Search

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.

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.

London: John Murray, 1814-1819. 4 volume collection, 8 1/2 inches tall. A remarkable and superb full Regency straight grain morocco with gilt raised bands, very fine extra gilt tooling to the panels and boards. The boards are decorated with a wide gilt lozenge framing a Grecian lyre bordered with a blind roll encased within quite extraordinary gilt corner tooling, gilt dentelles and all edges. Each volume has the bookplate of John Maberly, the remarkable business man and Member of Parliament. On the reverse of the free endpaper is written in pencil ' bought at sale of Mrs G. R. Smith's books at Christie's Feb. 1880. All the poems are early editions, including some firsts, most being extra illustrated with engraved plates by Westall. Some foxing to and facing the plates, otherwise clean. A fabulously bound collection of these great works.

Oxford: Printed at the University Press for Edward Gardiner, 1840 & 1841. 2 volume set, 5 3/4 inches tall. An extraordinary and fabulous pair of bindings in pristine condition, having been preserved in their original morocco slipcase. Exquisitely bound in early Victorian scarlet morocco, with twin raised bands, elaborate green, blue and olive morocco onlays, and the most striking combination of closed fore-edge decorating and gauffering that one is ever likely to see, by the great firm of binders, Hayday. Gilt dentelles. The fabulous paintings on the closed fore-edges read: 'Is true Thy Word', 'Scripture the Search', 'Thy word is pure', 'Always pray', ' Pray and watch' and 'Always pray'. The condition of the 2 volumes is fine, the slipcase is rubbed.
A beautiful, fresh, vibrant and striking example of the best of early Victorian binding and finishing, created by James Hayday.

1936. Full morocco, 13 inches by 11.5 inches. A superb binding by Asprey & Co. with gilt raised bands, panels framed with single pallets and the Regimental badge of the Scots Guards on the upper board framed by a single fillet. Wide dentelles and all edges gilt. Containing 10 original watercolours by A.E.Haswell-Miller of selected orders of dress worn by the Regiment since the Duke of Gloucester became their Colonel in 1936. From the library of the Duke of Gloucester at Kensington Palace. Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester was the third son of King George V, brother of King George VI and King Edward VIII. This magnificent and unique volume was presented to the Duke in 1961 on the occasion of his review of the Regiment marking his 25th year as Colonel.

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.

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 Coombe create an hilarious series of brilliant comic representations of death getting involved with every aspect of English Regency high jinks.