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London: W. Allason; et al., 1819. 12 volume set, 8 1/4 inches tall. A exceptionally good looking Regency full calf with wide extra gilt raised bands, blind tooling to the panels and twin labels. With one engraved portrait and two folding maps, as called for. A few small marks to the boards, otherwise in excellent condition, inside and out. First published in 1776, Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall' was initially planned as a history of the final years of the Roman Empire but was expanded in scope to the history of the whole Roman Empire. It is still considered to be one of the greatest histories ever written.

London: T. Caddell, 1822. 10 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A very smart country house set in full Georgian blue straight grain calf with wide gilt raised bands and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. There is an armorial device on the boards, framed within a wide blind roll and twin gilt fillets. With the Fothergill bookplate of the library from which the books were recently dispersed. Although perfectly smart on the shelf and with no splitting and with a clean text, many of the boards have evidence of being nibbled by long defunct insects. An early octavo edition in a very good looking, though blemished, Georgian full calf binding.

London: Jones & Co., 1822. Full calf, 3 1/2 inches tall. A delightful miniature Georgian full calf with gilt raised bands, red labels and gilt tooled panels. The blocked basket weave boards are framed within blind and gilt rolls. With the armorial bookplate of Robert Williams of Bride Head, a recently dispersed Dorset Country House. There is the Bookseller & Stationer (and Bookbinder's) ticket of J. Nisbet of Oxford Street. Portrait. Both binding and text block are in fine and clean condition. A lovely copy of one of the 18th century's most popular poems.

London: J. Robson, 1796. 2 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A most attractive copy of this influential work in 18th century tree calf with gilt bands, red label and delicate gilt centre tooling, typical of the period. With the bookplate of Bride Head, a recently dispersed Dorset Country House. This enlarged 2 volume edition compares the picturesque with "the sublime and the beautiful; and, on the use of studying pictures, for the purpose of improving real landscape".

London: John Murray, 1842. Full Calf, 9 3/4 inches tall. An extraordinary Victorian binding by the great firm of White of Pall Mall, and with their binder's ticket. With gilt raised bands, splendid extra gilt panels , very wide dentelles and all edges gauffered. With remarkable mosaic gilt tooling to the boards with green and black onlays with richly gilt tooled panels. There is rubbing to the boards, some superficial staining and bumped corners but still a wonderful example of this great binding. The borders and ornamental vignettes are by the great Victorian designer Owen Jones and the numerous illustrations are by David Roberts and others.

London: Macmillan and Co., 1911. Full calf, 6 inches tall. An exceptionally pretty full calf with raised bands and highly ornate gilt tooling to the panels and boards. The binder's stamp 'Bound by Otto Schultze & Co. Edinburgh' has been partially erased. From the 'Golden Treasury Series', which were regularly beautifully bound for the 'West End Carriage Trade' at Christmas.

London: Routledge, c.1895. Full calf, 8 inches tall. An adaptation of this great early 17th century novel 'for the young', bound in splendid tree calf by Bickers, with gilt raised bands, contrasting label and fine gilt tooling to the panels, all in pristine condition. An ornate gilt roll frames the prize device of Wellington College on the upper board. The prize bookplate of Wellington College is on the front paste down end paper. Embellished with 206 illustrations by Sir John Gilbert and other artists, including 4 in full colour.

Edinburgh: Sutherland and Knox and London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1850. 4 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall, A classic Victorian full calf by Hatchards of Piccadilly with gilt raised bands, twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. An ink inscription dated Christmas Day, 1850 on the third blank. From the country house 'Bride Head' Library. With 2 engraved portraits and 4 engraved title pages. A fine set on the life of the great Scottish economist and churchman, Thomas Chalmers, by his sin-in-law.

London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1848. 3 volume set, 9 inches tall. A remarkable Victorian full mottled extra gilt calf binding. We have never seen a binding quite like it, with gilt raised bands, twin labels, the volume labels being extraordinarily ornate and with very fine extra gilt panels. Gilt dentelles and all edges. A neat ink inscription 'on leaving Eton, 1866' on the first black. Slight foxing to the preliminaries, otherwise clean, the bindings themselves are in pristine condition.

