Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

MINIATURE BOOKS. - William SHAKESPEARE. The Plays. London: William Pickering, 1825. 8 vols. (of 9), 32mo (79 x 44mm.) (Mild toning, occasional spotting to preliminaries.) Contemporary brown calf, gilt borders, g.e. (rubbing to extremities). - And a further eleven volumes of miniature books (including 'The Poetical Remains of Henry Kirke White', 1824, 2 vols., 32mo) (19).

REFERENCE. [Asprey's Reference Library. N.p.: n.d but circa 1924.] 5 vols. (of 8), 8vo (164 x 100mm and 114 x 65mm.) (Toning.) Contemporary green half-morocco, gilt lettering to spines, g.e. (mark to upper cover of 'Dictionary of Dates'). Note: comprises 'A Dictionary of Dates', 'A Dictionary of Mythology', 'Proverbs and Maxims', 'Poetical Quotations', 'A Gazetter' (5).

AUSTEN, Jane. [The Works.] London: Robert Rivière & Son, [n.d. circa 1900.] 5 vols., 8vo (173 x 106mm.) Colour frontispiece to each volume. (Some spotting verso of endpapers.) Contemporary brown half-calf by Rivière, five raised bands to spine, gilt lettering to the second and third compartments, floral gilt motif to the rest (some rubbing to extremities and to gilt on spine) (5).

DICKENS, Charles. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. London: Chapman and Hall, 1837. First edition in book form, early printing, 8vo (203 x 116mm.) 42 plates by 'Phiz' and Robert Seymour, errata leaf. (Browning and spotting to all plates, two marginal repairs to plates, four leaves with small corner losses, text unaffected.) Contemporary half-calf, black morocco lettering piece to spine (rubbed to all extremities and surface wear, stain to lettering piece). Note: with 'Weller' on the additional title, second plate listed first, 'E' on p.25 and p.27, a dot between 'r' and 'u' in rum on p.10, 'chapter 28' on both p.299 and p.282.

JAMES, M.R. Ghost-Stories of an Antiquary. London: Edward Arnold, 1906. Third impression, 8vo (210 x 136mm.) 3 plates by James McBryde. (Occasional spotting.) Later oatmeal cloth (replaced endpapers, spotting to margins and lower cover).

MILNE, A.A. [The Christopher Robin Books]. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1924-1928. Mixed editions, 8vo (189 x 120mm.) Illustrations by E.H. Shepard. (Small stain to fore-edge of last leaves of 'Winnie-the-Pooh', minor soiling to pp.17-19 of 'Now We Are Six', mild toning.) Original cloth, characters in gilt to upper covers (lightly rubbed, fading to extremities of 'The House at Pooh Corner'). Note: 'Winnie-the-Pooh' (1926) and 'Now We Are Six' (1927) are first editions, 'When We Were Very Young' (1924) is a fifth edition and 'The House at Pooh Corner' (1928) is a second edition. Provenance: Joan Crace (name in ink to front-free endpaper of 'Winnie-the-Pooh').

BINDING. - H.C. MARILLIER. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, an Illustrated Memorial of His Art and Life. London: George Bell & Sons, 1904. Third edition, abridged and revised, 8vo (199 x 218mm.) Photogravure frontispiece, tissue-guard, numerous illustrations. (Some spotting to preliminaries.) Near contemporary vellum, spine and upper covered blocked in gilt after a design by Laurence Housman, gilt turn-ins, g.e. (lightly soiled).

MAURICEAU, Francis. The Diseases of Women with Child, and in Child-Bed… translated by Hugh Chamberlen. London: John Darby, 1683. Second edition, 8vo (168 x 104mm.) 6 folding engraved plates. (Plates damp-stained, torn and repaired, some with loss, disbound, lacking pp.257-288, some soiling and damp-staining.) Old speckled calf (worn, lacking spine).

LANG, Andrew. The Violet Fairy Book. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1901. First edition, 8vo (184 x 118mm.) 8 colour plates, numerous uncoloured plates and illustrations. (Occasional minor soiling, toning.) Original purple cloth with pictorial gilt to spine and upper cover, g.e. (crease to lower cover, small burn mark to upper cover, fading to spine and some rubbing). - And five further volumes edited by Andrew Lang (including 'The Grey Fairy Book', 1900, 8vo) (6).

