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London: Printed by Bensley for Triphook, 1817. 2 volume set, 9.5 inches tall. A binding in full straight grain morocco of the highest quality attributed to C(harles) Lewis on an ancient tipped-in slip from an old catalogue. With wide gilt raised bands, exceptionally fine and dense gilt tooling to the panels and neat gilt tooling framing the boards. Superb gilt doublures. With the splendid armorial bookplate of the great bibliophile Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, whose magnificent library was housed at Kensington Palace. One of only 50 large paper sets with the woodcuts, after Thurston, being in 2 states, one on india paper. Some minor foxing.

Paris: L. Curmer, 1861. Full morocco, 13.25 inches tall. An extraordinary binding by Riviere with gilt titles to the spine and both boards and extraordinary blind tooling to the panels, boards and doublures. Vellum endpapers. All edges gilt. This is the text volume, red ruled throughout, and is offered WITHOUT the Plates. In 'Fine and Historic Bookbindings from the Folger Shakespeare Library', published in 1992 a very similar binding is described and illustrated (page 222, item 14:5). It is described as 'a Pastiche of a 16th Century Panel-Stamped Binding by Riviere and Son, c.1881'.

London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1869. 24 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A magnificent set extended from 22 volumes from the library of Evelyn de Rothschild and with his bookplate. A very neat mid-Victorian set in pristine condition with gilt raised bands, bright twin labels and elegant gilt tooling to the panels. Profusely illustrated by Thackeray himself.

Boston: Dana Estes, 1891. 32 volume set, 9 inches tall. A rather unusual and very good looking half morocco with gilt raised bands and splendid floral gilt tooling to the panels. A former owner's gilt monogram within a floral swag on the upper boards. Gilt top edges. The deluxe 'Warwick Edition' was limited to one thousand copies of which this set is number 264. A very popular novelist through the Victorian period today he is mostly remembered for coining the phrases "pursuit of the almighty dollar", "the pen is mightier than the sword" and "the great unwashed". A fine set profusely illustrated.

London: George Goulding and John Walker, 1793. 3 volume set, 10 1/2 inches tall. Superb 18th century 'Country House' full calf with raised bands and splendid gilt tooling to the panels and exceptionally fine twin labels. With the splendid martial bookplate of Stewart. 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. There is an ink stain to one foredge and two stains on the reverse of the frontispiece, not affecting the portrait itself, otherwise very clean internally and magnificent externally.

London: Printed for the Villon Society by Private subscription and for Private Circulation Only, 1882-1884. 9 volume set, 9 inches tall. A very handsome set with raised bands and splendid gilt centre tools. Gilt top edges, the other edges deckled. This privately printed edition is limited to 500 copies of which this is number 14. Slight foxing to the preliminaries, otherwise pristine.

London: Macmillan and Co., 1892. Full morocco, 6 inches tall. A beautiful full morocco by Ramage with gilt raised bands, delicate, tiny gilt tooling to the panels and boards with a multitude of stars and flowers. Gorgeous gilt dentelles and watered silk doublures and free end paper. All edges gilt. From the Golden Treasury Series. A delightful little binding of great quality in pristine condition.

London: William Pickering, 1846. 2 volume set, 12 inches tall. A magnificent crushed morocco by J. Clarke with gilt raised bands, very finely tooled panels, gilt dentelles and all edges. With the gilt embossed arms of Earl Cawdor on the boards. Beautifully embellished with 16 plates, 3 coloured, 1 folded and 60 illuminated initials. Some foxing to the engraved plates, otherwise pristine. A very fine set.

London: Ackermann, 1815. Full morocco, 9 1/2 inches tall. A magnificent copy in full navy blue morocco for Sawyer with gilt raised bands, very fine gilt tooled panels and top edge gilt. Triple gilt fillet framing the boards. With 2 maps, 1 folding and 17 superb hand coloured aquatints by Thomas Rowlandson.

London: Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1821. Full morocco, 9 inches tall. A fabulous full morocco by Wood with gilt raised bands, superb gilt tooling to the panels and boards representing the gambling and fighting to be found in the text. Fine gilt dentelles and top edge. The armorial bookplate of Charles Tuller Garland and a pictorial bookplate. Embellished with 36 comic hand-coloured aquatints by George Cruikshank and 3 folding pages of songs. With 8 pages of adverts bound in. Some finger marks but still a super copy of the rollicking adventures of three young gentlemen enjoying life in the Metropolis.

Cassell & Co., 1948-1954. 6 volume set, 8 1/4 inches tall. All First editions. A neat mid 20th century binding (as opposed to the many much inferior 'recent' or 'modern' leather 'cased' sets offered online) by Brian Frost of Bath. Light foxing. With raised bands, gilt English rose centre tools, titles and gilt top edges. An elegant set of this great history.

London: Longman et al., 1814. Full morocco, 15 inches tall. A magnificent tall full hard grain morocco with gilt raised bands, superb twin labels and spectacular gilt tooling to the panels. The boards are framed by triple gilt fillets and centre tools. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Embellished with 95 splendid engravings. The tallest and best edition of this work in an exceptional binding.

London: Macmillan, 1877-1880; 1881; 1883. 6 volume collection, 9 inches tall. A set of the 3 great histories by Green bound beautifully by Hopkins of Glasgow. With gilt raised bands, triple olive green labels and exquisite gilt tooling in the panels. The boards are decorated in the style of 17th century Cambridge panels, speckled and stenciled. Gilt dentelles and top edges. A few superficial abrasions. As nice a late Victorian bound set as one could hope to find.

Published by New York: Duprat & Co. 1893 - 97. 5 volume set, 7 inches tall. A superb complete set of this wonderful and very scarce title in a half crushed morocco binding of the period with gilt raised bands and ornate floral gilt tooling with red calf onlays to the panels. Limited to a total of 600 copies Beautifully illustrated throughout, volume I by Henriot, volume II by Robida, the remaining volumes are more serious in tone. Volume V contains an original watercolour.

New York: Duprat & Co. 1893, 1894 & 1895. The first 3 volumes of this very rare limited edition, 7" tall. Beautifully bound by Canape in half red morocco with gilt raised bands, ornate tooling to the panels around a calf onlay. Gilt top edges. With the bookplates of Pierre Munier and I. Fernandez. With an ink inscription from the publisher on the first blank. Number 416 of 600 copies on handmade paper. The first volume has delightful coloured comic illustrations of various aspects of the book trade facing each month. The second and third volumes have fine monochrome plates. Copies of these volumes are exceedingly scarce and, especially in pristine condition and in fine bindings.

London: Richard Hodgkinsonne, 1655. Red morocco, 13.5 inches tall. A splendid full 18th century red crushed morocco with some rather extraordinary restoration with gilt raised bands, fine floral gilt tooling to the panels, wide dentelles and all edges gilt. The lower board has been restored with cat's paw calf decorated with a gilt fleur de lys surmounted by a royal crown. Embellished with 52 engravings, several of which are folding. From the library of Charles Whibley. Bookplate. Two manuscript letters, dated 1627 and 1671 are tipped in. This work was expanded with two further volumes in 1661 and 1673. This is a most good looking copy of this celebrated work albeit with some remarkable restoration to the lower board. In Latin.