Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

CHICHESTER, Francis. Gipsy Moth Circles the World. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1967. Limited edition, this number 99 of 500 copies, signed by the author, 8vo (222 x 141mm.) Numerous illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original black morocco, gilt titles to spine, g.e., plain dust-jacket as issued (minor rubbing), green paper-covered presentation box (minor mark). Note: additionally signed by Chichester to author's bookplate which is loosely inserted.

SECOND WORLD WAR. - Fabian von SCHLABRENDORFF. The Secret War Against Hitler… translated by Hilda Simon. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1966. First English edition, signed by the author to front-free endpaper, 8vo (201 x 133mm.) (A name erased from the front-free endpaper, mild spotting to the fore-edge.) Original black cloth (faint crease to the spine). Note: Schlabrendorff was a prominent member of the German resistance against the Nazi party and took part in plots against Hitler, including an attempt to blow up an aeroplane that Hitler was due to travel on, hiding the bomb in bottles of Cointreau. He was arrested after the 20th July plot and, after refusing to talk under torture, was sent to a concentration camp.

OLIVIER, Laurence. On Acting. London: Weidenfield and Nicholson, 1986. Limited edition, this number 229 of 300 copies, signed by the author, 8vo (233 x 151mm.) (Mild toning.) Original red buckram, slipcase.

[DICKENS, Charles. A Christmas Carol. London: Chapman and Hall, n.d. but circa 1843.] 166pp. and 2pp. advertisements to rear, 4 woodcuts within text by John Linton. (Lacking title-page and all the hand-coloured John Leech plates.) Contemporary cloth-backed boards (rubbing to all extremities). Note: the text has 3rd issue points (e.g. the p.53 line 5 the semi-colon after 'cracked', page 1 with 'STAVE ONE'. Provenance: Henry Fisher Cox (bookplate to front pastedown). - And two volumes, one relating to Dickens (3).

[SPRANGE, Jasper]. The Tunbridge Wells Guide; or, an Account of the Ancient and Present State of that Place. Tunbridge Wells: J. Sprange at his Circulating library, 1801. 8vo (165 x 97mm.) Engraved title and dedication, 14 engraved plates (7 folding), 1 folding table. (Moderate spotting to plates.) Contemporary tree calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (front board detached, minor rubbing). - And four volumes of historical and poetical interest (including vol. 1 of 'Histoire de la Regence de la Reine Marie de Medicis', 1743, 4to) (5).

HARDY, Thomas. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - a Pure Woman, Faithfully Presented. London: James R. Osgood, 1891. 3 vols., first edition, first issue, 8vo (189 x 120mm.) (Browning and spotting to pastedowns and fore-edges.) Original tan cloth with the double vertical honeysuckle design by Charles Ricketts on the upper covers, spines lettered in gilt (some damp-staining and soiling to boards, sunning to spines). Note: as required, volume 2 has chapter XXXV misnumbered as XXV on p.199. Provenance: Robert Milnes-Crewe (bookplates to the front pastedown); the West Horsley Place collection (3).

HOLOCAUST. - Marmaduke DIXEY. Words, Beasts & Fishes… illustrated by Clifford Webb. London: Faber and Faber, 1936. First edition, 8vo (201 x 127mm.) Numerous illustrations. (Minor spotting to fore-edge, small closed tear to front-free endpaper.) Original blue cloth (some spine lean and sunning to extremities). Provenance: Stalag IV (stamp on the front-free endpaper) indicating that this book was once in the collection of the Stammlager ('Main Camp'), the largest prisoner-of-war camp in Nazi Germany.

[NOBLE, W.B.] A Guide to the Watering Places on the Coast, Between the Exe and the Dart; including Teignmouth, Dawlish and Torquay. Teignmouth: E. Croydon, 1817. 4 parts in 1, 8vo (213 x 124mm.) Large folding map, 14 aquatint plates by D. Howell and W.B. Noble, 3 folding, list of subscribers to rear. (Browning, occasional spotting, tear to crease of one folding map.) Contemporary half-calf over marbled paper boards, black morocco lettering piece to spine (boards detached). Note: part 4 is a chapter on conchology.

BIBLE, in English. The Holy Bible Containing the Old Testament and the New, newly Translated out of the Original Tongues. Cambridge: John Field, 1661. Engraved general title in architectural border, double-column. [Bound with:] The Book of Common Prayer. London: John Bill and Christopher Barker, 1665. [Bound with:] The Whole Book of Psalms. London: T.R. for the company of Stationers, 1669. Engraved title with decorative border. 8vo (166 x 119mm.) (Lacking the NT title (2N3), upper margin shaved, final blank present; lacking blank to 'Common Prayer', rear blank to 'Psalms' present with hand-written family history, closed tear, marginal damp-stain to rear leaves). Contemporary red morocco, elaborate foliate and flower gilt borders surrounding a lozenge of gilt foliate to upper and lower covers (repairs to spine ends and corners). Note: collates A-Z, Aa-Zz8, Aaa4. A rare Bible with no trace in ESTC online or Herbert, possibly a variant of Herbert 669 or 670. Unpaginated, and with the engraved title unsigned. Provenance: Mary Brown (name in ink to the 'Common Prayer); Sir Martin Browne Ffolkes (bookplate to the front pastedown). The hand-written family history to rear leaf, presumably written by Mary Brown's husband (Sir William Browne) contains an account of being knighted by the king and how this was done 'in the bedchamber for the greater honour'.

