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St Petersburg, Shipovnik, 1906. Full morocco, 6 1/2 inches tall. An extraordinarily rare Russian volume on the designs of Aubrey Beardsley in a full crushed morocco in a binding stamped by Oliver & Boyd. The binding has gilt raised bands, simple gilt tooling to the panels and ornate gilt tooling to the boards incorporating peacocks, fountain and swags. Gilt dentelles and all edges. This volume is the first album of Beardsley’s designs published in Russia and contains 57 full page designs and 2 vignettes. We can find no other complete example, let alone in this condition, which could be described as mint. From the celebrated library of fine bindings of a Scottish Banker.

Nella Stamperia De Romanis, 1815-1817. 4 volume set, 11 inches tall. A magnificent straight grain morocco by J. Clarke, one of the finest binders in Georgian London. With gilt raised bands, elegant gilt tooling to the panels and boards. All edges gilt. Portrait and 3 engraved plans. With the armorial bookplate of William Strahan. Considered the greatest poem of the Middle Ages and the most important work in the Italian language. In the original Italian.

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.

London: Edward Moxon, 1843-1846. 11 volume set, 8.75 inches tall. A truly splendid full hard grain morocco by one of the greatest binders of the period, White of Pall Mall. With gilt raised bands, unusual dense gilt tooling to the panels and gilt dentelles. All the edges are gilt over marbling. The heraldic crest on both boards is framed within magnificent gilt rolls and individual tooling. The crest with the motto 'Sic Donec' is that of William Tatton Egerton, 1st Baron Egerton of Tatton Park. A wonderful set of the Works of these two early 17th century English playwrights, often considered successors to Shakespeare.

London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1878. 24 volume set, plus uniformly bound bibliography of Thackeray, 10 1/4 inches tall. A magnificent set in half crushed morocco by Zaehnsdorf with gilt raised bands, gilt pallets and all edges gilt. This is the finest De Luxe set of Thackeray's works, limited to 1000 copies, of which this set is number 7. Profusely illustrated by the author with full page plates and vignettes on India paper, the full page plates being on card. This set, obviously unread, is in pristine condition. The uniformly bound bibliography was printed as a companion and supplement to the edition De Luxe, but is very frequently not present.

Liverpool: Brown, Barnes & Bell, 1878. 2 volume set, 16 1/2 inches tall. A huge and spectacular morocco binding by the great Victorian bookbinders of Liverpool, Fazakerley. A binding of the highest quality, perhaps an exhibition piece, with gilt raised bands and ornate gilding to the panels and boards, incorporating liver birds, floral flourishes and pallet work, framed within twin fillets. All edges gilt and fine gilt dentelles. The endpapers are also a delight, involving more liver birds, urns and floral designs. Embellished with 72 plates. A charming and nostalgic look at the lost buildings and areas of Old Liverpool in excellent condition, inside and out.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1903. 16 volume set, 8.5 inches tall. A handsome half morocco binding by Stikeman with gilt raised bands and elaborate centre tooling to the panels. Gilt top edges. Very, very slight fading, otherwise pristine. Bookplates. Leather bound sets of the great Russian writers are hard to come by, especially in this condition. With an introduction by Henry James and translated by Isabel Hapgood this set contains some of the most influential novels of the 19th century.

London: Richard Bentley, 1840-1875. 23 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A Superb full polished calf by Riviere with gilt raised bands, twin labels, fine gilt tooling to the panels and a triple gilt fillet framing the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Engraved frontispieces. All first editions. A fine set of these celebrated historical works. (Comprising: The Court of England During the Reign of the Stuarts; The Court of England from the Revolution in 1688 to the Death of George II; George Selwyn and his Contemporaries; Memorials of London; Memoirs of the Pretenders; London and its Celebrities; Memoirs of Richard III: Memoirs of George III; Celebrated Etonians). Fine set from the library of an Oxfordshire country house.

Paris: Le Livre Contemporain, 1905. Full inlaid crushed morocco, 9.5 inches tall. A beautiful Art-Nouveau binding by Petrus Ruban with a wreath of roses inlaid in hues of soft pink, with leaves and buds in shades of green, raised bands and inlaid branches of roses climbing through the panels. Watered silk endpapers and doublures. With alternating large and small inlaid pink morocco daisies on the turn-ins. Original blue-gray wraps bound in. Housed in matching morocco backed chemise and morocco edged slipcase. With title page vignette and 58 engraved views by Gustave Leheutre. With morocco bookplate of the great French bibliophile George Wendling on verso of free end paper and his small stamp on second blank. No. 73 of 117 deluxe copies. A beautiful work in outstanding condition.

Bruxelles: Paul Lacomblez, 1914. Full morocco, 13 inches tall. A truly magnificent binding in pristine condition by Paul Affolter with gilt raised bands, superb gilt tooling with onlays to the panels and framing the boards. Wide gilt dentelles and watered silk doublures and free endpapers. Number 50 of 75 copies on 'japon imperial' with an extra suite of colour plates. In the original felt lined and leather trimmed slipcase also signed by Affolter. Based on an obscure 16th century romance, Coster's masterpiece tells of the adventures of a Flemish prankster, Thyl Ulenspiegel, during the wars of the Reformation in the Netherlands and became popular all over the world.

London: Bohn, 1848. Half morocco, 15 inches tall. A glorious tall copy 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. In pristine condition this copy was bound by J. Wright, one of the finest binders of the early Victorian period, with gilt raised bands, label and magnificent gilt armorial centre tools. All edges gilt. Decorated with 60 full page hand coloured plates, all dated 1811-13.

New York: Duprat & Co. 1893, 1894 & 1895. The first 3 volumes of this very rare limited edition, 7" tall. Beautifully bound by Canape in half red morocco with gilt raised bands, ornate tooling to the panels around a calf onlay. Gilt top edges. With the bookplates of Pierre Munier and I. Fernandez. With an ink inscription from the publisher on the first blank. Number 416 of 600 copies on handmade paper. The first volume has delightful coloured comic illustrations of various aspects of the book trade facing each month. The second and third volumes have fine monochrome plates. Copies of these volumes are exceedingly scarce and, especially in pristine condition and in fine bindings.

London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1900. 11 volume set, 8 inches tall. An exquisite half morocco for Hatchards with gilt raised bands and delightful floral gilt tooling in the 'art nouveau' style and gilt top edge. Portraits and vignettes to the title pages. This set of the 'Hughenden Edition' has come from the library of Alfred de Rothschild but is without his bookplate.