The New York InternationalAntiquarian Book Fair

The Complete Catalogue

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Newburyport - Boston - Mount Desert Island

The Greatest Book of the Ashendene PressHornby’s Magnum Opus - The Dante Tutte le Opere

One of the Finest Printed Books of the Century - Very Rare“No Greater Tribute Has Been Laid at the Feet of the Florentine Poet

1A. [Ashendene Press] Dante Alighieri Fiorentino, (1265-1321). TUTTE LE OPERE. (Chelsea: The Ashendene Press, 1909) First Edition. One of 105 copies only, on paper of a total edition of 111 (6 on vellum). Subiaco type on specially-made Batchelor hand-made paper with the watermark of a bugle and arrow above the printer’s initials. Full-page fron-tispiece and woodcuts through-out by Charles M. Gere, cut by W. H. Hooper. Large red initials by Graily Hewitt; headings and shoulder-notes in red; printed in double column (except for the Prefaces and the Index). Folio, 41.1 x 28.6 cm., original W. H. Smith binding of reddish brown niger morocco backed oak boards with metal clasps, leather richly braided with interlacing blind rules, solid gilt dots at the intersections, and a continuous vertical band at the outer side, made up of blind-tooled small dots and leaves. Inner side of both covers also decorated with leather as the outer sides, but without rules and dots. Spine in six compartments by five blind ruled raised bands (with raised head and tail-caps), title gilt in upper compartment, imprint at tail. Signed (monogram) in blind on the leather at the inner side of the front cover. Douglas Cockerell managed the W. H. Smith & Son bindery from 1905 to 1914. He later stated that all of the bindings signed with the ‘WHS’ stamp dur-ing those years were specially designed by him. xvi + 396. A very attractive copy. With the bookplate of James Curle, noted contributor to the Society of Antiquities of Scotland. TUTTE LE OPERE STANDS AS ASHENDENE’S CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT, AND ONE OF THE TWO OR THREE GREATEST BOOKS OF THE FINE-PRESS MOVEMENT (along with the Kelmscott Chaucer and the Doves Bible). Its quality was immediately apparent to one reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement, who raved, “Not perhaps since Boccaccio made with his own hand a copy of the ‘Divina Comedia,’ as a present for Petrarch, has such a labour of love been lavished on the works of Dante as in the sumptuous edition... which has just been issued from the Ashendene Press.... No other country, not even his own Italy, has laid a more splendid tribute at the feet of the Florentine poet.” The Ashendene Press was among of the most distinguished of the private presses which arose at the turn of the century, inspired by William Morris’ efforts to revive the moribund art of printing. Founded by C. H. St. John Hornby, managing director for a large British book distributor, the press was a highly personal project that produced works of great elegance and painstaking craftsmanship. Even more care than usual was lavished on this fine edition of Dante. As Hornby wrote in his bibliography of Ashendene, “ This book was by far the most ambitious effort of the Press and took three years to complete. It was the first book for which a professional compositor was employed for setting up the type.” Hornby’s dedication paid off handsomely. Hornby XXIV, Sotheby’s 5927, Printed Book, Art of the Printed Book.$145,000.

The Exquisite Kelmscott Chaucer - A Copy With ProvenanceThe Most Beautiful Printed Book in the English Language

Magnificently Created by William MorrisWith Superb Designs by Sir Edward Burne-Jones

2A. [Kelmscott Press] Chaucer, Geoffrey. THE WORKS OF GEOFFREY CHAUCER. From the Ellesmere manu-script of The Canterbury Tales and Professor W. Walter Skeat’s editions of the other works [edited by F.S. Ellis, printed on the colophon leaf] (Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1896) One of 425 copies of a total edition of 438. With FINE PROVENANCE, having been owned by George Abrams, “Master of Typefaces”, an artist and type designer whose distinctive logotypes spelled out household names like B. Altman and Godiva Chocolates. With 87 wood-engravings designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, cut by W.H. Hooper after drawings by Robert Catterson-Smith, superb wood-engraved title page, fourteen very fine large borders, eighteen different woodcut frames around the illustrations, twenty-six nineteen line woodcut initial letters, and numerous initials, decora-tive woodcut printer’s device all designed by William Morris and cut by C.E. Keates, Hooper and W. Spelmeyer, with shoulder and side titles. Printed in red and black in Chaucer type, double column, headings to the longer poems in Troy type. Folio (424 x 289 mm), original Holand linen-backed blue paper boards, paper label on the spine, housed in a cloth case. iv, 556pp. A very handsome copy, the text is especially clean, crisp, fresh and bright, the binding with some professional and expert refurbishment.

A VERY SPECIAL COPY, WITH PROVENANCE, OF THE FIRST EDITION AND A HANDSOME COPY OF WHAT IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PRINTED BOOK IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. The Kelmscott Chaucer is “the most famous book of the modern pri-vate press movement, and the culmination of William Mor-ris’s endeavor” (The Artist and the Book). “[F]rom first ap-pearance, the Chaucer gained a name as the finest book since Gutenberg. It has held its place near the head of the polls ever since... The terms which critics used in the eighteen-nineties to welcome it simply show us what an impression Morris’s printing made upon late Vic-torian bookmen” (Colin Frank-lin, The Private Presses, p. 43).

Evidence of the esteem in which the book has been held lies in the fact that after the Second World War, during the rebuilding of Japan and its libraries, a copy of the Kelmscott Chaucer was the first book presented to the Japanese people by the British Government on behalf of the English nation. The Kelmscott Press produced forty-eight books in its brief life. Morris had toyed with the idea of a Shakespeare in three folio volumes; a suggestion for a King James version of the Bible was in his pending file; and preliminary work had begun on editions of Froissart and Malory, both of which would have formed a triumvirate with the Chaucer. But on October 3, 1896, Morris died, and for all intents and purposes the Kelmscott Press died with him, the Froissart and Malory unfinished. The Chaucer, regretfully, remained the only “titan” among Kelmscott books. Morris dedicated his life to poetry and the decorative arts, but he did not exhibit an active interest in the design and pro-duction of books until he was fifty-five years old. He died eight years later, but in that brief fragment of time he established a standard and prestige that still make him one of the most powerful and pervasive influences in book design in the English-

speaking, English-reading world. This is George Abrams’ copy, with his bookplate on the front pastedown. Mr. Abrams and his company, Alphabets Inc., worked with many of the largest advertising and printing agencies. Among his type designs are three known as Abrams Venetian, Abrams Augereau and Abrams Caslon. He created the cover logos for a number of popular magazines, notably the original one for Sports Illustrated in 1954. Others he designed included those for Newsweek (1968), The Saturday Evening Post (1965) and House Beautiful (1949). He was a bibliophile with a large collection of rare books and manuscripts, rang-ing from incunabula to the Russian avant-garde. He was active in the Grolier Club and the New York Typophiles, and was a fellow of the Pierpont Morgan Library and an honorary fellow of the London Society of Typographic Design. His brother was Harry N. Abrams, founder of the art books publisher by that name. There is earlier provenance of Robert Heysham Sayre, who was vice president and chief engineer of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. He was also vice president and general manager of Bethlehem Iron Company, precursor of Bethlehem Steel Cor-poration. The town of Sayre, Pennsylvania is named in his honor.Abbey/Hobson 119; The Artist and the Book, 45; Sparling 40; Peterson A40.$105,000.

The Doves BibleThe Masterpiece of the Press - A Fine Copy Indeed

One of the Grandest Accomplishments of the Press Movement3A. [Doves Press], [The English Bible; Fine Press]. [The Holy Bible]. THE ENGLISH BIBLE containing the Old Tes-tament and the New translated out of the original tongues by Special Command of His Majesty King James the First and now reprinted with the text revised by a collation of its early and other principal editions and edited by the late Rev. F. H. Scrivener... (Hammersmith: The Doves Press, 1903-1905) 5 volumes. Limited edition of 500 copies print-ed on fine white paper with characteristic Doves Press wa-termark. With fine calligraphic initial letters executed in hand in red ink by Edward Johnstone. Each volume with title and colophon. Large 4to, bound by the Doves Bindery in original limp vellum, the spines lettered and numbered in gilt. Housed in a two piece morocco edged blue slipcase. A beautiful and very fine set, a very few gatherings lightly spotted as is usual. The vellum bindings in very beautiful condition, the leaves crisp and bright and clean. FIRST EDITION OF THE GREATEST BOOK OF THE DOVES PRESS, HIGHLY IMPORTANT AND VERY SCARCE. Considered the major book of this Press, the opening page to Genesis is critically acclaimed as one of the finest pages printed, certainly of modern production. Roderick Cave, in his THE PRIVATE PRESSES, has said, “Johnston’s masterly cal-ligraphic initials...were a perfect example of how to marry callig-raphy and typography, and [the pressman] J. H. Mason’s setting was full of those almost invisible refinements that only another printer can recognize” (p. 122). Ransom described the distinc-

tive red initials by Edward Johnston as “a pattern for all time of complexity reduced to the minimum of simplicity.” THE HOLY BIBLE was an all-together perfect choice to be the masterwork of this press. To again quote Roderick Cave, “[T]he Doves Press was a religious activity; its discipline one of prayer rather than of chorus girl....Books could reduce God to a page of visible type, as sunlight on a still morning showed the river in His form; and that was the reason for making a book with immense care, and making it beautiful.” Thus the greatest of all books became the most splendid offered in the press’ wonderfully elegant format of clean, pure and understated simplicity.Cave, The Private Presses; Franklin: pp.117-118; Clark Library, pp. 90-92; Huntington Library, Great Books in Great Edi-tions, 7; Ransom, Private Presses, p. 251, no. 6; Tomkinson, p. 54, no. 6.$25,000.

A Unique and Important Copy of UlyssesThe Masterwork of James Joyce - Inscribed by Him

The Most Important Novel of the Twentieth Century

1 Joyce, James. ULYSSES (Paris: Shakespeare and Co., January 1924) First Edition, the fourth printing. AN IMPORTANT AND RARE COPY INSCRIBED BY JOYCE on a preliminary blank ‘To A.K. Griggs / James Joyce / Paris/ 16.iv [1]934’ With 4 pp. of “Ulysses Additional Corrections” bound in at the end. 8vo, in a French binding of wine-red cloth, the spine with black morocco lettering label gilt, and with a fine slipcase, marbled endleaves, and with the original white wrap-pers printed in blue bound in. 736 pp. A fine copy, the paper lightly browned overall as is usual with this printing, some marginal tears or chips, primarily at the prelims. THE MOST IMPORTANT NOVEL OF THE TWENTIETH CEN-TURY. A RARE AND IMPORTANT INSCRIBED COPY OF JOYCE’S MASTERWORK. ULYSSES can be viewed as the pinnacle of the Modern-ist movement, and its impact on all subsequent western literature is unmis-takable. Such writers as Virginia Woolf, John Dos Passos, William Faulkner, Samuel Beckett, Malcolm Lowry, and Anthony Burgess have all paid trib-ute, consciously or unconsciously, to Joyce’s influence. Burgess as well pro-nounced it the greatest single work in the English literature of this century, and he is not alone in that opinion. According to James Spoerri, “This fortunate combination of printer and publisher resulted in the appearance of ULYSSES as a book whose physical

aspect is particularly suited to its content. It is a fat and inviting volume, the blue and white of its covers subtly evocative of the Greece whose epic it so closely parallels” (quoted in the catalogue for the Garden Sale, Sotheby’s 1989, first edition, first issue). “Universally hailed as the most influential work of modern times” (Grolier Joyce 69). After working for seven years on Ulysses, Joyce, desperate to find a publisher, turned to Sylvia Beach of Shakespeare and Company in Paris. “Within a month of the publication, the first printing of Ulysses was practically sold out, and within a year Joyce had become a well-known literary figure. Ulysses was explosive in its impact on the literary world of 1922... Then began the great game of smuggling the edition into countries where it was forbidden, especially England and the United States. The contraband article was transported across the seas and national borders in all sorts of cunning ways...” (de Grazia, 27). Arthur Kingsland Griggs, the recipient of this copy of ULYSSES, inscribed by Joyce, lived from 1891-1934. He was editor and translator of Léon Daudet’s MEMOIRS (1925) and the MEMOIRS OF QUEEN HORTENSE (1928). He also published MY PARIS, AN ANTHOLOGY OF MODERN PARIS FROM THE WORKS OF CONTEMPORARY FRENCH WRITERS (1932) and wrote a popular (and often reprinted) guidebook, PARIS FOR EVERYMAN - HER PRESENT, HER PAST & HER ENVIRONS (1926). COPIES OF ULYSSES INSCRIBED BY JOYCE ARE TRULY RARE. THIS IS A HANDSOME AND DESIRABLE COPY OF A CORNERSTONE LITERARY WORK. Slocum and Cahoon A17$28,500.

Original Unbound Sheets - With Printer’s Blue Paper WrapperVery Rare - First Edition - Cook’s Very Early Biography - 1785

The Life of Samuel Johnson...With Occasional Remarks...With Inclusions of Johnson’s Writings Never Before Published

2 [(Johnson) Cook, William]. THE LIFE OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D. With Occasional Remarks on His Writ-ings, an Authentic Copy of His Will, and a Catalogue of His Works. To Which are Added, Some Papers Written by Dr. Johnson, in Behalf of a Late Unfortunate Character, Never Before Published (London: G. Kearsley, 1785) VERY RARE First Edition of William Cooke’s very early biography of Dr. Johnson. 8vo, original unbound print-er’s sheets and with the printer’s original blue paper front wrapper, now laid portfolio style into a clamshell box of green cloth with gilt lettering on the spine. iv, 144 pp., with the front blank. Unbound printer’s sheets, very

scarce thus and a remarkable survival in this rarest of states. The paper still fresh and unpressed with only a little wear along the untrimmed edges, the last two leaves (the catalogue leaves), with marginal loss at the lower outside corner. The lack of the portrait in this copy likely be-cause it would have been sent separately from the engraver’s shop to be installed by the binder, who never laid hands upon this copy. VERY RARE FIRST EDITION OF THIS EARLY BIOGRAPHY OF JOHNSON, known to be used by James Boswell when writing his own great biography. Copies turn up very rarely and this copy in printer’s original con-dition is most likely unique. This Johnson biography not only precedes that of Boswell but also those by William Shaw, John Hawkins, and Hesther Lynch Piozzi. The number of bio-graphical works to come out within the first few years after Johnson’s death is a testament to his status as “arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history.” Thomas Tyers’ Biographical Sketch for the December 1784 edition of the The Gentleman’s Magazine was the only earlier postmortem bi-ography of Johnson. The author was know as “Conversation Cook” and was likely the compiler of “The Beauties of Samuel Johnson” in 1782. The “Late Unfortunate Char-acter” of whom Johnson speaks in behalf of in his papers was the Reverend William Dodd. Dodd was an Anglican clergyman and a man of letters who dabbled in forgery in an effort to clear his debts. He was caught, convicted, and, despite a public campaign for a Royal pardon, became the last person to be hanged at Tyburn for forgery.$2850.

The Great Herbal of John Gerarde - In Contemporary CalfA Very Fine Copy With Over 1800 Fine Woodcut Engravings

Published in London - 1633 - The Best of the Editions

3 Gerarde, John. THE HERBALL OR GENERAL HISTORIE OF PLANTES. Gathered by John Gerarde of London Master in Chirvrgerie, Very Much Enlarged by Thomas Johnson Citizen and Apothecarye of London (London: Printed by Adam J. Slip et al, 1633) The scarce second edition, which is the first edited, greatly enlarged and corrected by Thomas Johnson. With engraved al-legorical title-page by John Payne and with nearly 2800 woodcut illustrations throughout text. Folio, a superb, very large copy in a very handsome contemporary full calf binding, the boards with multiple ruled line borders, at some time expertly refurbished at the spine in perfect period style with tall, thick, raised bands ruled in blind, dark brown morocco label in one compartment gilt ruled and lettered. [xxxiv], 1631, index, table and errata. An extremely handsome copy of this scarce book, the antique covers with some minor expert refurbishment. Internally very fresh, crisp and clean, and with only very insignificant occasional evidence of age, one leaf of the table and final errata leaf with minor paper repairs not affecting the text. AN UNUSUALLY FINE AND TRULY EXCELLENT COPY OF THIS HIGHLY IMPORTANT PRINTING. A RARELY ENCOUN-TERED COMPLETE COPY IN CONTEMPORARY BINDING of the great herbal of Gerarde, one of the finest and most important botanical works printed. John Gerarde served for some time as Master of the Barber-Surgeons company and was considered one of England’s finest Herbalist. The title

“Herbalist to James I’ appeared on many of his papers. Among his chief accomplishments was the establishment of a medici-nal garden for the Barber-Surgeons but it was his great herbal which made his name a household word. In December of 1597 appeared the first folio volume of the herbal. The work contained more then 1800 woodcuts. Along with the more specific information such as names, genus and usage, it also gave the locations to hunt for scarce plants in England and, although primarily a scientific endeavor, it also included much folklore. The edition of 1633 was the first to be edited, enlarged and corrected by Thomas Johnson and was a tremendous suc-cess. This edition is essentially a reprint, word for word, issued only 3 years later. Johnson’s edition is considered a great improvement over the original, being half again as large as the original and in every way a superior printing. Johnson’s edition brings the number of plants described to over 2800 with more then 2700 being illustrated. Interestingly, this edition was of special importance in the New World. Far from the medical science of civilized Europe, the early American colonist had been forced to come up with a medical science all their own. This work, plus the herbal knowledge of the indigenous peoples, was the primary basis for early American medical studies. So important was it that the genus Gerardia was named for Gerard and of its 30 or so species most are North American. Gerarde’s was “the best-known and most often quoted herbal in the English language. Its lasting repute is due not so much to its originality and accuracy, which are ofttimes questionable, as to its entertaining Elizabethan descriptive style, its interspersed anecdotes and comments, and antique remedies, and its woodcuts” (DSB).The apothecary Thomas Johnson was commissioned to revise Gerarde’s original book within one year, a task he accomplished with marked success, adding a balanced and comprehensive historical introduction, and a set of 2766 woodcuts, several hundred more than previously. His revised edition appeared in 1633, and this third edition three years later. “The care bestowed by Johnson in correcting what Raven calls ‘the errors of Gerard’s book, the misplaced pictures, the confused species, the blunders of fact’ and in adding much new material made his edition...a popular and standard work, which proved of especial value in promoting the study of the British flora well into the eighteenth century” (DSB).$12,500.

One of the Greatest and Most Important Classics on AmericaFirst Edition of the Original Work - Two Volumes - 1835Alexis De Tocqueville - De la Démocratié en Amérique

A Very Handsome Set in Contemporary Calf Gilt

4 De Tocqueville, Alexis. DE LA DÉMOCRATIE EN AMÉRIQUE. (Paris: Librairie de Charles Gosselin, 1835) 2 volumes. RARE FIRST EDITION OF THIS CLASSIC WORK. Two further volumes were issued in 1840, but this is complete unto itself, rare, and highly important, being one of the cornerstone works on America and one of the most significant works ever penned on the American democracy. Illustrated with a folding map as called for. This particular copy handcoloured and more rare than in the usual copies. Tall 8vo, bound in three-quarter contemporary polished French calf over royal-blue marbled boards, the spines with gilt bands and tooling, two compartments with contrasting black and dark-blue morocco lettering labels gilt. The spine panels and endleaves sometime renewed in skilled and sympathetic fashion. 4, xxiv, 367 pp. + 1 folding map; 4, 459 pp; A handsome and pleasing set, and a well preserved copy in contemporary binding. A tight and clean set, with a bit of the typical and occasional light mellowing or browning to some leaves. HIGHLY IMPORTANT TRUE FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF THE GREAT BOOKS ON AMERICA AND A SET HANDSOMELY BOUND IN PERIOD FRENCH CALF, GILT. RARE FIRST EDITION OF VOLUMES ONE AND TWO. “One of the most important texts of political literature” (PMM). Tocqueville travelled to America to examine prisons and penitentiaries in this country, and upon his return he wrote DE LA DEMOCRATIE, the first book of reasoned poli-tics on democratic government in America, which made his reputation. The book established many of the fundamental concepts of sociology. De Tocqueville’s articulation and application of the concepts of power, social stratification, indus-

trialism and mass culture in particular provided the theoretical framework for their more detailed treatment at the end of the century by Weber, Simmel, Tönnies, Burckhardt, Michels, Acton, Taine and Le Play. Harold J. Laski calls Democracy in America “perhaps. . . the greatest work ever written on one country by the citizen of another.” The book grew out of a trip to the United States De Tocqueville took as an assistant magistrate, with Gustave de Beaumont, in order to study the American penitentiary system for France. From New York City they travelled as far east as Boston, as far west as Green Bay, as far north as Sault Ste. Marie and Quebec, and as far south as New Orleans. Their analysis was published in 1833, and immediatly afterward Tocqueville began to write the work by which he is best remembered. The book treats specific aspects of government and politics, including the principal of popular sovereignty, the nature of the states and local government, judicial power, the American Constitution, political parties, freedom of the press, suffrage, the role of the majority and the methods used to ensure against its tyranny, and the present and possible future of the three races making up the population--whites, blacks, and the indigenous peoples. There is also a discussion of the difficulties inhibiting the creation of an aristocracy, and an analysis of the causes of prosperity. The second part was published in the following year. DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA “remains the best philosophical discussion of democracy, illustrated by the experience of the United States, up to the time when it was written, which can be found in any language. More than this is true. Notwithstanding the changes which have occurred in the material and social circumstances of the United States during the last sixty years [written in 1898], the consequent elimination of certain factors in the civilization of this country, and the introduction of new and unforeseen problems,--notwithstanding all this, the student of modern popular government must revert to Tocqueville....When his work appeared, democracy was to some an ‘ideal,’ a ‘brilliant dream;’ to others, ‘ruin, anarchy, robbery, murder.’ De Tocqueville wished to lessen the fears of the latter, the ardor of the former class. He treats Democracy as a fact” (Daniel Gilman, in his introduction to the 1898 edition, quoted by Larned 2807). De Tocqueville’s conclusions about the system of government chosen by the young nation, and the implications of that choice, have been reexamined by each succeeding generation since it was originally published. Sabin 96060; Howes T278; Clark III:111; Li-brary of Congress, A PASSION FOR LIBERTY, ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE ON DEMOCRACY & REVOLUTION (Washington, 1989)$22,500.

Koberger’s Magnificent Incunable Bible - July 30, 1477His Second Latin Bible - Beautifully Rubricated

Superb in Impressive Contemporary German Binding

5 [Bible, in Latin]. BIBLIA LATINA [With the tractate of Menardus Mo-nachus] (Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 30 July, 1477) Very Early Print-ing of the Bible and only the second Latin Bible printed by Koberger, 51 lines and headline, double column, canon marginalia in the Gospels. With manuscript headlines in red, a beautiful opening initial of 10 lines with elaborate flourishes that flow from the very top to very bottom of the page in red, blue and green, numerous 6 line initials in red and blue, some with much longer extensions or flourishes, a profusion of 3 line initials in red or blue, red paragraph marks and additional rubricat-ing throughout primarily in red. Royal folio (375 x 265mm approx), in contemporary German blind-stamped pigskin over thick wood boards, (probably a Nuremberg binding), the boards center-paneled and deco-rated in blind with a central tool within multiple borders, remnants of brass catches on the fore-edge. Manuscript lettering to the spine with wide tall bands. 468 leaves, complete. An unusually fine copy, especial-ly well preserved and very handsome indeed. An important copy with full contemporary binding intact, and in great likelihood coming directly from Koberger’s workshop. A RARE AND EXTREMELY HANDSOME COPY, ESPECIALLY WELL PRESERVED. THIS BOOK REPRESENTS ONLY THE SECOND TIME THAT KOBERGER PRINTED THE LATIN BIBLE. This printing was issued in the second year after the first printing of 1475. Anton Koberger was for a

number of years the leading publisher/printer of his time. The total list of his printings for the forty years from 1473 to 1513, when he died, comprises no less than two-hundred and thirty-six separate works, including fifteen impressions of the Biblia Latina, eight of which presented material differences of notes and commentaries which entitled them to be considered as distinct editions. “In the actual number of separate works issued, Koberger was possibly equaled by one or more of his contemporaries, but in respect to literary importance and costliness, and in the beauty and excellence of the typography, the Koberger publications were not equaled by any books of the time excepting the issues of Aldus in Venice” (Putnam II, p. 150). This printing of Koberger’s Latin Bible was printed again in1478 and is largely based on the Fust and Schoeffer edition of 1462. The tractate of Menardus is included which is a summary of the books of the Bible with a guide on how to best study them. It was first printed not after 1474. A beautiful example of the magnificent productions during the first generation of printed Bibles, the state of preservation and the impressive German binding making it all the more so. HC *3065; GW 4227; BMC II, 414 (IC. 7159); Goff B-552$175,000.

The First English Translation of ThucydidesBlack Letter - 1550 - In Antique Full CalfThe Hystory of the Peloponnesian Warre

6 Thucydides. (Niccolls, Thomas). THE HYSTORY WRITTONE BY THUCIDIDES the Athenyan of the warre, which was betwene the Peloponesians and the Athenyans, translated oute of Frenche into the Englysh language by Thomas Nicolls Citizeine and Gold-esmyth of London. (London: Imprinted the XXV day of July in the Yeare of our Lorde God a Thousande fyve hundredde and fiftye, [1550]) First Edition of the First Translation of Thucydides into English. Printed in Black Letter. Title within a woodcut border and with a profusion of illustrated or historiated initials. Folio, near contemporary calf, the spine decorated in gilt with period tools within compartments and with a brown morocco label let-tered in gilt. Now housed in a very fine morocco backed fold-over box. CCxxiii + Errata. A fine unpressed and unwashed copy, some old and early marginalia, some very occasional and very small chips to edges of a few leaves, the binding with some expert and highly sympathetic restoration to the back but preserving the original spine panel. THE FIRST ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THUCYDIDES. ‘Thucydides stands alone among the men of his own age and has no superior of any age, in the width of mental grasp which could seize the general significance of particular events. The political education of man-kind began in Greece, and in the time of Thucydides their political life was still young. Thucydides knew only the small city-commonwealthe on the one hand, and on the other the vast barbaric kingdom; and yet, as has been well said of him, “there is hardly a problem in the science of government which the statesman will not find, if not solved, at any rate handled, in the pages of this universal master.”’

In an address to the great Greek scholar “Mayster John Cheke,” Niccolls asks him “not onelye with fououre to accepte this the furste my fruict in translatyon, but also conferringe it with the Greke, so to amende and correct it, in those places and sentences, whiche youre exacte lernynge and knolaige shall Iudge mete to be altered and refourmed, that thereby thys sayd translation may triumphantly resist and wythstande the malycyous and deadly stynge of the generall and most en-nemyes of all good exercyse.” This translation alone held the field until Thomas Hobbes published his in 1629, nearly a century later. STC 24056.$22,500.

A Rare and Highly Important English ChronicleGrafton’s “Chronicle” - The First Edition - 1569-1568

With One of the Earliest Accounts of Robin Hood

7 Grafton, [Richard]. A CHRONICLE AT LARGE, AND MEERE HISTORY OF THE AFFAYRES OF ENGLANDE AND KYNGES OF THE SAME, Deduced From the Creation of the World Unto the First First Habitation of Thys Islande.... [and] The Second Volume, Beginning at William the Conquerour, Endeth Wyth Our Moste Dread and Soverauigne Lady Queene Elizabeth ([London: H. Denham for R. Tottle and H. Toy, 1569, 1568]) Two Volumes bound as one. The Rare First Edi-tion of Grafton’s Chronicle, with the two first issue points on pages 1282 and 1324. Printed in Black Letter, first title within woodcut border containing eleven portraits, the second within ornamental woodcut border, seven large woodcuts by Virgil Solis and many woodcut historiated initials throughout text. Large, thick 4to, bound in fine antique style in full calf paneled on the boards in blind and featuring large corner-pieces, the spine with thick, blind ruled raised bands. [x], 192, [1], [7 table]; [2], 1369, [31 table] pp. A large sound and handsome copy, the text of the Chronicle complete. Lacking only two preliminary leaves and the five leaves of index to the second volume. Title to Volume I with backing to an edge at the verso, A1 with expert repair to the top outside corner, some mild, light, typical staining, NNN2 with a 4 inch tear without loss, a few small paper repairs or occasional wear at the corners here or there, some marginal notations in a 17th century hand. RARE FIRST EDITION OF THIS CLASSIC TEXT AND ENGLISH CHRONICLE. Richard Grafton, chronicler and printer was a prosperous London merchant who is well known for his arrangement of the printing of the Bible in English from the very famous translation by Coverdale. One of the most important printing events ever conceived saw the introduction of the 1538 edition which he caused to be printed in Paris and which is the earliest book to bear his name. At the last moment before publication, the presses were seized by the French government and the work was labeled as heretical. Grafton just barely escaped to England with his life. In subsequent years he went on to print the Great Bible and a number of editions of the Coverdale Bible. He printed many editions of the New Testament and the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549 along with numerous primers and important government tracts. Before 1550 he was already known as one of the most important people in the history of English printing. His reputation stands to this day. Grafton’s career as a chronicler began in 1543 with the printing of Hardyng’s ‘Chronicle. His own chronicle, printed many times beginning in the late 1560’s was reproduced continuously up to the early 19th century. The Chronicle chiefly adapted works of his predecessors, which he credits, but also gives detailed accounts of more contem-porary events. His account of Robin Hood is among the earliest and most formative. [McKerrow & Ferguson 110.; DNB; STC 12147; ESTC s121210; Luborsky & Ingram 1,409; Lowndes 924.$9750

The Workes of Geoffrey ChaucerA Handsome Copy of the Rare 1602 Speght Edition

8 Chaucer, Geoffrey. THE WORKES OF OUR ANCIENT AND LEARNED ENGLISH POET, JEFFREY CHAU-CER ...newly Printed. To that which was done in the former Impression, thus much is now added. 1. In the life of Chaucer many things inserted. 2. The whole worke by old Copies reformed. 3. Sentences and Proverbes noted. 4. The Signification of the old and obscure words prooved: also Caracters shewing from what Tongue or Dialect they be derived. 5. The Latine and French, not Englished by Chaucer, translated. 6. The Treatise called Jacke Upland, against Friers : and Chaucers A.B.C. (London: Printed by Adam Islip, 1602) The Second Speght edition and A VERY EARLY PRINTING OF CHAUCER. Title within a woodcut border (Mck & F.232), wood-cut Progenie of Chaucer with the Gower portrait of Chaucer, woodcut coat of arms on c4r, fine woodcut of the Knight riding a steed and with lance drawn with borders at head of text, very beautiful historiated and decorat-ed multi-line woodcut initials, some quite large, throughout the text. The text printed double column Black Let-ter, some roman, foliated. Folio, in very proper antique binding, most probably of the 1700’s, of marbled paper over stiff boards backed in calf and with calf corner-pieces, the spine long ago expertly restored in correct period style with tall, thick unadorned raised bands and a red morocco label lettered and with tooled frame in gilt. [a]-

c6, A-Z, Aa-Zz, Aaa-Nnn6, Ooo4, Ppp-Ttt6, Uuu8, as called for. An ex-cellent copy with an uncommonly well preserved and large text-block, the paper unpressed and without refurbishment or intrusion, very clean and fresh with only minor and occasion evidence of use or age, marginal paper flaw on leaves Kk4 - Ll1 not effecting text, minor paper flaws at lower corner of leaves Ddd6 and Hhh3 not effecting text, short closed tear at Iii6, the paper expertly restored without loss, the “Authors” leaf and the errata leaf present and well preserved without loss and with only light edgewear. Very neat antique manuscript marginal markers at specific lines of text drawn in the form of pointing hands as would be proper, the binding with some wear at the corners. A VERY WELL PRESERVED AND PROPER COPY OF THIS HIGH-LY IMPORTANT PRINTING OF CHAUCER. THE FIRST IN WHICH THOROUGH PUNCTUATION WAS ATTEMPTED. THE BOOK RE-MAINS IN AN ANTIQUE BINDING WITH LARGE AND BEAUTIFUL-LY PRESERVED TEXT-BLOCK, THE OFTEN MISSING PORTRAIT OF CHAUCER INCLUDED, AS WELL AS THE “AUTHORS” AND ERRATA LEAVES. This is only the second edition edited by Speght, the first having been issued four years earlier in 1598. There is no priority as regards the setting of George Bishop’s name in the imprint. “This edition was considerably revised mainly with the aid of Francis Thynne. It is the earliest in which thorough punctuation was attempted, and in many ways was a distinct improvement upon Speght’s first edition.” Pforzheimer catalogue Chaucer’s work is the cornerstone of English poetry. Next to Shakespeare’s

folio, it is probably the most influential work in English. The importance of Chaucer’s role in the development of vernacular English would take (and has taken) volumes to describe. Chaucer’s classic tale of a band of pilgrims en route to Canterbury was written in about 1387 and consisted of 17,000 lines in prose and verse of various metres, although the rhyming couplet is predominate. The importance of Chaucer’s tale to English literary history is paramount, its themes, characters and style would be to English nearly what Homer is to Greek. Pforzheimer 178; STC 5080; Lowndes II, 425; not in Grolier$14,500.