AMES, William. Medulla SS Theologiae. Amsterdam: apud Joannem Janssonium, 1627. 8vo (150 x 87mm.) Woodcut printer's device to title-page. (Minor browning, mostly to margins, ink stain to s1, s1-t1 with minor marginal worm damage, z4 creased.) Contemporary calf (extremities rubbed and scuffed).

SWINOCK, Caleb (publisher). An Impartial and Full Account of the Life & Death of the Late Unhappy William Lord Russel, who was executed for High Treason, 21st July 1683. London: Caleb Swinock, 1684. 8vo (147 x 85mm.) (Shaved with some minor loss to the border of title-page and occasionally page numbers.) Later half-calf, the spine in five compartments with raised bands, red morocco lettering piece to the second compartment, gilt title to the second (rebacked). Note: Lord William Russell was executed in 1683 at the order of Charles II for involvement in the plot to ambush the King, the Rye House Plot.

THEOCRITUS. Bionis, et Moschi Carmina Bucolica. Graece et Latine. Leiden: apud Joannem le Mair, 1779. 8vo (207 x 123mm.) Two initial blanks, title with musical vignette, engraved frontispiece, elaborate headpiece and numerous tailpieces, two rear blanks. (Browning to margins). Contemporary vellum, black ink lettering to spine (warping, some soiling). - And eight further related volumes (including Cornelius Nepos's 'Vitae Excellentium Imperatorum', 1675, 8vo) (9).

COMMON PRAYER, In English. The Book of Common Prayer. Cambridge: 1766. 12mo (164 x 95mm.) (Mild spotting and browning.) Contemporary red calf, the covers tooled with floral designs within a dentil border, the spine gilt in six compartments with raised bands (extremities somewhat bumped, spine rubbed and scuffed, upper cover detached). - And two more of similar interest, both 18th century (3).

[KEMPIS, Thomas]. De Christo Imitando, Contemnendisque Mundi Vanitatibus. Cambridge: ex officina Johan, Hayes, Impensis G. Graves, 1685. First edition. (Lacking frontispiece.) [Bound with:] Ralph Widdrington's 'Coena Dominica', 1688. 2 vols., in 1, 12mo (126 x 67mm.) (Browning, occasional spotting.) Contemporary calf, blind-tooled, foliate corners to upper and lower covers, a 'printer's waste' leaf on pastedowns (rubbing to extremities). Note: this work, Kempis's most important, had a significant part to play in the Christian conversion of John Wesley and John Newton. Provenance: J.E.A. Whealler (bookplate to the front endpaper). - And with one related volume (Jacques Rohault's 'System of Natural Philosophy', vol 2 [of 2], 1723, 8vo) (2).

RAMSAY, [Andrew Michael]. Les Voyages de Cyrus, avec un Discours fur la Mythologie. Paris: Gabriel-Francois Quillau, 1727. 2 vols. in 1, 8vo (160 x 89mm.) Engraved frontispiece. (Mild spotting.) Contemporary calf, six compartments to the spine with raised bands, red morocco lettering piece to the second compartment, elaborate gilt to the rest. Provenance: Ann Huddleston (name in ink to front-free endpaper). - And four more volumes in French (including 'Le Solitaire Espagnol ou Memoires de D. Varasque', 2 vols, 1740 & 1750, 8vo) (5).

ITALY. - [GASPARO, Contarini. De Republica Venetorum libri Quinque. N.p. but Leiden: n.d. but 1628]. 16mo (106 x 48mm.) (Lacking title and frontispiece.) Contemporary calf, contemporary 'printer's waste' endpapers (rubbing to extremities). Note: collates A2-Ee8, 447pp, colophon to rear dates 1626. - And nine volumes by Seneca (including 'L. Annaei Senecae Philosophi Opera Omnia…', 3 vols., 1658-1659, 12mo) (10).

THEATRE. The Drama; or, Theatrical Pocket Magazine. Wholly Dedicated to the Stage and Containing Dramatic Biography. London: T. and J. Elvey, 1821-1825. 6 vols. only (of 7, lacking vol. 3), 12mo, (139 x 82mm.) Additional engraved titles, numerous engraved plates including Edmund Kean as Richard III. (Moderate spotting to preliminaries, occasional browning.) Contemporary half-calf over marbled paper boards, black morocco lettering pieces to the spines (rubbing to extremities). Note: this scarce periodical gave comprehensive details of the theatres and actors, as well as reviews of the current productions (6).

OWEN, John. Epigrammatum Ioannis Owen… Editio Postrema. Leiden: ex Officina Elzeviriana, 1628. First edition, 24mo (90 x 55mm.) Engraved title. (Occasional spotting, annotation in pencil and ink to preliminaries and rear leaves, title cropped and laid down.) 19th century morocco, titled in gilt to spine (lightly rubbed). - And eight miscellaneous literary volumes (including 'The Wit's Museum', [n.d. but circa 1789], 8vo) (9).

CARTER, Matthew. Honor Rediviuus or an Analysis of Honour and Armory. London: for Henry Heningman, 1660. 12mo (156 x 99mm.) Engraved title, 7 engraved plates, numerous woodcuts of coats-of-arms. (Browning, spotting to margins.) Contemporary calf (front board detached, heavily rubbed). Provenance: armorial bookplate to front pastedown.