Luxury Books

London, Paris & New York: Offices Of The Studio , 1901. Half morocco, 12 inches tall. A pristine copy bound in quarter straight grain morocco with raised bands, twin labels and seasonal mistletoe gilt centre tooling to the panels. With original heavy paper wrappers bound in. With many fine full page illustrations by the finest illustrators of the day. A superb copy of this Studio 'Special Winter Number' of 'The Studio' 1900-1901.

Paris: Rue Sainte-Anne, 1900-1901. Half morocco, 11 1/2 inches tall. In a splendid half orange morocco with appropriate gilt tooling featuring Pan and Cupid and an ornate label. The shoulders are rubbed and there is some staining to the covers but no splitting or loss. 63 consecutive issues from volume no.1, 20th October 1900, to volume no. 63, 28th December 1901. 1060 pages, each one illustrated with up to 6 cartoons. The Illustrators include Picasso (Ruiz); Petitjean; Alber Guillaume; Roubille; Willete; André Rouveyre; Ferdinand Bac; Henri Gerbault and Préselan. There is a single risqué theme to every cartoon! A very nice run of this famous publication in a lovely binding.

London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1882-3. 12 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. A delightful set in late Victorian full vellum, rarely found in this condition. Bound with a smooth back with titles in black and red. Gilt top edges, the remaining edges untrimmed. Finely printed on hand-made paper. A splendid complete set of the Bard's great works, including the Sonnets.

London: John Murray, 1816; 1818; 1814; 1816; 1817; 1816. Full morocco, 8 1/2 inches tall. A very handsome full 'Romantic' straight grain morocco binding from the Regency period from the library of the Duke of Northumberland, bearing the armorial bookplate of Hugh Percy. Bound with dense blind tooling to the raised bands, panels and boards. With gilt titles, fillet framing the boards and all edges. Some rubbing to the shoulders but no splitting or loss. A clean collection of first and early editions in a fine binding of the period.

London: Bradbury & Evans, 1850. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. A superb tree calf binding by the great firm of Hayday with gilt raised bands, extra gilt panels and contrasting labels. A striking gilt roll frames the boards. Illustrated by Thackeray himself with vignettes and full page engraved plates throughout. Light foxing. The classic tale of a young English gentleman, Arthur Pendennis, born in the country who sets out for London to seek his place in life and society encountering a satirical picture of human character and aristocratic society.

Milan: Classici Italiani, 1806. Half vellum, 8 1/2 inches tall. A bright half vellum binding with a striking red label and an extra gilt smooth back. Slightly grubby boards and light foxing. Portrait. This is the masterpiece of the extraordinary Tassoni, the late 16th and early 17th century Italian poet. La Secchia Rapita , (in English: 'The Rape of the Bucket' or 'The Stolen Bucket') was hugely popular throughout Europe. In the original Italian.

London: Adam and Charles Black, 1893. 2 volume set, 8 inches tall. An exceptionally nice Victorian full calf with gilt raised bands, bright twin labels and delicate gilt tooling to the panels. With the gilt blocked heraldic device for Oriel College, Oxford on the upper boards. With the armorial bookplate of Edward Seymour Forster, the famous Greek classicist and scholar, and a neat prize inscription to him on the first blank. A superb set on this great study on the classic Greek poets.

London: Cassell & Company, 1887 - Bristol: J. W. Arrowsmith, 1917. 45 volumes, 5 1/2 inches to 8 inches. An extraordinary and unique set of first editions of works by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, also known as 'Q', all in uniform beautiful half morocco bindings by Zaehnsdorf. With raised bands and glorious floral gilt tooling in the Art-Nouveau style. Many have their original cloth covers bound in. All have the bookplate of Charles Plumptre Johnson. Arthur Quiller-Couch was a Cornishman and prolific novelist and poet. In 1887 he published 'Dead Man's Rock', a romance in the style of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. He continued to write popular novels and poetry as well as celebrated anthologies of poetry and Fairy-Tales throughout the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. A unique collection, in superb bindings, in absolutely pristine condition.

London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1895. 2 volume set, 11 inches tall. A pristine and very good looking half mottled calf by the Geneva bookbinder Asper with gilt raised bands, maroon label, gilt framed panels and gilt top edges. Embellished with 18 full page plates by E. R. Hughes. A splendid English language edition of 1000 copies of the great work of the 15th century Italian poet best known for his 50 celebrated bawdy short stories, here first translated into English.

London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1894. 2 volume set, 11 inches tall. A pristine and very good looking half mottled calf by the Geneva bookbinder Asper with gilt raised bands, maroon label, gilt framed panels and gilt top edges. Embellished with 18 full page plates by E. R.Hughes. A splendid English language edition of 1000 copies of the great work of the early 16th century Italian writer of bawdy short stories, which include some of the original versions of well known fairy stories. This translation into English is the first collected English language version of Straparola's 'Nights', 'The Pleasant Nights' or 'Facetious Nights', as they are also known.

London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1892. 2 volume set, 11 inches tall. A pristine and very good looking half mottled calf by the Geneva bookbinder Asper with gilt raised bands, maroon label, gilt framed panels and gilt top edges. Embellished with a portrait and 14 full page plates. A splendid English language edition of 1000 copies of the great work of the early 16th century French renaissance satirist Francis Rabelais. Described as the first great French prose writer he revelled in the bawdy, grotesque, extravagant and robust tales that he is still celebrated for.

London: Cassell, Petter & New York, c.1890. 2 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A lovely Victorian tree calf with gilt raised bands, sparkling twin labels and extra gilt panels. A gilt roll frames the boards and the gilt prize block of Rossall School on the upper boards. With the prize bookplate of Rossall school on the first paste down endpaper. Embellished with colour maps showing St. Paul's missionary journeys.

London: J. G. & F. Rivington, 1838. 2 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A handsome early Victorian half calf from the recently dispersed Country House library of Bridehead in Dorset, with gilt raised bands, twin labels and delicate gilt tooling to the panels. Pink speckled edges. With the armorial bookplate of Robert Williams of Bridehead. A fine copy of the first edition of this treatise 'Designed Chiefly for the use of Students in Theology'.

Edinburgh: Adam & Charles Black, 1871. 25 volume set, 7 1/2 inches tall. A very handsome Victorian half calf in pristine condition with gilt raised bands, twin labels and gilt tooling incorporating a thistle to the panels. Embellished with engraved frontispieces to each volume. An attractive set of the most popular novels of the the 19th century.

London: Rivington, Hatchards, Egerton et al., 1803. 2 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A very handsome Georgian tree calf with gilt bands, twin labels and jaunty gilt tooling to the panels. Blue speckled edges. Neat former owner's signature at the head of the title-pages. A particularly nice set of this interesting and curious work.

London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1869. 22 volume set, 8 1/4 inches tall. A bight half straight grain calf with gilt raised bands and gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt top edges. Illustrated profusely throughout with vignettes and full page engravings. A fine set of the works of one of Victorian England's greatest novelists.