Shop — page 1 of 29

Beautiful presentation volume by an infatuated Oxford undergraduate (shortly afterwards President of the Union) following his cousin’s winter wedding at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Paris. Small oblong volume with matching slipcase (13.5x11.5cm) The manuscript book has olive green printed paper overlay, the upper cover with a hand-coloured… Read more…

A letter sent on behalf of Thomas Chippendale that fills in a gap in the known sequence of correspondence between the master cabinet maker and one of his most important clients, Sir Rowland Winn, of Nostell Priory. Bifolium on ‘L V Gerrevink’ watermarked paper. Conjugate address leaf ‘To Sir Rowland Winn Bar[one]t at Nostell near Pontefract Yorkshi… Read more…

Early edition in a splendid Victorian illustrated cloth binding. Green bevel-edged boards with four-colour depiction of the conjurer at work. Small puncture to spine; rubbing to extremities and light staining to upper cover. Floral endpapers with ‘Wilsden Board School’ prize bookplate dated to 1891; 8 pages of preliminaries, heavily foxed with fron… Read more…

In verse and pictures, the cycling adventures of Hiram Jones - sent as eight weekly cards by Brown Brothers of London - to advertise the new coasting brake manufactured by the New Departure Manufacturing Company of Connecticut. Eight stiff cards (18x14cm), printed on both sides in green and black. On the recto of each is the full title which explai… Read more…

An extraordinary family copy owned and inscribed by the author of the Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, Gilbert White, and subsequently by his favourite niece Mary White who copy-edited his book, and her husband - and cousin - Benjamin White who published their uncle’s masterpiece. This comprehensive web of ownership and association is r… Read more…

Undergraduate photo album recording life at Newnham College from 1920-1923 with an emphasis on hockey and rowing as well as the visit of Crown Prince Hirohito to Cambridge in 1921. Oatmeal cloth binding (24x19.5cm); bookseller’s ticket to the front pastedown, ‘The Ancient House Bookshop and Library, Ipswich’; 38 greenish-grey card leaves with 288 p… Read more…

Mr Justice Edmund Lushington’s court-room notes on the trial of a Manchester baker, Elizabeth Dewhurst, for passing forged banknotes - a crime that would subsequently result in her transportation to Botany Bay. Small notebook, attractively bound in roan (94x168mm), hinged along the short side. On the front pastedown is written: ‘E H Lushington Marc… Read more…

From the collection of the medieval manuscript expert Neil Ker and bound with 2 leaves of an English manuscript of Thomas Aquinas’s Commentaries on Aristotle. Contemporary blind-stamped pig skin; remains of clasp fixings; scuffing to extremities; 4cm tear to the pigskin rising along the outer hinge between spine and lower board not affecting integr… Read more…

Attractive woman’s sketchbook recording a trip made in the summers of the 1860s from Cannes to the Channel Islands and on to England. Textured green cloth binding (23x13cm) Furness’s name on the front paste-down with another name added: ‘Mrs Ellis Lucerne Swiss’ - perhaps Amelia’s married name? The drawings and watercolours are on thick paper of se… Read more…

An 18th century country clergyman’s narrative of hypochondria, illness and death: Jackson’s life-writing being continued and completed decades after his death by his sons. Small quarto (17x20cm) bound in full contemporary sheepskin, rebacked; new endpapers and a few paper repairs. In addition to the manuscript book there are several inserts includi… Read more…

Unrecorded broadside by the Quaker poet, abolitionist and defender of women’s liberties. Single sheet (32x16cm) printed on one side only, old folds and a few short tears and tiny chips to edges. The address to Lavinia and Lavinia’s answer are printed in two columns, preceded by an introduction which mostly misprepresents the genesis of the text: ‘F… Read more…

Oblong sketchbook bound in black roan (26x17cm) with ‘C H Springer’ in gilt lettering to the upper cover; rubbing to extremities. All edges gilt; marbled endpapers. An unfinished pencil sketch precedes a sequence of 32 drawings, mostly in pen and ink wash, many with hand-drawn frames and clearly taken from a variety of sources, a few drawn from lif… Read more…

