127 résultats
1476122957Single leaf 292 r/v. Westminster: William Caxton 1476-1477. Single leaf 292 r/v 242 x 163 mm printed on both sides with a single rubricated initial. Bull's Head watermark clearly visible in the center of the leaf when held against light. Not trimmed close to the text as our previous copy and virtually all known fragments. Sympathetically cleaned and matted. § A landmark in the history of English literature and in the history of printing being a single leaf from Chaucer's Tale of Melibee from the Canterbury Tales the second tale told by Chaucer himself as the host of the inn in which the pilgrims lodge. This particular leaf is significant as it includes a Biblical citation which may be the first appearance in English of the proverb "Greed i.e. money is the root of all harms i.e. evil". "For according to the saying of the word of the Apostle `Greed is root of all harms.' And therefore it were better for you to lose so much wealth of your own than to take their wealth in this manner for better it is to lose wealth with honor than it is to acquire wealth with villainy and shame."“Caxton was both the first to print a book in English and the first English printer. He realized the commercial potential of the new technology while working as a merchant in the Low Countries and Germany birthplace of printing in Europe. Around 1475 Caxton set up his own printing press in London. Among his earliest books are two magnificent editions of the 14th-century classic Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’: the first published in 1476 AND THUS THE FIRST BOOK PRINTED IN ENGLAND IN ENGLISH and the second illustrated with woodblock prints in 1483.†British Library.See: ic00431000. 9 essentially complete If sometimes made-up copies and 5 substantial but incomplete copies are listed by location along with 24 single leaves or groups of a very few 2-8 leaves. The copy listed as owned by Norman Strouse was later sold to Bernard M. Rosenthal from whom we bought it in 2014 and sold it to the St. Louis Mercantile Library. It was the last leaf to be sold in the trade to our knowledge and like most leaves but not this one was trimmed at the top touching the text. Even the Doheny fragments were trimmed touching the text at the top. The Caxton Club issued a book about Caxton and 148 copies included an original leaf. William Caxton unknown books
1952Embry 37766Oxford 1952. Occasional light discoloration or mild spotting spines with very minor and even sunning overall a very good to near fine set. Blue cloth no dust jackets. Seven volumes. Oxford, 1952. hardcover books
1882014073London: George Bell and Sons 1882. SIX VOLUMES UNIFORMLY BOUND. Marbled endpapers with matching edges. Gilt pannelled spines with black leather spine labels. Floral textured green cloth over boards. This edition was edited by Richard Morris with memoirs of the poet by Sir Harris Nicolas. A lovely set by the author of "The Canterbury Tales". Geoffrey Chaucer c.1343-1400 is considered the Father of English literature. Author poet philosopher diplomat. He was the first poet to be buried in Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey. Revised Edition. 1/2 Brown Calf. Minor Corner and Edge Wear/No Jacket. 6 1/2" x 4". George Bell and Sons Hardcover books
1882266403London. : George Bell. 1882. . The Aldine Edition of the British Poets. . Original green cloth black and gilt blindstamped decorations. . Spine slightly cocked otherwise a near very good bright set. . 12mo. 6 volume set requires extra postage. George Bell. hardcover books
51618bdLondon; William Pickering 1845. The Aldine Edition by C. Whittingham at the Chiswick Press. Six volumes. Octavo bound by Sangorski & Sutcliffe in 3/4 tan polished calf & linen leather hardcover calf labels gilt-stamped spines top edges gilt uncut ribbon-markers 326 pp 330 pp. 363 pp 321 pp 288 pp. Fine. hardcover books
1939Embry 149522The Limited Editions Club 1939. One of 1500 copies signed by the printer. Spine slightly darkened else fine moderately darkened but sturdy slipcase with a few tiny dings. Cream cloth-backed illustrated gray boards. Translated into modern English verse by George Philip Krapp. The Limited Editions Club, 1939. One of 1500 copies, signed by the printer. hardcover books
1973304869San Marino The Huntington Library 1973. 1973. First edition. 8vo. 12 b/w illustrations. Bibliography. Dust jacket unclipped. Fine. 165 pages. No signatures or bookplates. Designed by Ward Ritchie and printed by Anderson Ritchie and Simon. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. [San Marino] The Huntington Library, 1973. hardcover books
