Fine Set

London: George Bell and Sons, 1874. 2 volume set, 11 1/4 inches tall. A magnificent Victorian full morocco with gilt raised bands, superb gilt tooling to the panels and triple calf labels. The boards are decorated with a series of gilt panels the main panel being of the highest quality. Gilt dentelles and all edges. There is heavy foxing to the preliminaries which is gone almost completely after the title page. Embellished with hundreds of vignettes, very many full page plates and a dozen coloured maps and plans. A remarkable set.

London: James Toovey, 1869. 3 volume set, 7 1/2 inches tall. A fine little set in crushed half morocco by Bickers with raised bands, gilt titles and top edges. Bookplate. Ford collaborated with various playwrights during the Jacobean and Caroline eras and is best known for the 8 plays he wrote as sole author, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore'; 'The Broken Heart'; 'The Queen'; 'The Lover's Melancholy'; 'Love's Sacrifice'; 'Perkin Warbeck '; 'The Lady's Trial' and 'The Fancies Chaste and Noble'. All with themes of passion and morality. A scarce title in a very neat binding.

London: George Bell and Sons, 1887. 2 volume set, 7 inches tall. A superb Victorian full calf binding by Worsfold with gilt raised bands, twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. Pink edges. From the library and with the gilt leather plate of Hannah, the Countess of Roseberry. Some offsetting of the plates and a small neat ink previous owner's name on the first blank. Lady Mary wrote notable letters describing her travels through Europe and the Ottoman Empire where she saw and wrote extensively concerning the practice of slavery along with the treatment of slaves by the Turks.

Edinburgh: William Paterson, 1870. 2 volume set, 8 inches tall. A rather beautiful full crushed morocco binding by Grieve of Edinburgh with gilt bands, a tall olive label and fine gilt floral tooling to the panels on a smooth back. Double gilt fillets and corner tools frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Armorial bookplate. A very fine reprint of the 1776 edition. One of a limited edition of 201 copies.

Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1863-1887. 8 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A very good looking Victorian half calf binding by Mudie with gilt raised bands, neat gilt tooling to the panels and contrasting red and black labels. With the armorial bookplate of Sir Thomas Longmore, the highly distinguished military doctor and surgeon famed for serving in every major engagement of the Crimean War, even while suffering from frostbite. Illustrated throughout with plans, many folding, of battle sites. A superb set of this great Military history with a splendid provenance.

London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1883. 3 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A superb full Victorian calf binding with gilt raised bands, extra gilt panels and twin labels. Twin gilt and a blind filet frames the boards. With the tiny bookplate of S.A.G.. There is a strange pink stain on the margin of the first leaf of text. Completed and edited by Froude after the death of Thomas Carlyle, the great historian and philosopher, and husband of Jane Welsh Carlyle.

Paris: Printed by Jules Didot senior, published by Baudry and Amyot, 1825. 7 volume set, 8 inches tall. A most attractive early nineteenth century half calf with gilt raised bands, delicate gilt tooling to the panels and unusual green and citrine labels. Speckled pink edges. Portrait. Armorial bookplate of Robert Hosier Halford. A fine early complete set of these great poems published in Paris where they were immensely popular and influential.

London: E. Moxon, Son and Co., 1870. 4 volume set, 7 1/2 inches tall. A sparkling late Victorian binding by Hopkins of Glasgow with gilt raised bands, gilt Aldine leaf centre tools and gilt top edges. Engraved frontispiece to the first volume. Best know for his 'Tales from Shakespeare' and 'Essays of Elia', Charles Lamb was at the heart of a major English literary circle, which included Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey, William Wordsworth, Dorothy Wordsworth and William Hazlitt. His great biographer, E. V. Lucas described him as "the most lovable figure in English literature". A fine set in pristine condition.

Cambridge: The University Press, 1939; 1932 & 1938. 3 volume set, 9 1/2 inches tall. A superb full red crushed morocco by Zaehnsdorf with gilt raised bands, gilt framed panels and boards. With a gilt prize block on the upper boards and bookplates. Gilt dentelles and all edges. A remarkable set of this great modern economic history.