London: John Murray, 1835. 2 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A very good looking Victorian full calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and handsome gilt tooling to the panels. Triple blind fillets frame the boards. Speckled edges. With the armorial bookplate of Charles Finch Foster of Anstey Hall in Trumpington. The engraved portrait is foxed, the rest of the text and further engravings are all clean. With fine engraved portraits throughout. Samuel Butler's great 17th century satirical mock-heroic poem, inspired by Cervantes' 'Don Quixote', was written just before the restoration of Charles II. The plot is one of continuous humiliation for Hudibras, one of Cromwell's knights in the New Model Army.

London: F.C. and J. Rivington, 1823. Full calf, 5 inches tall. A delightful little Georgian full calf binding with wide gilt raised bands, superb extra gilt panels and a series of gilt and blind fillets and rolls framing the boards. The neat previous owners name, "Anne Sandars", dated 1827 on the first blank. A superb little edition of two highly influential and, in their day, very popular 18th century poets in pristine condition.

London: J. Johnson, 1808. 2 volume set, 5 1/4 inches tall. Beautiful little Regency mottled calf in pristine condition. With extra gilt tooling on a smooth back with twin labels and extraordinary mottling to the boards within a fine gilt roll. With the Fothergill bookplate and the stenciled mark of the Earls of Belmore, one of the great Irish titles. Portrait. William Cowper was one of the greatest of all English 18th century poets. His description of nature and of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside inspired the great Romantic Poets.

London: Thomas and William Boone, 1853. 6 volume set, 7 3/4 inches tall. A very neat Victorian full calf by T. Hatchard with gilt raised bands, twin labels and handsome gilt tooling to the panels. Triple blind fillets and corner tools frame the boards. Red speckled edges. Embellished with 55 full page engraved maps and battle plans. A fine set of one of the most celebrated works on the battles on the Iberian Peninsular during the Napoleonic Wars fought between the ultimately successful forces of Great Britain, Spain and Portugal against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire.

London: John Sharpe, 1818. Full calf, 6 3/4 inches tall. A lovely Regency binding with gilt raised bands, extra gilt panels and twin gilt fillets and a gilt roll frame the boards. With the Fothergill armorial bookplate and the ink stamp of Baron Belmore, of Castle Coole in County Fermanagh. Embellished with the engravings of Richard Westall, which all have a degree of foxing. A splendid copy of one of the 18th century's most popular poems.

Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1910. Full calf, 7 1/2 inches tall. A fine binding in pristine condition with gilt raised bands, label and superb gilt tooling to the panels. The gilt embossed stamp of Marlborough College is framed within gilt twin fillets on the upper board. There is the prize bookplate of Marlborough College, dated 1912, on the paste down end paper. Double column. A neat copy of the complete works of the greatest English poet of the 14th century.

Paris: Chez Pierre Ribou, 1715. 5 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. A lovely full early 18th century mottled calf with raised bands, twin labels, which vary in colour, and ornate floral gilt tooling to the panels, so typical of the period. Triple gilt fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With the bookplate of N. F. B. le Sage and that of the Bibliotheque de Cirey, the library of Madame de Simiane at the Chateau de Cirey. With fine engraved plates throughout. Quinault was a celebrated playwright and perhaps most famous for composing libretti for Lully's works. A very scarce edition, in the original French.

London: Baynes and Son et al., 1825. Full calf, 5 inches tall. A gorgeous Georgian full calf binding with gilt raised bands and splendid gilt tooling around a Tudor rose centre tool. A fine gilt roll and blind floral roll frame the boards. Very slight foxing to the engraved frontispiece and engraved title page. A selection of the great poems of Alexander Pope, one of the greatest English poets of the early 18th century enlightenment.

London: Baynes and Son et al., 1825. Full calf, 5 inches tall. A beautiful little Georgian full calf with wide gilt raised bands and exquisite gilt tooling to the panels. A wide gilt roll and floral blind roll frame the boards. There is some slight foxing to the engraved frontispiece and the engraved title page, otherwise perfectly clean. Very popular in his day, James Thomson was a great 18th century poet, famous for these two poems and also for writing the lyrics of "Rule, Britannia!"

Oxford: J. Cooke et al.. 1795. 5 volumes, 8 3/4 inches tall. A superb English Country House 18th century tree calf with gilt bands on a smooth back, triple labels and delicate gilt tooling to the panels. A Greek key pattern roll frames the boards. Gilt dentelles and speckled blue edges. All in pristine condition. George Horne was a great defender of the High Church tradition in Anglicanism.