Search Results: LITERATURE from E C Books

Paris: Le Fuel, 1809 A very good copy in full red morocco binding with card slip case in matching binding. With 6 black and white plates and additional vignette illustrations. The case is of a card case design in red morocco leather with a gilt border of leaves and flowers. The front has gilt titles and gilt compartments and the rear has a gilt chain design. It is clean and complete with some wear to corners and darkening in some places. The book has a matching binding which is in near fine condition, with just slight darkening where it fits into the case. All page edges gilt. Contents: half title; decorative vignette title page with tissue guard; 'Avis de l'Editeur' 2pp (with small loss to the bottom corner margin - no loss to text); Calendar; 5 plates; Poesies pp 1-108; half title - Melanges en Prose'; extracts pp 111-129; contents pp 130-134; further black and white plate; pages for notes on each month - with vignettes and blanks - mostly tissue-guarded. Contents are very clean and… Read More

LONDON : Hutchinson and Co, 1934 A VG copy in the original decorative cloth with 16 full page colour plates by H M Brock. Nichols selected ballads from a wide range of sources and this collection includes The Gaberlunzie Man, Sir Lancelot du Lake, Thomas the Rhymer, and The Earl of Mar's daughter. The illustrations are superb. In light brown cloth binding with gilt decoration and titles to the front board and the spine. With decorative endpapers and numerous black and white designs by Brock in addition to the plates. The binding has light bumping to corners. There is a neat ink signature to one of the preliminaries. The contents are in excellent condition.

Boston and New York: Colonial Press Company A scarce printing of Jane Austen's works in 12 volumes, undated but cited as 1906, with 30 colour plates by H M and C E Brock, 6 further illustrations and a folding facsimile autograph letter. In matching blue cloth bindings with paper labels which state that this edition is the 'Beacon Edition'. Top page edges gilt; remainder untrimmed. It uses some of the Brock plates from an earlier J M Dent/E P Dutton edition first published in 1898, and the prefaces are by Brimley Johnson, who edited that edition. However it also has a substantial introductory piece by Prof. William Lyon Phelps, which appears in the Frank S Holby publications. A fairly large type-face is used - reminiscent of the Winchester Edition. Book size 20 x 14.5 cms. The blue cloth bindings are generally sound and clean with the occasional light mark. There is some wear to the top and bottom of the spines - the degree of wear varies: Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey were… Read More

London: T Boosey and H Escher, 1811 A good copy of an extremely scarce work, written to support the learning of the German language by English students. In contemporary half leather binding with marbled boards and gilt titles to spine. Contents: title page; preface and dedication in both languages; note 1p; text in 3 books in both German and English pp 1-219; page of advertisements; final blank (detaching). The binding is clean and sound. It is scuffed, particularly on the corners. Contents are very clean with the occasional spot and turned page corner.

London : T Cadell Jun. and W Davies, 1802 A good to very good copy of the first translation into English of Dante's Divine Comedy. This copy retains the original marbled boards, with new calf spines and corners, so the bindings are clean, sound and tight with some light scuffing to the boards. The translation was completed by Henry Boyd, then Vicar of Rathfryland in County Down. The contents are complete with frontispiece portrait by Stothard and titles and half titles to each volume. Vol I: frontispiece; title; dedication; half title to Inferno; text 408pp. Vol II: title; half title; preliminary essay and text 384pp. Vol III: title; half title; preliminary essay and text with index, errata and addenda 420pp (more detailed collation available on request). All the volumes retain their original endpapers with repair at the joints and stamped ownership details of Richd Hopkins of Huntingdonshire. All the endpapers have some marking and Vol II has lost the corner tip of the rear free endpaper.… Read More

London and New York : J M Dent & Co, E P Dutton & Co, 1907 A very good copy in the original decorative cloth binding with 24 coloured illustrations (including frontispiece and title page) by C E Brock. Part of the 'Series of English Idylls' and now scarce. This edition is notable for number and quality of the colour illustrations, which capture Austen's characters and the humour in her writing well. The binding is a pale green cloth with elaborate gilt decoration to the front board and spine. The binding has been rebacked, relaying the original spine, and is sound and tight. Light wear to corners and edges. Top page edges gilt; remaining edges are untrimmed. Internally the decorative endpapers have professional repair at the joints. The free endpapers are toned as usual. The contents are in very good clean condition with bright plates. The tissue guard to the frontispiece is new. The bottom corner of the title page has been repaired. There is the occasional mark or spot generally affecting margins or… Read More

LONDON: T Cadell, 1791 Hannah More's collection of essays for 'young ladies' written from her own teaching experience. They range from 'sentimental connexions' to 'miscellaneous thoughts on wit'. They were extremely popular and much reprinted. She dedicated the work to Elizabeth Montagu of blue stocking fame. This is a copy of the 5th edition. The full leather binding is worn and the front board detached. There was clearly an attempt some time ago to strengthen the joint - a linen band has been stuck to the front board and endpaper. This has caused some slight browning to the first few leaves internally. There is small loss to the top of the spine and the hinge to the back board is weak. The contents however are very clean and bright with little other marking.

