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  • Category = Fine Set
  • MAGNIFICENT BOXED SET OF MACKLIN'S GREAT BIBLE EXTENDED TO 8 VOLUMES
    The Old Testament (& New Testament), Embellished with Engravings, from Pictures and Designs by the Most Eminent English Artists. by BIBLE (MACKLIN)
    BIBLE (MACKLIN)
    The Old Testament (& New Testament), Embellished with Engravings, from Pictures and Designs by the Most Eminent English Artists.

    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…

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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.

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    View basket More details Price: £24,000.00
  • BOYDELL'S CELEBRATED FOLIO EDITION IN MAGNIFICENT FULL MOROCCO
    The Dramatic Works of Shakspeare. Revised by George Steevens. by SHAKSPEARE, William (Shakespeare)
    SHAKSPEARE, William (Shakespeare)
    The Dramatic Works of Shakspeare. Revised by George Steevens.

    London: John and Josiah Boydell, 1802. 9 volume set, 17 inches tall. A magnificent full Georgian morocco binding with wide gilt raised bands, splendid gilt tooling in the panels and on the boards, typical of the period. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With the armorial bookplate of Charles Augustus Wild. Most unusually there is absolutely no splitting to the joints, no repairs and no loss. There are dents and abrasions to the boards but overall a spectacularly fine copy. Embellished with 95 engraved tissue guarded plates, making a total of 97 with the portraits. There is a degree of foxing to the plates, as usual. "A Magnificent national edition, in which splendour of production was to go hand in hand with correctness of text" Updike.

    View basket More details Price: £14,000.00
  • UNIQUE COLLECTION OF DEVOTIONAL WORKS IN STUNNING FULL MOROCCO
    The Holy Bible (2 copies); The Book of Common Prayer (2 copies); The Psalms of David (2 copies); The Week’s Preparation for a Worthy receiving of the Lord’s Supper (2 copies). by BIBLE
    BIBLE
    The Holy Bible (2 copies); The Book of Common Prayer (2 copies); The Psalms of David (2 copies); The Week’s Preparation for a Worthy receiving of the Lord’s Supper (2 copies).

    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…

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    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.

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    View basket More details Price: £8,000.00
  • MAGNIFICENT COMPLETE SET OF MACKLIN'S GREAT BIBLE IN GLORIOUS GEORGIAN FULL MOROCCO.
    The Old Testament (& New Testament), Embellished with Engravings, from Pictures and Designs by the Most Eminent English Artists. by BIBLE (MACKLIN)
    BIBLE (MACKLIN)
    The Old Testament (& New Testament), Embellished with Engravings, from Pictures and Designs by the Most Eminent English Artists.

    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…

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    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.

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    View basket More details Price: £7,500.00
  • MAGNIFICENT SPANISH CALF BY WHITE OF PICCADILLY
    Sämmtliche Werke. (Collected Works). by GOETHE, Johann Wolfgang
    GOETHE, Johann Wolfgang
    Sämmtliche Werke. (Collected Works).

    Stuttgart und Tübingen: J. G. Cotta'scher Verlag, 1850. 30 volumes bound in 15, complete, 9 inches tall. A magnificent set in extraordinary Spanish calf, not signed but bound by White of Piccadilly in the middle of the 19th century. With gilt raised bands, twin labels and glorious gilt tooling to the panels. Triple gilt fillets framing the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. A superb set of some of the most influential works of the late 18th and 19th centuries, in their original German in a fabulous binding in pristine condition.

    View basket More details Price: £6,500.00
  • EARLY SCARCE EDITION IN MAGNIFICENT FULL 18TH CENTURY MOROCCO
    Xenophontis Philosophi et imperatoris Clarissimi, Quae Exstant opera, In Duos Tomos Divisa… by XENOPHON
    XENOPHON
    Xenophontis Philosophi et imperatoris Clarissimi, Quae Exstant opera, In Duos Tomos Divisa…

    (Paris) Lutetiae Parisiorum: Societatum Graecarum Editionum, 1625. Full morocco, 16 inches tall. A truly spectacular tall set of this celebrated work in very fine early 18th century French morocco. With gilt raised bands, twin olive labels and exceptional gilt panels. All edges gilt. Greek text with parallel Latin translation. Some marks and scratches to the boards but no splitting or loss. With the signature of the Earl of Buckinghamshire on the reverse of the free endpaper and the bookplate of John William Bund Willis-Bund.
    Xenophon was one of the great ancient Greek philosophers and also an historian, soldier and mercenary and famed student of Socrates. He is still considered an important voice when considering leadership and power.

