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 ROWLANDSON, Thomas; PAPWORTH, John Buonarotti, Poetical Sketches of Scarborough
ROWLANDSON, Thomas; PAPWORTH, John Buonarotti
Poetical Sketches of Scarborough
London: Printed for R. Ackermann, by J. Diggens, 1813. With Twenty-One Hand-Colored Aquatint Plates [ROWLANDSON, Thomas, illustrator]. Poetical Sketches of Scarborough: Illustrated by Twenty-One Engravings of Humourous Subjects, Coloured from original Designs, Made Upon the Spot by J. Green, and Etched by T. Rowlandson. London: Printed for R. Ackermann, by J. Diggens, 1813. First edition. Octavo (9 5/8 x 6 inches; 244 x 152 mm). [4], xv, [1, blank], 215, [1, blank] pp. Twenty-one hand-colored aquatint plates (including frontispiece) with tissue guards. Early twentieth-century full tan calf by Morell (Stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with triple gilt rules, spine with five raised bands, decoratively tooled in gilt in compartments, two maroon morocco labels lettered in gilt, gilt board edges, and decorative gilt turn-ins, top edge gilt, others uncut. Joints expertly and almost invisibly repaired. Some light foxing / discoloration to a few text leaves, the plates bright and clean. A splendid, and very tall copy. With the armorial book plate of Cortland Bishop and the book-plate of Maxine and Joel Spitz on front paste-down. "[John Buonarotti Papworth (1775-1847)] wrote fourteen chapters of the Poetical Sketches of Scarborough, a light social satire illustrated with twenty-one attractive plates etched by Rowlandson after J. Green, the aquatint being added by J. Bluck and J.C. Stadler. The Advertisement states that ‘the originals of the plates introduced into this volume were sketches made as souvenirs of the place during a visit to Scarborough in the season of 1812. They were not intended for publication, but being found to interest many persons of taste, several of whom expressed a desire to possess engravings of them; and some gentlemen having offered to add metrical illustrations to each the present form of publication has been adopted. The several authors were not personally acquainted with each other:—if this circumstance, and that of every design having been made previously to the composition of a single couplet, be considered fair ground of extenuation for faults, they claim its advantages.' Then follows a pleasant account of Scarborough in very amusing doggerel to which [William] Combe was a contributor" (Prideaux, pp. 144-145). Francis Wrangham also contributed four chapters. In the second edition the initials of the contributors were added at the end of each chapter. "Plate 8 'The Warm Bath' is said to contain the portrait of Mrs. Robinson, George IV's mistress" (Tooley). Abbey, Scenery, 297. Prideaux, pp. 144-145. Tooley 422. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 03338
USD 1500.00 [Appr.: EURO 1387 | £UK 1188.25 | JP¥ 227023]
Keywords: PAPWORTH, John Buonarotti Color-Plate Books Caricatures Nineteenth-Century Literature Poetry

 ROWLANDSON, Thomas; COMBE, William, [Three Tours of Doctor Syntax, the]
ROWLANDSON, Thomas; COMBE, William
[Three Tours of Doctor Syntax, the]
London: R. Ackermann's Repository of Arts, 1812. The Three Tours of Doctor Syntax The Fitz Eugene Dixon Copy In the Original Publishers Boards, Uncut. [ROWLANDSON, Thomas, illustrator]. [COMBE, William]. The Tour of Doctor Syntax, in Search of the Picturesque. A Poem. London: Pub..at R. Ackermann's Repository of Arts, 1812. First edition, first issue, with p. 1 reading "Chapter I" and with the plate "Dr. Syntax, Bound to a tree by Highwaymen" (facing p. 14) in the first state, with the girl riding the donkey with her right arm straight. Octavo (9 3/4 x 6 1/8 inches; 248 x 155 mm.). iii, [1, printer's imprint], [1, directions to the binder], [1, blank], 275, [1, blank], [4 pp , advertisements] pp. Engraved title with hand-colored aquatint vignette and thirty hand-colored aquatint plates. Plates watermarked 1808. Some light offsetting from plates to text only. The plates remarkably clean and fresh. [Together with:] [ROWLANDSON, Thomas, illustrator]. [COMBE, William]. The Second Tour of Doctor Syntax, in Search of Consolation; A Poem. Volume Second. London: Published by R. Ackermann, At the Repository of Arts, 1820. First edition, second issue, with the plate facing p. 198 reading "Skimerton Riders." Octavo (10 x 6 1/4 inches; 254 x 159 mm.). [4], [1, blank], 277, [1, blank] [1, directions to the binder, verso blank], pp. Twenty-four hand-colored aquatint plates. Wood-engraved vignette on p. 51. Expert facsimile label on spine. Plates watermarked 1819. Some light offsetting from plates to text only. The plates remarkably clean and fresh. [And:] [ROWLANDSON, Thomas, illustrator]. [COMBE, William]. The Third Tour of Doctor Syntax, in Search of a Wife, A Poem. London: Published at R. Ackermann's Repository of Arts, [1821]. First edition. Octavo (10 x 6 1/4 inches; 254 x 159 mm.). [2], [1, directions to the binder], [1, blank], 279, [1, blank] [4, advertisements] pp. Engraved title with hand-colored aquatint vignette and twenty-four hand-colored aquatint plates. Hand-colored aquatint tail-piece vignette on p. 279. Plates watermarked 1821. Some light offsetting from plates to text only. The plates remarkably clean and fresh. Publisher's gray boards uncut, expertly rebacked with the original spines laid down, original paper labels on volumes I & III, expert facsimile label supplied on volume II. Each volume double chemised in a green morocco solander box by H. Zucker, Philadelphia. Sides decoratively bordered in gilt, spines with five raised bands decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments, spines slightly faded. With the armorial bookplate of renowned collector Fitz Eugene Dixon on front paste-down of each volume. A very fine set of the first editions, exceptionally rare in the original boards uncut. William Combe (1741-1823), "prolific English writer of miscellaneous prose and satirical verse whose poem The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque (1812) was one of the most popular books of early 19th-century England..Dr. Syntax was introduced in 1809 in The Poetical Magazine. Combe's first Dr. Syntax book and its successors, The Second Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of Consolation (1820) and The Third Tour..in Search of a Wife (1821), satirize the many 18th- and early 19th-century writers whose ‘Tours,' ‘Travels,' and ‘Journeys' were vehicles for sententious moralizing, uninspired raptures, and sentimental accounts of amorous adventures. The popularity of Combe's work owed much to the illustrations of Thomas Rowlandson. Combe and Rowlandson also collaborated on The English Dance of Death (1815), which contains some of Combe's best verse, and The Dance of Life (1816-17)" (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature). Fitz Eugene Dixon (1888-1982) Banker and book collector was married to Eleanor Widener, a member of the wealthy Philadelphia Widener family. His grandfather, George D. Widener, and uncle, the renowned book collector Harry Elkins Widener, died in the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic. The Dixons built "Ronaele Manor" ("Eleanor" spelled backward), an Elizabethan mansion, in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. Abbey, Life, 266 and 267; Bobins IV, 1359; Tooley 427, 428, and 429. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 05601
USD 6500.00 [Appr.: EURO 6009.5 | £UK 5149 | JP¥ 983768]
Keywords: COMBE, William Color-Plate Books Caricatures Nineteenth-Century Literature