First Edition of Churchill’s First BookThe Story of the Malakand Field Force

A Fine And Fresh Copy in Original Cloth

9 Churchill, Winston. THE STORY OF THE MALAKAND FIELD FORCE: An Episode of Frontier War (London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1898) First edition, first issue of the book, no other printings were issued of the first edi-tion but one. This copy with the printed errata slip tipped in. A complete and perfect copy. With a photographic portrait frontispiece, 2 folding maps in colour and 4 sketches and plans. 8vo, publisher’s original pale green cloth lettered in gilt on spine and cover. Now housed in a very fine light-red mo-rocco fold-over case, the spine panel of the case with raised bands stopped in gilt, the compartments with gilt ruled frames, lettered and numbered in 3 compartments in gilt. xv, 336, 32 ads. An extremely fine copy, all tissue guards present, maps and sketches all in especially fine condition, the cloth as pristine and about as fine and clean as one could hope to find. THE FIRST EDITION, AND AN EXTREMELY FINE AND CLEAN COPY OF THIS INCREASINGLY HARD TO FIND WORK. The first book written by Winston Churchill who would one day be not only a prolific and prize winning author but one of the greatest figures in modern history. After an education at Har-row and Sandhurst he entered the army in 1895 and embarked on one of the most varied and distinguished careers of the 20th century. He acted as a correspondent for The Daily Telegraph from India and for the Morning Post during the Boer War.

His dramatic escape from prison in Pretoria brought him to public attention. He embarked on his political career in 1900 by entering Parliament. While there he held many major offices of state: Home Secretary, Secretary of State for War, First Lord of the Admiralty in which he oversaw naval operations for the First World War, Colonial Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer and eventually in 1940, Prime Minister. The latter office he would hold throughout World War Two and again from 1951 to 1955. Early in this illustrious life, in 1897, the Daily Telegraph paid Churchill £5 per column for his dispatches from the Northwest Frontier in India, where he first saw action as a soldier, and after his return he fashioned these articles into the book here offered. It was the author’s first book and only 2000 copies were printed; it is of course now very difficult to find, especially in such fine condition.$10,500.

A Whitman Family Copy - A Copy with Fine ProvenanceThe Poet’s Greatest Work - Leaves of Grass - Printed 1856

Brooklyn - For the Author - The First Octavo Edition

10 Whitman, Walt. LEAVES OF GRASS (Brooklyn: [for the author], 1856) The rare first octavo edition and second edition overall. A COPY WITH FINE PROVENANCE AND A SUPERB ASSOCIATION COPY AND AS WELL, A WHITMAN FAMILY COPY. Printed for the au-thor. With a portrait frontispiece. 8vo, the printer/publisher’ original green cloth, gilt decorated on the cover as the first edition and with gilt designs and lettering developed especially for this printing. A very good copy with some light foxing as is typical. The spine has a bit of wear at the head and tail, some light evidence of wear or age overall, a well preserved, tight copy, hinges in good order, a copy with fine provenance. FIRST OCTAVO EDITION, PRINTED ONE YEAR AFTER THE FIRST, AND AGAIN, IN BROOKLYN AND FOR THE AUTHOR. A COPY WITH FINE PROVENANCE AND A SPLENDID ASSOCIATION COPY, most probably belonging to Whitman’s sister and then passed on to her daughter Zora Tuthill with Ms. Tuthill’s ownership inscription on the front free-fly. From a Whitman family collection. This second edition was greatly enlarged by the addition of 20 poems, as well as a laudatory letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Whitman’s long reply, and several reviews of the books (including Whitman’s own anonymous re-view, originally published in the Brooklyn “Daily Times”). The book is usu-

ally found in rough condition if found at all. An important contemporary of Whitman’s and a revered figure in the New England landscape of the American Renais-sance, Bronson Alcott recorded in his journal for October 4, 1856, that he had gone to Brooklyn to see Walt Whitman. “I pass a couple of hours, and find him to be an extraordinary person, full of brute power, certainly of genius and audacity, and likely to make his mark on Young America--he affirming himself to be its representative man and poet. I must meet him again, and more than once, to mete his merits and place in this Pantheon of the West. He gives me his new book of po-ems, the Leaves of Grass, 2nd edition, with new verses, and asks me to write him if I have any more to say about him or his master, Emerson....” Alcott also refers to Whitman’s generosity in a letter to his wife on 10 October: “I crossed to Brooklyn and passed some hours with Walt Whitman the Poet, author of the Leaves of Grass, of which he gave me a copy of the new edition, just published, and containing a characteristic letter of his in answer to Emerson, printed some time since in ‘the Tribune.’ I am well rewarded for finding this extraordinary man, and shall see more of him before I leave N.Y.” Alcott did indeed see more of him--he returned with Henry David Thoreau and had an interesting visit, during which Whitman gave Thoreau a copy of the book as well. See Alcott JOURNALS, p. 286; Wells and Goldsmith, pp. 5-6.$22,500.

The First Full Account of Chinese HistoryOgilby and Nieuhoff - Embassy to the Emperour of China

Published in London - 1669 - With Fine Engravings

11 Ogilby, John; Nieuhoff, John; [China]; [Kircher]; [Jesuits]. AN EMBASSY FROM THE EAST-INDIA COMPANY OF THE UNITED PROVINCES, TO THE GRAND TARTAR CHAM EMPEROUR OF CHINA, Delivered by their Excellcies Peter De Goy-er, and Jacob De Keyzer, At his Imperial City of PE-KING. Wherein the Cities, Towns, Villages, Ports, Rivers, &c. In their Pssages from Canton to Peking, Are Ingeniously Described by Mr. John Nieuhoff, Steward to the Ambassadours. Also An Epistle of Father John Adams their Antagonist, concerning the whole Negotiation, with An Appendix of several Remarks taken out of Father Athanasius Kircher. Englished and set forth with their several Sclptures, by John Ogilby, Esq; Master of his Majesties Revels

in the Kingdom of Ireland. (London: Printed by John Macock for the Author, 1669) First Edition. Magnificently illustrated with a frontispiece portrait engraving of Ogilby, title-page in red and black, a double-page plan of Canton, a large full page very finely engraved view of Peking, a full page engraved view of Batavia, 5 very elaborate and finely engraved headpieces, 5 elaborately engraved 8 or 9 line initials, 1 letterpress plate and 119 near half-page or very large and fine copperplate engravings within the text-body. Folio, handsomely bound in three-quarter antique brown calf over marbled boards, the spine with raised bands and contrasting red and black morocco labels tooled and lettered in gilt. [3ff.]; 1-146, [1 ff. blank], 149-(328), 1-18, 1 ff. blank], 1-106 pp. A very handsome and well preserved copy. The images and text-block are all in very pleasing condition. The illustrations are exquisitely rendered. The binding is beautifully preserved as well. A VERY RARE AND HIGHLY IMPOR-TANT WORK, MAGNIFICENTLY ILLUS-TRATED AND REPLETE WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT WRITINGS KNOWN ABOUT CHINA UP TO THE TIME. In the descriptions of China the three religions of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are all mentioned. The religious traditions and beliefs are discussed separately as well as the different roles of their priests. Taoists are singled out in particular as responsible for exorcising people’s houses of devils and Buddhists are said to be the least regarded of the three religions. Religious ceremonies including funerals and exorcisms are discussed. Chinese printing is discussed at length; Nieuhof is impressed with the speed and technique of the Chinese printers, and compares it favourably with printing in Europe: ... they print with this board ... but with so much ease and quickness that one man is able to print 5000 sheets in a day. And in the boring of the boards they are so dexterous that they will cut out one almost as soon as an European compositor can make ready a form to the press. The position and role of women in China - both the “Tartar” and the “Chinese” women - are included. The book describes the Chinese practice of foot binding, something that is lacking in most early accounts of China. Nieuhof wrote that their: chiefest Beauty (as they imagine) consists in the smallness of their Feet; and therefore when they are young, they bind and swath their Feet, they keep them from growing to their natural bigness, and by that means they become generally very small. Nieuhof also mentions how the women are brought up to stay indoors and kept out of men’s sight. However the women in the illustrations are clearly outside and in the company of men. Nearly all aspects of life, from education, birthdays, marriage, dress, death and burial (including the practice of feng

shui) are discussed, as well as class differences, which mentions mentioning beggars and entertainers as well as scholars and doctors. Chinese medicine and science are talked about and compared with European medicine, though no mention of acupuncture is found. Nieuhof also remarks on the frequent drinking of cha (tea) and the different ways of preparing it. The nature of the Chinese language, and the origin of characters are something that was highly debated in Europe in the seventeenth century. Kircher proposed that they originated from Egyptian hieroglyphs. One illustration depicts what was believed to have been earlier forms of the characters, this follows from the belief that all characters were originally picto-graphic in nature. The end of the second half of the book focuses on the history of China, beginning with early creation myths and going up to the present invasion by the Manchu. This was the first full account of Chinese history and drew heavily on Chinese historical sources. The engravings in Nieuhof’s original Dutch edition were based on illustrations done by artists in China and contained around 150 illustrations. Ogilby had many of them copied for his English translation, although he included around a third fewer pictures. The titles of the illustrations were changed into English and the artists, such as Wenceslaus Hollar, who did the copying, added their own signatures in place of the original artists’. This was standard practice for the time. There are also around twenty-five illustrations in Ogilby’s that were not included in the Dutch editions such as the Man-chu lady. Some of these illustrations were sourced from the works of Athanasius Kircher.” See King’s College Cambridge$12,500.

Twain’s Masterpiece of American LiteratureHuckleberry Finn - First Edition in the Original Cloth

An Unusually Nice Copy - Very Early Issue Points

12 Twain, Mark. THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBER-RY FINN (New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885) FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, FIRST PRINTING with BAL’s first state frontispiece with the cloth visible, and very early issue points: “was” for “saw” on p.57; and the Illustrations list p.[13] shows “Him and another Man” plate as appearing on p.88; p. 155 with the final “5” dropped With 174 black and white illustrations by E.W. Kemble. Square 8vo, publisher’s original green cloth elaborately decorated in gilt and black on the covers and spine. 366 pp. A very handsome copy, bright and ap-pealing. This copy is clean and tight and very pleasing internally, the paper fresh. The cloth is quite bright and the gilt is in really pleasing condition. Some very expert care to the cloth, spine tips strengthened or consolidated expertly and unobtrusively. Hinges firm and strong. A VERY HANDSOME AND WELL PRESERVED COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF THE MOST IM-PORTANT AND GREATEST BOOKS IN AMERICAN LIT-ERATURE. Along with TOM SAWYER, HUCKLEBERRY FINN is considered the stepping stone to modern American literature. And along with Tom Sawyer, for the first time, the hero of the novel was a boy. These books are landmarks and Hemingway often offered his opinion that the modern novel would have been impossible without them. With Whitman’s LEAVES OF GRASS and Melville’s MOBY DICK, they provide us with a view of America transcending its past and beginning its fu-ture. BAL 3415; Grolier American 87; Johnson, pp. 43-50; Peter Parley to Penrod, pp. 75-6$9500.

Signed and Dated by Gandhi in 1926An Exceptionally Early Work on Mahatma GandhiMahatma Gandhi - An Essay in Appreciation - 1924

13 [Gandhi, Mahatma]; Gray, R.M. and Parekh, Manilal C. Builders of Modern India: MAHATMA GANDHI An Essay in Appreciation (Calcutta: Association Press, 1924) Rare First Edition, SIGNED AND DATED BY MAHATMA GANDHI. Illustrated with a colour frontis-piece portrait and 5 additional portraits from various sources. 8vo, publisher’s original paper covered boards printed on the upper cover in black, backed in gray/blue cloth, the spine gilt lettered. 136 pp. A very attractive and well preserved copy, far better than would be ex-pected for a Calcutta printing of the period, the prelims with a bit of age evidence, the spine just a touch toned. SIGNED AND DATED BY MAHATMA GANDHI IN 1926, one of the greatest men of the age. The work is rare in first edition and in collectable condition and we know of no other copy signed by Gandhi. This is an excep-tionally early work on Gandhi, published only a few years after he had become leader of the Indian National Congress and was signed a year prior to the publication of his “MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH”.$15000.

Orlando Furioso - The First Folio Edition in ItalianOne of the Great Cornerstones of Italian Literature

14 Ariosto, Ludovico. [Opere] ORLANDO FURIOSO DI M. LODOVICO ARIOSTO Delle Annotazioni de’ Più Celebri Autori Che Sopra Esso Hanno Scritto, e di Altre Utili, e Vaghe Giunte in Questa Impressione Adornato, Come nell’Indice Seguente la Prefazione si Vede (Venice: nella Stamp. di Stefano Orlandini, 1730) 2 volumes bound in one. The first folio edition in Italian of Orlando Furioso. Titlepage in black and red, portrait of Ariosto by C. Orsolini and 51 full page and elaborate allegorical plates by Giuseppe Filosi and by Giuliano Giampicoli which are within one of three impressive engraved borders by Filosi. Large Folio, in fine full contemporary Italian vellum over stiff boards, the spine with a brown morocco label lettered and decorated in gilt. 25ll, 576pp; 2ll, 400. A superb copy, the best available, in an exceptional binding and wonderful state of preservation. ONE OF THE FOUR CORNERSTONES OF ITALIAN LITERATURE. Ar-iosto’s great cantos inspired by the crusades are considered his crowning achieve-ment. Ariosto”s famous epic greatly influenced Tasso, Spenser (Faerie Queene), Cervantes (Don Quixote), Voltaire (La Pucelle), and many others. The extraordinary merits of this work cast into oblivion the numberless roman-tic poetry which inundated Italy during this period. This flawless work powerful, elegant and cultivated. In description and narrative he excites the reader’s deepest feelings and displays a vivacity of fancy with which no other poet can vie. The engravings for the Orlando Furioso are Filosi’s first documented work.$7850.

Signed by Martin Luther King Jr.Stride Toward Freedom - One of the Best American Books

15 King, Jr., Martin Luther. STRIDE TOWARD FREEDOM: The Mont-gomery Story (New York: Harper & Row, 1958) First edition, an early issue (Sept. ‘59) printing. SIGNED with “best wishes” by Dr. King to Mr. and Mrs. Geo. B. Rayford. With eight pages of photographs. 8vo, publisher’s original blue cloth backed in black, lettered in silver on the spine and with silver publisher’s device on the upper cover, in the original dustjacket. Now preserved in a handsome morocco backed fold-over box with black morocco labels lettered in gilt. 230, index. A very well preserved copy, inside clean and quite fine, the blue cloth with only the most minor of edge-mellowing, the jacket handsome with some small chips, minor edge wear and slight fading to the spine. AN INSCRIBED COPY WITH EXCELLENT PROVENANCE OF THIS GREAT WORK IN AMERICAN LITERATURE. This is the famous story of Rosa Parks and the resulting Montgomery bus boycott led by Dr. King. This copy belonged to George and Josephine Rayford of Charleston, WV. Mrs. Rayford was the first African American affiliated with the Kanawha County Business Education Association, serving of the Board of Directors. She was a member of many organizations and served on the State and Coun-ty Curriculum Revision Committee. She was named Alumni of the Year by the West Virginia State College Alumni Association. Her work with Meals

on Wheels got her named “Hometown Hero” by television station WSAZ. In 1993 at the age of 89, she was honored by the Henry Highland Garnett Foundation for years of dedication and service.$9500.

The Great First Edition in English - The First History of RomeThe Best Translation Available of Livy’s History

16 [Livy] T. Livius, of Padua. THE ROMANE HISTORIE Written by T. Livius of Padua. Also, the Breviaries of L. Florus: with a Chronologie to the whole Historie: and the topogrpahie of Rome in old time. Translated out of Latine into English by Philemon Holland, Doctor of Physicke. (Lon-don: Adam Islip, 1600) First Edition in English of Livy’s highly influential history of Rome. Engraved decorations at head of each chapter, decorated title, two portraits: Queen Elizabeth and Titus Livius. Thick Folio, in 18th century three-quarter calf over marbled boards, the spine with blind ruled flat bands, a large red morocco label lettered in gilt. (x), 1404, (40 index and errata), blank. A very handsome and well preserved copy, the text fresh and unpressed, some extremely faint and unobtrusive antique damp-staining to approximately the first 100 or so pages, very minor, occasional spotting or toning, more so to the first and final leaf as is common with this title, the binding handsome with minor age and rubbing. This is the RARE FIRST ENGLISH translation of the great historian’s work on Roman history, originally written circa 20 B.C. IT IS A RARE EDITION IN ENGLISH OF SUPREMELY IMPORTANT ROMAN TEXT. Holland’s edition was widely studied in Elizabethan time and served as a major source for William Shakespeare. “(T)he only English translation of any merit is by Philemon Holland (1600).” Livy’s account is of interest because unlike others at the time [Virgil, Horace], he did not predict an upward, linear progression of Rome. Livy divided the history

into decades and his further division of subjects into 142 libri or volumina is thought to be his own idea. Livy’s goal in writing a history was to write the first history of the Roman people. For the people themselves, he believed something could be learned; “they are invited to note especially the moral lessons taught by the story of Rome, to observe how Rome rose to greatness by the simple virtues and unselfish devotion of her citizens, and how on the decay of these qualities followed degeneracy and decline.” His aim is not to develop historiagraphy per se but to write in testimony to Rome’s greatness as well as attempting to ensure that Rome did not bring about its own downfall through corruption and vice. “Livy was deeply penetrated with a sense of the greatness of Rome...But, if this ever-present consciousness often gives dignity and elevation to this narrative, it is also responsible forsome of its defects. Thus, it could be said that Livy’s approach is a ”didactic view of history.” [EB]$16,500.

Froissart’s “Chronicles” - Printed by Myddylton - 1542Very Rare Printed Issues in English of this MasterworkA Very Early and Important Production in the Language

17 Froissart, Jean. [FROISSARTS CHRONYCLES]. Here begynneth the fyrst volum of Syr Iohan Froyssart of the cronycles of Englande, Fraunce, Spayne, Portyngale, Scotlaude [sic], Bretayne, Flaunders: and other places adioynynge. Translated out of frenche into our materall [sic] Englysshe tonge, by Iohan Bouchier [sic] knyght lorde Berners: at the co[m]maundement of our moste highe redouted souerayne lorde kyn-ge Henry the. viii. kynge of Englande Frau[n]ce, [and] Irelande defe[n]dour of the fayth and of the churche of Englande and also of Irelande in earth the supreme heade. (London: Wyllyam Myddylton [and Rich-ard Redman], [1542 and circa 1535]) RARE, The second edition of the translation of books 1 and 2 of the “Chroniques.” Middleton’s name and address from colophon. Publication date conjectured by STC. Includes some sheets printed by Richard Redman, ca. 1535, possibly to make up a lack of sheets in first edition stock (STC). Printed in black letter, dou-ble columns, very large and fine woodcut initials all throughout. Folio in sixes, (308 x 215 mm), very handsomely bound in later half antique wooden boards backed in brown calf, the back tooled in blind with a diamond pattern, at the centers of each large medevial style tooling, the spine with tall raised bands, the beveled outside board edge with rem-nants of the holes and ties from earlier binding use. A1 (title) supplied in partial facsimile; A2-A6 (Preface and Table); B1-B4 [Table]; a1-ooo4 (fol. primo-fol. CCCXXII). A very handsome and textually complete copy of this extremely rare edition. Title-page facsimile bound in on a tab, the text for the most part very well preserved and fresh, occasional evidence of old damp or other minor staining, one leaf torn at outer edge with old wax repair lacking only a small hole effecting a few words, some worming, heavy at the prelims but quickly lessens to unobtrusive. The

antique wooden boards with some age, the tooled backing in excellent condition. ESPECIALLY RARE, THE HUNTINGTON AND MORGAN COPIES ARE THE ONLY TWO LISTED ON OCLC. THE SECOND COMPLETE EDITION IN ENGLISH OF THE FIRST TWO BOOKS OF THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF EUROPE, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT RENAISSANCE WORK OF EUROPEAN HISTORY. Translated from the French by John Bourchier, second baron Berners (1467–1533), at the behest of King Henry VIII. “Bourchier’s English style is so vivid and so little frenchified that his translation of Froissart is justly esteemed as a classic of English literature. It was the most extensive historical work that had yet appeared in the English language, and it exercised a considerable influ-ence on English historical writing throughout the sixteenth century and beyond. Pynson’s edition is a major monument of English printing in the sixteenth century. Complete sets are very rare; and most of the sets in institutional collections (the British Library, Ashburnham, Bodleian, Harvard and Yale copies, among others) are imperfect in some degree or wrongly made up” (quoted in the catalogue for the Garden sale, Sotheby’s New York, 8 and 9 November 1989). “Froissart might be called the great interviewer of the Middle Ages. The newspaper correspondent of modern times has

scarcely surpassed this medieval collector of intelligence. He travelled extensively in the various countries of Europe; he conversed with gentlemen of rank everywhere; and he had the remarkable knack of persuading those about him to divulge all he wanted to know. He learned the details of battles from both sides and from every point of view. He delighted in the minutest affairs of every cavalry skirmish, of the capture of every castle, and of every brave action and gallant deed. He lived from 1337 to about 1410, and wrote chiefly of contemporaneous events. The ‘Chronicles’ are universally considered as the most vivid and faithful picture we have of events in the fourteenth century....As a picture of the most favorable side of chivalry, the work has no equal” (Adams, Manual of Historical Literature, pp. 334-5). “Like Froissart, Bourchier moved about amongst the noblesse; Henry VIII made him his Chancellor of the Exchequer for life and three years previous to the publication of the first volume above, he was present with that monarch at the Field of the Cloth of Gold.” STC (2nd ed.); 11396.5; PML 5004; ESTC, S121320.$17,500.

Samuel Johnson’s Best Edition - His Most ImprovedThe Magnificent Folio Dictionary of the English Language

“The most amazing, enduring, and endearing one-man feat” With Johnson’s Great Preface - A Lexicographical Wonder

18 Johnson, Samuel. A DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, in Which the Words are deduced from their Originals, and Illustrated in Their Different Significations by Examples from the Best Writers. To Which are Prefixed a History of the Language and An English Grammar (London: by W. Strahan for W. Strahan, J.& F. Riv-ington [and others], 1773) 2 volumes. The Fourth edition, the highly important final folio edition to be revised by Johnson himself. Provenance: Sir James & Lucy Esdaile (inscription dated (?)1775); James Kennedy Esdaile (armorial bookplate); Edmund Esdaile, Pembroke College, Oxford (inscription). Title-pages printed in red and black. Royal folio (425 X 265mm), in original binding of full calf over thick boards, the backs expertly restored to full period grandeur with elaborate gilt tooled compartments with grand central tools and ex-tensive additional tooling all in gilt between gilt decorated bands, two compartments with contrasting red and green labels gilt lettered and decorated, endpapers marbled. A very attractive set, the original calf with some pleasant age, corners consolidated, first two leaves of Vol. I with some normal creasing, the text clean and fresh, withal a very solid, handsome copy in fine state. A VERY HANDSOME SET OF THE HIGHLY IMPORTANT FOURTH EDITION, which was the last in which Samuel Johnson himself had any in-volvement. TEXTUALLY, IT IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST EDI-TION of Johnson’s great work and THE MOST IMPORTANT EDITION AFTER THE FIRST. It contains Johnson’s advertisement (THE FIRST EDI-TION TO DO SO) in which he states, ‘Perfection is unattainable, but nearer and nearer approaches may be made; and finding my Dictionary about to be reprinted, I have endeavoured, by a revisal, to make it less reprehensible’. Johnson, in undertaking the vast work of creating his dictionary, set out to perform single handed for the English language what the French Academy, a century before, had attempted for French. He hope to produce “a dictionary by which the pronunciation of our language may be fixed, and its attainment fa-cilitated;” and though, of course, no language can be frozen in time, by aiming at fixing the language he succeeded in giving the standard of reputable use. As Noah Webster stated, his work “had, in philology, the effect which Newton’s discoveries had in mathematics.” “Johnson’s achievement marked an epoch in the history of the language. The result of nine years labor, it did more than any other work before or since towards fixing the language. The preface ranks among Johnson’s finest writ-ings. The most amazing, enduring, and endearing one-man feat in the field of lexicography” (Printing and the Mind of Man). Courtney & Smith pp.55-6.$9500.

A True Cornerstone of American LiteratureAdventures of Tom Sawyer - First Edition - A Handsome Copy

In the Original Morocco - One of Mark Twain’s Greatest Books

19 Twain, Mark. ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (Hartford: The American Publishing Co., 1876) First Edition, BAL’s early state “B” with illustration on verso of half-title and xvi foliated. Printed on wove paper. Both this and the first issue were released on the same day of publication in equal numbers. ONE OF ONLY 200 COPIES BOUND IN MOROCCO. With one-hundred and sixty black and white illustrations of such memorable as Injun Joe, Aunt Polly, Becky Thatcher, and of course Tom Sawyer. 8vo, publisher’s rare original three-quarter morocco over cloth boards, the spine with raised bands blind stopped and blind ruled, central ornamental devices in the compartments, two compartments lettered in gilt, all edges gilt. [i-xii], with [ix, x, xii mispaged xii, xiii, and xvi as called for], [17], 18-274 [-276], [4] ads pp. A very handsome copy in a pleasing state of pres-ervation, the text-block is very clean, and unusually well preserved, the binding with only very light evidence of use showing the placement of the hands of the contemporary reader. A very nice, bright and handsome copy of an iconic and cornerstone American literary work in the most rare of the binding states, the publisher’s ‘best’ binding.

FIRST EDITION IN THE ORIGINAL AND RARE MOROCCO BINDING. A HANDSOME AND UNCOMMONLY PLEASING COPY OF THIS GREAT AMERI-CAN LANDMARK, it is the first novel in which the hero is a boy and the boy is the hero throughout. TOM SAWYER is now thought to be, along with HUCKLEBERRY FINN,

one of the great stepping stones to the modern American novel. It, like Whitman’s LEAVES OF GRASS and Melville’s MOBY DICK, typifies and describes the American spirit. It lies at that very special moment in history when America, hav-ing challenged its past sets off on the new adventures that will force it into the coming century and the great expansion of its democratic spirit. To this day, it remains a cornerstone of American literature. BAL 3369. Grolier American Hundred$7500.

Ernest Hemingway - First Edition - 1952A Fine and Fresh Copy - The Old Man and The Sea

20 Hemingway, Ernest. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA (New York: Charles Scrib-ner’s Sons, 1952) First edition first issue with the Scribner’s seal and the “A” on the copyright page. 8vo, publisher’s original pale blue cloth in the first issue illustrated dust-jacket with portrait of Hemingway on the back panel tinted in blue. 140 pp. A fine, clean, tight, handsome and well preserved copy. A very clean and crisp copy with fine dustjacket showing only a miniscule paper chip, unobtrusive and nearly imperceptible at the spine panel. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE OF WHAT IS ARGUABLY, THE AUTHOR’S MOST GREATEST WORK. Hemingway’s Nobel Prize winning novel and one of the most perfect works penned in the 20th century. Eric Linklater for the Broadsheet states, “Hemingway has written nothing so beautiful as this brief tale, and nowhere, I think has his vision of heroic scars of live been so surely realized... It is a little book in space but read it three times and it grows in the mind like an old story of one’s childhood: so certain it is, so satisfying are its pains and valiancy.” Hanneman A24.a.$3750.

An Enduring Classic - The Ship of FoolesThe Earliest Obtainable Edition - With Woodcuts Throughout

31 Brant, Sebastian. STULTIFERA NAVIS... THE SHIP OF FOOLES, WHEREIN IS SHEWED THE FOLLY OF ALL STATES, with divers other workes adjoyned unto the same, very profit-able and fruitfull for all men. Translated out of Latin into Englishe by Alexander Barclay, Priest (London: J. Cawood, 1570) The second edition in English, after Pynson’s unobtainable edition of 1509. With 108 of 116 woodcut illustrations within the text, 9 repeats, and with small wood-cut initials throughout. Folio (268 x 187 mm), in 20th century calf correct in style to the period of the work, the spine with tall blind ruled bands, central gilt tools in three compartments, gilt lettering in two plus date at the tail in gilt. tp, [para]3-2[para]6, A-VV6, XX4. Lacking leaves: [para] 2 (a preliminary leaf), Dd2, Ii6, Kk6-Mm2. Bound without the reprints of Barclay’s Eclogues, which are found in only some copies. A very good copy of this very rare book, printed on thick, crisp paper, with excellent margins--- a good centimeter larger all around than most institutional copies. In general, copies of this edition are substantially incomplete; the present copy is comparatively very well preserved. The title is a bit soiled, several previous owner’s sig-

natures show ownership by John Hysop and Sarah Hamvile, who both autograph the title-page twice. Six leaves appear to have been supplied from a smaller copy: [para]6 (which has also been mended at the head of the mar-gin); K5 (remargined at the gutter with white paper); Y2, Y3, Hh4, Hh5 (all mended, and remargined). Leaves T2, Rr5, and Uu3 and Uu5 have tears with some loss of text. There are scattered minor tears and stains. Realistically speaking, this is the earliest obtainable edition in English of Brant’s classic. Pynson’s edition is of notorious rarity and now copies of Cawood’s edition also appear only rarely on the market. Barclay’s translation is based on Jacob Locher’s Latin Version of Brant’s Narrenschiff, first printed by Richard Pynson in 1509. Little is known about Alexander Barclay, except that he was a scholar who travelled abroad and absorbed the spirit of the Reformation in Europe, knew several languages, took holy orders, and became a Benedictine Monk. All but three of the illustrations for this edition were printed from the blocks of the 1509 edition, which Pynson copied from those accompanying Pierre Rivière’s French translation (Paris, 1497). These French illustrations were in turn based on those of the editio princeps (Basel, 1494), of which many were probably made or designed by Albrecht Dürer, an attribu-tion discussed by Arthur M. Hind in his Introduction to a History of Woodcut. Pynson’s blocks remained unused until the present edition, which accounts for their extraordinary clarity. Sebastian Brant’s Narrenschiff (or Stultifera Navis, or Ship of Fools) was enormously popular in its time, going through fifteen editions before the end of the fifteenth century. Barclay’s English translation is not literal but is adapted to English conditions, giving an interesting glimpse into contemporary English life. Its Reformation spirit can be seen in the many criticisms of officials and the corruption of the courts. STC 3546; Pforzheimer 41; Christie’s Berland Sale, Part II (Oct 2001); Grolier Langland to Wither 18; Hodnett English Woodcuts 1824-1932.$28,500.

