Signed binding

Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1863. Full morocco, 10 inches tall. A fabulous full morocco by Ramage, noted for their luxurious gift and presentation bindings, with gilt raised bands and a plethora of inlays, onlays and gilt tooling. This remarkable volume is so richly decorated in coloured inlaid extra gilt morocco that the crimson ground of the binding appears at first to be merely a border. Five panels of the spine have inlaid brown morocco gilt tooled with thistles, crowns and the onlaid stars that also border the boards. The sixth panel on the spine is a turquoise blue morocco title-label, gilt. The design on both boards, has five heraldic shields, King James, Montrose and three others. These shields are inlaid with various leathers and embellished with ornate gilt tooling and surmounted by fine gilt tooled crowns. The background is a large panel, of the same brown as the panels on the spine, spangled with tiny gilt tooled thistles. Wide gilt dentelles and all edges gilt. The text is the first illustrated edition of Aytoun's Lays with fine wood engravings by Dalziel, Linton, Thompson, E. Evans, Whymper and others, after the notable drawings by Noel Paton and W. H. Paton. There is some light foxing particularly on the preliminaries. From the Library of the Late Christopher Foyle of Beeleigh Abbey, and the bookplates of Thomas Gaisford (1779-1885, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford) and that of A. F. L.. A truly spectacular example of late Victorian English Book Binding.

London: David Nutt 1890 & 1894. Full morocco, 10 inches tall. Wonderful full crushed morocco bindings, executed in 1898, by Riviere & Son with superb gilt olive branch tooling to the spine and boards. With gilt dentelles and top edges. Illustrated by John D Batten with 12 plates, all in 2 states, headpieces, vignettes and initials throughout. Original paper spine bound in. Signed by the author, publisher and illustrator. First edition, Deluxe issue being numbers 33 of 80 copies, and 22 of 160 copies respectively, printed on Japanese vellum. Joseph Jacobs, the editor of the society journal 'Folk-Lore', was a noted collector and publisher of English folklore. He was responsible for popularising such familiar fairy tales as 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', 'Jack and the Beanstalk', 'Jack the Giant Killer', 'The History of Tom Thumb' and 'The Three Little Pigs'. A splendid set of these two scarce deluxe limited editions.

London: Chapman & Hall, 1887. 34 volumes, 8 1/2 inches tall. A superb late Victorian set bound by Zaehnsdorf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and very fine gilt tooling to the panels. The Monogram and coronet of The Marchioness of Londonderry is gilt embossed on the upper boards framed within a double fillet. With her bookplate. A letter is slipped in reading: "June 24th 1889. My Dear Lady Londonderry, I send you a set of Carlyle's Works - Please accept in memory of such kindness received from Ireland's best of Kings & sweetest of Queens.....Edmund Talbot". A few marks and scratches but a superb set in near pristine condition. A fine set of the best edition of the works of one of the greatest influences of the Victorian Age.

London: Seeley and Co., 1889. 2 volume set, 10 1/2 inches tall. A glorious full morocco binding by S.David in pristine condition with gilt raised bands and flamboyant and luxurious gilt tooling to the panels and boards. Equally sumptuous tooling to the blue crushed morocco doublures and all edges gilt. This set has been embellished with around 200 extra-illustrations, many being very fine and rare images, making a single volume work a 2 volume set. This set is number 126 of a large paper limited edition of 150 copies. From the Library of the Late Christopher Foyle of Beeleigh Abbey. Frances Burney, known as Fanny Burney and then, at the age of 41, Madame d'Arblay, having married the French exile General Alexandre d'Arblay. She was the daughter of Charles Burney, English music historian, composer and musician. Frances Burney was a great English satirical novelist and diarist. She wrote her most celebrated novel, 'Evelina' in 1778 which she followed with 'Cecilia', 'Camilla' and 'The Wanderer'. Between the years 1786–1790 she was 'Keeper of the Robes' to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, George III's queen. A wonderful set.

London: Rudolph Ackermann, 1837. Full morocco, 9 1/2 inches tall. An exceptional copy of this remarkable work in a beautiful binding by the elusive and brilliant Lucien Broca with, most uncommonly, his own stamp. The full morocco binding has gilt raised bands and wonderfully intricate gilt tooling to the panels. Heavily crushed morocco with a surround of fillets and a splendid gilt roll form the doublures, facing watered silk free endpapers. All edges gilt. First edition, with errata slip to the last printed leaf. With 15 absolutely lovely aquatints from drawings by J. T. Rawlins. Gamonia is 'One of the most attractive colour plate books, with the aquatints all beautifully coloured and with the skilled application of gum arabic making them especially bright and sparkling.'- Ford. Eric Parker, in an 1930 edition of this book, notes: "'Gamonia' is valuable not only for its rarity and charm . It was published privately and gifted to friends by the author and is recognised as is the first treatise devoted solely to the subject of pheasant rearing, covert shooting, and the management of woodlands for the special purpose of preserving game . We can see much of what is in Rawstorne's mind in the treatment of the subjects he has chosen for illustration: in the quiet ridicule of the unskilled, in the hint of knowledge of how the thing could and should be done; in the cold and snow in which he likes to set his sportsmen seeking their quarry, and in the serenity of sunlight in which in each drawing stands Penwortham, his home". Lucien Broca was recently revealed by Marrianne Tidcombe to have created the finest bindings attributed to Sarah Prideaux, to her designs and instructions. He was born in France and bound to the highest level in Frith Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Percy Street and Gerrard Street. A superb copy of this fascinating work.

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

Dublin & London: Various, 1839-79. 39 volumes, 6 - 9 inches tall. Remarkable and very attractive turquoise half morocco bindings by Riviere with very ornate gilt tooling to the panels and gilt top edges. Many are finely illustrated by Hablot K. Browne 'Phiz'. There are some bumped corners, a little rubbing and the odd mark but no splitting or loss. With the bookplate of C. H. Waterland Mander. All the titles are first editions excepting 'A Day's Ride' "Second edition" but first published separately, and all are complete excepting 'Tony Butler' which lacks the third volume. A splendid collection of the works of this great Irish novelist who in his day rivaled Dickens in popularity. Some titles are particularly rare, including 'A Rent in a Cloud', which is "not in Sadleir: "It has been impossible to locate a copy ..."

London: Chapman & Hall, 1924. Full morocco, 9 1/2 inches tall. A beautiful mosaic binding By Riviere with gilt raised bands, exquisite floral centre tools framed in the panels, gilt dentelles and all edges. Both boards have fine and elaborate gilt fillets and corner tools and the upper board has a superb mosaic series of inlays representing a Regency dandy wooing his lady. The inlays and binding itself are in sparkling pristine condition having been housed in its original felt lined slip case, which is present. The full page illustrations and decorations are by John Austen in a striking and somewhat decadent manner. There is very slight offsetting from the dentelles to the facing free endpapers otherwise pristine and with no inscriptions. A beautiful decorated 'Miscellany of Eighteenth Century Poems'.