Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

SIGNED BOOKS. - George Macdonald FRASER. Flashman on the March. London: HarperCollins, 2005. First edition, first impression, signed by the author, 8vo (234 x 148mm.) Signed by author to a mounted plate on title-page. (Mild toning.) Original red cloth, dust-jacket. - And a further thirty-seven volumes of contemporary fiction, all signed (including Ralph Steadman's 'Garibaldi's Biscuits', 2008, 4to, but the slipcase edition of Peter Nicholls' 'One Day', 2009, 8vo, is unsigned) (38).

SIGNED BOOKS. - Geoff HURST. 1966 and All That. London: Headline, 2001. Limited edition, this being number 1075 of 1100 copies signed by Geoff Hurst, 8vo (233 x 146mm.) Photographic illustrations. (Toning.) Original blue cloth, g.e., slipcase. Note: includes a signed print celebrating publication of the book. - And a further twenty-six volumes related to sport, all signed (including George Best's 'Scoring at Half-Time', 2003, 8vo) (27).

SIGNED BOOKS. - Charles BRONSON. Loonyology. Clacton-on-Sea: Apex Publishing Ltd., 2008. First edition, signed by Charles Bronson, 8vo (228 x 152mm.) Photographic illustrations. (Crease to first text leaf, toning.) Original black cloth (spine ends bumped), dust-jacket (rubbed to extremities). Note: signed on a mounted paper slip that reads: 'www.freebronson.co.uk (join the fight), Charles Bronson, 2008'. - And a further thirty-two volumes related to crime, all signed (including a book inscribed by Ronnie Kray, being Stephen B. Oates' 'To Purge This Land With Blood', 1970, 8vo, and Frankie Fraser and James Morton's book 'Mad Frank's London', 2001, 8vo, signed by 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, and another volume inscribed by Charles Bronson and signed by its author, Bob Mee's 'Bare Fists', 1998, 8vo, including a Certificate of Authenticity relating to the signatures of both Bob Mee and Charles 'Bronson' Salvador) (33).

SIGNED BOOKS. - Colin MACKENZIE. Biggs, the World's Most Wanted Man. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1975. First U.S. edition, signed and inscribed by Ronnie Biggs, 8vo (208 x 132mm.) (Mild toning.) Original black cloth-backed boards (slight spine lean, fading to spine, lightly rubbed). Note: the inscription reads: 'Piers, May you write a better book than this one! Best wishes- especially for the future! Ron Biggs, Rio de Janeiro 1977'. Provenance: 'Piers' (gift inscribed to by Ronnie Biggs verso the half-title); John Cushman Associates (name-plate on the front-free endpaper). - And a further twenty-six volumes related to crime, all signed (including Ronnie Biggs' 'Odd Man Out', signed in Rio, 1994, 8vo, and Bruce Reynolds' 'Crossing the Line', 2003, 8vo) (27).

DULAC, Edmund (illustrator). The Sleeping Beauty and other fairy tales… retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1981. 4to (253 x 187mm.) 30 tipped-in colour plates with tissue-guards. Original brown morocco, gilt decorated, g.e., slipcase (minor rubbing to corners). - And a further thirty-one volumes, most illustrated (including J.M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan and Wendy' illustrated by Mabel Lucie Attwell, 1979, 4to, and a signed copy [limited edition, being number 3 of 1025 copies] of J.B. Priestley's 'Angel Pavement', 1930, 8vo) (32).

WHISTLER, Laurence and Ronald FULLER. The Work of Rex Whistler. London: Batsford, 1960. First edition, 4to (299 x 220mm.) Numerous illustrations. (Toning, occasional minor spotting.) Original green cloth, gilt decoration to upper cover, dust-jacket (faint spotting to upper panel, creasing at top of spine). - And a further thirty-seven volumes (including Barbara Jones' 'Follies and Grottoes', 1953, 8vo, and fifteen Shell Guides) (38).