Lord Byron’s Childe Harold’s PilgrimmageExquisitely Bound and Illustrated With Superb Engravings

32 Byron, George Gordon, Lord. CHILDE HAROLD’S PILGRIMAGE. A Ro-mance (London: John Murray, 1841) First edition with the illustrations. With 61 very fine engravings on steel and one fold-out map all by W. Finden. Thick 8vo, luxuriously bound by Tout in dark turquoise-blue morocco, the covers and spine with elaborate all over gilt arabesque decorations and corner tooling, the spine with raised bands separating the compartments, lettered and richly gilt designs, edges with double gilt fillet rules, elaborate gilt turnovers, a.e.g.. xvi, 311. A very fine and beautiful copy in a luxurious, very bright and clean. Some very light, quite unobtrusive and only occasional foxing. A SUPERB AND EXTREMELY APPEALING COPY of Lord Byron’s classic poetic work. The poet began writing ‘Childe Harold’ in Albania in 1809 and the first two can-tos were issued in 1812. Cantos three and four appeared in 1816 and 1818 respectively. Upon its initial publication in 1812, Byron became instantly famous. “The effect wa s...electric, his fame...seemed to spring, like the palace of a fairy king, in a night.”-Moore. A fifth edition was issued later in the same year. “Just turned twenty-four he found himself famous, a great poet, a rising statesman. Society, which in spite of his rank had neglected him, was now at his feet.” -EB This volume, profusely illustrated by one of the best known steel-engravers in London, is a visual treat. Through the viewing of the illustrations, the reader is able to trav-el through Albania, Spain, Porugal, Greece, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy enjoying through the lyrical voice of the poet and also through the evocative illustrations.$2500.

The Last “Black Letter” Edition of Geoffrey ChaucerThe Works of Our Ancient, Learned and Excellent English Poet

London - The Third Speght Edition - 1687

33 Chaucer, Geoffrey. THE WORKS OF OUR ANCIENT, LEARNED, AND EXCELLENT ENGLISH POET, JEFFREY CHAUCER ...to Which Is Adjoyn’d the Story of the Siege of Thebes, by John Lidgate...Together With the Life Of Chaucer (London: np, 1687) The third Speght edition, and the last ‘black letter’ edition of Chaucer’s works. With the famous engraved Gower portrait and genealogical frontispiece, engraved coat of arms at the beginning of the works and with woodcut initials through-out. Folio, full antique calf, the spine sometime restored to correct pe-riod style with raised bands ruled in double gilt and with a red morocco label gilt ruled and lettered. (36), 660, (24) pp. A very handsome copy, internally quite clean and still crisp, a bit of expected mellowing or age evidence, the binding handsome with some expert restoration as noted. A nice, tall copy of this important work. A SCARCE, HANDSOME AND IMPORTANT EDITION. This was the last ‘black letter’ edition of Chaucer to be published. Thomas Speght included in this edition “The Court of Love,” added to the Chaucer canon by Stow in 1561, as well as four new pieces: “The Flower and the Leaf;” “Chaucer’s Dream;” “Jacke Upland” (spuriously attributed to Chaucer); and “Chaucer’s A B C.” The text of the Tales follows that of the 1602 edition, but with the addition of the then recently rediscovered endings of the Cook’s and the Squire’s tales. There is also a twenty-four page Glossary, “The Old and Obscure Words Explained”, at the end of the volume.

This copy with fine provenance, with the engraved bookplate of Oliver Huckel, published author and authority on Richard Wagner. Huckel was the translator into English of such works as ‘Tannhauser’ and ‘Parsifal’. With the plate of the Brook-

lyn Public Library (now deaccessioned) noting it was purchased with the gift of Alexander M. White. There are none of the typical library markings other than this label noting the donor and previous owner. Pforzheimer 179; Wing C3736.$8500.

Poe’s Tales of Mystery and ImaginationWith Scarce Harry Clarke Illustrations - One of 2500 Only

34 [Clarke, illus.] Poe, Edgar Allan. TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGI-NATION (New York: Tudor Publishing Co., 1936) Trade edition of the impressive Clarke/Poe. With 32 plates by Harry Clarke, comprised of 8 tipped-in colour plates and 24 plates in black and white, and with a profusion of Clarke’s head and tail-pieces throughout. 4to, in the pub-lisher’s original black cloth, with a pictorial pastedown on on the upper cover printed in black and gilt, and gilt lettering to the spine, and with the scarce original dustjacket with more of Clarke’s decorations in black, white and green. 412, (1) pp. An unusually bright and fine copy of this impressive edition of Clarke’s Poe, a beautiful book. The scarce dust-jacket with just the most minor wear, a slight abrasion to the rear flap. FIRST OF THE EDITION AND A SCARCE DUST-JACKETED COPY OF THIS IMPORTANT ILLUSTRATED BOOK. The Tudor issue with the plates in colour added to the edition. There are twenty-nine tales including “The Pit and the Pendulum”, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and “The Descent into the Maelstrom.” Clarke’s superb drawings evoke the dense spiritual qualities reflected within Poe’s exquisite and impassioned writing. A wonderful marriage of artist and writer.$850.

The First Sansovino Edition of Dante - 1564Comedia and Opera con L’Espositini de Christoforo Landino

A Fine and Handsome Copy in Full Italian Calf - FolioFully Illustrated Throughout with Period Cuts

35 Dante Alighieri, (1265-1321). [OPERA] CON L’ESPOSITIONI DI CHRISTOFORO LANDINO, et D’Alessandro Vellutello. So-pra la sua Comedia dell’Inferno, del Purgatorio, del Paradiso. Con tavole, argomenti, & allegorie, & riformato, riveduto, & ridotto alla sua vera lettura, per Francesco Sansovino Fiorentino (Venice: Giovambattista Marchio Sessa, & fratelli, 1564) First of the Edition, First Sansovino edition, First edition with a portrait of Dante. With a fine woodcut title page and 96 woodcut illustra-tions, including three full-page, 77 large cuts in the text. Of the cuts, there are 37 for the Inferno, 24 for Purgatorio, and 27 for Paradiso, and numerous head- and tailpieces. Printer’s wood-cut device on the final leaf. Folio, very fine and handsome an-tique Italian calf, the spine with raised bands ruled in gilt, there is a single red/brown morocco label gilt lettered and ruled. [28 ff.), 163, [4 ff.], 164-393 pp. A very handsome and very well pre-served copy in a very pleasing state of preservation. Rare in full antique calf. RARE FIRST EDITION OF THIS HISTORIC PRINTING OF ONE OF THE GREAT BOOKS IN THE MIND OF MAN. This is the first edition of Dante edited by Francisco Sansovino, incorporating two commentaries: that of Christoforo Landino, which first appeared in the Florentine edition of 1481, and the noteworthy commentary of Alessandro Velutello, first published at Venice in 1544. The volume includes extensive introductory matter

by all three commentators, and a running commentary that virtually overwhelms the poem itself. The woodcuts in this edition are taken from those in Velutello’s edition of 1544 and represent a departure, both icono-graphically and stylistically, from those in the Brescia, 1487 edition--they appear more accomplished and more confident in execution. Francesco Sansovino recovered Vellutello’s commentary, never printed in Italy again until this time (except for a Lyonese reprint of 1551). This edition, printed here first in 1564, is very important because it is richly illustrated with many woodcuts taken from the edition of 1544 printed by Marcolini. The portrait of Dante on the title-page, inspired in Vasari’s tradition, is quite famous and this edition is commonly known as ‘of the big nose’. The portrait most likely comes from two paintings by Vasari, now at the Oriel College of Oxford and at the Museum of Fine Arts in Cleveland. Harvard/Mortimer Italian 148. Koch I, 1564. Gamba 390., Mambelli 40., De Batines 1-91/2. De Batines I, pp. 91-92; STC Italian 210; Adams D, 103; Volkmann, Iconografia dantesca, pp. 72-73; Mather, Portraits of Dante, pp. 65-66; Zappella, Il riratto, I, p. 201.$14,500.

Babtistae della Porta’s Classic Work - 1586Rare First Edition - De Humana Physiognomia Libri IIII

An Extraordinary Sixteenth Century Illustrated Book

36 della Porta, Babtistae. DE HUMANA PHYSIOGNOMIA LIBRI IIII Ad Aloysium Card Estesem (Vici Aequensis [Vico Equense]: Iosephum Cac-chium, 1586) First Edition. With engraved title-page (including a portrait of the author within an architectural border), engraved portrait of Cardinal Luigi d’Este, the dedicatee, two full-page engravings of a man and a woman (each repeated once), and 81 engravings by repetition of 27 copperplates. Folio, bound in full tan morocco, the spine with raised bands ruled in blind, the bands carried over to the boards into a decorative triangle also in blind. [ii], 272pp. A very good of this original work with some mild and old evi-dence of damp, generally quite clean and fresh, the later binding with some rubbing and discoloration. An extraordinary sixteenth-century illustrated book, and one of the earliest works on physiognomy,preceding by some two hundred years Lavater’s attempts in estimating human character by features of the face. Porta’s treaties on human physi-ognomy attempts to establish “scientifically” the correspondence between external form of the body and the internal character of a person, specifically mental and moral attributes. Physiognomy (literally ‘knowledge of nature’) is the art of reading a person’s character, disposition, even his future from signs in his face. Giovanni Battista della Porta (1535-1615) was one of the most interesting natural philosophers in Naples during the late Renaissance. Educated at home, he

became well learned on his own and traveled extensively, often cultivating an air of mystery. In Naples, he founded the Aca-demia Secretorum Naturae, otherwise known as the Accademia dei Oziosi, which was later suppressed by the Inquisition. In Naples in 1610, he helped to reestablish the Acaddemia dei Lincei, an organization founded for the pursuit of mathematics and natural sciences. He wrote a number of books on topics ranging from cryptography and occultism to alchemy, distilla-tion, and phytotherapy. He died in Naples on February 4, 1615. Physiognomy, or the notion that a person’s temperament and character can be deduced from the shape of his or her face or body, was first proposed by Classical Greek philosophers and physicians, and Aristotle wrote about the concept extensively. By the Renaissance, the science of physiognomy had been combined with astrology to become rather complex. Giambattista della Porta’s work, De humana physiognomonia, first published in 1586, summarized the previous literature on physiog-nomy and attempted to make a strong case for it, along with numerous illustrations. He states, for instance, that a man with sheep-like features would have personality characteristics similar to that of a sheep, in his view a stupid and impious animal. How seriously trained physicians of the time took Porta’s arguments is debatable, but physiognomy has appeared again and again in the medical literature. In the 18th century, Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) founded phrenology, or the science of studying character and intelligence based on the shape of a person’s head. In the late 19th century, Italian physician Cesare Lombroso wrote that criminal behavior could be predicted in people with certain physical characteristics, including atavistic or ape-like features. Such images in physiognomy literature are certainly on the fringe of anatomical illustration, but Porta’s text goes into

great detail about the shape of the brow, the length of the nose, and the breadth of the chin. It also plays a role in the history of comparative anatomy, an enormous field in and of itself. National Library of Medicine.$9850.

The Very Rare First Edition in English - A Classical WorkA Chronicle, The Lives of Ten Emperours of Rome - 1577

Sir Antonie of Guevara - Published in London

37 [Early Classical Works in English]; Guevara, Syr Antonie of. A CHRONI-CLE, CONTEYNING THE LIVES OF TENNE EMPEROURS OF ROME. Wher-in Are Discouered, Their Beginnings, Proceedings, and Endings, Worthie to Be Read, Marked, and Remembered Wherein Are Also Conteyned Lawes of Speciall Profite and Policie, Sentences of Singular Shortnesse and Sweetenesse, Orations of Great Gravitie and Wisedome, Letters of Rare Learning and Elo-quence, Examples of Vices Carefully to be Avoyded, and Notable Paternes of Vertue Fruitfull to be Followed.... Translated Out of the Spanish into English by Edward Hellowes... Hereunto is also annexed a table, recapitulating such par-ticularities, as are in this booke mentioned (London: Ralphe Newberrie, 1577) Very Rare, the first and presumed only edition in English. Title-page within elaborate woodcut border, very large woodcut initial and woodcut headpiece on the first leaf of the dedication, smaller woodcut initials throughout. Small 4to, in 18th century mottled calf, sometime rebacked to perfect period style featuring simple gilt ruled raised bands and a single morocco lettering label gilt lettered and tooled, endpapers marbled, with the 1724 armorial bookplate of George Baillie, Lord of the Treasury, Lord of the Admiralty, and MP of both the Parliaments of Scotland and Great Britain. Later provenance of Brent Gra-tion-Maxfield with his characteristic manuscript ex-libris and notes on the front blanks. [8], 484, [10] pp., collated as complete but for the final blank. A very handsome and proper copy of the rare book. The text quite solid and fresh with only occasional and light evidence of soiling or stain, extremely minor worming through the first quarter or so in the inner bottom margin and not effecting any text whatsoever. A copy with excellent provenance throughout the 18th and 20th centuries. VERY SCARCE, THIS COPY THE ONLY ONE IN PUBLIC AUCTION GOING BACK AS FAR AS 1972, this being the Gration-Maxfield copy, Sotheby’s, London, February 9, 1981. Fewer than 20 copies are listed in institutional holdings by OCLC, and we know of no other copy currently available. THE FIRST AND ONLY EDITION IN ENGLISH. Guevara was an important Spanish court preacher and served as historian to the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, Charles V. This work, published in Spain in 1539 as Decada de los Césares, was written in imitation of the manner of Plutarch and Suetonius; and also the Epistolas Familiares. It is a collection of formal essays designed primarily to use classical examples to promote virtuous living in his own century. Like his MARCUS AURELIUS, it also served largely to argue the importance of modern sovereigns. Guevara’s influence upon the Spanish prose of the 16th century was considerable, but also of great literary controversy. Many of the characters and events depicted in both this work and the Aurelius have too-close-to-be-coincidence counterparts in the court of which he was part of, yet he claimed these works as historically accurate, referring to a “manuscript in Flor-ence” which was almost certainly imaginary. STC 12426.$12,500.

The Experimental Researches in ElectricityThe First Collected Edition - 1839

The First through Fourteenth Series - A Rare Publication

38 Faraday, Michael. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCHES IN ELECTRICITY (London: Richard and John Edward Taylor, 1839) Very rare first collected edition of the original fourteen series of researches reprinted from the Philosophical Transactions of 1831-1838. With 8 folding plates of the series of 13 engraved illustrations depicting some of Faraday’s experiments, additional illustrations throughout the text. 4to, in later antique full chocolate calf, the boards gilt decorated, the spine with gilt ruling and a black morocco label gilt lettered. viii, 574 pp. A

very pleasing copy of this rare publication, the title-page with a bit of time-wear along the fore-edge, quite clean with just minor evidence of age-toning or use, the binding solid and attractive. The discoverer of electo-magnetism, Faraday is recognized as perhaps the greatest experimental scientist of all time. This rare first collected edition of his original fourteen series of experiments includes a preface original for this pub-lication by the author, bibliographic references and a cumulative index. Using a clue from earlier theories, Faraday discovered that a current-car-rying wire would rotate around a magnetic pole or a pole around a current-carrying wire. This discovery would be the principle behind the electric motor. Pursuing this theory further, he discovered that when a wire moved around a magnetic pole a current was produced. This would become the principle behind the dynamo and the transformer, leading into a new era of experiments with electricity. Pursuing his fascination with electro-magnetism, Faraday identified all forms of electricity, whether produced by nature or by man-made machine. His theories on magnetic force would become the basis for the later theories of Clerk Maxwell and Albert Einstein.

While experimenting with electrolysis, Faraday was the first to discover that gases are vaporized liquids with low boil-ing points and created many of the terms and processes that are the basis for modern science-electrode, electrolyze, cathode, anode and ion. Faraday contribution to science cannot be overstated. His discoveries in electricity and how create and harness it have become the building blocks of our modern life. He made possible electric power, electric lights, telephones and now the com-puters and telecommunications wonders of our own time. PMM 308.$5500.

The First Illustrated Edition of a Cornerstone WorkHigden’s Polycronicon - 1527 - The History of the World

One of the Supreme Early Printed Books in English

39 Higden, Ranulph; [Early Printing in English]. POLYCRON-ICON [translated by John de Trevisa] (Southwark: Peter Trev-eris at ye expences of John Reynes, 1527, the 16th day of May) VERY RARE. THE FIRST ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF THE POLYCRONICON and only the third issuance of the book after the Caxton printing of 1482 and the Wynken de Worde printing of 1495. With the exception of the woodcut of the musical nota-tion on n5r, which first appeared in the printing of 1495 (and was the earliest printed musical notation in an English book), ALL THE WOODCUT ILLUSTRATIONS APPEAR HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME. Double column, black letter, zylographic title printed in red between two parts of a large woodcut block printed in red and black (Hodnett 2489, state 2), the upper por-tion featuring the royal arms, a portrait of Henry VIII, and the arms of London, the larger lower portion showing St. George, this block repeated in its undivided state on the verso of colo-phon, full page woodcut of a battle on z6v, 9 smaller woodcuts in the text (six blocks, some repeated), woodcut musical nota-tion on n5r, many 10-line and smaller woodcut initials. John Reynes’ printer’s mark, colophon with hunting scenes. Folio (271x 191 mm), bound in correct 16th century style in full calf, the boards paneled in blind, the spine with tall raised bands blind ruled, compartments with central blind tool device but one which is gilt lettered, a.e.g. Fo. CCCxlvi. (aa8, bb-hh6,

a-y8, z6, A-S8, T6, U, X8) A very handsome and complete copy of this rare and highly desirable book, interest-ing and early manuscript notations in two hands, one of which documented as 16th century, censor markings to Catholic references, particularly references to the Pope now faded and the print beneath now legible, faint and occasional evidence of old damp, some other minor occasional staining, a few minor paper repairs in margins or corners, not effecting text. RARE AND IMPORTANT. Only the third printing of one of the most important pieces of early English historical prose. Higden’s POLYCRONICON, a world history from the Creation to 1360 A.D., was translated by Trevisa at the command of Thomas, Earl of Berkeley (d. 1361). The work draws on over 40 sources, and synthesizes a continuous diachronic and multicultural history, beginning with the Biblical account of the Creation and moving through the history of the Semitic, Hellenic, Roman, and medieval-European cultures. It served as a model for innumerable later histories, both universal and localized. The POLYCRONICON was Caxton’s most ambitious printing project. It is his longest book in terms of page count, and the second-longest in terms of word count (after the GOLDEN LEGEND of 20 November 1483). It is also Caxton’s most ambitious work as an editor and a writer; for Caxton significantly revised the extant English translation of the POLY-CRONICON, updating its terminology considerably; and he also authored an original history of England to serve as Book 8 of the text--a writing effort which stands as Caxton’s greatest achievement as an author. This printing is only the third, after Caxton’s original in 1482, it is considered one of the best examples of Treveris’ ability as a printer. Grolier “Langland to Wither” 144; Pforzheimer 490. STC 13440; Clair. A History of Printing in Britain. P. 50.$42,500.

A Beautiful Copy in Contemporary Full Polished CalfJohnson’s Great Dictionary - PMM - First Edition - 1755

“The Most Amazing, Enduring, and EndearingOne-Man Feat in the Field of Lexicography”

40 Johnson, Samuel. A DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, in Which the Words are deduced from their Originals... To Which are Pre-fixed a History of the Language and An English Grammar (London: by W. Strahan, 1755) 2 vol-umes. First edition. Title pages printed in red & black, woodcut tailpieces. Royal folio, full contemporary sprinkled calf with a sympathetic antique restoration at the spine panel incorporat-ing the original lettering labels. The covers with borders decorated with double gilt fillet lines, the spines with handsome raised bands gilt ruled, the contrasting dark red and green lettering labels are stamped in gilt. Very beautifully preserved. In-ternally especially clean and well preserved, and a large copy, unpressed and with fine margins. A bit of very light expected age or shelf rubbing at the extremities, but without question, an unusu-ally fine, handsome and clean set. RARE AND HIGHLY IMPORTANT, THE TRUE FIRST EDITION OF SAMUEL JOHNSON’S MAS-TERWORK AND A WONDERFUL CLEAN AND LARGE COPY. “The most amazing, enduring and endearing one-man feat in the field of lexicography (PMM). Begun in 1747 and printed over five years, Johnson’s DICTIONARY set the standard for all sub-sequent lexicographical work. Its excellence was im-mediately recognized in all quarters and the first edi-tion of two thousand copies sold quickly.

What set Johnson’s DICTIONARY apart from earlier efforts was his reliance on the examples of English literature rather than his own intuition or previous word lists or dictionaries, a method that has been the standard ever since, from Richard-son and Webster to the Oxford English Dictionary. Johnson, in undertaking this vast work, set out to perform single-hand-ed for the English language what the French Academy, a century before, had attempted for French. He hope to produce “a dictionary by which the pronunciation of our language may be fixed, and its attainment facilitated;” and though, of course, no language can be frozen in time, by aiming at fixing the language he succeeded in giving the standard of reputable use. As Noah Webster stated, his work “had, in philology, the effect which Newton’s discoveries had in mathematics.” Johnson presumed to finish the work for the Dictionary in three years by his own labor, but he underestimated the work required and it eventually took nine years to complete (though not all of his time was spent upon the Dictionary, as he was also the editor of The Rambler at this time) and required the assistance of six amanuenses--five of whom, to Boswell’s satis-faction, were Scotsmen. “Johnson’s achievement marked an epoch in the history of the language. The result of nine years labor, it did more than any other work before or since towards fixing the language. The preface ranks among Johnson’s finest writings. The most amazing, enduring, and endearing one-man feat in the field of lexicography” (Printing and the Mind of Man). PMM; Grolier 100 English, #50; Courtney and Smith, p. 54.$28,500.

The Beautiful Kelmscott Press Limited Edition of 1895The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe ShelleyDesigned and Printed by William Morris

41 [Kelmscott Press] Shelley, Percy Bysshe. THE POETICAL WORKS (Hammersmith: By William Morris at the Kelmscott Press, 21 August, 1895) 3 volumes. Limited Edition, of which only 250 copies printed on paper. Beautifully printed in Wil-liam Morris’ ‘Golden’ type, one of the tree typefaces he designed him-self, a stunning double-page title with wood-cut border designed by Morris, numerous and large wood-cut initials, some quite ornate, print-ing in red and black, all in the finest of the Kelmscott Press’ style on fine hand-made paper with the Flower watermark. Tall thick 8vos, in the original bindings of full limp vellum with yap edges, gilt lettered on the

spines. In sturdy and very attractive separate slipcases of marbled paper over boards. 399; 412; 421 pp. A very fine and very beautiful set, especially well preserved and presented. FIRST EDITION IN ESPECIALLY FINE CONDITION AND AN EXQUISITE PRINTING FROM WILLIAM MORRIS AT HIS KELMSCOTT PRESS. The text, edited by F.S. Ellis from the best former editions, is set in Morris’ fine Golden Type, one of the three he designed himself. The type was cut by Edward P. Prince in an exhausting effort that took nearly a year to complete. Peterson A29; Walsdorf 29.$13,500.

A Very Fine and Very Appealing Copy in DustjacketArthur Miller - Death of a Salesman - 1949

42 Miller, Arthur. DEATH OF A SALESMAN Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem (New York: The Viking Press, 1949) First edition. Decorated with the publisher’s endpapers reproducing Jo Miedlzin-er’s drawings for the original stage setting. 8vo, publisher’s original orange cloth lettered in black on the spine

and pictorially decorated with a rendering of the stage setting in black, yellow and white on the upper cover, in the first issue jacket priced at $2.50 and with the author’s photo on the rear flap as called for. 139 pp. A very fine, bright and attractive copy in excellent condition. A VERY FINE COPY OF THE TRUE FIRST EDITION. ‘It was the recipi-ent of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances, and has been revived on Broadway four times, winning three Tony Awards for Best Revival. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest plays of the 20th century. The original Broadway production was produced by Kermit Bloomgarden and opened at the Morosco Theatre on February 10, 1949, closing on November 18, 1950, after 742 performances. The play starred Lee J. Cobb as Willy Loman, Mildred Dunnock as Linda, Arthur Kennedy as Biff, Howard Smith as Charley and Cameron Mitchell as Happy. Albert Dekker and Gene Lockhart later played Willy Loman during the original Broadway run. It won the Tony Award for Best Play, Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Arthur Kennedy), Best Scenic Design (Jo Mielziner), Producer (Dramatic), Author (Arthur Miller), and Di-rector (Elia Kazan), as well as the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play. Jayne Mansfield performed in a production of the play in Dallas, Texas, in October 1953. Her performance in the play attracted Paramount Pictures to hire her for the studio’s film productions. The play has been revived on Broadway four times.$2350.

Very Rare First Edition of Münster’s Furmalung und KustlichPublished in Basel - 1537 - With 66 Fine Woodcuts

His Work on Sundials and Horology

43 [Muenster] Münster, Sebastian. FÜR-MALUNG UND KÜNSTLICH BES-CHREIBUNG DER HOROLOGIEN, Nemlich Wie Man der Sonnen Uren mit Mancherley Weys und Form, und Auff Allerley Gattung ent Werffen Soll an die Mauren (Basel: Heinrich Peter [Heinrich Petri], 1537) VERY RARE. First edition in German. With 66 fine and impressive large woodcuts, woodcut initials through-out. Small Folio, bound in an early vellum manuscript leaf, likely from an antipho-nal written in black and ruled in red, page edges died red. [vii], 157 pp. A handsome copy, the text very clean and fresh, some very minor marginal wormholes. SEBASTIAN MÜNSTER’S IMPORTANT WORK ON SUNDIALS AND HOROLOGY, illustrated with many very impressive wood-cuts, some attributed to Holbein the Younger. The work displays not only Münster’s mathematical and scientific abilities but also those of a master-craftsman. The many fine woodcuts include sundials, quadrants and various other measuring devices, some of which are attributed to Hans Holbein the Younger. The work was original published in Latin in 1531. This edition appeared several years prior to Muenster’s famed ‘Cosmographia’ and is far scarcer.$17,500.

Edgar Allan Poe - In the Rare SlipcaseDe Luxe, Limited and Signed by Arthur Rackham

Tales of Mystery and Imagination - Twelve Plates in Colour

44 [Rackham, Illus] Poe, Edgar Allan. POE’S TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION (London: George C. Harrap & Co., Ltd., 1935) LIM-ITED SIGNED FIRST EDITION, one of 460 numbered copies SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM. With 12 very impressive colourplates, each with a captioned guard, pictorial titlepage printed in black and green and 17 full-page line drawings and several drawings within the text all by Arthur Rackham. 4to, in a publisher’s De Luxe issue binding of white parchment, lettered and pictorially decorated in gilt on the spine and up-per cover with delightfully ghoulish Rackham designs, and with striking back and white skeletal endpapers, t.e.g.,others untrimmed in the RARE ORIGINAL SLIPCASE with printed label. 318 pp. A very fine and a very bright copy, the book pristine and very beautiful, the slipcase only with toning and wear but complete and present which is quite rare.

AN OUTSTANDING COPY OF THIS LIMITED DE LUXE SIGNED FIRST EDITION WITH ARTHUR RACKHAM’S VERY IMPRESSIVE IL-LUSTRATIONS. There are twenty-five tales including “The Pit and the Pen-dulum”, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and “The Descent into the Maelstrom.” The superb drawings evoke the dense spiritual qualities reflected within Poe’s exquisite and impassioned writing. A wonderful marriage of artist and writer: Rackham’s illustrations, both horrific

and fanciful, bring Poe’s imagination to life, the artist said in illustrating this book that he was beginning to frighten him-self. One of our favorite illustrated books.$3950.

A Scarce Fantasy Classic From the Golden Age of IllustrationThe Ship That Sailed to Mars - The Only Edition

45 Timlin, William M. THE SHIP THAT SAILED TO MARS: A Fan-tasy (London: George G. Harrap and Company Limited, [1923]) First and only edition of the period, not reprinted till the 1990s. Only 2000 copies were printed, 250 of which were distributed with the Stokes im-print in America. Comprised of 96 leaves of heavy paper stock, on 48 of them are tipped the author’s decorative text plates, printed in multiple colours, the other 48 with his spectacular tipped-in colour plates. Large 4to, original olive paper-covered boards, printed on the upper cover in brown-black, backed in Japan vellum lavishly lettered and pictori-ally decorated in gilt. [96ff, text and plates] A beautiful copy, all very fine with just the lightest of mellowing to the paper-covered boards, the spine clean and bright with vivid gilt. SCARCE FIRST AND ONLY EDITION OF THIS BOOK WHICH HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE OF HONOUR AS A CLASSIC OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF ILLUSTRATION. While Tamlim may not be as famous as Dulac or Rackham, his evocative and sometimes astonishing illustrations to his only work of fiction have made this title a prize of collectors. The scarcity is even greater then would be expected as some of the publisher’s stock was destroyed, along with most of the original paintings, in a warehouse fire. Timlin’s only fiction, THE SHIP THAT SAILED TO MARS is a fantasy novella which also incorporates elements of science fiction. Timlin worked on the story for two years, it began as a diversion for his son in 1921. The work expanded until in its final form, 48 pages of text and 48 colour plates showing

remarkable flights of fantasy. Timlin sent the book to publishers George Harrap, who were delighted with both the illustra-tions and the calligraphic text and decided to print it without typesetting. The book has since become a legend of the fantasy genre. The author’s primary career was as an architect and illustrator. He was born in Britain and began his training at the College of Art in Newcastle. In 1912, he joined his parents in South Africa where he completed his training in art and architecture. He remained in South Africa for rest of his life. Timlin designed a number of important buildings in Kimber-ley including Kimberley Boys’ High School while pursuing his interest in art, turning out a large number of watercolour fantasies in addition to oils, pastels, etchings and periodical illustrations. His work was regularly exhibited. He also illus-trated many South African travel books. Dalby, Richard, The Golden Age of Children’s Book Illustration, Gallery Books, pp. 102–3; Howe, John; The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1993), p. 1230.$4500.