19781221New York New York U.S.A.: New York Dodd Mead 1978. 1978. First edition. Small 4to. 16 color plates over 200 b/w illustrations pictorial endpapers. Bibliography discography. Dust jacket price clipped. Very good-fine. No signatures or bookplates. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Very Good. New York, Dodd, Mead [1978]. hardcover books
1964355Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press 1964. vii 247p. dj ex libris. University of Notre Dame Press unknown books
186425230Philadelphia / New York: Frederick Leypoldt F.W. Christern 1864. First edition. Cloth. Spine sunned paper spine label rubbed and chipped small chip to head of spine wear at extremities binding tight leaves crisp and clean; overall a good solid copy of this uncommon Philadelphia imprint. xxxviii 145 pp. 16mo. From the short lived firm of Frederick Leypoldt. Frederick Leypoldt 1835-1884 publisher and co-founder of the American Library Association began publishing in 1863 because of the dearth of imported books during the Civil War his first work being a translation of 'The Ice Maiden' by Hans Christian Andersen. By 1866 he joined with Henry Holt to form Leypoldt and Holt in New York which he left shortly thereafter. Shaw-Shoemaker: 6003. Frederick Leypoldt, F.W. Christern hardcover books
1930119841London: The Medici Society 1930. First edition of Eleanor Farjeon's modern adaptation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Octavo bound in full morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands double gilt ruling and fleuron cornerpieces to the panels gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles marbled endpapers and all edges gilt elaborately illustrated with full color plates after the drawings of William Russell Flint including tissue-guarded frontispiece. In very good condition. Bookplate to the pastedown. A collection of 24 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400 The Canterbury Tales is is near-unanimously seen as Chaucer's magnum opus. Chaucer's use of such a wide range of classes and types of people composing the characters throughout the tales was without precedent in English and the work still offers a variety of insights into customs and practices of the time. The Medici Society hardcover books
1927WRCLIT52322Cambridge: Harvard University Press 1927. Gilt cloth. First edition fifth printing. Poet/publisher James Laughlin's copy with his early pencil ownership signature occasional pencil underscoring and marginal strikes. Spine a bit darkened corners a trifle rubbed else very good. Harvard University Press hardcover books
1946001567New York: The Limited Editions Club; The George Macy Companies Inc. 1946. Signed Limited Edition; First Edition Thus. Quarter Leather over Decorated Paper on Boards; with slipcase. Very Good Plus. Copy No. 5 of limited edition of 1500; signed by Arthur Szyk. xx 550 2 pp. With color plate illustrations for each character and a double sided illustration for the entire group in the front all done by Szyk in his highly original ornate appealingly lurid Durer-esque manner. Clean and tight. With paper decoration of a Medieval-style diaper featuring a quattrofoil and cameo within. Some wear to leather more pronounced at tips and somewhat gouped up at lower rear gutter where a clumsy restoration might have been attempted. Still attractive overall. Some edgewear to the slipcase which as a box retains functional integrity and remains handsome with similar diaper pattern to boards but a bit darkened. <br/><br/> The Limited Editions Club; The George Macy Companies, Inc. hardcover books
1946018625New York: Limited Editions Club 1946. Book. Very good condition. Hardcover. Signed by Illustrators. First Edition. Octavo 8vo. xx 550 pages of text. Original white leather spine with illustrated boards; a few tiny scuff marks to the spine and minor shelfwear. Protected in fitted archival mylar. The matching slipcase is cracked at one seam with minor shelfwear. One of 1500 copies signed by Benton on the limitation page. Includes the Monthly Newsletter for the Limited Editions Club. The text is clean and unmarked. Minor stain to the closed page edges. First edition. Limited Editions Club Hardcover books
1878008160London: George Bell and Sons 1878. SCARCE. Four volume set finely bound in contemporary polished red calf the backs tooled in gilt with morocco labels lettered in gilt double gilt ruled borders to covers marbled end papers and edges tissue guarded frontispiece portrait of Chaucer to volume one. A lovely set Near Fine a bit of light rubbing at joints covers a bit darkened. Series title; Bohn's Standard Library. V. 1-2. Canterbury Tales.- V. 3. Troylus and Cryseyde etc.-V. 4. Romaunt of the Rose etc. . Revised Edition. Polished Calf. Near Fine/No Jacket As Issued. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. George Bell and Sons Hardcover books
