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London: Printed for Thomas Macklin, by Thomas Bensley, 1800. 8 volumes, 19 inches tall in original box. A magnificent set of this 'sumptuous edition' (Herbert) bound by Lovejoy in superb full morocco. With double gilt raised bands, delicate gilt tooling to the panels and a series of wonderful rolls framing the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Sewn leather joints. The Box measures 25 x 18 x 22 inches. With the binder's ticket of John Lovejoy, one of the great binders of the period, celebrated almost exclusively for his masonic bindings, this example being a rare and spectacular exception. Embellished with 76 full page engravings by the great artists of the time including Henry Fuseli, P.J. de Loutherbourg, James Northcote, Benjamin West, William Hamilton, Thomas Stothard, Richard Cosway, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Angelica Kauffman. A further 111 ornate vignettes are present.
The condition is excellent with no splitting or loss, even all 16 sewn leather joints are present and correct, a feature found in only the finest bindings. There is some minor rubbing, scuffing and scratching and the margins of one leaf have been expertly repaired with no loss.
The subscribers list is found in volume 1 and includes The King, The Queen, The Prince of Wales et al..
One of the rarest and most impressive features of our extraordinary set is that it is in 8 volumes, all with their respective title pages. Originally intended to be printed in 3 volumes, it was actually published in 6. The Apocrypha (Published in 1816) is occasionally found with the set, making 7 volumes. We can only find record of one other set in 8 volumes (in a much poorer condition) where, as here, the New Testament is bound in 2 volumes, each with a title page, making a spectacular 8 volume set.
The box dates from around the date of publication and no doubt explains the remarkable condition of this huge and impressive set.
Macklin announced plans for his great folio Bible in 1789 to promote 'the glory of the English school of painting and engraving and the interests of our Holy Religion'. New type (cut by Joseph Jackson and Vincent Figgins) and new paper were created for the venture, and the historic paintings were to be 'finished in a style of elegance (and magnificence in Paper, Printing, and engraving) of which there is not in Europe or the world any example'. Macklin's project was costly and ambitious. He paid Reynolds £500 for his Holy Family and William Sharp £700 for its engraving. The average cost for 45 of the Bible's other engravings was £220 and the total cost of the publication was an estimated £30000, a truly vast sum at the time.

London: Printed for Thomas Macklin, by Thomas Bensley, 1800. 6 volume set, 19 inches tall. A magnificent set of this 'sumptuous edition' (Herbert), in superb full morocco. With double gilt raised bands, delicate and beautiful gilt tooling to the panels and a series of wonderful gilt and blind rolls framing the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. The Georgian tooling is in excellent condition with little rubbing and no splitting or loss. A long defunct insect has nibbled at tiny areas of the pink endpapers. With the armorial bookplate of Lord Kinnaird of Rossie Priory. Embellished with 76 full page engravings by the great artists of the time including Henry Fuseli, P.J. de Loutherbourg, James Northcote, Benjamin West, William Hamilton, Thomas Stothard, Richard Cosway, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Angelica Kauffman. A further 111 ornate vignettes are present. The subscribers list is found in volume 1 and includes The King, The Queen, The Prince of Wales et al.. Macklin announced plans for his great folio Bible in 1789 to promote 'the glory of the English school of painting and engraving and the interests of our Holy Religion'. New type (cut by Joseph Jackson and Vincent Figgins) and new paper were created for the venture, and the historic paintings were to be 'finished in a style of elegance (and magnificence in Paper, Printing, and engraving) of which there is not in Europe or the world any example'. Macklin's project was costly and ambitious. He paid Reynolds £500 for his Holy Family and William Sharp £700 for its engraving. The average cost for 45 of the Bible's other engravings was £220 and the total cost of the publication was an estimated £30000, a truly vast sum at the time.

London: Dodsley et al., 1760-1835. 77 volumes, 8 1/2 inches tall. A magnificent run of this important periodical in full calf in gilt raised bands, twin labels and superb extra gilt tooling to the panels. With the ticket of Bain, bookseller of 1, Haymarket. Some rubbing, chips and cracking but still a highly impressive set. The first volume is the seventh edition, from volume II the vast majority are first editions. This consecutive run lacks volume XXXII. Speckled pink edges. A splendid run of this highly important source for the political and literary events of the time including the American Wars of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars. From the library of Charles William Vane (formerly Stewart), third Marquess of Londonderry. Vane served with distinction throughout the Peninsula War. His dashing and dandified portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence is at the National Portrait Gallery. He amassed magnificent libraries in his various Country Houses.

