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  • Category = Humour
  • FIRST EDITION IN BOOK FORM IN SUPERB TREE CALF BY HAYDAY
    The History of Pendennis. by THACKERAY, William Makepeace.
    THACKERAY, William Makepeace.
    The History of Pendennis.

    London: Bradbury & Evans, 1850. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. A superb tree calf binding by the great firm of Hayday with gilt raised bands, extra gilt panels and contrasting labels. A striking gilt roll frames the boards. Illustrated by Thackeray himself with vignettes and full page engraved plates throughout. Light foxing. The classic tale of a young English gentleman, Arthur Pendennis, born in the country who sets out for London to seek his place in life and society encountering a satirical picture of human character and aristocratic society.

    View basket More details Price: £350.00
  • FINELY ILLUSTRATED LIMITED EDITION IN HALF CALF BY ASPER
    The Novellino. by MASUCCIO. WATERS, W. G. (First translated into English by).
    MASUCCIO. WATERS, W. G. (First translated into English by).
    The Novellino.

    London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1895. 2 volume set, 11 inches tall. A pristine and very good looking half mottled calf by the Geneva bookbinder Asper with gilt raised bands, maroon label, gilt framed panels and gilt top edges. Embellished with 18 full page plates by E. R. Hughes. A splendid English language edition of 1000 copies of the great work of the 15th century Italian poet best known for his 50 celebrated bawdy short stories, here first translated into English.

    View basket More details Price: £500.00
  • FINELY ILLUSTRATED LIMITED EDITION IN HALF CALF BY ASPER
    The Nights of Straparola. by STRAPAROLA, Giovanni Francesco. WATERS, W. G. (First translated into English by).
    STRAPAROLA, Giovanni Francesco. WATERS, W. G. (First translated into English by).
    The Nights of Straparola.

    London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1894. 2 volume set, 11 inches tall. A pristine and very good looking half mottled calf by the Geneva bookbinder Asper with gilt raised bands, maroon label, gilt framed panels and gilt top edges. Embellished with 18 full page plates by E. R.Hughes. A splendid English language edition of 1000 copies of the great work of the early 16th century Italian writer of bawdy short stories, which include some of the original versions of well known fairy stories. This translation into English is the first collected English language version of Straparola's 'Nights', 'The Pleasant Nights' or 'Facetious Nights', as they are also known.

    View basket More details Price: £500.00
  • FINELY ILLUSTRATED LIMITED EDITION IN HALF CALF BY ASPER
    Five Books of the Lives, Heroic Deeds and Sayings of Gargantua and his Son Pantagruel. by RABELAIS, Master Francis. CHALON, Louis (illustrations by).
    RABELAIS, Master Francis. CHALON, Louis (illustrations by).
    Five Books of the Lives, Heroic Deeds and Sayings of Gargantua and his Son Pantagruel.

    London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1892. 2 volume set, 11 inches tall. A pristine and very good looking half mottled calf by the Geneva bookbinder Asper with gilt raised bands, maroon label, gilt framed panels and gilt top edges. Embellished with a portrait and 14 full page plates. A splendid English language edition of 1000 copies of the great work of the early 16th century French renaissance satirist Francis Rabelais. Described as the first great French prose writer he revelled in the bawdy, grotesque, extravagant and robust tales that he is still celebrated for.

    View basket More details Price: £500.00
  • ONE OF THACKERAY'S POPULAR CHRISTMAS BOOKS IN FINE HALF CALF
    The Kickleburys on the Rhine. by THACKERAY, William Makepeace. TITMARSH, Mr. M.A. (pseud.).
    THACKERAY, William Makepeace. TITMARSH, Mr. M.A. (pseud.).
    The Kickleburys on the Rhine.

    London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1850. Half calf, 7 inches tall. A charming copy of one of Thackeray's popular Christmas books in a Victorian half calf with raised bands, extra gilt panels and label. Embellished with 13 full page colour plates. A humorous look at this respectable English family voyaging in foreign climes.

