427 résultats
18930008244Driffield: Frank Fawcett 1893. Limited edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Small 4to 215 pages green cloth scuffed paper spine label untrimmed; ex libris Liljane Loxley. <br/><br/>Copy no. 3 of 260 copies. This is "unique as a poetical and pictorial expose of the manners customs and amusements of the opulent the gay and the infirm. who frequented Scarborough when George the Third was King; and when as yet the stage-coach was the most potent factor in the way of locomotion. The original publication ran though several editions and the one here reproduced is a replica of the annotated edition of 1813 with its historical prelude - Publisher's Preface." See Tooley's ENGLISH BOOKS WITH COLOURED PLATES nos. 422 423 for the original editions. This is of course the era of Jane Austen and her characters. The 20 plates here of course are well-done reproductions of the original works which were hand-colored. Scarborough is a sea-side resort in York. Frank Fawcett hardcover
1860250383Philadelphia: Ed. Barrington and Geo. D. Haswell 1860 circa. Stereotype Edition. Hardcover. Quarto full brown morocco extra-gilt floral covers light tidal stain at gutter and affecting the rear cover a bit inner dentelles lacks its single clasp a.e.g. with a few pressed flowers too. <br/><br/>Illustrated with steel-plate engravings by Richard Westall and others maps Ed. Barrington and Geo. D. Haswell hardcover
188626093Baltimore Boston Hartford New York Cincinnati: Gately 1886. Stereotype Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Quarto; full brown morocco extra-gilt covers two steel clasps new leather at the head of the spine all edges gilt. Presented as a gift from Mr. & Mrs. Emanuel List to Mr. & Mrs. David List with several pages of genealogic notes within and spaces for Family Portraits at the end. <br /> <br /> <br/><br/>With many other Inclusions such as a History of Translations of the Bible a History of all Religious Denominations Apocrypha and Psalms in Metre and over 2000 illustrations and maps on Steel Wood and in Colors. The New Testament here has the old King James' version and the revised version arranged in parallel columns for convenience in reference and comparison. Gately hardcover
18302020525Lunenberg MA: Edmund Cushing 1830 1831. New Edition. Hardcover. VG contemp. full calf some light waterstains. Quarto; 929 160 pages full calf head of spine chipped heel of spine has a two-inch tear damstaiin at bottom of gutter affecting the preliminary leaves. <br/><br/>Illustrated with full-page woodcuts. Edmund Cushing hardcover
1896230309New York & London: Fowler And Wells / L. N. Fowler & Co. 1896 or earlier. Early Fowler Edition. Hardcover. Good. Duodecimo; 4 419 unpaginated leaves 44 pp. of Alphabetical Appendix To The New Testament in the publisher's black embossed cloth with bevelled boards gilt-stamped spine 186 x 127mm rubber-stamped on front pastedown "Private Library / G. H. Bolick / Hickory N.C." Very Scarce. <br/><br/>Benjamin Wilson was a Campbellite before he became a founder of the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith and was the editor and publisher of "The Gospel Banner". When not editing that journal he created this acclaimed interlinear word by word translation of the New Testament. It was originally issued in parts during 1863-1864 from his print shop in Geneva Illinois. This is the first New York edition of the completed work. After Wilson's death in 1900 the International Bible Students Association bought the rights to his work and began publishing this text in 1902. It continues to be distibuted today by The Watchtower Society a.k.a. Watch Tower Society guaranteeing its continued influence among Bible students. Herbert HISTORICAL CATALOGUE OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE no. 1950: " Although the Library of Congress has a card covering a first New York edition of 1864 no copy has been located. Only one copy of that Geneva Illinois edition has been cited by the Book Auction Records and that was in 2023 it is slightly incomplete. This copy shows only an 1864 copyright date. This is a bi-lingual text with the Greek with an interlineal translation with a readable English text at the right margin. The address of Fowler And Wells is 27 East 21st New York and and by L. N. Fowler 7 Imperial Arcade Ludgate Circus. Fowler And Wells / L. N. Fowler & Co. hardcover