In black: London: Eyre & Strahan, 1813; Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1816; London: Company of Stationers, 1810; London: Bent, (1818). In Red: Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1823; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1820; London: Company of Stationers, 1825; London: Rivington et al, 1827. 8 volumes, 6.25 inches - 13.5 inches tall. A magnificent and unique collection of devotional works belonging to Nicholas Robinson, Lord Mayor of Liverpool in 1828-1829.
On his becoming the Bailiff of Liverpool in 1818 he had the 4 great devotional works bound in uniform full black morocco with gilt raised bands, superb gilt tooling to the panel and boards, dentelles and all edges.
On becoming Lord Mayor he had another set of the 4 works bound in even more sumptuous uniform full red morocco. These have gilt raised bands, extra gilt panels, glorious gilt flourishes to the boards, gilt dentelles and all edges. These volumes also have watered silk doublures and free endpapers.
All 8 volumes have his autographed armorial bookplates and his gilt embossed inscriptions on the upper boards.
There is minor rubbing and scuffing, otherwise all the volumes are in superb condition. An extraordinary collection.

London: John Murray, 1814-1819. 4 volume collection, 8 1/2 inches tall. A remarkable and superb full Regency straight grain morocco with gilt raised bands, very fine extra gilt tooling to the panels and boards. The boards are decorated with a wide gilt lozenge framing a Grecian lyre bordered with a blind roll encased within quite extraordinary gilt corner tooling, gilt dentelles and all edges. Each volume has the bookplate of John Maberly, the remarkable business man and Member of Parliament. On the reverse of the free endpaper is written in pencil ' bought at sale of Mrs G. R. Smith's books at Christie's Feb. 1880. All the poems are early editions, including some firsts, most being extra illustrated with engraved plates by Westall. Some foxing to and facing the plates, otherwise clean. A fabulously bound collection of these great works.

London: David Nutt 1890 & 1894. Full morocco, 10 inches tall. Wonderful full crushed morocco bindings, executed in 1898, by Riviere & Son with superb gilt olive branch tooling to the spine and boards. With gilt dentelles and top edges. Illustrated by John D Batten with 12 plates, all in 2 states, headpieces, vignettes and initials throughout. Original paper spine bound in. Signed by the author, publisher and illustrator. First edition, Deluxe issue being numbers 33 of 80 copies, and 22 of 160 copies respectively, printed on Japanese vellum. Joseph Jacobs, the editor of the society journal 'Folk-Lore', was a noted collector and publisher of English folklore. He was responsible for popularising such familiar fairy tales as 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', 'Jack and the Beanstalk', 'Jack the Giant Killer', 'The History of Tom Thumb' and 'The Three Little Pigs'. A splendid set of these two scarce deluxe limited editions.

London: Strahan and Cadell, 1788-1790. 12 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A fabulous 18th century tree calf with gilt bands, splendid twin labels and superb gilt tooling to the panels. The tree calf boards are framed within a neat gilt roll. Engraved frontispiece portrait, 3 folding engraved maps and the half titles to volumes 7-12, not called for in volumes 1-6. This is the first complete London octavo edition comprising the reprint of volumes 1-6 (first issued 1783, now dated 1788 and the first appearance of volumes 7-12, dated 1790. With the bookplate of J. Cresswell and his stamp at the foot of the title page. A superb set of "this masterpiece of historical penetration and literary style has remained one of the ageless historical works which.....maintain their hold upon the layman and continue to stimulate the scholar". "Gibbon brought a width of vision and a critical mastery of the available sources which have not been equalled to this day; and the result was clothed in an inimitable prose that was elevated, cadenced, and graceful'. (P.M.M.).

London: Chapman & Hall, 1887. 34 volumes, 8 1/2 inches tall. A superb late Victorian set bound by Zaehnsdorf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and very fine gilt tooling to the panels. The Monogram and coronet of The Marchioness of Londonderry is gilt embossed on the upper boards framed within a double fillet. With her bookplate. A letter is slipped in reading: "June 24th 1889. My Dear Lady Londonderry, I send you a set of Carlyle's Works - Please accept in memory of such kindness received from Ireland's best of Kings & sweetest of Queens.....Edmund Talbot". A few marks and scratches but a superb set in near pristine condition. A fine set of the best edition of the works of one of the greatest influences of the Victorian Age.