    View basket More details Price: £300.00
  • VERY SCARCE EDITIONS IN SUPERB HALF CRUSHED MOROCCO BY RAMAGE
    The Dramatic Works of Sir Aston Cokain; The Dramatic Works of John Wilson; The Dramatic Works of John Lacy; The Dramatic Works of Shackerley Marmion; The Dramatic Works of John Tatham. by COKAIN, Sir Aston; WILSON, John; LACY, John; MARMION, Shackerley; TATHAM, John.
    COKAIN, Sir Aston; WILSON, John; LACY, John; MARMION, Shackerley; TATHAM, John.
    The Dramatic Works of Sir Aston Cokain; The Dramatic Works of John Wilson; The Dramatic Works of John Lacy; The Dramatic Works of Shackerley Marmion; The Dramatic Works of John Tatham.

    Edinburgh: William Paterson & and London: H. Sotheran & Co., 1874, 74, 75, 75, 79. 5 volumes, 8 inches tall. A sparkling half crushed morocco by Ramage with gilt raised bands, superb gilt framed panels and gilt top edge. 5 limited edition titles 'Printed for Subscribers Only' from the series 'Dramatists of the Restoration'. The outrageous and often sexually explicit texts were written for the stage during the reign of Charles II following the puritan interregnum. They are celebrated for their wit and brilliant humour, hence the need to be privately printed, and again today are rarely performed through fear of offending today's delicate audiences. A very nice collection of these scarce editions in pristine condition.

    View basket More details Price: £1,200.00
  • FINE COLOUR PLATES IN SPLENDID FULL CALF
    The Military Adventures of Johnny Newcome, with an Account of his Campaign on the Peninsula, and in Pall Mall. by ROBERTS, Col. D.. ROWLANDSON, Thomas (Sketches by).
    ROBERTS, Col. D.. ROWLANDSON, Thomas (Sketches by).
    The Military Adventures of Johnny Newcome, with an Account of his Campaign on the Peninsula, and in Pall Mall.

    London: Patrick Martin, 1816. Full calf, 9 inches tall. A splendid later full calf with gilt raised bands, ornate gilt panels and twin labels. Gilt dentelles and top edge. With 15 full page hand-coloured aquatints, as called for. With its felt lined buckram slip case. Predating Mitford's 'Adventures of Johnny Newcombe in the Navy' this hilarious satire presents our hero as he begins his military career on dry land. We witness his experiences in Pall Mall and then onto The Peninsula War in which he helps repel the invading French forces of Napoleon.

    View basket More details Price: £950.00
  • SCURRILOUS WORK IN EARLY VICTORIAN HALF CALF
    Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry. by CARLETON, William
    CARLETON, William
    Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry.

    London: Baldwin and Craddock & Dublin: Wakeman, 1836. 5 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. An early Victorian half calf with wide gilt bands, label and dense blind tooling to the panels. Portrait, engraved title pages and full page engravings from illustrations by W. H. Brooke throughout, of a scurrilous nature! Rubbed and chipped and foxing to some plates, but a solid and complete set of this scarce work.

    View basket More details Price: £380.00
  • 71 WITTY HAND COLOURED AQUATINTS IN SUPERB FULL CRUSHED MOROCCO BY RAMAGE.
    The English Spy: An Original Work, Characteristic, Satirical, and Humorous. Comprising Scenes and Sketches In Every Rank of Society, Being Portraits of the Illustrious, Eminent, Eccentric, and Notorious. Drawn From the Life by Bernard Blackmantle. by WESTMACOTT, Charles Molloy. BLACKMANTLE, Bernard. CRUIKSHANK, Robert (Illustrated by).
    WESTMACOTT, Charles Molloy. BLACKMANTLE, Bernard. CRUIKSHANK, Robert (Illustrated by).
    The English Spy: An Original Work, Characteristic, Satirical, and Humorous. Comprising Scenes and Sketches In Every Rank of Society, Being Portraits of the Illustrious, Eminent, Eccentric, and Notorious. Drawn From the Life by Bernard Blackmantle.

