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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.

Edinburgh: Printed at the Apollo Press , by the Martins for the John Bell British Library, 1782-1803. 109 volume set, 5 inches tall. A fabulous Regency tree calf in superb condition with gilt bands, triple labels and Grecian lyre centre tools, so typical of the period. Complete sets of this work are very scarce, in this condition almost unheard of. There is no splitting or wear to the volumes. There is the occasional scratch and mark but even these are few and far between. The volumes have the armorial bookplate of William McCall and come from the estate of the late Lady Penn. Prudence, Lady Penn was a former lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and a close friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II. 107 of the volumes have additional engraved titles and there are 36 engraved portraits. An exceptional survival.

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.

Edinburgh: Printed for John Bell British Library at the Apollo Press, 1780-84. 53 volumes, 5 inches tall. A beautiful 18th century full tree calf with gilt bands on a smooth back, gilt Grecian lyre centre tools and triple labels. A gilt roll in the Greek key pattern frames the boards. Yellow edges. With engraved titles and portraits throughout. Housed in an original travelling case resembling calf folios stacked dos-a-dos. The 53 consecutive volumes eventually were extended to 109 volumes (see our complete set) but as there is no indication of a volume number on the case it would seem that this was all that the original owner possessed. The volumes are in excellent condition the case itself, still with its original watered silk lining, is in good solid condition but has some scuffing, rubbing and worm holed from a long defunct insect. A remarkable survival.

London: Seeley and Co., 1889. 2 volume set, 10 1/2 inches tall. A glorious full morocco binding by S.David in pristine condition with gilt raised bands and flamboyant and luxurious gilt tooling to the panels and boards. Equally sumptuous tooling to the blue crushed morocco doublures and all edges gilt. This set has been embellished with around 200 extra-illustrations, many being very fine and rare images, making a single volume work a 2 volume set. This set is number 126 of a large paper limited edition of 150 copies. From the Library of the Late Christopher Foyle of Beeleigh Abbey. Frances Burney, known as Fanny Burney and then, at the age of 41, Madame d'Arblay, having married the French exile General Alexandre d'Arblay. She was the daughter of Charles Burney, English music historian, composer and musician. Frances Burney was a great English satirical novelist and diarist. She wrote her most celebrated novel, 'Evelina' in 1778 which she followed with 'Cecilia', 'Camilla' and 'The Wanderer'. Between the years 1786–1790 she was 'Keeper of the Robes' to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, George III's queen. A wonderful set.

Bruxelles: Van Buggenhoudt, 1861. Full morocco, 9.5 inches tall. A fabulous copy bound for 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale and 3rd Earl of Armagh. With gilt raised bands, dense gilt tooling to the panels and boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges with watered silk doublures and free endpapers. The spectacular wide gilt border and stars frame the coronated black letter initial on both boards. There is very minor rubbing and two small ink stains near the tail of the lower board. On the reverse of the title page there is the stamp of the Library of Ernst Augustus, the Crown Prince of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and 3rd Duke of Armagh. Ernst August was the last Hanoverian monarch to hold a British Royal title and the Order of the Garter. The work itself is very scarce with only 1 copy listed on Library Hub Discover and consists, in French, of a careful analysis of the finances of the Netherlands and her colonies in the middle of the 19th century.

London: John Murray, 1818. Full morocco, 8 3/4 inches tall. An exquisite Regency straight grain citrine morocco binding with gilt raised bands, fine twin labels and beautiful delicate tooling in the panels, gilt in the head and tail panels, blind and inked in the central two panels. The boards are decorated with gilt and blind rolls framing an inner panel with gilt fillets, corner fan tooling with further inked corner tools and flourishes. All edges gilt against glossy pink end papers. 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. A glorious copy of the first edition of the fourth and final part of this great and hugely influential narrative poem.