A Classic Work of the Highest OrderThe Very Rare First Complete Edition in Common English

1573 - Virgil - The Phaer-Twyne Translation and EditionHandsomely Bound and Presented

46 [Virgil]. THE WHOLE XII BOOKES OF THE AENEIDOS OF VIRGILL. Whereof the First IX and Part of the Tenth, Were Converted into English Meeter by Thomas Phaer, Es-quire, and the Residue Supplied, and the Whole Worke To-gether Newly Set Forth by Thomas Twyne Gentleman. There is Added Moreover to This Edition, Virgil’s Life Out of Do-natus, and the Arguments Before Every Booke (London: by William How for Abraham Veale, 1573) SCARCE AND VERY EARLY EDITION IN ENGLISH. THE FIRST COMPLETE EDI-TION IN ‘COMMON’ or ‘MODERN’ ENGLISH, THE FIRST PRINTING OF Phaer’s translation to include books 10-12, the “Life” of Virgil and The Arguments. Woodcut border to the titlepage, woodcut initials and head-or-tail pieces through-out. Small 4to (7 by 5.5 inches), very handsomely bound in antique full speckled calf by Riviere and Sons, gilt lettered on two morocco labels on the spine, blind ruled raised bands, blind ruled borders on the boards, t.e.g. Housed in calf-cov-ered clamshell box gilt lettered on a rounded back between raised bands. A very handsome copy, the binding in excellent condition and the text very solid, some expert restoration to the titlepage, trimmed a bit close at top and bottom, very oc-casional old evidence of staining or use. AN OUTSTANDING COPY OF THIS VERY EARLY ENG-LISH VIRGIL, THE TEXT COMPLETE WITH ERRATA PAGE AND COLOPHON. This is the first printing of Phaer’s trans-lation to contain all 12 books, as the first issue of the translation contained only the first nine books. This is the first complete edition in ‘modern’ or ‘common’ English. Douglas’ 1553 translation was in the Scot’s dialect, thus making Phaer’s the first translation into British English. This would remain the primary English Virgil till Dryden, over a century later. STC24797; Pforzheimer 1027.$18,500.

Through the Looking Glass and What Alice FoundFirst Edition - First Issue - Original Cloth

47 Carroll, Lewis. THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS AND WHAT ALICE FOUND THERE (London: Macmillan, 1872) First edition and the first issue with “wade” on page 21. With the famous Illustrations throughout by John Tenniel. 8vo, original red cloth, decorated on the covers with gilt lines and cen-tral gilt pictorial devices, spines lettered and decorated in gilt, a.e.g. Now pro-tected in a handsome fold-over straight-grain full morocco box gilt letttered. 224 pp. A fine and very bright copy with only a minimal amount of age-wear or mellowing to the original red cloth. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE OF THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS. Though dated 1872 the work was released in 1871 in time for the Christmas market. Tenniel’s illustrations are some of the most charming to ever appear in children’s literature. This is the second half of the Alice story with the original illustrations by him issued in the first printing of the first edition. The Alice books have proven themselves to be among the most enduring classics of literature--for children or otherwise. ALICE’s importance might be gauged by the fact that it is one of only three books written for children (five, if one includes Aesop’s Fables and Froebel’s “Mutter- und Kose-Leider”) included in the “Printing and the Mind of Man” exhibition. ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and its sequel, THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS, are “unique among ‘juveniles’ in appealing equally--if not more strongly --to adults. Written by an Oxford don, a clergyman, and a professional math-ematician, they abound in characters--the White Knight, the Red Queen, the Mad Hat-

ter, Humpty Dumpty--who are a part of everybody’s mental furniture. And the philosophic profundity of scores, if not hundreds, of these characters’ observations, long household words wherever English is spoken, gains mightily from the delicious fantasy of their setting” (PMM 354).$3950.

Dickens’ ‘Christmas Books’ in Lovely Red Calf GiltFirst Editions of All Five of These Beloved Books - 1843-1848

48 Dickens, Charles. [Christmas Books, comprising] A CHRISTMAS CAROL; THE CHIMES; THE BATTLE OF LIFE; THE CRICKET ON THE HEARTH; and THE HAUNTED MAN AND THE GHOSTS BAR-GAIN (London: Bradbury and Evans and Chapman and Hall, 1843, ‘45, ‘46, ‘46, ‘48) Together 5 volumes. First edition of each work, Christmas Carol is first issue. Numerous illustrations within the five volumes by John Leech, Clarkson Stanfield, John Tenniel, Richard Doyle, Edwin Landseer, Daniel Maclise and Frank Stone. CHRISTMAS CAROL in-cludes the four hand-coloured plates etched by John Leech. Small 8vos, in handsome uniform full burgundy calf, the boards with gilt rule bor-der, the spines with raised bands double ruled in gilt, 4 compartments with central gilt tool,two with green morocco labels gilt lettered, mar-bled endpapers and e.a.g. Each book with the gilt decorated original cloth from the upper board bound in, ‘Chimes’, ‘Cricket’ and “Christ-mas Carol” also with the gilt decorated cloth from the original spines bound in. All five books housed together in a red cloth-covered slip-case. A very handsome and appealing set, the calf bindings all in quite beautiful condition and very fine, the texts all very well preserved with a minimum of age evidence or mellowing. A VERY HANDSOME SET OF THE FIVE GREAT CHRISTMAS NOV-ELS PENNED BY CHARLES DICKENS.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL IS ONE OF THE GREATEST BOOKS IN ALL OF LITERATURE. With its publication, Dickens captured the popular imagination as no other novelist had done, he was held in in high critical esteem by contem-poraries as varied as Queen Victoria and Dostoevsky. He called his extremely popular ‘Christmas Carol’ a “whimsical sort of masque intended to awaken loving and forbearing thoughts.” The lasting appeal of this novel has proven it to be much more. It had been dramatized on the London stage within a month of its publication and has been made into no less then 17 motion pictures. John Leech illustrated Dickens’ classic “Christmas Carol” with four etched plates and several woodcuts within the text. The early impressions such as this one featured hand-colouring to the etched plates. In later editions, the plates were either not colored, not present, or the product of other illustrators. The plates from the early issues feature Leechs’ etched signature and the Chapman and Hall imprint. THE CHIMES was Dickens’ second installment in the “Christmas Books” series and his labors in creating THE CHIMES were “very arduous” in order to make it a worthy successor to A CHRISTMAS CAROL. THE CRICKET ON THE HEARTH was third in Dickens’ Christmas Book Series. The title grew out of Dickens’ idea to begin a weekly periodical named “The Cricket” with an added motto, “A cheerful creature that chirrups on the hearth.” Dickens relinquished that idea to instead concentrate on the venture that resulted in the founding of the “The Daily News.” The original periodical idea manifested itself in his “Household Words.” THE BATTLE OF LIFE was the fourth installment in Dickens’ series of Christmas Books. Dickens managed to find the time to complete the manuscript while working on DOMBEY AND SON in Switzerland and in December of 1846 the book was released, selling 23,000 copies in the first 24 hours. THE HAUNTED MAN AND THE GHOST’S BARGAIN was the last of Dickens’ popular Christmas books and one that returns to the themes that brought him such success with A CHRISTMAS CAROL. A WONDERFUL SET OF FIRST EDITIONS OF SOME OF THE MOST FAMOUS AND TREASURED BOOKS OF ALL TIME.$10,500.

The Catholicon from Gutenberg’s ShopA Fine Leaf Handsomely Rubricated and Preserved

49 Balbus, Johannes. [CATHOLICON] An Original Leaf From the Catholicon of Johannes Balbus (Mainz: [Johann Gutenberg], 1460 [second impression, Peter Schoeffer?, c. 1468-69]) A single leaf of the Mainz CATHOLICON, first edi-tion, second impression. Double column, 66 lines. Type: 82G cast on two-line slugs. Rubricated in red with lombard ini-tials (26 on recto and 26 on verso) and paragraph marks (5 on recto and 8 on verso). Royal folio (14 7/16 x 11 1/4 inches), printed on Galliziani paper with the characteristic shadows at wire-line intervals of ca. 5mm and with water-mark pres-ent. Now presented unattached, between a cream beveled mounting, older mounting also included and all within a handsome portfolio of tan buckram with paper label on the upper board. Single leaf. A very handsome piece with just a bit of browning along the binding edge, slight tear at bottom margin expertly repaired, no text effected, slight discolouring from old mounting tape at two very small points of the upper edge. A HANDSOME ORIGINAL LEAF from the most substantive of three books printed by Gutenberg from two-line castings rather than moveable types. Three chronologically distinct printings of the CATHOLICON have been identified on the basis of their paper stocks. This leaf containing the dictionary entries from “Cedula” to

“Cenomia” from the first edition, second impression. As early as 1905 Gottfred Zedler recognized that the Catholicon edition dated Mainz 1460 exists in three impressions printed from a single setting of type but associated with three presses (with different pinhole patterns) and printed on three

distinct paper stock. In 1982 Paul Needham presented evidence that the three issues were printed at different times, accord-ing to the datable use of their paper stocks: copies on Bull’s Head paper (with which are classed the vellum copies) in 1460, copies on Galliziani paper ca. 1469, and copies on Crown and Tower papers ca. 1472. Moreover, Needham argued that the three impressions were produced, not from standing type, but from two-line ‘slugs’ cast from the type and capable of being reassembled for subsequent impressions. According to this theory, the first impression of the Catholicon was produced by Gutenberg himself in 1460, the ‘slugs’ then passed into the possession of Konrad Humery with Gutenberg’s other typo-graphic material after the latter’s death in 1468 and were re-used by Humery probably with the help of Peter Schoeffer, ca. 1469. In this view, which has aroused prolonged controversy among incunabulists, the 1460 Catholicon represents not only Gutenberg’s last production but also final achievement, the invention of an early form of stereotyping.”[Christie’s Nakles Collection of Incunabula, 2000 lot #2] This leaf likely from those acquired by E. Byrne Hackett and broken up by him for the Brick Row Book Shop in 1936. The older matting board included with it has an old but undated typed note on a card with Brick Row printed letterhead. Balbus’s CATHOLICON, the standard Latin dictionary of the later Middle Ages, went through at least fifteen editions before the end of the fifteenth century. The leaf offered here represents ONE OF THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE OBTAIN-ABLE PIECES OF PRINTING, and its association with Johann Gutenberg provides an intimate connection with the begin-ning of printing from moveable type, perhaps the single most important event of the millenium (so far). Hain/Copinger C 2254*; GW 3182; Goff B-20; BMC I 39; Proctor 146; Walsh/Harvard B28.$5500.

The First Edition in English of This Rare WorkThe Secretes of the...Maister Alexis of Piemount - 1558

His Famous Work of Medical, Cosmetic and Culinary Import

50 [Piedmont; Medical; Cosmetics; Culinary; Early English Printing] Alexis of Piemount, [Alexius Pedemontanus, Girolamo Ruscelli]. THE SECRETES OF THE REVERENDE MAISTER ALEXIS OF PIEMOUNT. Containyng Excellente Remedies Against Divers Diseases, Woundes, and Other Accidents, with the Manner to Make Distillations, Parfumes, Confitures, Diynges, Colours, Fusions and Meltynges. A Worke Well Ap-proved, Verye Profitable and Necessary for Every Man. Translated Out of the French into English by Wyllyam Warde (London: John Kingstone for Nicolas Inglande, 1558) The rare first edition in English of the fa-mous book of medical, cosmetic, culinary and household recipes and the FIRST BOOK on Confectionery. With Provenance. Handsome gothic type, with many large (7 or 8 line) historiated initials throughout, many smaller engraved initials as well. Small 4to, in very attractive full 19th century brown tree calf, the covers paneled in gilt, the spine elaborately gilt decorated in compartments between gilt ruled and stippled raised bands, one compartment with a red morocco spine label gilt lettered, ruled and decorated, marbled endpapers. [7ff], 123ff, [10ff]. Complete but for two blanks, one before “to the reader” and the other between the final leaf of text and the start of the table. A very handsome and prop-er copy, the text clean and very fresh, top edge trimmed close but only barely effecting the headlines on only a handful of pages, final leaf of the table with a neatly repaired tear with no loss, the binding very handsome with only minor wear and a small chip at the head of the spine, unobtrusive marks of previous owners indicating fine provenance. RARE, THE FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH of this famous book of medical, cosmetic, culinary and household recipes, PRINTED ONLY A FEW YEARS AFTER THE FIRST ITALIAN EDITION. Only two copies have appeared in auction since 1975. “The work... became very popular as a treasury of medical and other knowledge in all the countries of Europe” (DNB). An immensely popular book, “The Secrets of Alexis of Piedmont”, would eventually be published in more than a hundred editions and was still being reprinted in the 1790s. The work was translated into Latin, German, English, Spanish, French, and Polish. It is “The first book on confectionery” and “the most famous of the receipt-books.” It is generally assumed that Alessio Piemontese was a pseudonym of Girolamo Ruscelli, the book’s Italian publisher.

Ruscelli was an engraver and grammarian. He was later to claim to have written the Secretes, which later would total four parts, all four not appearing together in English until 1568. Translated from the French by William Warde, a physician and graduate of King’s College, Cambridge, who used Christopher Plantin’s edition of a French translation (Antwerp, 1557) as his original. Alessio Piemontese was the prototypical ‘professor of secrets.’ His description of his hunt for secrets in the preface to the Secreti helped to give rise to a legend of the wandering empiric who dedicated his life to the search for natural and technologi-cal secrets. The book contributed to the emergence of the concept of science as a hunt for the secrets of nature, which pervaded experimental science during the period of the Scientific Revolution. The work unleashed a torrent of ‘books of secrets’ that continued to be published down through the eighteenth century. This copy was likely the first to appear at public sale in America. It bears the ex-libris of Herman Blum and his Blumhaven library in Philadelphia. With the earlier fine provenance of Victorian politician Edward Law, the first Earl of Ellenborough, who also served as Governor-General of India between 1842 and 1844. The present binding likely done for him and has his engraved bookplate from the library at Southam de la Bere. Osleriana 1779; STC 293; Walleriana 349; DNB; Oxford, English Cookery Books to the Year 1850, 3; See also Cagle 978 and 979.$9500.

The Invention of PhotographyDaguerre’s Conquering Work - PMM 318 - 1839

Das Daguerreotyp und Das Diorama - The First in German

51 Daguerre, Louis Jacq. Mandè. DAS Daguerre-otyp und das DioramA, oder Genaue und Au-thentische Beschreibung Meines Verfahrens und Meiner Apparate zu Fixirung der Bilder der Cam-era Obscura und der Von Mir Bei Dem Diorama Angewendeten Art und Weise der Malerei und der Beleuchtung. (Stuttgart: J. B. Metzler’schen, 1839) RARE First German edition (and the best of the several translations to come out that year) of Daguerre’s exposition of his photographic process. With two folding lithographic plates illustrating numerous pieces of photographic equipment. 8vo, in modern paper-covered boards, the upper board with a pastedown label printed in facsimile of the original printed paper wrapper. 67, [1] pp. A very

fine copy beautifully preserved and with very large margins, typical offsetting from the text but otherwise sur-prisingly clean and fresh. VERY SCARCE FIRST GERMAN EDITION, THE BEST OF THE TRANSLATIONS AND A VERY EARLY TRANSLATION OUT OF FRENCH OF DAGUERRE’S GROUNDBREAKING DESCRIPTION OF HIS PHOTO-GRAPHIC PROCESSES. Unquestionably one of the most famous and important publications in the history of photogra-phy. A PRINTING AND THE MIND OF MAN title, of which Grolier says there are 4 first issues and 3 second issues of the original first French edition known with one selling in New York in 2008 for over $120,000. “THE BEGINNINGS OF PHOTOGRAPHY” (Horblit). Daguerre, a gifted set designer and creator of the famous Diorama, a picture show based on lighting effects, began experimenting in the 1820s with fixing the images of the camera obscura on silver chloride paper. His continued lack of success using this method stimulated his interest in the heliographic method invented by Nicéphore Nièpce, who had produced the first successful photographic image in 1826 or 1827 on a pewter plate coated with bitumen of Judea dissolved in oil of lavender, and in 1829 Daguerre succeeded in persuading the reluctant Nièpce to become his partner. It was only after Nièpce’s death, however, in the spring of 1835, that Daguerre ac-cidentally discovered a quicker method of exposing and developing the Niècian image through the application of mercury vapor. Using this method, with common table salt as the fixative, he produced his first successful permanent photographic image in 1837. Still under contract with Nièpce’s son Isidore, Daguerre agreed to split the profits from the new invention in exchange for calling it by his name alone. Dibner Heralds of Science, 183; Horblit/Grolier; PMM 318b.$5450.

David Roberts - The Holy Land - From Original Drawings Illustrated with 120 Fine Tinted Lithographs - ca. 1889

52 Roberts, David. THE HOLY LAND. From Original Drawing by David Roberts, R.A. [Af-ter Lithographs by Louis Haghe] With Historical Descriptions by the Rev. George Crowly, LL.D. (London: Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., [ca. 1889]) 2 volumes, bound as one, containing sections; Jerusalem and Galilee; Jordan and Bethlehem; Idumea & Petra. With a total of 120 fine litho-graphic tinted plates from Roberts’ drawings done on the scene. 4to, in fine three-quarter red morocco over red textured cloth boards, the spine with flat bands of double-ruled gilt, gilt lettered in one compartment, printed endpapers, a.e.g. viii, 85; 36 pp. A handsome copy, the binding well preserved with only a bit of unobtrusive spotting to the cloth, solid and strong, unusual for these large heavy books. The paper quite fresh and fine with only very minor light foxing occasionally present and far less then typically encountered. With the general title and one of the divisional title-pages included, that for section three, which along with section three’s preliminary material is bound in the front. The three page ‘notice of the journey’, the list of subjects for parts one and two, and the three pages of introductory text to section 2 are not included. VERY EARLY ISSUE OF THE QUARTO EDITION WITH 120 PLATES REPRODUCED FROM One of the most desirable of all travel and plate books. Roberts’ original folio volumes from the 1840 rank among the most costly of illus-trated travel books. Their popularity let to the production of a series of more affordable quarto volumes, of which the volume offered here is one.$5750.

The First With Doppelmayr’s Work on Field MeasurementsSumma Geometriae Practicae - 1718

Replete with Plates - Many of Which are Folding

53 Cantzler, Bernhard; Trew, Abdias; Doppelmayr, Jo-hann Gabriel. SUMMA GEOMETRIAE PRACTICAE, Worinnen Erstlich, Bernhard Cantzlers Kurtzer und Leichter Bericht vom Feldmessen auf die Insgemein vor Andern Fürkommende Fälle deß Messens und Abtheilens Gerichtet; zum Zweyten, Unterschiedliche in Frieden- und Kriegs-Zeiten, zu Land und Wasser nützliche Annotationes auch Arithmeticae, Trigono-metricae, Graphicae... Durch M. Abdiam Trew; zum Dritten ein Neuer Anhang Enthalten, in Welchem das Feldmessen Nach Denen Heut zu Tag Richtigsten Manieren Kürzlich Vorgestellt Wird von Joh. Gabriel Doppelmayr (Nuremberg: Wolfgang M. Endters, 1718) The first edition to include Doppelmayr’s work on field measurements. Title-page in red and black, illustrated with an impressive allegorical frontispiece displaying a personified Mathesis standing trium-phantly above regret, ignorance, difficulty and con-tempt. Also with 60 engraved plates, many of which are folding, displaying concepts, tools and techniques

in the geometric and other related sciences, and with many more woodcut diagrams within the text. 8vo, in full contemporary vellum over stiff boards, the spine labeled in manuscript. [21ff], 514 pp. A handsome copy in fully original state, the first few leaves only with faint evidence of long-ago dampness, the front endpapers with extensive scholarly notes in an early hand. FIRST EDITION TO INCLUDE DOPPELMAYR’S WORK ON FIELD MEASUREMENTS AND A VERY SCARCE MATHEMATICAL WORK, OCLC LISTS ONLY 9 INSTITUTIONAL COPIES, and there is no record of a copy sold at auction going back as far as the 1970s. This is the first edition to include valuable additional material by Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr, who was at this time professor of mathematics at the Aegidien-Gymnasium. Cantzler was an important 17th century cartographer and Trew contributed greatly to 17th century mathematics and astronomy..$3950.

William Morris’ The Glittering Plain - One of Only 250 CopiesThe First Title Issued by the Kelmscott Press - 1894

Illustrated With Glorious Woodcuts by Walter Crane

54 [Kelmscott Press] Morris, William. THE STORY OF THE GLITTERING PLAIN WHICH HAS BEEN ALSO CALLED THE LAND OF LIVING MEN OR THE ACRE OF THE UNDYING (Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, January 13, 1894) FIRST EDI-TION, LIMITED and one of only 250 copies on paper. With 23 highly impressive woodcut illustrations by Walter Crane, elabo-rate woodcut borders and decorations by William Morris, chap-ter heads printed in red, numerous decorated initials, many of which up to 8 lines tall. 4to, in the original Kelmscott limp vel-lum, lettered in gilt on the spine, green silk ties. Now housed in a custom cloth-coved slipcase. Laid in are a Book Club of California announcement for their 1952 work on the Kelmscott, Doves and Ashendene Presses and the 1975 Roxburghe Club of San Francisco Christmas printing of 1894 letter from Morris to Crane with complaints about accounting practices, which was limited to 125 copies. [iv], 179 pp. A very fine copy, beatifully preserved, the paper especially bright and clean. FIRST EDITION AND ONE OF ONLY 250 COPIES ON PA-PER OF THIS VISUAL SPECTACLE. THE GLITTERING PLAIN was the first title issued by the Kelmscott Press and thus was done in the Golden type. In 1894 Morris decided to reprint the title, this time in the large gothic Troy type and with the impressive illustrations by Walter Crane --the version here offered. The result was far more closely allied with Morris’s romantic tale then was the original. THE GLITTERING PLAIN is in essence a fantasy novel, and Morris is arguably the first modern fantasy author to unite an imaginary world with elements of the supernatural. It is thus an important precursor to a great deal of later and present day fantasy literature. It is also important for its exploration of the socialist themes that interested Morris.$10,850.

Samuel Johnson - “Rasselas” - The Prince of AbissiniaRare First Edition and First State in Contemporary Calf

One of the Most Famous English Novels of All Time - 1759

55 [Johnson, Samuel]. THE PRINCE OF ABISSINIA. A TALE [RASSELAS] (London: Printed for R. and J. Dods-ley and W. Johnston, 1759) 2 volumes. First edition, the first state with A2r of Vol. II reading “Contents,/Vol. II.” The first edition consisted of 1500 copies in total, this being the most rare state. Small 8vo, bound in the original contemporary full calf, the covers with double-fillet gilt ruled frame, long ago expertly restored at the hinges in correct sympathy to the covers and spines, raised bands ruled in gilt and with gilt volume numbers, blanks pres-ent as called for, original end-leaves. Housed in a fine solander case of brown calf, the spine with raised bands

and three red morocco labels gilt lettered and numbered. viii, 159pp; viii, 165 pp. Very scarce in full period calf in its earliest state, the text solid and quite fresh, very clean but for some minor expected age toning. The calf with some minor age-wear at the corners and normal evidence of age or use, sturdy and attractive and a pleasing and well-preserved and honest copy.

RARE FIRST EDITION AND FIRST STATE ORIGINAL CONTEMPORARY BINDINGS. ESPECIALLY ELUSIVE THUS. This would eventually become Dr. Johnson’s best selling and most popular work and it has never been out of print. The book was written in a single week to pay for the costs incurred in caring for Johnson’s mother during her sickness and for her eventual funeral. It is also Johnson’s only novel. Universally and immediately known as “Rasselas”, the name was not actually given to the work until after the author’s death. All of the editions published in John-son’s lifetime were done anonymously. Fleeman states that, “Johnson told Reynolds he wrote the work in the evenings of a single week, which implies a commencement at least on Monday 15 January, the date on which he learned of his mother’s illness and on which he first sent her money.” Both Hawkins and Boswell agree the work was written in order to help his mother during her illness. It is said that Johnson was able to finish the work in such short time because he had already been pondering the tale for his entire life.

One of the most popular works in the language, ‘Rasselas’ is an tale about happiness influenced by Lobo’s A Voyage to Abyssinia which Johnson had translated in 1735. A “philosophical romance”, early read-ers considered it a work of practical importance while critics remarked on the difficulty of classifying it as a novel. While the story is thematically similar to Candide by Voltaire, also published early in 1759, as both concern young men traveling in the company of honoured teachers, encountering and examining human suffering in an attempt to determine the root of happiness, their root concerns are distinctly different. Though philosophically complex, the plot of ‘Rasselas’ is simple in the extreme. An interesting legacy of the work, and testament to its popularity, is that Rasselas became a name frequently adopted by emancipated slaves. Johnson was a staunch opponent of slavery and was revered by abolitionists. Fleeman, I, 785-8; Courtney & Nichol Smith, p. 87; Chapman & Hazen, pp. 142-3; Rothschild 1242.$9500.

History of Herodian - The Roman Emperors after Marcus AureliusPublished in London - 1556 - Very Rare First Edition

Only 13 Copies Recorded by OCLC Worldwide

56 Herodianus, Herodian the Greek. THE HISTORY OF HERODIAN, a Greeke Authour, Treating of the Romayne Emperors, after Marcus, Trans-lated Oute of Greeke into Latin, by Angelus Politianus, and Out of Latin into Englyshe, by Nicholas Smyth. Whereunto are Annexed, the Argumentes of Euery Booke, at the Begynnyng Thereof, with Annotacions for the Better Understandynge of the Same Historye [in eight books] (London: Wyllyam Coplande, [1556?, publication date conjectured by STC.]) First Edition of the First English Translation. Printed in black letter, the title-page within wood-cut border and with 18 large woodcut decorative initials and one woodcut tailpiece. Small 4to (170 by 120mm), handsomely bound in antique, prob-ably 16th century, contemporary full calf. The boards elaborately paneled in blind, the panels highly decorative, featuring flowers, wheat, vines and other ornate tooling, the spine elaborately tooled in blind and with two gilt tooled raised bands, each band framed by an elaborate gilt strip finely tooled, lettered in gilt in a wide compartment between the two bands, end-leaves marbled. Now chemised and in a quarter morocco slipcase gilt let-tered. [4ff], 106ff, [17ff, annotations and errata] pp. A very handsome and well preserved copy, only a few leaves with minor and expected light soil-ing, one small marginal flaw, the binding solid and attractive with expert

and near invisible restoration at the hinges. VERY RARE, ONLY TWO COPIES IN PUBLIC AUCTION RECORDS SINCE THE 1970’s. OCLC LIST ONLY 13 COPIES WORLDWIDE. Nicholas Smyth’s translation was the first appearance of this important history in English. Pforzheimer notes that it may actually have been printed by Tottel, despite Copland’s imprint and colophon, the date is conjectored and sometimes given as 1550 thought 1556 is believed to be more accurate. Herodianus was “[t]he author of an extant history, in the Greek language, of the Roman Empire, in eight books (all pres-ent within this volume), from the death of Marcus Aurelius to the commencement of the reign of Gordianus III. (A.D..180-238). He states that the events described by him occurred during the period of his own life, which serves to fix his date, but of the details of his career nothing is known. He seems to have made Thucydides his model, and his narrative is characterized by sobriety, impartiality, and in general by accuracy” (Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Literature and Antiquities, p. 804). Pforzheimer 467; STC 13221.$16,950.

The Rare First Edition in English - 1595Machiavelli - The Florentine Historie

Significant in Political, Diplomatic, and Intellectual Thought

57 Machiavelli, Nicholo. THE FLORENTINE HISTORIE. Written in the Italian Tongue by Nicholo Machiavelli Citizen and Secretarie of and Translated Into English by T. B. Esquire (London: by Thom-as Creede for William Ponsonby , 1595) RARE FIRST EDITION in English of this important work. With an elaborate wood-engraved historiated border on the title-page and with handsome woodcut initials and head- and tail-pieces throughout. Folio in sixes, in lat-er full dark paneled calf designed to period style, the spine with tall raised bands ruled in blind, with a single red morocco label gilt lettered and ruled, the original front black retained. xii, 222 pp. A fine, handsome, tight, clean and very well preserved copy of the very rare first printing in English. The text-block fine, with only very minor mellowing or evidence age, the paper crisp, unpressed and unwashed, the binding in excellent condition. FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH OF MACHIAVELLI’S GREAT CHRONICLE OF FLORENTINE AFFAIRS, THE “FIRST EXAMPLE OF A NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY” - Britannica. The work is signifi-cant in the history of political, diplomatic, philosophical and intellectual thought. This printing precedes the first English edition of “The Prince” by 45 years. THE HISTORY OF FLORENCE was Machiavelli’s last work. Though written at the command of the Pope, who, as the head of the Medici family, was also ruler of Florence, the book treats the characters of that illustri-ous house with fairness and impartiality. And although it is primarily an historical work, Machiavelli was writing from a political perspective and “this gives the work its special character.” [E.B.] The history is not a straight account of historical facts but rather a critique of the way Floren-tine history had been told up until that time. This is the “first example

in Italian literature of a national biography, the first attempt in any literature to trace the vicissitudes of a people ‘s life in their logical sequence, deducing each successive phase from passions or necessities inherent in preceding circumstances, reasoning upon them from general principles and inferring corollaries from the conduct of the future.” [E.B.] The history contains speeches related in the classical style but generally, Machiavelli’s style breaks away from the formal exercise of the times and reveals concise, direct and energetic prose. Machiavelli intended to continue the work beyond Lorenzo de Medici, but his death left that task to Guicciardini. STC 17162. Britannica$18,500.

The Vision of Pierce Plowman - 1550One of the Greatest Works of English Literature of the Middle Ages

Second in Importance only to Chaucer

58 [Langland, William, attributed. Piers the Plow-man]. THE VISION OF PIERCE PLOWMAN, Nowe the Seconde Time Imprinted by Roberte Crowley Dwellynge in Elye rentes in Holburne. Whereunto are Added Certayne Notes and Cota-tions in the Mergyne, Geuynge Light to the Read-er. And in the Begynning is Set a Briefe Summe of All the Principall Matters Spoken of in the Boke. And as the Boke is Deuided into Twenty Partes called Passus: so is the Summary Diuided, for Eu-ery Parte hys Summarie, Rehearsynge the Matters Spoken of in Ruerye Parte, Euen in Suche Order as They Stande There (London: By Roberte Crowley, dwellyng in Elye rentes in Holburne, 1550) Scarce, only the second edition, issue with “Seconde Time” on title-page. The other has “Second Tyme” and presents a rather more corrupt text. The first published earlier the same year (with the date misprinted “1505”). With a number of woodcut initials throughout, printer’s device on titlepage and colophon. Small 4to, in early 19th century embossed calf by Hering, covers ruled in gilt, with ornamental borders in blind and large central strapwork. panels stained a darker shade, spine gilt, black morocco label, a.e.g. Later book label Of Viscount Mersey of Bignor Perk on front pastedown. (8)117 leaves (foliated). A very good, handsome and proper copy, wanting a final blank; blank inner margin of the title-page neatly restored, some slight soiling occasional. The binding with expert and unobtrusive restoration of the spine retaining most of the original leather. Tipped in at the front is Hering’s receipt for the binding (1lune 2, 1819), which cost 12 shillings. SCARCE EDITION IN VERY HANDSOME EMBOSSED ANTIQUE CALF of The great English visionary poem of the 14th century. Piers Ploughman survives in two quite different version, designated by Skeat as the A and B texts; the former is known only from manuscripts, not having been printed at an early date. Little is known of Langland beyond what the printer reveals In his preface: “I have learned that the authour was named Roberte [sic) Langelande, a Shropshere man borne in Cleybitle, about viii myles from Malveme hilles.” Crowley dated the poem to between 1350 and 1409 but modem scholars have narrowed the gap to 1367-70. Very little is known for sure about the life of William Langland (c. 1362-1399]--indeed, there is discussion about whether “he” was a single poet--but his poem (or group of poems) entitled “The Vision of William Concerning Piers the Plowman” was very popular in the latter half of the fourteenth century, and remained popular throughout the fifteenth century. The leaders of the reformation in the sixteenth century considered it an inspiration and a prophecy, and in modern times it has been quoted by every historian of the fourteenth century as “the most vivid and trustworthy source for the social and eco-nomic history of the time.”$18,750.

