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Dear Friend,
A terrific manuscript from seventeenth century Cambridge sets the pace for this pre-Easter list. Written in honour of King James's 1615 visit to the city it offers a snapshot of university life. Here, nestling among the Fellows of Trinity College we glimpse the metaphysical poet George Herbert, and very much over there, is a college principal dispatched on royal business, 'at Synode holden at Dorte in the Lowe Countries by the Kings Ma.ties expresse Commission with others to hev a disputation of certaine points of religion'.
From Laurie Lee's library we offer two authorial copies, including an annotated version of his best-loved work, Cider with Rosie. There's a very obscure early Tolkien imprint from his Leeds years which was reworked as one of Frodo's songs in The Lord of the Rings, and a wonderful memento of Carl Jung's 1938 visit to Oxford.
A proud presentation copy from computer pioneer Charles Babbage is balanced by a self-deprecating letter from W H Hudson about his 'poor' second novel - he claimed to be buying up copies of the first edition... to destroy them.
Best wishes,
Christian White
info@christianwhiterarebooks.com - 00 44 (0) 7811 455398
The Foundation of the University of Cambridge with a Catalogue of the Principall Founders [ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT] — John Scot — 1619
Unpublished, illuminated manuscript history of Cambridge University written in 1619 which references the metaphysical poet George Herbert and leading figures in New England history from the fellowship of Emmanuel College. Large quarto (19.5x27.5cm) in signed binding by Riviere probably around 1900 in pebbled red morocco, slightly darkened; gilt panelling to boards with ‘Survey of the University and Colleges of Cambridge’ in central roundels to both covers, all edges gilt. Raised bands to spine.…… Read more
Caps Well Fit: or Select Epigrams (A Gift from Charlton Heston) — William Hilton — 1785
Inscibed by Charlton Heston to Bejamin Whitrow while filming for American TV, Robert Bolt’s play, A Man for All Seasons, playing respectively Sir Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell: ‘For Ben an actor for all seasons Chuck 2-9-88 Bath’. Half diced calf over marbled boards. Bewick-like bookplate of Thomas Bell, 1797 on front pastedown with a long provenance statement opposite, written either by ‘Percy Morton Tynemouth’ or William Marchbank, both of whose bookplates appear on the book. The note explai…… Read more
Psychological Types or The Psychology of Individuation [WITH OXFORD BANQUET PLAN FOR JUNG] — Carl G Jung; William Brown — 1923
An extraordinary snapshot of Carl Jung’s interaction with the English-speaking world at the Oxford banquet thrown in his honour by an early pioneer of the treatment of shell-shock and former doctor to Wilfred Owen, later Commandant at Craiglockhart, Dr William Brown. The annotated seating plan for Jung’s Oxford banquet at Christ Church College is laid into his host’s copy of Psychological Types, the first edition of Godwin Baynes’s translation from 1923, a very good copy, some darkening to the s…… Read more
A Crystal Age [WITH AN AUTOGRAPH LETTER ABOUT THIS ‘POOR BOOK’] — [W H Hudson] Paul Lemperly — 1887
Hudson’s dystopian second novel with a vigorous authorial letter describing the novelist’s dislike for his own work, and how he ‘succeeded in removing a few copies for the pleasure of destroying them.’ Publisher’s black and red design (see below for Hudson’s dislike of this), slightly faded and bumped, with some evidence of repair along the outer hinge between the spine and lower cover. Original green floral endpapers with the book plate of Paul Lemperly on the front pastedown. Opposite, laid do…… Read more
Passages from the Life of a Philosopher [PRESENTATION COPY] — Charles Babbage [Francis Offley Martin] — 1864
First edition inscribed to Babbage’s friend Francis Offley Martin. Bound in full contemporary pebbled calf, marbled edges and end-papers. Babbage has inscribed the endpaper: ‘To F. Offley Martin Esq.r from the Author’ - the British Library holds the correspondence between Babbage and Offley Martin who was a Charity Commissioner over 30 years. The first dozen pages have flattened vertical folds, otherwise a very good copy with occasional spotting. Collates complete, with the important frontispiec…… Read more
Sonnets from the Portugese with Photographic Illustrations by Adelaide Hanscom Leeson — Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Adelaide Hanscom Leeson — 1916
Very scarce illustrated edition containing 20 collotypes by the American photographer Adelaide Hanscom. Paisley-style cloth covered boards in very good condition, text and photographs amounting to 44 pages of printed text and 20 unnumbered leaves of plates, all printed in the USA. The photographs are tipped onto the leaves of the book, each with tissue guard. Hanscom was an early twentieth century artist and photographer who published some of the first American books using photography to illustr…… Read more
The Murder on the Links — Agatha Christie — 1923
First edition, second impression of Christie's The Murder on the Links in the publisher’s original binding. Decorative orange cloth, a little faded along the outer hinges but otherwise very good, a small line on the lower cover. Internally the text (pp320) is unmarked with a further 8 pages of adverts beginning with The Mysterious Affair at Styles. A very pleasing copy of the first reprint of this scarce early Poirot novel in the same year as its first publication.
