Fine Bindings and Sets

Ovid [Sandys, George]

Ovid’s Metamorphosis Englished, Mythologized, And Represented in Figures. An Essay to the Translation of Virgil’s Aeneis.

London : Printed by J. L. for Andrew Hebb, 1640.

Fourth edition of George Sandys’ revered English translation of Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Folio, contemporary paneled boards, rebacked, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, illustrated with two copies of the engraved portrait of Ovid (one opposite engraved title, the other opposite the Life), engraved title page, and 15 full-page plates (one at the beginning of each book ofContinue reading "Ovid’s Metamorphosis Englished, Mythologized, And Represented in Figures. An Essay to the Translation of Virgil’s Aeneis."

Locke, John

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding: In Four Books.

London : Printed for Awnsham and John Churchil, at the Black-Swan in Pater-Noster Row, and Samuel Manship, at the Ship in Cornhill, near the Royal-Exchange, 1694.

Rare second edition of this fundamental work in the history of Western thought, the first to name Locke as the author and to include the frontispiece portrait of him. Folio, bound full paneled calf, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, elaborated diced stamping to the spine in five compartments within raised bands, engraved frontispiece portraitContinue reading "An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding: In Four Books."

Kazantzakis, Nikos

Odyssey: A Modern Sequel.

New York : Simon & Schuster, 1958.

First edition, first printing of Kazantzakis’ masterpiece. Octavo, original cloth. Translated into English by Kimon Friar; illustrations by Ghika. Near fine in a very good dust jacket, inscription to the front free endpaper. Uncommon.

Churchill, Winston S

My Early Life; Thoughts and Adventures; Great Contemporaries; Step by Step.

London : Odhams Press Limited, 1936-1939.

First Odhams press edition of four of Churchill’s best-known works. Octavo, 4 volumes, original cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, illustrated. Presentation set, inscribed by Churchill to his financial adviser on the front free endpaper of My Early Life, “To T.E.R. Harris from Winston S. Churchill Christmas 1947” and initialed by ChurchillContinue reading "My Early Life; Thoughts and Adventures; Great Contemporaries; Step by Step."

By a Loyal Subject

A Letter to the Right Honorable the Earl of Warwick, Upon the Subject of Opposition, in Consequence of the Speeches of His Lordship in the House of Peers, on the 23d and 27th of March, 1797, in Opposition to the Motions of the Earls of Oxford and Suffolk, to Address His Majesty for Peace, and for the Dismissal of the Right Honorable William Pitt.

[London] : Printed for the Author, 1798.

First edition of this appeal to the King of Great Britain and Ireland, King George III, during the French Revolutionary Wars. Duodecimo, bound in full contemporary straight-grain red morocco with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments, elaborate gilt ruling with a gilt coronet and monogram ‘Y’ to the front and rear panels,Continue reading "A Letter to the Right Honorable the Earl of Warwick, Upon the Subject of Opposition, in Consequence of the Speeches of His Lordship in the House of Peers, on the 23d and 27th of March, 1797, in Opposition to the Motions of the Earls of Oxford and Suffolk, to Address His Majesty for Peace, and for the Dismissal of the Right Honorable William Pitt."

Huxley, Aldous

Brave New World.

London : Chatto & Windus, 1932.

First edition of Huxley’s masterpiece. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in five compartments within raised bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt ruled inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, hand-made Italian marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Boldly signed andContinue reading "Brave New World."

Fleming, Ian [Roger Moore]

Live and Let Die.

London : Jonathan Cape, 1954.

First edition of the second James Bond novel, Octavo, bound by in full morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, inscribed to two-time Oscar winner Leslie Bricusse by Roger Moore and the director, Guy Hamilton. Association copy, inscribed on the versoContinue reading "Live and Let Die."

Carlyle, Jane Welsh; Thomas Carlyle; David G. Ritchie [Editor]

Early Letters of Jane Welsh Carlyle Together with a Few of Later Years and Some of Thomas Carlyle.

