Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

[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.

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'.

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.

LOWRY, L.S. - Mervyn, LEVY. The Paintings of L.S. Lowry, Oils and Watercolours. London: Jupiter Books, 1975. Limited edition, this being number 6 of 100 copies signed by Lowry, 4to (280 x 234mm.) Paper label to the front pastedown signed in ink by Lowry, numerous illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original blue morocco, gilt lettering to spine, g.e. (small marks to cover).

MANUSCRIPT. - Ronald SEARLE (illustrator) and Geoffrey WILLANS. Down With Skool! [N.p.: n.d. but circa 1953]. 98pp. original typed manuscript, loose leaf (257 x 198mm.) containing original Ronald Searle drawings in ink on approximately two thirds of the manuscript pages. (Red crayon cancel lines through all the leaves, browning, corner creases.) Tie-bound to top corner. Note: 'Down With Skool' is the first of the four 'Nigel Molesworth' novels that Searle illustrated for Geoffrey Willans. - And a further book by Ronald Searle and 'Timothy Shy' (a 'dummy' copy of 'The Terror of St. Trinians', 1952, 8vo) (2).

MOTORING. - Arthur SEVERN (illustrator) and Marie CORELLI. The Devil's Motor, a Fantasy. London: Hodder & Stoughton, [n.d. but 1910]. 6 tipped-in colour plates by Severn. (First 8 leaves loose, all leaves brittle.) Original half-vellum over red buckram boards, gilt lettering to upper cover and spine. Note: the publisher smoked all the leaves of this edition of the book so it resembled the smell of motor oil, which they still do. However, it has rendered them somewhat fragile.

AFRICA. - Abel CHAPMAN. On Safari. London: Edward Arnold, 1908. First edition, 8vo (224 x 138mm.) Photogravure frontispiece with tissue-guard, 32 plates, numerous illustrations in the text, 16pp. of publisher's advertisements to rear. (Browning, upper joint splitting, bookplate to front pastedown.) Original brown pictorial cloth (rubbing to extremities, fading, spotting to upper cover). - And six further volumes relating to hunting (including Lord Cranworth's 'Profit and Sport in British East Africa', 1919, 8vo) (7).