Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

TOPLEY, William. The Geology of the Weald. London: for H.M.S.O., 1875. First edition, 8vo (248 x 150mm.) 7 plates, including 2 hand-coloured lithographed folding maps. (Browning to preliminaries, toning.) Near contemporary red cloth (sunned to spine, wear to spine ends). - And a further thirty-nine volumes relating to geology and fossils (including Richard Owen's 'A History of British Fossil Mammals, and Birds', 1846, 8vo, and Edward Pidgeon's 'The Fossil Remains of the Animal Kingdom', [1830], 8vo). Provenance: by descent, from the estate of Rendel Williams (40).

KING, Clarence. - Arnold HAGUE and S.F. EMMONS. Descriptive Geology. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1877. Vol. 2 [of 7], 'United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel', 4to (292 x 226mm.) 26 tinted lithographed plates. (Marginal tear to p.280, toning, light spotting to preliminaries.) Original blue cloth (damp-spotting to covers, wear to extremities). Provenance: Clarence King (compliments slip mounted to front pastedown); L.R. Wager, geologist (name inscribed to front-free endpaper). - And a further nineteen volumes related to geological and geographic surveys of the United States (including volume 6 of Clarence King's Survey: Ferdinand Zirkel's 'Microscopical Petrography', 1876, 4to). Provenance: by descent, from the estate of Rendel Williams (20).

PLATEARIUS, Matthaues. - M. MOLEIRO (editor). Libro de Los Medicamentos Simples. Barcelona: M. Moleiro, 2000. Limited edition, this being number 182 of 987 copies, 4to (358 x 257mm.) Numerous colour illustrations in facsimile, with commentary volume. Original brown morocco, decorative gilt to covers, g.e., in brown morocco-covered solander box. Note: 'The Book of Simple Medicines' was based on a French translation of the mid-12th century compendium by Matthaues Platearius and with material added over the next three hundred years. It is kept in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg (2).

DUTTON, Clarence E. Atlas to Accompany the Monograph on the Tertiary History of the Grand Canon District. Washington: Department of the Interior, 1882, folio (506 x 421mm.) Title, 22 double-paged lithographed plates, including 12 geologic maps, 11 in colour, and 10 colour or tinted lithographed views of the Grand Canyon drawn by William H. Holmes and Thomas Moran, 1p. 'List of Atlas Sheets'. (Toning.) Original black cloth, gilt lettering to upper cover (rubbing to all extremities). Provenance: L.R. Wager, geologist (name inscribed to initial blank); by descent, from the estate of Rendel Williams.

GOULD, John. Birds of Great Britain. Melbourne: Hill House, 1990. Volume 1 (only), folio (539 x 365mm.) Numerous facsimile colour illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original red cloth, original box.

ARCHITECTURE. - Victor BALTARD and Felix CALLET. Monographie des Halles Centrales de Paris Construites Sous le Règne de Napoléon III. Paris: A. Morel, 1863. Elephant folio (452 x 603mm.) Half title, title, 17 loose leaves of text, 29 loose steel-engraved plates, including 5 double-paged and 1 triple-paged. (Some spotting to 3 plates, minor spotting to 2, some marginal damp-staining.) Original printed wrappers (creasing to margins), contemporary cloth-backed portfolio with marbled paper-covered boards (worn). Note: a monograph on the great market hall in Paris constructed of iron and glass. Provenance: Birmingham Architectural Association (paper label mounted to upper cover and stamp to upper wrapper).

ELIOT, George. Scenes of Clerical Life. London: Macmillan and Co., 1906. 8vo (178 x 118mm.) 16 colour plates by Hugh Thomson and numerous black and white illustrations in the text. (Toning, occasional mild spotting.) Original green pictorial cloth, g.e. (rebacked with original spine laid-down). - And a further sixteen literary works illustrated by Hugh Thomson, R. Caldecott and Joseph Pennell (including Mary Russell Mitford's 'Our Village', 1893, 8vo) (17).

AUSTEN, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London: George Allen, 1894. First 'Peacock' edition, 8vo (179 x 115mm.) Numerous illustrations in the text by Hugh Thomson. (Toning, occasional spotting, lacking half-title.) Original green pictorial cloth, g.e. (light rubbing to extremities, some spine lean).