    London: Sherwood, 1825. 2 Volume set, 9 1/2" tall. A later beautiful full crushed Morocco by Ramage with gilt raised bands and superb gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt corner tools and fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edges, and the book plate of Joseph Turner. Embellished with 71 witty hand coloured aquatints, 2 engraved title pages and many engraved vignettes. A wonderful set of this highly entertaining work.

    View basket More details Price: £1,850.00
  • GREAT COMIC WORK IN BEAUTIFUL FULL CALF BY LUCIEN BROCA
    Life in Paris; Comprising the Rambles, Sprees, and Amours, of Dick Wildfire, of Corinthian celebrity, and his bang-up companions, Squire Jenkins and Captain O'Shuffleton; with the Whimsical Adventures of the Halibut Family; Including Sketches of a Variety of other Eccentric Characters in the French Metropolis. by CAREY, David
    CAREY, David
    Life in Paris; Comprising the Rambles, Sprees, and Amours, of Dick Wildfire, of Corinthian celebrity, and his bang-up companions, Squire Jenkins and Captain O'Shuffleton; with the Whimsical Adventures of the Halibut Family; Including Sketches of a Variety of other Eccentric Characters in the French Metropolis.

    London: John Fairburn, 1822. 9 inches tall. A beautiful later full straight grain calf by the brilliant and elusive Lucien Broca. With gilt raised bands and superb extra gilt tooling to the panels. Triple gilt fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edge. Embellished with 21 comic hand-coloured aquatints by George Cruikshank and a further 22 wood engravings. An exceptionally lovely copy of the rollicking adventures of a band of young English Gentlemen enjoying life to the full in Paris in excellent condition in a binding by one of the greatest craftsmen of his generation.

    View basket More details Price: £1,450.00
  • SCARCE SATIRICAL WORK WITH LIVELY HAND-COLOURED PLATES
    Real Life in Ireland. by ANONYMOUS. (EGAN, Pierce (in the manner of)). HEATH, William, ALKEN, Henry and others, (illustrated by).
    ANONYMOUS. (EGAN, Pierce (in the manner of)). HEATH, William, ALKEN, Henry and others, (illustrated by).
    Real Life in Ireland.

    London: Jones & Co., 1822. Half morocco, 8 1/2 inches tall. A handsome Victorian binding by Murphy of Liverpool, with gilt raised bands, fine gilt tooling incorporating shamrocks in the panels and gilt top edge. With an hilarious hand-coloured frontispiece and 18 further outrageous plates by, amongst others, Henry Alken and William Heath. The binding is slightly faded, but still bright. There is some foxing, occasional creasing and slight grubbiness but overall an unusually good example of this scarce work in the style of Pierce Egan.

    View basket More details Price: £650.00
  • HILARIOUS FINE COLOUR PLATES IN SPARKLING FULL CALF
    Life in Paris; Comprising the Rambles, Sprees, and Amours, of Dick Wildfire, of Corinthian celebrity, and his bang-up companions, Squire Jenkins and Captain O'Shuffleton.... by CAREY, David
    CAREY, David
    Life in Paris; Comprising the Rambles, Sprees, and Amours, of Dick Wildfire, of Corinthian celebrity, and his bang-up companions, Squire Jenkins and Captain O'Shuffleton....

    London: John Fairburn, 1822. Full calf, 9 1/2 inches tall. A sparkling later full calf binding by Tout with gilt raised bands, superb extra gilt tooling to the panels and triple labels. Delicate gilt tooling frames the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With the armorial bookplate of George Seton Veitch. Original wrapper bound in. Embellished with 21 hand comic hand-coloured aquatints by George Cruikshank and a further 22 wood engravings. This unique copy also contains a tipped in signature of George Cruikshank, a tipped in note by Robert Cruikshank and a tipped in letter of George Bell. Slightly rubbed but still a super copy of the rollicking adventures of a band of young English Gentlemen enjoying life to the full in Paris.

