Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

NEW NATURALIST. The New Naturalist Library. London: Collins and Harper Collins, 1951-1985. 32 vols., including 11 first editions, 8vo (221 x 150mm.) Numerous illustrations. (Toning.) Original cloth (spine ends bumped), volume 71 in card covers, dust-jackets (16 volumes are price-clipped). Note: numbers 17, 20, 25, 48, 51-53, 57, 60, and 62-63 are first editions. – And a further eight volumes (volumes 1,2,4,9,15,19,20 and 22 are from the New Naturalist Monograph series, mixed editions, 1950-1971, 8vo) (40).

MILITARY. – James EDGE-PARTINGTON. An Album of the Weapons, Tools, Ornaments, Articles of Dress of the Natives of the Pacific Islands. London: The Holland Press, 1969. 2 vols., limited facsimile edition, this being one of 350 copies, oblong 4to (202 x 404mm.) (Mild toning.) Original brown cloth, dust-jackets (2).

BARTHOLOMEW, John. The Library Reference Atlas of the World… with General Index to 100,000 places. London: Macmillan and Co., 1890. Folio (345 x 247mm.) 84 double-paged colour maps of the world, index. (Light spotting or dust-soiling to upper margin of most plates.) Contemporary black half morocco, g.e. (boards detached, worn). – And a further four volumes (including Philip Miller and Thomas Martyn’s ‘The Gardener’s and Botanist’s Dictionary’, 2 vols. in 4, 1807, folio) (5).

ATLAS. ‘The Times’ Atlas. London: Published at The Office of ‘The Times’, 1899. Folio (409 x 282mm.) 59 double-paged sheets with 175 printed maps, 112pp. ‘Index’. (Toning, occasional light spotting.) Original brown half morocco, gilt titling to upper cover (spine and extremities rubbed, hinges with tape repair).

BACON, George W. (publisher). New Complete Atlas of the World. London: George W. Bacon, [circa 1890.] 4to (353 x 258mm.) 124 double-paged colour printed maps, 22pp. letterpress text, 40pp. ‘Index’. (Toning, maps titled in pencil verso.) Original green half morocco boards, gilt lettering to upper cover, g.e. (hinges weakened, upper joint splitting, extremities rubbed).

MUSIC. – Joseph HAYDN. Haydn’s Grand Symphonies Composed from Mr. Salomon’s Concerts and arranged for five instruments viz. Two Violins, A German Flute, a Tenor, and a ViolonCello with an Accompaniment for the Piana Forte. London: R. Birchall, [n.d. circa 1795.] Piano part, folio (345 x 249mm.) 6 engraved titles. (Toning, minor finger-marking to margins). Near contemporary green straight-grain half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, green morocco lettering piece to upper cover (extremities rubbed). Provenance: John Forster (morocco name-plate to front pastedown). – And a further six volumes of musical scores (including ‘Symphonien von L. van Beethoven für Pianoforte’, vol. 1, [circa 1875], oblong 4to, and Edward German’s score for Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Just So Song Book’, 1918, 4to) (7).

COMICS. – Dell (publisher). The Flintstones, Bedrock Bedlam. New York: Dell Publishing Co. Inc., 1961. No. 48. 4to (258 x 146mm.) Colour illustrations. (Toning, browning.) Original wrappers (extremities chipped). – And a large quantity of over 110 comics, circa 1950’s (including ‘Tom & Jerry’ (9), ‘Walt Disney’ (26), ‘Dennis the Menace’ (6), ‘Bugs Bunny’ (7) and ‘Andy Pandy’ (7)) (114).

DIRECTORIES. Towner’s (Late Page’s) Brighton and Suburban Directory… Court Guide and Local Intelligence. Brighton: William Jas. Towner, 1896-1909. 9 vols., 8vo (183 x 117mm.) Numerous advertisements, photographic illustrations. (Toning.) Later red cloth, gilt lettering to spines (fading). Provenance: East Sussex County Library (labels to pastedowns, endpapers replaced). – And a further thirty-two volumes of directories (including ‘Page’s (Late Folthorp’s) Court Guide and General Directory’, 26 vols., 1866-1894, 8vo, and Folthorp’s ‘The Court Guide and General Directory for Brighton’, 8 vols., 1848-1864, 8vo) (41).

DIRECTORIES. Pike’s Brighton and Hove Blue Book and Local Directory. Brighton: A.M. Robinson, 1888-1937. 28 vols., 8vo (172 x 114mm.) Numerous advertisements, folding maps. (Toning, lacking some maps, occasional creasing, stamps within.) Later red cloth, gilt lettering to spine (fading). Provenance: East Sussex County Library (labels to pastedowns) (28).

DIRECTORIES. Kelly’s Directory of Sussex. London: Kelly’s Directories Ltd., 1899-1938. 10 vols., (only). Large 8vo (258 x 166mm.) Four folding maps, numerous advertisements. (Toning, lacking six maps, repairs to maps, some creasing.) Later red half calf, gilt lettering to spines (labels to pastedowns, endpapers replaced). Provenance: East Sussex County Library (labels to pastedowns, ink stamps to preliminaries). – And a further thirty-nine Kelly Directories (for ‘Brighton and Hove’, including six duplicate copies, and a further five volumes of ‘Register of Electors’ for the years 1920, 1921, 1927-28, 1929, and 1930) (54).

