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London: Johnson, Egerton and Edwards, 1785. Full morocco, 11.75 inches tall. A magnificent example of the work of perhaps the finest bookbinders of Georgian London, Christian Kalthoeber. With gilt raised bands, very fine and ornate tooling to the panels, dentelles and all edges. With his pink binder's ticket. Embellished with all 10 folding engraved plates. The Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France, during the American War of Independence, to capture this British territory captured from Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1704.

Paris: Charles Antoine Jombert, 1752. Full calf, 10 inches tall. A superb 18th century full mottled calf with gilt raised bands, olive label and floral gilt tooling to the panels. Red edges. Bookplate. Some creasing to the shoulders but no actual splitting. A few minor and superficial pink patches on the calf but overall a splendid copy of this great book. The first edition of this landmark work on naval architecture, 'the first training manual for aspiring naval constructors ever produced'. Complete with all 25 engraved plates and the delightful engraved chapter heads by Nicolas Ozanne. In the original French.

London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown and J. White, 1810. 13 vols., 8vo (9" tall). 51 fine engravings in volume 13. Full red morocco by J. Clarke. A superb binding from the beginning of the 19th century. Gilt raised bands, palette lines, double roll framing the boards, dentelles and edges. A slight superficial darkening to one panel on volume four.

London & Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1874-1887. 8 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. A classic Victorian full calf set by Harrison of Pall Mall. With gilt raised bands, twin labels and very fine gilt tooling to the panels. Volumes 7 & 8 were published some years after the first 6 volumes and have a slight variation in tooling. A fine set of this authoritative work whose full title is 'The Invasion of the Crimea: Its Origin, and an Account of its Progress Down to The Death of Lord Raglan'. Armorial bookplate and neat ink inscription to the first blank. Many folding plans and maps.

Paris: Ernest Bourdin, 1842. 2 volume set, 10.5 inches tall. A beautiful set bound in full cat's paw calf by Charles Lewis, one of the finest London binders of the period. With gilt raised bands, twin labels and wonderful gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Illustrated with engraved vignettes throughout by Charlet. Armorial bookplate. In the original French.

London & Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1863-1887. 8 volume set, 8.75 inches tall. A very good looking set in Victorian half calf by Worsford of London with gilt raised bands, twin labels and delicate gilt panels. All maps and plates present. Volumes 1 and 2 are 4th edition, the rest 1sts. From the Library and with the bookplate of Robert J. Hayhurst. A splendid set of this pertinent and classic history.

London: Richard Bentley, 1836. 4 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. A very handsome full calf binding with raised bands, twin labels and gilt tooling to the panels. The diced boards are framed within a gilt roll. With the binder's ticket of Webster of Birmingham. Illustrated with engraved portraits, views and maps. Some foxing and staining to a few plates. An excellent set of this celebrated biography by Napoleon's private secretary.

Paris: Armand Magnier, 1898. 2 volume set, 10.25 inches tall. 2 magnificent full morocco bindings by Stroobants. The spine is superbly tooled in the aesthetic manner with morocco onlays, the boards are bound with a natural tan morocco. Gilt top edges. This set in number 3 of 12 copies ,out of a limited edition of 300, on 'imperiales du Japon' with the plates in 4 states and the vignettes in 3. An unsentimental and gripping account of military life with the concept of honour vanishing from the post Napoleonic army. A superb set in pristine condition. In the original French.

London: Fisher, 1841. 4 volume set, 9 inches tall. A most attractive early Victorian half calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and gilt tooled panels. With frontispieces, engraved half titles, maps including 1 folding map of the Battle of Waterloo and 50 engraved plates. Armorial bookplate. Slight foxing to some plates and slightly rubbed boards but still a striking set of this stirring work.

Paris: Ernest Bourdin, (1842). Full calf, 10.5 inches tall. Superb cat's paw calf bound by Clarke & Bedford, one of the best firms of binders in London with gilt raised bands and splendid floral gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt dentelles and all edges gilt. Engraved vignettes and full page plates throughout. Armorial bookplate. In the original French.

Paris: L'Auteur, 1831. Half calf, 19 inches tall. An elegant binding by Simier, with his ticket. I very wide raised band and superb gilt tooling to the spine. 40 full page lithographs. Some Foxing. A neat ink owners inscription at Hickstead Place on the first blank.The ticket states 'Simier, Relieur du Roi, Rue St Honore 152, a Paris'. Binder to the King, Simier's "variety and and technique were superb; he had no superior and few rivals during his career" ( Ramsden's French Bookbinders 1789-1848 ).

London: Pattie, (1838-1840). 3 volumes bound in 2, 11 inches tall. A most handsome half calf with gilt bands, titles and very ornate panels. Armorial bookplate. Arbitrary pagination in Volume 1. A very entertaining and extremely scarce work consisting of military adventures of the period and recent past. From the Library and with the bookplate of Robert J. Hayhurst. There are just 2 examples in Copac and both seem to be incomplete. Profusely illustrated with vignettes and full page engraved portraits and plans.

London: Johnson et al, 1817. Half morocco, 10.5 inches tall. A handsome later half morocco with gilt raised bands and gilt tooled panels. All edges untrimmed. Embellished with all 24 splendid hand coloured aquatints, as called for. An amusing romp in the style of Dr. Syntax, wonderfully illustrated.

London: John Murray, 1816. 3 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. Half blue calf with gilt raised bands. Foxing to the preliminaries. A fine set.

Paris: Charles Hingray, 1839. 3 volume set, 8.75 inches tall. A scarce edition in a curious quarter morocco binding with raised bands, gilt titles and the crest of the Earl of Lovelace in the bottom panel. With the Earl's Library stamp and name on the free endpapers and a further crest on the half titles. Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron and often regarded as the first computer programmer, was married to the first Earl of Lovelace. Slightly rubbed and with slight discolouration to the cloth boards.

London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1892. 2 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. A very handsome half morocco by Morrell with gilt raised bands, 'Napoleonic' centre tools, framed within gilt panels and gilt top edge. Bookplates. Translated into English by Arthur John Butler. Famous for depicting the Napoleonic age of warfare, Marbot's Memoirs were read by and much approved of by Napoleon himself. A fine set.

London: Macmillan, 1914. Full calf, 8 inches tall. A splendid full prize calf by Relfe with gilt raised bands, gilt panels and label. The boards, with a prize gilt block, are framed within a gilt roll. With 41 full page engravings including many folding maps. A pristine late edition of this classic military history.

London: Casell & Co., 1911. Quarter pale blue morocco. 9.5 inches tall. Gilt raised bands, fine floral gilt panels and top edge. From the Cannes library of Mme Vagliano. Colour frontispiece and 80 full page monochrome plates. Some foxing. Splendid copy slightly faded by the Provencal sun.