Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books

LEIGHTON, Clare. Woodcuts, Examples of the Work… with an Introduction by Hilaire Belloc. London, New York etc., 1930. Limited edition, this being number 425 of 450 copies signed by Leighton, 4to (315 x 250mm.) 38 mounted wood-engraved illustrations on 37 leaves, occasional decorations. (Toning.) Original brown cloth, mounted paper illustration to upper cover (lightly rubbed, top of spine slightly frayed). Provenance: Worthing Public Library (ink stamp to recto and verso of title-page, bookplate and ink number to spine). – And a further twelve volumes related to Clare Leighton (including Pat Jaffe’s ‘The Wood Engravings of Clare Leighton’, 1992, 4to, and, Leighton’s ‘Growing New Roots’, signed by the author, 1976, 8vo and, edited by Leighton, ‘Wood Engraving of the 1930’s, 1936, 4to, and, in a dust-jacket, ‘The Legion Book’, 1929, 4to, edited by H. Cotton Minchin, and, ‘Clare Leighton, the Growth and Shaping of an Artist-Writer’, signed by David Leighton [Clare’s nephew], 2009, 4to) (13).

LEIGHTON, Clare. The Philosophy of Gardening. An Address Given at a Horticultural Meeting St. Paul, Minnesota, June 1947. [Berkshire: Croft Publications], 1991. Re-issue, 4to (297 x 210mm.) (Mild toning.) Original pictorial wrappers.

BRITAIN. – Aylett SAMMES. Britannia Antiqua Illustrata: or, the Antiquities of Ancient Britain, Derived from the Phoenicians. London: by Thomas Roycroft, for the Author, 1676. Vol. 1 [all published.] Folio (359 x 231mm.) Title in red and black, 24 engraved illustrations in the text, engraved map of Europe. (Map lacking half, only single-paged, title and all leaves before B1 detached, last leaves detached and 1 quire loosening, corner loss to M2, browning.) 18th century half calf (worn). – And a further two volumes (including John Hicklin’s ‘The ‘Ladies of Llangollen’, as Sketched By Many Hands’, 1847, folio, and Hieronymus Zanchii’s ‘Operum Theologicorum’, vol. 2 (only, of 2), [1619], folio) (3).

BIBLE, In English. The Holy Bible Containing the Old Testament and the New, Newly translated out of the original Tongues, And with the former Translations diligently Compared and revised. Cambridge: John Hayes, 1670. 4to (224 x 165mm.) Engraved architectural title by John Chantry, separate letterpress title for NT, includes Apocrypha and ‘Book of Common Prayer’, ‘Whole of the Psalms’ with separate title to rear. (GT loosening, lacking title and leaves before C1 of ‘Book of Common Prayer’, lacking several leaves to rear of ‘Whole Book of the Psalms’ and A6, soiling to Yy3 of GT and E1 of NT, title of NT torn, several leaves with corner loss and text affected including Nn6 of GT and T1 and A3 of NT, some leaves with contemporary scribbles including title of ‘Whole Book of the Psalms’, browning throughout, occasional damp-staining.) Contemporary calf (upper cover detached, lower joint split, minor loss to spine panel). Provenance: Catherine Young (ink name inscribed verso NT); John Young (ink name inscribed verso lower cover); Betty Goddard (ink name inscribed verso upper cover) [Herbert 702]. – And another Bible (‘The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments…Illustrated’, [circa 1860], 4to) (2).

HEATH-ROBINSON, William (illustrator). – Charles KINGSLEY. The Water-Babies. A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby. London: Constable, 1915. 4to (216 x 164mm.) 8 colour plates, numerous illustrations in the text. (Toning, occasional finger-mark.) Original green cloth, pictorial gilt (fading to spine, hinges slightly weakened). – And a further twelve miscellaneous volumes (including [T.W. Wood’s] ‘Curiosities of Entomology’, 1871, 8vo, and Jules Michelet’s ‘The Bird’, 1870, 8vo, and W.H. Davenport Adam’s ‘The Bird World’, 1880, 8vo) (13).

