Literature & History (all items)
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DONNE, John.
Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Authors Death. 1633
£35,000
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
STEINBECK, John.
The Grapes of Wrath. 1939
£35,000
First edition, first printing. Presentation copy inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Elizabeth Eulass, John Steinbeck" with a small drawing of a duck. Eulass was...
Octavo. Original oatmeal cloth, titles to spine and pictorial decoration to boards in brown, music endpapers. With the dust jacket. In a tan morocco solander case.... Read more
CHURCHILL, Winston S.
A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. 1956–58
£32,500
First editions, first impressions. Each volume inscribed at time of publication on the front free endpaper to his first child Diana: volume I, "Diana from Papa 4 March 1956"; volume...
4 volumes, octavo. Original dark red cloth, titles gilt to spines, mulberry top-stain. With the dust jackets. Housed within green cloth chemises in two green quarter... Read more
JOYCE, James.
Exiles. A Play In Three Acts. 1918
£32,500
First Edition, First Impression. With the author's signed presentation inscription to the half title page, "To Jacques Benoist-Mechin James Joyce 3. xi. 921 Paris". The recipient was...
Octavo. Bound by Douarin in contemporary three quarter blue morocco, marbled paper boards, titles to spine gilt, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. Joints very lightly... Read more
WOOLF, Virginia.
Jacob's Room. 1922
£32,500
First edition, first impression. One of probably 40 "A" subscribers' copies with the part-printed limitation label to the front free endpaper completed in ink by Virginia Woolf and...
Octavo. Original yellow cloth, white paper title label to spine printed in black. Housed in a quarter black morocco box. Some foxing early and late, endpapers lightly... Read more
FAULKNER, William.
Big Woods. 1955
£30,000
First edition, first printing. Presentation copy inscribed by the author to his mother on the front free endpaper: "To Mother with love William Faulkner." Additionally inscribed on...
Octavo. Original green cloth. With the dust jacket. In a quarter morocco slipcase. Slightly rubbed at the extremities. Read more
FITZGERALD, F. Scott.
Flappers and Philosophers. 1920
£30,000
First edition, first printing. With the author's signed presentation inscription to the front free endpaper, "For George W. with many congratulations and good wishes F. Scott...
Octavo. Original green cloth, titles to upper board in blind and to spine gilt. With a supplied fifth printing dust jacket. Housed in a dark green quarter morocco... Read more
EMERSON, Ralph Waldo.
Fortune of the Republic. 1878
£30,000
First edition, presentation copy to Thomas Carlyle, inscribed by the author on the blank preceding the title: "Thomas Carlyle, with entire affection of R.W.E. Concord, August 26,...
Octavo, pp. [ii], 44. Original brown cloth, front cover lettered in gilt, covers blocked in blind with frame and central ornament, chocolate brown endpapers. Custom... 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
WELLS, H. G.
The Island of Dr. Moreau. 1896
£30,000
First edition, presentation copy, inscribed by the author "M. C. Robbins from H. G. Wells" with a drawing in the author's hand – a characteristic Wells "picshua" – of three...
Octavo. Original tan boards, titles and illustration to upper board in red and black, titles to spine in black. Housed in a red quarter morocco solander box made by... 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
DICKENS, Charles.
American Notes for General Circulation. 1842
£27,500
First edition, in the primary binding, first issue with verso of the contents leaf incorrectly numbered "xvi". A fine association copy, inscribed by Dickens to his close friend, the...
2 volumes, octavo (197 × 126 mm). Original reddish-brown cloth, decorated in blind, gilt-lettered on spine. Housed in a burgundy flat back cloth solander box.... Read more
WOOLF, Virginia.
Jacob's Room. 1922
£27,500
First edition, first impression. One of 40 "A" subscribers' copies with the part-printed limitation label to the front free endpaper completed in ink by Virginia Woolf and signed by...
Octavo. Original yellow cloth, white paper title label to spine printed in black. Contents a little spotted and rather shaken, spine label lightly rubbed. Very good. Read more
FLEMING, Ian.
Diamonds are Forever. 1956
£25,000
First edition, first impression. The fourth in the James Bond series. Inscribed by the author "To Darling Caroline from Darling Ian" on the front free endpaper. Caroline was a...
Octavo. Original black boards, diamond grid to upper board in blind with diamond device in silver, titles to spine in silver. With the dust jacket. Housed in a full... Read more
ROWLING, J. K.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. 1997
£25,000
First edition, first impression, the preferred case-bound issue, with all the requisite points of first printing: Bloomsbury imprint, 10-down-to-1 number line, and the list of...
Octavo. Original matt laminated printed boards. Without dust jacket as issued. Head of spine and lower corners bumped, 'The Pushkin Schools' Prize' bookplate to... Read more
JOYCE, James.
Pomes Penyeach. 1927
£25,000
First edition, first printing. Inscribed on the title page in black ink "To D[esmond] H[armsworth] J. J. Paris 7 iv 1931". An outstanding association copy inscribed to the London...
Original pale green paper boards with black titles to the front and paper label printed "Price Two Shillings" fixed to the rear board, presumably mounted over the... Read more
ELIOT, George.
Scenes of Clerical Life. In two volumes. 1858
£25,000
First edition in book form of George Eliot's first published work, three stories that had previously been serialized in Blackwood's Magazine. Given the Newcastle bookseller's...
2 volumes, octavo. Original maroon morocco-grain cloth, stamped in blind and lettered in gilt, light brown coated endpapers. Housed in a book-form morocco folding... Read more
[CLEMENS, Samuel Langhorne] TWAIN, Mark.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. 1876
£25,000
First edition, published on 9 June, thus preceding the first American edition that appeared in mid-December by some six months. Twain chose to have the book published first in London...
Octavo. Original red cloth with border and cover design blocked in black and lettering in gilt, cream coated endpapers. Housed in a burgundy quarter morocco solander... Read more
WELLS, H. G.
The First Men In The Moon. 1901
£25,000
First Edition. inscribed by the author "To Mrs Robbins, with affectionate regards H. G. Nov 17th 1901". M. C. Robbins, also known as Pinnie, was H. G. Wells's mother in law from his...
Octavo. Original blue boards, titles and decoration to upper board and spine gilt. Housed in a crimson quarter morocco solander box made by The Chelsea Bindery.... Read more
[STERNE, Laurence]
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. 1760–67
£25,000
First edition, first state throughout, with Sterne's signature in ink in vols. V, VII and IX as called for. Sterne signed those volumes to protect his book from piracy. The episodic...
9 volumes, small octavo. Uniformly bound in contemporary tan calf, spines with gilt rules either side of raised bands, red morocco labels. Housed in a brown cloth... Read more
[CLEMENS, Samuel Langhorne] TWAIN, Mark.
The Writings. 1899–1903
£25,000
Limited edition, number 96 of 620 sets of the "Author's Edition de Luxe" signed "SL Clemens (Mark Twain)". In this set, volume I has three items of original autograph material bound...
25 volumes, octavo (206 × 144 mm). Contemporary full ochre morocco, covers panelled in gilt to a geometric art-nouveau design, spine with four raised bands,... 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
THOREAU, Henry David.
A new English-German and German-English Dictionary; 1834
£22,500
Thoreau's copy of a standard contemporary German-English dictionary, signed by him "Henry D. Thoreau" on the first binder's blank after the front free endpaper. His ownership likely...
2 volumes bound in one, thick octavo (216 × 133 mm). Contemporary American trade binding of streaked sheep, the second spine compartment faintly lettered in blind... 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
