Calf Bindings

We have a large stock of 18th and 19th century beautiful leather bound books in exceptional condition.

We have specialised in just these for nearly 50 years.

  • FAMOUS BIOGRAPHY IN CLASSIC FULL CALF
    The Life and Pontificate of Leo The Tenth by ROSCOE, William
    ROSCOE, William
    The Life and Pontificate of Leo The Tenth

    London: Bohn, 1846. 2 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. A classic mid-Victorian binding with gilt raised bands, twin labels and fine extra gilt tooled panels. Illustrated throughout. A particularly nice copy of this revised edition.

    View basket More details Price: £250.00
  • SUPERB COPY IN A HALF CALF SPECKLED REGENCY BINDING
    Letters of a Mamaluke; Or a Moral and Critical Picture of the Manners of Paris (Translated into the English) by LAVALLEE, Joseph
    LAVALLEE, Joseph
    Letters of a Mamaluke; Or a Moral and Critical Picture of the Manners of Paris (Translated into the English)

    London: John Murray, 1804. 2 volume set, 7 inches tall. Half speckled calf with gilt bands, a red title label and black volume cartouche. A superb set in pristine condition.

    View basket More details Price: £380.00
  • A MAGNIFICENT COPY IN FULL HARD GRAIN MOROCCO
    The Poems of Allan Ramsay by RAMSAY, Allan
    RAMSAY, Allan
    The Poems of Allan Ramsay

    London: Cadell, 1800. 2 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. A superb binding with gilt raised bands, label and exceptionally fine gilt tooling to the panels and boards. With dentelles and all edges gilt. Portrait. A pristine copy of this early enlarged edition.

    View basket More details Price: £650.00
  • HANDSOME SET
    Elements of Christian Theology by TOMLINE, George
    TOMLINE, George
    Elements of Christian Theology

    London: Cadell, 1818. 2 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. Full speckled calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and gilt panels. With an armorial bookplate and neat ink inscription dated 1824.

    View basket More details Price: £180.00
  • AN EXCEPTIONALLY HANDSOME BINDING IN FULL CALF
    The Popes of Rome. by RANKE, Leopold ( Translated into English by AUSTIN, Sarah )
    RANKE, Leopold ( Translated into English by AUSTIN, Sarah )
    The Popes of Rome.

    London: John Murray, 1847. 2 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. An exceptionally handsome classic mid 19th century full calf binding. With gilt raised bands, twin labels, very finely gilt tooled panels and all edges gilt. An embossed prize block on the upper boards and a prize plate on the paste down endpaper dated 1850. A pristine set of this famous history.

    View basket More details Price: £450.00
  • SPLENDID COPY IN FULL STRAIGHT GRAIN MOROCCO
    The Shipwreck, A Poem. by FALCONER, William
    FALCONER, William
    The Shipwreck, A Poem.

    London: Cadell et al., 1808. Full straight grain morocco, 9 inches tall. With gilt and blind tooled wide raised bands, very fine gilt tooling to the panels, gilt and blind tooling framing the boards, dentelles and all edges. Some foxing, particularly to the preliminaries. Some marks and scuffing but generally in excellent condition with no splitting or loss.

    View basket More details Price: £200.00
  • CHARMING COPY IN FULL 18TH CENTURY SPECKLED CALF
    The Poetical Works of Edward Moore by MOORE, Edward
    MOORE, Edward
    The Poetical Works of Edward Moore

    Edinburg: The Apollo Press, 1781. Full speckled calf, 5 inches tall. With gilt bands and label. A pristine copy.

    View basket More details Price: £100.00
  • ELEGANT SET IN HALF CRUSHED MOROCCO
    The Works of Henry Vaughan by VAUGHAN, Henry
    VAUGHAN, Henry
    The Works of Henry Vaughan

    Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1914. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. A very fine binding with wide gilt raised bands, elegant gilt tooling to the spine and gilt top edge. A handsome set of the Works of Henry Vaughan, the 17th Century Welsh author, physician and metaphysical poet.

    View basket More details Price: £250.00
  • REMARKABLE COPY OF THIS SCARCE TITLE
    Picturesque Views of Ramsgate by MOSES, Henry
    MOSES, Henry
    Picturesque Views of Ramsgate

    London: H.Moses, 1817. Full calf, 11 inches tall. With raised bands, labels, decorated gilt spine and boards, dentelles and top edge. Bound by Burgess of Ramsgate in 1940 (at the cost of one pound five shillings). With 24 superb engravings by Henry Moses and one folding plan of Ramsgate Harbour. There is a degree of foxing, some fraying to a couple of title pages with no loss and a small professional repair to the plan of Ramsgate Harbour, again with no loss. An unusually tall and handsome copy of this difficult title.

    View basket More details Price: £500.00
  • CHARMING LITTLE HALF CALF SET OF THIS RARE TITLE
    Memoires D’Elisabeth-Charlotte, Duchesse-D’Orleans by D’ ORLEANS, Elisabeth-Charlotte, Duchesse
    D’ ORLEANS, Elisabeth-Charlotte, Duchesse
    Memoires D’Elisabeth-Charlotte, Duchesse-D’Orleans

    Bruxelles: Cautaerts, 1827. 2 volume set, 6 inches tall. Half calf with wide raised bands, twin labels and attractive gilt tooled panels. In excellent condition with an armorial bookplate. A fascinating work, rarely found.