Rare First Edition of Edmund Spenser’s PoemsOne of the Great Masters of the Language

59 Spenser, Edmund. [Five Works Extracted From COMPLAINTS. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. Whereof the Next Page Maketh Mention. By Ed. Sp.] (London: For William Ponsonbie, 1590-1591) First edition, complete here are “Muiopotmos, or the Fate of the Butterflie”; “Visions of the Worlds Vani-tie”; “Ruines of Rome”; and “The Visions of Bellay”. Also present is “Prosopopoia or Mother Hubberds Tale” in portions. With handsome engraved allegorical titlepages for “Muiopotmos” and “Prosopopoia”, and with two engraved head-pieces and two large engraved initials. Small 4to, in attractive antique full dark blue morocco, the covers framed with double blind fillet rules, the spine gilt-stamped with title, board edges with gilt roll, marbled end-pages, a.e.g. T4V4X2B4 (-1,2) Y4Z2 (-2) L4Q-S4 (-M-P4); [33] ff. Containing the works noted. All are textually complete except “Prosopopoia”, which is lacking signatures M-P. First title-page with outer mar-

gin reinforced and second title-page with early inked notation in upper margin, two leaves with very small holes, 8 leaves with minor expected or typical light marginal staining, top edge trimmed close, occasionally just touching the headlines, otherwise quite clean and fresh, the bind-ing handsome. RARE FIRST EDITION OF THIS COLLECTION OF POEMS BY ONE OF ENGLAND’S GREATEST LITERARY MASTERS, rare even in this rav-ished form. Edmund Spenser, stands at the pinnacle of English poesy with William Shakespeare and John Milton. Spenser was known to his contemporaries as “the prince of poets” and was said by them to be “as great in English as Virgil in Latin”. He was greatly preferred over Shakespeare by Queen Elizabeth and many others of the day. He left behind him masterful essays in every genre of poetry, from pastoral and elegy to epithalamion and epic. A century later John Milton would call Spenser “a better teacher than Aquinas” and was greatly influenced by him. Since then generations of readers have admired his subtle use of language, his imagination, his immense classical and religious learning and “his unerring ability to synthesize and, ultimately, to delight”. COMPLAINTS is a collection of poems published at the same time as the first three books of THE FAIRIE QUEEN, and has been forever in the shadow of that masterpiece. Almost immediately after publication, the work was sup-

pressed due to its lampooning of Lord Burghley. From this start in scandal and with THE FAIRIE QUEEN achieving such huge and immediate success it was for the most part overlooked for centuries. But the work is not without considerable merit and has been rediscovered for its own worth in more recent times. It is a collection that must be viewed as a planned whole, a consistent design meant to be taken in its entirety. Stylistically it represents a stepping stone between the tradi-tional and the modern. Spenser can be seen in these poems as a self-conscious innovator, moving away from the poetical traditions that came before him but in a gradual procession that does not fully embrace the new. ny2015 Brown, R.D.; Spenser Society; Pforzheimer 968. STC (rev.) 23078; NCBEL, I, 1030.$4850.

One of the Earliest Illustrated Printings of Caesar - FolioPrinted In Venice By Zani - 1511 - Contemporary BindingWith Title In Red And Black And Fine Large Woodcuts

60 Caesar, Caius Julius. COMMENTARIA... Nunc primum a viro docto expolite: & optime recognita. Additis de novo apos-tillis: una cum figuis suis locis apte disposiris (Venezia: Ago-stino Zani, 1511) A Very Early Folio Illustrated Edition incor-porating incunabular plates, of Caesar’s Commentaries, a core classical text of the Roman period. Illustrated with incunabular woodcuts from plates used for the 1493 edition of Livy. The title page is printed in red and there is a very fine, large woodcut to the title leaf (92 x 120 mm) within an elaborate border printed in red and repeated on the first leaf of text, within an altogether different woodcut border printed in black. There is a woodcut of approximately the same size at f. 51; twelve smaller wood-cuts (each approx. 56 x 74 mm) are placed at the beginning of each chapter. Folio (mm 314x210), contemporary Italian half goatskin over wooden boards, goatskin on the sides with blind-ruled geometric designs, a pair of scallop-shaped brass fore-edge catches on front cover, vellum half pastedowns cut from a 14th-century theological manuscript, without the clasps. A very handsome copy of this rare illustrated work. RARE. ONE OF THE EARLIEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL IL-

LUSTRATED EDITIONS AND THE IMPORTANT FIRST ITALIAN PRINTING OF AN ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF THIS GREAT CLASSICAL WORK. The title woodcut depicts a battle scene; the second large woodcut shows Lentulus seated addressing the Senate. The woodblocks depicted, were first used in Giunta’s 1493 edition of Livy and were immensely successful and consequently passed on from printer to printer. Considered very rare. A superbly illustrated edition of Cæsar, apparently the first illustrated Cæsar published in Italy. The title woodcut is strongly reminiscent of Uscello’s great tryptich, “The Battle of San Romano,” and the spare line of the woodcuts at the head of each chapter is perhaps inspired by Aldus’ HYPNEROTOMACHIA POLIPHILI (1499). The text was edited by L. Panaetius. The Duc de Rivoli (Livres a figures Venitiens, p. 160) records a similar edition printed at the same press in 1517 but does not mention this one. A highly important book and a very desirable copy. BMC/STC Italian p. 135; Essling 1727; Sander 1503.$18,500.

Dickens’ The Pickwick PapersIn a Beautiful Signed Zaehnsdorf Binding - Gilt Extra

With Engraved Illustrations on India Paper - Proof Copies

61 Dickens, Charles. THE POST-HUMOUS PAPERS OF THE PICK-WICK CLUB (London: Chapman and Hall, 1887) 2 volumes. A Proof Set of the Victoria Edition limited to 500 copies with proofs on India Pa-per [of a total edition of 2,000]. A set containing the unpublished plates by Buss, “Phiz” and Leech, issued with the work for the first time ever. The illustrations are proofs without letters and from the original illus-trations. Additionally included is a manuscript autograph facsimile in Dickens’ hand and a facsimile of the front wrapper to Volume I of the parts issue. With photogra-vure illustrations after the original

drawings by R. Seymour, R.W. Buss, Hablot K. Browne (“Phiz”) and J. Leech, all on India Paper, facsimiles of Dickens’ handwriting and a facsimile of the original front cover to the parts issue of the book. Thick, royal 8vo, beautifully bound by Zaehnsdorf in full green crushed goatskin, the spines attractively mellowed to honey, the compartments decorated with very richly and elaborately designed panels gilt and separated by raised bands gilt ruled, two compartments lettered and decorated in gilt, the covers with fine gilt rolls on either side of three gilt fillet lines at the borders, very elaborate corner decorations gilt tooled, wide and beautifully decorated gilt turnovers, gilt edges and dentelles, marbled endleaves, t.e.g., original upper covers and spine panels tipped in. xlvii, 430; xi, 439, pp. A very fine set, beautifully preserved and exquisitely bound. A UNIQUE COPY IN ITS BEAUTIFUL SIGNED ZAEHSDORF BINDING. THIS ISSUE WITH THE PLATES IN PROOF STATE ON INDIA PAPER. “Pickwick was issued when Dickens’ name was just beginning to excite the attention of prescient publishers and be rec-ognized by readers in search of entertaining novels . The publication of PICKWICK, which ran through twenty numbers, made for all time an English classic--a book representative of its age, exhibiting the life and the ideals of an important class of English folk, on the threshold of the Victorian era. “Now, over a century and a half later, PICKWICK holds its assured place in the literature of our tongue, and, among all its author’s works, seems to have the best chance of achieving what is known as immortality. The book was an improvisa-tion. Dickens was led by his genius and by the indulgence of his jocose fancy into picturing all the popular life which his varied experience in and out of London had made familiar to him. And it is a book that appeals throughout life--to the child and to the person of late years” (Gissing). Like others of Dickens’ creations, it is a masterpiece.$2650.

A Very Pleasing Copy with Provenance - The First EditionCharles Darwin - The Origin of Species - 1859The Greatest Biological Work Ever Written

The Most Important Work of Science of the 19th CenturyThe Great Leap Forward in Mankind’s Knowledge of Itself

62 Darwin, Charles. ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES BY MEANS OF NATURAL SE-LECTION, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life (London: John Murray, 1859) First Edition of the greatest work of science of the 19th century and the greatest text of biology ever penned. Fold-ing lithographed diagram by W. West. 8vo, Exquisitely bound in very fine dark-green straight grain morocco, the spine very hand-somely gilt decorated with raised bands gilt tooled, separating the compartments which are richly gilt with panel designs featuring double gilt fillet lines at the borders and flo-ral center pieces with stylized surrounds, let-tered in gilt in two compartments, fine green and gold marbled endleaves. Housed in a very fine morocco tipped gold fillet lined slipcase of dark-green morocco and dark-green grained cloth. [x], 502, 32 ads pp. A beautiful, very pleasing and especially hand-some copy of one of the greatest books in the history of science and human thought. With the half-title and folding plate both in fine order. A VERY BEAUTIFUL, ESPECIALLY HANDSOME AND PLEASING COPY, WELL PRESERVED OF ONE OF THE GREATEST BOOKS IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE, THE FIRST EDITION, EARLIEST ISSUE WITH TWO QUOTATIONS ON THE VERSO

OF THE HALF-TITLE AND DATED OCTOBER 1, 1859 AT DOWN IN KENT. The book is rare in such a fine binding and in such excellent condition. Darwin’s Revolutionary Masterwork, in which he not only “drew an entirely new picture of the workings of organic nature; he revolutionized our methods of thinking and our outlook on the natural order of things. The recognition that constant change is the order of the universe had been finally established and a vast step forward in the uniformity of nature had been taken.” [PMM) Together with Copernicus’ DE REVOLUTIONIBUS and Newton’s PRINCIPIA, it is deemed one of the three greatest and most important scientific works ever penned. “The most influential scientific work of the nineteenth century” and “The most important biological work ever written” (Horblit, Freeman). Darwin’s elaboration of the theory of natural selection laid the groundwork for the controversy over the evolution of man, and with only slight modification by such scientists as Stephen Jay Gould, Darwin’s ideas remain the umbra under which most current biological research is conducted. Darwin had intended the book to be an abstract of his ‘big book’ on transmutation, of which only the first part (Variation Under Domestication, 1868) was published in his lifetime. Freeman 373; PMM 344; Dibner 199; Grolier/Horblit 23.$75,000.

Charles Darwin to His PublisherA Signed and Date Autograph Letter

Regarding Sending Works to an American Colleague

63 Darwin, Charles. A FINE AUTOGRAPH LETTER, SIGNED, FROM CHARLES DAR-WIN TO HIS PUBLISHER (Bromley, Kent: dated by Darwin June 29, postmarked July 1, 1843) Letter in manuscript, folded and ad-dressed to Mr. Smith (George Murray Smith) of Smith & Elder at No. 65 Cornhill, London (His publisher at the time). Stamped and post-marked. Single sheet, approximately 18 x 23 cm, now handsomely presented with a pho-tograph of Darwin in a fine 42 x 50 cm frame, glazed. A fine letter, beautifully preserved. A HANDSOMELY PRESERVED VERY EAR-LY AUTOGRAPH LETTER FROM CHARLES DARWIN, THE FATHER OF EVOLUTION-ARY THEORY. The letter is sent from Down House, at the time, Darwin’s new home. He would live there the remainder of his life. Professionally this was the time in his career when Darwin was expanding his 1842 “pencil sketch” of his theory of natural selection into the 230-page 1844 “Essay”, to be expanded with his research results if he died prematurely. He was seriously engaged at the time on his work and writing related to the voyage taken on the ‘Beagle’. In the letter, Darwin inquires of his publisher about having papers sent to a professor in Massachusetts in the United States. The professor in Massachusetts is most likely Harvard University Professor of Botany Asa Gray, considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. The two had met in 1839, apparently introduced by Joseph Dalton Hooker. Both Darwin and Gray had a similar empirical approach to life sciences and had a relationship and a continuum of correspondence that lasted for decades. Gray published the collection of essays which he named DARWINIANA. The articles defended the theory of evolution from the standpoint of botany and sought reconciliation with theology by arguing theistic evolution, that natural selection is not inconsistent with Natural Theology. Concerning his work and the papers probably sent to Professor Gray, ‘Darwin’s first published book is undoubtedly the most often read and stands second only to ‘On the Origin of Species’ as the most often printed. It is an important travel book in its own right and its relation to the background of his evolutionary ideas has often been stressed....(Freeman). ‘The five years of the voyage were the most important event in Darwin’s intellectual life and in the history of biological science. Darwin sailed with no formal scientific training. He returned a hard-headed man of science, knowing the importance of evidence, almost convinced that species had not always been as they were since the creation but had undergone change... The experiences of his five years...and what they led to, built up into a process of epoch-making importance in the history of thought’ (DSB) Of the great exploratory voyages, ‘a most important place is taken by the voyage of the ‘Beagle’ in 1831-1834....Darwin’s name is so associated with the evolutionary idea through which he profoundly influenced scientific, philosophical, political, religious, and ethical thought, that certain of his other claims are often forgotten. To appreciate his distinction, it is neces-sary to recall that, had he never written on evolution, he would still stand in the front rank among naturalists, and would have to be included in any history of science. Thus even during the voyage in the ‘Beagle’ he reached conclusions that modi-fied and extended the fundamental working principles of geology and geophysics. In Darwin’s record of experience in the ‘Beagle’ in the famous ‘Journal of Researches’ (1839) a special interest attaches to his observations on the highly peculiar animals and plants connected with oceanic islands. The Galapagos and St. Helena are good examples. Their extraordinary wealth of peculiar forms and the difference of these from those of the nearest neigh-bouring land---either continental or insular---are among the most striking phenomena in the distribution of living things. They, more perhaps than any other, suggested to Darwin his solution of the problem of the origin of species.’ (Singer)$18,500.

Aesop’s Fables - First Edition - 1912Illustrated by Arthur Rackham

64 [Rackham, illus.]. AESOP’S FABLES, a New Translation by V.S. Vernon Jones and an Introduction by G.K. Chesterton (London: William Heinemann, 1912) DE LUXE LIMITED EDITION OF ONLY 1450 COPIES SIGNED BY ARTIST ARTHUR RACKHAM and printed on large paper. With 13 fine tipped-in colour plates on heavy stock with captioned tissue-guards, and with 53 black and white illustrations, 19 of which are full-page, all by Arthur Rackham. 4to, original white buckram lettered and pictorially decorated in gilt on the upper cover and spine after designs by Arthur Rackham, t.e.g. xxix, 224pp. A very pleasing copy of this signed, limited first edi-tion, internally very fresh and clean with fine plates, the binding sturdy and firm with no wear, the spine mellowed to a darker ivory as is normal. Engraved armorial bookplate on front endpaper of George Kitchin, possibly George William Kitchin, first Chan-cellor of the University of Durham and the last Dean of Durham Cathedral to govern the university. THE VERY SCARCE AND FINE FIRST EDITION DE LUXE IN ORIGINAL CLOTH, SIGNED by artist Arthur Rackham. Only 1450 hand-numbered copies were printed. The edition includes hundreds of individual fa-bles and a noteworthy introduction by G. K Chesterton. Rackham pictorially evokes the classic ‘Aesop’s Fables’ with humour and delightful whimsy, aiming his creativ-ity once again to his loyal child audience. The book was

well received at its publication and sold well, and continued to be popular for decades following. It is chock full of black and white embellishment and illustration, elegant silhouettes, and color illustrations. Meant to amuse and pique his young viewers, he artfully rendered trees with human features, cats with top hats and overcoats, the ocean as a mystical woman, and the forces of nature charged with human attributes and emotion. These imaginative and refined images are sure to please any generation of readers. Scattered among the illustrations are several caricatures of the artist himself as in the man who catches the flea, and the slave-owner who scrubs the black boy. Rackham’s depiction of these timeless fables once again demonstrates his gift for supplying memorable visual interpreta-tions of familiar well-loved works of literature. Chesterton writes in his introduction of Aesop’s Fables that “It matters nothing how old they are, or how new; they are the alphabet of humanity, which like so many forms of primitive picture-writing employs any living symbol in preference to man.” Rackham helps us to celebrate their time honored simplicity and common sense in his captivating and amusing collection of pictures.$3850.

Cinderella - Signed and Illustrated by Arthur RackhamThe Scarce Limited and Numbered Edition - 1919

Beautifully Preserved and With the Rare Dustjacket

65 [Rackham, illus.]. CINDERELLA, Retold by C. S. Evans (London: William Heinemann, 1919) First edition, LIMITED EDITION DE LUXE, one of 525 numbered copies SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM and printed on English handmade paper. This limited edition is also printed on significantly larger paper then the trade issue. THIS COPY WITH THE VERY RARE DUSTJACKET, SELDOM IF EVER ENCOUNTERED. THE LIM-ITED ISSUE CONTAINS A COLOUR SILHOUETTE NOT INCLUDED IN THE TRADE EDITION, and with the tipped-in colour frontispiece on decorated mounting, decorated titlepage, 3 coloured double-page silhouettes,

14 single page silhouettes, and over 30 silhouette drawings throughout the text, all by Arthur Rackham. 4to, publisher’s original pictorially decorated paper-covered boards backed in tan buckram, the spine lettered and decorated in black, with green endpapers decorated in white by Rackham. In the very RARE original green paper dustjacket lettered and decorated in black. Now protected in a fine morocco backed custom slipcase backed featuring raised bands and fine gilt lettering and tooling. ix, 110 pp. A very fine copy of this elusive title in the limited format, internally uncommonly bright with only very mild hints of the offsetting of which the title was unfor-tunately prone, the foxing to which the handmade paper was prone is thankfully nonexistent in this copy, the binding near pristine with just a little shelving along the bottom edge, even the rare jacket clean and fresh with only a few tiny chips. LIMITED FIRST EDITION AND ONE OF THE MORE ELUSIVE TITLES IN RACKHAM’S OEUVRE, SIGNED AND NUMBERED BY THE ARTIST AND WITH A COLOUR ILLUS-TRATION WHICH WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE TRADE ISSUE. THIS COPY WITH THE RARE DUSTJACKET PRE-SERVED. The classic tale of Cinderella is here retold with fascinating detail and elaboration by Arthur Rackham artwork. For this title Rack-ham employees delightful silhouette pictures that are quite a depar-ture from the colourplate style of his more familiar works such as PETER PAN or RIP VAN WINKLE. CINDERELLA is especially difficult to find in nice condition, and this copy is especially well-preserved.$3500.

The Rare Limited Signed First Edition De LuxeMother Goose - Many of Rackham’s Liveliest IllustrationsOne of His Most Elusive Titles in Limited Format - 1913

66 [Rackham, illus.]. MOTHER GOOSE: The Old Nursery Rhymes (London: William Heinemann, [1913]) DE LUXE LARGE-PAPER ISSUE SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM AND LIMITED to 1100 hand-numbered copies for sale. Laid in is the printed announcement for the 1913 Arthur Rackham Exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in London which featured many of the original paintings for this work. With 13 very fine colour plates tipped to heavy stock with captioned tissue guards, silhouette illustrated title-page and with 85 black and white illustrations, initials and other decorations throughout all by Arthur Rack-ham. 4to, publisher’s original de luxe white cloth, the upper cover lettered and with pictorial image of Mother Goose in gilt, the spine gilt lettered and florally decorated, t.e.g. Now protect-ed in a custom morocco backed slipcase backed featuring raised bands and fine gilt lettering and tooling. xi, 160 pp. A beauti-fully preserved, very fine copy indeed, internally pristine, the text still largely unopened, the plates all perfect, the white cloth brilliantly preserved and extremely unusual thus. About as fine a copy as one could ever expect to see. SCARCE DE LUXE SIGNED EDITION OF ONE OF THE MOST ELUSIVE RACKHAM TITLES IN LIMITED EDITION, SPECIAL-

LY BOUND FORMAT. Perhaps the most iconic of children’s rhymes are given the wonderful addition of 98 of Arthur Rackham’s colour paintings and line drawings. A stunning book, and this an exceptionally beautiful copy. MOTHER GOOSE was an especially fond undertaking for Rackham, who’s intent to please children with this offering was extremely successful. He chose each of the poems which would be included in the work, and featured himself in the opening initial to the first rhyme with a whimsical self-portrait. The drawing of ‘the house that Jack built’ was modeled from his own home in Chalcot Gardens. The colourplate ‘As I was going to St. Ives’ features another self-portrait, with Rackham being terrified by seven witches, black cats and vast multitude of kittens!$4500.

With an Original Drawing - A Rare Signed Presentation CopyArthur Rackham - The Romance of King Arthur - 1917

67 [Rackham, illus.]. THE ROMANCE OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE, Abridged From Malory’s Morte D’Arthur by Alfred W. Pollard (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1917) AN INSCRIBED PRESENTATION COPY, SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM AND WITH AN ORIGINAL DRAWING BY THE ARTIST DATED 1917 IN THE YEAR OF PUBLICATION. FIRST EDITION, American Issue. Beautifully il-lustrated with 16 colour plates with tissue guard captions, 7 full page line drawings, and 63 in-text illustrations by Arthur Rackham. Thick 8vo, pub-lisher’s original green-black cloth attractively let-tered and pictorially decorated in gilt on the upper cover and the spine. In the scarce white paper dust-jacket, colour illustrated and lettered in black. Now housed in a very fine velvet lined clamshell box with brick morocco backing and corner-pieces, the spine with raised bands gilt and blind ruled and stippled, and with gilt lettering and gilt floral devices in the compartments. xxiv, 517, [vi] pp. A wonderful copy,

the text spotless and plates all pristine, the dark cloth with no wear or fading, a little shaking to the upper inner hinge, the rare dustjacket complete and fresh with only light expected mellowing to the white cloth and a bit of edge rubbing with very small corner chips. A HIGHLY IMPORTANT COPY, WITH A VERY NEAT, SPONTANEOUS, AND YET CAREFULLY EXECUTED ORIGINAL PEN AND INK DRAWING BY ARTHUR RACKHAM. He has penned here a highly bemused appearing court jester standing beside his presentation inscription - “To THE Framptons / with kindest regards / & best wishes / Ar-thur Rackham / Christmas 1917” The text is Alfred Pollard’s abridgment, an extremely well-written and highly entertaining rendition of Sir Thomas Malory’s the Morte d’Arthur. Pollard points out in his introduction that Mallory himself was the first to abridge the origi-nal Arthurian romances. Pollard in turn attempted to cull further the many repetitions found in Mallory. The result is this readable edition of the classic tales of King Arthur. Rackham’s colour and black and white illustrations bring to life the gallantry and excitement of the Arthurian romances. He portrays Sir Launcelot fighting the evil dragon, Tristam and Isoud drinking the love drink together, Arthur in the heat of battle drawing his sword Excalibur for the first time, and Queen Guenever riding on her horse through the groves of West-minster. The well-known stories of magic, danger, and heroism are magnificently depicted in Rackham’s illustrations. The Romance of King Arthur was one of Rackham’s war-time commissions. He turned to Beardsley’s Morte Darthur for inspiration in commencing his illustrations and many similarities in style and layout can be found. “Rackham’s work became balm for wounded soldiers, as one mother wrote: ‘I am urged to write to you by my son who is wildly fond of your work: and when he was getting better from very bad wounds received near Ypres, your illustrations of Books were his great joy and delight.’”-Hamilton.$6500.

A Perfect Copy of the Signed De Luxe Limited IssueSome British Ballads - An Arthur Rackham Treat

Very Rare in Such Fine Condition and Elusive Always

68 [Rackham, illus.]. SOME BRITISH BALLADS (London: Constable and Co. LTD., [1919]) First Edition, LIMITED EDITION DE LUXE, one of 575 numbered copies SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM, this being a very ear-ly signed copy, signified number 5. This limited edition is also printed on significantly larger paper then the trade issue. With 16 very fine tipped-in color plates with captioned tissue-guards, andhead and tail pieces through-out by Arthur Rackham. 4to, in the original de luxe binding of vellum backed parchment boards, lettered and with Rackham pictorial vignette in gilt on the upper cover, the spine gilt decorated and lettered, t.e.g. Now protected in a custom designed slipcase. 170 pp. A pristine and perfect copy, a joy to behold inside and out, one of the best we have seen, both the parchment and vellum in unusually fine condition. AN EXCEPTIONAL COPY OF THE DE LUXE LIMITED FIRST EDITION SIGNED BY ARTIST ARTHUR RACKHAM. The work is a collection of early English ballads, perhaps inspired by wartime patriotism. Here we find a generous sampling of Rackham’s famous styles, subjects and atmospheres. We encounter mythic gnomes and lithe damsels, brooding dark birds perched and overlooking stark plains, slender maidens greeting their princes, and sinister scenes lit by dim starlight. This sentimental rendering of traditional English Ballads is sure to be a treasured addition to any serious Arthur Rackham collection.$3500.

Signed Limited Edition by Arthur Rackham - 1917With an Extra Signed Plate in Original Envelope

Little Brother & Little Sister and Other Tales - Brothers Grimm

69 [Rackham, illus.] The Brothers Grimm. LITTLE BROTHER & LITTLE SISTER AND OTHER TALES (London: Constable & Co. Ltd., 1917) Limited Deluxe Signed first edition; limited to 525 numbered copies on handmade paper, numbered and signed by Arthur Rackham. With the EXTRA SIGNED COLOUR PLATE IN THE PUB-LISHER’S ORIGINAL ENVELOPE, which is often lacking. Illustrated with a frontispiece and 12 fine tipped-in colour plates with captioned tissue guards, many other drawings throughout, and the extra signed plate, all by

artist Arthur Rackham. Large 4to, original full grey cloth with gilt picto-rial vignettes and lettering on the spine and within an embossed white title piece on the upper cover, with illustrated endpapers printed in purple. Now housed in a custom made morocco backed slipcase. xi, 251 pp. A very attractive copy of this scarce limited edition. While the book is prone to foxing, in this copy it is found only very lightly and on rare occasion and on the prelims only. The front hinge is only very lightly shaken, the cloth is very bright, fresh and clean. FIRST EDITION AND THIS, THE BEAUTIFUL SIGNED LIMITED EDI-TION, SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM IN THE BOOK AND ON THE EXTRA PLATE. This edition came with an additional signed plate within a laid-in printed envelope. These are often lacking but this copy still has its plate and envelope intact. The signed plate is titled “He Hurried Away with Long Strides” and is tipped onto heavy stock and provided with a tissue guard and is still con-tained within the publisher’s original envelope. This collection was designed to form a complementary volume to the first of GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES, which Constable published with Rackham’s illustra-tions in 1909. It includes forty stories not found in the first collection.$5850.

Signed by Arthur RackhamCharles Dickens - The Chimes - A Fine Copy

Limited Edition of a Beloved Holiday Classic

70 [Rackham, Arthur, Illus.] Dickens, Charles. THE CHIMES. Intro-duction by Edward Wagenknecht (London: by George W. Jones for the Limited Editions Club, 1931) First Edition of the Rackham illustrated printing LIMITED EDITION, one of only 1500 numbered copies AND SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM. With numerous illustrations, both full page and within the text and other decorations in black and white by Arthur Rackham, Rackham decorated titlepage printed in black and gold. 4to, publisher’s original tan polished linen, gilt lettered on the spine and with a Rackham designed pictorial decoration in black and gilt on the upper cover, pictorial endpapers printed in gold, in the pub-lisher’s original pictorially decorated slipcase printed in red and gold on tan paper, both now housed in a custom made morocco backed slip-case featuring raised bands and fine gilt lettering and tooling. [xxxv], 130 pp. A very fine copy, the book is pristine. The original slipcase neatly bordered with tan cloth, the spine paper laid onto the cloth as a label. The handsome custom slipcase very fine. FIRST EDITION AND LIMITED EDITION SIGNED BY ILLUSTRATOR ARTHUR RACKHAM. This was Dick-ens’ second installment in the “Christmas Books” series and his labors in creating THE CHIMES were “very arduous” in order to make it a worthy successor to A CHRISTMAS CAROL. It is also the second Christmas installment to receive Rackham’s masterly touch. Rackham has very graceful adapted his 20th century style to wonderfully compliment that of the 1845 original. A fine copy of a delightfully illustrated book.$1250.

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens - 1906The De Luxe Limited Issue Signed by Arthur Rackham

A Superior Copy of What is Considered His Greatest Work

71 [Rackham, illus.] Barrie, J. M. PETER PAN IN KENS-INGTON GARDENS (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1906) The Limited and Signed De Luxe First Edition, one of only 500 numbered copies. With 50 tipped-in color plates with captioned tissue-guards, and except for the frontispiece, bound in rear as issued. And with a number of additional line drawings by Arthur Rackham. 4to, pub-lisher’s original de luxe vellum, with lettering on the spine in gilt, the upper cover with the fine decorative designs in gilt and additional elaborate designed gilt lettering, front endpaper with the map of Kensington Gardens, t.e.g., original silk ties of gold. 126 pp. + plates pp. A superior copy in the original vellum, very fine inside and out. A VERY HANDSOME AND FINE FIRST EDITION. FIRST ISSUE OF THE LIMITED AND SIGNED PETER PAN IN KENSINGTON GARDENS. AN OUTSTANDING DE LUXE COPY of what is widely considered Rackham’s best work of illustration, and is certainly one of the most popular. PETER PAN is now quite scarce in even the trade issue of the first edition. PETER PAN is Rackham’s most famous book. Within, we find many of the artist’s best loved and most easily recognized

paintings. Perhaps the Pall Mall Gazette summed it best when they said, “Mr. Rackham seems to have dropped out of some cloud in Mr. Barrie’s fairyland, sent by a special providence to make pictures in tune with his whimsical genius.”$8500.

One of the Best Illustrated Books of the PeriodLimited to 525 De Luxe Copies, Signed by Arthur Rackham

Full Vellum - His Wonderfully Illustrated A Christmas Carol

72 [Rackham, illus.] Dickens, Charles. A CHRISTMAS CAROL (London and Philadelphia: William Heinemann and J. B. Lippincott Co., 1915) LIMITED DE LUXE EDITION SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM, one of only 525 hand-numbered copies. This limited edition is printed on significantly larger paper then the trade issue. With 12 tipped-in haunting colour plates, 18 black and white illustrations and line drawings by Arthur Rackham, endpapers designed and illustrated by the artist. 4to, publisher’s de luxe full vellum, beautifully decorated and lettered in gilt on on both the spine and the upper cover in Christmas motif, t.e.g. xv, 147 pp. A very bright, fine and desirable copy of this limited edition, the text very fine indeed without spot or flaw, the plates all pristine with tissue-guards intact, the vellum fresh and bright, without ties as often, some spotting to the end-leaves as often. The elusive limited signed edition of an extraordinary piece of literature, surely one of both Charles Dickens’ and Arthur Rackham’s best books. ONE OF THE GREATEST COMBINATIONS OF AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR YET PUBLISHED. The artist successfully incorporated the ‘Phiz’ and Cruikshank styles into his own to cre-ate striking renditions of Victorian London with ample room to uniquely evoke ghostly fantasy images as well. His almost characterized depictions of Scrooge, features chiseled and grotesque, are as bone-chilling as his fantastic entourages of moaning ghouls. The muted, shadowed atmospheric tones so characteristically Rackham, support Dickens’ ee-rie tale wonderfully. Some examples of Rackham’s emerging special talent for silhouette are also included.$6500.