A compilation of Quarles' works. The overall title page with details of the publisher is missing, but there is a dedication to King Charles I which was clearly specially written for the work, which makes it likely that it was published in the 1630's (it makes no reference to Civil War). Each work has a separate title page or a large heading, and retains the dedications etc written when they were first published. The first text is 'A Feast for Worms' totalling 64 pages, which has a note for the Reader and has pages 13-36 misbound out of sequence. The second is Pentelogia, a short text covering pp 65-70. The third is Hadassa with a separate title page, preface to the Reader, introduction, dedication, and the History of Esther, running to p 147. The fourth is Job Militant with half title page, proposition, dedication and text running to p 231. The fifth is the History of Sampson with no title page but starting with 'To the Reader' and text to p 232. The sixth is Sion's Sonnets… Read More

Bruxelles: Johannis Mommartius, 1656 A good copy of the second edition of this extremely rare work. First printed in Venice in 1652. Baldassare Bonifacio was a professor among many other talents and this work is a cabinet of curiosities - gathering a wide range of stories and recollections - including tales from classical antiquity of women who had serpent lovers. In full leather binding with raised bands and gilt decoration to the spine and tooling to the boards. It has had an old leather repair relaying the tooled front board onto plain leather. It is clean, showing wear to top and bottom of spine and edges and with a broken front hinge and weak rear hinge, although the board is still attached. The contents are in superb condition given the age of the book. There is a biographical note written in ink in english on a preliminary and 2-3 signs of previous ownershiip. Some of the ink has run a little. With black and white illustrated title page; page of names - D Carolo Hovyne, Equiti Aurato;… Read More

Edinburgh: Alexander Donaldson, 1774 A fair copy of Alexander Donaldson's 3 volume edition of Tom Jones. In contemporary tree calf bindings with title and volume labels and gilt compartments to spines. All 3 volumes have some wear to the bindings, particularly to corners, joints and the top and bottom of the spines. There is some scuffing to boards. Vol I has had an interesting diy repair, with part of the spine from another book laid on top of the old spine, and this volume has more wear to the front spine joint where the board is attached, but there is splitting. Contents are generally in clean good to very good condition with the odd spot or mark. All have 2 old signatures to the fep. Vol I: title; dedication; contents; text 363pp. Some ink splots p 172-4; small repaired edge tear p 279; some creasing to top corner tips. Vol II: title; contents; text 349pp. Small repaired tear to side margin p194. Vol III: title; contents; text 267pp finis. Some discolouration to endpapers.

London : Walker and Edwards, A Richardson et al, 1816 A very good copy of the rare 2 volume 1816 edition of Malory's work. This copy has the 2 volumes bound in one in contemporary full calf, which has had a professional reback preserving the original spine. The work was first printed in 1485 by Caxton, with editions in 1498, 1529, 1557 and 1634. 2 editions were published in 1816 of which this is said to be the first. The binding, with gilt compartments and titles to spine, has some scuffing and wear to board edges and corners. There is small hole in the leather near the spine on the back board. The page edges are marbled with matching marbling to endpapers. Contents: initial blank; frontispiece; decorative title; letterpress title (with small stamped E to top); preliminary remarks, preface, prologue and contents pp v-xvi; text vol I pp 1-468; frontispiece; decorative title; letterpress title Vol II; contents i-xvi; text 1-488; final blank. The contents are in very good clean condition. The endpaper… Read More

London: J M Dent & Co, 1907 A good to very good copy of this classic work with 24 colour plates, 12 tinted plates and numerous illustrations by Arthur Rackham. 1st edition thus. Rackham first illustrated Ingoldsby Legends in 1898 using a smaller format and without tipped in colour plates. He revisited the work in 1907 adding plates and redrawing some of the other illustrations. The subject matter, including as it does witches, spectres, knights and monks (and a finally repentant Jackdaw), is well suited to Rackham's style. The decorative binding is in clean and tight condition with slight pulling to the spine and a very small bump to the bottom corner of the back board. There is some light ink marking, more prevalent on the back board but with a few spots to the front. Top page edges gilted; remainder untrimmed. Internally the dark green decorative endpapers are present without mark. There is an inscription to the half title. Contents are complete, clean and in very good condition. There is a small… Read More

Paris: Garnier Freres, Libraires-editeurs Complete in one volume - undated but 1860 - in full morocco binding. Aeg. With 17 full page black and white plates, decorative title page, vignette title page and numerous illustrations in the text. The binding has gilt compartments and title to spine and blind tooling to boards. The original page marker is present. With fabric endpapers. The binding is sound but has some war to top and bottom of spine and joints, and a little light scuffing to boards. Slight bumping to corners. The contents are exceptionally clean. The plate listed at page 144 is bound at the front. The plate at page 840 has offset to the opposing text. There is spotting to blank preliminaries and end leaves.