18652020172New York: Fowler And Wells 1865. First Fowler Edition. Hardcover. Fair. 16mo; 4 419 unpaginated leaves 4 44 pp. of Alphabetical Appendix To The New Testament lacking pp. 39ff - supplied in facsimile; recased with the publisher's cloth boards and a new leather spine title-page chipped some other page wear.Scarce. <br/><br/>Benjamin Wilson was a Campbellite before he became a founder of the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith and was the editor and publisher of "The Gospel Banner". When not editing that journal he created this acclaimed interlinear word by word translation of the New Testament. The Preface tells that this was originally issued in parts during 1863-1864 from his print shop in Geneva Illinois but no copies are known. This is the first New York edition of the completed work. After Wilson's death in 1900 the International Bible Students Association bought the rights to his work and began publishing this text in 1902. It continues to be distibuted today by The Watchtower Society a.k.a. Watch Tower Society guaranteeing its continued influence among Bible students. Herbert HISTORICAL CATALOGUE OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE no. 1950 . Although the Library of Congress has a card covering a first New York edition of 1864 no copy has been located: whereas this copy IS copyrighted 1864 but lacks the statement "Electrotyped by B. Wilson Geneva Illinois." It was issued by Fowler and Wells in 1865". This copy shows only an 1864 copyright date. Only one copy of that Geneva Illinois first book edition is cited in the Book Auction Records and that was in 2023. This is a bi-lingual text with the Greek with an interlineal translation with a readable English text at the right margin. The address of Fowler And Wells is 389 Broadway. A map of the Holy Land was inserted at page 3 before the Appendix. Fowler And Wells hardcover
186249952Glasgow Edinburgh and London: William Mackenzie 1862. Deluxe Edition. Two volumes folio 450 x 330 mm published between 1862 and 1863. 16 1344pp. 57 unnumbered leaves of albumin prints 230 x 160mm mounted on card stock. Crimson morocco over wooden boards elaborately tooled in gilt and blind; edges mounted in brass double brass clasps with thistle motif; covers with a broad blind-stamped border around a recessed central panel with the crowned cipher of Queen Victoria in gilt; gilt tooled spine with 5 raised bands; a.e.g. marbled endleaves with gilt dentelles. Covers with some mild traces of use; single crease in each marbled endleaf partially detached in second volume; occasional light to moderate foxing mostly confined to the plate mounts; albumin prints in fine condition often with foxing extending about 5mm from the edges into the mount. Overall a very good set with a fine series of photographs notable for their technical achievment.<br /> <br /> Deluxe edition one of 170 copies complete with all 57 albumen prints. Produced for the 1862 International Exhibition and dedicated to Queen Victoria then recently in mourning for the death of Prince Albert this work appeared at a time when photography though still a laborious and expensive process was just beginning to become a popular activity. Victoria herself was an amateur photographer and "the royal couple had been enthusiastic supporters of photography in England from the beginning; in 1853 they became founding patrons of the Photographic Society Club" K. Fiedorek. Francis Frith 1822-1898 the devout Quaker whose photographic images grace the present work was one of the best-known photographers to work in the Near East and the most commercially successful photographer of the nineteenth century. Finding his elementary studies tedious Frith left school at the age of ten apprenticed with a grocer and eventually started his own business. He later went into printing sold the grocery business to a competitor at a substantial profit and went on to devote himself to photography. "The growing Victorian interest in the East and its exotic and historic attractions caught the attention of this astute businessman" Perez. Between 1856 and 1860 Frith made three photographic expeditions to Egypt Ethiopia Sinai and the Levant accompanied by the engineer Francis Herbert Wenham who provided technical assistance in mechanics and optics. While Perez notes that Frith's "approach was always a strictly commercial one and his concern was to make truthful and accurate views of the area" he readily concedes that "the technical quality of Frith's photographs is superior." Frith employed the new wet collodion process in which glass plate negatives were sensitized exposed and developed while still wet. While technically demanding the process yielded rich detail and broad tones. "Frith's were the first original wet-plate photographs of Jerusalem and the Holy Land to reach a wide English-speaking audience and his pictures of the small Palestinian towns were most likely the first published anywhere" Nir p.66.<br /> <br /> Perhaps the most novel aspect of this celebrated edition of the Bible and certainly a harbinger of things to come was the way in which the photographer "presented the radical possibility of seeing photographs of the biblical sites alongside related verses of scripture. he sought to defend and promote his faith by conscripting the veracity of science and materialism to his cause and considered photography to be the most effective medium for his campaign" Foster et al. This vision is manifest even in such details as the re-captioning of prints previously offered for sale so that the new descriptions would more clearly reference the King James text. It should be noted that while the printing was still done by hand this was one of the earliest books for which machinery was used for composing. Original publisher's price = 50 guineas. Another version of this work was published at London in 1860-1862 by Eyre & Spottiswoode; sometimes confused with the present work it was issued in 20 parts each containing a single photographic print by Frith.<br /> <br /> K. Fiedorek A Photographic Bible Fit for a Queen NYPL Blog 2014. Foster Heiting and Stuhlman Imagining Paradise pp. 68-69. Gernsheim Incunabula of British Photographic Literature 1839-1875 p.36 no.184. Herbert The English Bible 1940 1217. Y. Nir The Bible and the Image The History of Photography in the Holy Land 1939-1899 esp. chap. 3: "Early Traveling Landscape Photographers". N. Perez Focus East: Early Photography in the Near East 1838-1885 pp.163-165. William Mackenzie unknown
1808354112Philadelphia: Printed by Jane Aitken 1808. First edition. 512; 490; 444; 472pp. 4 vols. 8vo. Contemporary full black morocco gil likely bound by Jane Aitken minor wear at joints one spine splitting but holding. First edition. 512; 490; 444; 472pp. 4 vols. 8vo. "Charles Thomson 1729-1824 made the first translation of the Septuagint into the English language and the first English translation of the New Testament in the western hemisphere. Thomson spent twenty years in making the translation. The books called Apocrypha which are included in the canon of the Greek Old Testament but not in the Hebrew were omitted in his translation. After copying the manuscript four times he had it published at Philadelphia by Jane Aitken the first woman to print any part of the Holy Scriptures in America and the daughter of the printer Robert Aitken. It is of interest that the name 'Cha. Thomson' appears as the signer of the Congressional resolution in the front of the 1782 Aiken Bible" Hills.<br /> <br /> Charles Thomson emigrated to America from his native Ireland in 1739. On recommendation of Benjamin Franklin he served as a tutor at the College of Pennsylvania later the University of Pennsylvania. He later left teaching for business in which he prospered. "Because of his reputation for fairness and integrity he was chosen by the Indians to keep their record of proceedings at the treaty of Easton 1757 and in the following year he was adopted into the Delaware tribe with a name meaning `man who tells the truth'" DAB. He was an early and ardent supporter of the Revolution and was unanimously elected Secretary to the Continental Congress serving in that post from 1774 to 1789. Thomson "was the very man in Philadelphia with whom John Adams busily probing the minds of all and sundry on the vital questions involved would wish to have as he did have 'much conversation.' 'This Charles Thomson' Adams wrote 'is the Sam Adams of Philadelphia the life of the cause of liberty they say.'" DAB. Thomson resigned his post when he was offered no part in Washington's inauguration ceremonies nor any post in the new administration. He devoted the next twenty years to his monumental translation.<br /> <br /> Jane Aitken continued her father Robert's business after his death in 1802. "She had in 1810 a printing house in Philadelphia. She obtained much reputation by the productions which issued from her press" Thomas. In addition to being one of the first American female printers Jane Aitken was also a bookseller bookbinder businesswoman and employer. The typeface Aitken used for the Thomson Bible was an attractive and utilitarian type developed in 1796 by two Scotsmen Binney and Ronaldson at their Philadelphia type foundry. The Thomson Bible is considered her greatest printing achievement and the first Bible printed by a woman in America.<br /> <br /> This set in a very unusual American full morocco gilt binding likely bound by Aitken's shop. See Spawn Willman and Carol Spawn "The Aitken Shop: Identification of an Eighteenth-Century Bindery and Its Tools" in The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America vol. 57 no. 4 1963 pp. 422-37. Darlow & Moule 1005; Herbert 1514; Rumball-Petre 184; O'Callaghan 1808.2; Wright p.113; Hills 153; Thomas History of Printing in America p.402 Printed by Jane Aitken unknown