 FORE-EDGE PAINTING; SCOTT, Sir Walter, The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott, Bart
FORE-EDGE PAINTING; SCOTT, Sir Walter
The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott, Bart
Edinburgh: Printed for Arch. Constable and Co. 1822. Two Fine Early-to-Mid Twentieth Century Fore-Edge Paintings Depicting Two Scottish Castles [FORE-EDGE PAINTING]. SCOTT, Sir Walter. The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott, Bart. [The Lady of the Lake [&] The Bridal of Triermain [&] Harold the Dauntless]. Edinburgh: Printed for Arch. Constable and Co. 1822. Each volume with a fine early-to-mid twentieth century fore-edge painting depicting Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh and Loch Leven Castle. Two octavo volumes (6 1/2 x 3 7/8 inches; 166 x 99 mm.). [iv], [1-9], 10-380; [iii-vi], [1-3], 4-384, [1], [1, blank] pp. Some light water-staining to preliminary and final leaves. Full contemporary dark blue straight-grain morocco, front and back covers with elaborate gilt vignette. Spines with four raised bands, decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments, decorative gilt turn-ins, gray end-papers. Volumes IV & V of The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott. "The Scene from the following Poem is laid chiefly in the vicinity of Loch-Katrine, in the Western Highlands of Perthshire. The time of Action includes Six Days, and the transactions of each day occupy a Canto." These two volumes were sold in 1965 by Dawson's Book Shop in Los Angeles (Catalog 355, item 113). Craigmillar Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is three miles (4.8 km) south-east of the city center, on a low hill to the south of the modern suburb of Craigmillar. The Preston family of Craigmillar, the local feudal barons, began building the castle in the late 14th century and building works continued through the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1660, the castle was sold to Sir John Gilmour, Lord President of the Court of Session, who made further alterations. The Gilmours left Craigmillar in the 18th century, and the castle fell into ruin. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument. Craigmillar Castle is best known for its association with Mary, Queen of Scots. Following an illness after the birth of her son, the future James VI, Mary arrived at Craigmillar on 20 November 1566 to convalesce. Before she left on 7 December 1566, a pact known as the "Craigmillar Bond" was made, with or without her knowledge, to dispose of her husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Craigmillar is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Scotland. The central tower house, or keep, is surrounded by a 15th-century courtyard wall with "particularly fine" defensive features. Within this are additional ranges, and the whole is enclosed by an outer courtyard wall containing a chapel and a doocot Loch Leven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross local authority area of Scotland. Possibly built around 1300, the castle was the location of military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296-1357). In the latter part of the 14th century, the castle was granted by his uncle to William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, and remained in the Douglases' hands for the next 300 years. Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned here in 1567-68, and forced to abdicate as queen, before escaping with the help of her gaoler's family. In 1588, the Queen's gaoler inherited the title Earl of Morton, and moved away from the castle. It was bought, in 1675, by Sir William Bruce, who used the castle as a focal point in his garden; it was never again used as a residence. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 04889
USD 1800.00 [Appr.: EURO 1664.25 | £UK 1426 | JP¥ 272428]
Keywords: SCOTT, Sir Walter Fine Bindings Fore-Edge Paintings Poetry Scottish Literature

