Calf Bindings

Edinburgh: Edmonston & Douglas, 1873. 4 volume set, 8.25 inches tall. Very fine binding by Bayntun in half morocco with raised bands, simple gilt spines, gilt top edges and very distinctive floral tooling in black. Translated from the French by H. van Laun, one of the masters of the Edinburgh Academy. A very faded inscription by Henri van Laun, dated 1874, is above the half title. An extremely pleasing set.

London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin, c.1870. Full calf with inlays, 10.5 inches tall. Stunning binding with the binder's ticket of Manning of Greenwich with gilt raised bands, fine gilt tooling and green labels and lozenges on the boards. Illustrated throughout. Some foxing which is heavy on the last few leaves.

Paris: Barrois,1788. 2 volume set, 6.5 inches tall. Simple 18th century roan binding in excellent condition with raised bands, twin labels and gilt filets. There is a neat owner's ink inscription and some blobs of red sealing wax on the paste downs.

London: Rivington et al., 1774. 2 volume set, 7 inches tall. Full speckled calf with twin labels, raised bands and simple gilt tooling. A very pleasing, simple, 18th C. binding. The book plates have been neatly removed.

London: Routledge, Warne & Routledge, 1864. Full green calf by Zaehnsdorf, 8 inches tall. With gilt raised bands, very fine extra gilt panels, triple labels, gilt doublures and all edges. Original cloth covers bound in. A charming comic work profusely illustrated by Phiz.

London: W.S. Orr, 1839. Half maroon morocco, 9.5 inches tall. A very handsome binding with gilt raised bands, titles, panels and all edges. A very fine English edition of this French classic illustrated with 330 engravings, 30 of which are full page. Light foxing. A hugely popular novel originally printed in France in 1788. Bernardin's beliefs echo those of Enlightenment philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and he contrasts the social class divisions in eighteenth-century French society with those of the noble inhabitants of Mauritius.

London, 1783. 2 volume set, 7.25 inches tall. Full tree calf with raised bands, twin labels and very fine gilt panels. An exceptionally elegant set in fine condition.

Mantova: Co' Tipi Dell'Erede Pazzoni, 1816. 6 volumes, 6.5 inches tall. Full blue morocco by Hering. Superb set with wide floral gilt raised bands, framed panels, dentelles and all edges. Slightly rubbed on the spines.

London: A & C Black, 1916. Half red crushed morocco by Bayntun of Bath. 10.5 inches tall. One of 200 copies numbered and signed by the author. Gilt raised bands, fine gilt center tools and all edges. 60 colour plates tipped in. A splendid copy.

London: The Stanhope Press, 1813. Full red embossed leather. 5.25 inches tall. Black label and all edges gilt. The leather had been embossed with a heavy diagonal grain. 2 volumes bound in 1, complete. 2 finely engraved frontispieces.

Collection Poivre Et Sel. Kra, Editeur, 1928. Half morocco by Thierry Simier. 8.5 inches tall. Fine binding with gilt and blind tooling and red and brown onlays. Superb hand coloured illustrations by Marcel Capy. This deluxe copy is number 12 of 30 containing an original watercolour by Capy. Pristine copy.

London: Law Booksellers & Publishers, 1827. Large 8vo., 8.5 x 5.5 inches. Superb full calf binding with raised bands and twin red labels.

Lyon: B. Cormon et Blanc, Reymann, An VIII, 1800. 2 vols., 8vo (8.25 x 5.25 inches). Superb contemporary full tree calf, twin red and green labels, very pretty tooling to spine and framing boards, marbled edges and endpapers. Slightly rubbed. Signed by the author in black ink to verso of half-title. An excellent binding.

London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, 1858. 3 vols., 8vo (8.75 x 5.75 inches). Full calf, with twin red and green labels, gilt raised bands and floral gilt tooling to panels, marbled edges and endpapers, blind dentelles. Armorial bookplates. Slightly sunned at spine. The binder has had to correct the volume number on two of the three volumes. A very good set.

London: R. Priestley, et al, 1824. 8vo (9 x 5.75 inches). Full grey calf, with red label, wide gilt raised bands and ornate blind tooling to panels. Triple blind rule framing boards. Marbled edges. Armorial bookplate.

London: Charles Tilt, 1837. 2 vols., 12mo (4.25 x 2.75 inches). Full mauve morocco, with decorative gilt tooling framing title on spine. Double blind rule framing gilt scrolling foliage centre tool to both boards. All edges gilt. Unusual oxidised book plate 'Sarah'. Engraved frontispiece plates.

Paris: Gibert Jeune Librairie d'Amateurs, 1938. 4to (10½" tall). Full blue crushed morocco. Splendid 1930's French binding with a series of wide bands each bearing a letter of the title. Coloured calf inlay and gilt tooling on the upper board. Top edge gilt.