    View basket More details Price: £1,800.00
  • SUPERB COMIC WORK IN BEAUTIFUL FULL MOROCCO
    Finish to the Adventures of Tom, Jerry, and Logic, in their pursuits through London. by EGAN, Pierce. CRUIKSHANK, Robert (Illustrated by the pencil of).
    EGAN, Pierce. CRUIKSHANK, Robert (Illustrated by the pencil of).
    Finish to the Adventures of Tom, Jerry, and Logic, in their pursuits through London.

    London: G. Virtue, 1830. Full morocco, 10 inches tall. An exceptionally tall copy in a beautiful later full straight grain morocco binding by Sotheran of Piccadilly. With gilt raised bands, a superb boxing centre tool within an ornate cartouche in the panels and the boards, gilt dentelles and top edges, the remaining edges untrimmed. With 2 armorial bookplates. Embellished with all 36 hilarious hand-coloured aquatints from designs by Robert Cruikshank. A pristine example of this great comic work, in which our heroes continue with their debauched adventures around London.

    View basket More details Price: £1,850.00
  • BRILLIANT COMIC WORK IN WONDERFUL FULL MOROCCO BY BEDFORD
    Points of Humour; Illustrated by the Designs of George Cruikshank. by CRUIKSHANK, George
    CRUIKSHANK, George
    Points of Humour; Illustrated by the Designs of George Cruikshank.

    London: C. Baldwyn, 1823. 2 volumes bound in 1, 9 1/4 inches tall. A wonderful full morocco binding by the great firm of Bedford from the library of a Scottish Gentleman. Gilt raised bands, exceptionally fine gilt tooling to the panels and triple gilt fillets framing the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edge. A curious comic work in which Cruikshank " selects or invents those incidents which might be interesting or amusing in themselves, while they afford scope for the peculiar talents of the artist who adorns them with his designs". Both volumes contains 10 themes, each illustrated with a full page wood engraving. There are further engraved vignettes on India paper throughout. With 6 leaves of advertisements bound in. An absolutely pristine copy of the first edition.

    View basket More details Price: £1,800.00
  • SUPERB AQUATINTS IN SUMPTUOUS FULL MOROCCO BY BEDFORD
    Naples. And the Campagna Felice. in a Series of Letters, Addressed to a Friend in England, in 1802 by ROWLANDSON, Thomas; ENGELBACH, Lewis
    ROWLANDSON, Thomas; ENGELBACH, Lewis
    Naples. And the Campagna Felice. in a Series of Letters, Addressed to a Friend in England, in 1802

    London: R. Ackermann, 1815: 1815. Full morocco, 10 inches tall. A tall and sumptuous later full crushed morocco binding by the great firm of Bedford. With gilt raised bands and exceptional gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt dentelles and top edge. Very slight fading to the spine but still a wonderful copy from the library of a Scottish Gentleman. Hand-colored aquatint frontispiece, engraved title page and a further 16 hand-colored aquatint plates, as listed. First edition in book form. As good a copy of this highly entertaining work as one could hope to find.

    View basket More details Price: £2,200.00
  • PRISTINE TALL COPY IN SUMPTUOUS FULL MOROCCO BY BEDFORD
    George Cruikshank's Table-Book. by CRUIKSHANK, George (illustrator). À BECKETT, Gilbert Abbott (Edited by).
    CRUIKSHANK, George (illustrator). À BECKETT, Gilbert Abbott (Edited by).
    George Cruikshank's Table-Book.

    London, The Punch Office, 1845. Full morocco, 10 inches tall. A pristine example of this classic comic work bound in sumptuous full morocco by the great firm of Bedford, from the library of a Scottish Gentleman. An exceptionally tall copy with gilt raised bands, ornate floral gilt tooling to the panels, triple gilt fillet framing the boards, wide gilt dentelles and top edge gilt. Embellished with 12 full page steel engravings and 117 superb engraved vignettes. With over 50 leaves of highly entertaining advertisements. As fine a copy as one could hope to find.

