London: Thomas Boys, 1819 ....... with Elevations, Sections, and Plans of the most improved sorts of apparatus now employed at the Gas Works in London and the principal towns of Great Britain; Accompanied with comparative estimates, exhibiting the most economical mode of procuring this species of light. [334pps] [xvi] [2]pp. adverts. 7 hand coloured plates, including hand coloured vignette on title page. Marbled boards, with slight rubbing to front and corners, red leather spine very fine with raised bands and gilt title, marbled endpapers. Binding is tight and interior is very clean with no foxing. Colours to plates are bright, fresh and clean. Plate I is the title page, Plate II (frontispiece opposite title page) being a large foldout has two small tears repaired with tape, Plates III-VII are small foldouts bound at rear, Plate VIII also bound at rear being a large foldout has one small tear repaired with tape. Friedrich Accum (1769-1838) was sponsored by his friend Rudolph Ackermann, the publisher of illustrated books, which may account for the superior quality of the coloured plates. Ackermann, in turn was almost the first in London to use gas lighting in his business premises. The great success of gas lighting in Britain and the technological advancements in its manufacture and application necessitated the above work, which the author believed superseded his "Practical Treatise on Gas-Light". Although German-born Accum was a prominent industrial chemist, he was forced to leave England in 1822 following charges of tearing pages from books in the Royal Institution Library.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/No Jacket. Illus. by Rudolph Ackermann. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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London: Chatto and Windus, 2005 [372pps] Unclipped. Colour plates, b/w illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. Far more than a horse portraitist, George Stubbs was a painter and a printmaker of the highest importance on a par with his great contemporaries Hogarth, Reynolds and Gainsborough. An artist-scientist who emulated Leonardo da Vinci, Stubbs tirelessly explored the natural world, and new ways of representing it. Born the son of a Liverpool tradesman, Stubbs was self-taught and at first struggled in obscurity as a northern provincial painter. Robin Blake's book uncovers Stubbs's origins and some of the secrets of his youth: sympathy with the Jacobite rebels and Catholicism; and a previously undocumented wife and family in York. A 'niece', Mary, became his mistress and lifelong companion, working alongside him as he dissected the carcasses of horses. In 1766 he published these investigations as 'The Anatomy of the Horse', which was his breakthrough, leading to commissions from the most powerful men in Georgian Britain. . First Edition/First Printing. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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Sydney: Knopf, 2004 [552pps] Colour and b/w plates, endnotes, bibliography, index. In this fascinating study of Sunday Reed, the wealthy patron of artists such as Hester, Tucker and especially Sydney Nolan, with whom she had a passionate affair, the author shows that in the creation of her home, 'Heide', Sunday and her husband John provided a space within which these artists were inspired and allowed to flourish. The author also charts the rise of Australian Modernism in Melbourne, including the Angry Penguins and the provenance of Nolan's Kelly series, in which Reed was said to have had a hand.. First Edition/First Printing. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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California: New World Library, 2002 [238pps] In 'Flight of the Wild Gander', renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell --- in his first collection of essays written between 1944 and 1968 --- explores the individual and geographical origins of myth, outlining the full range of mythology from Grimm's fairy tales to American Indian legends. Originally published in 1969, this collection describes the symbolic content of stories : how they are linked to human experience and how they --- along with our experiences --- have changed over time. Throughout, Campbell explores the function of mythology in everyday life and the forms it may take in the future. Included are some of Campbell's first groundbreaking essays : "Bios and Mythos" and "Primitive Man as Metaphysician", both of which examine the biological basis and necessity for story and mythology, and establishing mythology as a basic function or fact of nature. Campbell's essay "Mythogenesis" turns from the natural and biological to the cultural and historical --- the rise, flowering, and decline of a particular myth, a single American Indian legend. Campbell explores how the myth was born as well as the personal experiences of the visionary medicine man through whose memory the myth was preserved. . First Thus/First Printing. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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California: New World Library, 2002 [148pps] Originally published in 1986, 'The Inner Reaches of Outer Space' was the last book Joseph Campbell completed before his death. Campbell developed the book from a series of lectures he delivered in San Fransisco. Campbell explores the Space Age, and posits that the newly discovered laws of outer space are within us as well, and that a new mythology is implicit in that realization. But what is this new mythology? Campbell explores these questions in the concluding essay, "The Way of Art", where he demonstrates that metaphor is the language of art and argues that within the psyches of today's artists are the seeds of tomorrow's mythologies. Also included in this wide-ranging collection are Campbell's thoughts on mythology as a function of biology in "Myth and the Body" and his series of essays, "Metaphor as Myth and as Religion", where he presented for the first time a fundamental summary of his pioneering work in mythology and comparative religion.. First Thus/First Printing. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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London: John Murray, 2005 [250pps] Unclipped. For over half a century the Bond novels have entertained millions around the world. But no book has used the Fleming archive to explore the three-dimensional world of this quintessential secret agent, revealing what inspired it, and who inspired him. Complete, authoritative and entertaining, it will take you on a journey through myth and reality, from Moscow to Mayfair, the bedroom to the war-room, the casino to the villain's lair. Sources include the 007 novels and stories as well as Fleming's non-fiction writing, rare research notes, letters annotated manuscripts and ephemera, from his files. The illustration include facsimiles f many of the artefacts, together with contemporary images that bring new understanding to the classic texts.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. (more information)