[REMI, Georges.] HERGÉ. The Adventures of Tintin: Destination Moon. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1959. First English edition, 4to (295 x 226mm.) (Toning to margins.) Original pictorial paper-covered boards (minor wear to spine ends, extremities rubbed, sunning to spine panel). – And a further eight volumes of the first edition in English of ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ (including ‘King Ottakar’s Sceptre’, 1958, 4to; ‘The Crab With the Golden Claws’, 1958, 4to; ‘The Secret of the Unicorn’, 1959, 4to; ‘Red Rackham’s Treasure’, 1959, 4to; ‘Explorers on the Moon’, 1959, 4to; ‘The Calculus Affair’, 1960, 4to; ‘The Red Sea Sharks’, 1960, 4to, and ‘The Shooting Star’, 1961, 4to) (9).

CHILDREN’S BOOKS. – Graham GREENE. The Little Fire Engine… illustrated by Dorothy Craigie. London: Max Parrish, [1950.] First edition, oblong 8vo (178 x 273mm.) Numerous colour illustrations. (Browning to title-page, toning.) Original pictorial cloth (hinges weakened). Note: Greene’s second book for children, but the first to bear his name. – And a further twenty-five volumes for children (including Graham Greene’s ‘The Little Horse Bus’, 1952, 4to, and a signed copy of Edward Gorey’s ‘The Sopping Thursday’, 1979, 8vo, and ‘Grant Richards’s Children’s Annual for 1905’, 1905, 4to) (26).

MINIATURE BOOK. The Bible in Miniature, or a Concise History of the Old and New Testaments. London: E. Newbery, 1780. 64mo (38 x 26mm.) 2 engraved titles, 14 engraved plates. (Toning, occasional corner crease.) Later black morocco, g.e. Provenance: S.J. Ollivant (ink name to initial blank).

MINIATURE BOOK. The Bible in Miniature, or a Concise History of the Old and New Testaments. London: E. Newbery, 1780. 64mo (38 x 26mm.) 2 engraved titles, 13 engraved plates. (Toning, lacking 1 plate, a marginal cut to leaf F4.) Later black morocco, g.e. (minor mark to upper cover). Provenance: Thomas Ollivant (ink inscribed to on initial blank).

LIQUOR. – William TERRINGTON. Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks. London and New York: George Routledge and Sons, 1869. First edition, 8vo (160 x 97mm.) (Light spotting to preliminaries.) Original green cloth, decorative gilt (extremities rubbed, marks and minor staining, inner hinge slightly weakened). Note: an early cocktail book. Provenance: Edward Braxton Reynolds (bookplate to front pastedown).

COOKERY. – [Maria Eliza RUNDELL.] A New System of Domestic Cookery; Formed Upon Principles of Economy: and Adapted to the Use of Private Families. By a Lady. London: George Ramsay for John Murray, 1811. New edition, corrected, 12mo (161 x 85mm.) Engraved frontispiece, 9 engraved plates, 6pp. publisher’s advertisements to rear. (Occasional browning and light spotting, plates trimmed, marginal fingermarks.) Contemporary half calf, red morocco lettering piece to spine (extremities rubbed, heavily to covers). Note: first published in 1806. Provenance: J. Briggs (ink name inscribed to initial blank); Edward Braxton Reynolds (bookplate to front pastedown). – And a further three related volumes (Michael Donovan’s ‘Domestic Economy’, 2 vols., 1830, 8vo, and Charles Elmé Francatelli’s ‘The Cook’s Guide… A Practical Treatise on English and Foreign Cookery in All Its Branches, 1880, 8vo) (4).

WINE. – [William ELLIS.] The London and Country Brewer. Containing the Whole Art of Brewing all Sorts of Malt-Liquors, as practiced both in Town and Country… in Three Parts. To Which is added A Supplement. London: Thomas Astley, 1742. Fourth edition, 8vo (198 x 120mm.) 3 parts and ‘A Supplement’, separate titles to each part, continuous register and pagination, 4pp. ‘Index’ and 16pp. publisher’s advertisements to rear. (Browning, moderate spotting throughout, some leaves heavily, corner creases to several leaves.) Contemporary calf (rebacked with original lettering piece retained, covers and extremities rubbed, scuffing). Note: parts 2-3 and the ‘Supplement’ are second editions and dated 1743. Provenance: Edward Braxton Reynolds (bookplate to front pastedown). – And a further seven volumes relating to wine and brewing (including a first edition of William Robert Loftus’s ‘The Brewer: A Familiar Treatise on the Art of Brewing’, 1856, 12mo, and a third edition of Thomas A. Knight’s ‘A Treatise on the Culture of the Apple and Pear, and on the Manufacture of Cider and Perry’, 1809, 12mo, and Joseph J. White’s ‘Cranberry Culture’, 1870, 8vo) (8).

