Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

CHURCHILL, Winston S. A History of the English-Speaking People. London: Cassell and Company Ltd., 1956-1958. 4 vols., first editions, 8vo (229 x 143mm.) (Mild toning.) Contemporary red half-morocco boards, five raised bands with gilt lettering to the second, third and fourth compartments and a heraldic lion in gilt to the rest (some rubbing to spine ends) (4).

SHAKESPEARE, William. The Complete Works… reprinted from the First Folio, edited by Charlotte Porter and H.A. Clarke. London: George G. Harrap & Co., [n.d. but 1906.] 13 vols., 8vo (174 x 114mm.) Photographic frontispiece and title to each volume, tissue-guards, uncut pages. (Spotting to page-ends and front and rear leaves.) Original brown morocco, gilt to upper covers, gilt lettering to spine, t.e.g. (lightly bumped spine ends) (13).

LANG, Andrew (editor). The Violet Fairy Book. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1901. First edition, 8vo (183 x 117mm.) 8 colour plates, numerous illustrations. (Occasional spotting.) Original purple cloth with pictorial gilt to upper cover and spine, g.e. (lightly bumped to extremities, marks to lower cover). Provenance: Freda Foreman (gift inscribed in ink on title-page).

MILNE, A.A. [The Christopher Robin Books.] London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1927-1930. 4 vols., mixed editions, publisher's deluxe edition, 8vo (186 x 118mm.) Illustrations by E.H. Shepard. (Light browning, occasional spotting to preliminaries.) Original red limp morocco covers, characters in gilt to upper covers, g.e. (slight sunning to spines, mark to upper cover of 'Now We Are Six'). Note: 'When We Were Very Young' is the twentieth edition (1930), 'Winnie-the-Pooh' the fifth edition (1927), 'Now We Are Six' and 'The House at Pooh Corner' are first editions (1927 and 1928) (4).

MILNE, A.A. [The Christopher Robin Books]. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1927-1930. 4 vols., mixed editions, 8vo (188 x 120mm.) Illustrations by E.H. Shepard. (Browning, occasional spotting, spotting to fore-edges.) Original cloth, characters in gilt to upper covers (rubbing to spine ends, stains to upper cover of 'Now We Are Six'). Note: 'Winnie-the-Pooh' is the tenth edition (1930), 'Now We are Six' is the fourth edition (1928), 'The House at Pooh Corner' is the third edition (1929) and 'When We Were Very Young' is the sixteenth edition (1927). Provenance: 'Judy' (gift inscription in ink on half-title to 'When We Were Very Young') (4).

SHAKESPEARE, William. The Whole of His Dramatic Works, with Explanatory Notes. London: for John Stockdale, 1784. The 'Stockdale' edition, 8vo (229 x 136mm.) Portrait frontispiece. (Browning, occasional spotting, bookplate to front pastedown, name inscribed to front-free endpaper.) Contemporary black half-morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, gilt lettering to spine (rubbing, surface wear).

FLAMINI, Marco Antonio. Carmina Quinque Illustrium Poetarum Quorum nomina in Sequenti Pagina continentur. Florence: Laurentium Torrentinum, 1552. 2 parts in 1, 8vo (122 x 71mm.) Title, italic type, decorative woodcut initials. (Occasional spotting, closed area of loss to initial blank, ink annotation from 1557 on the initial blank, marginal damp-stain from Dd1 onwards.) 18th century black morocco, blind-tooled (rubbing to extremities, the words 'sans di trinitio' in ink on the fore-edge). Note: collates A-Y8, Aa-Ff8, colophon at Ff6.

WHEATLY, Charles. A Rational Illustration of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. Oxford: at the Clarendon Press, 1794. First edition, 8vo (221 x 131mm.) 15pp. index to rear. (Lacking initial blank, browning, minor soiling, marginal damp-stain to a few leaves.) Original card covers, ink titling to spine (heavily rubbed, some loss to spine). - And two related volumes (3).

CIBBER, Colley. An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber, Comedian and Late Patentee of the Theatre-Royal. London: John Watts, 1740. Second edition, 8vo (194 x 16mm.) Title in red and black. (Minor soiling to title, initial blank with closed tear.) Original calf (rebacked, rubbing to extremities). Provenance: Richard Shuttleworth Streatfield (bookplate to front pastedown).

HORSE-RACING. - William PICK. An Authentic Historical Racing Calendar of all the Plates, Sweepstakes, Matches, &c. Run for at York, from the First Commencement of the Races There in the Year 1709, to the Year 1785 inclusive. York: for W. Blanchard, [n.d. but 1786.] 8vo (213 x 123mm.) (Browning, minor soiling.) [Bound with:] William PICK. Pedigrees and Performances of the Most Celebrated Race-Horses, that Have Appeared Upon the English Turf. [N.p.] (Browning, some loss to rear blank.) Original calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine, gilt title (rubbing to extremities). - And a further six volumes relating to racing and racing calendars (including 'The Historical List of Horse-Matches Run' for the years 1753, 1755, 1760 and 1767) (7).