Autrecht: Etienne Neaulme, 1736 An extremely scarce early printing of Vol I of Gueullette's 'Les Sultanes de Guzarate' - published in Autrecht in 1736 in 2 volumes. In contemporary full mottled calf binding with raised bands to spine, extensive gilt tooled decoration and red title label. The boards have gilt decoration to borders. Page edges are red. The boards have some scuffing and wear - mainly to corners, which are also bumped. Internally, the first blank has an ink signature from 1769. Contents: title page in red and black inks; 'Avis au Lecteur' 18pp; text pp 1-430. With decorative headpieces and initial capitals. There is the occasional mark eg to gutter of title page, but overall the contents are in very good clean condition.

LONDON: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1811 Works selected by William Coxe presented in 2 volumes (volume 2 has 2 parts), bound in one. Volume 1 covers his literary life; volume 2 his poems, dramas and sonnets and his natural history works. Benjamin Stillingfleet is believed to be the originator of the term 'blue stocking' - being invited by Elizabeth Montagu and Elizabeth Vesey to talk at their literary and discussion circle but being too poor to afford to wear the required black stockings to the event. it is suggested that his blue worsted stockings became his trademark - and then eventually the term for learned women. He studied at Cambridge and became tutor to William Windham, whom he accompanied on the Grand Tour, engaging in scientific exploration of Alpine glaciers. He wrote the first fundamental treatise in England advocating Linnaean principles in classifying plants and has a plant named after him: Stillingia sylvatica. He was apparently the librettist for oratorios by… Read More

London & Toronto, New York: J M Dent & Sons Ltd; E P Dutton & Co, 1922 A very good copy in contemporary half leather binding with colour frontispiece, decorative title page, and 15 colour plates by Charles E Brock. The binding has false raised bands to spine with gilt decoration and titles. It is in very good clean condition, with some scuffing and wear to the spine and to edges. The bottom corners are lightly bumped. Marbled endpapers. Contents in very good clean condition. There is some spotting to preliminaries and to pp 395/6 and the reverse of the rear endpaper.

London : Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1897 A good to very good copy of the first edition with Hugh Thomson illustrations in contemporary half leather binding. With introduction by Austin Dobson. The illustrations, with Thomson's acute attention to detail, are a perfect complement to Austen's writing. The binding has gilt titles and decoration with small raised bands to spine and marbled boards and endpapers. Top page edges gilt. The binding is sound and clean with some fading to the spine. It has wear to spine joints and rubbing to the raised bands on the spine.There is wear to spine ends and to corners with a bump to the bottom corner of the back board. Internally there is the armorial bookplate of Charles Francis Aubone Hare to the front pastedown. Contents are complete and clean. There is some spotting to the tissue guard at the frontispiece, light spotting to the side of the title page and light spotting at the endpapers. The page side edges are untrimmed and some edges have slight browning which… Read More

London: Richard Bentley, 1856 A good copy of the 1856 reprint of the Bentley edition of Mansfield Park in the original brown decorative cloth binding. Mansfield Park was first reprinted by Bentley as part of his Standard Novels series in 1833. This reissue retains the original frontispiece but without the vignette title. The cloth binding has blind stamped decoration to boards and a flowing gilt design around titles to the spine. It is rare to find one of these novels in the original cloth. The binding is a little shaken with some pulling at the top and bottom of the spine which is cocked towards the front. It is bright and clean. The corners are slightly bumped. Contents with signature to front endpaper; frontispiece; title page; text 424pp. There are browned sections to pp 24 and 25 where a newspaper clipping about the Suez crisis was used as a bookmark. There are a couple of small repaired margin edge tears and slight damage to the top gutter edge of some pages where the owner had difficulty… Read More

Westminster : Archibald Constable & Co, 1895 A very good copy in the original decorative cloth binding with full page illustrations, decorative initials, tailpieces and vignettes by Arthur Layard. Scarce and based on an original manuscript which surfaced in Paris in 1357. The binding has very bright boards and a slightly faded spine. The spine has pulling to the ends. The bottom corner of the front board is turned - the back bottom corner has a bump. Internally the front endpapers have a split at the joint. There is an inscription dated 1895 to the verso of the fep. The contents are complete and very clean with a large number of pages unopened. There is light spotting to the verso of the fep and the initial blank, and some spotting to the final leaf and recto of the rep. Top page edges are gilted and the side edges are slightly roughly cut with some spotting at the foredge occasionally visible in side margins.

London: William Heinemann , 1910 A very good copy of the first limited edition illustrated and signed by Hugh Thomson. No 149 of 350. In the original vellum binding with 40 tipped in colour plates and numerous black and white illustrations. The binding lacks its ties but is clean with bright gilt decoration and titles. It has some light spotting to the vellum. The contents with tipped in frontispiece, title, text with decorative designs and illustrations and 39 further tipped in plates, are in very clean condition. There is some light spotting to preliminaries and occasionally to text pages. The support to the frontispiece has a small tear to the bottom edge and there is a small hole to the support to the plate at p 2. Plates at pp 50, 78 and 160 have small corner creases. Please enquire if you would like to see further images to assess condition.