Calf Bindings

Glasgow: Hopkins, 1869. 2 volume set, 8 inches tall. A handsome edition in a full crushed morocco binding by Grieve with gilt bands on a smooth back, twin olive labels and superb gilt floral tooling to the panels. Gilt triple fillets and floral corner tools frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edges. Portrait and engraved vignettes. Joseph Ritson was an 18th century English Antiquarian who first published his 'Scotish Songs' in 1794, this mid Victorian edition is printed on hand-made paper and is in pristine condition.

London: G. & W. Whittaker, 1824. Half morocco, 7 1/4 inches tall. A superb half morocco with delicate gilt tooling on a smooth back. All edges gilt. Von Chamisso's fable about a man who sells his shadow to the devil in exchange for limitless wealth, first published in Germany in 1814. That edition was edited by Fouqué leading to the title page attribution to him. With 8 engraved plates by George Cruikshank. With slight rubbing otherwise a delightful clean example of the rare first edition in English.

London: Nimmo, 1898. 24 volume set, 7 1/2 inches tall. A very bright and good looking classic late Victorian half calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. This the 'Large Type Border Edition' and is illustrated throughout. An unusually fine set directly from a country house.

London: George Bell & Sons 1878. 2 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A neat Victorian full calf binding by Hatchards with gilt raised bands, twin labels and delicate gilt tooling to the panels. A gilt prize block is framed on the upper boards by gilt and blind fillets. Prize bookplate. A very fine copy of the revised 4th edition.

London, Savoy: Printed by Tho. Newcomb, for the author, 1667. Full morocco, 14 1/2 inches tall. A superb tall later binding by the great firm of Bedford, with gilt raised bands, twin labels and magnificent gilt tooling to the panels. A series of gilt fillet frame the boards, wide dentelles and all edges gilt. First edition in red and black, embellished with 5 double page engraved plates and 57 full page. With the armorial bookplates of the Hon. Hugh Howard and the Fox Pointe Collection. Slight rubbing but a very good, clean copy with wide margins.

London: Seeley & Co., 1908. Full calf, 4 3/4 inches tall. A tiny and delightful full calf binding by Riviere with gilt raised bands, label and extra gilt tooling to the panels. Elegant gilt tooling frames the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. An ink previous owner's name Walter Jodak Kohler (Governor of Wisconsin) on the reverse of the free endpaper and a date on the first blank, otherwise pristine. Curious pagination. A colour frontispiece and title page, and further line illustrations by H.M. Brock. A scarce anthology of quotations from Dr. Johnson.

Wien (Vienna): Verlag von H.O. Miethke, 1886. Full morocco, 26 1/2 inches tall. A colossal and superb full morocco binding by the great firm of J. Leighton of Brewer Street from the library of Alfred de Rothschild, but without his bookplate. With twin gilt raised bands and wonderful gilt tooling to the panels and boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With 100 copperplate engravings, as called for. A huge and very heavy volume in excellent condition.

Munich: P. Kaeser, 1881. Full morocco, 26 1/2 inches tall. A colossal and superb full morocco binding by the great firm of J. Leighton of Brewer Street from the library of Alfred de Rothschild, but without his bookplate. With twin gilt raised bands and wonderful gilt tooling to the panels and boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With 50 engraved plates, as called for. Some scratches to the lower board, otherwise in fine condition. A huge and very heavy volume in German and French.

London and Paris: Boussod, Valadon & Co. (GOUPIL), 1896. Full calf, 12 3/4 inches tall. A superb full calf binding by Henderson & Bisset with raised bands and 'regal' centre tools framed within a series of pallets to the panels. A series of gilt and blind fillets with the gilt 'regal' corner tools corner tool frame the rose and crown insignia of Elizabeth Regina. Gilt dentelles and top edge.. This is the best edition of this lavish work with the plates in 2 states in a limitation of 200 numbers and 100 lettered copies of which this is number 70. Colour frontispiece and many monochrome plates throughout. A bookplate has been removed and there is some superficial damage caused by a long defunct insect, overall a magnificent copy.

