Calf Bindings

London: Printed for the Editor, 1823. Half morocco, 9 1/4 inches tall. A highly entertaining and interesting dictionary in a very fine half morocco binding, with gilt raised bands, superb centre tool and gilt top edge. Portrait. With the armorial bookplate of Michael, Lord Sandys of Ombersley Court. A fine copy of this work by Pierce Egan, well known for his 'Life in London' and 'Boxiana; or Sketches of Ancient and Modern Pugilism'.

London: Meiklejohn and Son, 1911. Full morocco, 6 3/4 inches tall. A splendid binding by Zaehnsdorf with gilt raised bands and neat framed panels to the spine and elaborate gilt tooling with pink petal onlays to the upper boards, framing the title. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Printed on India paper. A fine copy of this anthology of Scottish poetry.

Albany; Joel Munsell, 1867. Full vellum, 8 1/2 inches tall. A splendid full Victorian full vellum by Zaehnsdorf with a crest shaped label and delicate gilt tooling to the smooth spine. A gilt fillet frames the boards. With gilt dentelles and all edges. Foxing to the preliminaries, then clean. Boards slightly splayed. With the armorial bookplate of William Waldorf, Viscount Astor of Hever Castle. Baroness von Riedesel's husband commanded the Brunswick forces with the British Army. This volume contains her Memoirs of this period, including her family's life as prisoners of war.

London: Sharpe and Son et al., 1819. 4 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A superb later full straight grain calf by Riviere with gilt raised bands, twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. Twin gilt fillets frame the boards, gilt dentelles and all edges. Portraits in volumes I & II, as called for. A fine edition of the works of this great 18th century novelist in pristine condition inside and out.

London: John Lane at the Bodley Head, 1899. Full morocco, 6 1/2 inches tall. A beautiful crushed morocco binding by Riviere with two gilt raised bands and fine floral gilt tooling in the Art Nouveau manner. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Very slight rubbing. Illustrated by Henry Ospovat, who was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites and encouraged by Watts and Ricketts (B.M.) Bookplate. A delightful copy of these greatest of all sonnets.

London, The Punch Office, 1845. Full morocco, 10 inches tall. A pristine example of this classic comic work bound in sumptuous full morocco by the great firm of Bedford, from the library of a Scottish Gentleman. An exceptionally tall copy with gilt raised bands, ornate floral gilt tooling to the panels, triple gilt fillet framing the boards, wide gilt dentelles and top edge gilt. Embellished with 12 full page steel engravings and 117 superb engraved vignettes. With over 50 leaves of highly entertaining advertisements. As fine a copy as one could hope to find.

Oxford: J. Parker, 1819. Full calf, 6 1/2 inches tall. A very good looking Regency full calf with wide gilt raised bands, black label and bold gilt centre tooling to the panels. A series of gilt and blind rolls, fillets and corner tooling and a blue inlaid panel create interesting panels, typical of the period, on both boards. An ink inscription, dated 1821 is found on the first blank. Slight rubbing and scuffing but still a fine copy.

Perth: R. Morison and Son, 1786. Full morocco, 7 inches tall. A late 18th century full straight grain morocco with gilt bands and splendid gilt centre tools and remarkable gilt foliate gauffered edges. From Morison's Edition of Scotish Poets. With 2 full page engravings. With some rubbing and a scuff on the lower board, otherwise firm and solid and clean.

London: Macmillan and Co., 1920. Full morocco, 7 1/2 inches tall. A full hard grain morocco binding by Bumpus with gilt raised bands and delicate gilt tooling to the panels. Triple gilt fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. The spine is faded but remains bright. Embellished throughout with charming vignettes by Hugh Thomson. First published in book form in 1853, 'Cranford' has remained in print ever since.

London: Remington and Co., 1884. Full morocco, 8 1/2 inches tall. A remarkably beautiful binding by Zaehnsdorf with gilt raised bands, twin olive labels and dense, ornate gilt tooling with green calf onlays to the panels and boards. Wide and ornate gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Extra-illustrated with a further 30 plates. 'An Essay on some of the Characteristics of Reynolds as a Designer, with especial Reference to his Portraiture of Children'. With the bookplate of Chippenham Lodge. A charming work in sparkling condition.

