Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

SOUTH AMERICA. - Roberto GERSTMANN. Bolivia. Paris: Braun & Co., 1928. First edition, 4to (295 x 236mm.) Introduction by F. Ahlfeld in English, German and Spanish, 150 heliogravure plates, 1 map. (Mild toning, marginal tear to plate 1.) Original suede-covered boards, gilt lettering and design to upper cover (some fading to covers, lightly bumped), dust-jacket (some loss to spine ends and a closed tear, lower panel with tear to upper margin), original slipcase (browned, minor staining). Note: scarce in the dust-jacket. Gerstmann was an Austrian born photographer who travelled to Bolivia in the mid-1920's. He spent most of the rest of his life in South America and died in Chile in 1964. Gerstmann was employed by a German-owned tin mining company and he took many photographs of mine workers and the tin-mining industry. The images in this book are mainly of the locals, the agricultural workers, and the landscape.

FORGERY. - [Icilio Federico JONI. A pair of book covers in the Renaissance style, or 'Tavolette di Biccherna'. N.p.: circa late 19th century, early 20th.] Italian giltwood and tempera, upper cover with two celestial figures, possibly Christ and archangel Michael above a scene from a notary office with ten figures and a centre-panel with eight coat-of-arms, below that the names of tax officials from the dated period 1467-1468 and four further coat-of-arms, the lower cover with a Christogram and elaborate art nouveau floral surround and three Sienese coat-of-arms, a leather binding joining them. (Some loss to gilt edges). Note: by the year 1459 the Commune of Siena had begun binding their accounts in leather, so Joni's inscription of 1467-1468 reveals his deception. In selling these as original Renaissance book covers, Joni also failed to recreate contemporary stitching. Nevertheless, he enjoyed some celebrity when he was unmasked, and continued to receive commissions for his bindings.

SLAVERY. The Debate on a Motion for the Abolition of the Slave-Trade, in the House of Commons on Monday and Tuesday April 18 and 19, 1791, Reported in Detail. London: James Phillips, 1792. Second edition, 8vo (185 x 116mm.) Title, 'Table of Reference', 1p. publisher's advertisement to rear. (Some chipping and dust-soiling to margins, several corner creases, title detached.) Stitched (spine lacking). Note: the last leaf p.133 shows the result of the motion: 'Noes' were 163, the ' Ayes' were 88. So the 'Majority against the Abolition… 75'. Provenance: Carnochan Bladnoch (ink name inscribed to title). [i-iv, 1-133, i-ii].

BINDINGS. - Winston S. CHURCHILL. The Second World War. London: Cassell & Co. Ltd., 1948-1952. 6 vols., first editions, first impressions, 8vo (212 x 133mm.) Numerous illustrations and folding maps. (Mild toning, blanks replaced.) 21st century green full morocco, red morocco lettering pieces to the second and fourth compartments, a repeating heraldic lion to the rest, t.e.g. (6).

BINDINGS. - Winston S. CHURCHILL. [The War Speeches.] London: Cassell & Company Ltd., 1941-1946. 7 vols., first editions, first impressions, 8vo (212 x 134mm.) Numerous plates. (Mild toning.) 21st century green half morocco, red morocco lettering pieces to the second and fourth compartments, a repeating heraldic lion to the rest, t.e.g. Note: comprising 'Into Battle', 'The Unrelenting Struggle', 'The End of the Beginning', 'Onward to Victory', 'The Dawn of Liberation', 'Victory' and 'Secret Session Speeches' (7).

