Les commentaires de César. by [César, Jules]; [Perrot d'Ablancourt, Nicolas] (trad.) - 1650

First edition of Doves Press's second Catalogue Raisonné.
Description: Linen spine and blue paper-covered boards. Titled on the upper cover THE DOVES PRESS. Octavo: 24 × 17 cm; pp. [1], 12. Printed from 'Doves' type on 'Doves' paper. Paragraph marks, section headings, etc., in red.
Ref.: Cowan 96; Tidcombe 27
Notes: The second Catalogue Raisonné (the first Catalogue Raisonné was published in 1908) includes books published to June 1911 and an introduction and additional comments by T. J. Cobden-Sanderson. 250 copies on paper. The final Catalogue Raisonné (1916) states the number of copies is 350, in error (Tidcombe). Boards showing some soiling and foxing, internally, clean, bright and free of marks. Generally a very good copy.

Limited edition of Maurice de Vlaminck's autobiographical text, this being no. 133, from a total edition of 320.
Description: Publisher's wrappers, titled in black. Quarto: 28.5 × 23 cm; pp. 202, [2]. With initials, ornaments and 6 original lithographs by Vlaminck.
Condition: Binding in very good condition despite some minor creases. Internally quite fresh and clean, some foxing (as usual) to margins and edges. Overall a well-preserved copy.
Notes: Maurice de Vlaminck (1876–1958) was probably as great a writer as he was an artist. In his most important autobiographical work, Tournant Dangereux (Dangerous Corner), he describes his path and his relationship to art in evocative texts based on a car journey. His credo was: "If you are a painter, look only at yourself". What counts for him is reality in its historical moment. For him, painting is the language of feelings. "I struck all the notes and translated all the feelings I could perceive into an orchestration of pure colours. I was a tender… Read More

A print from the great period of the Imprenta Real under Joaquín Ibarra (1725-1785). Second edition, corrected and completed by Francisco de Ajofrín (1719–1789).
Description: Contemp. vellum, spine lettered in ink VEDA Fr. Ge / ronimo / Corleon. Octavo 20 × 14,5 cm; pag.: [1 (frontispiece)], [8]ff., 326pp.
Condition: Boards a little wavy and with some staining, spine title faded. Light spotting to first 8 pages and last 30 pages, otherwise clean and without browning. ¶

First edition of the first published lecture by William Morris. Scarce in this exemplary state.
Description: Sewn as issued in publisher's printed light blue paper wrappers. Duodecimo: 18 × 12 cm; pp. 32.
Condition: Light age toning to edges of covers. Internally clean and free of marks. According to its age a near fine copy.
Notes: In 'The Decorative Arts' Morris first formulated his guiding principle that the decline in the artistic quality of the things around us was the result of the separation of art and craft, and that only a reunion of art and craft could lead to better design. Morris repeated and refined this idea in various lectures he gave between 1877 and 1885. It was also this principle that eventually led to the founding of the Kelmscott Press.

First edition of the famous 4-volume edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses by Pierre-François Basan (1723-1797) and Noël Le Mire (1724-1801), illustrated by Baquoy, Choffard, Duclos, Legrand and many others after Bocuehr, Eisen, Gravelot, Moreau, etc. "It is one of the most brilliantly illustrated of the entire century" (Cohen). Large paper issue.
Description: 4 vols., contemporary marbled calf, sides ruled with triple gilt fillet and decorative gilt roll to board edges. Spine richly gilt in compartments between five raised bands, with two brown morocco labels, lettered gilt. Marbled endpapers. Large square octavo: 25 × 19 cm; pag.: vol.1: [5]ll., pp. xc, [2 (approbation)], 264. vol.2: vii, 352. vol.3: viii, 360. vol.4: viii, 367, 8 (explication). With 140 numbered copper-engraved plates (No. 1 frontispiece, 2-140 with printed captions), 1 final plate (vol.4), 4 title page vignettes, 3 engraved dedication vignettes (vol.1), 30 engraved headpieces. All edges gilt.
Provenance: Bookseller's paper label… Read More