1809375196Hartford: Hudson and Goodwin 1809. Text in two columns. 816pp. 12mo. Contemporary calf red morocco lettering piece minor staining. Minor foxing early owner's inscription on the endpaper. Text in two columns. 816pp. 12mo. First edition of the first Bible printed in Connecticut. An October 18 1809 advertisement in the Connecticut Courant reads: "Hudson and Goodwin have the satisfaction to announce to the public that they have this day completed their first edition of the School Bible. The type is entirely new imported at heavy expense . and the paper is so good a quality that it is asserted with confidence to be the best of the kind offered for sale in this country."<br /> <br /> "This is supposed to be the earliest edition of the Bible printed in Connecticut. "It was set up in Nonpareil smaIl 12mo making I believe 68 forms 34 sheets put in chases corrected and shipped from the foundry of Wilson and Sons Glasgow to Hudson and Goodwin at a cost as I have understood of 6000 crowns. The type was sold for old metal about the year 1837" O'Callaghan. Shaw 16998; Hills 168; O'Callaghan 1809.6 Hudson and Goodwin unknown
1811320096Philadelphia: Mathew Carey No. 122 Market-Street 1811. 4 1080 72pp. Complete with 50 illustrations plate at p. 916 is detached and tattered at edges and plate at 932 is detached and with considerably trimmed. Early entries on the family register by the Mingle family. Sectional titles for the OT and NT 1811 Apocrypha and Brown's Brief Concordance as issued. 4to. Contemporary calf. Worn upper cover nearly detached. Foxing. Early inked stamp of P.A. Johnson Bookseller & Stationer Morristown N.J. on front pastedown and with ownership inscription on ffep: "Henry Mingle's Bible bought of Peter A. Johnson in Morristown October 28 1812. 4 1080 72pp. Complete with 50 illustrations plate at p. 916 is detached and tattered at edges and plate at 932 is detached and with considerably trimmed. Early entries on the family register by the Mingle family. Sectional titles for the OT and NT 1811 Apocrypha and Brown's Brief Concordance as issued. 4to. In 1804 Carey first published a new edition of the quarto Bible from standing type and including the Apocrypha. A consummate promoter and bookseller Carey re-issued the Bible on a variety of paper stocks and with various numbers of engraved maps and plates over the next decade. An 1809 advertisement listed 34 variations of his "Family Bible" priced between $3.50 and $12 however none of those listed include more than 30 engraved maps and plates suggesting this issue with 50 engraved maps and plates and including the Old Testament New Testament Psalms Apocrypha and Brown's Concordance to be among the most deluxe version yet issued by Carey. We find no record of Carey's quarto bible with 50 plates as here.<br /> <br /> With an early Morristown New Jersey bookseller stamp and provenance to the Mingle family of Warren County New Jersey. Hills 174; O'Callaghan 1810.1. See Clarkin 622 8 plates and 623 1 map 10 plates; this issue not recorded Mathew Carey, No. 122 Market-Street unknown
1814313413New York: Collins and Co 1814. Third Collins edition. Text in two columns separate title for New Testament. Folio. Contemporary diced morocco marbled endpapers. Some scuffing and wear to boards leaves browned. Third Collins edition. Text in two columns separate title for New Testament. Folio. This copy without the plates sometimes found in this edition. The family records between the Old and New Testaments detail the ancestors and decendents of William Hartman Woodin 1821-1886 of the Jackson & Woodin railroad manufacturing concern of Berwick Pennsylvania. His grandson of the same name was Frankling Roosevelt's secretary of the treasury in 1933. O'Callaghan p 117. Provenance: W.H. Woodin stamped in gilt on spine; genealogical records between OT & NT Collins and Co unknown
181816976Pittsburg: Cramer and Spear 1818. Small 8vo. 792pp. Original publisher's sheep. Signatures sprung from use but attached; pages generally very soiled and with some contemporary markings; old repair to the spine else the binding is in good condition. Ownership name of Dan Smith dated 1828 and later 'Dan Smith His Book'. The New Testament has a separate title page. <br /> <p><br /> In this copy there is a short note pinned to its verso listing the births of members of the McNees family in the late nineteenth century. <br /> <p><br /> This is the first Bible printed west of the Allegheny River and the first Bible in English printed west of the Allegheny Mountains. <br /> <p><br /> Note: this is a well used copy but in good condition. Rare. <br /> <p><br /> Hills 349; Not in Darlow and Moule<br /> <p>. Cramer and Spear unknown