    View basket More details Price: £5,500.00
  • THE COMPLETE SET INCLUDING THE SCARCE ATLAS VOLUME IN SUPERB FULL CALF
    The History of Europe from the Commencement of The French Revolution to the Restoration of the Bourbons in 1815. (Bound uniformly with) The History of Europe from the Fall of Napoleon in 1815 to the Accession of Louis Napoleon in 1852. by ALISON, Sir Archibald.
    ALISON, Sir Archibald.
    The History of Europe from the Commencement of The French Revolution to the Restoration of the Bourbons in 1815. (Bound uniformly with) The History of Europe from the Fall of Napoleon in 1815 to the Accession of Louis Napoleon in 1852.

    Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1854-75. 24 volumes, 8 3/4 inches tall. A magnificent set of this great history, absolutely complete with both parts and the usually absent atlas volume. Bound in classic Victorian full calf by Dale (binder's stamp in the atlas volume), with gilt raised bands, twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. The boards have gilt and blind fillets framing the gilt armorial block. This is the best and largest edition with 25 full page engraved portraits in the first set. There are 108 hand coloured maps and battle plans plus a frontispiece in the atlas. The Atlas is the same height as the volumes of text but is landscape in format…

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    Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1854-75. 24 volumes, 8 3/4 inches tall. A magnificent set of this great history, absolutely complete with both parts and the usually absent atlas volume. Bound in classic Victorian full calf by Dale (binder's stamp in the atlas volume), with gilt raised bands, twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. The boards have gilt and blind fillets framing the gilt armorial block. This is the best and largest edition with 25 full page engraved portraits in the first set. There are 108 hand coloured maps and battle plans plus a frontispiece in the atlas. The Atlas is the same height as the volumes of text but is landscape in format (11 inches deep). Some speckling to the boards of the atlas which also has some foxing to the plates. The text volumes are all fine. This is Sir Archibald Alison's great historical work and is considered to be the first scholarly English language study of the French Revolution.

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    View basket More details Price: £4,850.00
  • BEST EDITION IN SUPERB FULL CALF
    Thomas Carlyle's Collected Works. by CARLYLE, Thomas
    CARLYLE, Thomas
    Thomas Carlyle's Collected Works.

    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…

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    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.

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    View basket More details Price: £4,750.00
  • FINE EDITION IN MAGNIFICENT MOROCCO BY J. CLARKE
    La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy). by DANTE Alighieri
    DANTE Alighieri
    La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy).

    Nella Stamperia De Romanis, 1815-1817. 4 volume set, 11 inches tall. A magnificent straight grain morocco by J. Clarke, one of the finest binders in Georgian London. With gilt raised bands, elegant gilt tooling to the panels and boards. All edges gilt. Portrait and 3 engraved plans. With the armorial bookplate of William Strahan. Considered the greatest poem of the Middle Ages and the most important work in the Italian language. In the original Italian.

    View basket More details Price: £4,500.00
  • BEAUTIFUL SPANISH CALF BY LEIGHTON
    The Arabian Nights' Entertainments. The Thousand and One Nights. by LANE, Edward William (translated from the Arabic, with copious notes)
    LANE, Edward William (translated from the Arabic, with copious notes)
    The Arabian Nights' Entertainments. The Thousand and One Nights.

    London: Charles Knight and Co., 1839. 3 volume set, 9.5 inches tall. A wonderful full Spanish calf by J.Leighton of Brewer Street with raised gilt bands and stunning extra gilt panels. The boards are framed within sumptuous gilt rolls and fillets. With gilt dentelles and all edges. With the armorial bookplate of Gregory Haines. Illustrated throughout with hundreds of wood engravings from the designs of William Harvey. A fabulous set.

