Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

DICKENS, Charles. [The Christmas Books.] A Christmas Carol, in Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1860. Fourteenth edition, 8vo (163 x 94mm.) Etched hand-coloured frontispiece, half-title, title in red and blue. (Browned to margins, spotting to title, occasional browning and minor soiling.) Original red blind-stamped cloth, gilt wreath to upper cover, g.e. (chipped at top of spine, bumped to extremities, minor stains to covers). Provenance: W.H. Smith & Son Library (embossed stamp to half-title). - And a further four volumes comprising all the 'Christmas Books' (a first edition of 'The Battle of Life', 1846, 8vo, a thirteenth edition of 'The Chimes', 1845, 8vo, a twenty-second edition of 'The Cricket on the Hearth', 1846, 8vo and a first edition of 'The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain', 1848, 8vo) (5).

FERGUSON, James (prefaces). The British Essayists. With Prefaces, Biographical, Historical, and Critical. London: J. Richardson & Co., 1822-1823. 37 vols. (of 40). Second edition, 12mo (160 X 99mm.) Engraved frontispieces. (Spotting and offsetting to most preliminaries.) Near contemporary half calf over marbled paper-covered boards, red and black morocco lettering pieces to the spines (extremities bumped, some scuffing). Note: lacking volumes 2, 12 and 25 (37).

GIBBON, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. London: T. Cadell, 1820. 12 vols., new edition, 8vo (213 x 126mm.) 2 large folding engraved maps. (Browning, occasional spotting.) Contemporary calf, red and green morocco lettering pieces (spine ends worn, lower cover of vol. 1 detached, rubbing). Provenance: H.W.A. Harrison (bookplates to front pastedowns); Sarah Austen (ink name inscribed to front pastedown). - And a further twenty-five volumes (including William Robertson's complete works, 1804-1812, 8vo) (37).

SURGERY. - François THEVENIN. Les Oeuvres… Contenant un Traité des Operations de Chirurgie, un Traité des Tumeurs, & un Dictionaire Etymologique de mots Grecs servans à la Médecine. Paris: P. Rocolet and Damien Foucault, 1669. Second edition, 4to (239 x 174mm.) Title, engraved initials and headpieces, 27pp. 'Tables des Maladies' to rear. (Heavily browned, some spotting, marginal damp-staining from FFf-AAaa, blanks replaced.) 19th century half vellum, brown morocco lettering pieces to the spine (minor soiling, endpapers replaced). - And a further two volumes (including the second edition of John [Sharp's] 'Fifteen Sermons Preached on Several Occasions', 1701, 8vo) (3).

SOCIETY OF PHYSICIANS. Medical Observations and Inquiries. London: William Johnston, 1762. Vol. 2 (only), 8vo (205 x 122mm.) 4 folding engraved plates, 10pp. index to rear. (Browning throughout, marginal damp-staining to first leaves, lacking blanks.) 20th century brown half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, black morocco lettering piece to the spine. Note: contains on pp. 369-372 John Bard's letter to Dr. John Fothergill on 'A Case of an extra-uterine foetus', being the first appearance of references to abdominal operations for extrauterine pregnancy in America. Provenance: Miss Wheeler, South London Hospital (ink inscription to front pastedown).

[DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.] The London Magazine: or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer. For January, 1776. London: R. Baldwin, 1776. 20 engraved plates, 5 engraved maps, 4 folding. (Lacking leaves pp.557-618 ['November'], light browning, occasional minor spotting.) [Bound with:] The Lady's Magazine… for April 1778. London: for G. Robinson, 1778. (Minor chipping to margins, light browning.) 8vo (211 x 123mm.) Near contemporary half calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (rubbing to spine and extremities). Note: an early printing of the American Declaration of Independence on p.448 ['August'].

TRINIDAD. - Walter RALEIGH. The Discovery of the Large, Rich, and Beautiful Empire of Guiana… edited… by Robert H. Schomburg. London: for the Hakluyt Society, 1848. 8vo (213 x 135mm.) Half-title, folding lithographed map of Raleigh's voyage from Trinidad to Lower Orinoco. (Toning, some spotting to map.) Later blue cloth, gilt reference number to spine (extremities bumped, old adhesive mark to upper cover).

