Ancient History

London & Paris: Ex Typographia Ludovici-Francisci Delatour via San-Jacobea. Londini apud Paulum Vaillant, 1771. 4 volume set, 11 inches tall. Superb 18th century full vellum bindings with most attractive blue gilt labels. Complete with all 4 folding maps and genealogy. With the bookplate of the Earl of Aylesford. A splendid set described by Brunet (V p.645) as the ...."Edition magnifiquement imprimee et qui a longtemps passe pour une des meilleures de cet historien".

Amsterdam: Johannis van Someren, 1670. 3 volume set, 7.75 inches tall. A wonderful set in a full crushed morocco, unsigned but possibly by Clarke at the beginning of the 19th century. With raised bands, twin labels and superb gilt floral tooling to the panels. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Armorial bookplate. Fine engraved title pages to the first 2 volumes. In the original Greek. Slightly faded spines but still a splendid set which describes the rise of the Roman Republic to the status of dominance in the ancient Mediterranean world. Famously it includes Polybius's eyewitness account of the Sack of Carthage and Corinth in 146 BC and the Roman annexation of the mainland Greece after the Achaean War.

Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1892-99. 8 volume set bound in 9, 8 1/2 inches tall. A handsome half calf with gilt raised bands, dense gilt panels and twin labels. Colour frontispiece to volume I, photographic views, maps and other illustrations throughout. An interesting work rarely found in a fine binding.

Paris: Chez Nyon, Saillant, Desaint, 1766. 2 volume set, 6 3/4 inches tall. A beautiful 18th century tree calf binding from the celebrated Library of Lord Macclesfield and with his 2 armorial bookplates and, as usual, his armorial blind stamps. With gilt bands, superb gilt tooling to the panels and twin labels. Yellow edges. The contents are complete with the two folding engraved plates and woodcut devices to the title page, decorative initials and head and tail pieces. Slight rubbing. This is the history of Xenophon's brilliant military leadership in leading the 10,000 Greek mercenaries in their retreat from Cyrus's attempt to take control of the Achaemenid Empire in the 4th century B.C.. In the original French.

London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. A very smart mid-Victorian full calf with gilt raised bands, beautifully gilt tooled panels and twin labels. Two gilt fillets frame the boards. Maps. A neat inscription dated 1864 "on leaving Eton" is written on the first blank. An important and scarce history translated from the original German.

London: G. Bohn, 1853. 7 volume set, 7 inches tall. A smart little classic Victorian half calf by Webb & Hunt with gilt raised bands, contrasting labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. Portrait and folding map. Rubbed on the shoulders. A good looking set of this popular edition of one of the great histories in the English language.

Leyden: Elzevir, 1656. Full morocco, 5 inches tall. A delightful little 18th century French crushed morocco binding with gilt bands, floral gilt tooling to the panels and contrasting green label.. Triple gilt fillets and corner tools frame the boards. With map of Alexander's expedition, engraved title and portrait. This is a lovely little copy of the only known work of Curtius the first century Roman historian. In the original Latin.

Batavorum Lugdunum: Elzevir, 1640. Full crushed morocco, 4.75 inches tall. A delightful little volume in a sumptuous binding with gilt bands and floral tooling to the panels, dentelles, triple gilt fillet to the boards and all edges gilt. With wonderful gilt stamped endpapers. Voluptuous engraved title page. There were two first editions, this being the larger without the dedication from Vossius to Bielke but with summaries of the contents of each book. With the Bookplate of the Hayhurst Collection.

Edinburgh: Sterling, 1818. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. Full speckled calf with multiple gilt bands, twin labels and very delicate centre tools typical of this regency style. With plates and folding map. A lovely copy.

London: George Cowie, 1825. 2 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. Handsome half calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and gilt pallets and star centre tools. Heavy offsetting facing the folding map, otherwise clean. A neat set of this classic ancient history.

London: Arthur L. Humphreys, 1907. Full calf, 8 1/2 inches tall. An elegant Edwardian binding by Bayntun with gilt raised bands, ornate floral gilt tooling to the panels and twin labels. Twin gilt fillets and corner tools frame the boards, Gilt dentelles and top edge. Slight fading to the spine, otherwise pristine. From the Library of the Late Christopher Foyle of Beeleigh Abbey. A typically luxurious printing on hand-made paper by Humphreys. This is one of the tall scarcer titles in this great series.

London: Arthur L. Humphreys, 1907. Full morocco, 8 1/2 inches tall. A splendid Edwardian binding in full crushed morocco with raised bands, gilt lettering, gilt dentelles and top edge. a dark mark on a couple of bands, otherwise pristine. From the Library of the Late Christopher Foyle of Beeleigh Abbey. A typically luxurious printing on hand-made paper by Humphreys. This is one of the tall scarcer titles in this great series.

Göttingen: Ruprecht, 1807. 6 volume set, 7 inches tall. A handsome full vellum with calf labels, some chipped. Foxing. A set of Livy's Histories in the original Latin edited by Georg Alexander Rupert. From an Oxfordshire Country House.