THE NOVELS by FIELDING. HENRY

Alexander Moring, Limited. The De La More Press. London. ND. 1913. NEW EDITION. Two Volumes. 8vo. (8.7 x 6 inches). Illustrated with 2 half tone frontispieces, 98 full page mono plates plus 138 smaller vignettes and grotesque heads throughout the text. Neat previous owners bookplate on the front blank endpapers and neat presentation inscription on blank leaf opposite. A fine set in highly attractive mid twentieth century leather bindings by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. Finely bound in half dark blue morocco. Spines with raised bands, decorated with gilt piping. Compartments ruled, decorated and lettered in gilt. Blue cloth on boards. Top edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. A fine set of this wonderfully illustrated edition. The books are undated but Geofrey Beare's bibliography of W. Heath Robinson dates this edition to 1913 and is a smaller version of the magnificent large format 1904 Grant Richards edition. (Beare #35c).

Ernest Nister. London. Printed in Nuremberg. ND. 1888. FIRST, AND ONLY, PRINTING OF THIS EDITION. Folio. (15 x 11.7 inches). Illustrated with six stunning full colour chromolithographic plates and twenty-seven sepia vignettes throughout the text. The artist is Julius Höppner, a master of fairy and fantasy illustration. Original white cloth with elaborate full gilt decoration to spine and front board, which also has a sunken panel, with a bevelled gilt tooled edge, where a full colour illustration is placed. Silk patterned paper endpapers. All edges gilt. Binding a bit loose. The board edges are rubbed and marked & there is some minor foxing to most pages but overall this is a near to very good copy of a truly beautiful book.

John Murray. London/Studley Press. Ewell, Surrey. 1952. RARE UNRECORDED EDITION. 8vo.(7.5 x 5.2 inches). The sheets of a reprint John Murray edition, apparently bought by the Studley Press and issued in their own delux leather binding of full dark brown morocco. Spine ruled, decorated and lettered in gilt. Three gilt bordered compartments with illustrations of a Pipe, Deerstalker hat & Violin in each. The Studley Press wreath and name is stamped in gilt to the bottom of the spine. Decorative grape and leaf border within double gilt ruled border on boards. Gilt stamped facsimile of the author's signature in the middle. Top edge gilt. Printed endpapers with the Studley Press wreath and wording "Made in England by Studley Press, Ewell: Surrey". A fine, bright copy.  -----  This Studley Press edition is not recorded in De Waal or Green and Gibson. A rare variant in a highly decorative binding and in fine condition.

Cassell. London. 1961. FIRST SEPARATE EDITION. 8vo. (8.8 x 5.8 inches). Illustrated with 6 maps & 31 fascinating mono photographs taken during the war. Fine copy in recent fine leather binding of full red morocco, spine with five raised bands, gilt. Single gilt ruled border to boards. Top edge gilt. --- Originally published as a part of Churchill's great four volume work; A History of the English speaking peoples - Vol.4. The great democracies, in 1958. This is the first printing of this history in its own right. Woods A138(b).

Heinemann. London. 1908. FIRST RACKHAM EDITION. 4to. (10.1 x 7.7 inches). Colour frontis and thirty nine tipped-in colour plates, each with a printed tissue paper guard, and 30 fine line drawings by Rackham throughout the text, some full page. Finely bound in recent full tan morocco. Spine with raised bands, the compartments ruled, decorated and lettered in gilt. Red title label, gilt. Some light foxing throughout but still a very good copy of this beautiful book in an attractive leather binding. Rackham at his very best.

Alfred A. Knopf. New York.,1992-98. FIRST EDITIONS. 1st impressions. Three Volumes. 8vo. (8.6 x 6.1 inches). Fine, bright copies in the publishers fine original dustwrappers, designed by Chip Kidd. A fine set of true first editons of this hugely popular trilogy. There is some confusion about a probable trial issue dustwrapper for the first title, with no advance praise notices on the lower panel and lacking the blue capital letter 'A' at the start of the blurb inside the front flap. This wrapper was not officially issued with the published book. The first edition wrapper, as issued on day of publication, has the price of $21.00 on the inner front flap and the number code '5/92' at the bottom of the inner rear flap. The wrapper on All the Pretty horses in this set has both of these points.

Au Bureau de l'Ami des Enfans, Rue de l'Universite, au coin de celle du Ba, No.28. d'adresse a M. Le Prince, Directeur. 1784. FIRST FRENCH EDITION. 6mo. (5.1 x 3.5 inches). 3 parts in one volume. 184,108,116pp. Finely bound in recent full dark green panelled calf. Spine with raised bands. Compartments ruled and lettered in gilt. A very good copy. Published 2 years after the English edition.

Jonathan Cape. London. 1935. FIRST TRADE EDITION. 4to. Illustrated throughout with portraits, maps, plans and line drawings. Finely bound in recent full tan morocco, raised bands, gilt. Twin red labels, gilt. Single gilt decorative roll border on boards. Top edge gilt. A few light finger marks but overall a very good, bright copy.

Macmillan and Co. Ltd. London. 1911. Reprint of the 1899 Golden Treasury edition. Small 8vo. (6.1 x 4.1 inches). Finely bound, by Riviere and Son, in beautiful early full dark green morocco, extra gilt. The spine with raised bands, dotted in gilt. Compartments ruled, decorated and lettered in gilt, including floral centre pieces. Elaborate floral centre design to boards with gilt tooling over beige leather onlays. Inner Dentelles with ruled and dotted border lines and decorated flowers in the corners, all in gilt surrounding green Moire silk centre pieces. Silk endpapers. All edges gilt. A couple of small dents to the spine and corners. Some creasing to the very edges of one of the blank paper endpapers but otherwise the pages are clean and bright throughout and this is a beautiful copy.

Macmillan and Co. Limited. London. 1894. The Peoples edition. Twenty-third thousand. 8vo. (7.3 x 4.9 inches). Illustrated with fifty line illustrations by John Tenniel. Some foxing to the plain tissue paper guard over the frontispiece and a few minor spots throughout but overall a very clean and bright copy in a fine late 19th century leather binding. Full red calf, the spine with five raised bands, each with double rope design in gilt. Compartments ruled and fully decorated in gilt. Dark green morocco title label, gilt. Leaf and rose roll gilt borders on boards. Decorative gilt design on board edges. Decorative blind stamped inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers. All edges marbled. Red silk page marker bound in. Grantham School arms stamped on the front board in gilt. Previous owners neat name stamp to top of the first leaf after title page. Aside from a small area of loss to the leather on the front board and another on the lower spine hinge this is a very good copy in a fine quality leather binding.… Read More