English literature pre-1900
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(BIBLE; English; King James Version, "She".)
The Holy Bible, Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: 1611–13
£150,000
Second folio edition of the King James Bible, and the first with the reading "…and she went into the citie" at Ruth 3:15 – hence the "She" Bible. This edition has the error...
Folio (410 × 260 mm), 752 leaves, complete. Recased in contemporary dark calf, spine gilt in compartments, later red morocco label to style. Text in double... Read more
SHAKESPEARE, William.
Comedies, Histories and Tragedies. 1685
£140,000
Fourth folio, and the last of the 17th-century editions of Shakespeare's works, edited by John Heminge (d. 1630) and Henry Condell (d. 1627), the seven plays added by Philip Chetwin...
Folio (356 × 230 mm). Nineteenth-century burgundy crushed morocco by Maltby of Oxford, spine richly gilt in compartments, sides ruled in gilt and with gilt... Read more
SHELLEY, Mary.
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. In three volumes. 1818
£135,000
First edition of Mary Shelley's masterpiece of Gothic horror and early polemic against the hubris of modern science. Written when Mary Shelley was only nineteen, Frankenstein is not...
3 volumes, 12mo (177 × 107 mm). Contemporary calf, covers ruled in gilt with a single fillet, smooth spines, black morocco labels, gilt lozenge motifs in... Read more
STOKER, Bram.
Dracula. 1897
£125,000
First edition, scarce first issue published in May 1897, with no advertisements as issued and printed on slightly thicker stock. Presentation copy to Mrs W. S. Gilbert, with the...
Octavo. Original yellow cloth, titles to both boards and spine in red within a one-line red rule border, all edges untrimmed. Custom black cloth folding case, spine... Read more
AUSTEN, Jane.
Sense and Sensibility: a novel. In three volumes. By a Lady. 1811
£100,000
First edition of Jane Austen's first published novel, scarce thus in the original boards, and with a distinguished provenance. From the libraries of Sir John Shelley, 6th Baronet...
3 volumes, duodecimo. Uncut in the original publisher's boards, original pink paper labels on spines, skilfully rebacked preserving most of the original spines.... Read more
[CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de.]
The History of Don-Quichote. 1620
£97,500
First complete edition in English (second edition of the first part, first edition of the second), translated by Dublin-born Thomas Shelton. "The signs of haste in the translation,...
2 volumes, small quarto (177 × 131 mm). Modern period-style limp vellum, overlapping fore-edges, green silk ties, by Bernard Middleton. Housed in a custom green... Read more
SWIFT, Jonathan.
Travels into several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. 1726
£95,000
First edition, published on 28 October 1726 at the price of 8s. 6d. Swift had completed a full rough draft of his masterpiece by August 1725, and brought it over to England the...
2 volumes, octavo (194 × 120 mm). Contemporary tan panelled calf, red morocco labels, red sprinkled edges. Frontispiece portrait of Gulliver in the second state... Read more
(KELMSCOTT PRESS) CHAUCER, Geoffrey.
The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer now newly imprinted. 1896
£60,000
First Kelmscott edition, one of 425 copies on paper. The book was originally issued in either the standard Kelmscott binding of quarter holland boards or in full pigskin by the Doves...
Folio. Bound by Sangorski & Sutcliffe in full pigskin over heavy reverse bevelled boards, raised bands and headcaps, compartments ruled in gilt, gilt lettered in... Read more
(AUSTEN, Jane) BROCK, C. E.
Complete set of Illustrations for Jane Austen's "Emma". 1909
£60,000
The original 23 signed illustrations, and one title page, for the "Emma" published in 1909 as part of the "Series of English Idylls" by J. M. Dent & Co. The costume and interior...
24 sheets (348 × 247 mm) of pen-and-ink watercolour illustrations, each in a wash-line mount. Some light marks to margins (often by the artist) throughout the... Read more
[BRONTË, Charlotte]
Jane Eyre. 1847
£50,000
First edition of one of the keystone books for any collection of nineteenth-century literature, Charlotte Brontë's first published novel and the first published novel by any of...
3 volumes, octavo. Publisher's vertical-ribbed purple cloth, gilt titles to spine, cream endpapers, binder's ticket of Westleys and Clark, London. Custom brown cloth... Read more
[CLEMENS, Samuel Langhorne] TWAIN, Mark.
Autograph manuscript of chapter 48 of A Tramp Abroad. [c. 1879–80]
£50,000
Twain's autograph manuscript of "My Collection of Bric-A-Brac", chapter XX of A Tramp Abroad, originally published in 1880. This chapter details Twain's passion for collecting...
Octavo (200 × 135 mm), 43-leaf autograph manuscript in purple and black ink and pencil, generally rectos only, with numerous corrections, each leaf on a... Read more
COLLINS, Wilkie.
The Woman in White. 1860
£45,000
First edition, published on or around 15 August 1860 (preceding the New York edition by two weeks), of the classic early mystery novel, Collins's "best-known novel" and his "greatest...