London: Methuen and Co., 1894. Half morocco, 7 1/2 inches tall. A delightful binding by Zaehnsdorf with elaborate gilt floral tooling around a crossed brace of pistols on a smooth back. Gilt top edge. With an impressive 'Arthurian' bookplate. Foxing to the text. A splendid copy of these great poems and songs based on the men of the British army during the reign of Queen Victoria, including such classics as 'Gunga Din' and 'Mandalay'.

London: George Allen, 1893. 3 volume set, 7 1/2 inches tall. A neat Edwardian half calf with gilt pallets and top edges. Profusely illustrated throughout. Previous owners ink names on the paste down end papers and half title.

London: Sharpe and Son et al., 1819. 4 volume set, 9 inches tall. A beautiful Regency full red morocco by the great firm of White of Pall Mall with gilt raised bands, gilt pallets and simple centre tools. Double gilt fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelled and all edges. Portraits in volume I and an engraved frontispiece in volume II, as called for. Very slight fading to the spines of volumes III & IV, but overall an exceptionally fine set.

London: T. Longman, B. Law et al., 1796. 2 volumes bound in 1, 11 1/4 inches tall. A magnificent large quarto in full 18th century speckled calf with raised bands, gilt pallets and a most attractive label. Some marks and scuffs to the binding but no loss or splitting. An exceptionally clean copy of Boyer's Royal French and English Dictionary.

London and Paris: Boussod, Valadon & Co. (GOUPIL), 1897. Full morocco, 13 inches tall. A luxurious full crushed morocco by Ramage with gilt raised bands and elegant gilt tooling to the panels and boards. Delightful gilt dentelles and top edge. Occasion very light foxing. With a colour frontispiece and monochrome plates and vignettes throughout. A lavish work on the Life of Queen Victoria at the height of her reign.

London: Longman, and Co. et al., 1847. 8 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A classic Victorian half calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and bold gilt tooling to the panels. There is foxing to, and facing, the engraved portrait in volume I, otherwise clean. A fine edition of the works of one of the greatest English poets of the 18th century with a new life of Pope by William Roscoe.

Paris: Garnier Frères, c.1900. 8 volume set, 9 inches tall. A striking set in half vellum with hand painted love birds and rosebuds framing the volume number. Vignettes throughout. A handsome set, in the original French, of possibly the most reliable and entertaining description of European social life during the 18th century.

London: Swan Sonnenscein & Co., 1894. Half morocco, 9 inches tall. A very pretty copy of this interesting study in a half crushed morocco by Zaehnsdorf with elaborate gilt tooling on a smooth back. Gilt top edge. Rather splendid 'Arthurian' bookplate. Embellished with a portrait and 4 engraved plates. A previous owner's neat ink signature on a blank.

London: William Sams, 1822. Full morocco, 14 1/2 inches tall. In a later full crushed morocco by Zaehnsdorf with gilt raised bands and delicate gilt tooling to the panels. A panel with elaborate gilt corner tooling and a wide and elegant roll frames the boards. Wide gilt dentelles and all edges. The folio has been preserved in a sturdy buckram case, ensuring the pristine condition of the volume. Tissues guard the plates, which show scenes of many vibrantly hand-coloured characters rather than emphasising the great buildings of the city which tend to be in the background. We see a lively portrayal of beautifully costumed Parisians in diverse walks of life. A splendid copy of one of the finest books of the period on Paris.

Edinburgh: At the Apollo Press, 1777. 4 volume set, 5 inches tall. A very pretty little set in 18th century tree calf with twin labels and dense gilt tooling on a smooth back. With a neat ink previous owner's name on the first blanks. Engraved portrait and 4 engraved title pages. Excellent condition with no splits or loss. Complete in 4 volumes but printed as part of Bell's 'Poets of Great Britain'. A delightful little set of Young's Poetical works including his "Complaint: or, Night Thoughts", one of the most popular and influential poems of the 18th century.

London: John Murray, 1834-1838. 12 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. An exceptionally good looking late Victorian full calf with wide blind tooled raised bands, twin labels and extra gilt tooling to the panels. A gilt roll and fillets frame the monogram on the upper boards. Scuffs on the upper board of volume XII, otherwise a clean and very smart set. An extraordinary insight into the Napoleonic campaigns from the dispatches of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington.