Luxury Books

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.

Paris: Michel Lévy Frères, 1860. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. Full calf by the great firm of Leighton, from the library of Alfred Rothschild, but without his bookplate. With gilt raised bands, twin labels and neat centre tools to the panels. Twin gilt fillets and corner tools frame the boards. Pink edges. A fine copy of the first edition of this scarce title. In the original French.

Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1878. 24 volume set, 7 inches tall. A delightful half morocco by Bickers with delicate and unusual gilt tooling on a smooth back. All edges gilt. Bookplate. This set is complete, including the 3 volume 'George Eliot's Life as related in her letters and journals' by J. W. Cross. There is a slight stain to several spines, not effecting the text block or shape of the volume at all. A superb set of the works of one of England's greatest 19th century novelists.

London: Virtue & Co., 1875. 2 volume set, 15 inches tall. A tall and magnificent full morocco by Flude, Birch & Skelt, and with their ticket, with twin gilt raised bands and splendid gilt and blind tooling to the panels and boards. With fine gilt dentelles and all edges. Bookplate. Complete with all 39 full page engravings and 2 engraved vignettes on the title pages. Some light foxing and offsetting from a few plates, overall an usually clean and neat set of this monumental edition.

New York: Derby and Jackson, 1859. 4 volume set, 7 1/2 inches tall. A very bright Victorian half calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and extra gilt panels. There is some foxing to, and facing, the engraved portrait in volume one, the rest of the text in all four volumes is perfectly clean. Slight rubbing and scuffing. A very handsome set of the Works, in English, of this great 16th century French philosopher.

London: Macmillan and Co., 1899. Full morocco, 6 inches tall. A beautiful little binding by Ramage with gilt raised bands, dense gilt tooling of many stars and dots around heart centre tools to the panels. On the boards onlays of calf create rosebuds with a wide border of stars and hearts. Delicately gilt tooled dentelles and watered silk doublures and all edges gilt. The rather extraordinary bookplate of Sibell Cromartie (Countess Cromartie of Castle Leod) is found on the pastedown 'endpaper'. A delightful volume of the poetical works of John Keats.

London: Strahan & Co., 1872. Full morocco, 6 1/2 inches tall. A splendid full morocco binding with gilt raised bands and extra gilt panels. A single gilt fillet and extravagant corner tooling frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With the armorial bookplate of Viscount Boyne of Burwarton House. A most attractive copy of the first edition.

London: John W. Parker, 1855: 1855. 4 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A spectacular mid-Victorian full hard grain pink morocco by Grieve of Edinburgh, with gilt raised bands, green labels and a blind Aldus leaf centre tool. Wide gilt rolls and blind fillets frame the boards. With the armorial bookplate of Peter Carmichael. Maps, including 2 double page. A superb set of this great history devoted to the relationship between the conquering Spanish forces and the native American Indians.

London & Edinburgh: W. & R. Chambers, 1885. 2 volume set, 10 inches tall. A very handsome set in late Victorian half calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels , gilt and blind pallets and neat gilt centre tools. With full page plates. A chronological encyclopaedia of English Literature from the 'earliest times to the second half of the nineteenth century.

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.