    View basket More details Price: £4,500.00
  • SCARCE EDITION WITH OVER 700 PLATES IN FULL DICED CALF
    Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Sixth Edition. by ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA
    ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA
    Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Sixth Edition.

    Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Company, 1822-24. 26 volumes (Complete 6th Edition in 20 volumes with the Supplementary edition in 6 volumes), 11 inches tall. A superb full diced calf with gilt raised bands and very fine gilt tooling to the panels. The diced boards are framed within twin gilt fillets. There is blotchiness to the panels of the first 20 volumes, some foxing and browning of leaves, a small amount of ancient superficial loss to long defunct insects, there is also a slight musty smell but the vast majority of plates and leaves are clean and there is no splitting. The first 20 volumes contain all 581 numbered engraved full page plates. The Supplement appears to lack I plate…

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    Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Company, 1822-24. 26 volumes (Complete 6th Edition in 20 volumes with the Supplementary edition in 6 volumes), 11 inches tall. A superb full diced calf with gilt raised bands and very fine gilt tooling to the panels. The diced boards are framed within twin gilt fillets. There is blotchiness to the panels of the first 20 volumes, some foxing and browning of leaves, a small amount of ancient superficial loss to long defunct insects, there is also a slight musty smell but the vast majority of plates and leaves are clean and there is no splitting. The first 20 volumes contain all 581 numbered engraved full page plates. The Supplement appears to lack I plate but has a total of 123 (more than called for) engraved full page plates and all 19 engraved maps. The 6th edition is difficult to find in remotely presentable condition and for all its minor faults this is a splendid set. With the green ticket of G. & J. Robinson Booksellers (and Binders) Liverpool.

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    View basket More details Price: £4,500.00
  • VERY SCARCE HAND COLOURED SET IN SPECTACULAR FULL MOROCCO
    Remarks on Local Scenery & Manners in Scotland during the Years 1799 and 1800. by STODDARD, John
    STODDARD, John
    Remarks on Local Scenery & Manners in Scotland during the Years 1799 and 1800.

    London: William Miller, 1801. 2 volume set, 9 3/4 inches tall. A spectacular and beautiful Regency full morocco binding in sparkling condition. With superb and unusual gilt tooling to the wide raised bands and blind and gilt tooling to the panels. A series of superb rolls and fillets, both gilt and blind, frame the straight grained boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges, with deep squares. Pink end papers with the bookplate of Sir William Augustus Fraser of Ledeclune and Morar. 2 engraved vignettes to the title pages, a double page map and, most unusually all 32 aquatints, hand-coloured. A wonderful set.

    View basket More details Price: £4,250.00
  • MAGNIFICENT FULL HARD GRAIN MOROCCO BY WHITE OF PALL MALL
    The Works. by BEAUMONT, Francis & FLETCHER, John
    BEAUMONT, Francis & FLETCHER, John
    The Works.

    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.

    View basket More details Price: £4,000.00
  • SCARCE WORK IN SPECTACULAR FULL MOROCCO, EXTRA GILT
    Pictorial Relics of Ancient Liverpool. by HERDMAN, W. G.
    HERDMAN, W. G.
    Pictorial Relics of Ancient Liverpool.

    Liverpool: Brown, Barnes & Bell, 1878. 2 volume set, 16 1/2 inches tall. A huge and spectacular morocco binding by the great Victorian bookbinders of Liverpool, Fazakerley. A binding of the highest quality, perhaps an exhibition piece, with gilt raised bands and ornate gilding to the panels and boards, incorporating liver birds, floral flourishes and pallet work, framed within twin fillets. All edges gilt and fine gilt dentelles. The endpapers are also a delight, involving more liver birds, urns and floral designs. Embellished with 72 plates. A charming and nostalgic look at the lost buildings and areas of Old Liverpool in excellent condition, inside and out.