 SCOTT, Sir Walter, Woodstock; or, the Cavalier
SCOTT, Sir Walter
Woodstock; or, the Cavalier
Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co. 1826. The Escape of Charles ll SCOTT, Sir Walter. Woodstock; or, The Cavalier: A Tale of the Year Sixteen Hundred and Fifty-One. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co. 1826. First edition. Three small octavo volumes. iii-xvi, 315, (i, blank); iii-iv, 332; iii-iv, 370 pp. Contemporary full brown speckled calf, spines decoratively ruled in gilt, maroon and green leather lettering labels, neatly rebacked, lower joint of volume three a little cracked. Bound without the half-titles, a few scattered stains but overall a very good set. "The busy period of the great Civil War was one in which the character and genius of different parties were most brilliantly displayed, and, accordingly, the incidents which took place on either side were of a striking and extraordinary character, and afforded ample foundation for fictitious composition." (Introduction) Woodstock, or The Cavalier: A Tale of the Year Sixteen Hundred and Fifty-one is a historical novel by Walter Scott. Set just after the English Civil War, it was inspired by the legend of the Good Devil of Woodstock, which in 1649 supposedly tormented parliamentary commissioners who had taken possession of a royal residence at Woodstock, Oxfordshire. The story deals with the escape of Charles II in 1652, during the Commonwealth, and his final triumphant entry into London on 29 May 1660. Todd & Bowden, 190A. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 03149
USD 650.00 [Appr.: EURO 601 | £UK 515 | JP¥ 98377]
Keywords: Nineteenth-Century Literature Scottish Literature

 SHAKESPEARE, William; SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE, binders; SHAW, Byam, illustrator, Chiswick Shakespeare, the
SHAKESPEARE, William; SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE, binders; SHAW, Byam, illustrator
Chiswick Shakespeare, the
London: George Bell & Sons, 1899. The Complete Chiswick Shakespeare One of Sixty Sets Printed on Japanese Vellum, Illustrated by Byam Shaw Twenty Volumes Specially Bound by Sangorski & Sutcliffe Each Volume with Thirty-Eight Onlaid Tudor Roses and Flowers on the Covers SHAKESPEARE, William. SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE, binders. SHAW, Byam, illustrator. The Chiswick Shakespeare. [Shakespeare's Complete Works.] With an introduction & notes by John Dennis & illustrations by Byam Shaw. London: George Bell & Sons, [Printed at the Chiswick Press], 1899-1902. [Limited to two hundred copies printed on Japanese Vellum [of which this is no. 2 of 60 sets specially bound by Sangorski & Sutcliffe]. Thirty-nine volumes bound in twenty. Small octavo (6 1/8 x 4 inches; 155 x 101 mm.). Including a Glossary and Notes at the end of each volume. Pictorial title-pages printed in red and black. Each volume with a frontispiece, five full-page, and six head and tailpiece illustrations by Byam Shaw. In addition there are several full page engraved plates by H. Corbould. The first volume, The Tempest & Two Gentlemen of Verona signed in ink by John Dennis, Byam Shaw, G. Bell & Sons Ltd. Charles Whittingham & Co. G. Sutcliffe & one other (indiscernible). In addition there is a leaf "Statutory Declaration & Guarantee" dated in ink "21st January 1914" and signed in ink by G. Sutcliffe and Isadore Goldman (commissioner of oaths). Bound in 1914 by Sangorski & Sutcliffe (stamp-signed in gilt on rear turn-in). Full ochre morocco, front covers elaborately tooled in gilt in a floral design within a decorative gilt fillet border. Three red onlaid Tudor roses and flowers in each corner surrounding a central wreath of seven onlaid Tudor roses and flowers. Rear covers similarly decorated. Spines with five raised bands, decoratively tooled in an elaborate floral design and lettered in gilt in compartments. Board-edges ruled in gilt, decorative gilt turn-ins, green watered silk liners and end-leaves, top edge gilt, others uncut. All twenty of these superb inlaid bindings have slightly different, unique to each volume, decoration. Spines slightly darkened otherwise near fine. A wonderful example of Sangorski & Sutcliffe at their very best. John Byam Liston Shaw (13 November 1872 - 26 January 1919), commonly known as Byam Shaw, was a British painter, illustrator, designer and teacher. In 1899 Byam Shaw married the artist Evelyn Caroline Eunice Pyke-Nott, later known as Evelyn CE Shaw (1870-1959). Evelyn's sister was Isabel Codrington, another early twentieth century artist. Throughout his career Byam Shaw worked competently in a wide variety of media including oils, watercolor, pastels, pen and ink and deployed techniques such as dyeing and gilding. He was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites and took many of his subjects from the poems of Rossetti. He exhibited frequently at Dowdeswell and Dowdeswell's gallery in New Bond Street, where he had at least five solo exhibitions between 1896 and 1916. Later in his life his popularity as an artist waned,and he turned to teaching for his living. He taught at the Women's Department of King's College London from 1904 and in 1910, with Rex Vicat Cole, he founded the Byam Shaw and Vicat Cole School of Art later renamed simply the "Byam Shaw School of Art". Evelyn Shaw had an active role in the new school, teaching the miniatures class, her area of expertise. Shaw had had a long association with the artist and illustrator Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale, who taught at the new school. The Chiswick Shakespeare is a renowned series that featured all of Shakespeare's best-known works in handy pocket volumes, each with updated text and beautiful illustrations by Byam Shaw. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 05186
USD 9500.00 [Appr.: EURO 8783.25 | £UK 7525.5 | JP¥ 1437815]
Keywords: SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE, binders SHAW, Byam, illustrator Illustrated Books Fine Bindings and Sets Seventeenth-Century Literature Signed Copies