184233603Cambridge: printed for the British anf Foreign Bible Society 1842. 1 vols. Small 8vo 2 1/4" x 3 3/4" x 5/8". Brown cloth blind-stamped panel binding gilt lettered spine a.e.g. Owners' inscriptions. Some minor rubbing to extremities else fine. 1 vols. Small 8vo 2 1/4" x 3 3/4" x 5/8". <br/><br/> printed for the British anf Foreign Bible Society hardcover
1803373879Boston: Printed by Manning & Loring for Thomas & Andrews and Manning & Loring 1803. 333 1; 287 1pp. Titles within ornamental border. 8vo. Contemporary calf covers with gilt roll tool border flat spine gilt in six compartments marbled endpapers gilt roll tool along the turn-ins minor wear and rubbing. Minor browning staining and offsetting. Bookbinder's ticket on front pastedown T. H. Burnton Exeter NH. 333 1; 287 1pp. Titles within ornamental border. 8vo. A lovely early American binding by T. H. Burnton in which the ornamental border of the title is likely used as inspiration for the tooling on the covers. According to Papantonio and Spawn & Kinsella the binder T.H. Burnton was active in New York from 1800-6 and later removed to Providence RI; neither note a sojourn in Exeter NH. Shaw 3814. On Burnton see Papantonio 40 and Spawn & Kinsella 316 Printed by Manning & Loring, for Thomas & Andrews, and Manning & Loring unknown
185039772London: Eyre and Spottiswoode 1850. 2 vols. Thick 12mo 4-1/2 x 2-3/4 inches. Bound in full crimson red contemporary morocco heavily gilt all edges gilt. Fine in original full pebbled crimson morocco box. 2 vols. Thick 12mo 4-1/2 x 2-3/4 inches. The Book of Common Prayer is inscribed "Frances Mary Henrietta Hawkesworth from her affectionate Godfather Rich. S. Hawkesworth 27th August" 18 The year has been effaced. A beautiful set. Eyre and Spottiswoode unknown
184233602Oxford: Oxford University Press 1842. 1 vols. Small 8vo 2 1/4" x 3 5/8" x 5/8". Full black pebbled morocco gilt lettered spine a.e.g. Signatures. Light rubbing to joints else fine. 1 vols. Small 8vo 2 1/4" x 3 5/8" x 5/8". <br/><br/> Oxford University Press unknown
186530602Dublin: James Duffy & Co 1865. Later edition. Hardcover. g to g. Large quarto. 2 764 222pp. Finely gold-stamped and gold-tooled contemporary black leather. All gilt edges. Striking fore edge painting of landscape with antique church complex. Silk-moire endpapers. Handwritten family registry in front. Frontispiece of Old Testament reproduction of a painting in monochrome by W. & A. K. Johnston. Frontispiece engraving in New Testament. "This New Edition of the English Version of the Bible printed with our permission by James Duffy.carefully collated by our direction with the Clementine Vulgate; likewise with the Douay Version of the Old Testament of 1609 and with the Rhemisch Version of the New Testament of 1582 and with other approved English Versions." Illustrated with 12 full-page monochrome plates in sepia-tone 2 full-page engravings as well as many b/w in-text illustrations. Some age wear and staining on binding. Wear along front joints and corners. Gutters at front and rear endpapers reinforced with fine red cloth band. Inscription on blank leaf following front endpaper: "Gift from Stephanie to Tom on the eve of their marriage October 3rd 1983." Sporadic foxing throughout. Overall good condition. James Duffy & Co hardcover
180513759London: C. Clarke 1805. Nouvelle Edition réimprimée après celle de Didot. With 12 full-page engraved plates. 255 3; vi 246 1 pp. 2 vols. 8vo. Full contemporary English straight-grain red morocco gilt classical border of Greek key and acanthus design on upper and lower covers panelled spine gilt with similar motifs a.e.g. hinges and extremities slightly rubbed occasional foxing but overall fine and attractive. From the library of Marshall Field with his engraved armorial bookplate on each pastedown. Nouvelle Edition réimprimée après celle de Didot. With 12 full-page engraved plates. 255 3; vi 246 1 pp. 2 vols. 8vo. C. Clarke unknown
1830257842Thame Oxfordshire 1830. 50 pp of manuscript hymns responses and chants with four-part vocals and organ accompaniment. Oblong 4to. Bound in full black morocco covers blind-stamped and tooled in gold to a panel design with wide rolls stamped with the initials "S.E.W." on the front cover and "W" with a crown on the rear cover. 50 pp of manuscript hymns responses and chants with four-part vocals and organ accompaniment. Oblong 4to. A musical notebook beautifully bound in the Regency style belonging to Sophia Elizabeth Wykehanm 1st Baroness Wenman of Thame Park 1790-1870. She was an early love interest of the future King WIlliam IV - when he later ascended the throne he revived the title of Baroness Wenman. Provenance: Sophia Elizabeth Wykehanm 1st Baroness Wenman of Thame Park her monogram in gilt on the binding unknown
