Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

POETRY. - John CLARE. The Rural Muse. London: Whittaker & Co., 1835. First edition, 8vo (171 x 100mm.) Engraved frontispiece of the poet's home, title vignette of Northborough Church. (Spotting to preliminaries, name inscribed to dedication leaf, name crossed out from front-free endpaper.) Original brown cloth, blind-stamped (marks to upper cover, some damp-staining to lower cover).

AESOP, Phaedrus, et al. Fabulae Variorum Auctorum. Frankfurt: Apud Christ. Gerlach and Simon Beckenstein, 1660. 8vo (154 x 86mm.) Parallel text in Latin and Greek, numerous woodcuts from the Virgil Solis series and Bernard Saloman, woodcut initials and head and tailpieces. (Damp-staining from A1-P6, ink spot H3-H5, browning throughout.) Contemporary vellum, manuscript lettering to spine, later morocco lettering piece (minor soiling). Note: first published in 1610 with the title 'Mythologia Aesopica', this is the augmented edition.

SMITH, Samuell. David's Blessed Man. Or, a short Exposition Upon the First Psalme, directing a man to true Happinesse. London: Nicholas Okes, 1617. Fourth edition, small 8vo (137 x 81mm.) (Browning, occasional soiling, lacking last leaf Y6, corner loss to initial blank, lacking folding table?) Contemporary vellum (soiled). Note: Nicholas Okes was one of the early publishers of Shakespeare's plays. Provenance: Rachell Gauvard (name inscribed to initial blank); George Harrington (name inscribed verso of initial blank).

MARRAFI, Diamano. Figure del Vecchio Testamento con Versi toscani. Lyon: Jean de Tournes, 1554. 8vo (162 x 100mm.) Title with de Tournes woodcut device, verso title woodcut portrait of Marrafi, italic type, in 2 parts with New Testament separate title dated 1577, 302 half-page woodcuts by Bernard Saloman, of which 219 are in the Old Testament and 83 in the New. (Areas of browning and minor soiling, ink-spots to K2-K3, insect-damage to B1 and last leaf G4, front and rear blanks replaced, large paper repairs to L4-L6, leaves I7-I8 with the quatrains crossed out in ink, lacking F2, O3 and O8 from OT and B1, B4, B7-B8, D1 and D8 from NT.) Contemporary limp vellum, manuscript titling to spine (soiling). Provenance: Wilfred Merton (gift inscribed to on the initial blank).

CHARLES I. - [John GAUDEN]. Eikon Basilike. The Pourtraicture of His Sacred Maiestie in his Solitudes and Sufferings. [London: John Grismond], 1649. 12mo (117 x 64mm.) Double-paged engraved frontispiece of Charles I. (Lacking portrait plate, some browning, trimming of headline word to several leaves, tape repair to inner hinge.) Contemporary vellum (minor soiling). [ESTC R31988].

HOBBS, Thomas. Hobb's Tripos, in Three Discourses: The First, Humane Nature… the Second de Corpore Politico… the third, of Liberty and Necessity. London: Matthew Gilliflower, Henry Rogers. Third edition, 8vo (177 x 105mm.) Title red ruled, each part with separate title all dated 1684, 3pp. publisher's advertisements to rear. (Occasional pencil highlighting, corner loss to F4 and I1, text unaffected, marginal damp-staining to O1-P2, blanks replaced.) Early 19th century blind-stamped calf, gilt lettering to spine (rebacked, rubbing to extremities, endpapers replaced). Provenance: W.H. Herford (bookplate to front pastedown).

[TRUSLER, John.] Proverbs in Verse, or Moral Instruction Conveyed in Pictures, for the Use in Schools: On the Plan of Hogarth moralized. London: I. Souter, [circa 1817.] 12mo (168 x 101mm.) Wood engraved vignette to title, 93 wood engraved illustrations and vignettes by John Bewick, 4pp. advertisements to rear. (Toning, cracked at initial blank.) Later boards with hand-written paper label mounted to upper cover (endpapers replaced, joints splitting).