 SHAKESPEARE, William, Life of Timon of Athens, the [&] Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the
SHAKESPEARE, William
Life of Timon of Athens, the [&] Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the
Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable, 1903. Like Madness is the Glory of this Life" (Apemantus) "The Greatest Enemy will Hide in the Last Place you would ever Look" (Caesar) One of Twenty-Six Special Copies with Original Watercolors SHAKESPEARE, William. The Life of Timon of Athens [and] The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. The Works of William Shakespeare. Edited by W.E. Henley. Printed at Edinburgh for R.G. Newbegin New York by T. and A. Constable, 1903. The Connoissurs' Edition of the Extra Illustrated Henley Shakespeare, limited to twenty-six lettered copies, of which this is Letter A. Folio (12 3/4 x 8 1/8 inches; 324 x 206 mm.). [iv], [275]-[346], [1, blank]; [1]- 75, [1, blank] pp. Elaborately illustrated with engravings, prints, and original watercolors throughout the texts, offering different artist's interpretations of Shakespeare's characters and scenes. All plates with original tissue-guards. Publisher's full purple morocco, covers elaborately ruled and decorated in gilt. Floral inlays of red and brown morocco surrounding an oval portrait of William Shakespeare outlined in gilt and inlaid in green, white and brown morocco's. Spine with four raised bands elaborately tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments. An inlaid red morocco flower in four of the panels. Dotted gilt board edges, fine multi-gilt ruled wide turn-ins surrounding a large rectangular panel of brown morocco elaborately decorated in gilt and with six gilt outlined inlaid red morocco flowers, green patterned silk endleaves. The inside front doublure with a very fine rectangular engraving hand colored in oil (4 1/2 x 2 7/8 inches; 114 x 73 mm.) of Timon, set 'cosway-style' within a decorative gilt design. Top edge gilt, others uncut. Housed in a felt-lined full tan calf slipcase, spine with five raised bands, decoratively tooled in gilt, with three morocco labels lettered in gilt. Gilt on spine of slipcase a little worn but the actual book in absolutely fine condition. A wonderful example. Set in Athens and Rome, respectively, Timon of Athens and Julius Caesar have in common their depictions of powerful men brought down by their own hubris. Both valuing wealth and power, Timon's downfall comes from foolish generosity while Caesar's results from his growing tyranny. And while Timon's tragedy ends with his descent into poverty, isolation, and disillusionment, Caesar's concludes with his unforgettable assassination in the Forum on the Ides of March. Here, both plays are lavishly illustrated and hand-colored. Timon of Athens: Wealthy and popular, Timon of Athens helps his friends, gives many gifts, and holds a feast. After ignoring his true friends' warnings, Timon runs out of money, and none of his "friends" will help him. He runs away to a cave where he curses humanity, finds gold, funds someone to destroy Athens, and dies. Julius Caesar: Jealous conspirators convince Caesar's friend Brutus to join their assassination plot against Caesar. To stop Caesar from gaining too much power, Brutus and the conspirators kill him on the Ides of March. Mark Antony drives the conspirators out of Rome and fights them in a battle. Brutus and his friend Cassius lose and kill themselves, leaving Antony to rule in Rome.  The illustrations: Timon of Athens Frontispiece portrait of Richard Burbage (the first ever actor to play Hamlet) Half-title watercolor in margin p.277 watercolor in margin Plate facing p.288 with with hand colored engraving p.293 watercolor in margin Plate facing p.296 with hand colored engraving p.301 watercolor in margin Plate facing p.304 with hand colored etching Plate facing p.308 with original watercolor by H.C. Green p.318 watercolor in margin Plate facing p.322 with original watercolor by H.C. Green Plate facing p.326 with hand colored etching p.336 watercolor in margin [p.347] watercolor tailpiece Julius Caesar Frontispiece portrait of Julius Caesar [p.1] large watercolor in margin [p.2] watercolor in margin p.3 watercolor in margin p.18 large watercolor in margin Plate facing p.32 with original watercolor by H.C. Green p.34 watercolor in margin Plate facing p.36 with hand colored engraving Plate facing p.41 with hand colored engraving Plate facing p.48 with hand colored engraving p.51 watercolor in margin p.64 watercolor in margin p.75 watercolor tailpiece. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 05486
USD 2500.00 [Appr.: EURO 2311.5 | £UK 1980.5 | JP¥ 378372]
Keywords: Fine Bindings Extra-Illustrated Copies Original Art in Book Plays

 SHAKESPEARE, William; DE COVERLY, Roger, binder, Poems of Shakespeare, the
SHAKESPEARE, William; DE COVERLY, Roger, binder
Poems of Shakespeare, the
London: Methuen and Co. 1898. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" The Poems of William Shakespeare Handsomely Bound by Roger de Coverly & Sons SHAKESPEARE, William. (DE COVERLY, Roger & Sons, Binders). The Poems of Shakespeare. Edited with an introduction and notes by George Wyndham. London: Methuen and Co. 1898. First edition, thus. Octavo (8 3/8 x 5 5/8 inches; 213 x 142 mm.). [2], [1-v], vi-cxlxii [introduction], [1, blank], [1-3], 4-343, [1, imprint] pp. Title-page printed in red and black. Handsomely bound ca. 1900 by Roger De Coverly & Sons (stamp-signed in gilt on rear turn-in). Full medium green morocco, covers paneled in gilt surrounding an elaborate 'symmetrical' thistle design, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt thistles and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt board-edges and turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Small neat ink inscription on front blank, half page ink inscription on second blank. Minimal darkening to spine otherwise fine. "The bookbinding career of Roger de Coverly (1831-1914) seems to be characterised by a desire to leave it!  His apprenticeship with the flourishing firm of Zaehnsdorf's was so "colourless and humdrum" that he petitioned for time off to study the violin. His name recalls a 17th century English folk dance but his passion was for music, not dancing, and this sustained him throughout his life. Roger completed his apprenticeship (but left early albeit with Zaehnsdorf's agreement).   He decided to try bookselling and applied to Mr Lilley of Pall Mall who could not offer employment but strongly recommended that Roger stuck with binding!  After assisting in a stationer's shop, Roger rededicated himself to his original trade. When Roger established his own workshop (in Leicester Square and later 6 St Martin's Court and 91 Shaftsbury Avenue), there was little time for the extra- curricular activities he loved. As a one man band, he had to ‘forward' and ‘finish' the bindings himself. His wife Elisabeth contributed financially by opening a school for young ladies. Slowly, however, the bindings business began to flourish. It was patronised by aristocrats, noted writers (for example T E Lawrence) and artists. His style was rather conservative and retrospective but the good quality materials used and his stated goal, to bind "excellently rather than cheaply" made up for lack of originality, for some at least. Fortunately, Roger's sons Edward, Arthur and William proved adept at bookbinding and bookselling.  By 1892, Roger was able to confess in an interview that "he does not now give his whole attention to his binding business, having besides one or two hobbies; he is an enthusiastic amateur musician and collector of old music .. ; he has founded  two or three glee and madrigal societies and loves above all to take part in orchestral concerts or string quartets, varied with glee singing. He is a member of the Royal Choral Society". The connection between the name of de Coverly and bookbinding lasted into the 1960s when H[orace] A. de Coverly was known to have bound, taught and written about the subject.  An example of his work can be seen in the Library's online image database of bookbindings." (P J M Marks Curator, Bookbindings; Printed Historical Sources, The British Library). .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 05495
USD 2500.00 [Appr.: EURO 2311.5 | £UK 1980.5 | JP¥ 378372]
Keywords: DE COVERLY, Roger, binder Fine Bindings Poetry Seventeenth-Century Literature Shakespeariana

