Luxury Books

London: C and J Rivington, T. Cadell et al., 1827. 6 volume set, 9 inches tall. A very handsome early Victorian full calf by Wiseman of Cambridge. With blind tooled raised bands and smart gilt framing to the panels. The gilt embossed crest of Queen's College Cambridge within gilt and blind fillets frames the boards. Some rubbing but a solid and firm set. Subtitled 'The History of Modern Europe with an account of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; and a View of the Progress of Society, from the Rise of the Modern Kingdoms to the Peace of Paris in 1763, in a Series of Letters from a Nobleman to his Son. A New Edition with a Continuation, Terminating at the Death of Alexander, the Russian Emperor, in 1825.

Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1906. Quarter Vellum, 7 inches tall. A sparkling half vellum on a smooth back with twin labels and gilt floral tooling in the Art Nouveau style. A splendid anthology containing 100 songs and ballads about the sea over a period of 500 years.

London: Macmillan and Co., 1892. Full morocco, 6 1/4 inches tall. A very pretty binding by Bumpus with gilt raised bands and charming gilt tooling with hearts and leaves in the panels. Twin gilt fillets and the same tooling in the corners frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. There is a large bookplate on the free end paper and foxing on the half title, otherwise clean. A delightful copy of the selected verse of this great 17th century English lyric poet.

London: James Parker and Co., 1894. Full calf, 6 inches tall. A splendid little tree calf binding by Bickers with gilt raised bands, label and delicate gilt tooling to the panels. Pink edges. With a gilt embossed prize block on the upper board and prize inscription on the first blank. A delightful copy of this great devotional work.

London: George Bell & Sons 1870-1875. 9 volume set, 10 inches tall. A magnificent Victorian half morocco by Bickers with gilt raised bands and beautiful floral gilt tooling to the panels. All edges gilt. Both second editions, illustrated with 598 splendid lithographic plates, as called for, all hand finished. A couple of scuffs but overall in fine condition, inside and out. Morris was an early champion of conservation, campaigning extensively and ultimately successfully for a nature conservation act, he also founded the Plumage League. A very smart set of these classic works on British Birds.

London: Longman et al., 1830. 3 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. A very attractive little set in an early Victorian half calf binding, with dense gilt tooling and twin labels to the smooth back. Each volume has an engraved title page. Armorial bookplate. This is the complete section on France from Lardner's famous 'Cabinet of History' in excellent condition.

London: C. Baldwyn, 1823. 2 volumes bound in 1, 9 1/4 inches tall. A wonderful full morocco binding by the great firm of Bedford from the library of a Scottish Gentleman. Gilt raised bands, exceptionally fine gilt tooling to the panels and triple gilt fillets framing the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edge. A curious comic work in which Cruikshank " selects or invents those incidents which might be interesting or amusing in themselves, while they afford scope for the peculiar talents of the artist who adorns them with his designs". Both volumes contains 10 themes, each illustrated with a full page wood engraving. There are further engraved vignettes on India paper throughout. With 6 leaves of advertisements bound in. An absolutely pristine copy of the first edition.

London & Boston: The Medici Society, n.d. c.1920. Full morocco, 5 1/2 inches tall. A scarce little edition in a full crushed morocco binding by Hatchards. A delightful volume containing several obscure as well as more familiar Christmas Carols.

London: Henry Frowde, 1912. Quarter vellum, 8 inches tall. An attractive binding in the Art Nouveau style with gilt bands on a smooth back with a gilt rose design. Gilt top edge. Some foxing to the preliminaries, then clean. This edition "including materials never before printed in any edition of the poems".

London: Macmillan and Co., 1910. Full morocco, 6 inches tall. An exquisite binding by Ramage with gilt raised bands, dense gilt tooling with tiny blue band onlays and exceptionally fine gilt tooling with extensive blue onlays to the boards. With elaborate gilt tooled dentelles on watered silk doublures and free 'end papers'. Ink inscriptions on first blank. One of the best titles in Ramage's repertoire of little luxury binding in pristine condition.