BINDING. - Eleanor FARJEON. Martin Pippin in the Apple-Orchard. London: W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd., 1926. Seventh impression, 4to (228 x 169mm.) 5 colour plates by C.E. Brock mounted on card with tissue-guards. (Mild toning.) Contemporary brown full calf, pictorial gilt to upper cover, g.e. Note: contains a hand-written letter from the 'Editorial Dept.' of the publisher William Collins to 'a dear friend' saying that 'this copy of Martin Pippin is 'Special'- it's the only one that was ever bound like this. It was done as a sample for the late Sir Godfrey Collins- and I've had it in my office for some time. I'd love you to have it, bless you! I know you'll enjoy the get-up and the illustrations. Yours- John Rbs.' Provenance: Godfrey Collins, publisher (by reference of hand-written letter on publisher's headed note-paper). - And a further two volumes (including Algernon Swinburne's 'The Springtide of Life' illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 1918, 4to, and Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Poems', 1913, 4to, and a John Masefield poem 'Night After Night, a Great Star Blazed', printed on card and signed by the poet (4).

ROSSETTI, Christina. - Florence HARRISON (illustrator). Poems. London: Blackie and Son, [1910.] 4to (259 x 195mm.) Introduction by Alice Meynell, 36 tipped-in colour plates on grey card, numerous black and white illustrations, captioned tissue-guards. (Toning, browning and minor spotting to preliminaries, inner hinge weakening.) Original cream buckram, pre-Raphaelite gilt design to upper cover, t.e.g. (soiling to lower cover, minor marks and finger-marking to upper cover).

MUSIC. - Ben MARSHALL. The Who, The Official History. London: Virgin, 2015. First edition, signed by Pete Townshend and Roger Daltery, 4to (278 x 245mm.) Numerous photographic illustrations. (Mild toning.) Original boards. Provenance: from the estate of Richard Havers, British music author, journalist and broadcaster. - And a further signed volume (Bill Wyman's 'Rolling With the Stones', limited edition of 1400 copies, 2002, 4to) (2).

[GOUGH, Richard.] British Topography. Or, an Historical Account of What Has Been Done For Illustrating The Topographical Antiquities of Great Britain and Ireland. London: for T. Payne and Son, and J. Nichols., 1780. 2 vols., 4to (262 x 205mm.) 2 engraved title vignettes, 7 folding maps on 8 sheets. (Lacking plate 6, browning, occasional spotting, annotation and line marking in pencil and red crayon throughout.). Contemporary boards, two black morocco lettering pieces to spines (rebacked). Provenance: Professor E.G.R. Taylor, Birbeck College (bookplate to front pastedown); Samuel Reynardson, Holywell Hall (ink name inscribed to title-page) (2).

SPENSER, Edmund. The Works of that Famous English Poet, Mr. Edmond Spenser. Viz. The Faery Queen, The Shepherds Calendar, The History of Ireland &c. Whereunto is added, An Account of his Life, With other new Additions Never before in Print. London: Henry Hills for Jonathan Edwin, 1679. Folio (309 x 192mm.) Title in red and black, engraved frontispiece of Spenser's tomb, 1p. publisher's advertisements to rear, engraved portrait of Spenser mounted verso frontispiece, separate titles all dated 1678. (Occasional browning and light spotting, B1 loosening, small closed hole Hhh2-Hhh3, blanks replaced.) Early 19th century half calf (upper cover loosening, extremities rubbed, endpapers replaced). Provenance: William Robinson (bookplate verso the title-page).

BARCLAY, James. A Complete Universal Dictionary of the English Language, Newly Revised. London: Virtue & Co., [circa 1845.] 4to (277 x 209mm.) 22 engraved country maps with contemporary outline colouring, 48 engraved town and county maps by Thomas Moule, 1 comparison plate, 10 historical or portrait uncoloured engraved plates. (Toning, spotting to preliminaries and occasionally to plates.) Contemporary half morocco (rubbing to extremities, scuffing to covers).

BARBUT, Jacques. Les Genres des Insectes de Linne; constatés par divers echantillons d'Insectes d'Angleterre, copiés d'après nature. London: Jacques Dixwell, 1781. 4to (262 x 200mm.) Additional engraved title in English with hand-coloured vignette, 20 hand-coloured engraved plates, 1 folding, 2 uncoloured folding engraved plates, 2pp. 'List of Subscribers' with errata, 19pp. index to rear. (Toning, spotting to preliminaries and occasionally thereafter.) Contemporary full calf, black morocco lettering piece to the spine (upper cover detached, minor scuffing).