 SHAKESPEARE, William; HUMPHREYS, Henry Noel, Sentiments and Similes of William Shakespeare
SHAKESPEARE, William; HUMPHREYS, Henry Noel
Sentiments and Similes of William Shakespeare
London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1851. I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other." (Macbeth's Ambition) A Remarkable Survival HUMPHREYS, Henry Noel. SHAKESPEARE, William. Sentiments and Similes of William Shakespeare. A Classified Selection of Similes, Definitions, Descriptions, and Other Remarkable Passages in the Plays and Poems of Shakespeare. By Henry Noel Humphreys. London: Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans, 1851. First edition. Small Quarto (7 9/16 x 5 3/4 inches; 192 x146 mm.). [vi], [1]-100 pp. Chromolithograph pictorial title page in gold and colors, ruled in gold and with gold initials throughout. Some very light foxing to preliminary leaves. Publisher's quarter black morocco over papier mache boards, covers with a highly elaborate design featuring on the front cover a terracotta medallion of William Shakespeare, and on the rear cover a terracotta medallion with Shakespeare's initials. Smooth spine, original pale green leaf-design endpapers, all edges gilt. Housed in a felt-lined black cloth clamshell case, spine with red morocco label lettered in gilt. There is some expert and almost invisible restoration to the leather on the corners and spine ends but the papier mache boards are fine and untouched. A remarkable survivor of this inherently fragile binding style. A second edition was published in 1857, similarly bound. One of eight or ten Victorian titles bound in papier mache (see Mclean, Victorian Book Design). Mclean says of this volume "The single colour plate is indeed very fine, and is superior in technical quality' to Humphreys' earlier books. Humphreys was well-known for his highly decorative, experimental book bindings - this binding is a further advance in his papier mache style. The intricately worked and decorated papier mache boards are surrounded in leather, with a gold (now somewhat tarnished) background showing through the strap-work. The front board has a terracotta medallion of Shakespeare in the centre; on the rear board, this is replaced with a similar terracotta medallion carrying Shakespeare's initials." (Mclean. Victorian Book Design, pp. 109-11). "Then there were the black papier mâché bindings, supreme examples of Victorian Gothic and perhaps the most successful of all the ingenuities of Victorian commercial bookbinding. Cundall [Ornamental Art applied to Ancient and Modern Bookbinding, 1847] called it 'the monastic style' and said 'such covers can only be executed when great numbers are required, as they are cast in moulds, the first cost of which is very great'. The minimum, and probably the normal, quantity order of these bindings was one thousand. About eight different titles seem to have been bound in this style, of which three appeared in later editons: [Humphrey's] Parables of Our Lord, 1847; [Humphrey's] The Good Shumamite, 1847; [Humphrey's] Miracles of Our Lord, 1848; [Humphrey's] A Record of the Black Prince, 1849; Sentiments and Similes of Shakespeare, 1851; The Origin and Progress of the Art of Writing, 1853; The Coinage of the British Empire, 1855; and Quarles' Emblemes, 1861 (with an adapation of the Sentiments and Similes cover.) In addition to these, at least two small Bibles were issued in black papier mâché bindings during the 1840s, one of them (Edinburgh, 1843) with a floral pattern design, which reappeared on an edition of Quarles' Emblems; and another small Bible, printed by Eyre & Spottiswood in 1851, appeared in a papier mâché binding, with a design of lilies in a gothic arch, which bears a manufacturer's name 'D (?) O. Smith London'." (Mclean. Victorian Book Design, p. 210). Henry Noel Humphreys (1810-1879), was a British illustrator, naturalist, entomologist, and numismatist. Humphreys was born on 4 January 1810 in Birmingham, the son of James Humphreys, and was educated at King Edward's School there. He studied medieval manuscripts in Italy as a young man, and became an accomplished scholar in numerous subjects. In addition to his entomological texts, Humphreys wrote works on ancient Greek and Roman coins, archaeology, and the art of illumination, writing and printing. He also designed the papier mache bindings for some of his books with high relief reminiscent of medieval carved bindings. While the covers of these bindings were made by machine, the books were bound by hand with leather spines. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 05496
USD 3750.00 [Appr.: EURO 3467 | £UK 2970.75 | JP¥ 567559]
Keywords: HUMPHREYS, Henry Noel Fine Bindings Poetry Shakespeariana

