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London: Charles Knight and Co., 1839. 3 volume set, 9.5 inches tall. A wonderful full Spanish calf by J.Leighton of Brewer Street with raised gilt bands and stunning extra gilt panels. The boards are framed within sumptuous gilt rolls and fillets. With gilt dentelles and all edges. With the armorial bookplate of Gregory Haines. Illustrated throughout with hundreds of wood engravings from the designs of William Harvey. A fabulous set.

Amsterdam: sumptibus Jacobi Wetstenii, 1743. 4 volume set, 11.5 inches tall. A magnificently bound set with gilt raised bands and superb gilt tooling to the panels. Simple gilt fillets framing the boards, dentelles and all edges gilt. The index was published in 1746. With the armorial bookplate of Tatton Park. Slightly rubbed but with no loss or splitting. Beautifully printed in Greek and Latin. Dibdin considered this to be the most accurate and most beautiful edition of the works of Lucian, the great satirist and rhetorician.

London: Dubochet, Tilt and Hooper, 1836. 2 volume set, 10 inches tall. A glorious Spanish calf by Tout with gilt raised bands, triple labels and fine gilt tooling to the panels. A Cambridge panel is framed within triple fillets on the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edges. Profusely illustrated throughout by Jean Gigoux. A stunning set of this picaresque novel.

London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, et Orme, 1809. 4 volume set, 11 inches tall. A magnificent crushed and straight grain morocco with triple gilt and blind tooled raised bands and dense gilt tooling to the panels. The boards have a central straight grain panel framed by very fine and elaborate gilt and blind tooling. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Large Paper deluxe edition with india proof impressions of the plates by Smirke. Offsetting from the plates, otherwise clean. The armorial bookplate of William Strahan. Some rubbing and scuffing to the edges but with no splitting or loss. An exceptionally impressive example of this celebrated edition. In the original French.

Oxford, The University Press, 1857. 6 volume set, 9 inches tall. A most attractive mid Victorian half calf by Morrell, with gilt raised bands, twin labels and fine gilt tooling to the panels, Gilt top edges. Narcissus Luttrell (1657–1732) was an English historian, diarist, and bibliographer, and briefly Member of Parliament for two different Cornish boroughs. His Brief Historical Relation of State Affairs from September 1678 to April 1714, a chronicle of the Parliaments of England and Great Britain, was distilled from his diary and published in 1857, after Macaulay had drawn attention to the manuscript in All Souls College, Oxford (Wikipedia). A very fine set of the first edition of this important work which also covers major events in diplomacy, literature and the arts.

Amsterdam: Elzevir ( Apud Ludovicum & Danielem Elzevirios), 1665. 3 volume set, 7.75 inches tall. A wonderful set in a full crushed morocco, unsigned but possibly by Clarke at the beginning of the 19th century. With gilt raised bands, superb gilt floral tooling to the panels. Gilt rolls, fillets and corner tools frame the boards. Fine engraved frontispiece to volume 1. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Sold at Sotheby's in December 1857. A fine set of this work by this great Roman Historian, in the original Latin.

London: Chapman and Hall, 1865-69. A 17 volume collection, 7 3/4 inches tall. An exceptionally good looking Victorian full calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and intricate gilt tooling to the panels. A wide gilt roll, gilt and blind fillets and corner tools frame the boards. Fine engraved frontispieces, title pages and full page illustrations by Phiz throughout. Though not a complete set of Lever's works this is a beautifully bound collection of 10 of his most popular novels, individually published, in 17 volumes. In his day the Irish novelist, Charles Lever, was hugely popular and influential and his rollicking style is still enjoyed.

London: The Leadenhall Press, 1892. 2 volume set, 6 inches tall. A delightful little set in Spanish Calf by Zaehnsdorf with gilt bands and twin labels. The boards are framed within triple gilt fillets and a gilt roll. A charming gilt wreath and portrait is blocked on both upper boards. No. 9 of just 112 copies, signed by Andrew Tuer, printed by the Leadenhall Press on hand made paper. Armorial bookplate. The original title page, dated 1809, and frontispiece are reprinted in volume I. A beautiful copy.