20052273417Hackett Publishing Company Inc 2005. 1st Printing. Trade Paperback. Very Good. First printing. Sticker on rear wrapper front wrapper very faintly creased light smudges to page ridges. 2005 Trade Paperback. vi 348 pp. "Readers of this witty and fluent new translation of The Canterbury Tales should find themselves turning page after page: by recasting Chaucer's ten-syllable couplets into eight-syllable lines Joseph Glaser achieves a lighter more rapid cadence than other translators a four-beat rhythm well-established in the English poetic tradition up to Chaucer's time. Glaser's shortened lines make compelling reading and mirror the elegance and variety of Chaucer's verse to a degree rarely met by translations that copy Chaucer beat for beat. Moreover this translation's full Chaucerian range of diction--from earthy to Latinate--conveys the great scope of Chaucer's interests and effects. The selection features complete translations of the majority of the stories including all of the more familiar tales and narrative links along with abridgments or summaries of the others. To reflect Chaucer's interest in poetic technique Glaser presents the tales written in non-couplet stanzas in their original forms. An Introduction marginal glosses bibliography and notes are also included. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc paperback books
19611319827New York: Golden Press Inc 1961. Hardcover. Large Octavo; pp 139; G/no-DJ; pinkish beige spine with multicolored text; cloth shows modest soiling to exterior; sticker residue to front; sturdy boards; some wear to edges; text block shows slight shelf wear to exterior edges; pictorial endpapers; frontispiece; interior clean; profusely illustrated;. 1319827. FP New Rockville Stock. Golden Press, Inc hardcover books
1875008176London: George Bell and Sons 1875. The Aldine Edition of the British Poets. Six volumes finely bound by Zaehnsdorf in half crushed brown morocco over marbled boards marbled end papers top edges giltm Aldine Edition stamped in gilt at tail of spine. morocco rubbed a bit at corners and a few small rubs at spines. Quite a handsome and sturdy set. . Aldine Edition . Half Morocco. Near Fine/No Jacket As Issued. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. George Bell and Sons Hardcover books
19582260541The World Publishing Company 1958. Reissue. Large Hardcover. Very Good/Good. Burne-Jones Edward. Very good in good jacket. Jacket toned with some loss along edges a few light spots on jacket spine. 1958 Large Hardcover. xx 554 pp. A facsimile of William Morris's Kelmscott Chaucer including the original 87 illustrations by Edward Burne-Jones with a new introduction by John T. Winterich and a glossary for the modern reader. ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Geoffrey Chaucer c. 1343 The World Publishing Company hardcover books
19637263San Francisco: The Book Club of California 1963. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine. Red cloth over boards with gilt illustration on upper board gilt lettering on spine; pp. 12 64 printed in two colors. Limited edition 450 copies. Lavishly illustrated with more than twenty facsimiles of pages from the principal editions a page of the Ellesmere manuscript of "Canterbury Tales" reproduced in full color and a tipped-in original leaf from the 1561 edition. Very gentle rubbing at extremities; tail of spine bumped resulting in some faint wrinkling to corner of text block. Near fine. <br/><br/> The Book Club of California hardcover books
18524751London: William Pickering 1852. First Edition Thus. Hardcover. Good Textblocks Fine. No DJ as Issued. Light to moderate shelf/edge wear several volumes show minor wear/chipping at head and/or heels spine label for Vol. IV partially missing several show splits at joint hinges/cords tight ownership plates signature and emboss at endpages else tight bright and unmarred. Full brown leather period boards five raised bands burgundy leather labels gilt lettering in blind decorative elements navy silk ribbons bound in red stain at all edges frontispiece Vol. 1. 12mo. Var. pag. Illus. b/w plate. <br/><br/>Armorial bookplate of "Jacobus Cowan de Rosshall" and plate of Howard Faron Peckworth signature of Lewis Turco in each volume. Turco is a noted American poet and collector though strangely fond of embossing stamps. Overall a very presentable set of this renowned set of Chaucer.A wonderful set for a reader. William Pickering hardcover books