1833238562London: Geo: Lawford Saville Passage. Printed by J. Johnson 1833. Third edition. Engraved frontispiece 183 wood-engraved vignettes and 100 wood-engraved initials after Northcote and William Harvey. 1 vols. Lg 8vo 10 1/8 x 6 1/2". Contemporary full brown morocco with elaborate giit-decorated covers incorporating gilt urns fans and clover leaves richly gilt spines with raised bands and black and red leather labels a.e.g. each volume stamp-signed on the front pastedown "Bound by J. Mackenzie Binder to the King. Third edition" Engraved frontispiece 183 wood-engraved vignettes and 100 wood-engraved initials after Northcote and William Harvey. 1 vols. Lg 8vo 10 1/8 x 6 1/2". Splendid set of Northcote in bindings by this London craftsman cf. Spawn & Kinsella TICKETED BOOKBINDERS FROM NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITAIN #s 485 & 486 who was active from 1803 -1833. Ray 55 Geo: Lawford, Saville Passage. Printed by J. Johnson unknown
1825ST20491London: R. Ackermann 1825. FIRST EDITION. 236 x 144 mm. 9 1/4 x 5 3/4". vii 1 84 pp. <br/> STRIKING DARK GREEN MOROCCO VERY ELABORATELY GILT BY CUNEO stamp-signed on lower front turn-in for Mildred B. Davey named stamped on upper front turn-in covers with geometric Art Deco frame smooth spine in compartments with triangle ornaments gilt lettering git-ruled turn-ins marbled endpapers. Housed in matching green morocco-backed clamshell box lined with fleece. Engraved map and 24 FINE DELICATELY HAND-COLORED PLATES inlaid on heavy stock as issued; original tissue guards. Verso of front free endpaper with engraved bookplate of Mildred Davey and red morocco ex-libris of Paul Edward Chevalier; front flyleaf with 19th century ink owner inscription of William Mitchell. A Large Paper Copy. Abbey Travel 210; Tooley 245; S. T. Prideaux "Aquatint Engraving: A Chapter in the History of Book Illustration" p. 229. See Peter Thorold "The British in France: Visitors and Residents since the Revolution" p. 64. A very small ink spot just intruding on very bottom edge of a handful of leaves a few vague spots of foxing to map isolated faint offsetting from illustrations but A VERY FINE COPY in all other ways--the text clean fresh and bright the plates immaculate the margins spacious the binding lustrous and sparkling.<br/> <br/> This is a lovely copy of a work with plates Prideaux considers "among the most beautiful to be found in aquatint engraving" and it comes in a handsome binding commissioned by Mildred Benson Davey and later owned by Paul Chevalier. Issued by a publisher known for his lavishly illustrated travelogues the volume takes us on a journey through the scenic French Pyrenees escorted by Englishman Joseph Hardy who adds his insights on the local population and government gives recommendations on the best mineral baths and describes in word and image the breathtaking scenery. The views are small measuring approximately 90 x 70 mm. but as Abbey notes "part of their charm is certainly in their small size." Sarah Prideaux praised their composition: "The ground is exceedingly fine and there is no line whatever. The colouring is most delicate and all the twenty-four illustrations are exquisite." We can only be impressed by the achievement of the colorist; the detail is cleanly executed the colors are luminescent and the images do not disappoint even under magnification. Thorold notes that this work was "a great success" and was later translated into French. Our copy was bound in a bold modern design at the Chicago workshop founded by in 1926 by John Cuneo 1884-1977. Cuneo hired fine British craftsmen like the Englishman Leonard Mounteney to create bibliophile-quality bindings for American collectors. After apprenticing at the bindery of G. & J. Abbott in Nottingham and studying ornamental design at the Battersea Polytechnic Mounteney worked as an exhibition finisher for Riviere before emigrating to Chicago where he initially worked with Alfred de Sauty at the R. R. Donnelley bindery before joining Cuneo's hand bindery. The present binding was a commission for Mildred Benson Davey 1890-1953 daughter of the founder of Benson & Rixon men’s clothiers. Cuneo also bound books for Chicago retail magnate Marshall Fields. Later our binding was appreciated by distinguished connoisseur Paul Chevalier whose library of beautiful volumes was uniformly characterized by outstanding workmanship and superb condition. The sale of his books in 1990 represented one of the best collections of 20th century bindings brought to auction in the past half century. Laid in is Christie's slip from Chevalier's 9 November sale where this appeared as lot 23 selling for $935. R. Ackermann unknown