CHISWICK PRESS (publisher). Aesop's Fables. Embellished with One Hundred and Eleven Emblematical Devices. London: Chiswick Press by C. Whittingham, 1814. 32mo (122 x 69mm.) Wood-engraved vignette to title, 111 wood-engraved illustrations. (Toning.) Original printed boards (some fading, light rubbing). Provenance: W.H. Stephens (name inscribed to front pastedown and upper cover).

[BOREMAN, Thomas.] - Ange Denis MCQUIN. A Description of More than Three Hundred Animals, including Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, Serpents, and Insects. London: B. and R. Crosby and Co., 1812. New edition, 12mo (181 x 102mm.) Wood-engraved frontispiece and numerous wood-engraved illustrations. (Occasional spotting, half-title and title trimmed, toning, blanks replaced.) Late 19th century tree calf, gilt tendril borders, red morocco lettering piece to the spine, t.e.g. (rebacked, sunning to spine, endpapers replaced, some surface wear to front pastedown). Note: the lettering piece mistakenly has 'Bewick's Cuts'. However, as Iain Bain points out in 'Thomas Bewick: An Illustrated Record of His Life and Work', Bewick himself, in his memoir, criticised the quality of the cuts in this volume. This volume was originally published in the 1730's by Thomas Boreman.

CIVIL WAR. - [H.R.] Remarks on the Life and Death of the Fam'd Mr. Blood. London: by G. Smeeton, 1817. Reprint, 4to (199 x 151mm.) Copper engraved frontispiece of Thomas Blood with tissue-guard, 1 woodcut illustration in the text. (Toning, slight offsetting, some browning, in manuscript hand 'B.B.' has written five lines of genealogical notes on the margin of the first text leaf.) Contemporary marbled calf bound by Hatchards, triple gilt ruled, gilt turn-ins, t.e.g. (wear to spine panel, a few scratch marks, some give to upper cover). Note: Thomas Blood, who changed sides during the civil war, remembered for trying and failing to steal the crown jewels. Provenance: Blindon Blood, descendant (bookplate to front pastedown, and pencil name on title-page).

BINDING. - James THOMSON. The Seasons. London: James Wallis, 1805. New edition, 8vo (154 x 94mm.) Wood-engraved vignette to title, 9 wood-engraved plates by Bewick. (Toning.) Near contemporary brown straight-grain morocco, blind-tooled borders with large, densely in-filled scallop gilt corner-pieces to both covers, two black morocco lettering pieces to the spine, silk moiré pastedowns and endpapers, elaborate gilt turn-ins and rolling fleur-de-lys gilt borders to the endpapers, g.e. (light rubbing). Provenance: Isabella Tod (name inscribed to title-page).

VOLTAIRE, Francois-Marie Arouet de. Letters Concerning the English Nation. London: for C. Davis and A. Lyon, 1733. First edition, 8vo (197 x 121mm.) Publisher's advertisement leaf at A8, 18pp. index to rear, A4 and G3 cancels. (Occasional corner crease, toning to title, creasing and damp-stain to initial blank, browning to rear two blanks, some loss and rubbing to front pastedown.) Contemporary calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (minor loss to tail of spine, heavily rubbed to lower cover, a 'Press. Shelf No.' label to front pastedown). [Collates: [ii], A-S8, [ii]]. Note: published before the French edition in 1734, and Voltaire may have translated parts of this work himself. Known primarily for discussing Newton and the inspiration he found in falling fruit, but also for celebrating some aspects of English life, its literary culture, theatre, religious pluralism, and its enlightened approach to smallpox vaccination.

DIBDIN, Thomas Frognall. The Bibliomania; or, Book-Madness; containing some account of the History, Symptoms, and Cure of the Fatal Disease. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, 1809. First edition. Title in red and black with woodcut vignette from Pynson's 'Ship of Fools'. (Toning, spotting to first few leaves, front and rear blanks replaced.) [Bound with:] [DIBDIN, Thomas Frognall.] 'Mercurius Rusticus'. Bibliophobia. Remarks on the Present Languid and Depressed State of Literature and the Book Trade. In a Letter Addressed to the Author of Bibliomania. London: Henry Bohn, 1832. 8vo (217 x 124mm.) Errata slip to rear. (Lower margin of title cut, toning.) Mid-19th century half calf over buckram-covered boards (rubbing to extremities, endpapers replaced). Provenance: John Deakin Heaton, physician (bookplate to front pastedown and initials to both titles).

