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.

Browse the entire category below, or select a sub-category (left) to refine your browse.

We offer free shipping

The Complete Works. View Details Add to Wishlist

POE, Edgar Allan.

The Complete Works. 1902

£4,750

A beautiful set of Poe's works.

10 volumes, octavo (222 × 145 mm). Contemporary red morocco by Maurin, spines gilt in compartments, marbled endpapers, triple line rule to boards, inner... Read more

The History of North America. View Details Add to Wishlist

LEE, Guy Carleton; Francis Newton Thorpe, eds.

The History of North America. 1903–7

£4,750

Library Edition, number 701. "There is no comprehensive history of America from the discovery to the present time." - Professor Hart (Harvard University) 1896. This scholarly work,...

20 volumes, octavo. Recent tan morocco, double morocco labels in terracotta and brown, decoration to spines, raised bands, single rule to boards, marbled endpapers,... Read more

The Novels. View Details Add to Wishlist

AUSTEN, Jane.

The Novels. 1905

£4,750

A particularly attractive set of Austen's novels and a fine example of the Bayntun Bindery's work. The Winchester Edition, the most attractive of the unillustrated editions of Jane...

10 volumes, octavo (202 × 135). Finely bound by Bayntun in contempoary red half morocco, titles and decoration to spines, two bands, marbled boards and endpapers,... Read more

No Image Available View Details Add to Wishlist

GAUTIER, Theophile.

The Works. 1900

£4,750

Japanese imperial vellum edition. Limited to 180 numbered copies.

24 volumes, octavo. Finely bound by The Trautz-Bauzonnet bindery in green morocco, titles and decoration to spines, raised bands, boards surrounded by multi-rules with... Read more

The Works. View Details Add to Wishlist

PRESCOTT, William H.

The Works. [1904]

£4,750

The Aztec edition, limited to 250 numbered sets. A stunning set beautifully bound and well illustrated. Includes his History of the Conquest of Mexico, History of Ferdinand and...

22 volumes, octavo (210 × 138 mm). Finely bound in contemporary blue morocco, titles and decoration to spines, raised bands, boards and turn-ins ornately... Read more

Works. View Details Add to Wishlist

(DOVES BINDING) BYRON, Lord.

Works. 1833

£4,750

A finely bound set from the Doves Bindery, signed and dated relatively early. Cobden-Sanderson established the bindery in March 1893, designing and supervising its bindings. The...

17 volumes, small octavo (167 × 105 mm). All but the last volume finely bound in olive-green crushed morocco by the Doves Bindery to a design by T. J.... Read more

No Image Available View Details Add to Wishlist

TROLLOPE, Anthony.

[Prominent novels and short stories.] [c.1860–1920.]

£4,750

A collection of early editions of Trollope's most prominent fictional works including the Barsetshire novels, the parliamentary novels and the dramatic novels. Also included are the...

45 volumes, octavo. Bound in burgundy half calf by Bayntun-Riviere, titles and centre tool to spine, raised bands, matching cloth boards, marbled endpapers, top edges... Read more

A Wonder Book. View Details Add to Wishlist

(RACKHAM, Arthur) HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel.

A Wonder Book. [1922]

£4,500

First Rackham edition, signed "With every good wish from Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Rackham, Jan. 1925", above a small drawing initialled and dated "AR 13.1.25."

Quarto. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in recent full red morocco, titles and box design to spine gilt, raised bands, rule to boards gilt, title and pictorial... Read more

Oeuvres. View Details Add to Wishlist

VOLTAIRE.

Oeuvres. 1828

£4,500

Fine complete set of Voltaire's works.

75 volumes, octavo. Contemporary tan quarter calf, titles and elaborate decoration to spines gilt, marbled boards, endpapers and edges. Engraved frontispiece to volume... Read more

Oliver Twist; View Details Add to Wishlist

DICKENS, Charles.

Oliver Twist; 1838

£4,500

First Edition, First Issue. With the Fireside plate at the end of volume III and "Boz" title pages. "When Bentley decided to publish 'Oliver' in book form before its completion in...

3 volumes, octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in full red morocco, titles, box design and raised bands to spine gilt, rule to boards gilt, Dickens portrait... Read more

The History of England, View Details Add to Wishlist

HUME, David & Tobias Smollett.

The History of England, 1787

£4,500

A very handsome set in fine condition. Hume's History was first published in 1754-62, Smollett's continuation in 1758.

Together 13 volumes, octavo (Hume 221 × 140 mm; Smollett 208 × 127 mm). Uniformly bound in contemporary tree calf, smooth spines with red and green labels,... Read more

The Revolt of Islam; a poem, in twelve cantos. View Details Add to Wishlist

SHELLEY, Percy Bysshe.

The Revolt of Islam; a poem, in twelve cantos. 1818

£4,500

First edition under this title. In 1817 the Olliers agreed to publish Shelley's long poem, Laon and Cythna. Shelley's new father in law, William Godwin, recommended a master printer...

Demy octavo (210 × 130 mm). Finely bound by Rivière & Son c.1900 in red crushed goatskin, both covers tooled in gilt with stylised vines, onlays of grapes... Read more

The Works. View Details Add to Wishlist

TROLLOPE, Anthony.

The Works. 1900-1902

£4,500

A particularly handsome set of Trollope's works.