1819ST15731bLondon: Printed for F. C. and J. Rivington and others 1819. 216 x 136 mm. 8 1/2 x 5 3/8". viii 9-223 1 pp.Translated from the Greek by William Smith. <br/> Attractive contemporary oxblood calf decorated in gilt and blind covers with a wide gilt palmette frame enclosing an intricately blind-stamped panel with additional gilt decoration raised bands spine heavily gilt in compartments black morocco label gilt turn-ins marbled endpapers and edges. Front free endpaper inscribed in ink: "Miss Filliter obtained this Book as a Prize by her uniform attention to the Study of Latin during the Half-year. / June 1828." Lower corners lightly bumped a little rubbing at extremities flyleaves faintly browned occasional trivial internal imperfections but still quite a fine copy the contents extremely clean and unusually bright and in a well-preserved binding with a great deal of aesthetic appeal.<br/> <br/> In a handsomely decorated binding this is an excellent translation of one of the most important treatises of literary criticism to come out of the ancient world. First published in 1737 our translation established the reputation of William Smith 1711-87 as a "talented classical scholar." DNB A later William Smith the lexicographer said of "On the Sublime" "there is scarcely any work in the range of ancient literature which independent of its excellence of style contains so many exquisite remarks upon oratory poetry and good taste in general." Although generally attributed to the third century Greek philosopher and critic Longinus the work probably preceded him. After unsuccessful attempts to determine if Dionysius of Halicarnassus Cassius Longinus Plutarch or another was the author scholars arrived at the solution of calling the creator "Pseudo-Longinus." Our pretty though unsigned binding combines gilt and blind decoration in a particularly pleasant way. Volumes of classics in ornamental bindings were popular school prizes in the 19th century but ours is distinguished by being presented to a young lady who excelled in Latin at a time when most women received little formal education and 40 percent of the women in England were illiterate. The condition here suggests Miss Filliter and her successors treasured and cared for the present volume. Printed for F. C. and J. Rivington (and others) unknown
1808ST15731cLondon: J. Johnson 1808. New Edition. 220 x 135 mm. 8 5/8 x 5 3/8". Two volumes. <br/> VERY PRETTY CONTEMPORARY SCARLET STRAIGHT-GRAIN MOROCCO covers with gilt-ruled frame decorated with multiple overlapping gilt door handle tools and floral cornerpieces central panel with gilt-ruled lozenge enclosed by gilt rules and blind floral rolls raised bands compartments gilt wide turn-ins ruled in gilt and with repeating flower motif in blind and small gilt circles in the centers green inlaid cornerpieces with gilt tooling blue watered silk endpapers all edges gilt. With eight plates after Henry Fuseli including frontispiece to each volume. Verso of front free endpaper with armorial bookplate of Lewis Way. ◆Spines a little sunned corners a bit worn and tending to turn inward light scuffing to extremities plates lightly foxed but the text extremely clean and the pleasing bindings with minor issues only.<br/> <br/> This is an attractively illustrated and handsomely bound edition of the finely crafted poetry of William Cowper 1731-1800 the most notable English poet before the Romantics in terms of a tendency to be confessional in one's verse. Given the fact that he was institutionalized and that he several times attempted suicide these self-revelatory poems can easily be seen as a kind of therapeutic experience and it is testimony to the complexity of his personality that so much of Cowper's verse is light conversational and epigrammatic. His poems range widely from religious reflections to translations of Homer to poetry inspired by a lady's suggestion that he could write on any topic including a sofa see vol. II p. 1. The plates here were designed by Henry Fuseli 1741-1825 a Swiss-born painter who lived mainly in England. He was best known for his paintings exploring the supernatural as well as his influence on the young William Blake. DNB calls him "A superb and intensely dramatic draughtsman . . . notorious for his sensational demonic irrational and bizarre subjects" leading "the surrealists to claim him as a forerunner." Though unsigned the bindings here are extremely attractive with tasteful gilding and luxurious touches such as wide decorative turn-ins and watered silk endleaves. This copy was previously owned by Lewis Way an Evangelical reverend who made it his mission to promote Christianity among the Jews. It was his particular belief that returning Jews to the Holy Land would fulfill a biblical prophecy and to this end he secured several audiences with Tsar Alexander I in the attempt to persuade him to the cause. His home at Stansted Park reportedly contained a library that included rare Judaica and Hebraica. J. Johnson unknown