London: Hector M'Lean, 1823. 5 volume set, 5 1/2 inches tall. A delightful full Regency straight grain morocco with wide gilt raised bands and exuberant floral gilt tooling to the panels. A blind and gilt tooled lozenge is framed within a wide blind roll and twin gilt fillets. All edges gilt. There is a neat ink former owner's name, 'Sarah Darell Vawdrey' on the first blanks. Embellished with a portrait and engraved full page illustrations throughout. A charming selection of the works of this great Anglo-Irish writer in a fine binding.

London: Bickers and Son, 1873. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. A superb Victorian full calf binding by Mansell. With gilt raised bands, delicate gilt tooling to the panels and very fine labels, in particular the radiant volume labels. The bookplates have been rubbed to obscure the name and there is considerable rubbing to the shoulders but still a sparkling set of these great theatrical works.

London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1873-1876. 10 volumes, 8 1/2 inches tall. Very smart full Victorian calf by Carss of Glasgow, and with their binder's ticket. With gilt raised bands and neat gilt tooling to the panels. The boards are framed by gilt and blind fillets and blind corner tools. The best edition, containing his classic 'History of England', in eight volumes and 'His Life and Letters' in two. Armorial bookplate.

Chiswick: From the Press of C. Whittingham, 1822. Full calf, 5 inches tall. A charming little Regency straight grain by T. Smyth of Exeter, and with their ticket. With gilt bands and elaborate gilt tooling to the panels. A flowery gilt roll frames the boards. Speckled edges. A neat ink former owner's name, Mary Anne Davey, on the first blank and inside the rear free end paper. With an engraved title page and vignettes.

Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907. Full morocco, 6 3/4 inches tall. A splendid little luxurious binding by Ramage with gilt raised bands and delicate gilt tooling to the panels and boards.Gilt dentelles and watered silk doublures. With an armorial bookplate. All edges gilt. A little bit grubby and with rubbing to the shoulders, but still a delightful little copy of this fine anthology.

London: Longman et al., 1832-1855. 5 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. A very attractive little set in an early Victorian half calf binding, with dense gilt tooling and twin labels to the smooth back. Each volume has an engraved title page. Armorial bookplate. This is the complete section on Spain and Portugal from Lardner's famous 'Cabinet of History' in excellent condition.

London: R. Ackermann, 1815: 1815. Full morocco, 10 inches tall. A tall and sumptuous later full crushed morocco binding by the great firm of Bedford. With gilt raised bands and exceptional gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt dentelles and top edge. Very slight fading to the spine but still a wonderful copy from the library of a Scottish Gentleman. Hand-colored aquatint frontispiece, engraved title page and a further 16 hand-colored aquatint plates, as listed. First edition in book form. As good a copy of this highly entertaining work as one could hope to find.

London: Macmillan and Co., 1898. Full morocco, 6 1/4 inches tall. A luxurious little binding by Ramage with gilt raised bands and beautiful gilt tooling to the panels and boards around orange rose inlays and leaves. Wide gilt dentelles with the same inlayed rose tooling and watered silk doublures and free 'end papers'. All edges gilt. There is considerable rubbing and the upper board is duller than the lower but still a firm and solid example of Ramage's splendid Edwardian bindings.

London: Macmillan and Co., 1904. Full morocco, 6 inches tall. A beautiful example of one of Ramage's luxury bindings, so popular in the Edwardian period. Full crushed morocco gilt raised bands and sumptuous gilt tooling to the panels and boards. With wide and elaborate gilt dentelles and watered silk doublures and free 'endpapers'. Light foxing to the preliminaries and slight rubbing but still a remarkable and impressive binding on this charming anthology 'selected from the best songs and lyrical poems in the English language'.

London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1898. Full calf, 7 1/2 inches tall. A most attractive binding by Zaehnsdorf with gilt raised bands, extravagant floral gilt tooling to the panels and contrasting red label. With the gilt embossed crest of Uppingham School on the upper board and their prize bookplate on the paste down end paper. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With portraits and facsimiles.