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New York: Grove Press, 2005 [256pps] NEW UNREAD. Soft Cover. Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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London: Weidenfield & Nicolson, 2002 [348pps] B/W illustrations and colour plates,notes, bibliography, index. Mercator solved the dimensional riddle that had vexed cosmographers for so long: how could the three-dimensional globe be converted into a two-dimensional map while retaining true compass bearings.. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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London: The Boydell Press, 2002 [275pps] "The Anglo-Saxon World" introduces the Anglo-Saxons in their own words -- their chronicles, laws and letters, charters and charms, and above all their magnificent poems. Most of the greatest surviving poems are printed here in their entirety: the reader will find the whole of Beowulf, The Battle of Maldon,and the haunting elegiac poems. Here is a word picture of a people who came to these islands as pagans, subscribing to the Germanic heroic code, and yet within two hundred years had become Christian to such effect that England was the centre of missionary endeavour and, for a time, the heart of European civilization. The poems and prose are placed in context through the authors skilful interpretationof the Anglo-Saxon world: his translations have been widely acclaimed. The many illustrations draw on the splendours of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and jewelry and a wealth of archaeological finds.. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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London: Harper Collins, 1993 [351pps] Unclipped. First UK edition. The authors second book .. Signed by Author. First Edition/First Printing. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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London: Harper Collins, 2002 [580pps] Unclipped. First UK dition. Decorated endpapers, colour and b/w illustrations, glossary, notes, bibliography, index.. Signed by Author. First Edition/First Printing. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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London: Harper Perennial, 2007 [314pps] Maps, b/w photos, bibliography, index. On 7 November 1938 a young Jew, enraged by his family's expulsion from Germany, walked into the German Embassy in Paris and fired five shots at a junior diplomat. Three days later the diplomat was dead and Germany in the grip of carefully orchestrated anti-Jewish violence. Within hours an orgy of destruction broke out in cities, towns and villages throughout the Third Reich. Kristallnacht --- the night of broken glass --- saw the destruction in a single night of more than a thousand synagogues, the ransacking of tens of thousands of Jewish shops and homes, and more than 30,000 Jewish men rounded up and taken to concentration camps, a sinister forewarning of the Holocaust to follow. . Soft Cover. New. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. (more information)

