Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

FIELDING, Henry. The Author's Farce; with a Puppet-Show, Call'd the Pleasures of the Town. London: J. Watts, 1750. Third edition, 8vo (197 x 114mm.) (Occasional browning, small paper repairs to the title.) Later green cloth, black morocco lettering piece to spine. Note: this is the revised and expanded edition of the play. Provenance: Harvard College Library (bookplates to the front and rear pastedown).

[DEFOE, Daniel]. A Letter From a Member of the House of Commons to His Friend in the Country Relating to the Bill of Commerce. London: J. Baker, 1713. 8vo (185 x 103mm.) Ornamental engraved head-piece and decorative initial. (Moderate browning.) 20th century calf, triple gilt borders to covers, five raised bands to the spine, brown and green morocco lettering pieces to the second and third compartments, elaborate ornamental gilt to the rest, gilt turn-ins (replaced endpapers and front and rear blanks). Note: the attribution to Daniel Defoe has been contested, but neither proven nor ruled out; this copy has a comma after 'Printed' on the title-page. Provenance: Henry Carlisle Cuttle (bookplate to the front pastedown).

[BROOME, Ralph]. 'Simpkin'. Letters From Simpkin the Second, to his Dear Brother in Wales; Containing an Humble Description of the Trial of Warren Hastings, Esq. London: printed by John Bell, 1789. 8vo (144 x 91mm.) (Mild toning.) Later red half-morocco bound by Bayntun, five raised bands to spine, gilt lettering to the second and fourth compartments, gilt fleurons to the rest (rubbing to extremities, replaced endpapers). Note: poet and pamphleteer Ralph Broome wrote this satirical running commentary on the impeachment trial of Warren Hastings. Much of the satire was directed at Edmund Burke, to whom the poem was dedicated. Hastings was eventually acquitted in 1795. First published in the 'Monthly Review' in 1788, this is the greatly expanded edition of the following year.

[FIELDING, Henry]. The Beauties of Fielding: Carefully Selected from the Whole Works of that Eminent Writer to which is added Some Account of His Life. London: for G. Kearsley, 1782. First edition, 8vo (173 x 100mm.) Engraved title with portrait vignette, 1p. of publisher's advertisements to rear. (Ink name to title and a2, occasional browning, several corner creases.) Contemporary half-calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine, gilt lettering (rubbing to spine and extremities). Provenance: Harvard College Library (bookplate to the front pastedown, stamp to rear pastedown). - And four further literary and historical volumes (including Caius Suetonius's 'Tranquillus', 1661, 8vo) (5).

MANUSCRIPT. - PAINTING. [A hand-written journal by William Peckitt, glass-painter and stained glass maker. N.p: 1746]. 88pp. manuscript, 12mo (155 x 93mm.) Unnumbered, closely written pages detailing the mixture of colours required for miniature painting and the correct mix for colouring various subjects, also includes notes on maths, science and language learning. (Browning, minor soiling, some loose leaves.) Original limp vellum (soiled). Note: William Peckitt wrote this journal aged fifteen, hence he lists the days of the week he has attended school, along with notes on mathematical problems 'if 8 labourours [sic] in 4 days earn 3:4, how much will…', physics and astronomy problems 'to explain the phenomena of the Harvest Moon'. However, most of the journal relates to his interest in colour, mixing colour, and how to paint. He describes in detail the colours required for fruit, flowers, cattle, horses, sheep, but also the human face and notes on painting the whites of eyes and eyebrows, and even diamonds - they are done 'with pure black, then they are heightened with little touches of white'. Peckitt was born in York and spent most of his life there. It's said that Peckitt did most of the stained glass work that has survived from the second half of the 18th century. In particular, a scene in a window of Trinity College library, Cambridge, of Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon.

EROTICA. - LONGUS. Poimenikon ton Kata Daphnin kai Chloen logoi tettares, recensuit Ludovicus Dutens. Paris: Guillelmum de Bure, 1776. 12mo (157 x 85mm.) Introduction in Latin by the translator, text in Greek. (Moderate browning.) Original calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (rubbing to extremities). Note: rare. Daphnis and Chloe is the only known work by the 2nd Century Greek writer Longus, presumed to be from the island of Lesbos.

SWITZERLAND. Collection des Costumes de la Suisse. Zurich: Keller et Fufsli, [n.d. but circa 1820.] 16mo (107 x 89mm.) Engraved title with hand-coloured floral border, 21 loose leaf hand-coloured aquatint plates only (of 24), g.e. (Toning to margins.) Original pink card cover (browning), slipcase (light rubbing).

MANUSCRIPT. - [A handwritten diary of a young lady. N.p: 1895-1896]. 35pp. manuscript, 8vo (153 x 97mm.) Unnumbered pages relating to the thoughts and feelings of a young English lady, numerous blank pages to rear. Original black morocco with lock, clasp and key (rubbing to extremities). Note: the diary contains thoughts that 'I don't care to tell anyone - even my sisters'. She is in love with 'Eddie, my love, my life' who always complains he never sees enough of her, yet never makes much effort to do so. She suffers doubt and wishes she had 'deep thoughts', but also wonders about Eddie's friend in Vienna and acknowledges that 'a man's life is so busy'.