[TOLSTOY, Leo.] Count Lyof N. TOLSTOI. War and Peace… from the Russian by Nathan Haskell Dole. London: Walter Scott, [1889.] 4 vols., first UK edition, 8vo (184 x 120mm.) 4pp. publisher's advertisements to rear of each volume, publisher's note tipped-in to front of volumes 1 and 2. (Spotting to pastedowns and endpapers, toning.) Original blue cloth, gilt ornaments and lettering to upper covers and spines (some wear to spine ends, especially to volume 2, scuffing, minor staining to spines). Note: the first UK edition, based on Nathan Haskell Dole's American translation of the same year but without his preface. Provenance: Henry Burdett, financier and philanthropist (name stamped to all front-free endpapers) (4).

MANUSCRIPT. A Thanks-Giving Sermon. [N.p.: circa 1746.] 26pp., manuscript, 12mo (159 x 97mm.) Unnumbered pages in a single, legible hand being a sermon in praise of God for his intercession in the downfall of the last Jacobite rising of 1745. (Occasional spotting, minor chipping.) Original wrappers, title in manuscript to upper cover (stained). Note: the writer offers fervent praise to God for suppressing 'the late unnatural rebellion' by the Jacobite Charles Edward Stuart. He also sees the death of the King of Spain and the recent military victories of the King of Sardinia ('Our firm friend and ally') as proof that God is supporting 'His Majesty and his allies' in the ongoing war against the French ('a haughty tyrannical people (I say) who have ruined many other countries as well as their own'. - And a further three volumes (including a Bible in Greek 'He Kaine Diatheke. Novum Testamentum', 1752, 12mo, and an early 19th century Common Place Book) (3).

MANUSCRIPT. Remembrances for Order and Decency to be kept in the Upper House of Parliament by the Lords when his Majesty is not there. [N.p.: circa 1730.] 75pp., manuscript, 8vo (187 x 119mm.) A detailed guide to Parliamentary protocol, especially the House of Lords, written in a single legible hand on paper with red borders, 28pp. blank to rear and a 2pp. index of subjects, with marginal annotations in the same hand. (Toning.) Contemporary red morocco with the Royal coat-of-arms in gilt with a chain-link border and repeating fleur-de-lis within another gilt border, gilt turn-ins, g.e. (some loss to top of spine, rubbing to extremities). Note: contains detail on rolls of standing orders, the duties of Lord Chancellor, the King's Privy Council, the passing of bills and also a section on the proroguing of parliament.

MANUSCRIPT. [A book of original hand-coloured botanical watercolours with hand-written descriptions. N.p.: circa 1900.] 246pp., 8vo (177 x 115mm.) 226 hand-drawn and coloured botanical watercolours on numbered leaves, recto only, 6pp. hand-written botanical description and classification, 70pp. blank to rear, 13pp. bound-in hand-written index of names. (Toning to margins, an 'Order' stamp to every leaf.) Contemporary black morocco (worn). Note: the 'Order' stamp suggests the collection was put together for retail purposes.

MANUSCRIPT. A Tour from Rotterdam to Bergen opt Zoom, Antwerp, Mecklin, & Brussells [sic]. [Brussels: N.p.:] June 6th 1753. 31pp., manuscript, 8vo (206 x 158mm.) Hand-numbered pages in a single, densely written legible hand relating a tour of the Netherlands, including numerous military, cultural, religious, and architectural observations. (Toning, minor spotting, slight creasing.) Original wrappers, title in manuscript to upper cover (damp-stained, chipping to extremities). Note: a week-long tour undertaken by several members of the 'Browne' family. Having paid eleven guilders for the use of a 'yacht' the writer records in meticulous detail the fortifications of various cities, noting that Bergen op Zoom had been taken by the French 'six or seven years hence' and, although much of it rebuilt, retained 'marks of violence'. He learns the manner of 'springing a mine' and notes the architecture of fortification. There are many visits to churches, nunneries and monasteries, many abounding in paintings by Rubens. He is especially struck by seeing Rubens' 'Elevation of the Cross'. In Brussels (where much 'bigotry abounds') he is impressed by the beer ('the best table beer…that we met anywhere'), and describes the tapestries and a visit to where they were made. It's a busy tour with considerable detail. At the ends he admits they'd hired a man in each city ('for two shillings a day') to be their tour guide.