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Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2002 [220pps] AS NEW b/w photographs. A book of recollections of Percy Grainger (1882-1961), Australian born pianist and composer. Contributors include, Edvard Grieg, Benjamin Britten, various members of Grainger's family and performing musicians with whom he played. Grainger was a colourful and distinctive figure in twentieth-century music. Best known as the composer of ' Country Gardens' and the arranger of the "Danny Boy" tune (the "Londonderry Air"), he was a renowned pianist as well, famous for his interpretations of the Grieg concerto. In addition he led an astonishing private life, which is reflected in these reminiscences: his close bond with his mother led to a tortured sexuality, and his views on nationalism, ethnicity, and racial characteristics in music were a strange mix of liberal and parochial thinking.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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Canberra: National Library of Australia Vol 1[lviii,485pps] Vol 2 [xxxviii, 709pps] Vol 3 [xxii, 709pps] Vol 4 [xxii, 711pps] 2001-2006. Donald Friend presented 44 of his diaries to the National Library of Australia between 1983-1989, with further material acquired after his death. It was his wish that the diaries be published by the Library and, with Volume 4 published in 2006, a project commenced in 2001 is now complete. The diaries are not only a record of Friend's life and opinions but also contain letters, semi-fictional episodes and recollections and they are enhanced by scores of drawings depicting his experiences and impressions. . Hard Cover. New/New. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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Woodbridge: Antique collectors' Club, 1990 [342pps] Vol I [373pps] Vol II. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. (more information)

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Oxon: Routledge, 2005 "Greek World" [285pps] Preface, glossary, chronology, list of rulers, maps. cross-referenced with a select bibliography. "Roman World" [367pps] Preface, acknowledgements, note on Roman names, glossary, chronological table of Roman history, list of Roman emperors, maps, cross-referenced. Minimal wear to slipcase.. Reprint. Hard Cover in Slip Case. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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Boston: Shambhala Classics, 2000 [119ppps] AS NEW UNREAD. Translated by Sherab Chodzin Kohn. With an introduction by Paul W. Morris. This classic of twentieth-century literature chronicles the spiritual evolution of a man living in India at the time of the Buddha --- a spiritual journey that has inspired generations of readers. Here is s fresh translation from Sherab Chodzin Kohn, a gifted translator and longtime student of Buddhism and Eastern philosophy. Kohn's flowing, poetic translation conveys the philosophical and spiritual nuances of Hesse's text, paying special attention to the qualities of meditative experience. This edition also includes an introduction exploring Hesse's own spiritual journey as evidenced in his journals and personal letters. . Soft Cover. Fine. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. (more information)

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London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1994 [xx, 492pps] Unclipped, b/w plates, maps and drawings, appendix, source references, index. James Cook was the last and greatest of the romantic navigators. In his relatively short and adventurous life (1728-79) he voyaged to the eastern and western seaboards of North America, the North and South Pacific, and the Antarctic and Arctic bringing about a new comprehension of the world's geography and its peoples.. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003 [Vol 1, xlii, 714pps] [Vol 2, xlii, 717-1191pps] Colour plates, b/w illustrations, list of tables, references, index. Textiles have been essential to the everyday lives of all societies. Besides helping to provide protection and warmth, they have fulfilled social, cultural, military legal and symbolic functions, and have been an essential part of the economic activity of societies from ancient times. The Cambridge History of Western Textiles brings together and extends current knowledge on the production and uses of textiles, through the eyes of archaeologists, economic and social historians, historians of fashion and the history of dress, and museum curators familiar with surviving artefacts. The history of all the major textile industries, including wool, linen, silk, cotton and artificial fibres is explored. Processes and technical terms are explained carefully, while the role and impact of textiles in western economies and societies are examined through the expertise of historians with a very wide range of knowledge. In sum, the book offers an authoritative account of three thousand years of the production and consumption of textiles in the western world.. First Edition. Hard Cover in Slip Case. Fine/Fine. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. (more information)

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Boston: Bulfinch Press, 1999 [352pps]. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. (more information)

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London: Chatto and Windus, 1997 [546pps] Unclipped. With a preface and edited by Peter Conradi, foreword by George Steiner. . First Edition/First Printing. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2004 [268pps] NEW UNREAD. . Soft Cover. Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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Oxford: David Fickling Books, 2003 [48pps] Engravings by John Lawrence. MINT.. First Edition/First Printing. Hard Cover. Fine/No Jacket/As Issued. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. (more information)