RUPERT THE BEAR ANNUALS. - [Alfred BESTALL et al]. Rupert the Bear. London: Daily Express Publications, 1936-2018. 83 vols., 4to (244 x 174mm to 298 x 215mm.) Numerous illustrations. (Name inscribed in most volumes up to 1972, thereafter no names, mild toning, a stamp to 'contents page' of 1954.) Original red cloth (4), pictorial card covers (8), pictorial boards (71) (rubbing to extremities, lacking spine cover of 1950, loss to top of spine of 1941 and 1960, dust-jacket for the 70th anniversary edition. Note: a complete run of the Rupert the Bear annuals. - And a further three Rupert the Bear related volumes (86).

MOORE-PARK, Carton (illustrator). - 'NORMAN'. Elfin Rhymes. London: Gay and Bird, 1900. 8vo (235 x 178mm.) 40 colour illustrations by Carton Moore-Park. (Upper joint split, title loose, lacking initial blank, soiling.) Original cloth boards, black lettering to upper cover and spine (rubbing, soiling.) Note: scarce. - And twenty-one further children's books (including a pop-up book by Roland Pym 'Cinderella', [n.d. but circa 1947]) (22).

DULAC, Edmund (illustrator). - Edward FITZGERALD (translator). Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. London: Hodder and Stoughton, [n.d. but 1909]. Printed from the second edition, 4to (278 x 208mm.) 20 tipped-in colour plates by Dulac, tissue-guards. (Toning, marginal damp-stain to all leaf corners, occasional spotting.) Original cream buckram, gilt decoration to upper cover. (Slight browning to boards, odd finger-marks). - And three more volumes illustrated by Dulac (including 'The Arabian Nights, retold by Laurence Housman', 4to, 1907) (4).

BALFOUR, Ronald (illustrator). Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. London: Constable and Co., 1920. 4to (257 x 189mm.) 38 tipped-in plates by Balfour (6 in colour). (Occasional finger-marks.) Original boards with pictorial onlay to upper cover, gilt lettering to upper cover and spine (splitting along spine seam). - And a further illustrated volume ('Princess Badoura', illustrated by Edmund Dulac, [n.d. but 1913], 4to) (2).

RACKHAM, Arthur (illustrator). - Kenneth GRAHAME. The Wind in the Willows. London: Methuen & Co., 1951. Limited 100th edition, this being number 345 of 500 copies, 4to (296 x 221mm.) 12 tipped-in colour plates by Rackham, introduction by A.A. Milne. (Light browning and a mark to front-free endpaper.) Original cream sheep, gilt lettering to spine, t.e.g. (rubbed to spine ends), slipcase with paper label (rubbing and minor soiling).

DULAC, Edmund (illustrator). Stories From Hans Christian Andersen. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1911. Limited edition de luxe, this being out of series and numbered '0000' of 750 copies signed by Dulac, 4to (307 x 244mm.) 28 tipped-in colour plates by Dulac. (Marginal spotting and browning to some leaves.) Original vellum boards, gilt decoration to upper cover (lacking ties, minor soiling to rear cover).

DULAC, Edmund (illustrator). - Edgar Allan POE. The Bells and Other Poems. London: Hodder and Stoughton, [n.d. but 1912]. 4to (276 x 210mm.) 28 tipped-in colour plates by Edmund Dulac, captioned tissue-guards. (Mild toning, 2 plates loose and one of those plates with a tear, gift inscription on verso of front-free endpaper). Original green cloth, elaborate gilt decoration to spine and upper cover (marginal discolouring to rear cover).

POGANY, Willy (illustrator). Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the First and Fourth Renderings in English Verse by Edward Fitzgerald. London: George Harrap & Co. Ltd., 1930. 4to (252 x 187mm.) 12 tipped-in colour plates by Pogany, 45 gold and black mounted plates with tissue-guards. (Browning.) Original brown morocco, green morocco onlays to upper cover with elaborate gilt tendrils, black morocco lettering piece to the spine, t.e.g. (rubbing to extremities).

DETMOLD, Edward J. (illustrator). The Fables of Aesop. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1909. Limited edition, this being number 565 of 750 copies signed by Detmold, 4to (307 x 244mm.) 25 tipped-in colour plates by Detmold. (Occasional minor soiling, browning and spotting to preliminaries.) Original blind-stamped decorative cloth (split to spine seam, sunning to spine, rubbing and discolour to cover edges).

CURWEN PRESS. - Frederic Baron CORVO (translator). The Rubaiyat of 'Umar Khaiyam, translated from the French of J.B. Nicolas by Frederic Baron Corvo. London: John Lane at the Bodley Head, 1924. 4to (264 x 170mm.) 16 colour plates by Hamzeh Carr. (Browning, moderate spotting to preliminaries.) Original brown cloth, red, black and gilt vignettes to spine and upper cover (stain to lower cover), dust-jacket (chipping, spine panel present, but detached).

CHILDREN'S BOOKS. - E. PATERSON. Dolly's Doings. London & New York: W. Hagelberg, [n.d. but circa 1880]. Numerous illustrations, some with later hand-colouring. (Pages numbered by hand in pencil, some browning.) Original pictorial card covers (some loss to upper cover corner, chipping, damp-staining). Note: rare.