A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. by RACKHAM. ARTHUR. Illustrates. ; SHAKESPEARE. WILLIAM - 1908

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

Nattali and Bond. London. No Date.,Circa 1850. THREE VOLUMES. Tall 8vo (10.2 x 6.6 inches). Text and plates taken from the Ninth edition. Complete set of this famous trilogy, with 80 fine hand-coloured, full page, aquatint plates, the colouring still strong and bright, by Thomas Rowlandson. Some minor spots of foxing to a few leaves in each volume but generally clean and bright copies in the scarce original publisher's brown cloth bindings, with gilt lettering and decoration on spines. Decorative blind stamped panels on boards. Original yellow coated endpapers. Previous owners bookplates to front paste downe endpapers. Some rubbing to top and tail of spines and fore-edges, and a couple of the hinges with neatly repaired splits (about 1.5 inches) but generally these are very good examples. Slight uniform fading to spines but overall a very attractive set of this classic work with Rowlandson's humourous plates. Uncommon in the publishers original decorative cloth bindings.:

Printed for J. Johnson, C. Dilly, G. C and J. Robinson, etc......London. 1799. TWO VOLUMES. 4to. (11.3 x 9.8 inches). Eighth edition, corrected and Revised. Portrait frontispiece in volume one engraved by Heath after the painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds and dated January 1st, 1799. A very good clean set. Finely bound in period style mid twentieth century full brown calf. Boards with single gilt ruled borders. Spines with double ruled gilt bands and lettering. Gilt inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers with a neat previous owners bookplate mounted in each volume. All edges marbled. An attractive copy.

Archibald Constable & Co. Westminster. London. 1897-1900. SIX VOLUMES. FIRST KATE WARREN EDITION. 8vo.(6.8 x 4.4 inches). Illustrated frontis to each volume - 3 portraits and 3 sepia photographic views (River Blackwater, County Cork, ; Ruins of Kilcolman, Spenser's home in Ireland, ; Glengarriff, County Cork.) each with a tissue guard. Each volume with an extra, decorative title page. A fine and clean set with a few of the gatherings still unopened. Finely bound, by Riviere, in early twentieth century quarter vellum with single raised bands. Green title labels, ruled and lettered in gilt. Arts and Crafts style tall flower design with stems, leaves and flower in gilt to each spine. Blue cloth on boards. Top edges gilt, others untrimmed. Some minor marks to the cloth on a few of the boards but the spines all clean and the gilt bright so the set looks great on the shelf. A very attractive set of vellum bindings.

William Heinemann Ltd. London. 1961. THREE VOLUMES. Reprint of the 1951 Edition. 8vo. (8 x 5.4 inches). Fine and clean set in the rare Publishers delux leather bindings of full red Morocco. Spines with blind ruled bands and lettered in gilt. Gilt stamped Author's symbol device to the front boards. Blue marbled endpapers. Top edges gilt. Each volume with a red silk page marker. Housed in a red cloth covered slip case with marbled paper lining. The spines are a bit rubbed and there are a couple of small scratches but overall this is an attractive set of this important collection. Only a few sets were issued in these publishers delux leather bindings and they seldom turn up on the market.

J. Maisonneuve et Ch. Leclerc. Paris. 1889. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. (9.9 x 6.4 inches). vii, 300pp. A very good copy in a fine early leather binding of full dark green morocco. Spine with gilt ruled lines, floral design and lettering. Front board with ruled panels and floral designs, all in gilt Single gilt ruled border to the rear board and board edges. Gilt inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Armorial bookplate of noted author of books on folklore and topography, Sir George Laurence Gomme (1853 - 1916) on the front pastedown. Some offsetting to the endpapers from the leather turn-ins. A little rubbing to the extremities and the spine faded to an attractive brown but overall still a lovely copy of this scarce work in a fine quality binding. The binding is unsigned but is certainly the work of a master bookbinder.