Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

CAMPBELL, J., and John KENT. Biographia Nautica: or, Memoirs of those Illustrious Seamen. Dublin: 1785. 5 vols., 8vo (195 x 120mm.) Engraved frontispiece to vol. I, numerous engraved plates to vols. I and V. (Some light browning, vol. IV shaved with some loss to catchwords, p.481 onwards with marginal worm damage.) Contemporary tree-calf (worn, one cover detached).

TURGOT, Etienne Francois. Memoire Instructif sur la Maniere de Rassembler, de Preparer, de Conserver, et d'Envoyer les Diverses Curiosites d'Histoire Naturelle. Lyon: chez Jean Marie Bruyset, 1758. 8vo (195 x 119mm.) 25 engraved folding plates by Durand. (Browning to margins, occasional ink annotations, small stamp to title-page.) Contemporary calf (fading to gilt title, minor loss and small split to spine ends). Provenance: bookplate to front pastedown.

[TOURNEFORT, Joseph Pitton de. Elemens de Botanique ou Metode pour Connoitre les Plantes. Paris: L'Imprimerie Royale, 1694]. 2 vols. only (of 3), first edition, 8vo (199 x 124mm.) (Vol. 1 406pp. Vol 2., 235 plates) Vol. 1 with 1p of 'Epitre', 'Avertissement', armorial headpiece and 'Corrections & Additions' leaf to rear with publishing details; vol. 2 with additional engraved title-page and 235 plates. (Occasional spotting and browning to margins, vol. 1 missing title and all leaves prior to e[1].) Contemporary calf (considerable rubbing to extremities, some insect damage to boards, old tape repair to vol. 1).

D'URFEY, Thomas. Wit and Mirth: or, Pills to Purge Melancholy… being a collection of the best Merry Ballads and Songs, Old and New. London: printed by W. Pearson, for J. Tonson, 1719. 6 vols., 8vo (175 x 99mm.) Portrait frontispiece in vol. 1. (Mild spotting to preliminaries.) Later half-calf (rubbing to extremities, some surface loss to the spine covers and gilt titling).

GALLAND, Antoine (translator). Les Mille et Une Nuits… Contes Arabes, Traduits en Francois par M. Galland, Nouvelle Edition Corrigee. Paris: La Compagnie des Libraires, 1788. 6 vols. in 3, 8vo (177 x 114mm.) (Worm damage to preliminaries and first few leaves of vol. 3.) Contemporary half-calf, morocco lettering pieces to the spines (light rubbing to extremities, endpapers replaced). Provenance: Georges Casanova (ownership labels and ink name to pastedowns of vol. 2 and 3. Note: A. Galland's was the first European translation of the Arabian Nights and it included some stories that were not in the original Arabic manuscript e.g. 'Aladdin's Lamp' and 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'.

MILTON, John. The Poetical Works of Mr. John Milton, a new edition. London: A. Millar and J. Hodges, 1784. 4 vols., 8vo (177 x 100mm.) Engraved frontispieces to vols. I and III. (Minor offsetting.) Contemporary calf (extremities somewhat rubbed, joints splitting, loss to head and foot of spines).

SHAKESPEARE, William. The Works of William Shakespeare…edited, with a Scrupulous Revision of the text, by Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke. London: Bickers and Son, 1874. 2 vols., 4to (242 x 172mm.) Frontispiece, title in red and black, 66 mounted Woodburytype illustrations, integral bookmarks. (Occasional spotting to the preliminaries). Contemporary tree-calf, the spines in six compartments with raised bands, morocco lettering pieces to the second and fourth, the other compartments with repeat decoration in gilt, gilt turn-ins, g.e. (a few scuffs to upper cover of vol. 2).

RAILWAYS. Official Railway Junction Diagrams. London: published by the Railway Clearing House, 1928. 116 engraved coloured maps depicting railway junctions. (Plate 111 with small tears to upper edge.) [Bound with:] Supplement to the Book of Railway Junction Diagrams: London: Railway Clearing House, 1939. 2 vols. in 1, oblong folio (262 x 176mm.) Contemporary green cloth, (some fraying to spine ends).

KIPLING, Rudyard. The Sin of Witchcraft. London: The Imperial South African Association, 1901. 8pp., 8vo (218 x 142mm.) (A few minor finger-marks.) Original printed wrappers (text now detached from wrappers). [Bound with:] The Science of Rebellion: A Tract for the Times. London: Vacher & Sons, 1901. 10pp., 8vo (218 x 142mm.) (A few finger-marks, two creases and toning to margins.) Original wrappers (text now detached from wrappers). Both contained within later cloth-backed library boards (the two pamphlets taped within, titling in ink to the cloth spine). Provenance: Manchester Library (inkstamps to verso of first title and to first page of second work). Note: scarce; originally published in 'The Times' in March, 1900.