EROTICA. - LONGUS. Poimenikon ton Kata Daphnin kai Chloen logoi tettares, recensuit Ludovicus Dutens. Paris: Guillelmum de Bure, 1776. 12mo (157 x 85mm.) Introduction in Latin by the translator, text in Greek. (Moderate browning.) Original calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (rubbing to extremities). Note: rare. Daphnis and Chloe is the only known work by the 2nd Century Greek writer Longus, presumed to be from the island of Lesbos. - And a related volume ('Caius Sallustii Crispi Quae Extant', 1713, 8vo) (2).

[SOUTHEY, Robert]. - 'Don Manuel Alzarez ESPRIELLA'. Letters From England, translated from the Spanish. London: for Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme, 1807. 2 vols. (of 3), 8vo (168 x 97mm.) (Occasional spotting.) Original blue paper-covered boards (some loss to spine covers). Note: lacking the 3rd volume. Using a pseudonym, Southey comments upon the state of the nation, especially concerned with the Enclosure Act, and the suffering of rural communities. Provenance: P.H. Orby (name inscribed to front pastedown) (2).

WALKER, John. The Universal Gazetteer, Being a Concise Description, Alphabetically Arranged, of the Nations, Town, Cities, Harbours etc… in the Known World. London: for Vernor and Hood, Darton and Harvey etc., 1801. Third edition, 8vo (204 x 121mm.) 14 folding maps. (The 'Map of the World' frontispiece with many creases, creasing and chipping to 'Ireland', toning.) Contemporary calf, green morocco lettering piece to the spine, gilt lettering (rubbing to extremities).

VARLEY, D. Rudimentary Treatise on Mineralogy, for the Use of Beginners. London: John Weale, 1849. 8vo (177 x 112mm.) 2 plates (1 coloured), numerous illustrations. (Slight browning, small corner crease to rear leaves.) Original red cloth, blind-tooled, paper label to upper cover (small mark to lower cover).

MIDDLE EAST. - Laurent D'ARVIEUX. The Travels of the Chevalier D'Arvieux in Arabia the Desart; Written by Himself, and… giving a very Accurate and Entertaining Account of the Religions, Rights, Customs, Diversions, &c. of the Bedouins, or Arabian Scenites. London: for B. Barker and C. King, 1732. Second edition, 12mo (162 x 93mm.) 5 engraved plates, engraved initials and ornaments, includes 'A General Description of Arabia' by the Sultan Ishmael Abulfeda with a separate title dated 1718, continuous pagination. (Browning, minor soiling, one text leaf supplied in facsimile onto contemporary paper, lacking initial and rear blanks, occasional corner creasing.) Modern brown half-morocco, red morocco lettering piece to the second compartment of the spine, repeating gilt motif to the rest (endpapers and blank leaves replaced). Note: collates: A-Q11. Provenance: Selbourne library (two small stamps, one verso of title, another at D2).

PUCKLE, James. The Club: Or, A Grey-Cap for a Green-Head, containing Maxims, Advice, and Cautions, Being a Dialogue Between a Father and Son. London: for Edward Symon, 1733. Fifth edition, with additions, 12mo (159 x 89mm.) Portrait frontispiece. (Browning, minor soiling, crease to frontispiece, lacking rear blank, initial blank loose.) Contemporary calf (rubbing to extremities, lower cover nearly detached). Note: mainly known for trying to invent the machine gun, a device that 'mainly wounded those who invested it'. But Puckle's maxims are sound, including many relating to money, death, secrets, drinking and public life ('Controversy is the publick magick of great persons'). Provenance: William Wilshire Hitchin (bookplate to front pastedown).

GREEK PHILOSOPHY. - EPICTETUS. The Manual of Epictetus. Glasgow: R. & A. Foulis, 1750. (Minor soiling to title.) [Bound with:] Eustace BUDGELL (translator). The Moral Characters of Theophrastus. Edinburgh: James Reid, 1751. (Browning.) [Bound with:] Samuel BOYSE (translator). The Tablature of Cebes, the Theban, a Platonic Philosopher. Glasgow: Robert Urie, 1750. (Browning, 1 loose leaf.) [Bound with: Robert DODSLEY]. The Oeconomy of Human Life, part the Second. [N.p: 1754.] (Browning). [Bound with: James FORRESTER]. The Polite Philosopher: or, an Essay on that Art which makes a Man happy in himself and agreeable to others. Edinburgh: W. Sands etc., for John Wood, 1751. Fifth edition. 5 works in 1 vol., 8vo signed in 4s (151 x 88mm.) Near contemporary morocco-backed boards (some loss to spine cover, rubbing). Provenance: Elizabeth Rutherford (ink name to half-title). - And two further volumes (including Euripides's 'Hecuba, Orestes, Phoenician Virgins, and Medea', 1837, 8vo) (3).

MINIATURE BOOKS. - Dante ALIGHIERI. La Divina Commedia. London: C. Corrall, G. Pickering, 1822-1823. 2 vols., 16mo (88 x 47mm.) Engraved title, 4pp. of publisher's advertisements to rear of volume 2. (Lacking portrait frontispiece, toning.) Original red cloth, paper labels to spine (some spotting to covers, some loss to paper labels). - And three further volumes from the 'Pickering Diamond Classics' series (including Tasso's 'La Gerusalemme Liberata', 2 vols., 1822, 16mo) (5).

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).