30 volumes, octavo. Finely bound by Lauriat's of Boston in crimson half morocco, titles and decoration to spines, raised bands, matching cloth boards, pink endpapers,... Read more

The Works. View Details Add to Wishlist

[GALSWORTHY, John]

The Works. 1922–36

£4,500

The Manaton Edition. Limited to 780 sets signed by the author of which this is number 441.

30 volumes, octavo. Bound at The Riverside Press in contemporary half brown morocco, titles and decoration to spines gilt, cloth sides, top edges gilt. Photogravure... Read more

The Works. View Details Add to Wishlist

VERNE, Jules.

The Works. [1911]

£4,500

Styled the "Edition de L'Academie", though the text is in English. Limited to 300 numbered sets.

15 volumes, octavo. Recent dark green morocco, titles and decoration to spines, raised bands, roll to boards, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. With... Read more

The Writings. View Details Add to Wishlist

HARDY, Thomas.

The Writings. 1920

£4,500

The Anniversary Edition, issued to celebrate Hardy's eightieth birthday. One of a limited edition of 1250 numbered sets. An excellent collected edition that is particularly well...

21 volumes, octavo. Recent burgundy morocco, spines gilt in compartments, light brown morocco labels, marbled endpapers, floral roll to boards and top edges gilt,... Read more

No Image Available View Details Add to Wishlist

(CHURCHILL, Winston S.) CHURCHILL, Randolph S., & Martin Gilbert.

Winston S. Churchill. 1966–94

£4,500

All First Editions. A complete set comprising eight volumes of the Life with thirteen supplementary volumes and the two pendant volumes of War Papers. The supplementary volumes...

23 volumes, octavo. Original red cloth, titles to spines gilt. All with the dust jackets. Illustrated throughout. Some slight rubbing to jackets and minor wear to... Read more

[The Alexandria Quartet:] Justine; Balthazar; Mountolive; Clea. View Details Add to Wishlist

DURRELL, Lawrence.

[The Alexandria Quartet:] Justine; Balthazar; Mountolive; Clea. 1957–60

£4,400

First Editions, First Impressions. Perhaps Durrell's greatest success, a study of love and political intrigue in Alexandria, Egypt, before and during World War II.

4 volumes,Octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in red, blue, yellow and red morocco respectively after the design of the original cloth bindings, titles to... Read more

Complete set of Jeeves and Wooster titles. View Details Add to Wishlist

WODEHOUSE, P. G.

Complete set of Jeeves and Wooster titles. 1919–74

£4,250

First editions, first impressions, of the complete set of Jeeves and Wooster titles from the first collection, My Man Jeeves (1919), to the last story, Aunts Aren't Gentlemen (1974),...

17 separately published works, octavo (slightly varying sizes: 164 × 100 mm to 192 × 121 mm). Uniformly bound in recent burgundy morocco, titles and... Read more

The Naval History of Great Britain, View Details Add to Wishlist

JAMES, William.

The Naval History of Great Britain, 1837

£4,250

A wonderful set, handsome on the shelf, and immensely enhanced by the addition of a wealth of visual material drawn from contemporary sources such as the Naval Chronicle, Brenton's...

6 volumes bound in 13, octavo (222 × 142 mm). Early twentieth-century navy blue three-quarter morocco, matching linen boards, title gilt direct to spines, raised... Read more

The Novels and Other Works. View Details Add to Wishlist

TOLSTOY, Leo.

The Novels and Other Works. 1904

£4,250

A very attractively bound set of the works of Tolstoy.

24 volumes, octavo. Recent navy blue morocco, decoration and titles to spines, raised bands, single rule to boards, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, other edges... Read more

The Writings in Prose and in Verse. View Details Add to Wishlist

KIPLING, Rudyard.

The Writings in Prose and in Verse. 1897

£4,250

The Edition De Luxe, one of a limited edition of 1,050 copies and very handsomely bound in burgundy morocco.

39 volumes, octavo. Recent burgundy half morocco, spines gilt in compartments, green morocco labels, gilt elephant roundels to upper boards. Frontispiece portrait in... Read more

Brideshead Revisited. View Details Add to Wishlist

WAUGH, Evelyn.

Brideshead Revisited. 1946

£4,125

First US edition. With the author's signed presentation inscription to the front free endpaper "For the Children of Mary, Waltham Cross 3rd Dec 1949", no doubt a donation to raise...

Octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in crimson morocco, titles and decoration to spine, raised bands, single rule to boards, inner dentelles, dark green... Read more

The Works. View Details Add to Wishlist

SHAKESPEARE, William.

The Works. 1881

£4,000

Edition de luxe, one thousand numbered copies.

15 volumes, quarto (268 × 184 mm). Finely bound by Zaehnsdorf in burgundy morocco, titles and decoration to spines, raised bands, multi-rules to boards, roll to... Read more

The Collected Works. View Details Add to Wishlist

CARLYLE, Thomas.

The Collected Works. 1887–93

£3,950

34 volumes, octavo (219 × 140 mm). Finely bound for Hatchards in dark purplish-brown half morocco, spines lettered in gilt in two compartments and dated at foot, attractive gilt...

34 volumes, octavo (219 × 140 mm). Finely bound for Hatchards in dark purplish-brown half morocco, spines lettered in gilt in two compartments and dated at foot,... Read more