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  • STUNNING PRIZE BINDING
    Three Centuries of English Poetry (Being Selections From Chaucer to Herrick) by MASSON, Rosaline Orme
    MASSON, Rosaline Orme
    Three Centuries of English Poetry (Being Selections From Chaucer to Herrick)

    London: Macmillan, 1894. Full tree calf by Morley of Oxford, 7 inches tall. A spectacularly attractive example of full tree calf prize binding. With gilt raised bands, triple labels, fine gilt floral tooling to the panels, a fine gilt roll framing the tree calf on the boards, dentelles and all edges gilt. With an armorial gilt prize block on the boards and prize label on the pastedown end paper. A charming anthology of Engllish verse in a pristine tree calf.

    View basket More details Price: £240.00
  • PRISTINE BINDING OF MOTTLED CALF
    Histoire des Revolutions de Suede by VERTOT, M. l’Abbe De
    VERTOT, M. l’Abbe De
    Histoire des Revolutions de Suede

    Paris: Belin, 1794. 3 volume set, 6.5 inches tall. Full mottled calf with raised bands, twin labels and gilt filets. Slight worming affecting the first few leaves in the bottom corner of volume one, otherwise a fine copy in a completely pristine binding.

    View basket More details Price: £220.00
  • BEAUTIFUL RUN OF THE TRAGEDIES IN FULL STRAIGHT GRAIN MOROCCO
    Tragedies by TRAGEDIES,
    TRAGEDIES,
    Tragedies

    London: John Bell, 1791. 7 volumes, 6 inches tall. Full straight grain morocco with label, gilt bands, titles, superb centre tools, all edges and dentelles. Some Scuffing. This is the first 7 volumes of Tragedies, part of John Bell's British library series. Containing many plays all individually paginated. Each also has a superb engraved frontispiece and title page. An exceedingly pretty run.

    View basket More details Price: £450.00
  • SIMPLE BUT HANDSOME REGENCY BINDING
    Village Dialogues by HILL, Rowland
    HILL, Rowland
    Village Dialogues

    London: Button, 1817. 2 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. Full calf with wide gilt raised bands and twin labels. Neat owners inscription on the paste-down endpaper. Portrait and charming primative engravings throughout.

    View basket More details Price: £180.00
  • FINE HEAVY VICTORIAN MOROCCO BINDING
    Golden Leaves From the Works of the Poets and Painters by BELL, Robert (Editor)
    BELL, Robert (Editor)
    Golden Leaves From the Works of the Poets and Painters

    London: Griffin, 1863. Full morocco, 9 inches tall. With blind raised bands, gilt titles and charming gilt and blind tooling, with oak leaves and acorns on the panels and boards. Armorial bookplate and neat signature at the head of the title page. A splendid collection of the works of the most famous poets with finely engraved vignettes by the popular artists of the day.

    View basket More details Price: £250.00
  • FIRST EDITION IN SPECTACULAR FULL CALF
    Cakes and Ale by JERROLD, Douglas
    JERROLD, Douglas
    Cakes and Ale

    London: How and Parsons, 1842. 2 volume set, 7 inches tall. Full calf extra gilt by Riviere. With gilt raised bands, twin labels, fine floral tooling to the panels, wide dentelles and gilt top edges. With frontispieces and title pages by George Cruikshank. With the cloth boards and spines bound in. A superb copy in pristine condition.

    View basket More details Price: £550.00
  • PRISTINE HEAVY MOROCCO BINDING
    The Ingoldsby Legends. by BARHAM, Reverend. (INGOLDSBY, Thomas)
    BARHAM, Reverend. (INGOLDSBY, Thomas)
    The Ingoldsby Legends.

    London: Bentley, 1874. Full morocco, 9.5 inches tall. With raised bands, gilt titling, Macabre gilt centre tools and elaborate gilt tooling to the boards, dentelles and all edges. Illustrated throughout.

    View basket More details Price: £350.00
  • FIRST TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH IN FINE BINDING
    Tales of Firenzuola. Benedictine Monk of Vallombrosa. by FIRENZUOLA,
    FIRENZUOLA,
    Tales of Firenzuola. Benedictine Monk of Vallombrosa.

    Paris: Isidore Liseux, 1889. Half crushed morocco, 6.5 inches tall. With 2 gilt raised bands, titles, fine floral tooling to the main panel with onlays for the petals and top edge gilt. Isidore Liseux famously specialised in printing tales that were considered too racy to be printed in England. These 16th century tales are mildly erotic and here translated for the very first time into English. A fascinating item, beautifully bound.

    View basket More details Price: £250.00
  • RARE ROPS ITEM IN FINE HALF CALF
    La Plume by ROPS, Felicien
    ROPS, Felicien
    La Plume

    Paris, 1896. Half calf, 10 inches tall. With superb gilt tooling on the spine involving vine leaves and a devils head, gilt top edge. This famous special number of La Plume of 15th June 1896 is dedicated to Felicien Rops. It is profusely illustrated throughout. A beautiful copy of this famous edition.

    View basket More details Price: £220.00
  • SUPERB FULL CRUSHED MOROCCO
    Tribute to Walter De La Mare on his Seventy-Fifth Birthday by DE LA MARE
    DE LA MARE
    Tribute to Walter De La Mare on his Seventy-Fifth Birthday

    London: Faber & Faber, 1948. Full crushed morocco, 8.75 inches tall. Very finely bound at the Minstead Bindery. With gilt title and floral pattern with birds and green onlays, dentelles and all edges gilt. With gilt tooled sleeve and elaborate felt lined slip case with wooden head and tail. Colour frontispiece. All in pristine condition. An owners incription at the rear with his communication with Faber and Faber tipped in.

    View basket More details Price: £300.00