 SHAKESPEARE, William, Works of, the
SHAKESPEARE, William
Works of, the
London: Macmillan and Co., 1900. An Elaborate Arts and Crafts Style Binding From The School of Douglas Cockerell With Two Hundred and Ninety-Two Onlaid Green Morocco Circles [BINDING]. SHAKESPEARE, Willliam. The Works of William Shakespeare. Edited by William George Clark and William Aldis Wright. London: Macmillan and Co. 1900. The Globe Edition. Octavo (7 1/2 x 5 inches; 190 x 127 mm.). viii, 1,138 (double-column) pp. Bound ca. 1900, most probably by a student of Douglas Cockerell, in full brown morocco in the style of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Both covers bordered in blind enclosing an elaborately decorated blind stamped lattice design, each with twenty-four blind-tooled squares enclosing a four leaf and central flower design. The twenty-four squares framed by one hundred and seventy four gilt circles with green morocco onlays and in addition thirty-five blind-stamped circles. Spine with five raised bands similarly decorated and lettered in gilt in compartments. There are ten 'squares' surrounded by ninety gilt circles and twenty-four blind corner circles. The spine is lettered in gilt in the second compartment and dated "1900" at the foot. Turn-ins ruled in blind and decorated with three-leaf blind-tooled corners and seventy-two gilt circles with green morocco onlays, green paper liners and double matching end-papers, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Although unsigned this is a remarkable hand-tooled Arts and Crafts Style binding somewhat reminiscent of some of the earlier work of Douglas Cockerell - most probably executed by one of his students. Douglas Cockerell (1870-1945). In 1893 Douglas Cockerell was apprenticed to Cobden-Sanderson's Doves Bindery and set up his own bindery in 1897. He became an influential voice in the development of bookbinding and conservation standards through his teaching at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and his book Bookbinding and the Care of Books which was first published in 1901 and has become a standard work on bookbinding. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 04161
USD 2750.00 [Appr.: EURO 2542.5 | £UK 2178.5 | JP¥ 416210]
Keywords: Fine Bindings Plays Poetry Sixteenth-Century Literature

 SHAW, George Bernard, Works of Bernard Shaw, the
SHAW, George Bernard
Works of Bernard Shaw, the
London: Constable & Co. 1930. The Best Edition of Shaw's Works A Near Mint Set in the Original Printed Dust Jackets SHAW, [George] Bernard. The Works of Bernard Shaw. London: Constable & Co. [1930-1938]. First collected edition. One of 1,000 numbered copies (this copy being No. 501), out of a total edition of 1,025 copies. Thirty-three octavo volumes (9 1/8 x 6 inches; 232 x 153 mm.). Original jade green cloth lettered in gilt on spines. Top edge gilt. A fine set of the best edition of Shaw's works. In the original gray dust jackets with spines printed in red. The "Collected Edition" consisted of thirty volumes, published between 26 July 1930 and 24 February 1932. Three additional volumes were published, one on 7 June 1934 and two on 1 July 1938. Volume I is the first publication of Shaw's first novel, Immaturity, written in 1879 (see Laurence). George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Irish dramatist, critic, and social reformer. "Political and economic socialism, a new religion of creative evolution, antivivisection, vegetarianism, and spelling reform were a few of his causes..[Shaw] began to write for the stage in 1885. With most of his early plays either banned by the censor or refused production, Shaw sought a reading audience with his first published collection, Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant (1898)..Shaw wrote his best plays prior to, during, and shortly after World War I. They include Man and Superman [1905], John Bull's Other Island (written [1904] at the request of William Butler Yeats for the Irish Literary Theatre), Major Barbara [1905], Fanny's First Play (1912), Androcles and the Lion (1912), Pygmalion [1913], Heartbreak House [written 1913, produced 1920], Back to Methuselah [1921], and Saint Joan [1923]. He received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1925..Shaw wrote many essays on socialism, politics, and economics and one longer work, The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism (1928)" (Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia). Laurence A198a. .
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Book number: 00188
USD 2250.00 [Appr.: EURO 2080.25 | £UK 1782.5 | JP¥ 340535]
Keywords: English Literature Modern Firsts Sets Modern Firsts Literature Sets (Bound)

 SHELLEY, Percy Bysshe; CHISWICK PRESS; SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE, binders, Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats
SHELLEY, Percy Bysshe; CHISWICK PRESS; SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE, binders
Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats
London: Chiswick Press for the Reed Pale Press, 1935. No more let life divide what death can join together." SHELLEY, Percy Bysshe. Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats. London: [Chiswick Press for the Reed Pale Press], 1935. Limited to 250 numbered copies printed on hand-made paper, of which this is no. 190. Small quarto (8 3/8 x 7 1/8 inches; 214 x 181 mm.). [1-4], 5-31, [32], [2, limitation printed in red, verso blank] pp. Title-page printed in black and red, chapter numbers printed in red. Publisher's unbleached vellum by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. Spine lettered in gilt, top edge gilt, other uncut, red silk ties. Housed in the original gray card slipcase with matching limitation number. Slipcase slightly split otherwise a very fine copy. A fine limited edition of Shelley s moving tribute to his fallen friend, the poet John Keats. "Adonais was printed by the Chiswick Press for the Reed Pale Press, which was founded by Edmund D. Brooks and his son Edmund Brooks of Minneapolis. The Chiswick Press had taken leadership during the 19th century revival of great printing and continued to print high-class work until it ceased trading in 1962" (Glaister, 94). Glaister, 94; Ransom, 33. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 05479
USD 350.00 [Appr.: EURO 323.75 | £UK 277.25 | JP¥ 52972]
Keywords: CHISWICK PRESS SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE, binders Fine Printing Nineteenth-Century Literature Poetry Limited Editions