    View basket More details Price: £4,000.00
  • SUPERB SET OF ONE OF THE GREATEST WRITERS OF THE 19TH CENTURY
    The Novels and Stories of Ivan Turgenieff by TURGENIEFF, Ivan (TURGENEV)
    TURGENIEFF, Ivan (TURGENEV)
    The Novels and Stories of Ivan Turgenieff

    New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1903. 16 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. A handsome half morocco binding by Stikeman with gilt raised bands and elaborate centre tooling to the panels. Gilt top edges. Very, very slight fading, otherwise pristine. Bookplates. Leather bound sets of the great Russian writers are hard to come by, especially in this condition. With an introduction by Henry James and translated by Isabel Hapgood this set contains some of the most influential novels of the 19th century.

    View basket More details Price: £3,800.00
  • STUNNING SET, ALL FIRST EDITIONS, IN FULL POLISHED CALF
    The Works of John Heneage Jesse. by JESSE, John Heneage.
    JESSE, John Heneage.
    The Works of John Heneage Jesse.

    London: Richard Bentley, 1840-1875. 23 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A Superb full polished calf by Riviere with gilt raised bands, twin labels, fine gilt tooling to the panels and a triple gilt fillet framing the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Engraved frontispieces. All first editions. A fine set of these celebrated historical works. (Comprising: The Court of England During the Reign of the Stuarts; The Court of England from the Revolution in 1688 to the Death of George II; George Selwyn and his Contemporaries; Memorials of London; Memoirs of the Pretenders; London and its Celebrities; Memoirs of Richard III: Memoirs of George III; Celebrated Etonians). Fine set from the library of an Oxfordshire country house.

    View basket More details Price: £3,800.00
  • FINELY ILLUSTRATED WORK IN SPECTACULAR REGENCY FULL MOROCCO
    Account of A Tour in Normandy. by TURNER, Dawson
    TURNER, Dawson
    Account of A Tour in Normandy.

    London: John and Arthur Arch, 1820. 2 volume set, 9 3/4 inches tall. A spectacular Regency full straight grain morocco binding with wide elaborately gilt tooled raised bands and superb and complex gilt and blind tooling to the boards. Very fine wide dentelles and all edges gilt. Faint signs of the removal of a bookplate in both volumes, very slight rubbing minor foxing to the plates and tissues. With all 50 full page engravings called for. A charming well illustrated work in an exceptional binding of the highest quality.

    View basket More details Price: £3,600.00
  • MAGNIFICENT EXTRA ILLUSTRATED SET OF THIS GREAT EDITION IN FULL RED MOROCCO
    Orlando Furioso. by ARIOSTO, Lodovico
    ARIOSTO, Lodovico
    Orlando Furioso.

    Birmingham: G. Baskerville, 1773. 4 volume set, 11 3/4 inches tall. A magnificent set in 18th century full straight grain morocco with gilt bands, extraordinary centre tools, dentelles and all edges gilt. A delightful gilt roll frames the boards. With the bookplates of Sir William Eden Bart. From the library of a County Durham Country House. With an engraved portrait frontispiece and a further 46 engraved plates. Curiously, an extra suite of plates from another edition, after Cipriani, Moreau le jeune, Eisen and Cochin has been quite crudely pasted onto the reverse of the plates. These additions were obviously made before the book was bound as the shape of the volumes is perfect. Very slight rubbing, some marks to…

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    Birmingham: G. Baskerville, 1773. 4 volume set, 11 3/4 inches tall. A magnificent set in 18th century full straight grain morocco with gilt bands, extraordinary centre tools, dentelles and all edges gilt. A delightful gilt roll frames the boards. With the bookplates of Sir William Eden Bart. From the library of a County Durham Country House. With an engraved portrait frontispiece and a further 46 engraved plates. Curiously, an extra suite of plates from another edition, after Cipriani, Moreau le jeune, Eisen and Cochin has been quite crudely pasted onto the reverse of the plates. These additions were obviously made before the book was bound as the shape of the volumes is perfect. Very slight rubbing, some marks to the binding and a superficial area of staining to the upper board of volume 4. There is a degree of foxing, in particular around the plates. A tall and superb set of the most celebrated English printing of this epic 16th century Italian poem in the original Italian.

