Literature & History (all items)
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ELIOT, T. S.
Poems 1909–1925. 1925
£8,750
First edition, first impression, limited issue being one of 85 numbered copies printed on handmade paper, specially bound and signed by Eliot.
Octavo. Original white buckram, titles to spine gilt. Housed in a black quarter morocco solander box made by The Chelsea Bindery. Endpapers partially browned some... 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
HEMINGWAY, Ernest.
Autograph letter and envelope signed to Philip W. Bonsal – "Dear Bonzal (Bonz / Bonzo / Phillip)". 1933
£8,500
An excellent letter discussing bullfighting in considerable detail: "The feria at Salamanca has three corridas starting the 12th of September with bulls of Juan Cobaleda for Vicente...
A4 paper with the letterhead of the Hotel Ambros Mundos. Written in black ink on both sides. Complete with the envelope. Envelope addressed by Hemingway and signed by... Read more
SHELLEY, Percy Bysshe.
Autograph letter signed ("Mr. Shelley." in the third person) to Christopher John Pike. 1813
£8,500
Shelley writes in the third person: "Mr. Shelley requests that Mr. Pike would give the Bearer the copy of the Settlement in his possession. Mr. S. will return it in the course of the...
One page, 12mo, with Shelley's red wax seal, red cloth portfolio. Provenance: A. Edward Newton (his sale Parke-Bernet, pt III, 30 October 1941, lot 247; bookplate in... Read more
(RACKHAM, Arthur) IRVING, Washington.
Rip Van Winkle. 1905
£8,500
Signed limited edition of 250 numbered copies of which this is number 181 signed by Arthur Rackham. This copy with an additional pen and ink drawing signed by Rackham on the...
Quarto. Original full vellum, titles to front board and spine gilt, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. New ribbons. Illustrated frontispiece, 50 tipped in colour... 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
JAMES, Henry.
The Madonna of the Future and other tales. 1879
£8,500
First edition, one of an edition of only 500 copies. A beautiful set. These six stories had previously been published in America, in Scribner's, Harper's and the Galaxy, and were...
2 volumes, octavo. Original dark blue cloth, titles to spine gilt, panelling to boards in black, brown coated endpapers. Ownership inscription to title page of volume... Read more
HUGO, Victor.
The Works. [1892]
£8,500
Holland Paper Edition, limited to five hundred copies of which this is number 55.
30 volumes, octavo. Contemporary full dark blue morocco, titles and decoration to spines gilt, five rules to boards gilt, light blue morocco doublures with onlaid... Read more
LAWRENCE, D. H.
Women In Love. 1920
£8,500
First edition, UK issue being one of 50 numbered copies signed by the author. Martin Secker bought 50 sets of sheets from the unsigned American edition, and bound them very much in...
Octavo. Original brown cloth, titles to spine gilt, top edge stained brown. Housed in a brown quarter morocco solander box made by The Chelsea Bindery. Endpapers a... Read more
HUYSMANS, J-K.
À Rebours. 1884
£7,500
First edition, first printing. Huysmans's masterpiece is perhaps unfairly best remembered as the "poisonous French novel" that Wilde's eponymous anti-hero is presumed to have been...
Duodecimo. Original yellow wrappers printed in black. Housed in a quarter black morocco slipcase. Small internal repair to one corner, some light spotting here and... Read more
WOOLF, Virginia.
A Room of One's Own. 1929
£7,500
First edition, limited issue, one of 492 numbered copies signed by the author. Of the 492 copies, 42 were not for sale; the first 100 were issued in England and the remainder by the...
Octavo. Original burgundy cloth, titles to spine gilt. Slightest of fading to spine, slight bump to top of boards, but a strikingly fresh copy and very scarce in... Read more
[DODGSON, Charles Lutwidge] CARROLL, Lewis.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. 1866
£7,500
First edition, second issue. This is the first obtainable issue with the Appleton cancel title page. Macmillan printed around 2,000 copies of the book in 1865, but both artist and...
