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London: Septimus Prowett, 1825. 13 volume set, 9 inches tall. A splendid tall paper set in a magnificent hard grain morocco by one of London's most celebrated binders, Clarke & Bedford. With gilt raised bands, ornate gilt tooling to the panels and the play titles in the surely smallest type a binder could use. The boards framed within triple fillets, gilt dentelles and all edges. Some speckles to the boards. With the striking bookplate of John Wodehouse, Earl of Kimberley Foreign secretary under Queen Victoria. This collection of Elizabethan and Jacobean plays was significant in reacquainting the public with many previously neglected works. A very fine set.

Cambridge: The University Press 1920-1927. 15 volume set, 9 inches tall. A splendid half morocco binding by Bumpus with gilt raised bands, elegant gilt tooling to the panels and all edges gilt. It is unusual to find this great work of literary reference in a fine binding. Some superficial rubbing otherwise in excellent condition.

Paris: Joseph Barbou, 1755. 2 volume set, 6 inches tall. A beautiful set bound by White of Pall Mall in pristine condition in full crushed morocco. A flat back with gilt bands and delicate tooling in the style of Derome. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Frontispiece and two folding maps. A truly delightful set in the original Latin. 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.

London: Charles Knight, 1842. 12 volume set, 8.75 inches tall. Magnificent set in superb early Victorian full calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and extra gilt panels. 2 gilt fillets, 1 blind fillet and gilt corner tools frame the boards. A neat ink inscription on the reverse of the free endpaper which is foxed, the rest of the text being clean. With engraved vignettes throughout. A wonderful copy of this great edition.

London: H.S. Nichols, 1895. 28 volume set, 7.25 inches tall. A neat half morocco binding with gilt raised bands, fleur de lis centre tools to the panels and gilt top edge. The remaining edges are deckled. Limited to 1000 sets on hand made paper of which this is set number 2. Illustrated throughout. A superb and highly readable edition in English of which Les Miserable takes up 10 volumes and Notre-Dame of Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) takes up 4. This set is in pristine condition inside and out.

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.

Edinburgh: Adam Black, William Tait and Charles Tait, 1826. 4 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A splendid set in full calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels, extra gilt panels and a single fillet framing the boards. Slight rubbing and a degree of scuffing to the boards. Portrait. A handsome set of the first edition of these collected works. 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.

London: Longman et al., 1830-1839. 9 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. Exquisite little set with gilt raised bands, extra gilt panels and triple labels. Note the spectacular volume label. The tree calf boards are framed within an ornate floral gilt roll. Each title page has an engraved vignette. From the library of Edward Nicholas Hurt, most of whose books were of this highest quality. The first 3 volumes are by Sir James Mackintosh, volumes 4 to 9 are by Wallace and evidently were bound 9 years later resulting in a slight variation of tooling. A tenth volume was printed some years later. A beautiful set.

London, Cadell et al., 1807. 12 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. An elegant Georgian full speckled calf with twin labels, ornate gilt bands and gilt tooling to the panels. Blue speckled edges. Folding maps. From the library of Charles William Vane (formerly Stewart), third Marquess of Londonderry, and with his elaborate bookplate. 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. Some rubbing and minor abrasions to the bindings but no splitting or loss, an excellent set of this classic Roman history.

London: Dubochet, Tilt and Hooper, 1836. 2 volume set, 10 inches tall. A glorious Spanish calf by Tout with gilt raised bands, triple labels and fine gilt tooling to the panels. A Cambridge panel is framed within triple fillets on the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edges. Profusely illustrated throughout by Jean Gigoux. A stunning set of this picaresque novel.

London: Johnson, Cuthell et al, 1803. 2 volume set, 11 inches tall. A magnificently bound set in full straight grain morocco with gilt raised bands and delightful gilt tooling to the panels. The boards are framed by a fine series of gilt fillets and rolls. All edges gilt. From the Library and with the bookplate of Robert J. Hayhurst. With a portrait and 13 superb engraved plates. A exceptionally fine set of this great poem by the greatest 16th century Italian poet.

London: J.Johnson et al, 1798. 10 volume set, 7.5 inches tall. Splendid bindings, bound by the great Christian Kalthoeber, and with his ticket. Full 18th century tree calf with gilt 'Greek key' bands, twin labels and charming gilt floral tools to the panels. Fine gilt rolls frame the tree calf of the boards. With the armorial bookplate of Edward Astle. There is a slight nick to the head cap of volume 4 and a one inch split to the head of volume 1, but still a superb set by one of the greatest London binders of his period.

Edinburgh: A & C Black, 1865. 48 volume set, 7 inches tall. A superb mid-Victorian half calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and extra gilt panels. The armorial bookplate of Walter F. Morice. With engraved frontispieces, title pages and vignettes. In pristine condition inside and out.

London: John Van Voorst, 1843, 1843, 1843 and 1845 (supplement). 3 volumes, 11 inches tall. A magnificent full hard grain morocco by HAYDAY with gilt raised bands and extra gilt panels. Double fillets and wide rolls frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Profusely illustrated with over 520 wood engravings. The tall first edition of one of the great works on British Birds in a wonderful binding.

London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, et Orme, 1809. 4 volume set, 11 inches tall. A magnificent crushed and straight grain morocco with triple gilt and blind tooled raised bands and dense gilt tooling to the panels. The boards have a central straight grain panel framed by very fine and elaborate gilt and blind tooling. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Large Paper deluxe edition with india proof impressions of the plates by Smirke. Offsetting from the plates, otherwise clean. The armorial bookplate of William Strahan. Some rubbing and scuffing to the edges but with no splitting or loss. An exceptionally impressive example of this celebrated edition. In the original French.

London: George Routledge, c.1875. 28 volume set, 7.5 inches tall. A superb neat half calf by Morrell with gilt raised bands, twin labels and delicate gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt top edges. Frontispieces. Slight foxing to the preliminaries. An exceptionally handsome set of the Works of this hugely popular and influential 19th century novelist who coined the phrases, "the great unwashed", "pursuit of the almighty dollar" and "the pen is mightier than the sword".

Londini (London): Apud A. Dulae & Co., 1800. 2 volume set, 11 inches tall. A beautiful and magnificent large-paper edition in full diced calf with gilt raised bands, gilt pallets, dentelles and a gilt roll framing the diced boards. This " is certainly the most beautiful octavo publication of the poet extant... the text is supposed to be faultless. Some few copies are struck off on LARGE PAPER, in imperial octavo, and sell high" (Dibdin). With the leather bookplate of Granville Hastings Wheler of Otterden Place. Embellished with 15 plates by Bartolozzi, James Fittler, J. Neagle, and Sharp, after Gerard and Girode. Exceptionally clean inside and out. In the original Latin.

London: John Murray, 1862. 8 volume set, bound in 9, 8 3/4 inches tall. A classic Victorian full calf by Griffin, with gilt raised bands, twin labels and handsome gilt tooling to the panels. The boards are framed within gilt and blind fillets and floral corner tools. This set has a separate volume, the ninth, containing 8 linen backed maps, a most unusual feature. Portrait. Foxing to the preliminaries then clean. An elegant set of this great History.