MANUSCRIPT. Recollections of a Course of Lectures on Familiar Philosophy delivered by Dean Walker Esq. at Fulham in May and June 1815 by The Young Ladies at Miss Ball & Mrs Baird's School, Little Chelsea. [N.p.: circa 1815.] 150pp., manuscript, 8vo (220 x 182mm.) Calligraphic title, 135pp. of hand-written, unnumbered leaves in a legible hand relating a course of 12 lectures on scientific subjects, 15pp. of hand-drawn objects showing experiments relating to and referenced by the text. (Browning, occasional spotting.) Contemporary black morocco-backed boards (worn). Note: the lecture headings are 'On Matter and Magnetism', 'Mechanics', 'Chymistry', 'Pneumatics' x 2, 'Hydrostatics', 'Electricity', 'Galvanism', 'Optics', and 'Astronomy' x 3. The description of 'Galvanism' describes Luigi Galvini's experiments with dead frogs, reanimating their muscles with an electrical current- the experiment that influenced Mary Shelley in writing 'Frankenstein'. There are fairly detailed descriptions of experiments, such as the test for chalk in the water of the Thames, the diving bell sent to the bottom of the ocean, the changing effect of the light as seen from a balloon, plus a long description of the moon- 'our satellite'- its phases and the nature of an 'annular eclipse…caused by the moon passing so near the sun to obscure it's body except a ring of fire around it, and for this reason it is called annular'. Provenance: Edward Cleasby (name-plate to front pastedown).

HADDON, Walter. Poematum Gvalteri Haddoni, Legum Doctoris, Sparsim Collectorum, Libri Duo. London: Richard Yardley and Peter Short, 1592. Small 8vo (146 x 78mm.) Engraved device to title-page, Roman and italic letter. (Occasional soiling, corner creases throughout, lacking blanks?) Near contemporary sewn wrappers (creasing, minor soiling, near contemporary manuscript notes verso the wrappers). Note: first edition was published in 1567. Walter Haddon served under three monarchs, including Queen Elizabeth I, for whom he wrote a reply to Jerome Osorio da Fonesco, the Portuguese historian and priest who had exhorted Elizabeth to return to the Catholic church. This, and Haddon's reply, became known as the most significant religious polemical exchange in the second half of the sixteenth century. Haddon is less known for his lyrical Latinate poetry.

[TUKE, Richard.] Memoires of the Life and Death of Sir Edmondbury Godfrey, late Justice of the Peace for Middlesex, who was Barbarously Murthered by the Papists upon the first Discovery of the Horrid Plot. London: John Hancock, 1682. First edition, 8vo (148 x 90mm.) Engraved portrait frontispiece by Van Hove, advertisement leaf to rear. (Chipping to margins of frontispiece, A1-B8 detached, spotting, browning, marginal damp-staining from G2-K2.) Contemporary calf (surface rubbing). [ESTC, R40676].

MANUSCRIPT. [Three exercise books containing hand-written copies of letters from a woman to her sister. N.p.: 1819-1820.] 3 vols., 150pp., manuscript, 8vo (228 x 180mm.) Copies of letters sent from 'E.P.' to her sister 'Jane', mainly relating to a tour of Scotland and the north of England, written in a single partly legible hand, with occasional redactions in ink. (Toning.) Original wrappers (minor rubbing, slight corner creasing). Note: with a breathless enthusiasm, the writer sounds like a young woman experiencing things for the first time, reconstructing the interesting and the prosaic with equal passion. She describes landscape, wildlife, churches, a Shakespeare performance ('the display of fireworks in the closing scene was beyond…'), all with wonderment, often diverting from 'the object of my narration'. There are some social occasions, with hosts and others, some breakfasts with suitors ('but do not ask if my head was turned') (3).

HAMILTON, William. Observations on Mount Vesuvius, Mount Etna, and Other Volcanos: in a Series of Letters, Addressed to the Royal Society. London: T. Cadell, 1774. New edition, 8vo (193 x 120mm.) 5 engraved plates, 1 folding engraved map. (Toning, a three-inch tear to map.) Early 19th century tree calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (light rubbing to extremities). Note: the first edition was published in 1772. Provenance: by descent, from the estate of Rendel Williams.

GEOLOGY. - George Poulett SCROPE. Considerations on Volcanos… leading to the Establishment of a New Theory of the Earth. London: W. Phillips, 1825. First edition, 8vo (228 x 139mm.) 2 folding engraved plates with outline hand-colouring. (Lacking uncoloured plate, toning, browning, spotting to rear, sometimes heavy, some marginal annotations, burnt fore-edge.) Near contemporary blue paper-covered boards, later paper label mounted to spine (rebacked, heavily rubbed, soiling to boards). Provenance: A. Raistrick (bookplate to front-free endpaper and stamp to rear pastedown); by descent, from the estate of Rendel Williams.