Octavo, pp. [x] + 192. Bound by Sangorski & Sutcliffe / Zaehnsdorf in recent burgundy full morocco, title and decorations to spine gilt, triple line rule and centre... Read more
[DODGSON, Charles Lutwidge] CARROLL, Lewis.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
£7,500
Inscribed copy
Octavo. Original red cloth, gilt-stamped, spine gilt-lettered, edges gilt, Burn & Co binder's ticket on rear endpaper. Electrotyped frontispiece, and 42 illustrations... Read more
FERGUSON, Adam.
An Essay on the History of Civil Society. 1767
£7,500
First edition of Ferguson's masterpiece, a key text of the Scottish Enlightenment. "The Essay touched a chord in its British readers because it offered a detailed, colourful,...
Quarto. Contemporary Scottish pale tan sprinkled calf, red morocco label, double gilt rules, red sprinkled edges. Engraved bookplate of Sir Henry Hay Makdougall Bart... Read more
BYRON, George Gordon, Lord.
Autograph letter signed ("Byron") to Captain John Hay ("My dear Hay"). 1822
£7,500
Byron writes to thank his old friend for an unusual gift: "A Thousand and one thanks for the boar - which has arrived in high order - and entire. But I wish you were here to partake...
One page, octavo (200 × 125 mm), written on one side only. Small circular blindstamp of Dobbs & Co, London, at foot below the text. Housed in a black quarter... Read more
LE CARRÉ, John.
Call for the Dead. 1961
£7,500
First edition, first impression. John le Carré's first book and the inaugural appearance of Smiley. Very uncommon in this condition.
Octavo. Original red boards, titles to spine gilt. With the dust jacket. Housed in a black quarter morocco solander box made by The Chelsea Bindery. Contents somewhat... Read more
JOYCE, James.
Chamber Music. 1907
£7,500
First Edition. First Impression, First Issue. Chamber Music was published by Elkin Mathews with a distinct lack of faith: they printed just 509 copies and then only bound a small...
Small quarto. Original pea green cloth, titles to upper board and spine gilt. Housed in s quarter green morocco slipcase. Pictorial title page. A lovely copy. Read more
JOYCE, James.
Dedalus. 1924
£7,500
First French edition. With the translator's signed presentation inscription to the first blank leaf. The name of the recipient has been excised and the inscription partially obscured...
Octavo. Original white wrappers printed in green and black. Housed in a green quarter morocco solander box made by The Chelsea Bindery. Contents browned as always but... Read more
HARDY, Thomas.
Desperate Remedies. A Novel. 1871
£7,500
First edition.
3 volumes, octavo (180 × 115 mm). Near contemporary blue half morocco for Hatchards, spines gilt in compartments, blue cloth sides, marbled endpapers, ruling to... Read more
JOYCE, James.
Exiles. 1921
£7,500
Second English and first Egoist Press edition of Joyce's only play. With the author's signed presentation inscription on the front free endpaper, "James Joyce Paris 2 January 1927"....
Octavo. Original green cloth, titles to upper board in blind and to spine gilt. Some mild browning to two pages, top of spine slightly worn, spine lettering rubbed.... Read more
(DICKENS, Charles) KNIGHT, Charles, ed.
Half-Hours with The Best Authors. [1848]
£7,500
First edition, presentation copy to Charles Dickens, inscribed by Knight on the first front free endpaper verso: "To Charles Dickens Esq. With the editor's best regards. August 31,...
4 volumes, octavo. Original purple vertical-fine-ribbed cloth, sides blocked in blind with an elaborate design incorporating at centre the monogram of the... Read more
(SHELLEY, Percy Bysshe) GUARINI, Giovanni Battista.
Il pastor fido; tragicom. pastor. [c.1800]
£7,500
Percy Bysshe Shelley's copy, with his autograph ownership inscription dated 1820, of an undated reprint of Guarini's celebrated pastoral tragicomedy, undoubtedly bought by him in...
16mo (121 × 66 mm). Contemporary Italian mottled calf, red morocco label, smooth spine with gilt urns in compartments, covers with triple gilt rules, marbled... Read more