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London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Limited [129pps] C 1920. With an introduction by Henry Newbolt, M.A. and illustrations by Frank Brangwyn, A.R.A. Rebound in blue half leather with five raised bands,marbled papers, gold gilt titles. Six colour plates with tissue guards, with numerous b/w woodcuts.. Half-Leather. Near Fine. Illus. by Frank Brangwyn . 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2001 [392pps] Explores the work of the great modern architect, Mies van der Rohe, which he undertook in Berlin. It looks at his best-known projects and "work he excised from the record", offering new perspectives on his work as a whole. With 595 illustrations, 105 in colour.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. (more information)

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Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1996 [367pps] Robin Boyd was perhaps the most influential architect in Australia in the post-war era. He left a lasting legacy, both in his innovative designs for domestic buildings, and in his controversial writing and criticism. Boyd was the leading Australian proponent of the International Movement in architecture. In "Australia's Home"(1952), he offered the first substantial interpretation of Australia's architectural history. In "The Australian Ugliness"(1960) he scourged prevailing Australian tastes in both architecture and popular culture. In his lively newspaper articles he deplored the growing "Americanization"of Australian life, and pleaded for the recognition of neglected Australian talent.. Soft Cover. New/New. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. (more information)

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London: The Folio Society, 2004 [93pps] Edited with an introduction by Douglas Cleverdon. Lithographs by Ceri Richards.. Hard Cover in Slip Case. Fine/No Jacket/As Issued. Illus. by Ceri Richards. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. (more information)

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Munich: Praetor and Rindlisbacher Verlagsgesellschaft Mbh, 1994 Only 2000 copies printed, this copy numbered 0295 and signed by the photographer in slip case [207pps] Text in German. Stunning photographs of classic Mercedes.. Signed by Photographer. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. (more information)

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Paris: H. Piazza, 1928 [100pps] 22 poems by Paul Verlaine illustrated with 20 pochoir colour plates with tissue guards and title page by George Barbier. Inner hinge cracked, bound in rubbed quarter leather with marbled boards, previous owners bookplate. This edition no X1 of a total number of (CLXXV) 175 copies reserved for America. . First Edition. Very Good. Illus. by George Barbier. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. (more information)

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Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003 [442pps] Unclipped, b/w & colour illustrations, notes, index. From the entry of Shakespeare's birth in the Stratford church register to a Norwegian production of Macbeth in which the hero was represented by a tomato, this enthralling and splendidly illustrated book tells the story of Shakespeare's life, his writings and his afterlife. Drawing on a lifetime's experience of studying, teaching, editing and writing about Shakespeare, Stanley Wells combines scholarly authority with authorial flair in a book that will appeal equally to the specialist and the untutored enthusiast. Chapters on Shakespeare's life in Stratford and in London offer a fresh view of the development f the writer's career and personality. At the core of the book lies a magisterial study of the writings themselves --- how Shakespeare set about writing a play, his relationships with the company of actors with whom he worked, his developing mastery of the literary and rhetorical skills that he learned at the Stratford grammar school, the essentially theatrical quality of the structure and language of his plays. Subsequent chapters trace the fluctuating fortunes of his reputation and influence. Here are accounts of adaptations, productions an individual performances in England and increasingly overseas; of great occasions such as the Garrick Jubilee and the tercentenary celebrations of 1864; of the spread of Shakespeare's reputation in France and Germany, Russia and America, and, more recently, the Far East; of Shakespearian discoveries and forgeries; of critical reactions, favorable and otherwise, and of scholarly activity; of paintings, music, films and other works of art inspired by the plays; of the play's use in education and the political arena, and of the pleasure and intellectual stimulus that they have given to an increasingly international public. Shakespeare, said Ben Johnson, was not of an age but for all time. This is a book about him for our time.. First Edition/First Printing. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. (more information)

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