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  • WONDERFUL COPY OF THIS HILARIOUS WORK IN FULL STRAIGHT GRAIN MOROCCO
    The English Dance of Death. by COMBE, William. ROWLANDSON, Thomas (Illustrator).
    COMBE, William. ROWLANDSON, Thomas (Illustrator).
    The English Dance of Death.

    London: Ackermann, 1815. 2 volume set, 9 3/4 inches tall. A wonderful copy in full straight grain morocco by Lloyd, Wallis and Lloyd. This tall set has gilt raised bands, superb gilt tooling to the panels, triple gilt fillets framing the straight grain boards, gilt dentelles and all edges. With 72 hilarious colour aquatint plates and a further 2 frontispieces and one engraved title page. The concept of the Dance of Death or Danse Macabre was a powerful medieval theme showing the all conquering power of death. Holbein, in the 16th century, immortalised the idea with his exceedingly grim series of allegorical woodblock prints. In stark contrast to such Germanic horrors Rowlandson and Combe create an hilarious series of…

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    London: Ackermann, 1815. 2 volume set, 9 3/4 inches tall. A wonderful copy in full straight grain morocco by Lloyd, Wallis and Lloyd. This tall set has gilt raised bands, superb gilt tooling to the panels, triple gilt fillets framing the straight grain boards, gilt dentelles and all edges. With 72 hilarious colour aquatint plates and a further 2 frontispieces and one engraved title page. The concept of the Dance of Death or Danse Macabre was a powerful medieval theme showing the all conquering power of death. Holbein, in the 16th century, immortalised the idea with his exceedingly grim series of allegorical woodblock prints. In stark contrast to such Germanic horrors Rowlandson and Combe create an hilarious series of brilliant comic representations of death getting involved with every aspect of English Regency high jinks.

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    View basket More details Price: £3,500.00
  • SUPERB SIGNED SET IN SPLENDID FULL CALF
    Mémoires de Vidocq, Chef de la Police de Sureté, jusqu'en 1827. by VIDOCQ, Francois Eugene
    VIDOCQ, Francois Eugene
    Mémoires de Vidocq, Chef de la Police de Sureté, jusqu'en 1827.

    Paris: Tenon, 1828-29. 4 volume set, 8 1/4 inches tall. First Edition. A splendid full calf of the period, an ancient catalogue slip attributes it to the great C. Lewis, with dense gilt tooling and olive labels on smooth backs. The arms of the 3rd Earl of Clare are gilt blocked onto the boards. Signed by Vidocq in the first 3 volumes as called for. Eugene Vidocq was an adventurer and detective who helped create the 'secret police' in France and is considered the father of modern criminology. Dismissed in 1832 for a theft that he allegedly organised, Vidocq created a police agency 'Police de Sûreté", the prototype of modern detective agencies. Known all over France as a remarkably…

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    Paris: Tenon, 1828-29. 4 volume set, 8 1/4 inches tall. First Edition. A splendid full calf of the period, an ancient catalogue slip attributes it to the great C. Lewis, with dense gilt tooling and olive labels on smooth backs. The arms of the 3rd Earl of Clare are gilt blocked onto the boards. Signed by Vidocq in the first 3 volumes as called for. Eugene Vidocq was an adventurer and detective who helped create the 'secret police' in France and is considered the father of modern criminology. Dismissed in 1832 for a theft that he allegedly organised, Vidocq created a police agency 'Police de Sûreté", the prototype of modern detective agencies. Known all over France as a remarkably audacious man, Vidocq was a friend of such authors as Victor Hogo, Honoré de Balzac, Eugène Sue and Alexandre Dumas père and influenced Edgar Allen Poe. The figure of Vidocq is believed to have inspired Balzac's creation of the criminal genius Vautrin, one of the most vivid characters to appear in his novelistic series La Comédie Humaine. From the residual library of Charles Butler (1821-1910) of Warren Wood in Hatfield. The majority of his library was sold at Sotheby's on 5th April 1911. A wonderful set of this great work In the original French.

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    View basket More details Price: £3,500.00