London: Macmillan and Co., 1926. Full morocco, 6 inches tall. A delightful and luxurious binding by Ramage with raised bands and floral gilt designs with purple calf onlays on the spine and boards. Wide gilt dentelles and watered silk doublures and endpapers. All edges gilt. Bookplate on the first blank. Very slight rubbing, otherwise in very fine condition. A wonderful volume containing many of the finest love poems ever written.

Venice, In the Island of S.Lazzaro, 1870. Full calf, 6 1/4 inches tall. A beautiful little Victorian binding by Birdsall in full pink calf with gilt raised bands, green label and 'fish scale' gilt tooling. Byron worshiped and studied Armenian at the Monastery of San Lazzaro in 1816 and 1817 with the Makhitarist Monks while visiting Venice. This extraordinary and very rare volume is the first edition of the texts that he translated with the parallel texts in Armenian. A neat previous owners inscription, dated 1888 is found on the second blank and there are slight scratched on the binding, otherwise pristine.

London: Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1822. Full morocco,10 inches tall. A superlative later full morocco binding by the great firm of Bedford, from the library of a Scottish Gentleman, in pristine condition. An exceptionally tall copy with gilt raised bands, ornate floral gilt tooling to the panels, triple gilt fillet framing the boards, wide gilt dentelles and top edges gilt. With 36 hand coloured aquatints by I.R. and George Cruikshank and 3 folding pages of songs. The original paper spine and cover, and advertisements, bound in. The images illustrate the hilarious and bawdy adventures of Jerry and his companions in Regency London. A beautiful volume.

London: Macmillan, 1894. Full calf, 6 1/2 inches tall. A remarkable cuir-ciselé, sculptured, or chiseled binding, in pristine condition, thanks to the felt lined solander box in which it is housed. The smooth spine is simply gilt tooled and the upper board has a floral cuir-ciselé design within twin gilt fillets with the date August 12 1897 in gilt. The lower boards has a single cuir-ciselé flower to the upper corner. Dentelles and top edge gilt. With an unusual endpaper with stenciled petals. Slight foxing to the preliminaries, otherwise clean. Arthur Hugh Clough was an English poet and famously the devoted assistant to Florence Nightingale and the brother of suffragist Anne Clough. A lovely and unique binding.

London: Elliot Stock, 1892. Full morocco, 7 inches tall. A beautiful Late Victorian binding in the 'Arts and Crafts' style in pristine condition. Bound for Hatchards of Piccadilly. With raised bands and delightful gilt tooling to the panels and boards. Wide gilt dentelles and all edges. Embellished with charming illustrations. There is a large bookplate on the reverse of the front free endpaper and a neat ink inscription on the second blank.

London: William Pickering, 1839. 3 volume set, 6 1/4 inches tall. A very handsome Edwardian binding in splendid full crushed morocco by Bumpus. With raised bands and elegant gilt and blind pallets and fillets creating neat frames to the panels and boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Portrait. A charming set of the works of Robert Burns, a great romantic poet and lyricist, celebrated as Scotland's national poet, in pristine condition.

London: Strahan & Co., 1872. Full morocco, 6 3/4 inches tall. First edition. A beautiful little binding with gilt raised bands, contrasting label and delicate floral gilt tooling to the panels. The boards are very finely tooled creating an elaborate gilt panel with red calf onlays. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Foxing to the reverse of the free endpapers and first blank then perfectly clean. This volume contains 2 of Tennyson's great Idylls ,'Gareth and Lynette,' follows the coming of Arthur, and the other title in this volume, 'The Last Tournament', immediately precedes 'Guinevere'. A delightful volume.

London: Thomas Boys, 1820. Full morocco, 10 inches tall. A wonderful tall late Victorian binding by the great firm of Bedford in pristine condition, inside and out. With gilt raised bands and luxurious floral gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt triple fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edge. With an engraved title page and 12 hilarious full page hand coloured plates by Isaac Robert Cruikshank. From the library of a Scottish Gentleman. As fine a copy as one could possibly find of the first edition of this hilarious work advising much scrimping and saving.

London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1917. Full morocco, 7 inches tall. A very smart full crushed morocco by Bumpus with gilt raised bands elegantly gilt framed panels and boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. A super copy of the poetical works of Rupert Brooke, English poet best known for his war sonnets written during the First World War.