POETRY. - [James MACPHERSON.] Fingal… An Ancient Epic Poem by Ossian. London: printed for T. Beckett & P.A. de Hondt, 1762. First edition, 4to (266 x 215mm.) Title in red and black with engraved vignette by Isaac Taylor. (Occasional spotting, a few leaves to rear with creasing, lacking author's advertisement and contents.) Contemporary mottled calf the spine in six compartments with raised bands, morocco lettering piece to the second compartment, the others with decoration in gilt, (bumped to extremities). Provenance: Maurice H. Moore (bookplate to front pastedown and epigrammatic plate to the front free endpaper).

DARWIN, Charles. The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms With Observation on their Habits… tenth thousand (corrected). London: John Murray, 1888. 8vo (195 x 137mm.) Numerous illustrations, 32pp. publisher's advertisements at rear. (Occasional spotting to rear leaves.) Original green cloth (spine extremities lightly bumped).

THORBURN, Archibald. British Birds. London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1925. 4 vols., new edition, 8vo (216 x 137mm.) Colour frontispieces with tissue-guards, 192 colour plates. (Occasional spotting to preliminaries and fore-edges.) Original red cloth (some fading to extremities), dust-jackets, tipped-in colour plates to front panel (small tears and chipping to spine ends of dust-jackets, larger tear to vol. 2) (4).

BERGMAN, Torbern. Physical and Chemical Essays. London, Edinburgh, etc.: 1784. (2 vols.), [and] A Dissertation on Elective Attractions. London & Edinburgh: 1785. (1 vol). First editions in English, together 3 vols., 8vo (206 x 122mm.) 4 engraved folding plates and 1 folding table only (of 2) to first work. (1 folding plate torn and neatly repaired, lacking all tables to second work, some light browning and occasional ink annotations by an unidentified hand, ink stain to fore-edge of vol. I). Near contemporary cloth (extremities bumped and soiled, joints splitting). Provenance: City and Guilds College Library (inkstamp to front pastedowns and shelf reference to spines).

HOPPUS, Edward. Practical Measuring... made Easy to the Meanest Capacity by a new Set of Tables. London: sold by E. Wickstead, 1738. Second edition, signed by the author, tall 12mo (191 x 74mm.) 1 folding plate. (Some pencil annotation to the front free endpaper, spotting to the fore-edge.) Later calf (lightly bumped to extremities).

LIPSIUS, Justus. Epistolarum Selectarum, E Quibus Tertia nunc primum in lucem Emissa [Centuria I and II]. Antverpiae (Antwerp): Ex Officina Plantiniana, 1601. [Bound with:] Centuria Miscellanea, 1602; Centuria Prima Belgus, 1602; Centuria Secunda Ad Belgas, 1602; Centuria Tertia ad Belgas, 1602; Centuria Singularis, 1602. 4to (247 x 170mm.) Title-page for 'III. Centuriae' bound as general title, engraved printer's device to titles (uniform browning to the second part of the volume.) Original vellum, titled 'IVSTI LIPSI OMNIS' to second compartment of spine (soiling to covers and spine worn.) Provenance: Edward Bensley (bookplate to front pastedown). Note: Lipsius published three volumes of his letters ('Centuriae') during his lifetime; the other two were published after his death.

MANUSCRIPT. - J.A. BILLARD. [A manuscript transcribing letters from notable French courtiers and aristocrats of the late 17th and early 18th century. N.p.:] 1725. Approximately 358pp., 4to (236 x 173mm.) The volume including letters to and from Marie de Bourbon, Marquise de Maintenon, Madame de la Fayette, Anne Palatine de Baviere and Francois de la Rochefoucauld. (Browning to margins). Contemporary morocco, triple fillet borders with fleurons to corners, the spine gilt in six compartments, lettered in the second and third compartments, the others with repeat decoration in gilt, g.e. (rubbing to all extremities, some scuffing).

NAVAL HISTORY. Visit of Colonial Premiers and the Houses of Parliament to Portsmouth. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, [n.d. but 1907.] 8vo (190 x 125mm.) 8 mounted photographs, 1 folding table and 1 folding map. (Occasional minor spotting.) Contemporary blue calf elaborately tooled in gilt, gilt turn-ins, g.e., moiré silk endpapers (spine slightly faded). - And another related volume with slightly differing text, 8 mounted photographs duplicating those in the first volume and 6 additional mounted colour plates, uniformly bound (2).

CHILDREN'S BOOKS. - John ABSOLON & Harrison WEIR. A Treasury of Pleasure Books for Young Children. London: Grant and Griffith, and Joseph Cundall, 1850. 4to (168 x 110mm.) Numerous hand-coloured illustrations. (Some marginal light browning and occasional minor spotting.) Modern cloth (endpapers replaced). Provenance: inscription to preliminary blank. - And three more volumes, including an early 19th century children's spelling book with hand-coloured illustrations published by Joseph Rickerby (4).

POTTER, Beatrix. The Pie and the Patty-Pan. London: Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd, 1905. First edition, large format 4to (175 x 130mm.) Colour frontispiece, numerous illustrations, 8 colour plates by Potter. (Light spotting at rear.) Original boards with onlaid colour illustration to upper cover (some sunning to spine and board edges and loss to tail of spine). - And six volumes of children's literature (including 'The House at Pooh Corner', 1928, first edition, 8vo) (7).