COOKERY. – Charlotte MASON. The Ladies’ Assistant for Regulating and Supplying the Table, Being a Complete System of Cookery, &c. London: J. Walter, 1786. Fifth edition, 8vo (197 x 124mm.) Half-title, 19pp. index, 1p. publisher’s advertisement verso last leaf. (Browning, occasional spotting, illegible names to preliminary  es, crease to rear blank.) Near contemporary half morocco (rebacked, extremities heavily rubbed).

COOKERY. – Francis COLLINGWOOD and John WOOLLAMS. The Universal Cook, and City and Country Housekeeper. London: R. Noble, 1792. First edition, 8vo (213 x 124mm.) Half-title, 12 engraved plates of ‘Bills of Fare’, 1 engraved plate of carving, 5pp. of contemporary manuscript recipes to rear. (Spotting to preliminaries and to plates and rear leaves, lacking frontispiece.) Near contemporary half morocco, red lettering piece to spine (endpapers replaced, rubbing to extremities). Provenance: Edward Braxton Reynolds (bookplate to front pastedown). [Bitting pp.94-95.]

COOKERY. – J.S. FORSYTH. A Dictionary of Diet; Being a Practical Treatise on All Pabulary and Nutritive Substances… With Their Compounds Used as Food. London: John Churchill, 1834. Second edition, 12mo (189 x 119mm.) Engraved portrait frontispiece of John Abernethy, double-column text. (Corner damp-stain and spotting to frontispiece, toning, lacking rear blank.) 20th century green half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (endpapers replaced).

FOOD & WINE. – J.L.W. THUDICHUM. A Treatise on Wines, Their Origin Nature and Varieties with Practical Directions for Viticulture and Vinification. London: George Bell & Sons, 1894. 8vo (187 x 123mm.) Illustrations in the text. (Toning, spotting to pastedowns.) Original cloth, foliate gilt to spine, t.e.g. (extremities rubbed, slight loss to top of spine panel). Provenance: Edward Braxton Reynolds (bookplate to front pastedown). – And a further eleven related volumes (including Lizzie Heritage’s ‘New Universal Cookery Book’, 1894, 8vo, and Mary Eaton’s ‘The Cook and Housekeepers Complete and Universal Dictionary’, 1823, 8vo, and George Augusta Sala’s ‘The Thorough Good Cook’, 1896, 8vo) (12).

WILLIAMSON, George C. The History of Portrait Miniatures. London: George Bell and Sons, 1904. 2 vols., being one of 520 copies only, folio (384 x 276mm.) Half-titles, titles in red and black, photogravure frontispiece to volume 1, numerous plates with captioned tissue-guards. (Toning, minor soiling to initial blank of volume 1.) Original cloth, t.e.g. (spotting to covers of volume 1, fingermarks to all covers, lightly rubbed extremities). – And a further five volumes related to miniature art (including J.L. Propert’s ‘A History of Miniature Art’, 1887, 4to) (7).

HOOKER, Richard. Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie. Eight Books. London: printed for Andrew Crooke, 1666. 4to (338 x 220mm.) Engraved portrait frontispiece, engraved title, pagination erratic, as often. (Some damp-staining to margins, occasional minor soiling, blanks replaced.) Contemporary calf (extremities rubbed, re-cornered, endpapers laid-down). Provenance: Richard Meadowcroft-Fletcher (ink name inscribed to front pastedown); John Meadowcroft (ink name inscribed verso the frontispiece); Sarah Meadowcroft (ink name inscribed to rear blank).

WORSLEY, Richard. The History of the Isle of Wight. London: A. Hamilton, 1781. First edition, 4to (307 x 229mm.) Large folding engraved map of Isle of Wight by John Haywood with partial outline hand-colouring, 31 engraved plates, including 12 double-paged, several engraved illustrations in the text. (One plate with marginal tear, paper repair verso the map, remains of bookplate to front pastedown.) Contemporary calf, red morocco lettering piece to the spine (extremities rubbed).