Two page letter arguing for the creation of a sort of freeport on Grand Turk in the West Indies in order to permit trade in ‘Flour, Fish, Lumber, Provisions of all sorts and British Manufactured Goods’ even if carried by ‘French and Spanish Craft from their respective colonies.’ Double sided letter on a single sheet of paper with old folds; horizon… Read more…

First British edition of the final novel in the Dune trilogy, thought to be a copy retained by the publisher. Near fine book, with a pencilled note on the front flyleaf: ‘Arr[ived]]. Aug. 20 Pub[lished]. Sep. 23’ presumably recorded by a Gollancz employee. Beautifully clean text printed on the high quality paper used by Gollancz at the time. Very g… Read more…

An unrecorded edition of Charles Jackson’s Narrative of his role in the Wexford Rebellion is the star item in this fascinating collection of Dublin imprints from the 1790s. Small octavo-sized volume bound in contemporary half calf over marbled boards with red morocco spine label: ‘Tracts’. Endpapers with 1794 dated watermark. The imprints appear as… Read more…

Fascinating document written by the soon-to-be Prime Minister setting out the alternatives for what would be known as the Balfour Education Act. Writing on a three sides of a small bifolium, blind-embossed with the House of Commons crest on the first leaf, scarred to the final page where it has been removed from an album page, the Conservative lead… Read more…

Three separately published English histories dating from the Civil War and Commonwealth period which offer contrasted interpretations of Tudor and Stuart history, and each bound without their engraved portraits. Small folio (26x18cm) in 19th century half calf with marbled endpapers and on the front pastedown the bookplate of Edward Fenwick Boyd de… Read more…

First edition with most distinguished provenance, having been gifted by the first Lady Rothschild to her daughter in law, the formidable Roszika Rothschild. Folio bound in imitation of 17th century full calf, signed by ‘Hatchards, 197 Piccadilly’ with 5 raised spine bands, gilt to spine panels and date at the tail of the spine - no doubt executed f… Read more…

500 engravings from the late 17th century made by Louis XIV’s chief engraver which include celebrated depictions of the fountains of ‘le labryrinthe de Versailles’, costume at the court of the Sun King and the Fauxbourgs of Paris. Three large quarto volumes (21x26cm) bound in worn calf; marbled endpapers with the bookplate of ‘Abercairny’ (Scottish… Read more…

Unrecorded and otherwise apparently unknown collection of ‘Prescriptions and Recipes’ published by the Norwich printer, Jarrold. Bound upside down in the publisher’s decorative, ribbed cloth over boards with a printed paper label to the upper cover. Faded and scuffed but sound; sewing loose but holding. The book collates: vi, pp42. A little brownin… Read more…

Scarce dustjacketed edition of this biography of Lincoln. Third impression of 1925 bound in blue boards; old damp staining to edges of cloth. Jacket is in good condition with some loss at the head and tail of the spine and several closed tears. The jacket reproduces the oval image of Lincoln that appears on the frontispiece opposite the title page.… Read more…

A very trim copy of Richard Bentley's 1854 edition of two Jane Austen novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, bound in a most attractive publisher’s bindings of blind-stamped brown cloth. Yellow-coated endpapers and a 19th century ownership inscription of ‘Edgar Jones’ to the recto of the 1833 engraved frontispiece which has a tissue guard and is… Read more…

First edition in attractive patterned boards, no ownership inscriptions, a little spotting. Very good plus in a very good jacket. An uncommon posthumous publication containing some wonderful poems. Read more…

Beautifully Riviere-bound and extra-illustrated with 26 amateur photographs of turn-of-the-century Spain including 3 images of a bull fight. Crushed red morocco, all edges gilt; marbled endpapers with gilt turn-ins. The 26 additional silver gelatin photographs are mounted on inserted leaves and include images of Gibraltar, Toledo, Madrid and three… Read more…

First edition, fifth impression of this landmark novel, signed on the title page by Mantel a few days after she won the Booker Prize in October 2009 at her appearance at the Ilkley Literature Festival. A very sharp copy, fine in a fine jacket, unread and inscribed to two of the volunteer helpers at the Festival in Mantel’s characteristic italic han… Read more…