First edition of Doves Press's second Catalogue Raisonné.
Description: Linen spine and blue paper-covered boards. Titled on the upper cover THE DOVES PRESS. Octavo: 24 × 17 cm; pp. [1], 12. Printed from 'Doves' type on 'Doves' paper. Paragraph marks, section headings, etc., in red.
Ref.: Cowan 96; Tidcombe 27
Notes: The second Catalogue Raisonné (the first Catalogue Raisonné was published in 1908) includes books published to June 1911 and an introduction and additional comments by T. J. Cobden-Sanderson. 250 copies on paper. The final Catalogue Raisonné (1916) states the number of copies is 350, in error (Tidcombe). Boards showing some soiling and foxing, internally, clean, bright and free of marks. Generally a very good copy.

Limited edition of Maurice de Vlaminck's autobiographical text, this being no. 133, from a total edition of 320.
Description: Publisher's wrappers, titled in black. Quarto: 28.5 × 23 cm; pp. 202, [2]. With initials, ornaments and 6 original lithographs by Vlaminck.
Condition: Binding in very good condition despite some minor creases. Internally quite fresh and clean, some foxing (as usual) to margins and edges. Overall a well-preserved copy.
Notes: Maurice de Vlaminck (1876–1958) was probably as great a writer as he was an artist. In his most important autobiographical work, Tournant Dangereux (Dangerous Corner), he describes his path and his relationship to art in evocative texts based on a car journey. His credo was: "If you are a painter, look only at yourself". What counts for him is reality in its historical moment. For him, painting is the language of feelings. "I struck all the notes and translated all the feelings I could perceive into an orchestration of pure colours. I was a tender… Read More

A print from the great period of the Imprenta Real under Joaquín Ibarra (1725-1785). Second edition, corrected and completed by Francisco de Ajofrín (1719–1789).
Description: Contemp. vellum, spine lettered in ink VEDA Fr. Ge / ronimo / Corleon. Octavo 20 × 14,5 cm; pag.: [1 (frontispiece)], [8]ff., 326pp.
Condition: Boards a little wavy and with some staining, spine title faded. Light spotting to first 8 pages and last 30 pages, otherwise clean and without browning. ¶

First edition of the first published lecture by William Morris. Scarce in this exemplary state.
Description: Sewn as issued in publisher's printed light blue paper wrappers. Duodecimo: 18 × 12 cm; pp. 32.
Condition: Light age toning to edges of covers. Internally clean and free of marks. According to its age a near fine copy.
Notes: In 'The Decorative Arts' Morris first formulated his guiding principle that the decline in the artistic quality of the things around us was the result of the separation of art and craft, and that only a reunion of art and craft could lead to better design. Morris repeated and refined this idea in various lectures he gave between 1877 and 1885. It was also this principle that eventually led to the founding of the Kelmscott Press.

First edition of the famous 4-volume edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses by Pierre-François Basan (1723-1797) and Noël Le Mire (1724-1801), illustrated by Baquoy, Choffard, Duclos, Legrand and many others after Bocuehr, Eisen, Gravelot, Moreau, etc. "It is one of the most brilliantly illustrated of the entire century" (Cohen). Large paper issue.
Description: 4 vols., contemporary marbled calf, sides ruled with triple gilt fillet and decorative gilt roll to board edges. Spine richly gilt in compartments between five raised bands, with two brown morocco labels, lettered gilt. Marbled endpapers. Large square octavo: 25 × 19 cm; pag.: vol.1: [5]ll., pp. xc, [2 (approbation)], 264. vol.2: vii, 352. vol.3: viii, 360. vol.4: viii, 367, 8 (explication). With 140 numbered copper-engraved plates (No. 1 frontispiece, 2-140 with printed captions), 1 final plate (vol.4), 4 title page vignettes, 3 engraved dedication vignettes (vol.1), 30 engraved headpieces. All edges gilt.
Provenance: Bookseller's paper label… Read More