Featured Items

London: printed by John Nichols, for T. Payne and Son, and G.G.J. and J. Robinson, 1789. Splendid set ! Vol I: cxlix, 351pp, [xx]; Vol II: [vi] 598pp, [xli]; Vol III: [vi], 760pp, [lii]. With all the 87 plates called for, including the portrait frontis, plus the unlisted genealogical chart of Oliver Cromwell; and with all 57 of the superb maps, most of which are folding. A few maps and pages are very faintly browned, and in some sections of the work the text pages have a faintly blue tinge, but the overwhelming sense is of the freshness of the pages and the clarity of the print. Marbled endpapers bright. Large folio, 17.4 x 10.6 ins, in contemporary full tree calf gilt, with six raised bands, ornate floral decoration in compartments, and two red lettering pieces. Joints and ends recently restored. An exceptional set.

Price: £3,500.00

London: Heinemann & Bodley Head. 1970-1982. All are internally very fresh and clean and unmarked, and almost all unread. In the original green cloth titled in gilt, bright and firm (although three have slight blunting to the spine ends). The green front and back panels of the jackets are bright and fresh, a few having small closed nicks or other very small signs of wear. However, many of the jackets have slight toning to the spines, and some spine numbers are sunned: and the spines of the earlier volumes have pale splash marks. Beautiful set with some discoloration to jacket spines.

Price: £1,400.00

London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2010. (xii), 339pp, illustrated with photographs. Contents fresh and unmarked, appears unread. In the original purple cloth-textured binding titled in silver, clean, bright and firm, corners sharp, with very slight compression of the spine ends. In the spectacular protected unclipped pictorial dust jacket, bright and clean, with a slight crease at the top of the back panel. Lovely copy.

Price: £28.00

London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Low, and Searle, 1873. viii, 323pp: with numerous illustrations, including the guarded frontis. Some recent professional restoration to hinges. The usual black endpapers replaced perhaps a century ago, the present cream endpapers showing some mottling from age, with old handwritten and stamped ownership names, and the binder's label on the rear pastedown. Another stamped name on title page. Slight handling to prelims, and corner creases to five pages. Contents otherwise clean and bright, with occasional minor foxing. All edges gilt. In the original binding of blue pebblegrain cloth over bevelled boards blocked in black and gold: boards beautifully bright, with minor soil marks, corners a little soft: spine dulled, ends professionally restored. Very nice copy.

Price: £750.00

London: Methuen, 1937. xi, (i), 145pp, illustrated with photographs and drawings. Endpapers slightly browned, with 1941 ownership name. Contents otherwise clean. In the original smooth olive cloth ruled and titled in black: clean and firm, extremities bumped, with rubbing to spine ends.

Price: £58.00

London: William and John Innys ( Apud Guil. & Joh. Innys), 1726. Very good copy in restored binding. Lacks the engraved portrait. Royal license, half-title, title, dedication, Halley's ode, prefaces (22pp), index and corrigenda. Thus: [xxxiv](of 36), 530pp, [vi](index), [2](publishers' advertisements). Corner (1 x 2ins) torn from top corner of title page, not affecting print, repaired at some time with a paper of similar tone, and neat 1815 ownership name between lines of title, with a false start half way down page. Two small ink marks adjacent to the engraving at p506. Small tear with loss at corner of p95/6, small marginal soil marks at pp44-5 and 152-3, faint stain to pp 219-222, and some darkening to the advertisement leaf and final blank. Pages faintly toned and slightly cockled but otherwise clean. All edges red. Text block 24.6 x 19.5cms (9.7 x 7.5ins). In full contemporary panelled calf, with edges and corners recently restored, the spine with five raised bands, rebacked, with the original chipped spine laid down, and a red lettering piece. A very nice copy of a great book.

Price: £5,650.00