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St Petersburg, Shipovnik, 1906. Full morocco, 6 1/2 inches tall. An extraordinarily rare Russian volume on the designs of Aubrey Beardsley in a full crushed morocco in a binding stamped by Oliver & Boyd. The binding has gilt raised bands, simple gilt tooling to the panels and ornate gilt tooling to the boards incorporating peacocks, fountain and swags. Gilt dentelles and all edges. This volume is the first album of Beardsley’s designs published in Russia and contains 57 full page designs and 2 vignettes. We can find no other complete example, let alone in this condition, which could be described as mint. From the celebrated library of fine bindings of a Scottish Banker.

London: Edward Moxon, 1843-1846. 11 volume set, 8.75 inches tall. A truly splendid full hard grain morocco by one of the greatest binders of the period, White of Pall Mall. With gilt raised bands, unusual dense gilt tooling to the panels and gilt dentelles. All the edges are gilt over marbling. The heraldic crest on both boards is framed within magnificent gilt rolls and individual tooling. The crest with the motto 'Sic Donec' is that of William Tatton Egerton, 1st Baron Egerton of Tatton Park. A wonderful set of the Works of these two early 17th century English playwrights, often considered successors to Shakespeare.

London: Robinson, 1789. 3 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A fine copy with wide margins in a superb 18th century tree calf with gilt bands and magnificent labels on a smooth back. Yellow edges. From the library of Vane Londonderry, 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. This is the first English edition with half titles, folding engraved map, folding engraved plan of Madrid, folding engraved view of Gibraltar and a further 8 folding engraved plates.

Edinburgh: James Ballantyne and Company, 1812. 14 volumes, 8 1/2 inches tall. A superb Georgian 'Country House' half morocco bound set with gilt raised bands, blind pallets and very handsome gilt centre tooling. Portraits. With the armorial book plate of Baldwin Bastard of Buckland Court. Some foxing especially to the preliminaries. This fine edition includes, for the first time from manuscript, Fletcher's tragicomedy 'The Faithful Friends'. Not printed in its own century, it is one of the most disputed works in English Renaissance drama. English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher collaborated in their writing in the early 17th century.

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., 1889. 17 volume set, 7 inches tall. A classic Victorian full calf for Sotheran with gilt raised bands, twin labels and beautiful floral gilt tooling to the panels. Dentelles and all edges gilt. Twin gilt fillets and corner tools frame the boards. From the library and with the bookplates of Alfred de Rothschild. A wonderful set of the poetical works of one of the greatest and most influential English 19th century poets.

Edinburgh: John Grant, 1924. 12 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A splendid set in an early 20th century half crushed morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. In an elegant but simple binding, suitable for these great novels with raised bands, gilt titles and gilt to edges. Photographic illustrations. Slight blotchiness to a couple of spines but still a fine clean set.

London: Virtue, 1836. Full straight grain morocco, 11 inches tall. A fabulously bound set with extraordinary gilt and white metal tooled spine and boards.the elaborate 'cathedral' design on all four boards is made up from individual tooling, as is the superb tooling on the spines. All edges gilt. Illustrated with 2 engraved titles and 106 full page engraved views and I folding map. Some foxing to the plates and slight fading to the spine, but still a fine and spectacular set.

Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1816. 3 volume set, bound in 6, 10 inches tall. A magnificent Georgian binding in full crushed morocco by J. Mackenzie Bookbinder to the King with raised bands and superb extra gilt tooling to the panels. A smart series of gilt fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelles on the unusually deep squares. With the armorial bookplate of Joseph Neeld. The binding which almost glows, and text are in pristine condition. A splendid set of this great seventeenth century history in defence of Henry VIII's reformation of the English Church and destruction of the monasteries.

London: John Murray, 1832. 17 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. A very elegant William IV full calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and neat gilt tooling, typical of the period. A gilt roll frames the boards. Very slight rubbing, but still a super set of the works of one of the greatest of English poets and leader of the Roman movement.

London: Knight and Lacey, 1825. 6 volume set, 8 inches tall. A very good looking clean set in later half morocco by Bayntun with gilt raised bands, twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. All edges gilt. Embellished with 35 fine engraved plates, several folding. With entertaining and informative work is published anonymously but it is usually considered to have been edited by a young George Borrow.

London: John W. Parker, 1857-1861; Longmans, Green, and Co., 1872; Sampson Low et al., 1880. 7 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. Superb Victorian full calf bindings by the great firm of J. Leighton of Brewer Street from the library of Alfred de Rothschild, though without his bookplate. The 'History of Civilization in England' and 'Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works' are both first editions. With gilt raised bands, twin labels and neat gilt frame around a sunburst centre tool to the panels. Some foxing to the preliminaries and a slight stain to the title page of The life of, otherwise perfectly clean. Buckle, the highly influential English historian and author was an exponent of 'Historical Science'.

London: Rodwell and Martin, 1820. Full straight grain morocco, 10.5 inches tall. A glorious Regency binding with wide gilt raised bands and dense blind tooling to the panels. The boards are magnificently tooled in blind and gilt. All edges gilt. There is a tiny amount of worming effecting the gutter of the front endpaper and preliminaries. With 60 splendid views and vignette on the title page. A superb example of this scarce work.

London: Menzies, 1905. Full morocco, 11 1/2 inches tall. A stunning full crushed morocco for Sawyer with gilt raised bands extraordinary gilt foliate tooling to the panels and boards. With gilt top edge and wide gilt dentelles. With all 23 portraits of Lady Hamilton. Lady Emma Hamilton was an inspiration to many, mistress of Horatio Nelson, favorite model of Romney, wife of the British ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples and ultimately a tragic figure, dying in poverty in Calais.

London: Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper, 1825-26. 2 volume set, 9 1/2 inches tall. Bound in superb full crushed morocco by William Brown of Edinburgh with gilt raised bands and panels framed within a series of gilt pallets. First edition, first issue. Triple gilt fillets frame the boards, gilt dentelles and all edges. With the armorial bookplate of shipowner R Cyril Lockett. Decorated with 72 hilarious hand-coloured aquatints by Robert Cruikshank. With the scarce woodcut. There is a faint stain on the lower board of the second volume, otherwise a pristine example of this great comic work subtitled " An original Work, Characteristic, Satirical, and Humorous. Comprising scene and sketches in every rank of Society, being Portraits of the Illustrious, Eminent, Eccentric and Notorious.