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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.

London: John Murray, 1850. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. A pristine set of this classic work in full mid-Victorian honey calf. With gilt raised bands, exquisite floral gilt tooling to the panels and double gilt fillet framing the boards. First edition. With the bookplate of Edward Nicholas Hurt of Wirksworth. This superb set is in pristine condition, both in terms of the text block and binding, evidently having not been read.

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: 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: Richard Bentley, 1839-40. 8vo (9½" tall). Superb full red crushed morocco, by TOUT. Gilt raised bands and pallets, fine gilt tooling to panels. Boards framed with gilt floral corner tool. Gilt doublures with floral patterned endpapers. Top edge gilt. Slightly foxed. Armorial bookplate. Original issues of Bentley's Magazine, bound with special title page, contents and a preface dated 1889 by the collector John Waugh. Engraved frontispiece portrait. Autograph letter by Ainsworth in black ink bound in, dated 'Nov.r 15th 1844', 1¼ pages.

London: Richard Bentley, 1837-45. 8vo (9½" tall). Superb full red crushed morocco, by TOUT. Gilt raised bands and pallets, fine gilt tooling to panels. Boards framed with gilt floral corner tool. Gilt doublures with floral patterned endpapers. Top edge gilt. Slightly foxed. Armorial bookplate. Original issues of Bentley's Magazine. Bound with special title page, contents and a preface dated 1889 by the collector John Waugh. Autograph letter in black ink bound in, dated "Sept. 2" [1844], 4 pages.

London: Chapman and Hall, 1866. 3 volume set, 8 inches tall. A superb full crushed morocco binding by Root with gilt raised bands, very fine gilt floral tooling to the panels, triple gilt fillet framing the boards, dentelles and all edges gilt. Bookplate. The very scarce first edition of this tale of 16th century France. Ainsworth was an immensely popular historical novelist whose fame in the 19th century rivalled that of Dickens.

London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley. 3 volume set, 7.5 inches tall. A most attractive half calf from the 1830's with gilt raised bands, twin labels and gilt tooling to the panels. With the bookplate of W.E. Powell of Nanteos. The English first edition came out a year before the American. The Water Witch is a rollicking tale of 18th century New York.

London: Richard Bentley, 1840-48. 8vo (9½" tall). Superb full red crushed morocco, by TOUT. Gilt raised bands and pallets, fine gilt tooling to panels. Boards framed with gilt floral corner tool. Gilt doublures with floral patterned endpapers. Top edge gilt. Slightly foxed. Armorial bookplate. Original issues of Bentley's Magazine. Bound with special title page, contents and a preface dated 1889 by the collector John Waugh. Autograph letter in black ink bound in, dated 6 March 1863, 2 pages.

London: Richard Bentley, 1838. 2 volume set, 7.5 inches tall. A very smart later full calf by Sotheran with gilt raised bands, twin labels and fine gilt centre tooling to the panels. Gilt Cambridge panels to the boards, gilt dentelles and all edges. First edition, first issue, without the 'grotesque' border added at Vol. II p. 238. With 13 superb engraved illustrations by George Cruikshank. There is slight blotchiness to the spine but overall a very fine set of the life of England's most celebrated dancer and comedian , who became such a popular clown that his harlequin style was known as a 'Joey'.

London: Richard Bentley, 1840-45. 8vo (9½" tall). Superb full red crushed morocco, by TOUT. Gilt raised bands and pallets, fine gilt tooling to panels. Boards framed with gilt floral corner tool. Gilt doublures with floral patterned endpapers. Top edge gilt. Slightly foxed. Armorial bookplate. Original issues of Bentley's Magazine, bound with special title page, contents and a preface dated 1889 by the collector John Waugh.

London: Richard Bentley, 1842-43. 8vo (9½" tall). Splendid full red crushed morocco, by TOUT. Gilt raised bands and pallets, fine gilt tooling to panels. Boards framed with gilt floral corner tool. Gilt doublures with floral patterned endpapers. Top edge gilt. Slightly foxed. Armorial bookplate. Original issues of Bentley's Magazine. Bound with special title page and a preface dated 1889 by the collector John Waugh. Autograph letter and envelope from Smith, 5 November 1841, 2½ pages, bound in.

London: Richard Bentley, 1841-42. 8vo (9½" tall). Superb full red crushed morocco, by TOUT. Gilt raised bands and pallets, fine gilt tooling to panels. Boards framed with gilt floral corner tool. Gilt doublures with floral patterned endpapers. Top edge gilt. Slightly foxed. Armorial bookplate. Original issues of Bentley's Magazine, bound with special title page, contents and a preface dated 1889 by the collector John Waugh.

London: Richard Bentley, 1845. 8vo (9½" tall). Superb full red crushed morocco, by TOUT. Gilt raised bands and pallets, fine gilt tooling to panels. Boards framed with gilt floral corner tool. Gilt doublures with floral patterned endpapers. Top edge gilt. Slightly foxed. Armorial bookplate. Original issues of Bentley's Magazine, bound with special title page, contents and a preface dated 1889 by the collector John Waugh. Engraved frontispiece portrait bound in.

London: R. and J. Dodsley, 1764-1769. 3 volume set, 9 inches tall. 18th century full calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and extra gilt panels. The boards are framed within a gilt roll. There is a little cracking of the joints but still perfectly firm and solid. A previous owner's ink stamp, B.Girlie, is at the head of the title pages. A handsome set of the first collected edition of the works of this English poet, who was also one of the earliest practitioners of landscape gardening.

Paris: (Cosson for) Lecointe et Durey, 1824. 5 volume set, 7 inches tall, Quarter calf with twin labels and gilt centre tools. Some fading and rubbing to the boards. Small split to the foot of volume one, but still perfectly solid.First edition in French of The Inheritance (Edinburgh, 1824). Scottish novelist Susan Ferrier's popular second novel, translated by Defauconpret, already established as the translator of sir Walter Scott.

Paris: (Cosson for) Charles Gosselin, 1826. 4 volume set, 7 inches tall. Quarter calf with twin labels and gilt centre tools. First edition in French. E. Preston Dargan, ‘Scott and the French Romantics’, PMLA, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Jun 1934), 22 (May 24); Garside, Raven and Schöwerling, The English Novel 1770-1829, 1826: 70. OCLC lists several European copies, but only one in the US (Texas A & M).

London: Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme, 1808. Full morocco, 7.5 inches tall. A very fine crushed morocco by Riviere with gilt raised bands, densely tooled gilt floral panels, triple fillets framing the boards, dentelles and all edges gilt. Bookplate. First edition.