London: William Pickering, 1846. 2 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. An exquisite late Victorian crushed morocco by Ramage, with gilt raised bands and superb gilt tooling to the panels and the boards in the form of a Cambridge panel. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With the label of George Sherriff. This fine printing for William Pickering also contains a reprint of the 1647 edition of Herrick's 'Noble Numbers: or, His Pious Pieces'. Robert Herrick was a great 17th century English lyric poet and theologian.

Edinburgh: Cadell and Co. and London: Simpkin & Marshall, 1829-1852. 48 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. A splendid set and perhaps the most popular and influential titles in the 19th century in neat Victorian half calf. Bound with wide gilt raised bands, maroon labels and gilt and blind pallets. There is foxing to, and facing, the engraved frontispieces, mostly light but occasionally heavy, otherwise a clean complete set without a hint of any loss or splitting.

London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1911 & 1913. 3 volume set, 7 1/2 inches tall. A charming set of the "Breakfast-Table" series uniformly bound by Bayntun in splendid half calf with gilt raised bands, smart gilt tooled panels and twin labels. Gilt top edges. Illustrated throughout by H.M. Brock. A delightful set.

London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1875. 5 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A very handsome set in Victorian half calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and elaborate gilt tooling to the panels. Illustrate with engravings as frontispieces to each volume and further full page plates in the text. There is foxing to the tissues which has affected most plates, otherwise clean. A splendid set of this classic history of Prince Albert, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria.

Milano: Dalla Società Tipografica de' Classici Italiani, 1821. 5 volume set, 8 1/4 inches tall. A splendid half calf on a flat back with a contrasting label and flamboyant gilt tooling. Engraved portrait. The armorial bookplate of William Ferrand. Sporadic foxing, overall a fine set of the Selected Works of this great Venetian dramatist and critic. In the original Italian.

London: F.C. and J. Rivington, 1807. 2 volume set, 8 1/4 inches tall. A really good looking full Regency full calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and unusual and striking gilt tooling to the panels. Triple fillets frame the boards. Blue speckled edges. An interesting book of anecdotes, which was extended to 6 volumes in 1812. At the end of volume 2 there is a manuscript leaf describing how Beloe lost his situation as librarian at the British Museum having allowed 'Deighton who stole the fine prints from the Museum' free access to volumes of prints which he proceeded to strip and replace with lesser prints!

London: John Major, 1836. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. A beautiful early Victorian full morocco by Riviere with gilt raised bands and ornate gilt tooling of the highest quality to the panels. Triple gilt fillets and corner tools frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edges. With the armorial bookplate of William Charles Smith. With 10 engraved plates. A splendid set of this most entertaining work by the great English bibliographer, Thomas Frognall Dibdin.

London: John Macrone, 1838. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. An exquisite late Victorian half morocco by Worsfold with gilt raised bands, very fine 'Napoleonic' gilt tooling to the panels and gilt top edges. Engraved portrait. The Extraordinary Francis Maceroni was an inventor, diplomat, balloonist and soldier. As a Colonel of Cavalry he was aide de camp of Murat during the Napoleonic Wars. Later he developed steam carriages but after various misfortunes was left penniless. A splendid set of this remarkable history.

London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1872-1874. 3 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A handsome set in full calf with twin labels and delicate gilt tooling to the panels. With the armorial bookplate of the 1st Earl of Northbrook of Stratton Park, Viceroy of India 1872–1876. Slight foxing to the title pages, then clean. Originally planned as a 2 volume set, was then extended to 3. A fine set of this interesting work.

London: Edward Moxon, 1836. 2 volume set, 8 inches tall. Neat half later morocco bindings by Birdsall with gilt raised bands, smart gilt tooling framing the boards and gilt top edges. Charles Lamb was at the heart of a literary circle in the early 19th century along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey, William Wordsworth, Dorothy Wordsworth and William Hazlitt, he was described by his biographer E. V. Lucas as "the most lovable figure in English literature".