 SMOLLETT, Tobias, Adventures of Roderick Random, the
SMOLLETT, Tobias
Adventures of Roderick Random, the
London: Printed for J. Osborn, 1748. Tobias Smollet's First Novel The Life and Times of the Scottish Rogue Roderick Random [SMOLLETT, Tobias]. The Adventures of Roderick Random. In Two Volumes. London: Printed for J. Osborn, 1748. First edition, first state of text, with I9 not canceled in volume one, and Locke's name present on line 22 of p. 185. Two twelvemo volumes (6 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches; 159 x 95 mm.). [xxiii], [i, blank], 1-324; xii, 1-366 pp. Handsomely bound in early twentieth-century polished calf by Rivière & Son (stamp-signed on the verso of the front free endpaper). Covers ruled in blind, spines ruled in blind with five raised bands and two olive green morocco gilt lettering labels, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Date in gilt at foot of spine. An excellent and very attractive example. The Adventures of Roderick Random is a picaresque novel by Tobias Smollett, first published in 1748. It is partially based on Smollett's experience as a naval-surgeon's mate in the Royal Navy, especially during the Battle of Cartagena de Indias in 1741. In the preface, Smollett acknowledges the connections of his novel to the two satirical picaresque works he translated into English: Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote (1605-15) and Alain-René Lesage's Gil Blas (1715-47) The novel consists of a series of episodes that give an account of the life and times of the Scottish rogue Roderick Random. At various times rich and then poor, the hero goes to sea, has romantic entanglements, travels the world, discovers his long-lost father, and marries his true love. Tobias Smollett (1721-1771), "English satirical novelist, best known for his picaresque novels. Smollett apprenticed as a surgeon, and throughout his life he combined the roles of medical man and writer..In 1748 Smollett published his novel Roderick Random, a graphic account of British naval life at the time, and he also translated from the French the great picaresque romance Gil Blas. Peregrine Pickle was published in 1751, and The Adventures of Ferdinand, Count Fathom..appeared in 1753..He translated Don Quixote from the Spanish (1755), and in 1756 he became editor of The Critical Review, a Tory and church paper, at the same time writing his four-volume Complete History of England (1757-58..In 1759 he was convicted for libel on Admiral Sir Charles Knowles in The Critical Review, fined, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment in the King's Bench Prison. He drew on his experiences there for his two-volume novel The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves (1762)..His finest work, Humphry Clinker (1771), recounts the adventures of a family traveling through Britain" (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature). Rothschild 1906. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 05582
USD 850.00 [Appr.: EURO 786 | £UK 673.5 | JP¥ 128647]
Keywords: Fine Bindings Eighteenth-Century Literature Literature

 SMOLLETT, Tobias, Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, the
SMOLLETT, Tobias
Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, the
London: Printed for the Author: And Sold by D. Wilson, 1751. First Edition of The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle Tobias Smollett's Satire on Human Cruelty, Stupidity, and Greed.. [SMOLLETT, Tobias]. The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle. In which are included, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality. In Four Volumes. London: Printed for the Author: And Sold by D. Wilson, 1751. First edition. Four twelvemo volumes (6 3/8 x 3 3/4 inches; 161 x 95 mm.). [ix], [i, blank], 1-288; [x], 1-322; [vi], 1-205, [1, blank]; [vii], [i, blank], 1-315, [1, blank] pp. Volume III with leaf L12 (pp. 227/228) in canceled state. Handsomely bound in early twentieth-century polished calf by Rivière & Son (stamp-signed on the verso of the front free endpaper). Covers ruled in blind, spines ruled in blind with five raised bands and two olive green morocco gilt lettering labels, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Date in gilt at foot of spine. A fine and very attractive example. The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle is a picaresque novel by the Scottish author Tobias Smollett, first published in 1751 and revised and published again in 1758. It tells the story of an egotistical scoundrel who experiences luck and misfortunes in the height of eighteenth-century European society. Peregrine's journey through Europe, his many debaucheries and his final repentance all provide scope for Smollett's satire on human cruelty, stupidity, and greed.. Tobias Smollett (1721-1771), "English satirical novelist, best known for his picaresque novels. Smollett apprenticed as a surgeon, and throughout his life he combined the roles of medical man and writer..In 1748 Smollett published his novel Roderick Random, a graphic account of British naval life at the time, and he also translated from the French the great picaresque romance Gil Blas. Peregrine Pickle was published in 1751, and The Adventures of Ferdinand, Count Fathom..appeared in 1753..He translated Don Quixote from the Spanish (1755), and in 1756 he became editor of The Critical Review, a Tory and church paper, at the same time writing his four-volume Complete History of England (1757-58..In 1759 he was convicted for libel on Admiral Sir Charles Knowles in The Critical Review, fined, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment in the King's Bench Prison. He drew on his experiences there for his two-volume novel The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves (1762)..His finest work, Humphry Clinker (1771), recounts the adventures of a family traveling through Britain" (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature). Rothschild 1910. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 05593
USD 1500.00 [Appr.: EURO 1387 | £UK 1188.25 | JP¥ 227023]
Keywords: Eighteenth-Century Literature Literature

