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
STEVENSON, Robert Louis.
The Works. 1894
£5,950
The Edinburgh Edition, the best edition of the works of Stevenson, and known for the high quality of its printing and paper. One of a limited edition of 1035 numbered sets...
34 volumes, octavo. Recent burgundy morocco, spines gilt in compartments, blue and black morocco labels, marbled endpapers, decorative roll to boards and top edges... Read more
![[The Christmas Books:] A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth; The Battle of Life; The Haunted Man.](/content/store/products/27994/2/35284.jpg)
DICKENS, Charles.
[The Christmas Books:] A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth; The Battle of Life; The Haunted Man. 1843–48
£5,750
First editions: Christmas Carol is second issue; The Battle of Life has the fourth state vignette title as usual. A superb assemblage of first editions in splendid Bayntun bindings.
5 volumes, octavo (160 × 100 mm). Recent dark red morocco by Bayntun, spines gilt in compartments, raised bands with decoration in blind extending onto the... Read more
![[The novels and short stories.]](/content/store/products/22063/2/26671.jpg)
WAUGH, Evelyn.
[The novels and short stories.] 1928–57
£5,750
First editions, first impressions, of all Waugh's full-length novels, from Decline and Fall (1928) to Unconditional Surrender (1961), and his volume of short stories, Mr. Loveday's...
17 works, octavo. Recent burgundy morocco, titles and decoration to spines gilt, raised bands, single rule to boards gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Some... Read more
HAKLUYT, Richard.
Hakluyt's Collection 1809–12
£5,750
Third edition, limited issue, one of 75 large-paper copies on imperial paper. "An accurate reprint of the best folio [edition of 1599–1600] with the addition of those voyages...
5 volumes, large quarto (370 × 235 mm). Publisher's green half morocco, spine lettered and decorated gilt in compartments between raised bands, sides with double... Read more
AUSTEN, Jane.
The Novels. 1911
£5,750
The Winchester edition; considered the most attractive of the unillustrated editions of Jane Austen's works produced around this time. In this enlarged issue, the set has two...
12 volumes, octavo (205 × 136 mm). Finely bound by Bumpus Ltd in green half calf, titles and elaborate decoration to spines separated by raised bands, green cloth... Read more
COLLINS, Wilkie.
The Works. [c.1890]
£5,500
The only collected edition of the works of Wilkie Collins. A scarce set and very attractively bound.
30 volumes, octavo (183 × 118 mm). Recent brown calf, spines gilt in compartments, red and green morocco labels, raised bands, marbled endpapers, edges speckled.... Read more
(BIBLE; English.)
The Holy Bible, 1783
£5,500
Presentation copy from the Reverend Thomas Wills (1740–1802) to the Lyon family. The front flyleaf records the Bible as being "The Gift of the Revd. Thomas Wills to James Wittit...
Large quarto (288 × 220 mm). Contemporary red morocco, sides with a wide gilt border built up with a dog-tooth and line roll enclosing repeated drawer-handle... Read more
LANG, Andrew (ed.)
The Fairy Books. 1889–1910
£5,250
All first editions. A complete set of the Andrew Lang Fairy Books. Lang, poet, scholar and journalist devoted most of his life to the compilation of traditional Fairy stories from...
12 volumes, octavo. Recent brown morocco, twin coloured labels that reflect the title of the book, marbled endpapers, front cover bound in at back, gilt edges.... Read more
READE, Charles.
The Works. c.1910
£5,000
Autograph edition. Limited to 150 numbered copies for England and America.
25 volumes, octavo (220 ×145 mm). Finely bound in dark green crushed morocco, titles to spine gilt, elaborate onlaid floral design to spines, raised bands, boards... Read more
![[The Christmas Books:] A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth; The Battle of Life; The Haunted Man.](/content/store/products/1542/2/2742.jpg)
DICKENS, Charles.
[The Christmas Books:] A Christmas Carol; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth; The Battle of Life; The Haunted Man. 1843–8
£5,000
All First Editions. Christmas Carol is a later state with "stave One" on p.1. The rest are first editions in the usual issues. The Chimes has second state vignette title page. The...
5 volumes, small octavo. Recent full red morocco, titles and decoration to spines gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, original cloth covers bound in at back of... Read more
CONRAD, Joseph.
The Works. 1920
£5,000
The Sun-dial Edition. This edition is limited to 735 copies of which this is number 352 signed by the author in volume 1. A handsomely bound library set of Conrad's works.
24 volumes, octavo. Contemporary green half morocco, titles and decoration to spines, raised bands,green cloth boards, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, others... Read more
PULLMAN, Philip.
