscription from the author ‘For Geri.... with very best wishes and gratitude for your help in designing the jacket of this book. Sincerely Derrick Wright. 7.9.60.’ Additional notes to tail…… Read more
THE PRINTER/ PUBLISHER’S RETAINED COPY Le Morte d'Arthur — Sir Thomas Malory — 1976
Lovely limited edition facsimile copy which reproduces the only known surviving and complete copy of William Caxton’s original 1485 printing of Le Morte d’Arthur which is housed in the Pierpont Morgan Library. With provenance to the library of Derek Law the General Manager of the Scolar Press, Ilkley which specialised in the fine printing of important academic and scholarly texts like this one. Numbered 490 of a limited edition of 500 hand numbered copies. DESCRIPTION: A very fine copy. Hardcove…… Read more
Medieval Scribes, Manuscripts & Libraries — M.B. Parkes; Andrew G Watson [Derek Law] — 1978
Fine first edition with provenance to the library of Derek Law, the General Manager of the Scolar Press, Ilkley which specialised in the fine printing of important academic and scholarly texts. Unclipped dust jacket in fine condition. Derek Law’s distinctive bookplate to pristine front pastedown. Volume fresh and crisp throughout. Laid in is a newspaper obituary celebrating the life of the book’s author Professor Malcolm Parkes (1930 -2013). 367 pp. plus bibliography and index.
FIRST EDITION SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR : Before I Forget — James Mason — 1981
A fine first edition written and illustrated by British cinema and Hollywood star James Mason. Near fine unclipped dust jacket over fine dark blue cloth boards. Preliminaries and text block crisp, clean and likewise in very fine condition. Author’s distinctive signature to top of front free endpaper. Illustrated with drawings by the author and 16 pages of photographs. 345 pp.
SIGNED FIRST EDITION : The Kindness of Women — J G Ballard — 1991
Signed copy of J G Ballard’s passionate part autobiographical, part novel portrait of the post war world. In very good plus condition. Hardcover red boards pristine, a little spine lean. Original price-clipped dust jacket like new, protected by neat and removable transparent wrapper. Endpapers crisp and clean. Author’s inscription to title page reads ‘to Charles Cadbury J G Ballard’. Text block sound and crisp throughout. Jacket illustration by Peter Maynard. 286 pp… Read more
From Time to Time: A Continuous Walk of 24 Hours on Dartmoor — Richard Long — 1995
Hardcover. First Edition. In fine condition. Richard Long’s work has used walking as a method to generate sculpture, photographs and text works and became a hallmark of land based artwork during the 1970's and 1980's. He has exhibited in over 300 group and solo exhibitions since 1969 and his work is included in the collection of every major contemporary art museum. This landscape format album presents walks across Iceland, Dartmoor, South Wales, the Sierra Nevada, the Loire Valley, Ireland, Quee…… Read more
AN ABC OF ENGLAND AND WALES IN A UNIQUE MINI WATER COLOUR ALBUM — Brynmor Shaw — c.2001
A unique, handcrafted, five page mini concertina sketchbook with 5 finely executed original pen and water colour works depicting architectural elements within the British landscape. The colours are crisp and the very accomplished images pop on the high quality textured water colour paper. Included are Aygegyn Fawr in Gwynedd c1990, Baslow in Derbyshire c1950, smallest house in Conway c1950, Devil’s Bridge in Cardiganshire c1950 and Booth Hall in Evesham c1950. The artist’s details are written to…… Read more
Papermaking - Papyrus Sive Ars Conficiendae Papyri — Fr. Jean Imberdis; W.F. Taylor — 2006
A fine copy of this limited edition, new translation by W.F. Taylor from the 1693 original. Marbled boards over red cloth spine in very fine condition. Titled to front and spine over gold ground. Very fresh dark green endpapers. 6 illustrations through the pristine text block. Printed on an Albion, on paper made by hand at the Palliser Press in Harrogate. The type is 12pt. Perpetua and the illustrations are vinyl engravings. Limitation notice to final leaf is hand numbered 49 of 100 copies print…… Read more
Dr. Christian White
Christian White Rare Books
287 Leeds Road, Ilkley, LS29 8LL
07811 455398
info@christianwhiterarebooks.com
www.christianwhiterarebooks.com
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