3 volumes, octavo. Original violet-blue close bead-grain cloth, spines lettered and decorated in gilt, sides with decorative panel blocked in blind, cream endpapers,... Read more
[BRONTË, Charlotte]
Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. Edited by Currer Bell. 1847
£39,500
First edition of one of the keystone books for any collection of 19th-century literature, Charlotte Brontë's first novel and the first published novel of any of the Brontë...
3 volumes, octavo. Contemporary blond half calf, double green morocco labels, spines gilt in compartments with flower-head tools and lattice work, matching... Read more
SWIFT, Jonathan.
Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World. 1726
£35,000
First Edition, Teerink's A edition with all the necessary points to distinguish it from the two later printings (Teerink AA and B) dated 1726. The first five editions of Gulliver's...
2 volumes, octavo. Recent period-style full red morocco. Frontispiece portrait of Gulliver (state B, as called for), 4 maps and 2 plans. Read more
HARDY, Thomas.
The Trumpet Major. A tale. 1880
£30,000
First edition in book form of Hardy's great novel of the Napoleonic war, written to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Trafalgar. Purdy notes that the novel was published "in an...
3 volumes, octavo. Original red diagonal-fine-ribbed cloth, front covers with pictorial design in black (encampment and mill, from a drawing by the author) and... Read more
SHELLEY, Mary.
Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus. 1823
£30,000
Second edition, the first in which Mary Shelley is named as the author; not merely a reprint of the first edition of 1818 as some have supposed. E. B. Murray notes that there are a...
2 volumes, duodecimo. Uncut in original blue paper boards, drab paper backstrips, printed spine labels. Custom blue morocco-backed slipcase and chemise. Head of vol.... Read more
DONNE, John.
Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Authors Death. 1633
£29,500
First edition of the principal collection of Donne's poetical works, issued two years after his death, together with his Juvenilia. This copy has the two inserted leaves with "The...
2 works bound in one, quarto (186 × 137 mm). Contemporary calf, skilfully rebacked and relined to style, covers with three-line blind rules, edges speckled red.... Read more
AUSTEN, Jane.
Sense and Sensibility: a novel. In three volumes. By a Lady. 1811
£27,500
First edition of the author's first published novel. Begun in the mid-1790s, Sense and Sensibility, like Pride and Prejudice, went through two versions before publication, but the...
3 volumes, duodecimo (172 ×100 mm). Contemporary black half calf, marbled boards, recently rebacked to style with spines gilt in compartments. Corners and edges... Read more
AUSTEN, Jane.
Mansfield Park: 1814
£27,500
First edition, complete with the half-titles which were habitually discarded by Regency binders. The third of Jane Austen's novels to be published was begun about the same time Sense...
3 volumes, duodecimo. Contemporary half calf, smooth spines gilt-lettered direct, compartments decorated in blind, gilt rules, marbled paper sides, endpapers and... Read more
[CLEMENS, Samuel Langhorne] TWAIN, Mark.
The Writings. 1929
£25,000
Memorial edition. Limited to 90 sets with a page of original manuscript material bound in. Signed by the publisher.
37 volumes, octavo (217 × 144 mm). Finely bound by Bayntun, mid twentieth century, in crimson full crushed morocco, spines gilt in compartments between five... Read more
MELVILLE, Herman.
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. 1851
£25,000
First American edition, in the first binding with orange endpapers and the publisher's device stamped centrally on the sides. The American edition was the first to appear under the...
12mo. Original purple-brown cloth, publisher's devices to each board in blind, titles to spine gilt, orange coated endpapers. Housed in a blue half morocco slipcase... Read more
CRANE, Stephen.
The Red Badge of Courage. An Episode of the American Civil War. 1895
£22,500
First edition, first printing, first issue; exceptionally rare in the dust jacket. The Red Badge of Courage is considered one of the most influential works in American literature....
Octavo. Original tan cloth, titles to spine and coverin red, black, and gold, yellow top-stain, brown endpapers. With the restored dust jacket. In a red quarter... Read more
(SANGORSKI, Alberto) TENNYSON, Alfred, Lord.
Illuminated manuscript A Dream of Fair Women. c. 1910]
£22,500
Alberto Sangorski (1862-1932), one of the early twentieth century's most highly regarded illuminators, developed his skills at calligraphy and illumination working with his brother...
Manuscript on vellum (225 × 165 mm), 14 leaves plus 4 blanks, in disciplined calligraphic hand in black and red ink to recto and verso. Contemporary blue-green... Read more
WILDE, Oscar.
The Ballad of Reading Gaol. By C.3.3. 1898
£22,500
First edition, first impression. The limited issue being one of just 30 numbered copies printed on japon. On the verso of the title page is a hand written, 16-line poem titled "In...
Octavo. Original vellum-backed mustard cloth, titles to spine gilt, top edge gilt others untrimmed. Housed in a red quarter morocco solander box made by The Chelsea... Read more
[DODGSON, Charles Lutwidge] CARROLL, Lewis.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. 1866
£20,000
First published edition, in the earliest state with pale blue endpapers (rather than the more usual dark green), with inverted "S" in the last line of contents page. Famously, the...
Octavo. Original red cloth, gilt-stamped, spine gilt-lettered, edges gilt, Burn & Co binder's ticket on rear endpaper. Custom quarter red morocco solander box.... Read more