His Dark Materials: Northern Lights; The Subtle Knife: The Amber Spyglass. 1995–97–2000
£5,000
First editions, first impressions.
3 volumes, octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in dark blue morocco, titles to spines gilt, twin rule to turn-ins gilt, burgundy coated endpapers, all edges... Read more
FOOTE, Shelby.
The Civil War. A Narrative. 1958-74
£5,000
First editions. Signed by the author on publisher's blank of volume I. A superb work of narrative history, uncommon signed, here handsomely presented. Originally a novelist, Foote...
3 volumes, octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in black morocco, titles and decoration to spines, raised bands, single rule to boards, twin rule to turn-ins,... Read more
(BURNE-JONES, Edward) Huffer, Ford.
The Queen Who Flew. A Fairy Tale. 1894
£5,000
First edition, first impression. One of a limited edition of 25 numbered copies signed by the author on the verso of the front blank.
Octavo. Original full vellum, titles to spine and upper board gilt, pictorial design to upper board in reddish-brown. Tipped-in lithographic frontispiece by Edward... Read more
TROLLOPE, Anthony.
The Works. 1909–12
£4,950
The most complete early collected edition, scarce in contemporary binding. This edition collects together the Chronicles of Barchester, the Parliamentary novels, the Manor House...
42 volumes, small octavo. Contemporary dark blue half morocco, spines gilt in compartments, marbled sides and endpapers, top edges gilt, others untrimmed. Frontispiece... Read more
BAUM, L. Frank.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 1900
£4,950
First edition, second issue with the title page correctly dated 1900.
Octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in full green morocco, title decoration and raised bands to spine gilt, rules to boards gilt, pictorial decoration to front... Read more
CONRAD, Joseph.
The Works. 1921
£4,850
Signed limited edition of the definitive collected works of Conrad, including his own notes on his writings prepared especially for this edition. One of only 780 copies signed by the...
20 volumes, octavo. Recent green morocco, spines gilt in compartments, burgundy morocco labels, marbled endpapers, decorative roll to boards and top edges gilt, others... Read more
FREUD, Sigmund.
The Complete Psychological Works. 1966
£4,750
The Hogarth Press's Standard Edition, the most authoritative collection of the psychoanalytical works of Freud, edited by James Strachey, a former student of Freud's and member of...
24 volumes, octavo. Recent dark blue morocco, spines gilt in compartments, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt. An excellent set. Read more
(KELMSCOTT PRESS) GUILELMUS, Archbishop of Tyre, & William Caxton [trans].
The History of Godefrey of Boloyne and the Conquest of Iherusalem. 1893
£4,750
First Kelmscott edition, one of 300 copies. Morris himself declared Caxton's history to be "a delightful book to read".
Large quarto. Original limp vellum, gilt titles stamped to spine, gold silk ties. Borders 5a and 6; side, corner, half, and three-quarter borders; six- and eight-line... Read more
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
SHAW, Bernard.
The Collected Works. 1930
£4,750
The Ayot St. Lawrence Edition, the definitive edition of the collected works of George Bernard Shaw named for the village where he lived. One of a limited edition of 1790 sets and...
30 volumes, octavo. Recent green morocco, spines gilt in compartments, red morocco labels, marbled endpapers, floral roll to boards and top edges gilt, others... Read more
CHRISTIE, Agatha.
Crime Collection. 1970
£4,750
A complete set of this well known collected edition, with three stories per volume. It includes all published crime novels up to 1970.
24 volumes, octavo. Recent full tan morocco, crimson and green morocco labels, raised bands, single rule to boards, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. A fine set. Read more
JESSE, John Heneage.
English Historical Memoirs. 1901
£4,750
A good collected edition of the popular historical writings of John Heneage Jesse (c. 1809–1874). The first of these, Memoirs of the Court of England during the Reigns of the...
30 volumes, octavo. Bound in red half calf, gilt titles and decoration to spine, white cloth boards with gilt Tudor rose design, marbled endpapers top edge gilt.... Read more
SHELLEY, Mary W.
Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus. 1831
£4,750
Third edition, the final definitive text and the first edition to be illustrated, the first really popular edition of the novel. Mary Shelley incorporated most of the changes...
Small octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in full black morocco, titles and extra decoration to spine gilt, triple rule to boards with floral cornerpieces... Read more
LAWRENCE, D. H.
Lady Chatterley's Lover. 1928
£4,750
First edition, first Impression. Number 984 of 1,000 copies issued, signed by the author.
Octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in dark green morocco, titles and elaborate decoration to spine, raised bands, rules to boards with decorative corner... Read more