AFRICA. - John Reynell MORRELL. Algeria: The Topography and History, Political, Social, and Natural, of French Africa. London: Nathaniel Cooke, 1854. First edition, 8vo (212 x 133mm.) Folding map, 11 lithographed plates, illustrations in the text. (Several plates with light to moderate spotting and to endpapers, toning.) Contemporary full calf, green morocco lettering piece to the spine (lightly rubbed). Provenance: Montague Hanley (gift inscribed from verso frontispiece); Frederick Festus Holly (gift inscribed to verso frontispiece).

MAPS. - S.T. BLOOMFIELD (editor). The History of Thucydides. Newly Translated into English, and Illustrated with Very Copious Annotations, Exegetical, Philological, Historical, and Geographical. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green, 1829. 3 vols., 8vo (222 x 128mm.) 6 engraved maps, including 2 folding. (Browning and spotting to preliminaries and to maps, and damp-staining to 'Sicily' map in vol. 3.) Near contemporary brown half calf, morocco lettering pieces to spines (light rubbing to extremities). Note: scarce (3).

CUBA. - [John GIBSON.] The Universal Museum; or, Gentleman's & Ladies Polite Magazine of History, Politicks and Literature for 1762. London: 1762, 8vo (206 x 133mm.) 4 engraved maps, 3 folded, including John Gibson's 'A New Map of the Island of Cuba', plates. (Toning, marginal and fold crease to 'Havana' map, slight crease along fold to John Gibson map, lacking 'February', pp.65-128.) Contemporary half calf (covers detached). Note: contains a map of Jamaica, 'A Correct Plan of the City and Harbour of Havana', 'A Plan of the Havanna with the Different Attacks in the Siege 1762', and John Gibson's 'A New Map of the Island of Cuba'. Provenance: In. Stephenson (bookplate to front pastedown). - And a further volume of 'The Universal Museum', 1763, 8vo (2).

BINDINGS. - Honoré de BALZAC. Oeuvres Complètes… Paris: Alexandre Houssiaux, 1855-1874. 20 vols., 8vo (208 x 123mm.) Lithographed plates. (Spotting to preliminaries and last leaves, moderate and occasionally heavy spotting within, some damp-staining and pencil annotation to vol. 15.) Near contemporary black half morocco, gilt rosettes to spines with inlaid red morocco petals (some covers heavily rubbed). Provenance: William Thomas Rabbits (bookplate to front pastedowns); Pauline Birkinshaw (ink ownership name to upper margin of the bookplate) (20).

INDIA. - Godfrey Charles MUNDY. Pen and Pencil Sketches, Being the Journal of a Tour in India. London: John Murray, 1833. 2 vols., second edition, 8vo (216 x 130mm.) 16 engraved plates, 1 folding engraved map with outline hand-colouring. (Browning to all plates and map, offsetting.) Mid-20th century maroon full morocco, gilt borders, g.e. (light rubbing). Provenance: Lewis Guy Phillips (ink inscribed from on the front-free endpaper); Frederick Lyon (ink inscribed to on the front-free endpaper). - And a further fifteen volumes (including Robert B. Minturn Jr.'s 'From New York to Delhi by Way of Rio de Janeiro, Australia, and China', 1858, 8vo) (17).

STRAUSS, Richard and Hugo von HOFMANNSTHAL. Elektra. London, New York, Sydney etc.: Boosey & Hawkes, 1943. Signed and inscribed by Richard Strauss to Sir Thomas Beecham on the initial blank, large 8vo (272 x 186mm.) (Spotting to endpapers). Original cloth-backed boards, gilt initials 'R.S' to upper cover (minor spotting to cloth, slight weakening to inner hinge and minor discolouring to covers). Note: the inscription reads: 'Sir Thomas Beecham, dem treuer Freund und genialer interpreten meiner Werke, in grosslen Dankbarkeit und Bewunderung, Richard Strauss, London 24.10.47' [ Sir Thomas Beecham, the faithful friend and genius interpreter of my work, with deep gratitude and admiration, Richard Strauss, London, 24.10.47.] On the 19th February 1910, Thomas Beecham conducted the U.K. premiere of 'Elektra' at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. It began many decades of collaboration between them. Nearly forty years later, and a few days before inscribing this book Richard Strauss had attended the Strauss Festival in London - which Beecham had organised. He'd recently undergone and been 'cleared' by the 'denazification' process in Germany and Strauss felt enormous gratitude to Beecham for his support and the festival was to become crucial in the post-war acceptance of Strauss and his work. Provenance: Sir Thomas Beecham (ink ownership stamps to pastedowns reading 'The Property of Sir Thomas Beecham').