London : Swan Sonnenschein & Co, 1889.

First edition of this collection of letters reflecting Victorian life. Octavo, bound in three quarters morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, and tissue-guarded frontispiece. In very good condition. Clipped newspaper article regarding Edinburgh University acquiring the collection of forty originalContinue reading "Early Letters of Jane Welsh Carlyle Together with a Few of Later Years and Some of Thomas Carlyle."

Sassoon, Siegfried

The Heart’s Journey.

New York : Crosby Gaige, 1927.

First signed limited edition of Sassoon’s classic poetry collection. Octavo, bound in full tan crushed morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, all edges gilt, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, and titleContinue reading "The Heart’s Journey."

Cannon, Richard

Historical Record of the Twenty-First Regiment, or the Royal North British Fusiliers. Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1678, and of its Subsequent Services to 1849.

London : Parker, Furnivall, & Parker, 1849.

First edition of this official chronicle of the twenty-first regiment’s origins, campaigns, and traditions. Octavo, original publisher’s red cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front penal, triple ruling and detailing stamped in blind to the front and rear panels, engraved title page vignette, illustrated with three hand colored lithographic plates. In very goodContinue reading "Historical Record of the Twenty-First Regiment, or the Royal North British Fusiliers. Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1678, and of its Subsequent Services to 1849."

Wollstonecraft, Mary

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects.

London : Printed For J. Johnson, 1792.

First edition of this landmark work—among the earliest and most influential feminist manifestos—presenting a groundbreaking critique of the social and educational structures that enforced women’s subordination. Octavo, original boards, sympathetically rebacked, printed spine label. [Windle A5a; PMM 242; Goldsmiths’ 15367]. In very good condition with scattered toning. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Exceptionally rareContinue reading "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects."

Burroughs, John

The Writings of John Burroughs: Accepting the Universe.

Boston and New York : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1921.

Volume XXI of the Autograph edition of Burroughs’ collected writings. Octavo, elaborately bound in full crushed levant morocco by H. R. Johnson with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling and large gilt cornerpieces to the front and rear panels, gilt-ruled turn-ins, innerContinue reading "The Writings of John Burroughs: Accepting the Universe."

Sarmiento de Gamboa, Pedro

Viage al Estrecho de Magallanes Por el Capitan Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa En los anos de 1579. y 1580.

Madrid : En la Imprenta Real de la Gazeta, 1768.

Rare first edition of Sarmiento’s account of his 1579–1580 survey of the Straits of Magellan. Octavo, bound in full contemporary marbled calf with gilt tooling to the spine, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges speckled red, illustrated with 3 folding views. Headland 35. Hill 267. Sabin 77094. Stamp of Jose JimenezContinue reading "Viage al Estrecho de Magallanes Por el Capitan Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa En los anos de 1579. y 1580."

Churchill, Winston S

Marlborough: His Life and Times.

London : George G. Harrap & Company, 1933-36.

Rare original publisher’s advance proofs of the first edition of the first three volumes of Churchill’s important biography of his notable ancestor, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Octavo, 3 volumes, original wrappers, illustrated with, maps, plans, plates and document facsimiles. In very good condition with Vol. II in a good dust jacket, possibly aContinue reading "Marlborough: His Life and Times."

Cervantes, Miguel de. Translated by Charles Jarvis

The Adventures of Don Quixote De La Mancha; Translated From the Spanish of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

London : J. & R. Tonson and R. Dodsley, 1742.

First edition of Jarvis’ translation of Cervantes’ masterpiece, with the eight page translator’s preface present in volume one. Quarto, two volumes, bound in full contemporary calf with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in seven compartments within raised gilt bands, all edges stained red, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panel. IllustratedContinue reading "The Adventures of Don Quixote De La Mancha; Translated From the Spanish of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra."