HICKS, David. On Living - With Taste. London: Leslie Frewin, 1968. First edition, 4to (306 x 232mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations. (Toning.) Original turquoise cloth (lightly bumped), dust-jacket (toned). - And a further six volumes by David Hicks (including 'On Decoration - With Fabrics', 1971, 4to, and 'On Decoration - 5', 1972, 4to) (7).

ART REFERENCE. - Mark LAIRD and Alicia WEISBERG-ROBERTS (editors). Mrs. Delany & Her Circle. London and New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009. First edition, 4to (289 x 240mm.) Numerous illustrations. (Toning.) Original black cloth, dust-jacket. - And a further thirty-one volumes relating to art reference and interiors (including 'The First Georgians, Art & Monarchy 1714-1760', 2014, 4to, edited by Desmond Shawe-Taylor, and Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel's 'The Gilbert Collection, Micromosaics', 2000, 4to) (32).

COUNTRY HOUSES. - Eileen HARRIS. The Country Houses of Robert Adam. London: Aurum Press Limited, 2007. First edition, 4to (305 x 248mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original black cloth, dust-jacket. - And a further forty volumes relating to country houses (including Roger White's 'Cottages Ornés', 2017, 4to) (41).

NICHOLSON, William. An Alphabet. London: William Heinemann, 1898. 'Library Edition', folio (400 x 317mm.) Title with publisher's device in colour, 26 colour lithographed plates on wove paper tipped-in with brown backing sheets. (Lacking advertisement at rear, minor discolouring and fading to the backing sheets, letter 'V' with marginal creasing, letter 'D' loosening.) Original cloth (worn). Provenance: Hugh Charles Knowles (bookplate to the front pastedown).

[SHAKESPEARE, William.] The Tragedy of Macbeth. [London: by Thomas Cotes for Richard Hawkins, 1632. Second folio.] Single leaf (303 x 191mm.) Single leaf pp.161-162, being the entrance of Banquo's ghost to the banquet in Act III, scene 4. (Occasional browning.) Mounted under glass in a double-sided black painted wooden frame (toning and minor spotting to the mount).

CHEESMAN, Thomas (engraver). Six Heads. London: T. Cheesman, 1797. Folio (539 x 365mm.) 6 stipple-engraved plates of female heads with tissue-guards. (Damp-stain to upper right corner, image affected, small marginal tears, minor chipping.) Original blue wrappers, paper label mounted to upper wrapper (chipping to margins, corner creasing, small tears). Note: rare, no copies found. Cheesman worked under the engraver Francesco Bartolozzi when the Italian was working in London. He is known especially for his engraving of John Trumball's portrait of George Washington.

STERNE, Laurence. The Works. Dublin: Thomas Armitage, 1774. 7 vols. 12mo (168 x 96mm.) 3 engraved frontispieces to vols. 1-3 including the portrait of Sterne, and 6 engraved title-pages to vols. 2-7, original blanks. (Browning, toning, spotting to preliminaries.) Contemporary calf, red morocco lettering pieces to the spines (rebacked, light rubbing). Provenance: R.F. Brandt (small stamp to blanks of vols. 4 and 5). - And a further three volumes relating to Laurence Sterne (including 'The Posthumous Works of Laurence Sterne', 1770, 8vo, and Percy Fitzgerald's 'The Life of Laurence Sterne', 2 vols., 1896, 8vo) (10).

STERNE, Laurence. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. London: W. Strahan, J. Dodsley et al., 1782. 6 vols., new edition, 8vo (159 x 97mm.) 6 engraved frontispieces. (Offsetting to titles, toning, browning.) Contemporary calf with red and green morocco and onlaid lettering pieces to the spines (light rubbing). Provenance: R.F.W. Brandt (small stamps to front-free endpapers). - And a further two volumes by Laurence Sterne bound in the same style ('A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy by Mr. Yorick', 2 vols., 1780) (8).