RACKHAM, Arthur (illustrator). - [Charles Lutwidge DODGSON.] 'Lewis Carroll'. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland… With a Proem by Austin Dobson. London: William Heinemann, [1907]. First trade edition, 8vo (202 x 153mm.) Half-title, 13 colour plates with captioned tissue-guards, numerous illustrations. (Toning, occasional very minor spotting.) Original green cloth, pictorial gilt to upper cover (some fading to spine). Provenance: B.H. Waite (name inscribed verso frontispiece).

CHILDREN'S BOOKS. - Florence K. and Bertha UPTON. The Golliwogg in War! London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1899. Oblong folio (214 x 273mm.) Title, 31 coloured plates. (Toning, occasional browning, large tear to rear endpaper.) Original red cloth-backed pictorial boards (extremities rubbed, finger-marks to covers). - And four further volumes, three by Florence Upton (including 'The Golliwogg at the Sea-Side', 1898, oblong folio, and 'The Adventures of Two Dolls', [circa 1895], oblong folio), and S. Rosamond Praeger's 'Further Doings of the Three Bold Babies', 1898, oblong folio (5).

[DODGSON, Charles Lutwidge.] 'Lewis Carroll'. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. London: Macmillan and Co., 1897. 'People's Edition', small 8vo (181 x 115mm.) Illustrations by John Tenniel, 3pp. publisher's advertisements to rear. (Spotting throughout.) Original green pictorial cloth (slight fading to spine, light rubbing). - And a further eleven volumes (including Lewis Carroll's 'Through the Looking-Glass', 1897, small 8vo, and Guy Boothby's 'The Fascination of the King', 1897, 8vo) (12).

NISTER, Ernest and E.P. DUTTON (publishers). Peeps into Fairy Land, a Panorama Picture Book of Fairy Stories. London and New York: Ernest Nister and E.P. Dutton & Co., [1896.] 6 colour pop-up dioramas. (Lacking front-free endpaper, 1 pop-up detached from hinges, marginal tear to last leaf, occasional finger-marking.) Original pictorial cloth-backed boards (rubbing to extremities, upper hinge weakened).

GROLIER SOCIETY, The (publisher). Beaux and Belles of England. London: The Grolier Society, [1900.] 29 vols., 'Edition de Luxe' limited to 1000 copies, 8vo (223 x 142mm.) Colour frontispieces, numerous plates with captioned tissue-guards. (Light spotting.) Near contemporary crimson morocco, decorative gilt to upper covers and spines, gilt turn-ins, t.e.g. (sunning to spines, light rubbing). Provenance: Phyllis Bryant ('Book Society' bookplate with ink ownership name to front pastedowns) (29).

MARSH & MILLER (publisher). The Zoological Keepsake; or, Zoology, and The Garden and Museum of the Zoological Society for the Year 1830. London: Marsh and Miller, [1829.] 12mo (152 x 89mm.) Wood-engraved frontispiece and 21 plates, 1 double-paged, 7 illustrations in the text. (Occasional browning.) Original salmon-pink silk, pictorial and black lettering to covers and spine, g.e. (spine faded, some loss to cloth of lower cover and rubbing to upper cover). Note: scarce. Provenance: Thomas Forster (ink name inscribed to front-free endpaper). - And a further thirteen miscellaneous volumes (including Jonathan Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels' in Jones's 'Diamond Classics' series, 1826, 16mo) (14).