Crowley, Aleister

The Works of Aleister Crowley.

Foyers : Society For The Propagation of Religious Truth, 1905-1907.

First collected edition, “Essay Competition” issue of the collected writings of the noted occult writer. Octavo, three volumes bound into one as issued in the original publisher’s limp linen with gilt titles to the front panel, top edge gilt with others untrimmed. Boldly signed by the author on the second free endpaper, “With Mr. AleisterContinue reading "The Works of Aleister Crowley."

Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible.

Ethiopia C. 18th Century.

Rare illustrated Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible. Duodecimo, bound with twine between two wood blocks carved with ornate patterns and hand-painted miniatures to the verso of each board with depictions of the Crucifixion of Jesus and the Arrest of Jesus, parchment manuscript in black and red ink. The book measures 4.25 inches in height by inchesContinue reading "Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible."

Dickens, Charles

Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi. Edited by “Boz.”

London : Richard Bentley, 1838.

First edition in the rare original cloth of Dickens’ popular retelling of the memoirs of celebrated English clown Joseph Grimaldi. Octavo, two volumes, original pink cloth with floral design stamped in blind, gilt titles and detailing of a clown to the spine, frontispiece portrait of Grimaldi, with 11 illustrations by George Cruikshank. Mixed state withContinue reading "Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi. Edited by “Boz.”"

Huxley, Aldous

Brave New World.

London : Chatto & Windus, 1932.

First edition of Huxley’s masterpiece. Octavo, bound in full leather by Exeter Bookbinders in a unique binding of a blue suit jacket and three titanium skull-shaped buttons to the front panel, gilt titles to the spine, “Bernard Marx” in gilt on the front panel. In near fine condition. Ownership inscription to the copyright page, “Yes!!!!Continue reading "Brave New World."

Dickens, Charles

The Personal History of David Copperfield.

London : Bradbury & Evans, 1850.

First edition in book form of “the most perfect of all the Dickens novels” (Virginia Woolf). Octavo, bound in three quarter calf over marbled boards by Henry Sotheran, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled. Illustrated with 40Continue reading "The Personal History of David Copperfield."

Marshman, Joshua [Confucius]

The Works of Confucius; Containing the Original Text, With a Translation. [The Analects of Confucius].

Serampore : Printed at the Mission Press, 1809.

First English translation of the Analects of Confucius printed at Serampore, the first major center of English printing in Chinese. Quarto, Vol. I [all published], bound in modern half calf, gilt-lettered morocco spine label, gilt stamping to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, half-title, 4pp. errata, Chinese and English text, without theContinue reading "The Works of Confucius; Containing the Original Text, With a Translation. [The Analects of Confucius]."

Cruikshank, George

George Cruikshank’s Fairy Library: Hop-O’My-Thumb and the Seven-League Boots.

London : David Bogue, 1853.

First edition of this retelling of the classic French fairy tale. Duodecimo, bound in three-quarters morocco by W.J. Mansell with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in three compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, frontispiece, and illustrated with six etchings by GeorgeContinue reading "George Cruikshank’s Fairy Library: Hop-O’My-Thumb and the Seven-League Boots."

Stowe, Harriet Beecher

Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Or, Life Among the Lowly.

Boston and Cleveland : John P. Jewett and Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, 1852.

First edition, first issue of the author’s classic work. Octavo, two volumes, bound in full brown morocco with gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, top edges gilt, gilt inner dentelles, striped endpapers, illustrated with title vignettes and sixContinue reading "Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Or, Life Among the Lowly."

Dumas, Alexandre. [Alexander]

The Works of Alexandre Dumas.

Boston : Estes and Lauriat, 1893-1896.

The Edition De Luxe of the works of Alexandre Dumas, limited to one thousand numbered copies. Octavo, 40 volumes bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, frontispiece with captioned tissue guard to each volume, illustrated with platesContinue reading "The Works of Alexandre Dumas."