 SMOLLETT, Tobias, Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom, the
SMOLLETT, Tobias
Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom, the
London: Printed for W. Johnston, 1753. Tobias Smollett's 'The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom' "The First Novel by a Major English Writer that is Vevoted to a Thoroughgoing Portrait of Villainy" [SMOLLETT, Tobias]. The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom By the Author of Roderick Random. In Two Volumes. London: Printed for W. Johnston, 1753. First edition. Two twelvemo volumes (6 9/16 x 4 inches; 167 x 101 mm.). [2], viii, 1-262; [2], 1-315, [1, blank] pp. Bound without the final blank leaf in volume one. Handsomely bound in early twentieth-century polished calf by Rivière & Son (stamp-signed on the verso of the front free endpaper). Covers ruled in blind, spines ruled in blind with five raised bands and two olive green morocco gilt lettering labels, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Date in gilt at foot of spine. A fine and very attractive example. The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom is the "first novel by a major English writer that is devoted to a thoroughgoing portrait of villainy, The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom chronicles the life of an aberrant criminal character. Filled with striking satiric thrusts at the legal, medical, and military establishments of mid-eighteenth-century Europe and England, the novel reveals Tobias Smollett's capacities as a commentator on contemporary life. First published in 1753, Ferdinand Count Fathom is an experimental work that explores the relations between history and fiction and introduces, for the first time in the English novel, episodes of Gothic melodrama. Too long neglected and never before available in a carefully prepared scholarly edition, Ferdinand Count Fathom may now be read, understood, and appreciated against the literary and historical background of the eighteenth-century world." (Jerry C. Beasley. The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom). Tobias Smollett (1721-1771), "English satirical novelist, best known for his picaresque novels. Smollett apprenticed as a surgeon, and throughout his life he combined the roles of medical man and writer..In 1748 Smollett published his novel Roderick Random, a graphic account of British naval life at the time, and he also translated from the French the great picaresque romance Gil Blas. Peregrine Pickle was published in 1751, and The Adventures of Ferdinand, Count Fathom..appeared in 1753..He translated Don Quixote from the Spanish (1755), and in 1756 he became editor of The Critical Review, a Tory and church paper, at the same time writing his four-volume Complete History of England (1757-58..In 1759 he was convicted for libel on Admiral Sir Charles Knowles in The Critical Review, fined, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment in the King's Bench Prison. He drew on his experiences there for his two-volume novel The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves (1762)..His finest work, Humphry Clinker (1771), recounts the adventures of a family traveling through Britain" (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature). Rothschild 1912. .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 05594
USD 950.00 [Appr.: EURO 878.5 | £UK 752.75 | JP¥ 143781]
Keywords: Eighteenth-Century Literature Literature

 SMOLLETT, Tobias, Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves, the
SMOLLETT, Tobias
Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves, the
London: Printed for J. Coote, 1762. The First Major Work by an English Novelist to Have Been Written Specifically for Serial Publication First Edition of The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves - Tobias Smollett's Rarest Novel [SMOLLETT, Tobias]. The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves. By the Author of Roderick Random. In Two Volumes. London: Printed for J. Coote, 1762. First edition in book form. Two twelvemo volumes (6 1/2 x 4 inches; 165 x 101 mm.). iv, [1]-264; iv, 1-283, [1, blank] pp. Handsomely bound in early twentieth-century polished calf by Rivière & Son (stamp-signed on the verso of the front free endpaper). Covers ruled in blind, spines ruled in blind with five raised bands and two olive green morocco gilt lettering labels, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Date in gilt at foot of spine. A fine and very attractive example of Tobias Smollett's rarest novel and the first major work by an English novelist to have been written specifically for serial publication. The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves was a groundbreaking novel for Smollett. The British Magazine was started by Smollett in January 1760. The Life and Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves made its first appearance serially in twenty-five numbers from January 1760 to December 1761. It was the first major work by an English novelist to have been written specifically for serial publication. The novel, Smollett's shortest, differs stylistically from his previous works. The most attractive of his heroes, Sir Launcelot is virtuous and strange, and he is surrounded by a Smollettian menagerie whose various jargons are part of this novel's linguistic virtuosity and satire. Sir Launcelot's character is an English naturalization of Quixote. Although Sir Launcelot, unlike Quixote, is not the object of the author's satire, an idealistic madness is central to both characters. In Smollett's work the theme of madness is integral to the relationship between self and society as the work ponders both the constitution of madness and the alternatives to revenge. Tobias Smollett (1721-1771), "English satirical novelist, best known for his picaresque novels. Smollett apprenticed as a surgeon, and throughout his life he combined the roles of medical man and writer..In 1748 Smollett published his novel Roderick Random, a graphic account of British naval life at the time, and he also translated from the French the great picaresque romance Gil Blas. Peregrine Pickle was published in 1751, and The Adventures of Ferdinand, Count Fathom..appeared in 1753..He translated Don Quixote from the Spanish (1755), and in 1756 he became editor of The Critical Review, a Tory and church paper, at the same time writing his four-volume Complete History of England (1757-58..In 1759 he was convicted for libel on Admiral Sir Charles Knowles in The Critical Review, fined, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment in the King's Bench Prison. He drew on his experiences there for his two-volume novel The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves (1762).. His finest work, Humphry Clinker (1771), recounts the adventures of a family traveling through Britain" (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature). Block, p. 221; Rothschild 1919 (citing the British Magazine serialization). .
David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller
Book number: 05595
USD 1850.00 [Appr.: EURO 1710.5 | £UK 1465.5 | JP¥ 279996]
Keywords: Fine Bindings Eighteenth-Century Literature Literature

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