DICKENS, Charles. A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. London: Chapman and Hall, 1844. Sixth edition, 12mo (163 x 97mm.) Half-title printed in blue, title in red and blue, 4 hand-coloured plates by John Leech, 4 wood-engraved illustrations in the text. (Minor spotting to plate margins, occasional browning and offsetting, toning, lacking 2pp. of advertisements to rear.) Original brown cloth, blind-stamped with decorative gilt and lettering to upper cover and spine, g.e. (staining to upper cover, wear to spine ends with slight loss of cloth, some fading).

KEATS, John. The Eve of St. Agnes. London: Sampson Low, 1859. 8vo (194 x 125mm.) Numerous illustrations by Edward H. Wehnert, 1p. of publisher's advertisements to rear. (Toning.) Original jade morocco, blind-stamped and with gilt centre-piece to both covers (slight fading to spine). Note: the first separate edition of a Keats poem, apart from Endymion in 1818. It's based on the folk belief that if unmarried women perform certain rituals on the eve of St. Agnes day, then a vision or dream of their future husband will appear. Keats began writing the poem while staying in Chichester. Provenance: Mrs. M. Hogaboom Sharon (ink inscribed to initial blank).

DA VINCI, Leonardo. A Treatise on Painting. London: for I. and J. Taylor, 1796. New edition, 8vo (217 x 124mm.) Engraved portrait frontispiece, 29 engraved plates, including 7 folding, index to rear, 8pp. publisher's advertisements. (Lacks half-title, marginal damp-stain to R7-R8, occasional browning.) Modern red cloth (endpapers replaced). Provenance: M. Aubertino (ink name inscribed to title).

STOW, John. The Abridgement or Summarie of the English Chronicle, first collected by master John Stow, and after him augmented with sundry memorable Antiquities. London: E.H. Gentleman, for the Companie of Stationers, [1607]. Small 8vo (142 x 86mm.) Black letter, title with woodcut border, woodcut initials and ornaments. (Spotting to B8-C1, trimming and some soiling to margins, especially Cc1-Cc5, Ttl blank, pencil scoring throughout and annotations, blanks replaced, front blank loose, lacking A1, the blank(?)) 18th century calf (upper cover detached, worn). Provenance: John L. Bishop (bookplate to front pastedown).

BIBLE, In English. The Bible, That is, the Holy Scriptures conteined in the Olde and Newe Testament, Translated According to the Ebrew and Greeke, and conferred with the best translations in divers languages. London [i.e. Amsterdam:] by the Deputies of Christopher Barker, 1599 [but circa 1620's]. 4to (219 x 163mm.) General title with woodcut border, letterpress title with woodcut vignette, NT title within woodcut border, double-column Roman type with marginal notes in Roman, numerous woodcut illustrations in the text, tables to rear, colophon at rear leaf Rrr4 dated 1599. (Without Apocrypha, browning, occasional minor soiling, thin tape reinforcement at letterpress title, blanks to front and rear replaced.) 18th century calf, later red morocco lettering piece to spine (rebacked, few scratches, later endpapers). Note: not all of the previous errors of the earlier Geneva variants are here corrected. This suggests a publication date closer to 1599 than to 1630. Song of Solomon v.3. is still 'defile'; Isaiah xxx. 32. has 'harps' not 'beards' and so is corrected but Isaiah xxxvi. 12. has 'dung'. Also with Esther i.1: 'Seven and/ twenty provinces'. This copy also omits the second line in Eccles iv. 9: 'Two are better [than one: for they have better] wages for their labour'. Provenance: Mary Everard (name inscribed to first initial blank). [Herbert 251].

BIBLE, In English. The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ… Being the First Translation From the Greek into English, by that Eminent Scholar and Martyr, William Tyndale. London: Samuel Bagster, 1836. 8vo (194 x 123mm.) Portrait frontispiece of Tyndale. (Toning, spotting to margins and verso the frontispiece.) Near contemporary brown straight-grain morocco (light rubbing).