Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

BURTON, Richard (translator). Tales From Gulistan, or Rose-Garden of the Sheikh Sa’di of Shiraz. London: Philip Allan & Co. Ltd., 1928. Limited edition, this being number 3 of 100 large paper copies, 4to (262 x 187mm.) 9 plates by John Kettelwell. (Toning.) Original blue cloth-backed paper-covered boards, paper labels to upper cover and spine. Note: the limitation number written in manuscript by the artist, John Kettelwell. – And a further eleven illustrated volumes (including Ashley Gibson and Justin Pieris’ ‘The Death of the Lion’, limited edition, being one of only 275 copies, 1935, 4to, and The Folio Society publication of ‘The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night’, 4 vols., 1959, 8vo, and Stella Benson’s ‘Hope Against Hope, and Other Stories’, limited edition, being one of 670 copies, 1931, 4to) (12).

RACKHAM, Arthur (illustrator). – Kenneth GRAHAME. The Wind in the Willows. London: Methuen & Co., 1951. Limited 100th edition, this being number 366 of 500 copies only, 4to (297 x 221mm.) 12 tipped-in colour plates by Rackham, introduction by A.A. Milne. (Mild toning, a few uncut leaves.) Original cream sheep, gilt lettering to spine, t.e.g. (spine ends lightly bumped, slight scuffing to spine), slipcase with mounted paper label (spine ends rubbed, minor staining).

GREGYNOG PRESS (publisher). – Robert BRIDGES. A Poem in XII Measures. Newtown: Gregynog Press, 1935. Limited edition, this being one of 300 copies only, 4to (282 x 215mm.) Woodcut title-page, 2 full-page woodcut illustrations and woodcut vignettes within the text from designs by Edward Burne-Jones, 2 initial words printed in green and also the typeface designed by Graily Hewitt, some keywords in red. (Spotting to title and lightly to preliminaries.) Original cream pigskin, gilt decoration to upper cover, t.e.g., original plain cream dust-jacket, cream cloth slipcase with mounted paper label to spine (minor finger-marking).

RACKHAM, Arthur (illustrator). – J.M. BARRIE. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. From the Little White Bird. London: Hodder & Stoughton, [1912.] New edition, 4to (274 x 210mm.) 50 tipped-in colour plates by Arthur Rackham, captioned tissue-guards, numerous black and white illustrations. (Toning, light spotting to the dedication leaf, lacking blanks and half-title.) Bound by J. May in brown full morocco, gilt lettering to second and third spine compartments, floral gilt to rest, t.e.g.

POGANY, Willy (illustrator). – Johann Wolfgang von GOETHE. Faust, translated by Abraham Hayward. London: Hutchinson, 1908. Limited edition, this being 16 of 250 Large Paper copies signed by Willy Pogany, 4to (280 x 216mm.) Half-title, 31 colour plates by Pogany with captioned tissue-guards, includes the extra plate ‘The Witches Revel’. (Toning, last leaves with corner creasing.) Original pictorial vellum, gilt lettering to spine, t.e.g. (some soiling to covers and scratches to lower cover). Provenance: ‘Jean’ (gift inscribed to on the initial blank).

RACKHAM, Arthur (illustrator). Jacob Ludwig and Wilhelm Carl GRIMM. The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm… translated by Mrs. Edgar Lucas. London: Constable and Company Ltd., 1909. Limited edition, this being number 509 of 750 copies signed by Arthur Rackham, 4to (293 x 225mm.) 40 tipped-in colour plates by Arthur Rackham with captioned tissue-guards. (Toning, occasional light spotting, marginal crease to pp.165-167.) Original vellum with pictorial gilt and lettering to upper cover and spine, t.e.g. (pitting to covers, silk ties present but detached).

POGANY, Willy (illustrator). – T.W. ROLLESTON. Parsifal, or the Legend of the Holy Grail Retold from Antient Sources with Acknowledgment to the ‘Parsifal’ of Richard Wagner. London: Harrap & Co., 1912. 4to (278 x 189mm.) 16 tipped-in colour plates, numerous illustrations. (Toned to margins.) Original grey cloth, pictorial gilt to upper cover (tear at top of spine panel).

