Decorative Bindings (all items)
First editions and rare books in fine bindings and decorative bindings and manuscripts, including first editions bound by the Chelsea Bindery, and multi-volume library sets.
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BANCROFT, Hubert Howe.
The Works. 1886
£7,500
First edition, the complete set of what is still considered by historians to be the most important single source of early Western American history. "Colossal co-operative...
39 vols., octavo. Recent tan morocco, spines gilt in compartments, light and dark brown morocco labels, marbled endpapers, floral roll to boards and all edges gilt.... Read more
SHAKESPEARE, William.
The Works. [c.1900.]
£7,500
Edinburgh edition, extra illustrated. Limited to 26 lettered copies. A luxurious deluxe binding of Shakespeare's works.
20 volumes, tall quarto (320 × 207 mm). Contemporary dark blue crushed morocco, titles to spine gilt with centre tools in compartments separated by raised bands,... Read more
JOYCE, James.
Ulysses. 1934
£7,500
First American edition, sixth printing. Signed and dated by the author, "James Joyce / Paris / le 14 Juin, 1934". Copies of any American edition of Joyce's books are rare in signed...
Octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in full blue morocco, titles and box design to spine gilt, raised bands, rule to boards gilt, inner dentelles gilt, marbled... Read more
![[The Pooh books:]](/content/store/products/1831/2/3056.jpg)
MILNE, A. A.
[The Pooh books:] 1924–8
£7,500
First editions, first impressions. The little bear described by Christopher Milne in his autobiography as his "inseparable companion" has also become the inseparable companion of...
4 volumes, octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in full morocco, in their respective published colours, spines gilt, raised bands, rule to boards gilt, multiple... Read more
LANG, Andrew (ed.)
Complete Set of Large Paper Fairy Books. 1889–98
£8,500
All Large Paper editions. Limited to 73 / 113 (Blue); 50 / 113 (Red); 140 / 150 (Green); 72 /140 (Yellow); 123 / 150 (Poetry); 53 / 75 (Arabian Nights). Only the first four Fairy...
6 volumes, large octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in full morocco (in the respective colours, Poetry in light blue, Arabian Nights in light green), titles... Read more
FLEMING, Ian.
Complete set of the Bond novels and stories. 1953-66
£8,500
First editions, first impressions. Complete set of all the original Bond novels starting with Casino Royale (1953) and ending with Octopussy (1966).
14 volumes, octavo. Recent burgundy morocco, titles and decoration to spines, raised bands, rule to boards, plain black endpapers, gilt edges. Some mild damp staining... Read more
SHAKESPEARE, William.
The Complete Works, with annotations and a general introduction by Sidney Lee. 1908
£8,500
A very handsome set, printed in London by the University Press.
20 volumes, octavo (211 × 153 mm). Contemporary dark blue morocco, spines gilt in compartments between 5 raised bands, gilt titles in two panels, sides panelled... Read more
TOLSTOY, Leo.
The Complete Works. 1904
£8,500
Edition de Luxe. One of 1000 numbered copies of the most desirable set of Tolstoy's work in English.
28 volumes, octavo. Contemporary half dark blue morocco, titles and elaborate decoration to spines gilt, raised bands, blue cloth boards, marbled endpapers, top edges... Read more
WELLS, H. G.
The Works. 1924
£8,500
The Atlantic Edition, one of a limited edition of 1,050 numbered copies signed by the author on the limitation leaf, and with new prefaces written especially for this edition by the...
28 volumes, octavo (228 × 150 mm). Recent dark blue morocco, two crimson labels, decoration to spines, roll to boards, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, others... Read more
(ARABIAN NIGHTS) BURTON, Richard F.
A plain and literal translation of the Arabian Nights' entertainments, 1885–88
£8,750
First edition, the authentic Benares edition, issued in a limited subscription of 1,000 copies. Richard Burton's celebrated translation "has become the pre-eminent English...
16 volumes, octavo (237 × 145 mm). 20th-century brown half morocco for Henry Sotheran. Titles to spines and raised bands gilt, light brown cloth sides, marbled... Read more
KIPLING, Rudyard.
The Bombay Edition of the Works. 1913–38
£8,750
The Bombay Edition, one of only 500 complete sets from a limited edition of 1500 sets signed by the author on the half-title. The Bombay edition was initially published in 20 volumes...
31 volumes. Recent burgundy morocco, spines gilt in compartments, light and dark blue morocco labels, marbled endpapers, decorative roll to boards and top edge gilt,... Read more
KIPLING, Rudyard.
The Bombay Edition of the Works. 1913–38
£8,750
The Bombay Edition, one of only 500 complete sets from a limited edition of 1500 sets signed by the author on the half-title. The Bombay edition was initially published in 20 volumes...
31 volumes. Recent brown morocco, spines gilt in compartments, burgundy and green morocco labels, marbled endpapers, decorative roll to boards, top edges gilt, others... Read more
CONRAD, Joseph.
The Collected Works. 1925-6
£8,750
The Memorial Edition, the last edition of Conrad's works published during his lifetime. One of a limited edition of 499 sets and very handsomely bound with delicate tooling to the...