Woollen Weavers Book 1854-1855 [Manuscript] — William Simpson — 1854
A Yorkshire woollen weaver’s day-book, a small octavo bound in brown leather over board, grazing to panels with rubbing to edges and top of spine; binding sound. Front endpapers comprise a printed ‘Almanack for 1854’ and ‘Commercial Stamps, Taxes &c, Sold by John Baildon, Bookseller, Bull Green, Halifax’. Overleaf a contemporary hand-written ink inscription: ‘Woollen Weavers Book June 1854, William Simpson, Brow Bridge, Greetland’. Simpson’s manuscript is lightly soiled with marks through daily…… Read more
Cider with Rosie [ANNOTATED FOR PERFORMANCE BY THE AUTHOR] — Laurie Lee — 1973
Laurie Lee’s annotated copy of his classic account of an English childhood, prepared for public performance by the novelist and poet. This eighth impression which comes from Lee’s recently deaccessioned library was annotated in the 1970s for his reading public. Green cloth in a good jacket into which Lee has introduced an extensive pattern of annotation preparatory to performance. Lee's alterations to the text are mostly in red pen, to include alterations of almost every kind including, adjustme…… Read more
The Loan of a Lover [PROMPT COPY] — J R Planche [Henry & George Scharf] — 1834
Anglo-American Shakespearian actor Henry Scharf’s prompt copy annotated for performance by himself and his brother, George Scharf, later the founding Director of the National Portrait Gallery. Small octavo bound in robust contemporary calf and diced blue cloth. The play has been interleaved with blueish paper (’W H Tucker 1836’ watermark) with additional preliminary and terminal interleaves. The title page has lost the top right corner, no doubt removing an ownership inscription but retains in r…… Read more
A Rose for Winter: Travels in Andalusia [Laurie Lee’s copy with Letters] — Laurie Lee, John Lehmann, Claudio Alvarez Bianchi — 1955
Laurie Lee’s own copy of the first US edition in publisher’s red cloth over boards, gold lettering on spine, lightly pushed at spine ends and corners. Binding tight. Dust-jacket chipped at spine ends and corners, darkened and worn, bearing penned note on front in Lee’s hand, ‘US Edition, middle pages missing’. Pages clean and unmarked; text incomplete, lacking signature E, but with duplicate of signature F. Very good copy. Laid in by Lee: one autograph letter signed and three typed signed letter…… Read more
List of his Ma[jes]ties Ship that were in the West Indies — [Vice Admiral Hosier - Charles Townshend Papers] — 1729
‘Admiralty Office’ document recording the break-up of Admiral Hosier’s fleet after the failed Blockade of Porto Bello in present day Panama during which Hosier died of disease alongside thousands of his sailors. Foolscap size bifolium with ‘Pro Patria’ watermark, docket title and old horizontal folds, some fingermarking. The list of vessels is divided into separate squadron - ‘Went for the Coast of Spain with Sir Charles Wager, and from thence detach’d to the West Indies’ continues over onto the…… Read more
Between John Leybourn Witham, Plaintiff in Error — T Bootle; William Wynne — 1744
Rare printed summary of the case brought by the Earl of Derby in an appeal hearing made in the House of Lords: 1 copy only in the United States. Large bifolium, folded horizontally with docket title and drop head title. Short tears at ends of folds and browning to the outermost panel which bears the docket title. Interesting annotation in a contemporary hand which appears to state that after being heard in the House of Lords the earlier verdict ‘be affirmed with 10. Costs’. ESTC locates copies a…… Read more
Life and Labour of the People in London. Final Volume. Notes on Social Influences and Conclusion. — Charles Booth — 1903
The final volume complete with the elusive ‘London. 1899-1900. Map Showing Place of Religious Worship, Public Elementary Schools for the Sale of Intoxicating Drinks’ in the pocket at the rear. The map is in very good condition, bright and complete, some browning along the horizontal folds and a couple of tiny punctures at the cross-folds. The book which is the second impression of 1903 is in its publisher’s vellum gilt binding, faded to spine with small hole three quarters of the way down the sp…… Read more
Manuscript Autobiography, Sketches and Photographs — Theodore Roussel [PAINTER] — 1920
Autobiographical manuscript of the Anglo-French painter Theodore Roussel’s early life from 1847 to the 1880s which cites his most famous work, The Reading Girl (Tate Britain), together with several sketches, an etching, autograph letter and a manuscript draft of the painter’s will. Roussel (Theodore, 1847-1926) was a French-born English Painter and Graphic Artist. This collection includes an autobiographical account of his own life, written circa 1920, describing his artistic beginnings and late…… Read more
Shakespeare at the Old Vic: the Photographer’s Archive — Pamela Chandler — 1957
Photographic archive of a pioneering woman photographer whose work on The Merchant of Venice appeared in Shakespeare at the Old Vic. Pamela Chandler (1928-1993) was a leading London based photographer who worked extensively for the Old Vic in the 1950s, recording in detail Robert Helpmann’s performance as Prospero in the Tempest (1954) and Shylock in the 1956 production of The Merchant of Venice. The photographs and negatives which are sold with copyright (by written permission of Chandler’s est…… Read more
[ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT] Presented to J Brock Allon.. — County Borough of Wolverhampton; Erle Foster Newey and G Newey [J Brock Allon] — 1953
Lavishly produced illuminated presentation album made by members of the talented artistic Newey family from Birmingham, presented to a Wolverhampton public servant. Two small folio volumes, the first bound in padded red morocco over bevel-edged boards. Turn-ins to both pastedowns, shot-silk doublure and shot-silk fly-leaf opposite; ‘Erle & G. Newey Illuminating Artists’ stamped on the turn-in. Five illuminated vellum pages beginning with the arms of Wolverhampton and images of Wolverhampton’s Ol…… Read more
[AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT] Erling the Bold: a Tale of The Norse Sea-Kings — Robert M Ballantyne — 1869
Large octavo, robustly bound in tan buckram with a morocco spine label, probably dating from around the time that the manuscript was given by Ballantyne’s son to the Reverend Horatius Bonar, as recorded by him on the verso of the flyleaf: ‘Given me by F.G. Ballantyne March 1927 H.N. Bonar. 22 Blackford Road, Edinburgh’. Ballantyne has written on watermarked laid paper with vertical chainlines which has printed blue lines. Just the preface which is written on a slightly smaller leaf appears to be…… 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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