WAITE, Arthur Edward. A Book of Mystery and Vision. London: Philip Wellby, 1902. 4to (263 x 195mm.) Collotype frontispiece by Isabelle de Steiger with tissue-guard. (Toning, spotting to the tissue-guard.) Original vellum, decorative gilt to upper cover, original ties (spotting to pastedowns, pitting to upper cover, ties split). Note: contains two loosely inserted letters from the publisher Philip Wellby to the artist Isabelle de Steiger. Provenance: Isabelle de Steiger, writer, artist and theosophist (ink name inscribed to front-free endpaper).

KALIDSASA. Sakoontala; or, The Lost Ring, an Indian Drama Translated into English Prose and … by Monier Williams. Hertford: Stephen Austin, 1855. First English edition, 4to (215 x 167mm.) 16 chromolithographed plates and borders. (Spotting to title and light spotting throughout.) Bound by Root & Son in brown full morocco, gilt fillet borders, g.e. (lacking lettering piece). Provenance: Innes Hopkins (bookplate to front pastedown).

MOVABLE BOOK. – Lothar MEGGENDORFER. Lutiges Automaten Theater. Stuttgart: J.F. Schreiber, [circa 1890.] First German edition, folio (349 x 257mm.) 8 chromolithograph plates with movable parts operated by card tabs, ‘Preface’, text leaves opposite plates, 1p. publisher’s advertisements verso last plate. (Browning, some spotting to text leaves, first and last plate loosening, one tab replaced.) Original red cloth-backed pictorial boards (browned, spine ends rubbed). Note: all parts in original working order but for the mandolin player’s right hand. Lothar Meggendorfer is considered the most accomplished creator of movable books of the late 19th and early 20th century.

MOVABLE BOOK. – Dean & Son (publisher). Old Woman and Her Silver Penny. London: Dean & Son, [1860.] 8vo (248 x 169mm.) 8 hand-coloured wood-engraved plates with movable parts and a paper tab, publisher’s advertisements to endpapers. (Toning, occasional minor spotting.) Original black cloth-backed pictorial boards (some creasing and staining to covers, small marginal losses to paper). Note: all parts in original working order. Provenance: E.G. Pollard (gift inscribed to in ink verso front-free endpaper).

MOVABLE BOOK. – Edward CALVERT (illustrator). Dean’s New Book of Dissolving Views. London: Dean & Son, [1860.] Small folio (267 x 184mm.) 6 wood-engraved hand-coloured illustrations by Edward Calvert, each with sliding slats and operated by a tab to reveal an alternative view, publisher’s advertorial endpapers. (Spotting on the backing leaves and to front blank, minor marginal loss to front-free endpaper and front blank.) Original cloth-backed boards with mounted paper illustration to upper cover (light rubbing, faint pencil marks to lower cover). Note: all illustrations and tabs in original working order. Provenance: Mary Done (gift inscribed to verso the front-free endpaper).

POP-UP BOOK. – F.E. WEATHERLY (introduction). What the Children Like. London & New York: Ernest Nister and E.P. Dutton, [1897.] 4to (317 x 248mm.) 5 double-page chromolithograph pop-ups. (Toning.) Original cloth-backed pictorial boards (slightly discoloured spine ends). Note: all pop-ups in original working order. Provenance: ‘Frank’ (gift inscribed to verso the front-free endpaper). – And a further pop-up book (‘The Robins at Home’, [circa 1895], 4to) (2).

POP-UP BOOK. Little Pets, a Panorama Picture Book of Animals. London & New York: Ernest Nister and E.P. Dutton, [circa 1895]. Oblong 4to (217 x 303mm.) 4 chromolithograph pop-ups, illustrations in the text, original floral endpapers. (Toning, occasional light spotting.) Original green cloth-backed pictorial boards (rebacked, extremities rubbed, minor scratches to lower cover). Note: all pop-ups in original working order. – And a further pop-up book (‘The Robins at Home’, [circa 1895], 4to) (2).