    View basket More details Price: £1,800.00
  • BRILLIANTLY ILLUSTRATED COMIC WORK IN SUPERLATIVE FULL MOROCCO, GILT
    Life in London; Or, the Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq. and His Elegant Friend, Corinthian Tom, Accompanied by Bob Logic, The Oxonian, in their Rambles and Sprees Through the Metropolis. by EGAN, Pierce. CRUIKSHANK, George & Isaac (illustrated by).
    EGAN, Pierce. CRUIKSHANK, George & Isaac (illustrated by).
    Life in London; Or, the Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq. and His Elegant Friend, Corinthian Tom, Accompanied by Bob Logic, The Oxonian, in their Rambles and Sprees Through the Metropolis.

    London: Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1822. Full morocco,10 inches tall. A superlative later full morocco binding by the great firm of Bedford, from the library of a Scottish Gentleman, in pristine condition. An exceptionally tall copy with gilt raised bands, ornate floral gilt tooling to the panels, triple gilt fillet framing the boards, wide gilt dentelles and top edges gilt. With 36 hand coloured aquatints by I.R. and George Cruikshank and 3 folding pages of songs. The original paper spine and cover, and advertisements, bound in. The images illustrate the hilarious and bawdy adventures of Jerry and his companions in Regency London. A beautiful volume.

    View basket More details Price: £2,500.00
  • MAGNIFICENT & PRISTINE COPY IN FULL MOROCCO BY BEDFORD
    Lessons of Thrift, Published for General Benefit By a Member of the Save-all Club. by CRAWFORD, John William Roy. CRUIKSHANK, Isaac Robert (illustrator).
    CRAWFORD, John William Roy. CRUIKSHANK, Isaac Robert (illustrator).
    Lessons of Thrift, Published for General Benefit By a Member of the Save-all Club.

    London: Thomas Boys, 1820. Full morocco, 10 inches tall. A wonderful tall late Victorian binding by the great firm of Bedford in pristine condition, inside and out. With gilt raised bands and luxurious floral gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt triple fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edge. With an engraved title page and 12 hilarious full page hand coloured plates by Isaac Robert Cruikshank. From the library of a Scottish Gentleman. As fine a copy as one could possibly find of the first edition of this hilarious work advising much scrimping and saving.

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  • SCARCE TITLE IN FULL CRUSHED MOROCCO
    The Maxims of Marmaduke. by JERNINGHAM, Charles Edwards "Marmaduke".
    JERNINGHAM, Charles Edwards "Marmaduke".
    The Maxims of Marmaduke.

    London: Methuen & Co., 1910. Full morocco, 6 1/2 inches tall. A very smart copy in full crushed morocco Edwardian binding by Bumpus with gilt raised bands, simple gilt framing to the panels and boards, gilt dentelles and all edges. Slight fading to the spine but still a luxurious and neat volume.

    View basket More details Price: £220.00
  • CLASSIC COMIC WORK IN SUPERB TALL FULL MOROCCO
    George Cruikshank's Omnibus by CRUIKSHANK, George. (Edited by BLANCHARD, Laman).
    CRUIKSHANK, George. (Edited by BLANCHARD, Laman).
    George Cruikshank's Omnibus

    London: Tilt and Bogue, 1842. Full morocco, 9 1/2 inches tall. In pristine condition in a wonderful binding by the great firm of Bedford from the library of a Scottish Gentleman. With gilt raised bands and very fine gilt floral tooling to the panels. Triple gilt fillets frame the boards, gilt dentelles and top edge. The first edition of this classic comic work embellished with 22 full page engravings and a further 78 woodcut vignettes by George Cruikshank. Bound with 48 leaves of advertisements and the original covers of the original parts. As fine a copy of this splendid work as one could hope to find.

    View basket More details Price: £1,600.00