1820ST15600London: Printed by George Eyre and Andrew Strahan 1820. 142 x 80 mm. 5 5/8 x 3 1/8". 510 pp.; 80 2 pp. <br/> VERY FINE CONTEMPORARY STRAIGHT-GRAIN PURPLE MOROCCO ELABORATELY GILT covers with frame of gilt rules and anthemion-and-flower roll central panel with arabesque corners central sunburst medallion containing the Tetragrammaton within a triangle from which the dove of the Holy Spirit descends raised bands spine panels gilt in a floral and arabesque design gilt titling turn-ins with zig-zag gilt roll orange endpapers all edges gilt. Front pastedown with large morocco bookplate of Louisa Smyth dated 25th Dec. 1821 and signed with the initials E. P. Front flyleaf inscribed: "Harriet E. Thorpe / From her affectionate / Brother-- / As a remembrance of / her dear Aunt L. Dickens. / Nov. 1841." Griffiths p. 246. ◆A breath of rubbing to corners but A BEAUTIFUL COPY with no signs of use--clean fresh and bright internally and in a sparkling ORNATE binding.<br/> <br/> Bound in somber purple but with religious imagery in bright gilt this pretty little prayer book is very typical of an era in which such luxurious volumes were popular gifts among the moneyed classes as was the case here. Miss Louisa Smyth must have treasured this Christmas gift from "E. P." as its condition clearly indicates it was seldom if ever used for daily devotions. It likely served as a perfect accessory for Louisa's Sunday finery and perhaps she carried it at her 1831 wedding to Lt. Col. Thomas Mark Dickens of the Royal Engineers. After Louisa's 1841 death the book passed to Harriet E. Thorpe wife of Louisa's nephew Rev. William Smyth Thorpe. Both families are well documented in the county of Norfolk where their eminent lineage goes back generations. Whoever inherited our prayer book from Harriet continued to care for it assiduously as it appears little changed from the days when Louisa first held it in her hands. Printed by George Eyre and Andrew Strahan unknown
1890ST16866bCambridge: Printed by C. J. Clay & Sons at the University Press ca. 1890. 203 x 133 mm. 8 x 5 3/8". 998 pp. <br/> MOST ATTRACTIVE HAZEL BROWN CRUSHED MOROCCO GILT BY STOAKLEY LATE HAWES stamp-signed on verso of front free endpaper covers framed by gilt rules and guilloche tooling central panel with delicately tooled cornerpieces featuring grapevines on a stippled background raised bands spine compartments densely gilt with grapevine motif turn-ins with richly gilt frame leather hinges all edges gilt gutter at front flyleaf expertly reinforced with tissue. With presentation inscription on front flyleaf: "Herbert Gardner Travers / from his Godmother / A. S. Burn / August 1891"; below this the ink-inscribed record of the recipient's marriage and the births of his children. Spine gently and uniformly sunned a shade lighter two hardly noticeable small abrasions to rear cover offsetting from turn-ins to free endpapers as almost always but still a fine copy in a remarkably handsome binding with few signs of use.<br/> <br/> The appealing binding on this treasured family Bible was created in Cambridge by Vere Stoakley who took over the workshop of J. Hawes on that craftsman's death in the late 1880s; he signed his work "Stoakley Late Hawes" to acknowledge this connection. The firm specialized in academic bindings to supply scholars from the university and continued in business until the 1920s. The present binding clearly is much more elaborate and beautiful than a simple scholar's binding and this is because it was a special gift presented to a beloved godson probably for his christening. Recipient Herbert Gardner Travers 1891-1958 grew up to be a decorated World War I flying ace who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his five aerial victories. After the Great War he worked in the airplane industry as a test pilot and flying instructor then became a commercial pilot in 1935. He returned to the Royal Air Force at the outset of World War II and was an acting squadron leader. As recorded on the flyleaf of his Bible he married Hermia Edith Margaretta Fraser in August 1919 and over the next 12 years they welcomed children Daphne 1920 Eva 1921 Elizabeth 1924 Christina 1926 and Edward 1931. Printed by C. J. Clay & Sons at the University Press unknown