GURWOOD, John (editor). The Dispatches of Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington, During His Various Campaigns… London: Parker, Furnivall, and Parker, 1844-1847. 4 vols. (only, of 8). 8vo (232 x 143mm.) Half-titles, engraved portrait frontispiece. (Spotting to all preliminaries and rear leaves, marginal damp-stain to frontispiece.) Contemporary half calf (rebacked, spotting to pastedowns, insect-damage to extremities, slightly dust-soiled). Provenance: Frederic Thesiger, Lieutenant General, Viceroy and Governor-General of India 1916-21 (bookplates to front pastedowns). – And a further seven volumes (including John Gurwood’s ‘Selections From the Dispatches and General Orders of Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington’, 1841, 8vo, and Roger North’s ‘The Lives of the Right Hon. Francis North, Baron Guildford, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, under Charles II’, 3 vols., 1826, 8vo, and Patrick F. Tytler’s ‘England Under the Reigns of Edward VI. And Mary, with the Contemporary History of Europe’, 2 vols., 1839, 8vo) (11).

ROLLIN, Charles. Histoire Ancienne des Egyptiens, des Carthaginois, des Assyriens… Paris: la Veuve Estienne, 1740. 6 vols., 4to (253 x 189mm.) Half-titles, titles in red and black, engraved portrait frontispiece, 12 engraved folding maps, including 9 with outline hand-colouring, 2 engraved plates. (Heavy browning in places, spotting to margins, some dust-soiling.) Contemporary calf (lacking some lettering pieces, insect-damage to spine ends, dust-soiled, worn). – And a further three volumes (T.C. Banks’ ‘The Dormant & Extinct Baronage of England’, 3 vols., 1807-1809, 4to) (9).

PLUTARCH. Chaeronei, philosophi, historiici’que clarissimi, opuscula (quae quidem extant) omnia, undequaque collecta, & diligentissime iampridem recognita. Basel: ‘In Officina And. Cratandri’, September 1530. Folio (286 x 193mm.) Woodcut printer’s device to the title and also to last leaf, elaborate woodcut border to first text leaf, woodcut initials and ornaments, vellum stubs to front and rear. (Title with damp-staining and also from a2-c6, thereafter damp-staining mostly marginal, illegible signature to title.) Early 19th century speckled calf, blind-tooled border and corner-pieces. Note: in this edition of Plutarch’s moral works each section is translated by a different humanist scholar, including Erasmus, Bude, Politano and Melancthon. Provenance: Tyrwhitt (ink name inscribed to title); George Drewry Squibb (bookplate to front pastedown).

HUMPHREYS, Henry Noel and John Obadiah WESTWOOD. British Moths and Their Transformations. London: William Smith, 1843-1845. 2 vols., first edition, 4to (268 x 207mm.) Titles, 124 hand-coloured lithographed plates, tissue-guards. (Lacking half-titles, scattered spotting, mostly marginal, some dust-soiling.) Contemporary brown full morocco, gilt decoration to covers, g.e. (extremities rubbed, dust-soiled). – And a further volume by H.N. Humphreys and J.O. Westwood (‘British Butterflies and Their Transformations’, [42 plates], 1841, 4to). Provenance: by descent from the estate of Frederic Thesiger, Lieutenant General, Viceroy and Governor-General of India 1916-21 (3).

SEWARD, Anna. Elegy on Captain Cook. To Which Is Added, an Ode to the Sun. Lichfield: J. Jackson, and J. Dodsley, 1784. Fourth edition, signed by Anna Seward to lower margin of last text leaf, 4to (281 x 213mm.) Half-title. (Chipping and minor loss to corners and lower edges of most leaves, browning, corner crease to last leaf, lacking blanks.) 20th century blue cloth (endpapers replaced). Note: Anna Seward was known as the ‘Swan of Lichfield’ because of the numerous poetic odes and eulogies she wrote for the recently departed. Indeed, her friend Walter Scott remarked that he could not ignore Seward for ‘fear of my death being prematurely announced by a sonnet or an elegy’. Her elegy for Captain Cook was particularly popular and ran to many editions. Provenance: C.A.O. Fox (bookplate to rear pastedown); Denis Gibbs (bookplate to front pastedown).