Arthur Rackham Illustrates the Tales From ShakespeareThe Beautiful Signed Limited Edition on Large Paper

A True Delight For All Ages - 1909

73 [Rackham, illus.] Lamb, Charles and Mary. TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE (London: J.M. Dent, 1909) First De luxe edition, numbered and limited printing of only 750 copies on large paper SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM. With 13 very fine tipped-in colour plates, 2 full page black and white illustrations, 20 chapter headings and 14 tail-pieces all by Arthur Rackham. 4to, publisher’s original white buckram lettered in gilt on spine and cover, the upper cover also with a large gilt publisher’s device, endpapers with gilt Rackham vignettes, with red silk ties, t.e.g. xii, 304 pp. A very nice copy of this fine book, extremely fresh, internally fine and clean, the white cloth well preserved unworn and overall, a pleasing ivory, a touch of mellowing to the spine,. FIRST EDITION OF THIS SCARCE RACKHAM LIMITED EDITION, SIGNED BY THE ARTIST. One of his most attractive books in large-paper format and with an illustra-tion not included in the general trade issue. Charles and Mary Lamb created these adaptations for children so that the “true plays of Shakespeare may prove to them in older years” familiar friends. Their purpose is further served by the truly splendid illustrations of Rackham. Twenty plays are presented including favorites such as A Midsummer’s Night Dream, The Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. The authors have written the stories with remarkable fluidity, and the Rackham illustrations gracefully depict Shakespeare’s timeless cast of characters.$2750.

A Superb Collection of the Signed Limited First EditionsThe Night Before Christmas, The Pied Piper of Hamelin

The King of the Golden River, Goblin MarketAll Illustrated by Arthur Rackham - Bound in Fine Vellum

74 [Rackham, illus.] Moore, Clement C; Ruskin, John; Rosset-ti, Christina; and Browning, Robert. [A Collection comprised of;] THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS; THE KING OF THE GOLDEN RIVER; GOBLIN MARKET; THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN (London: George C. Harrap & Co, 1931; 1932; 1933; 1934) Together four volumes. First Editions, First Print-ings and each being the vellum bound SIGNED LIMITED EDI-TION, signed by Arthur Rackham and numbered. Limited to 550 copies (Moore), 575 copies (Ruskin), 410 copies (Rossetti), and 410 copies (Browning). Each book with four fine colour plates and other fine decorations printed in various colours or in black throughout by Arthur Rackham. 8vo, publisher’s original de luxe flexible vellum bindings, each one lettered in gilt on the upper cover, Rackham decorated endpapers print-ed in various colours, each in the original slipcases, three of which with printed paper labels hand-numbered. The set now housed together in a fine custom folding box backed in rust morocco featuring four faux spines with raised bands and fine gilt lettering and tooling. 36pp, 48pp; 46pp; 45pp. Each book is essentially as mint and pristine inside and out, the slipcases well preserved with only minimal evidence of age. The Ros-setti is apparently an out of sequence copy, signed by Rackham and with its number blocked out.

FIRST EDITION, LIMITED SIGNED ISSUE OF EACH OF THESE CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM.

ALL IN AN UNUSUALLY FINE STATE OF PRESERVATION, A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE ALL FOUR OF THESE ANNUAL LIMITED EDITION PUBLICATIONS TOGETHER. Harrap had made arrangements with Rack-ham to publish two books a year beginning in 1931. Each year there would be one long book and one short one. Collected here are the four short books. In 1931 Clement Moore’s classic Christmas poem received first class treatment by Arthur Rackham, and would be the only one written by an American. This no doubt explains why the copies of the limited edition reserved for America sold out quickly. In England it is considered to be the best known American poem. 1932 brought out John Ruskin’s “Golden River”. This story is told in the form of a medieval legend, and the illustrations are delightfully expressive of this spirit. It is the only one of the four written in prose. GOBLIN MARKET is a narrative poem by Chris-tina Rossetti. She told her publisher, that the poem, often interpreted as having features of sexual imagery, was not meant for children. However, in public she stated that the poem was intended for children, and went on to write many children’s poems. With illustrations both bursting with happiness and sufficiently frightening, fans of this master illustrator were not disappointed with THE PIED PIPER. It remains one of the best of Rackham’s shorter works and perhaps the finest rendi-tion of Browning’s classic yet produced.$10,000.

Where the Blue Begins - Signed by Artist and AuthorLimited to Only 100 De Luxe Copies - 1922

75 [Rackham, illus.] Morley, Christopher. WHERE THE BLUE BEGINS (London and New York: William Heine-mann LTD and Doubleday, Page & Co., (1922) [1925]) LIMITED DE LUXE EDITION OF ONLY 100 NUMBERED COPIES SIGNED BY BOTH ARTHUR RACKHAM AND CHRISTOPHER MORLEY. This limited edition is also printed on significantly larger paper then the trade issue. With 4 fine colour plates, decorated titlepage and 16 line drawings by Arthur Rackham. 4to, original mottled paper-covered boards with yellow and white label on the upper cover lettered and pictorially decorated in black, backed in gilt ruled black cloth with smaller but oth-erwise identical paper label, with Rackham illustrated endpapers printed in blue not found on the trade issue.

x, 227 pp. Internally a fine, brilliant and spotless copy, the binding very handsome, solid and essentially fine but for some light, unobtrusive rubbing along the edg-es of the mottled paper primarily caused by shelving. SCARCE DE LUXE EDITION, THE FIRST OF THE TWO LIMITED EDITIONS OF THIS TITLE AND THIS, THE SMALLER OF THE PRINT RUNS SIGNED BY BOTH THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR. The limi-tation to only 100 copies makes this one of the rarest works in the Rackham oeuvre. It is also one of only a very few titles signed by both Rackham and the story’s author. In 1925 a second limited edition was issued, that edition was not signed by Morley and was printed in a significantly larger number. A wonderfully imaginative tale from Christopher Morley. Rackham’s colour illustrations are quite unusual and marry perfectly to this splendid story. A highly unusual story in which Mr. Gissing, a gentledog of leisure contentedly residing in Canine Estates with Fuji, his butler (a Japanese pug), on an income of 1,000 bones a year, becomes dissatisfied and leaves to search for where the blue begins (a purpose to life). “Morley admirably creates a canine world through names alone. There are Mike Terrier, the curate Mr. J. Rover Poodle, the upper-class and working-class neighbors Mrs. Airedale and Mrs. Collie, the nursemaid Mrs. Spaniel and little Shaggy, her puppy, Gissing’s adopted puppies Groups, Bunks, and Yelpers, haughty Mr. and Mrs. Chow and their “intolerably spot-less” little Sandy, the landlady Mrs. Purps, the salesclerk Miss Whippet, the matronly Mrs. Mastiff, the compulsive shopper Mrs. Dachshund, the parishioners Mr. Dobermann-Pinscher, Mrs. Griffon, and Mrs. Retriever. There are the place names like Dalmatian Heights and the little shrine of St. Spitz. These are intermixed with humanless real locales like Paris and Atlantic City, Murray Hill and Fifth Avenue and Broadway and Wall Street, Delmonico’s Restaurant and Trinity Church, and real historical personages like the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Andersen, and Masefield; to make this our real world only inhabited by dogs, rather than some imaginary planet of dogs.” - Fred Patten$2850.

Arthur Rackham’s Illustrated A Dish of ApplesLimited First Edition, Signed by Both Artist and Author

76 [Rackham, illus.] Phillpotts, Eden. A DISH OF APPLES (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1921) LIMITED FIRST EDITION, One of 500 numbered copies SIGNED BY BOTH THE AUTHOR AND ARTHUR RACKHAM.

This limited edition is also printed on significantly larger paper then the trade issue. With 3 tipped-in color plates, 7 full-page black and white illustrations, numerous vignette line-drawings and endpapers all by Arthur Rackham. 4to, original white cloth lettered and pictori-ally decorated in gilt on the upper cover and spine. Now protected in a fine morocco backed custom slipcase featuring raised bands and fine gilt lettering and tooling. 75, [3] pp. A very fine, bright copy, unusually so, and now housed in a fine morocco protective case. FIRST EDITION ILLUSTRATED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM, THE FINE LIMITED SIGNED ISSUE ON LARGE PAPER AND SIGNED BY BOTH RACKHAM AND EDEN PHILLPOTTS. The work consist of group of charming poems, each on a different variety of apple. Fred Get-tings, in his biography of Arthur Rackham considers the illustrations in this work as some of the artist best, using them as examples of the artist’s maturing style, moving from coloured drawings to works “more and more like paintings.” Phillpotts was very pleased with them as well. A rather scarce Rackham title with lovely illustrations. Gettings, Arthur Rackham, p.139; Hudson, Arthur Rackham, pp. 118-119.$1850.

Arthur Rackham’s Illustrated Tour de Force - 1909Gulliver’s Travels - The Limited and Signed First Edition

77 [Rackham, illus.] Swift, Johnathan. GULLIVER’S TRAVELS Into Several Remote Nations of the World (London: J.M. Dent and Co., 1909) LIMITED SIGNED LARGE-PAPER ISSUE OF THE FIRST EDITION, one of only 750 numbered copies SIGNED by Arthur Rackham. This being copy 21 a very early number of the 600 copies for sale in England. With 13 impressive colour plates, two black and white illustrations and several line drawings as chapter heading or tail pieces, all by Arthur Rackham 4to, publisher’s original ivory buckram decoratively stamped and lettered in gilt on the front cover and the spine, t.e.g., others untrimmed, pictorially decorated endpapers with Rack-ham illustrations printed in gold, original rose silk ties. xv, 291pp. A fine copy, very bright and extremely well preserved, internally near as pristine and with perfect plates, the ivory cloth ever so slightly mellowed on the spine panel. Engraved armorial bookplate on front blank free-fly of George Kitchin, possibly George William Kitchin, first Chancellor of the University of Dur-ham and the last Dean of Durham Cathedral to govern the university. A BEAUTIFUL COPY OF THE SCARCE SIGNED LIMITED FIRST EDI-TION, this being one of the copies reserved for sale in Great Britain. This fine deluxe issue included one additional colourplate not included in the trade issues. Rackham has created a very special printing of Jonathan Swift’s 18th century sat-ire. In 1899 an edition of this book had been issued with Rackham’s early drawings and no colour plates. As his reputation grew, the publisher asked for additional drawings and paintings and issued this new version. Rackham created a fresh set of illustrations which employed high-contrast linear designs tinged with washes of subtle color. The result was a collection of powerful images with striking emotional contrasts, well-suited to the spectacular travels of Gulliver. Rackham was able to graphically depict Gulliver kneeling on the floor with the Lilliputian tailors gazing up at him while measuring him for a new suit. And in his painting, ‘Gulliver’s Combat With The Wasps’, he dramatically portrays a handful of huge wasps swirling menacingly around Gulliver’s teetering form. The trials, tribulations, and exploits of Gulliver’s travels are magnificently portrayed here by the master illustrator.$3250.

The Beautiful Arthur Rackham Edition of The TempestAn Exceptional Copy of the Signed Limited De Luxe Issue

78 [Rackham, illus.] Shakespeare, William. THE TEMPEST (London: William Heinemann, 1926) FIRST EDITION, LIMITED EDITION DE LUXE, one of 520 numbered copies SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACK-HAM. This limited edition is also printed on significantly larger pa-per then the trade issue. With 21 tipped-in color plates and several black and white line drawings by Arthur Rackham. Includes the ex-tra plate of Sea-Nymphs playing which was not included in the trade issue 4to, in the original de luxe binding of vellum backed parchment boards, lettered and with Rackham’s pictorial vignette in gilt on the upper cover, the spine gilt decorated and lettered, t.e.g. IN THE VERY SCARCE ORIGINAL DUSTJACKET decorated as the binding in red on tan paper. x,185 pp. A beautiful copy, the text and plates pristine and perfect, the binding clean and solid with only a light hint of the effects of age on parchment and vellum, the rare dustjacket solid and complete with a little light rubbing and a few small chips. AN EXCEPTIONAL COPY OF THE DE LUXE LIMITED EDI-TION SIGNED BY ARTIST ARTHUR RACKHAM, ALL THE MORE SCARCE IN THE ORIGINAL DUST-JACKET. Shakespeare’s romantic drama, expertly illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Entering the artist’s world

of fantasy, we experience the story of the exiled magician Prospero and his daughter Miranda cast upon a desolate island. We encounter Shakespeare’s graceful nymphs and a marvelous assortment of goblins and fairies, all imaginatively depicted by Rackham. Though not one of Rackham’s most popular books in its day, The Tempest has wonderfully found its place with the passage of time. The images are full of dynamic movement, good humor, and subtle atmosphere. Together they tell Shakespeare’s tale with the artist’s characteristic imagination and charm.$3500.

Arthur Rackham and Lewis CarrollAlice in Wonderland - Limited De Luxe Edition

Beautifully Bound in Full Red Morocco Gilt

79 [Rackham] Carroll, Lewis. ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. With a Proem by Austin Dob-son (London: William Heinemann, [1907]) DE LUXE LARGE-PAPER ISSUE LIMITED to 1130 hand-numbered copies of the first edition with Rackham’s illustrations. With 13 fine colour plates tipped to stiff brown stock with captioned tissue guards, illustrated end-leaves and 14 black and white illustrations throughout the text, all by Arthur Rackham. 4to, in a very fine signed binding from the Chelsea Bindery of full red morocco. The upper cover gilt lettered and pictorially stamped using images from the original cloth covers, the spine with tall raised bands gilt stippled, creating gilt framed compartments, three of which are lettered in gilt, additional gilt lettering at the tail, gilt ruled board edges, wide turn-ins elabo-rately decorated in gilt with a floral vine motif, marbled endpapers, t.e.g. xi, 161, [1] pp. A very fine and beautiful copy of this wonderful limited edition, without flaw. A BEAUTIFUL COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION, LARGE PAPER LIMITED DE LUXE PRINTING OF THIS SIGNIF-ICANT WORK, IN A VERY FINE BINDING. This edition, was the first with Arthur Rackham’s illustrations, and due to his being out of the country is the only De Luxe Limited Edi-tion of one of his works to not be signed. With the publishing of this book a great controversy ensued, as critics protested the “presumptuous” replacement of John Tenniel’s illustrations, but this only spurred sales of the book. The publisher sold 14,322 copies of the general trade issue of ‘Alice’ at 6 shillings each within the first 6 months of its issue, resulting in Arthur Rackham’s all-time most successful book debut. While reviewers scorned Rackham’s artistic audacity, the public supported his fresh interpretation. One uncharacteristically favorable review by The Daily Telegraph remarked, “The ‘Alice’...is not the heroine of Sir John Tenniel’s imagination; she is older and more sophisticated; but at the same time she has a tender, flickering light of imagina-tion in her eyes, which lifts her out of the domain of the merely pretty and childish...Mr. Rackham’s inexhaustible imagina-tion, working over and embroidering the ground-work of Tenniel’s types, has added a really wonderful wealth of uncanny, dreamlike mystery to the story...and extraordinary feeling into the drawing of the hands.” - Hamilton Rackham’s ‘Alice’ is sure to delight readers today with its fanciful creatures, its charming depiction of the heroine Alice, and its consistent good humor. And be sure to look for the artist’s self-caricature in his rendition of the Mad Hatter in “The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.”$4750.

One of the Great Colourplate Books of the Golden AgeAckermann’s History of the Colleges - Winchester, Eton, Westminster

With the Charter-House, the Schools of St. Paul’sExquisitely Bound and With Fine Provenance - 1816

80 Ackermann, R[udolph]. A HISTORY OF THE COLLEGES OF WIN-CHESTER, ETON, AND WESTMINSTER; With the Charter-House, the Schools of St. Paul’s, Merchant Taylors, Harrow, and Rugby, and the Free-School of Christ’s Hospital (London: Printed for and published by R. Ackermann, 1816) First edition, Tooley’s third state with the “Char-ter House from the Playground” and “Westminster School Room” re-worked. “Winchester College from the Meadows” in second state dated Jan.y 1 1816. Plates with watermarks dated 1812 and 1816, text water-marks dated 1812 and 1816. Illustrated with 48 very fine hand-coloured aquatint plates by Havell, Bluck, Stadler, Bennett or Agar after Westall, Mackenzie, Unwins, Pugin, Gendall. Large 4to, in a truly impressive and beautiful contemporary binding of full straight-grained blue/black morocco, the spine with gilt decorated raised bands creating elaborately gilt tooled compartments in a Gothic ecclesiastical motif, one compart-ment gilt lettered, both boards with a wide gilt tooled border enclosing a smaller border in blind, these around central gilt block of an abbey or church entrance, board edges gilt stippled and with gilt tooled turn-ins, slate endpapers, a.e.g., baronial bookplate of Thomas Gladstone, 2nd

Baronet, a Tory politician and brother of Liberal four-time Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. vi, [11], 56, 72, 27, 32, 34, 22 40, 34, 43 pp. A splendid copy of this grand book, clean and fresh in a most impressive period binding with fine provenance. The text especially fresh with some light offsetting from the plates as is always encountered, the binding bright and handsome, very minor evidence of age and a little cosmetic cracking at the very bottom of the joints which are still firm and strong. ONE OF THE GREATEST ENGLISH COLOURPLATE BOOKS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF AQUATINT PRINTING, IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION AND IN A VERY FINE PERIOD BINDING WITH EXCEPTIONAL GENTLEMANLY HISTORY. The views of colleges here were a follow-up to Ackermann’s volumes on Oxford and Cam-bridge, “...fittingly followed by a history of the Colleges... the highest praise for which is that it equals, if not surpasses, that of the Oxford and Cambridge... forming a magnificent trilogy” - Martin Hardie, English Coloured Books. In this issue the plate “Charter House from the Playground” is in the preferred state which shows masters and boys in the foreground playing cricket, it replaced the original image of two charwomen laying out laundry on the lawn, which proved unpopular. The plate “Westminster School Room” was reworked by putting hats on the masters’ heads, and the names on the right hand wall were made to stand out clearly. With the provenance of Sir Thomas Gladstone who was educated at Eton and for whom the binding was likely designed. Gladstone was a Tory politician from Liverpool, who upon inheriting the barony returned to the ancestral seat in the High-lands to become a country squire. His younger brother William enjoyed a political career lasting over sixty years, and served as Prime Minister four separate times, more than any other person. Abbey Scenery 438; Tooley 3; Adams “London Illustrated 116; Hardie pp. 106-107.$7500.

An Exceptional Copy in Exquisite BindingThe Deliciously Decadent Illustrations of ‘Alastair’

Oscar Wilde’s The Sphinx - Limited Edition - 1920

81 [Alastair, Illustrator] Wilde, Oscar. THE SPHINX (London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1920) LIMITED FIRST EDITION WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALISTAIR. “This edition is limited to 1,000 copies and cannot be reprinted, as the stones from which the offset plates were printed were in Belgium at the time of the German invasion, and were destroyed.” With Alastair’s fine illustrations consisting of twelve plates, one as frontispiece, 10 with captioned tissue-guards and the twelfth being the rear endpaper, and with thirteen very large decorated opening initials, all printed in black and turquoise. Ten plates printed in black and turquoise, with descrip-

tive tissue guards, plus two additional plates on the front and rear endpa-pers. Thirteen large decorative initials (including repeats) printed in black and turquoise. Title printed in black and turquoise. 4to, presented in the publisher’s beautiful original binding of white polished buckram lavishly decorated on the upper cover with an all-over pictorial design by Alastair in gilt beneath a turquoise crescent moon, the spine lettered in gilt, t.e.g., others untrimmed. 36pp. A especially fine copy, unusually so,internally pristine and perfect, the brilliant binding exceptionally well preserved and truly bright and clean, especially so for this beautiful book bound in white, which is usually found mellowed down or browned. LIMITED FIRST EDITION OF THE SPHINX WITH THE ILLUSTRA-TIONS BY ALASTAIR, the pseudonym for German artist Baron Hans Henning von Voigt. ‘Alastair’s style has been called “decadent Baroque”, and has the look of Art Deco influenced hugely by the work of the English artist Aubrey Beardsley, who also illustrated works by Oscar Wilde, and would be echoed in the deliciously unhinged work of Harry Clarke. His career as an artist was launched in 1914, when John Lane published Forty-Three Drawings by Alastair. This much awaited edition of Wilde’s THE SPHINX spread his fame even further. Intricate decora-tive elements and fine detail are apparent in his works. Wilde’s poem was the perfect fodder for Alastair’s imagination. Jerome Buckley has written “It remains a prime example of many aspects of the English literary Decadence, an extravagant example in both style and subject matter of the ornate become outré, the esoteric entering the forbidden, the luxurious grow-ing lascivious.” In 1922 the artist would once again be inspired by both Wilde and Beardsley for his illustrations to the play SALOME.$2150.

Beardsley’s Drawings for Mademoiselle de MaupinOne of Only 50 Sets Printed in Photogravure - 1898

82 Beardsley, Aubrey. SIX DRAWINGS Illustrating Théophile Gautiers Romance Mademoiselle de Maupin (London: Leonard Smithers, 1898) First edition, LIMITED TO ONLY 50 HAND NUMBERED COPIES. Six pho-togravures “being reproductions of an uncompleted set of illustrations by the late Aubrey Beardsley to Made-moiselle de Maupin”. Large Folio [15.3 by 11 inches approx.], loosely contained as issued in the original printed wrapper and portfolio of gray boards with green cloth back and corners, the upper board printed in red and black, with green silk ties. A nice set of this extremely scarce Beardsley item. The plates are all without wear,

occasionally a few spots here or there caused by the paper stock. The wrapper is well preserved, the portfolio covers with some general age-wear, having served their purpose well. FIRST EDITION OF THIS EXTREMELY SCARCE SET OF PHO-TOGRAVURES PUBLISHED POSTHUMOUSLY OF ARTWORK INTENDED FOR Mademoiselle de Maupin. In the autumn of 1897 Beardsley, increasingly desperate to see an-other book published similar to THE RAPE OF THE LOCK, set to work on illustrations for ‘Mademoiselle de Maupin’ with Leonard Smithers’ approval. This precipitated something of a crisis in his relationship with the publisher. Smithers simply did not have the money for the project and dragged his heals while Beardsley, hurt by what he saw as a lack of faith by him, became increasingly depressed and began suffering pangs of paranoia over the project. Smithers then accused Beardsley of becoming tired with Maupin, which may have contributed to Beardsley anxiety over money and belief that his friend was not playing fair with him during his illness and planning to take his artwork and sell it for profit after his death. In only a few more months the artist would be dead and the “Maupin” project would never be completed.$2450.

Five Great Plates of the Decadent MovementAubrey Beardsley - Illustrative of Juvenal and Lucian

Limited to Only 120 Numbered Sets - Proof Copies

83 Beardsley, Aubrey, Illustrator. AU-BREY BEARDSLEY An Issue of Five Drawings Illustrative of Juvenal and Lu-cian (London: [Leonard Smithers], 1906) First edition, LIMITED TO ONLY 120 HAND-NUMBERED SETS. Proof Cop-ies of the Plates. Five plates by Aubrey Beardsley “to free in design for general circulation” printed on Japan vellum. Foolscap folio, loose as issued, now housed in a fine portfolio of linen backed handmade paper covered board chemise in a handsome white alum-backed slip-case of plum paper-covered boards, the spine with burgundy morocco label let-tered and trimmed in ornate gilt. Title-

leaf, contents leaf, five plates, colophon leaf. A very fine copy, beautifully preserved. VERY SCARCE COLLECTION OF FIVE PUBLISHED ILLUSTRATIONS CONSIDERED TOO RISQUÉ FOR GENERAL PUBLICATION, three illustrating Juvenal’s “Sixth Satire,” and two prepared for Lucian’s “True History”. “This issue contains five exceedingly brilliant Drawings by the late Aubrey Beardsley which have been regarded as too free in design for general circulation. Three of these illustrate THE SIXTH SATIRE OF JUVENAL (the Satire against Woman), and the remaining two designs were intended for LUCIAN’S TRUE HISTORY issued about twelve years ago, but were never included in the volume. These Drawings are printed from the original blocks, and as only a few engraver’s proofs have previously been pulled, the impressions are perfectly clear, and may be regarded (considering the few copies now printed) as Proofs.” - Colophon. Galletin 30; Samuels-Lasner 149.$1950.

Signed by All Four BeatlesJohn, Paul, George and Ringo - ca. 1964

The Beatles’ Fabulous Favorites - Six Solos

84 Beatles, The. THE BEATLES’ FABULOUS FAVORITES Six Solos [SIGNED BY ALL FOUR BEATLES] (New York: Gil Music Corp for Music of Today, Inc., 1964) Popular Solos for Accordian and Guitar No. 1. Keys 10106. THIS COPY SIGNED BY ALL FOUR OF THE BEATLES. Sheet music printed in red and blue, upper cover printed in red, blue and pink and with a monotone photo of the Fab Four in the lower right corner printed in gray/blue. Folio sheets, Sheets as is-sued and self wrappered. Now protected between remov-able mounting boards behind mylar and within a black cloth-covered clamshell box. 7 pp. Very fresh and well preserved with only the very lightest age mellowing, clearly very well protected through the years. SIGNED BY ALL FOUR BEATLES; JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, GEORGE HARRISON AND RINGO STARR on the upper wrapper near or upon their photograph.$9500.

Thomas Gage - ‘The New Survey of the West Indies’ - 1648The Earliest English Eyewitness of the Spanish Dominions

For Years the Only English Source of This InformationOne of the Most Respected Travel Books of the Time

85 Gage, Thomas. THE ENGLISH-AMERICAN HIS TRAVELS BY SEA AND LAND: OR A NEW SUR-VEY OF THE WEST INDIES, Containing a Journall of Three Thousand and Three Hundred Miles Within the Main Land of America. Wherin Is Set Forth His Voy-age From Spain to St. John de Ulhua; and Thence to Xalappa, to Tlaxcall, the City of Angels, and Forward to Mexico: With a Description of that Great City, As It Was in Former Times, and Also at This Present. Like-wise His Journey From Mexico Through the Provinces of Guaxaca, Chiapa, Guatemala, Vera Paz... ...As Also His Strange and Wonderful Conversion and Calling from Those Remote Parts to His Native Countrey. With His Return Through the Province of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, to Nicoya, Panama, Portobello, Carta-gena and Havana, with Divers Occurrents and Dan-gers that Did Befal in the Said Kourney...: Also a New and Exact Discovery of the Spanish Navigation to Those Parts... With a Grammar, or Some Rudiments of the Indian Tongue, called Poconchi or Pocoman (London: Printed by R. Cotes, and are to be sold by Humphrye Blunden, 1648) First edition. Decorative woodcut border to title page, engraved headpieces and woodcut initials throughout. Folio, in handsome full contemporary speckled calf boards, with expert and very skillful antique restoration at the spine pan-el, with a gilt lettered and gilt ruled red morocco label and five raised bands to the spine, bookplate of Lord Fitzharding, Berkeley Castle to front pastedown. [8] + 220 pp. plus contents & errata pp. A fine copy, in-ternally very well preserved and quite fresh, sturdy and strong,contemporary signature to upper margin of title, the binding very pleasing and a fine and well preserved example with some attractive age.

SCARCE FIRST EDITION of this extremely important and interesting work relating to Spanish-America; Mexico and various parts of Central America. The author lived there for many years as a Dominican Friar before joining the Church of England. He wrote this work, which was the first and for some time only, text to give the English a description of the vast regions from which all foreigners had been jealously excluded by the Spanish authorities. Sabin notes that the final chapter of this first edition, relating his trip to Rome, was suppressed in all later editions. The work is supposed to have incited the attacks on the Spanish territories and colonies during Cromwell’s time. Gage convinced Cromwell to seize Jamaica, which he knew to be insufficiently protected by the Spanish. He was appointed Chaplin to the forces which invaded and eventually settled there. Gage’s entry in the Dictionary of National Biography says this book “contained most interesting informa-tion derived from his personal observations and experiences. He was the first person to give to the world a description of vast regions from which all foreigners had been jealously excluded by the Spanish authorities.” STC 6109; Sabin 26298; Lowndes p.853; DNB. HILL 665. PALAU 96480. STREETER SALE 193. EUROPEAN AMERICANA 648/68. JCB (3)II:369. SABIN 26298. WING G109.$4950.

Japanese Hand-Made Paper - Limited to 300 CopiesIllustrated with Fine Woodblock Prints and Many Samples

86 Goto, Seikichiro. JAPANESE HAND-MADE PAPER (Mukomachi, Japan: Bijutsu Shuppansha, [1953]) FIRST EDITION, LIMITED TO only 300 numbered copies. Dual text in English and Japanese printed on handmade paper. Illustrated with 40 tipped-in woodblock prints, many of which in multiple colours and with 47 specimens of Japanese handmade papers 4to, in traditional Japanese binding with brown smooth-paper wraps with silk string, the upper wrapper with a paper label lettered in black in Japanese, in the original textured press board portfolio case with silk ties, the upper side with a red paper label lettered in English and Japanese in cream and black, one

internal flap with a large woodblock print of traditional printing equipment. [104 pp.] A very fine copy, the book pristine in a portfolio case with only the lightest evidence of age. ONE OF ONLY 300 COPIES OF THIS ELEGANT WORK ON JAPANESE PAPER. The art of paper making in Japan dates back to at least 548 AD and spread with the Buddhist scholars. Samples included in this work, which is based on trav-els throughout paper-making regions, include; Somegami, Montengujo, Mitsumata, Inden, Kozo, and Gasenshi. The Iden papers display Urushi, made with lacquer. The very beautiful colour woodblock prints display paper-making tools, shops, materials and techniques, as well as products made from paper such as fans, kites, flags and shoji screens. Seikichiro Goto authored several works on the subject.$2200.

Dard Hunter’s Literature of Papermaking - 1390-1800First Edition - Limited and Signed - Amazingly Ambitious

A Superb Copy of this Masterwork of His Press

87 Hunter, Dard. THE LITERATURE OF PAPERMAKING 1390-1800 (Chillicothe, Ohio: Mountain House Press, [1925]) LIMITED First Edition, one of 190 copies SIGNED by Dard Hunter. Title-page with woodcut watermark device, 46 illustrations including 2 mounted photographic illustrations and 24 hand-printed repro-ductions of title-pages, 4 of which printed in black and red, some printed in brown on tinted paper, one large initial printed in black and red. Folio (421 x 302 mm), unbound as issued, contained in the original portfolio of half buckram over paper-covered boards, with three sets of cloth ties and with Dard Hunter label laid in, housed in a fine buckram clamshell box with paper label. 48 pp. An espe-cially fine copy, beautifully preserved and essentially pristine and as new. The work is very prone to spotting and offsetting, this set has none of the former and only the occasional lightest ghost of the later. A VERY FINE COPY OF THIS IMPORTANT WORK BY DARD HUNTER, JUST HIS SECOND BOOK AND ONLY THE SECOND WORK TO COME FROM HIS PRESS AT MOUNTAIN HOUSE.