LULLY, Jean-Baptiste. - [Philippe QUINAULT.] Alceste ou Le Triomphe D'Alcide Tragedie. Represente'e par L'Academie Royale de Musique. Paris: René Baudry, 1675. First edition, 4to (228 x 175mm.) Engraved allegorical frontispiece, wood-cut device to title, woodcut initials and decorations. (Browning, minor finger-marking to margins, monogram ink-stamp to title.) Late 19th century half vellum paper-covered boards, black lettering to spine (extremities rubbed, minor scuffing, endpapers replaced). Note: scarce. When Lully took over the leadership of the Académie Royale de Musique in 1674, he made Quinault his librettist. Their partnership ushered in the era of the Tragédie Lyrique. They collaborated on an opera or ballet every year until Quinault's death in 1688.

RENNIE, James and James BURNETT (editors). The Magazine of Botany and Gardening, British and Foreign. London: G. Henderson, 1833-1837. 5 vols., 4to (250 x 193mm.) 4 engraved titles, 162 engraved plates, all but 3 hand-coloured. (Browning, occasional spotting and offsetting, corner creasing to vol. 1. 'New Series'.) Near contemporary half calf (spines worn, and partially lacking, rubbing). Note: the 'New Series' vol. 1-3, 1836-1837, were edited by James Burnett (5).

ADAMS, H. Isabel. Wild Flowers of the British Isles… Revised by James E. Bagnall. London: London Book Company, 1907. 2 vols., 'Special Subscription Edition', 4to (282 x 221mm.) Numerous colour plates, tissue-guards. (Light to moderate spotting throughout, browning to endpapers.) Original green cloth, t.e.g. Provenance: Mary J. Chandler (ink inscribed to the front-free endpaper). - And a further volume, being the second volume of the standard edition of H. Isabel Adams' 'Wild Flowers of the British Isles', 1910, 4to) (3).

ROUSSELET, Louis. India and Its Native Princes, Travels In Central India and In the Presidencies of Bombay and Bengal. London: Bickers & Son, 1878. 4to (327 x 245mm.) 6 maps, numerous plates, illustrations in the text. (Marginal loss to p.16, light spotting to preliminaries.) Near contemporary black full morocco, gilt borders and elaborate gilt to spine, g.e. (rubbing to extremities). Provenance: B. Humphrey (ink name inscribed to initial blank).

INDIA. - Charles BALL. The History of the Indian Mutiny. London: The London Printing and Publishing Company, [circa 1858.] 2 vols., 4to (272 x 180mm.) Steel-engraved portrait frontispieces and additional titles, numerous steel-engraved plates, maps with outline hand-colouring. (Spotting to preliminaries and plate margins, toning.) Near contemporary brown half calf (minor scuffing, rubbing to extremities). - And a further two related volumes (James Grant's 'Illustrated History of India', 2 vols., [circa 1880], 8vo) (4).

KNIGHT, Charles (editor). Pictorial Gallery of Arts. London: London Printing and Publishing Company, Limited, [circa 1860.] 2 vols. in 1, 4to (343 x 245mm.) Steel-engraved plates, numerous woodcut illustrations. (Mild toning.) Near contemporary red full morocco, gilt spine, g.e. (lightly rubbed). - And a further five volumes (including E. Lynn Linton's 'The Lake Country', 1864, 4to) (6).

LEWER, S.H. Wright's Book of Poultry, Revised and Edited. London: Waverley Book Company, [1910.] 4to (271 x 203mm.) 30 colour plates, 16 uncoloured plates. (Toning.) Original red cloth, gilt lettering to spine (upper hinge weakened, spotting to covers).