23 volumes, octavo. Contemporary brown half morocco, spines gilt in compartments with delicate foliate and star tools, brown cloth sides, marbled endpapers, top edges... Read more
[CLEMENS, Samuel Langhorne] TWAIN, Mark.
The Complete Writings. 1922
£8,750
The Definitive Edition, limited to 1,024 numbered sets, each signed "S L Clemens / Mark Twain". Clemens planned a definitive and complete edition of his works before his death and,...
Octavo. 37 volumes. Finely bound in recent tan half calf with red and green labels, in filled gilt design to spine, raised bands, marbled boards, all edges cut.... Read more
![[The novels and short stories.]](/content/store/products/8088/2/9566.jpg)
STEINBECK, John.
[The novels and short stories.] 1929–61
£9,500
First trade editions, first issues. A complete collection of the novels and short stories by the 1962 Nobel Prize winner for Literature: Cup of Gold, The Pastures of Heaven, To a God...
17 volumes. Octavo. Recent dark green morocco, titles and decoration to spines, raised bands, single rule to boards, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. An excellent set... Read more
(ARABIAN NIGHTS) BURTON, Richard F.
A plain and literal translation of the Arabian Nights' entertainments, 1885–88
£9,750
First edition, the authentic Benares edition, issued in a limited subscription of 1,000 copies. Richard Burton's celebrated translation "has become the pre-eminent English...
16 volumes, octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in full green morocco, titles and decoration to spines gilt, raised bands, inset burgundy morocco panels to... Read more
LACROIX, Paul de (ed.)
Galerie Contemporaine des Illustrations Françaises. 1890
£9,750
The more than 160 mounted photographs include portraits of Baudelaire by Carjat, Victor Hugo, Rossini, François Coppée, Gounod, le Duc d'Aumale, Corot, Edmond About, Puvis...
8 volumes, folio. Original half morocco with marbled boards, titles and decoration to boards gilt. Profusely illustrated with more than 160 mounted photographs.... Read more
LANG, Andrew (ed.)
The Fairy Books: 1889–1910
£9,750
A complete set of First Editions. Lang, poet, scholar and journalist, devoted most of his life to the compilation of traditional Fairy stories from around the world from both the...
12 volumes, octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in full green morocco, coloured label (each colour reflecting the respective titles), decoration spines gilt,... Read more
[DODGSON, Charles Lutwidge] CARROLL, Lewis.
The Nursery Alice. 1890
£9,750
Second (First Published) Edition. With "PRICE FOUR SHILLINGS" on the title page. With the author's presentation inscription to the half title page, "For Margery, from the author,...
Small quarto. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in red morocco, decorations to boards gilt, two raised bands, titles to spine gilt, with inset coloured onlay to... Read more
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
The Second World War. 1948–54
£9,750
First editions, first impressions. Signed and dated 1950 by Churchill to the half-title of volume 2.
6 volumes, octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in dark blue morocco, titles gilt to spines, raised bands, single ruled gilt panel to compartments with rampant... Read more
![[Dance to the Music of Time:]](/content/store/products/22997/2/28346.jpg)
POWELL, Anthony.
[Dance to the Music of Time:] 1951–75
£9,750
First editions, first impressions.
12 volumes, octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in crimson morocco, titles to spine, raised bands, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. A fine set. Read more
![[Oriental romances; a collection of his fictional works in first edition.]](/content/store/products/1658/2/2863.jpg)
(ARABIAN LITERATURE) MORIER, Sir James Justinian.
[Oriental romances; a collection of his fictional works in first edition.] 1824–47
£9,750
First editions of all nine works, including four presentation copies from the author, most inscribed "From the Author" at the head of title, but the sixth inscribed to Sir Robert...
9 works in 24 volumes. Bound in handsome uniform mottled calf by Rivière & Son, boards with small Greek key border in gilt, spines gilt in compartments with red... Read more
BURGESS, Walter W.
Bits of Old Chelsea. 1894
£10,000
First Edition, one of a limited edition of 110 copies, of which only 100 were for sale. A lavish piece of 1890s book production, with text by two fellow bohemian poets and...
Large folio (443 × 305 mm). Fine binding of reddish brown morocco by The Chelsea Bindery, spine and front cover lettered gilt, spine with wide raised bands, gilt... Read more
TAVERNIER, Jean Baptiste.
Les Six Voyages de Jean Baptiste Tavernier … en Turque, en Perse, et aux Indes. Pendant l'espace de quarante ans … 1679
£10,000
The first small format edition, following the quarto firsts of Les Six Voyages (1676) and Recueil (1678). Beautifully presented set of this highly desirable edition of the voyages of...
3 volumes, duodecimo (153 × 92 mm). Late eighteenth-century crimson straight-grained morocco, title gilt direct to the spine, flat bands, triple fillet gilt... Read more
(COSWAY BINDING) MOORE, Thomas.
Moore's Irish Melodies illustrated by D. Maclise, R.A. 1873
£10,000
Number 812 of the Cosway bindings according to the printed sheet signed by J. H. Stonehouse and C. B. Currie bound in, and therefore executed circa 1929. This is a genuine example of...
Octavo (163 × 121 mm). Fine Cosway binding by Rivière and Son for Henry Sotheran Ltd of green crushed morocco, spine gilt in compartments between five raised... Read more