The book is printed in Hunter’s type of his own design and on his own hand-made paper. He would produce only six more complete handmade books on his presses, but would eventually author a full twenty books on the subject. He was also ac-tive in the Arts and Crafts movement, championing many other types of handmade arts and crafts. He experimented with pottery, jewelry, stained glass windows, and furniture. He also founded a correspondence school, the Dard Hunter School of Handicrafts.$5850.

Papermaking in Indo-ChinaSigned and Limited First Edition - The Mountain House Press

A Dard Hunter Masterpiece Over a Decade in the Making

88 Hunter, Dard. PAPERMAKING IN INDO-CHINA (Chilli-cothe: Mountain House Press, 1947) LIMITED First Edition, one of 182 copies SIGNED by Dard Hunter. With title and chapter headings printed in red and black, 15 photogravure plates of illustrations of papermaking, 1 botanical plate and 2 mounted paper samples. 4to, in the original decorated pa-per-covered boards backed in red morocco by Peter Franck of Sherman, CT. The binding is paper was handmade by Hunt-er and is printed with gold Buddhas highlighted in red and green from a 17th century woodcut and is coated with India ink. The spine is lettered in gilt. 102 pp, inclusive of plates, samples and colophon. A very fine copy of this scarce and impressive book, beautifully preserved. FIRST EDITION, LIMITED TO ONLY 182 COPIES HAND-PRINTED BY HUNTER ON HIS OWN PAPER FROM HIS MILL AT LIME ROCK. The book is a result of firsthand studies of papermaking in the papermaking villages Yen-Thai and Lang-Buoi in Tonkin, Indo-China prior to the Japanese invasion and outbreak of the Second World War. Hunter traveled with a photographer from Hanoi whose work is reproduced to illustrate the book. The tipped in paper specimens are from pieces brought back by Hunter, the first being the best Tonkin handmade paper and the other being a specimen of pure Daphne paper. This is an important record of a gone-by art form, but is also full of interesting observations of the local people and the political

situation of the time. The woodcut used on the paper boards was procured by Hunter while in China, the one used for the title-page device is from Tonkin. The typographical ornaments used as chapter headings and borders were cut and cast by Dard Hunter, Junior. The paper used was made by Hunter in 1932 in Lime Rock, CT. The limitation on the printing of this title was dictated by both the size of the paper samples brought back from Tonkin and the availability of his own Lime Rock paper.$5500.

Jarves History of the Hawaiian IslandsThe Very Scarce Edition Printed in Honolulu

89 Jarves, James Jackson. HISTORY OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: Embracing Their Antiquities, Mythology, Legends, Discovery By Europeans in the Sixteenth Century, Re-Discovery By Cook, with Their Civil, Religious and Political History, From the Earliest Traditional Period to the Present Day (Honolulu: Charles Edwin Hitch-cock, 1847) The scarce first edition printed in Hawaii, the first Honolulu edition and third edition overall. Much rarer then the earlier Boston and London editions. Text double column, with woodcut illustrations within, one of which is full-page. 8vo, contemporary marbled boards backed in brown leather, gilt ruled on the spine. 240 pp. A bright, clean and handsome copy, the text uncommonly fresh with only a few very occasion spots, two gatherings a bit toned but the rest surprisingly bright, the binding solid with only very light rubbing, a small piece neatly excised from the blank front free-fly.

FIRST EDITION OF THE VERY SCARCE FIRST HAWAIIAN EDITION OF ONE OF ONLY A SCANT FEW AN-TIQUARIAN HISTORIES OF HAWAII NOT WRITTEN BY MISSIONARIES. The author, James Jackson Jarves, was founder and editor of Hawaii’s first news-paper, ‘The Polynesian’ and was a mem-ber of the American Oriental Society. This edition is considerably scarcer then the London and Boston counterparts. It contains a great deal of information of so-cial, economic and political value and the author states the edition to be entirely re-written with nearly twice the material of the two earlier editions. Forbes #1564.$4250.

The Kelmscott Press Utopia - One of Only 300In Original Limp Vellum with Ties

90 [Kelmscott Press] More, Sir Thomas. UTOPIA Written By Sir Thomas More [Now Revised by F. S. Ellis, Forward by William Morris] (Hammersmith: By William Morris at the Kelmscott Press, August 4, 1893) LIMITED EDITION, one of only 300 copies printed on handmade paper of a total edition of only 308 copies. Printed in black and red in the Chaucer type, the title in Troy type, with a fine and elaborate woodcut frame in grape vine motif to the first leaf of More’s text, a second fine woodcut page frame in the mo-tif of floral vines, woodcut decorated initials throughout, many as large as ten lines, Kelmscott device on colophon page. 8vo, in the original limp vellum with brown silk ties, the spine lettered in gilt. Housed in an attractive cloth-covered slipcase. With bookplates of Percy Withers and J. P. Foster. xiv, 282 pp. A very fine, as pristine and very beautiful copy. THE KELMSCOTT UTOPIA, printed in Morris’ characteristicly beautiful style. Morris printed Thomas More’s UTOPIA because he felt it was the sort of book that belonged in every socialist’s library. Morris’ enthusiastic championing of More as a proto-communist, fighting against the “ugly brutality of ... commercialism” cost him, at least temporarily. An Eton schoolmaster placed an order for forty volumes, to be given to students as prizes. When he saw Morris’ introduction he cancelled the or-der. Morris nevertheless sold out his entire press run of 300 copies within a year. Morris had intended to include a map of Utopia with this edition, but the illustration was never executed. This copy with the bookplate of Percy Withers. Withers was at the centre of an illustrious circle of friends including many of the foremost British writers and visual artists of the inter-war period. Dr Withers had a rare talent for friendship, and cultivated a distinguished literary and artistic coterie who obviously valued his genuine interest in their work as well as his personal and professional support. Most appear to have had great affection for him – including the famously reserved poet A.E. Hous-man – and frequently enjoyed the Withers household’s hospitality. Cockerell 16; Peterson A16; Sparling 16.$5950.

A Very Rare and Early Publication of MontaigneNearly A Decade Prior to the Famous Essayes

Plutarch and Xenophon Translated by His Dearest Friend

91 Plutarch; Xenophon. Montaigne, [Michael] de, Edi-tor; Boetie, Estienne de la, Translator. LA MESNAGERIE DE XENOPHON. LES REGLES DE MARIAGE, DE PL-UTARQUE. LETTRE DE PLUTARQUE Á SA FEMME. Le Tour Traduict de Grec en François [with] Vers Francois de feu Estienne De La Boetie Conseiller du Roy en sa Cour de Parlement à Bordeaux. (Paris: De L’Imprimerie de Federic Morel, 1572) Very rare, the sec-ond printing only of this work for which OCLC records only five copies of the first of 1570. An extremely early publication by Montaigne, nine years prior to the first edition of his great and timeless Essayes, one of the core books in all of the humanities. Fine engraved initials and headpieces throughout. Small 8vo, in very antique limp vellum, the spine with a red morocco label gilt let-tered, gilt emblem at the foot. 131ff; 19ff. Very well preserved and pleasing copy of this very rare book, the paper with some normal or expected age mellowing, a little wear at the edge of the title-page and second leaf, some minor spotting very occasionally. VERY RARE, ONLY 15 COPIES LISTED ON OCLC, A VERY EARLY PUBLICATION OF ANY WORK BY MONTAIGNE, THIS BEING HIS EDITED VERSION OF HIS VERY CLOSE LATE FRIEND’S TRANSLATION OF THESE CLASSICS ALONG WITH ORIGINAL VERSE. Montaigne is one of the most significant philosophers and essayists of the French Renaissance, known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. While serving at the Bordeaux Parlement, Montaigne became very close friends with the humanist poet Étienne de la Boétie, whose death in 1563 deeply affected him. In 1570, after he inherited the family’s estate, he moved back to the Château de Montaigne, thus becoming the Lord of Mon-taigne and began the literary accomplishment of posthumous editions of his friend Boétie’s works. La Boétie was a distin-

guished poet and humanist, along with his noted translations of Xenophon and Plutarch he was closely connected with the leading young Pleiade group of poets, including Pierre Ronsard, Jean Dorat, and Jean-Antoine de Baif. He served with Montaigne in the Bordeaux parliament and is immortalized in Montaigne’s essay on friendship.$3950.

Addresses and Messages of the Presidents - 1842A Very Scarce Publication - Rare in this Condition

92 [Presidents, U.S.] Walker, Edward, Editor. THE ADDRESSES AND MESSAGES OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, From Washington to Tyler, Embracing the Executive Proclamations, Recommendations, Protests, and Vetoes, from 1789 to 1842, Together with THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND CON-STITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES (New York: Edward Walker, 1842) Third edition, and the first to include Harrison’s Proclamation and material on Tyler. 8vo, in the publisher’s original brown cloth, the covers with blind embossed ornamental frame, the upper cover featuring a vignette of George Washington within a starred

wreath, at the top of which is found the American bald eagle and at the bottom a the seal, the spine gilt lettered between blind embossed bands. [4], xi, 753pp. An uncommonly bright and well preserved copy, extremely scarce in such condition. The binding solid with bright gilt and extremely little wear, the spine a bit mellowed but not unpleasantly. The text especially bright and fresh with the only spotting worthy of mention at the prelims, quite rare in such nice condition. SURPRISINGLY RARE COLLECTION OF PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES. This “Third Edition” is actually an exact reprint of the second with an additional quire added. The second ended with Harrison’s inaugural address. This edition adds the single proclamation by Harrison made during his 32 days in office, and material covering Tyler’s first year in office. The second edition, and thus this “third” as well, was greatly im-proved upon compared to the first. The volume also contains the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the first through thirteenth Amendments.$795.

The Limited Issue of Only 105 Numbered CopiesFables - Robert Louis Stevenson’s Tales in Best Binding

Made Excellent with the Plates of E. R. Herman

93 Stevenson, Robert Louis. FABLES (London: Long-mans, Green and Co., 1914) LIMITED LARGE PAPER DE LUXE ISSUE of the first edition thus, one of only 105 copies, in the publisher’s best binding. Illustrated with 20 black and white plates in Aestheticism style reminiscent of Beardsley by E. R. Herman, each paste down to stiff stock and bound in with stubs as issued and with a captioned tissue guard as issued. Tall 4to, in the publisher’s very best deluxe binding of full flex-ible vellum gilt lettered on the upper cover and spine, t.e.g. 83pp. A fine and bright copy, with just an oc-casional bit of age spotting here and there never af-fecting the images, and only every once in a while the sheets. An unusually well preserved copy. VERY SCARCE, ONE OF ONLY 105 OF THE LIM-ITED LARGE PAPER EDITION IN THE PUBLISHER’S BEST DELUXE VELLUM BINDING. Even the trade first edition is difficult to find. Herman has provided twenty fine illustrations, one each for the twenty fables by Robert Louis Stevenson. The book was printed at the Chiswick Press in a very small number. Stevenson’s morality tales are short and strange, and often quite loaded with cynicism. Stevenson had a long-standing fascination with the fable as a literary form. These twenty stories were first collected in 1898 but are here presented for the first time with Herman’s dramatic images.$1250.

The Campaign of Waterloo in Fine Hand-Coloured PlatesWith Maps and Portraits - Bowyer’s Impressive Folio

94 [Waterloo, Engravings] Bowyer, Robert, Publisher. THE CAMPAIGN OF WATERLOO, Illustrated with En-gravings of les Quatre Bras, la Belle Aliance, Hougoumont, La Haye Sainte and Other Principal Scenes of Ac-tion; Including a Correct Military Plan, Together with a Grand View of the Battle on a Large Scale. To Which is Prefixed a History of the Campaign, Compiled From Official Documents and Other Authentic Sources (London: For Robert Bowyer by T. Bensley and Son, 1816) First edition, earliest issue, printed within a year of the actual events. With six very impressive hand-coloured aquatint engraved scenes on four plates, one of which is fold-ing, a plate of portraits of the British and their allies, a plate of portraits of the French Royal family, the family of Buonaparte, French generals and statesmen, and an engraved map of the battle. Folio (480 x 325mm), hand-somely bound in contemporary, very early quarter deep purple morocco over dark blue-gray cloth embossed with a pattern of leafy vines, the backing trimmed with gilt rolled repeating devices of flower and scollop, the paper used for the plates bearing the papermaker’s watermark “J. Whatman” and dated 1816 (2) 34, 10 pp. The text and all plates beautifully preserved, the binding with front hinge detached, easily repairable. FIRST EDITION, EARLIEST ISSUE OF THIS VERY IMPRESSIVE CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF WATER-LOO INCLUDING SIX FINE FOLIO-SIZED HAND-COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS. The fine aquatints show; the French troops conveying cannons from the field of battle on July 24, 1815; Hougomont, looking towards Waterloo; La Haye Sainte, looking towards Waterloo; Les Qautre Bas looking towards Waterloo; Les Qautre Bas facing Genappe; and lastly a magnificent folding view of the battlefield from Mont St. Jean at the time of the charge against Napoleon’s troops by the British navy led by Sir Arthur Wellesley (Duke of Wellington), general commander of the allied troops, the evening of June 18, 1815. Added to this is the impressive map, or plan, of the battle as it was on Sunday, June 18 when Napoleon’s army unsuccess-fully faced the troops led by the Duke of Wellington and Prince Blucher. Thus one of the great pivotal moments in European history, the ending of the Napoleonic Wars, the end of Napoleon’s reign as Emperor and the end of French hegemony in Europe. Tooley notes that this work was reprinted for several years, the dated papermaker’s watermarks being the best way to denote copies from the original year of publication. The plates in this copy are on paper dated 1816, the year of original publication. Tooley, 98.$3750.

1914 - Kay Nielsen - East of the Sun and West of the MoonAn Excellent Copy of the Signed, Limited First EditionBound in Beautiful Vellum Decorated in Gilt and Blue

95 [Nielsen, Kay, illus.]. EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON: Old Tales From the North (London: Hodder and Stroughton, [1914]) First Edition. The Lim-ited Edition, one of only 500 numbered copies signed by Kay Nielsen and bound in white vellum gilt. Illustrated with 25 beautiful tipped-in color plates by Kay Nielsen as well as numerous detailed black and whites throughout the text. 4to, original full white vellum with gilt lettering and pictorial decorations in blue and gilt on the spine and upper cover, and with decorative endpapers printed in black and gilt. 206 pp. + plates A lovely bright and clean copy of this rare book with only a bit of old shelf wear at the foot of the spine and, the color plates are truly fine impressions. A WONDERFUL BOOK AND KAY NIELSEN’S BEST. The signed, limited first edition is extremely scarce and in a larg-er and more decorative format then the more common American edition. This copy is particularly nice. These old-wives’ fables “are the romances of the childhood of Nations: they are the never-failing springs of sentiment, of sensation, of heroic example, from which primeval peoples drank their fill at will” (- from the Introduction). This is one of only five books that Nielsen illustrated before going to work as an animator for Disney.$18,500.

With Kay Nielsen’s Wonderful Illustrations“Hansel and Gretel”-An Extremely Fine Copy

96 [Nielsen, illus.] The Brothers Grimm. HANSEL AND GRE-TEL and Other Stories By the Brothers Grimm (London: Hodder & Stoughton, [1925]) FIRST EDITION AND THE BEST OF THE LIMITED EDITIONS. One of only 600 copies hand-numbered and SIGNED BY KAY NIELSEN. This copy also with the laid-in an-nouncement from Leicester Galleries regarding the availability for purchase of the original watercolours produced to illustrate this book. With 12 tipped-in color plates, 10 black & white illustra-tions, decorated title-page, decorated initials, and red decorative endleaves all by Kay Nielsen. 4to, publisher’s best original bind-ing of beautiful ivory cloth, the upper cover lettered in gilt and pictorially decorated with Nielsen’s all-over designs in gold and turquoise-blue, the spine exquisitly decorated and lettered in gilt and with the artist’s name gilt within a field of blue, t.e.g. 276 pp. + plates. An extraordinary copy, especially fine indeed, the white cloth pristine, internally near as mint, truly clean and bright with perfect plates. A TRULY GREAT COPY OF THE VERY RARE LIMITED FIRST EDITION, IN BEST BINDING, OF THE PREFERRED ENGLISH IS-SUE, SIGNED BY NIELSEN. Along with the title story a full twenty-

two of Grimm’s Tales are beautifully illustrated throughout with Kay Nielsen’s wonderfully evocative paintings. Copies this fine and beautiful are very rare. The white cloth, the gilt work and decorative work to the covers, the text-block and plates are in remarkably pristine condition. This is the last book Kay Nielsen would illustrate for Hodder and Stoughton. It was a book begun many years prior and worked on throughout Nielsen’s early career. Nielsen had started work on his paintings to illustrate Grimm’s stories in 1912, but the work was halted due to the occurance of The Great War. After the 1918 Hodder and Stoughton resumed the publishing work on Nielsen’s illustrated books. In 1924 it was finally decided to complete Nielsen’s Grimm project. The book was offered only to the luxury market and was not issued in a trade edition in England. Susan E. Meyer, A Treasury of the Great Children’s Book Illustrators, p. 206.$8500.

Red Magic - The Last Book Illustrated by Kay NielsenFirst Edition - A Very Pleasing Copy - 1930 - London

97 [Nielsen, Kay, Illus.; Wilson, Romer, Ed.]. RED MAGIC: A Collection of the World’s Best Fairy Tales from All Countries Edited & Ar-ranged by Romer Wilson (London: Jonathan Cape, 1930) The Rare First Edition. Illustrated with eight fine colour plates and numerous very elaborate black and white drawings as full page plates, further decorative illustrations through-out the text as opening capital letters, and as ad-ditional head and tail-pieces. 8vo, publisher’s original red cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, Cape logo in blind on the rear cover, top edge dyed red. This is what we have discovered to be one of two variant red bindings with Cape’s name printed at the bottom of the spine panel, there is no priority established. 368 pp. A bright clean copy, the cloth with no fading at the spine and thus rarely encountered. A very pleasing copy of a book very difficult to find in such con-dition. FIRST EDITION AND A VERY SCARCE BOOK INDEED. THE FINAL TITLE TO BE IL-LUSTRATED COMPREHENSIVELY BY KAY NIELSEN. The work is Illustrated in his distinc-tive art nouveau style and includes eight wonderful colourplates and over fifty monochrome creations. Nielsen was recognized as one of the three great il-lustrators of the fine gift book. Unlike Rackham and Dulac whose success coincided with the demand for the deluxe gift book, Nielsen missed his opportunity. Often considered as the very best of them all, he was unable to profit from his great talent and ultimately

turned to theatrical design and the motion picture industry for his living. He was most famously at the Disney Animation Studios. This is the fifth of only five titles ever illustrated by Kay Nielsen. It has always been considered to be very scarce in any condition. Meyer.$1100.

Beautifully Bound by Zaehnsdorf in Full Rich Morocco GiltKay Nielsen’s Best and Most Famous Book - 1914

East of the Sun and West of the MoonThe Most Handsome of the First Edition Formats

98 [Nielsen, Kay, illus.]. EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON: Old Tales From the North (London: Hodder and Stroughton, [1914]) First Edition. The best of the various issues of the first editions. Illustrated with 25 beautiful tipped-in color plates by Kay Nielsen as well as numerous detailed black and white drawings throughout the text. 4to, very handsomely bound in a de-luxe custom full crushed black morocco binding by Zaehnsdorf, the spine with fine raised bands and gilt lettering, the upper cover with a tall gilt pictorial decoration derived from Nielsen’s illus-trations, the endpapers designed from Nielsen’s “North Wind” plate, a.e.g., with a custom clam-shell box of maroon cloth with matching chemise. 206 pp. + plates A fine copy, richly bound, the colour plates are truly fine impressions, in superb condition and clearly superior to any of the later reprints in quality, the book is unusually fresh without so much as a single spot of foxing. FIRST EDITION AND AN IMPORTANT AND UNIQUE COPY OF NIELSEN’S BEST BOOK. Fif-teen old Norwegian folk-tales from Peter Christen As-bjornsen and Jorgen Moe’s ‘Norske Folkeeventyr’, have been selected and magnificently portrayed by Nielson. Only his second book commission, this collection of paintings earned him enormous public recognition and equal standing with Dulac and Rackham as a leading children’s book illustrator. Here, in its larger format, we are offered the luxury of viewing all 25 illustrations with utter clarity. “In these elegant paintings, he combined qualities of Oriental design with those unique features of his native Scandinavia: The melancholic mystery of a bleak Nordic twilight seemed to cast a magical spell on the images themselves. If it were not for the outbreak of war that year, there is no doubt that Nielsen would have continued to produce many more of these remarkable paintings for children, to establish him as a great master of the Northern fairy tale.”-Susan Meyer. These captivating old tales at once exotic and somehow familiar, of princes and princesses, giants and mythic goats, all combine to give us a glimpse into the Norwegian imagination. And we cannot help but agree that: “The quaintness, the tenderness, the grotesque yet realistic intermingling of actuality with supernaturalism, by which the original Norske fol-keeventyr are characterized, will make an appeal to all, as represented in the pictures of Kay Nielsen. And these imperishable traditions, whose bases are among the very roots of all antiquity, are here reincarnated in line and colour, to the delight of all who ever knew or now shall know them.”-Preface. [Surely,] these old-wives’ fables “are the romances of the childhood of Nations: they are the never-failing springs of senti-ment, of sensation, of heroic example, from which primeval peoples drank their fill at will” (- from the Introduction). This is one of only five books that Nielsen illustrated before going to work as an animator for Disney. The best of the first editions is quite scarce and in a larger and more decorative format then the more common American edition. This copy is handsome and bright and quite fine.$6250.

An Extremely Rare Inscribed Presentation Copy - First EditionKay Nielsen - East of the Sun and West of the Moon

An Excellent Copy of the Best Edition - First PrintingHis Greatest and Most Famous Book - 1914

99 [Nielsen, Kay, illus.]. EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON: Old Tales From the North (London: Hodder and Strough-ton, [1914]) AN EXTREMELY RARE ARTIST INSCRIBED COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION, DATED AND SIGNED BY KAY NIELS-EN. The best of the various issues of the first trade edition print-ings. Illustrated with 25 beautiful tipped-in color plates by Kay Nielsen as well as numerous detailed black and whites throughout the text. 4to, publisher’s original navy blue cloth with gilt lettering and elaborate pictorial decorations on the spine and upper cover, and with decorative illustrated endleaves printed in black and gilt. 206 pp. A very bright copy, the paper with just a hint of the usual mellowing at the margins, the cloth bright and unfaded with fresh gilt, a little minor bumping. AN EXTREMELY RARE INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION COPY OF THIS RENOWNED ILLUSTRATED CLASSIC, ONE OF THE 20TH CENTURY’S GREATEST EDITIONS OF FAIRY TALES. WITH IN-SCRIBED PRESENTATION BY KAY NIELSEN on the verso of the ti-tlepage, “Helen Nestorig / with kindest regards / Kay Nielsen / June 2 39.” Even without the inscription this edition, the best of the firsts, is quite scarce. It is a larger and more decorative format then the more com-mon American edition. Fifteen old Norwegian folk-tales from Asbjornsen and Moe’s ‘Norske Folkeeventyr’, have been selected and magnificently portrayed by Nielson. Only his second book commission, this collection of paintings earned him

enormous public recognition and equal standing with Dulac and Rackham as a leading children’s book illustrator. Here, in its larger format, we are offered the luxury of viewing all 25 illustrations with utter clarity. “In these elegant paintings, he combined qualities of Oriental design with those unique features of his native Scandinavia: The melancholic mystery of a bleak Nordic twilight seemed to cast a magical spell on the images themselves. If it were not for the outbreak of war that year, there is no doubt that Nielsen would have continued to produce many more of these remarkable paintings for children, to establish him as a great master of the Northern fairy tale.” - Susan Meyer. These captivating old tales at once exotic and somehow familiar, of princes and princesses, giants and mythic goats, all combine to give us a glimpse into the Norwegian imagination. And we cannot help but agree that: “The quaintness, the tenderness, the grotesque yet realistic intermingling of actuality with supernaturalism, by which the original Norske folkeeventyr are characterized, will make an appeal to all, as represented in the pictures of Kay Nielsen. And these imperishable traditions, whose bases are among the very roots of all antiquity, are here re-incarnated in line and colour, to the delight of all who ever knew or now shall know them.” – Preface. [Surely,] these old-wives’ fables “are the romances of the child-hood of Nations: they are the never-failing springs of sentiment, of sensation, of heroic example, from which primeval peoples drank their fill at will” (- from the Introduction). This is one of only five books that Nielsen illustrated before going to work as an animator for Disney. The best of the first editions is quite scarce and in a larger and more decorative format then the more common American edition. This copy is handsome and bright and quite a nice copy indeed.$12,500.

Kay Nielsen’s Fairy Tales of Hans AndersenSuperb in the Deluxe Vellum Gilt - Signed by the Illustrator

With the Very Scarce Original Cloth Dustjacket

100 [Nielsen, Kay, illus.] Andersen, Hans. FAIRY TALES OF HANS ANDERSEN (London: Hodder and Stoughton, [1924]) The Beautiful First Edition, De Luxe, Limited and Numbered Is-sue, one of only 500 copies. SIGNED BY THE ILLUSTRATOR, KAY NIELSEN. With 12 exceptional tipped-in colour plates with captioned guards and full-page black & white illustrations as frontispieces to each tale, page headlines, numerous tale pieces and decorated initials all by Kay Nielsen. 4to, the publisher’s original deluxe vellum binding with beautiful and elaborate gilt pictorial designs on the upper cover and the spine, t.e.g. This ex-ceptional copy retains the extremely scarce original paper backed cloth dustjacket lettered on the spine in gilt. 197 pp. + plates. A very handsome copy, the rare jacket complete, the fine gilt deco-rated vellum in excellent condition, the plates perfect, the text -block very fresh with only an occasional hint of the spotting nor-mally seen, the jacket with some evidence of shelving or use hav-ing served its purpose well. FIRST EDITION DE LUXE, LIMITED TO 500 COPIES AND SIGNED BY THE ARTIST KAY NIELSEN, IN ITS VERY RARE ORIGINAL DUSTJACKET. This collection of sixteen tales was initiated by Nielsen in 1912, though

it was not published until 1924. Hodder & Stoughton, in an effort to promote sales after the war, began publishing gift books again with beautiful illustrations and bindings. This is one of there very best and in the scarcest and most desirable de Luxe format. Nielsen is regarded along with Rackham and Dulac as one of the triumvirate of masters of the illustrated gift book. This is no small achievement considering he only produced four such books in comparison to the dozens of titles produced by the other two gentlemen. Had he more time to enlarge his reputation he may well be con-sidered the greatest master of the genre today. Although frequently compared to Rackham and Dulac his style is very different and altogether unique. Danish born and Parisian trained he was far more influenced by the Art Nouveau. His greatest influences as a student were the Japanese woodcuts of Hokusai and Utamaro and the black and white decorative line work of Aubrey Beardsley. Nielsen was among the most highly regarded illustra-tors of his day but produced only five books in total. He was lured away from the profession by Walt Disney, for whom he became an animator. These five books are more then enough however to secure his reputation for genera-tions to come. Of the lasting appeal of Hans Andersen’s ‘Tales’ nothing more needs to be said.$5500.

Kay Nielsen’s First and Arguably Finest Work - 1913In Powder and Crinoline - Full Dark Green Vellum GiltThe De Luxe Issue of Only 500 Copies Signed by Him

With Two Colourplates Not Included in the Trade Issue

101 [Nielsen, Kay, illus.]. IN POWDER AND CRINO-LINE. Old Fairy Tales Retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (London: Hodder and Stoughton, (1913)) DE LUXE FIRST EDITION LIMITED, AND SIGNED BY THE ARTIST, KAY NIELSEN, number 11 of only 500 numbered copies. With 26 beautiful colour plates tipped onto highly decorated printed borders and behind captioned tissue-guards, decorated title-page in red and gray on gray stock, decorated headlines to every page and numerous drawings within the text by Kay Nielsen. Large 4to, in the publisher’s de luxe dark green full vellum, the upper cover and spine with elaborate gilt letter-ing and pictorial decorations designed by Nielsen, decorated endpapers from Nielsen’s designs, t.e.g., others untrimmed as issued. xii, 164 pp. + plates. A very handsome copy of this scarce issue, the green vellum very well preserved, bright and fresh with vivid gilt. The plates all very fine, the text in excellent state, the free-flies with some of the usual offsetting caused by the adhesive used under the pastedown.

FIRST EDITION DE LUXE. THE SCARCE SIGNED LIM-ITED EDITION OF ONE OF THE GREAT BOOKS OF THE GOLDEN ERA. This wonderfully produced De Luxe issue also has two colourplates that were not included in the trade issue. This was Nielsen’s first book, commissioned by Hodder and Stoughton in 1911 upon Nielsen’s moving to Eng-land from his native Denmark. It was published in the heady and decorative days before the First World War. It represents perhaps the peak of his illustrative powers (though some would argue in favor of “East of the Sun West of the Moon”). The il-lustrations were reproduced by a 4-colour process, in contrast to many of the illustrations prepared by his contemporaries that characteristically utilized a traditional 3-colour process. In the United States the book was issued under the title “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.” Whichever title you prefer the book is the first of only five titles Nielsen would illustrate in total. He was lured away from book illustration by theatri-cal work in Copenhagen, and then later by Walt Disney. At the Disney Studios his work was used in the “Ave Maria” and “Night on Bald Mountain” sequences of Fantasia. Nielsen was renowned at the Disney studio for his concept art and he contributed artwork for many Disney films.$4950.

Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass - The Author’s Own CopyIn the Original First Issue Binding of Green Cloth Gilt

Signed by the Author in Block LettersA Defining Moment in a Young Nation’s Consciousness

The Complete Lover of the Universe - America’s Future Present

102 Whitman, Walt. LEAVES OF GRASS (Brooklyn: [for the author], 1855) First edition. First Issue and State “A” of the Binding. AUTOGRAPHED by Walt Whitman in block let-ters on the titlepage and HIS OWN WORKING COPY. The Whitman-Linton-Skiff-Doheny Copy. With a portrait frontis-piece on the heaviest of the papers used for the portrait page. 4to, original green cloth gilt, a.e.g. xii, 95. A copy with wear to the binding, now refurbished, some old stains, presum-ably from Whitman’s workbench and constant use, title-page inscription torn away. AN EXTRAORDINARY COPY, WHITMAN’S OWN WORK-ING COPY OF HIS MASTERWORK GIVEN AS A GIFT AND AN EXTREMELY RARE AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE of what is arguably the greatest work in all of American literature. Signed copies of the 1855 Leaves are a VERY GREAT RARITY. The present copy is unique among known signed copies both for its method of signature and for being in the first state (“A”) of the binding. Unknown to scholarship, and untraced for over 140 years, it is accompanied by the signed statement of a previous owner, F.W.Skiff (the noted collector of Americana who authored two books on the subject), explaining this copy’s history and provenance. Stating that he knew William Fowles Hapson, a pupil of William J. Linton (the great English wood engraver and author of the definitive His-tory of Wood Engraving in America), Skiff then proceeds to relate: “At one time Mr. Hapson invited me to go with him to Mr. Linton’s. While there Mr. Linton showed us his copy of Whitman’s

Leaves of Grass - and told us the following narrative in re the book. In England, Mr. Linton held friendship with Mr. Ros-setti, who had edited and published Whitman’s work in England. Mr. Linton stated “he considered Whitman as the out-standing writer in the English language outside of Shakespeare. Skiff explains how Linton, who engraved Whitman’s portrait for the 1876 edition of Leaves, personally related to him that in the 1860s he had met Whitman“of whom he requested a copy of the original edition of Leaves of Grass. Whitman stated he only had his working copy. (The volume he had printed himself.) This he finally presented to Linton after first writing (or printing) his name upon the title page. Whitman then added his presentation inscription at the upper right hand corner of the title-page.” After Linton’s death, Skiff continues, Linton’s daughter sold him this very same presented copy of the 1855 Leaves; “but before delivering it to me,” Skiff writes, “she tore the inscription to her father from Whitman from the title-page – remark-ing when so doing that her father’s name must be removed from the book.” This autograph statement was probably written out c. 1940 for Countess Doheny, when Skiff sold her a major portion of his library; a shorter account of his acquisition of Linton’s copy is to be found in Skiff’s book Adventures in Americana (p. 120). The information in Skiff’s letter enables us to ascertain that the book was presented from Whitman to Linton in 1860 - undoubtedly owing to Whitman’s deep affection for Rossetti (and any friend thereof) -- then passed into Skiff’s possession shortly after 1897 (the year of Linton’s death), where it apparently remained until about 1940, at which time the book was purchased by Estelle Doheny (having transited, no doubt, through a bookseller’s hands). It is important to note that this copy was actually signed twice by Whitman on the titlepage - an altogether unique circumstance in 1st edition copies -- once in thin tall block lettering under the title (stating “by Walt Whitman”) and again in a presentation inscription (now, regrettably, torn away) in the upper right corner. Though Whitman is known to have used block lettering in the creation of layout dummies of his own advertisements, this is probably the only copy of any edition of Leaves of Grass to have been

signed with such lettering. Though Skiff doesn’t say why Whitman chose to sign the titlepage in this distinctive manner, it is nonetheless tempting to speculate that Whitman perhaps wished to definitively put his name on his anonymously pub-lished work - in surrogate print form -- just as his very last copy was about to be given over to posterity. (Skiff’s statement - or is it Linton’s or Whitman’s -- calling Whitman’s working copy “the volume he had printed him-self” is an intriguing point of ambiguity in the narrative: Whitman is certainly known to have set some of the type for the 1855 Leaves of Grass; but this peculiar phrasing suggests that Whitman perhaps had an especial involvement with this particular copy. Could this copy in fact have been the first finished or prototype copy -- Whitman’s “first-born child” so to speak?) Whitman is known to have owned only one other 1st edition copy of Leaves of Grass -- his “desk copy” (in which Whit-man inserted manuscripts of subsequently published poems), now owned by the New York Public Library. Even the Library of Congress -- which acquired the known bulk of Whitman’s library from Horace Traubel’s estate (Traubel himself having received it directly from Whitman) -- contains no 1st edition Leaves owned by Whitman. The present copy is unique among signed 1st edition copies of Leaves of Grass - of which there are perhaps only some 5 or 6 extant - not only for its block-letter inscription, but also for being a first issue copy in a state “A” binding. All the other known signed copies appear to belong to the second issue of the work. And in this context it is further significant to note that the NY Public “desk copy” is in fact a trimmed “remainder copy” in plain unprinted wrappers. We are once again confronted - after a lapse of 140 years - with WHITMAN’S OWN FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE COPY OF THE 1855 ORIGINAL LEAVES OF GRASS. It’s condition factors notwithstanding, it remains from the true collector’s standpoint The Greatest and Most Desirable Copy Obtainable. The present offering is the Unique Opportunity to acquire THE AUTHOR’S OWN COPY OF THE GREATEST WORK OF MODERN LITERATURE. Whitman’s LEAVES OF GRASS portrayed America at the crossroads between an old world, soon to be cast off, and the new world of our future present. With the publication of LEAVES OF GRASS in 1855, Whitman, the poet of democracy, ushered in a new era in American letters, describing specifically American experiences in a distinctly American idiom. From its first publication in 1855, he had complete confidence in the greatness of both the book and its author. “Always the champion of the common man, Whitman is both the poet and the prophet of democracy. The whole of LEAVES OF GRASS is imbued with the spirit of brotherhood and a pride in the democracy of the young American nation. In a sense, it is America’s second Declaration of Independence: that of 1776 was political, this of 1855 intellectual. ...The poems are saturated ‘with a vehemence of pride and audacity of freedom necessary to loosen the mind of still-to-be-formed America from the folds, the superstitions, and all the long, tenacious, and stifling anti-democratic authorities of Asiatic and European past’. To the young nation, only just becoming aware of an individual literary identity distinct from its European origins, Whitman’s message and his outspoken confidence came at a decisive moment. LEAVES OF GRASS was Whitman’s favorite child. From the time of its original publication,...until the year of his death, he con-tinued revising and enlarging it. If (his) reputation has fluctuated over the years and his position among, if indeed not at the head of, the list of great American poets was not assured until some time after his death, there was never any doubt of the matter in his own mind. ‘I know I am deathless’, he wrote. ‘Whether I come to my own today or in ten thousand or ten million years, I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness I can wait.’ Time has vin-dicated his conviction.” PMM One of the rare opportunities to acquire one of the greatest books in all of world literature. Spun out of the purest “stuff” of the American selfhood, the 1855 Leaves of Grass is the acknowledged center of the American literary canon. Emerson recognized its importance immediately upon publication--declaring the book to be “the most extraordi-nary piece of wit & wisdom that America has yet contributed”--and 150 years later critic Harold Bloom only reaffirms Emerson,

concluding that in American letters “the book that matters most is the 1855 original “Leaves of Grass.” But the book’s importance far transcends any nationality. The First Truly Modern Work of Literature - the opening shot of a revolution still resounding today - its impact is immense. It alone - among all modern works of poetry - rates inclusion in Printing and the Mind of Man (where it is accurately labeled “America’s Second Declaration of Independence”). Far more than just an American work of letters, Leaves of Grass is a Masterwork of Modern World Literature -- and arguably the greatest such! For Leaves of Grass is the first work of literature to explicitly explore the modern stream of consciousness. Launching forth from the individual - “I celebrate myself,” Whitman declares point blank - the work is yet universal in its intent. Though at times egotistical and even overtly auto-erotic, Whitman nonetheless shoots for the highest - the undiluted testi-mony of the liberated Self. And through creedless mergence in Nature and the greater flow of humanity, Whitman achieves a genuine literary satori! Many have since tried to follow in Whitman’s breakthrough path, but none have surpassed him in originality and brilliance - thus confirming Whitman’s stature as “the greatest of modern poets.” Written “without check” and with “original energy” in convention-shattering lines of jagging free verse, Leaves of Grass is a kaleidoscopic fusion of rapidly-changing innovative swells of imagery and metaphor -- its reference frame ever shift-ing as Whitman alternates in and out of his embodied self. At once sensual and cosmic, personal and trans-personal - as mysterious as the grass -- the poetry sweeps all and everyone into its living, breathing, and ultimately fathomless pulse. Self-exploring Poetry of the highest liberality - penned by “the greatest democrat the world has seen” - Leaves of Grass is “a democracy of consciousness” celebrating all humanity. PMM 340.$275,000.

The First Edition - Printed in 1482 - Rare and Highly ImportantWilliam Caxton’s Printing of Ranulph Higden’s Polycronicon

A Rare and Precious English Incunable - In Luxurious BindingWith Outstanding Provenance and Bibliophilic History

103 Polycronicon; [English In-cunabula; Early Printed Histori-cal Works]; Higden,, Ranulph. POLYCRONICON [translated by John de Trevisa] ( [Westminster]: William Caxton, [after 2 July, 1482].) THE FIRST EDITION, Caxton’s longest and most ambi-tious printing project. A COPY WITH OUTSTANDING PROV-ENANCE AND IN A SUPERB AND IMPORTANT BINDING OF FULL RED MOROCCO. 40 lines & headlines; bastarda type 4:95; Double column, black letter, beautifully rubricated through-out in red, including six and sev-en line initials. Small folio, in a rich and quite extraordinary mid 18th century binding unquestion-ably bound for James West, to his designs, in full red morocco. The boards feature a large ornamen-tal gilt framework border identi-cal to that used on his copy of the Caxton Chaucer (now called the Remington Chaucer and one of the most valuable English books to have ever sold at auction). This

binding is known to have been replicated on at least 5 Caxton printings from West’s collection of English incu-nabula and for his personal collection and library. The elaborately gilt tooled spine features five raised bands separating magnificently designed gilt compartments executed in the architectural “Gothic Window” pattern designed by Mr. West and identical to those used on a number of his books. The design most likely was estab-lished to mimic the windows of the owner’s library at Alscot. Two gilt lettered and gilt decorated green morocco labels fill two compartments, there is giltwork to the board edges and gilt dentelles at the turn-ins, and all edges are gilt. The original blue endpapers and silk marker are intact. This is clearly a binding of importance and once a part of one of the greatest Caxton collections ever assembled, much of which was purchased by the King of England for his royal library at the sale of West’s collection in the late 18th century. 364 ff (of 450), nearly com-plete as to the text of the ‘Polycronicon’ but without, as is often true, the preliminaries, Book VIII, 18 text ff and 3 blanks. Mentioned lacking pages are: a1-8, b1-8, C1-4,11-5 and 8, 2 1-8, 3 1 and 8, 41, 27 2 and 4-8, [A]2, 46 5, 49 4, 50.52 1-8,53 1-8, 54 1-8 and 55 1-8. A HIGHLY IMPORTANT BOOK and an extremely handsome and very pleas-ing copy of this rare and early work, in a binding of significance and importance. With scholarly and abundant early manuscript notations throughout in English, generally a bit cropped, a few margins strengthened, some expected minor staining, first ff loosening, hole in blank inner margin of quire 28, CCClxxxvj torn with loss of a few letters.

THE VERY RARE FIRST EDITION OF THIS CLASSIC ENGLISH INCUNABLE PRINTED BY ENGLAND’S FIRST AND MOST FA-MOUS PRINTER, WILLIAM CAXTON. THE POLYCRONICON was the most influential universal chronicle distributed in Britain during the 14th and 15th centuries. ISTC records 45 copies worldwide of which only 29 are complete. This beautiful copy nearly complete as to the text of the chronicle is certainly one of the last and most significant of the larger Caxtons to appear on the market The magnificent copy, with its binding especially prepared for James West’s highly important collection of Eng-lish incunabular printing, is of the greatest importance. THE POLYCRONICON as originally written by the Benedictine monk Ranulf Higden was a world history dating from the Creation up to 1360 A.D.. It is composed of seven books, in respect and honouring of the seven days of the creation as presented in the Book of Genesis. The work offered a clear and original picture of history as based on the medieval tradition. The English translation of the work, by John Trevisa, was com-missioned by Thomas, Lord Berkeley and modernized by William Caxton in his edition printed in 1482. Caxton also added a final book, to bring the history up to the current date. WITH OUTSTANDING PROVENANCE, THIS IS THE JAMES WEST COPY. IT IS FULLY ANNOTATED BY AN ENGLISH 16TH CENTURY READER. For his edition, Caxton modernized the translation and added the eighth and final book in order to cover the period which had transpired since the writing of Higden’s version. This final book was edited and created by Caxton through his use of the works of various other sources including Rolewinck’s FAS-CICULUS TEMPORUM and the Brut Chronicle and most of what occupies the text printed on the last three quires (from the year 1419 onwards) is reprinted from his own edition of CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND (1480). The work draws on over 40 sources, and synthesizes a continuous diachronic and multicultural history, beginning with the Biblical account of the Creation and moving through the history of the Semitic, Hellenic, Roman, and medieval-European cultures. It served as a model for innumerable later histories, both universal and localized. The POLYCRONICON was Caxton’s most ambitious printing project. It is his longest book in terms of page count, and the second-longest in terms of word count (after the GOLDEN LEGEND of 20 November 1483). It is also Caxton’s most ambitious work as an editor and a writer; for Caxton significantly revised the extant English translation of the POLY-CRONICON, updating its terminology considerably; and he also authored an original history of England to serve as Book 8 of the text--a writing effort which stands as Caxton’s greatest achievement as an author. EVEN FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES IN THE COLLECTING HISTORY OF BOOKS PRINTED IN ENGLISH, THE CAXTON PRINTINGS WERE THE MOST REVERED. AND ALL COPIES WHETHER ABSOLUTELY COM-

PLETE OR LACKING LEAVES HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED PRECIOUS. This copy from one of the most famous col-lections of Caxton printings ever assembled in a binding for James West with tooling designed specifically for his library is of great importance. West’s “Bibliotheca Westiana” was a magnificent repository of over 30 examples, 34 of which sold at the noted 1773 auction. A great many of West’s books sold to King James III. This copy, which is not the copy sold to the King is one of three copies (posited) which he owned. An imperfect copy belonging to West is recorded as being sold in 1776 to R. Willett, and was sold again in 1813 to the Duke of Devonshire. In 1815 a copy described as Devonshire’s duplicate sold to an unrecorded buyer. And as the present copy is not the duplicate as described in the Devonshire library by the turn of the 20th century, so it may be that the Duke of Devonshire’s duplicate, which was described as being bound also in red morocco was bought by and belonged in 1817 to the Earl of Carlisle at Naworth Castle. The tools used to decorate the covers of the present copy match precisely those that that were used for the binding on West’s copy of the Caxton Chaucer. That book, also incomplete, became one of the most expensive and important English printed books ever sold at auction. The spine tool-ing, designed to mirror the Gothic window panes of West’s library was used on a number of his most important books. For the books of the library bound in brown calf the designs of the windows were tooled onto green leather labels while on those bound in red morocco, such as this wonderful copy of the POLYCRONICON, one of the earliest of all books printed in Eng-lish, the designs were tooled directly onto the morocco of the spine panels. Goff H - 267; GW 12.648; Grolier “Langland to Wither” 144; Pforzheimer 490. Hain-Cop 8659; Duff 172; Polain (B) 1959; Oates 4080; Proctor 9645; Needham Cx52; De Ricci, Census 49.31; Blades, 44; STC 13438; Mansion C., Life and Topography of William Caxton; Gentleman’s Magazine, volume 82, 1812; Nixon, Five Centuries of English Bookbinding; Bibliotheca Westiana.$225,000.

Important English Incunable Printing - 1498Caxton’s Golden Legend from the Press of Wynkyn De Worde

A Very Sizable Fragment With Seven Fine Woodcuts

104 [English Incunabula; Voragine, Jacobus De]. THE GOLDEN LEGEND [Fragment, containing 39 of the original 488 leaves] ([Westminster: Wynkyn De Worde, 8 January 1498]) VERY RARE AND EXTENSIVE FRAG-MENT. From the fourth edition of Caxton’s translation, printed on paper produced by John Tate, the first Eng-lish paper-maker. Batarde type, double columns and in-cluding seven large woodcuts including the woodcut of the circumcision of the baby Jesus. Folio, approximately 290 x 207mm, bound in very handsome modern full black crushed morocco by Weitz-Coleman, gilt lettered on spine. Leaves 2-7; 10-15; 18-19, 22; 24-37; 46; 352-354; 357-362. A fine and extensive collection of leaves from this scarce early English printing, with good and ample margins, 19th century scholarly notations on front blank, occasional marginalia and some minor soiling, woodcut excised from leaf xxviii with loss of corresponding text on the verso, lower corner of leaf xxxiiii torn with loss of a small portion of text, a few others torn in margins with varying text loss, restoration along fore edge of last several leaves, one woodcut with an unobtrusive hole in the image (leaf 32). A VERY SIGNIFICANT FRAGMENT FROM THE SCARCE 1498 Wynkyn De Worde PRINTING OF CAX-TON’S TRANSLATION OF THE GOLDEN LEGEND. Leaves 2 through 7 contain ‘the Advent’, ‘the Nativity’, and ‘the Circumcisyon’ of Our Lorde. Leaves 10-15 contain ‘The Epyphanye’, Septuagesima, ‘On Sexagesme’; ‘of Quinquag-

esima’, ‘Of Quadragesme’, Ymber Dayes (Lent); ‘The Passyon of our Lorde’. Leaves 18-19 continue with the ‘The Passyon of our Lorde. Leaf 22 contains ‘The Resurreccyon’. Leaves 24-37 begin with ‘The Letanies, ‘The Pentecoste’, and ‘The Ascencyon”, and continues to the ‘Dedicacyon of the Chyrche’. Leaf 46 contains ‘The Conception of Our Lady’ and leaves 352-354 the Lives of, ‘Saynt Katheryne’, ‘Saynt Saturnyne’, ‘James the Martyer’ and ‘Saynt Bede. Leaves 357-362 the lives of, ‘Saynt Brandon’, Saynt Erken Walde’ and ‘Saynt Pastor’. The seven large woodcuts within this fragment are particularly interesting. They are; the Nativity, the circumcision of Christ, the Crucifixion, the Ascension, the Feast of Corpus Christi, the dedication of the Church and a portrait of Saint Erkenwald, Bishop of London between 675 and 693. The Golden Legend was translated by William Caxton—his largest and most complex work of translation—and origi-nally printed by him in 1483, going through seven full and one partial editions through 1527. He based his version prin-cipally on the Legenda aurea of Voragine, with additional sources and some of his own personal pious stories added. This is the first edition printed by Wynkyn De Worde, Caxton’s principal assistant and successor. He printed many important literary works in the 1490’s, and the catalogue of his works is evidence of bibliographical demand between 1490 and 1535.$12,500.

The Rare Wayland Printing of Boccaccio’s Tragedies - 1554-5Retaining the Suppressed Leaf Which is Typically LackingHandsomely Bound in Full Red Morocco With Provenance

105 [Boccaccio, Giovanni]; [Early English Printing]. THE TRAGEDIES, Gathered by Jhon Bochas, of All Such Princes as Fell From Theyr Estates Throughe the Mutability of Fortune Since the Creation of Adam, Until His Time: Wherein May Be Seen What Vices Bring Menne to Destruction, wyth Notable Warninges Howe the Like May Be Avoyded. Translated into Englysh by John Lidgate, Monke of Burye. (London: by John Wayland, [n.d., ca. 1554-1555]) AN EXTREMELY RARE AND EARLY PRINTING of Boccaccio’s tragedies into English, the third or fourth issuance only. Titlepage and leaf Gg4 (bound after title) with architectural woodcut borders(McKerrow 76a) and with woodcuts on leaf A4 illustrating events in the Garden of Eden, woodcut initials throughout. Folio [299 x 203 mm], in very fine and handsome nineteenth-century red hard-grain morocco by F.P. Hathaway of Boston, the boards elaborately framed in extensive gilt, the upper board with central gilt crest of John W. De Kay, the spine beautifully lettered and decorated with central tools in gilt in compart-ments between gilt ruled raised bands, elaborate gilt tooled board edges and turn-ins, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. De Kay’s armorial bookplates on front pastedown and verso of front free endpaper. (10], ctxiii, xxvii [i.e., xxxix] leaves. A very handsome and well preserved copy of this rare printing. The binding very handsome indeed, with only the most min-imal wear to extremities, joints expertly and near-invisibly restored. The title-page and Gg3 laid down and reattached, the title with small ink notations at top, not affecting text or woodcut border. The inner margin of leaf Gg4 (which is bound in after the title-page in this copy, and *2 repaired, with some loss to woodcut border and a few words of text. Other minor paper repairs to several leaves, in a few cases affecting a few letters of text, evidence of old damp throughout last half of book which is fairly inoffensive. VERY RARE AND VERY EARLY PRINTING, WITH THE LEAF GG4 WHICH IS USUALLY LACKING. This is only the third or fourth printing in English of Boccaccio’s De Casibus Virorurn ILlustrium, following Pynson’s earlier printings of 1494 and 1527, Richard Tottell reissued the work in 1554 and it has not been clearly determined whether Tot-tell’s edition or Wayland’s was completed first. This especially handsome copy retains the final leaf Gg4, which is usually

lacking according to STC. It is bound after the titlepage and comprises the rare title for A Memorial of Such Princes, as since the Tyme of King Richard the Seconds, Have Been Unfortunate in the Realme of England (SIC 1246), and was ap-parently intended for a work to be issued along with De Casibus which was suppressed for religious and political reasons during Mary’s reign. John Lydgate’s translation of Boccaccio’s moralistic tales of the misfortunes of famous people was made from the 1476 French version by Laurence de Premierfait. The Latin original text was first printed circa 1474-75. De casibus is an en-cyclopedia of historical biographies dealing with the calamities of famous people starting with the biblical Adam, going to mythological and ancient people, then to people of Boccaccio’s own time in the fourteenth century. The work was so suc-cessful it spawned what has been referred to as the ‘De casibus tradition’, it influenced many other famous authors, such as Geoffrey Chaucer. This copy with the provenance of John Wesley De Kay, self-made millionaire, American entrepreneur, playwright, author, and eccentric socialite. Born in Iowa to Dutch immigrants in 1872, De Kay apprenticed as a printer and eventually owned several newspapers and a sizable cattle ranch. In 1899, De Kay moved to Mexico and with the money he had made in his businesses purchased a concession for operating meatpacking plants. By 1909 De Kay’s company, Popo, was one of the larg-est slaughtering and meat-distribution operations in North America, with a book value of over US $22 million ($500 billion in today’s value). A published author and known socialite, his first produced play, “Judas”, managed to get itself banned in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. STC 3178; Pforzheimer 73.$20,000.

A Beautiful Copy of the Rare Seldom Seen First EditionThe Workes of Thomas More, Knyght - 1557

With Fine Provenance - The Chatsworth Copy

106 More, Thomas. THE WORKES OF SIR THOMAS MORE KNYGHT, sometyme Lorde Chauncellour of England, wrytten by him in the englysh tonge. (Lon-don: At the costes and charges of Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, 1557) First Edition, A COPY WITH FINE PROVENANCE. THE CHATSWORTH COPY. Black letter, double columns. Title within wood-cut border (McKerrow and Ferguson 81), decorative and historiated woodcut initials. Folio (10 3/4 x 7 1/2 inches; 274 x 191 mm.), finely bound in 18th century antique contrasting sprinkled calf, the tan covers with double gilt fillet borders and gilt tooled floral pieces at the corners. The rich dark spine with six raised bands handsomely gilt tooled and separating compartments filled with highly accomplished gilt bordered panels en-closing floral devices at the centers, corners and borders of the panels, one compartment handsomely lettered in gilt, one compartment with royal crown in gilt, the head and foot of the spine richly gilt tooled, marbled end-leaves, Chatsworth ownership label and coat of arms at the pastedown. [36], 88 pp., cols. 89-104, pp. 105-1138-1458. A wonderful copy; clean and wide-margined. An exceptionally handsome and impressive copy of a scarce book, especially well preserved, the hinges sometime expertly and attractively strengthened and restored.

VERY RARE. Thomas More’s English works were collected from his manuscripts by his nephew William Rastell, and were first published together in the present edition of 1557, dedi-

cated by Rastell to Queen Mary. The collection includes his most controversial works (such as “A dyalogue of Syr Thomas More, knt.”) directed against Tyndale, Luther, and their followers, together with previously unpublished works written while More was imprisoned in the Tower prior to his execution. The “Dyalogue” was first controversial book in English and

is presented as a dialogue taking place in More’s library at Chelsea, between him and a young university student who was attracted to Lutheran doctrine as expounded by Tyndale. “It is in four books. The first two defend the theory and practice of catholicism, the third denounces Tindal’s translation of the New Testament as heretical, the fourth is a personal attack on Luther” (DNB). Also included here is More’s most moving English work “Adyalogue of comforte agaynste tribulacyon”. This was one of the works written in the earliest days of More’s imprisonment, following his refusal to condone Henry VIII’s divorce from Queen Catherine or to take any oath that should be to the detriment of papal authority. It is a highly ascetic work, written for the comfort of More’s own family, advocating prayer and faith in times of persecution and with its author-ship wisely obscured by the claim that it was “made by an Hungarien in laten, and translated out of laten into frenche, and out of frenche in English.” “The work of gathering, arranging in chronological order, and of adding the valuable marginal notes was all done by [William] Rastell, More’s nephew, while an exile in Louvain during Edward’s reign” (Pforzheimer). The collection is de-scribed by R.W. Chambers in his study of Sir Thomas More as “this magnificent folio.” Chambers notes that this edition preserves for us a great deal which would otherwise have been lost, including a number of English poems written by More in his youth; a correct text of “The history of King Richard the thirde,” from a copy in More s own hand (the version “in Har-dynges Cronicle, and in Hallys Cronicle,” as Rastell complained, being “very muche corrupte in many places..and altered in wordes and whole sentences”); an unfinished Treatise “uppon these words of Holy Scripture, Memorare novissima et in eternum non peccabis, “ dated in 1522, and dealing with reflections on death; and several devotional works written by More while imprisoned in the Tower. Rastell also preserved the letters written just before More s death to his family and friends. The work was published during the reign of Catholic Queen Mary and dedicated to her by Rastell. The table of contents precedes an index by Thomas Paynell. STC 18076; Pforzheimer 743. Gibson, More 73.$45,000.

A Very Rare and Important Work by Samuel Johnson1747 - The Plan of a Dictionary of the English LanguageA Wonderful Copy Beautifully Bound and Preserved

First Edition in Full Polished Mottled Calf Gilt

107 [Johnson, Samuel]. THE PLAN OF A DICTION-ARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE; Addressed to the Right Honourable Philip Dormer, Earl of Chester-field; One of His Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State (London: For J. and P. Knapton, T. Longman, et al., 1747) First edition, issue with leaf A reset to exclude the Earl of Chesterfield’s name on the recto and E1v corrected. 4to, very handsomely bound in an antique binding in fine period style by Riviere and Son, most probably in the early 1900’s using proper full mottled calf, the cov-ers with a double gilt ruled frame with round tooled corner-pieces gilt, the spine with two handsome gilt devices and gilt tooled bands, a long brown morocco label handsomely gilt lettered and tooled, very ornate gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers and a.e.g. 34 pp. A truly handsome copy of this scarce work, the text in fine, fresh and clean condition with only a bit of the minor spotting as is always the case, the binding very fine. RARE FIRST EDITION OF THIS HIGHLY IMPOR-TANT WORK PRECEDING THE ACTUAL PUBLICA-TION AND PREPARATION OF SAMUEL JOHNSON’S GREAT DICTIONARY. THE GREATEST LEXICO-GRAPHICAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ENGLISH LAN-GUAGE AND A FEAT UNSURPASSED BY ANY ONE INDIVIDUAL UP TO THE PRESENT TIME. Although Johnson had at first been encouraged by Ches-

terfield’s interest, generously allowing that he had “more knowledge than I expected,” he later felt he had been neglected, complaining that he had brought the Dictionary “to the verge of publication, without one act of assistance, one word of encouragement, or one smile of favour” (Boswell, Life, I.262). Johnson, in undertaking the vast work of creating his dictionary, set out to perform singlehanded for the English language what the French Academy, a century before, had attempted for French. He hope to produce “a dictionary by which the pro-nunciation of our language may be fixed, and its attainment facilitated;” and though, of course, no language can be frozen in time, by aiming at fixing the language he succeeded in giving the standard of reputable use. As Noah Webster stated, his work “had, in philology, the effect which Newton’s discoveries had in mathematics.” “Johnson’s achievement marked an epoch in the history of the language. The result of nine years labor, it did more than any other work before or since towards fixing the language. The preface ranks among Johnson’s finest writings. The most amazing, enduring, and endearing one-man feat in the field of lexicography” (Printing and the Mind of Man). Courtney & Smith 20; Chapman & Hazen, p.13; Fleeman I, p.143; Rothschild 1228; Sledd & Kolb, pp.78-84$8500.

In a Magnificent Hering Binding of Full Red Morocco GiltAckermann’s Extraordinary Views of Westminster Abbey

Eighty-One Fine Hand-Coloured Plates - First Edition - 1812

108 Ackermann, R[udolph]. A HISTORY OF THE ABBEY CHURCH OF ST. PETER’S WESTMIN-STER, Its Antiquities and Monuments (London: For R. Ackerman, 1812) 2 volumes. First edition and first issue, originally issued in 16 monthly parts. Illustrated with 81 magnificent hand-coloured aquatint plates of views of Westminster Abbey and with a portrait of William Vincent and with a floor plan. Large 4to, in truly impressive and especially beautiful contemporary bindings by Hering of full red straight-grained morocco, the spines with wide gilt decorated raised bands creating elaborately gilt tooled compartments, two compartments with black morocco labels gilt lettered and ruled, the boards with a grand gilt tool floral framework around large cathedral-window gilt centerpieces, broad handsome gilt dentelles, board edges and turn-ins, green moire silk endpapers with gilt borders and corner-pieces, a.e.g., armorial bookplate of Colonel Sir Proby Cautley on the front pastedowns. xviii, 330, [6]; 275, [4] pp. A very rich and splendid set, the plates very clean and bright in brilliantly designed, strong and firm bindings, some inevi-table offsetting from plates to text, the text leaves with some very occasion light spotting. FIRST EDITION OF THIS TRULY GRAND WORK BRILLIANTLY BOUND AND A WON-DERFUL SET WITH 81 HAND-COLOURED SCENES OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY, ONE OF

THE GREAT ACKERMANN PLATE BOOKS. The fine subtly hued images include both interior and exterior views of the Abbey. They include not only the architectural features but also the stained glass windows, mosaic pavement, the cha-pels, monuments, effigies and transepts. The artist included F. Mackenzie, A. Pugin, J. Bluck, T. Uwins, G. Shepherd, J. Hamble, T. Sutherland and others. The set is the very scarce first issue of the edition, with the first plate of volume two, “Aymer de Valance”, marked “F. Mackenzie delt.” as called for. The half-titles and subscriber’s list are retained within the truly striking Hering red morocco

bindings. This is one of Ackermann’s major colour plate books. Abbey Scenery 213, 214; Tooley 2.$9500.

A Rare Buddhist Manuscript from BurmaA Fine Example with Gold Leaf, Red and Black LacquerHeavily Illustrated and Beautifully Calligraphed in Pali

109 Buddhist Manuscript, Burmese. A FINE BUDDHIST MANUSCRIPT FROM BURMA. (Burma: Handwritten Manuscript) A very early manuscript of this type, and probably with some royal provenance due to the elabo-rateness of the construction and decoration of the manuscript. Pali characters on thick pan-els covered with gold leaf, the text lettered in black lacquer. The marginal decorations in gold and red throughout, extensive illustra-tions sometimes filling the whole of the leaf on the recto or verso. A very handsome and distinguished manuscript. Each panel is 23” x 5 3/8”, original sheets of palm, emblazoned in gold, red and black, with two protective covers of gilt. 16 panels, 32 sides, the text and paintings occupying the whole. A very pleas-ing and well preserved example of this rare item. A RARE BURMESE BUDDHIST MANU-SCRIPT WRITTEN IN PALI CHARACTERS.$3250.

A Fine Buddhist Manuscript Original Palm Leaves with Laquered Wooden Binding

110 Buddhist Manuscript, Burmese. A FINE BUDDHIST MANUSCRIPT FROM BURMA. (Burma: Handwrit-ten Manuscript) A long and fine manuscript written in fine Pali in black on palm leaves. The palm leaves with text in black, with red lacquered wooden boards. Each leaf measures 23” x 2.5”., original protective covers of red lacquered wooden boards decorated in gold, all edges gilt. 78 palm leaves written in black. A handsome and well preserved example, one tie cord lacking. A FINE BURMESE MANUSCRIPT WELL PRESERVED AND QUITE HANDSOME. Wikipedia$1850.