19812312594Pennsylvania: The Franklin Library 1981. Hard Cover. Near Fine/No Jacket. Caxton William. Near fine. 1981 Hard Cover. 618 pp. Green cloth boards with gilt decor and gilt edges. Decorative endpapers. "The Canterbury Tales Middle English: Tales of Caunterbury2 is a collection of 24 stories that runs to over 17000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400.3 In 1386 Chaucer became Controller of Customs and Justice of the Peace and in 1389 Clerk of the King's Works.4 It was during these years that Chaucer began working on his most famous text The Canterbury Tales. The tales mostly written in verse although some are in prose are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn at Southwark on their return. After a long list of works written earlier in his career including Troilus and Criseyde House of Fame and Parliament of Fowls The Canterbury Tales is near-unanimously seen as Chaucer's magnum opus. He uses the tales and descriptions of its characters to paint an ironic and critical portrait of English society at the time and particularly of the Church. Chaucer's use of such a wide range of classes and types of people was without precedent in English. Although the characters are fictional they still offer a variety of insights into customs and practices of the time. Often such insight leads to a variety of discussions and disagreements among people in the 14th century. For example although various social classes are represented in these stories and all of the pilgrims are on a spiritual quest it is apparent that they are more concerned with worldly things than spiritual. Structurally the collection resembles Boccaccio's Decameron which Chaucer may have read during his first diplomatic mission to Italy in 1372. It has been suggested that the greatest contribution of The Canterbury Tales to English literature was the popularisation of the English vernacular in mainstream literature as opposed to French Italian or Latin. English had however been used as a literary language centuries before Chaucer's time and several of Chaucer's contemporaries The Franklin Library hardcover books
1953401Garden City Publishing Company Inc 1934. Reissue. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Very Good. Includes original jacket. Jacket edges rubbed 2 inch tear along front jacket flap a few other small tears ink name & date on half-title page. 1934 Hard Cover. xvi 627 pp. 9 1/2 x 6 1/4. 8vo. De Luxe Edition. Original green cloth blind-stamped titles & design on front board paper spine label Rockwell Kent illustrations throughout text illustrated endpapers. Translated into modern English by J.U. Nicolson with an introduction by Gordon Hall Gerould. Garden City Publishing Company, Inc hardcover books
04317Salisbury: Perdix Press 1984. Superb Photo-Litho Facsimile of the Original 1476 Edition<br/><br/>CHAUCER Geoffrey. PERDIX PRESS. The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. In the Original Text from Caxton's First Edition into Modern English by Nevill Coghill. Salisbury: Perdix Press 1984. <br/><br/>Number 3 of 10 copies signed by Mark Franklin preface and Walter Partridge introduction. <br/><br/>Small folio 10 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches; 260 x 184 mm. 80 2 1 limitation 1 blank pp. Title-page printed in red and black. Collation includes two woodcut illustrations by Howard Phipps and thirty facsimile pages of the original 1476 edition with many of the initial letters in red. The woodcut on the verso of the half-title is signed in pencil "Howard Phipps 1984".<br/><br/>Full dark brown calf covers ruled in blind spine lettered in gilt top edge gilt. Housed in the original brown cloth slipcase. Loosely laid-in is a sample gathering pp. 63-66 and an additional copy of the frontispiece signed in pencil by Howard Phipps. A very fine example. <br/><br/>"In this limited edition the modern translation has been set by hand and printed on an Arab platen by Walter Partridge at Perdix Press in Salisbury. The black letter is a photo-litho facsimile of the British Library copy of Caxton's 1476 first edition. The paper is Zerkall mould made. Ten copies have been bound in calf and two hundred in cloth by Period Book Binders of Bath. October 1984" limitation leaf. Salisbury: Perdix Press, 1984 unknown books
2009Embry 195638Viking 2009. First U.S. edition. Fine in fine dust jacket in mylar cover. Viking, 2009. First U.S. edition. unknown books