NAVAL. - [Jonas HANWAY]. The Bye-Laws and Regulations of the Marine Society… with the Several Instructions, Forms of Indentures, and Other Instruments Used by It. London, 1787. Third edition, 12mo (170 x 99mm.) Frontispiece, a 5pp. 'Explanation of the Frontispiece', errata leaf. (Occasional spotting, browning.) Contemporary calf (some loss to spine and surface rubbing). Note: the Marine Society was formed by Jonas Hanway in 1756 as a Christian mission with the intention of recruiting and equipping men for service at sea during the war years of 1756-1763. However, after falling into financial trouble the society began recruiting destitute boys for service and subordination: 'remember, if you are good, you will be happy after death'. Note: collates a-a12, A-I2. - And twelve further volumes (including 'A Review of the Reign of George II', 1762, 8vo) (13).

JESUITS. - [John CORBET]. The Epistle Congratulatory of Lysimachus Nicanor of the Society of Jesu, to the Covenanters in Scotland. Oxford: by Leon. Lichfield for Thomas Fickus, 1684. Second edition, 4to (193 x 141mm.) (Browning, corner loss to 2 leaves, text unaffected, lacking front and rear blank leaves.) Modern brown half-morocco over marbled paper covers, gilt lettering to spine (endpapers replaced). - And two further religious tracts (including 'A Discourse Concerning the Ecclesiastical Commission Open'd in the Jerusalem-Chamber', 1689, 4to) (3).

MUSIC. - Mac REBENNACK, 'Dr. JOHN'. Under a Hoodoo Moon… the Life of Dr. John, the Night Tripper. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994. First edition, first impression, signed by Dr. John to the half-title, 8vo (209 x 133mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original black cloth, silver gilt lettering to spine, dust-jacket. Note: signed to 'Alan' in ink by Dr. John with doodles of a moon, star and a treble clef.

POETRY. - Sylvia PLATH. The Colossus. London: Faber and Faber, 1967. 8vo (218 x 133mm.) (Mild toning.) Original salmon cloth, dust-jacket (slight rubbing to margins). Provenance: Leonard Sourbatts (ink name to front-free endpaper). - And one further volume by Sylvia Plath ('Crossing the Water', 1971, 8vo) (2).

POETRY. - Seamus HEANEY. North. London: Faber and Faber, 1975. First edition, 8vo (216 x 135mm.) (Browning, occasional spotting to endpapers and fore-edge, toning to margins.) Original blue cloth (spotting), dust-jacket (spotting to spine and inner flaps). - And three further volumes by Seamus Heaney (including 'Preoccupations', 1980, 8vo) (4).

BECKETT, Samuel. Molloy. Paris: The Olympia press, 1955. First edition in English, 8vo (180 x 131mm.) (Mild toning.) Original card wrappers (rubbing to spine). Note: this is the first part of the Beckett trilogy. Provenance: Thomas H. Bewelby (ink name to front-free endpaper).

BETJEMAN, John. Summoned by Bells. London: John Murray, 1960. Limited edition, this being number 88 of 125 copies signed by John Betjeman, 8vo (232 x 159mm.) Illustrations by Michael Tree. (Mild toning.) Original green morocco with gilt decoration of bells to both covers, t.e.g.

POETRY. - Philip LARKIN. The Whitsun Weddings. London: Faber and Faber, 1964. First edition, 8vo (218 x 134mm.) (Toning, some spotting to endpapers.) Original maroon cloth (lightly bumped to spine ends), dust-jacket (chipping to spine ends, marks to front and rear panel). Note: a first issue dust-jacket with '12s 6d' to inner flap and no Betjeman review. Provenance: Leonard G. Sourbutts (name in pencil to front-free endpaper). - And two further volumes by Philip Larkin (including 'The North Ship', 1966, 8vo) (3).

COWARD, Noël. Not Yet the Dodo and Other Verses. London: Heinemann, 1967. First edition, signed and inscribed by the author to the half-title, 8vo (207 x 139mm.) (Mild toning.) Original purple cloth (fading to spine ends), dust-jacket (browning and marginal damp-stain to front panel). Note: inscribed 'To May Downes, with best wishes Noël Coward' to the half-title.

LEVY, Mervyn. Painters of Today - L.S. Lowry. London: Studio Books, 1961. First edition, signed and dated by L.S. Lowry, 4to (191 x 211mm.) 20 colour plates. (Toning, browning to rear endpaper.) Original cloth-backed pictorial boards, gilt lettering (browning to spine). Note: signed and dated '19 September 1961' in ink by L.S. Lowry to the front-free endpaper'. Provenance: Audrey Greathead (ink name to front pastedown).