London: Joseph Thomas 1841. Full calf, 10 inches tall. A glorious Spanish calf by Tout with gilt raised bands, triple labels and fine gilt tooling to the panels. A Cambridge panel is framed within triple fillets on the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edges. Profusely illustrated throughout by Tony Johannot. A stunning copy of this picaresque novel, first published in 1714. This comic novel concerns the wanderings of Asmodeus, a worn out, refined and likeable devil, and Zambullo, his new companion. Translated into English by Joseph Thomas.

London: Chapple, 1814. 2 volume set, 7 inches tall. A very fine full calf by Robson & Kerslake with gilt raised bands, fine floral gilt tooling to the panels, twin labels, dentelles and all edges gilt. Bookplate. Some wear to the joints, especially the upper joint of the first volume but still solid. The text block is spotless. There are earlier editions of Selections from La Fontaine's Tales but this is the first complete edition in English and as such is highly sought after. With 40 full page engraved plates. A beautiful set of the works of this great 17th century French fabulist and poet.

London: Richard Taylor, 1832. Full morocco, 11 inches tall. A superb c.1835 full red morocco with gilt raised bands, ornate floral gilt tooling to the panels and a wide gilt roll and fillets to the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With this work Lucretius was a great influence on the Augustan poets and on philosophers of the Enlightenment constructing a new Christian humanism. In the original Latin.

Paris: chez la Veuve P. Bertrand, 1714. Full calf, 11 inches tall. Splendid full later cat's paw calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and fine floral gilt tooled panels. Gilt dentelles and pink edges. With 65 portraits of the French kings. Some foxing to the preliminaries. Expert repair to the title page. With the bookplates of the Marquis de Biencourt of the Château de Masfaure.

London, Paris, New York: Goupil & Co., 1900. Full morocco, 13 inches tall. A magnificent binding with gilt raised bands and handsome Edwardian gilt tooled panels and boards. One of a limited edition of 1500 examples. Embellished with a splendid colour portrait frontispiece and monochrome plates throughout. A little foxing to the preliminaries and slight rubbing but still a fine example of Goupil's luxurious productions.

London: Chapman and Hall, 1872 & 1873. 16 volumes, 8.5 inches tall. A splendid run in a classic Victorian half calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and floral gilt tooling including the ever present shamrock to the panels. Slightly rubbed and bumped. Profusely illustrated throughout with full page engravings by Phiz. Admired by Trollope and Dickens, Charles Lever's tales of Irish Life were hugely popular.

Paris: Saugrin, L'An V. - 1797. 2 volume set, 6 inches tall. An exquisite full straight grain morocco by C. Lewis with twin blind tooled bands, beautiful gilt tooling to the panels, dentelles and all edges. The straight grain of the boards is framed within a frame of gilt and blind tooled fillets. Bookplate. 8 glorious copper engravings by Moreau le Jeune and a frontispiece portrait of La Fontaine after Rigeau. Slight rubbing to the head and tail cap and boards, and slight fading to the spine but a beautiful set of this delightful and scarce work from the original tale by Ovid, retold by La Fontaine.

Paris: Chez Ambroise Tardieu, 1821. 4 volume set, 8 inches tall. A delightful full mottled calf by Bayntun of Bath with gilt raised bands, twin labels and very fine gilt tooling to the panels. A wide gilt roll frames the boards. Dentelles and all edges gilt. Decorated with 8 engravings by Alexandre-Marie Colin, a student of Girodet. Slight rubbing to the edges and some light foxing. An exceptional set of this licentious novel.

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.

Amsterdam: Chez Pierre Humbert, 1731. 2 volume set, 10 inches tall. A superb early 18th century full French calf with gilt raised bands, twin morocco labels and extra gilt tooling to the panels. Pink edges. Fine full page engravings throughout. Slight foxing to the title page, otherwise clean. From the library of Madame de Simiane at the Chateau de Cirey. A fine set.

Paris: Didot, 1810. 2 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. Scarce utopian novel in superb full mottled calf from the beginning of the 19th century. With gilt bands, twin labels and very fine gilt tooling to the panels. Speckled edge. A neat ink owner's name 'Stewart' at the head of the first title page. A remarkable work purporting to be the travels of a Chinese explorer in Europe 100 years in the future. 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. A splendid example of this rare and fantastical work.