[DEFOE, Daniel.] The Life, Remarkable Adventures and Pyracies of Captain Singleton: Containing an Account of his being set on Shore in the Island of Madagascar. London: F. Noble et al., 1768. Third edition, 12mo (163 x 94mm.) 1p. publisher's advertisements to rear. (Blanks replaced, occasional browning.) Near contemporary calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (endpapers replaced). Provenance: Richard Best (name inscribed to title). - And a further four volumes (including Ben Jonson's 'Epicoene: or, The Silent Woman', 1732, 12mo, and T. Smollet's 'The Adventures of Roderic Random', 2 vols., [1793], 12mo) (5).

[STORER, J.S.] The Antiquarian Itinerary, Comprising Specimens of Architecture, Monastic, Castellated, and Domestic. London: W.M. Clarke, 1815-1818. 7 vols., 12mo (158 x 95mm.) Numerous engraved plates, wood-engraved illustrations in the text. (Browning and offsetting, spotting to plate margins and verso, some pencil annotation, ink name crossed-out on initial blanks.) Contemporary green half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, two red morocco lettering pieces to the spines (some loss to spine of volume 2, wear to top of spines, light rubbing). - And a further nine volumes (including Richard Burton's 'The Anatomy of Melancholy', 3 vols., 1904, 8vo) (16).

[BUSSY-RABUTIN, Roger de and Courtilz DE SANDRAS et al.] La France Galante; ou Histoires Amoureuses de la Cour sous le Regne de Louis XIV. Cologne: [Amsterdam: 1737.] 2 vols. 12mo (131 x 70mm.) 8 engraved plates, 12pp. publisher's catalogue to rear of vol. 2. (Toning.) Near contemporary calf, red and black morocco lettering pieces to the spines (light rubbing, endpapers replaced). Note: reveals all the intrigue and scandal of the court of Louis XIV. In volume 2, p.99, is the plate showing the King watching his son- the Count of Vermandois- being flogged for his membership of a brotherhood of homosexuals. Provenance: Richard Chase Sidney (armorial bookplate to the front pastedown); Edward Milner (armorial bookplate to the front-free endpaper). - And a further volume, also published in Amsterdam ('Histoires Francoises Galantes et Comiques', 1712, 12mo) (3).

FERRIAR, John. Illustrations of Sterne: with Other Essays and Verses. London: for Cadell and Davies, 1812. 2 vols. Second edition, signed by the author, 8vo (192 x 120mm.) 2pp. of later manuscript notes bound-in. (Browning throughout, some spotting, minor soiling, some pencil annotation, newspaper cutting mounted to rear pastedown of volume 1.) Near contemporary boards (some spine loss, soiling, upper cover of vol. 1 loosening). Note: signed by John Ferriar on the half-title 'from the author'. Provenance: Amicable Society, Lancaster (labels to front pastedowns); R.F.W. Brandt (small stamps to initials blanks). - And a further nine volumes (including [Tobias Smollet's] 'The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle', 4 vols., 1778, 8vo, 12mo) (11).

[SALLENGRE, Albert-Henri de.] 'Boniface Oinophilus'. Ebrietatis Encomium: or, The Praise of Drunkenness. Wherein Is authentically, and most evidently proved, The Necessity of frequently getting Drunk; and, That the Practice of getting Drunk is most Antient, Primitive, and Catholic. London: E. Curll, 1723. First edition, 12mo (161 x 90mm.) Engraved frontispiece. (Light to moderate browning, occasional spotting, lacking initial blank, tape repair to frontispiece, occasional pencil annotation, two quotes in manuscript hand mounted to rear pastedown and verso rear blank.) Contemporary calf, red morocco lettering piece to spine (upper cover detached with frontispiece adhering, light rubbing). Note: E. Curll, a bookseller, publisher and friend to Alexander Pope was arrested and jailed for publishing scandalous books such as this one. Curll defended himself by pointing out that 'the bare Reading over the title-page would convince any intelligent person of its irony'. Provenance: R.F.W. Brandt (stamp to title-page and front pastedown).