NEW NATURALIST. The New Naturalist Library. London: Collins and Harper Collins, 1946-1982. 57 vols., including 33 first editions, 8vo (223 x 152mm.) Numerous illustrations. (Browning, occasional spotting, some volumes with labels on pastedowns.) Original cloth (extremities bumped), dust-jackets (many with chipping to extremities, occasional creasing and tearing, many are price-clipped, reference labels to spine panels). Note: comprising vols. 2-4, 6-13, 15-19, 22, 24, 26-27, 29, 31, 34-38, 40-68. – And a further five volumes being duplicates of numbers 4, 6, 37, 49 and 53 (62).

COLLINS, Wilkie. The Life of William Collins, Esq. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1848. 2 vols., first edition, 8vo (198 x 123mm.) Engraved portrait, 2 additional engraved titles, 32pp. publisher’s catalogue to the rear of vol. 1. (Lacking front endpapers and preliminaries to both volumes, adhesive remains to pastedowns, spotting to additional titles.) Original brown blind-stamped cloth (fading and wear to spine ends, staining). Note: Wilkie Collins’ first book. Provenance: Elisabeth Smart (ink name to title of vol. 2). – And a further ten volumes by Wilkie Collins (including ‘The Moonstone’, [lacking preliminaries], 1890, 8vo) (12).

COLLINS, Wilkie. Blind Love. London: Chatto & Windus, 1890. 8vo (190 x 122mm.) 16 engraved plates by A. Forestier, 32pp. publisher’s advertisements to rear. (Toning, spotting verso front-free endpaper and frontispiece.) Original green cloth, blocked in black, gilt to spine (inner hinge slightly weakened, lightly rubbed). Note: published the same year as the three volume first edition. – And a further eight volumes by Wilkie Collins (including ‘Jezebel’s Daughter’, 1887, 8vo, and ‘The Evil Genius’, 1887, 8vo, and ‘Poor Miss Finch’, 1875, 8vo, and ‘The Legacy of Cain’, 1889, 8vo, and ‘The Dead Secret’, 1889, 8vo, and ‘The Law and the Lady’, 1889, 8vo, and ‘The Two Destinies’, 1878, 8vo, and ‘The Queen of Hearts’, 1885, 8vo) (9).

DICKENS, Charles. Our Mutual Friend. London: Chapman and Hall, 1865. 2 vols., first edition, first issue in book form, 8vo (212 x 128mm.) 40 wood-engraved plates after Marcus Stone by Dalziel and W.T. Green. (Toning, occasional light spotting, lacking half-titles and publisher’s advertisements.) Contemporary maroon half calf over marbled paper-covered boards (extremities rubbed, lacking one lettering piece.) Note: contains all of Smith’s first issue points. Provenance: E.J.F. (ink name and address inscribed to front blank of vol. 1). [Smith, 108-109] (2).

WELLS, H.G. The New Teaching of History. With a Reply to some Recent Criticisms of The Outline of History. London: Cassell & Company, Ltd., 1921. First edition, 8vo (216 x 134mm.) (Toning, occasional light spotting.) Original printed wrappers (toned). – And a quantity of approximately fifty-five volumes by H.G. Wells (including ‘The Wealth, Work & Happiness of Mankind’, 1934, 8vo, and ‘The Mind at the End of Its Tether’, 1945, 8vo, and ‘The Camford Visitation’, 1937, 8vo, and ‘What Are We To Do With Our Lives’, 1931, 8vo, and ‘Guide to the New World, A Handbook of Constructive World Revolution’, 1941, 8vo) (a quantity).

THOMPSON, Edward. The Making of the English Working Class. London: Victor Gollancz, 1963. First edition, 8vo (215 x 133mm.) (Mild toning.) Original blue cloth (extremities sunned), dust-jacket (chipping and minor loss to spine ends). Note: the most influential work by Thompson and one that changed British historiography. It is still a staple of university reading lists.

TOLKIEN, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1966. 3 vols., second edition, 8vo (223 x 138mm.) 3 folding maps. (Toning, occasional spotting.) Original red cloth (lightly bumped spine ends), dust-jackets (extremities chipped, lower panels toned). Provenance: Peter Tusk (name inscribed to ‘Fellowship of the Ring’); Alison Buchanan (name inscribed to ‘The Two Towers’ and gift-plates mounted to all front endpapers) (3).

TOLKIEN, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1968. 3 vols., mixed editions, 8vo (221 x 139mm.) 3 folding maps. (Toning.) Original red cloth (slight damp-spotting to lower covers of ‘The Two Towers’ and ‘The Return of the King’), dust-jackets (‘The Fellowship..’ is dust-soiled, small tears and chipped, a 2.5 inch tear to spine panel, ‘The Two Towers’ is toned to lower panel, surface wear to top of lower panel of ‘The Return…’). Note: ‘The Fellowship…’ is the first edition, twelve impression of 1962, ‘The Two Towers’ is the second edition, first impression of 1966, ‘The Return…’ is the second edition, third impression of 1968 (3).

METCALF, John. The Life of John Metcalf, Commonly Called Blind Jack of Knaresborough. With Many Entertaining Anecdotes of his Exploits in Hunting, Card-Playing, &c. Some Particulars relative to the Expedition against the Rebels in 1745… And also a Succinct Account of his various Contracts for Making Roads, Erecting Bridges, and Other Undertakings in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, and Cheshire. York: E. and R. Peck, 1795. First edition, 12mo (165 x 95mm.) Engraved portrait frontispiece by J.R. Smith. (Marginal loss to frontispiece affecting image, some loss to B6 text affected, tear to G1, browning and spotting throughout, lacking blanks.) Contemporary half calf (worn). Note: the extra-ordinary autobiography of John Metcalf who was rendered blind by smallpox at the age of six but who went on to become an expert horseman, soldier, cock-fighter, card-player and musician, as well as building over 180 miles of road. – And to include a lead plaque of John Metcalf (2).