Search Results: Titles starting with P from E C Books

London: Reeve and Co , 1852 A very good copy in the original decorative cloth binding. Scarce. The binding has blind stamped design to both boards and gilt titles and blind stamped design to spine. It is bright with light pulling to spine ends and light wear to corners. Top corners have turned tips. There is a tiny cloth fray at the top of the front spine joint. Back board with some darker marking. Original yellow/cream endpapers with small pasted label of Alex Stables to front pastedown and his signature to the top of the fep. Contents are complete with 16 page publisher's catalogue at the rear. It is very clean internally with odd small spot or mark. The paper has some toning - with some sections darker than others. The rear endpaper joint has had some repair.

Amstelodami [Amsterdam]: Ex Typographia Blaviana , 1692 A good copy in contemporary vellum with a later taped spine with handwritten title. Latin translation of Descartes' last work - Les passions de l'ame, 1649, which originated from correspondence with Princess Elisabeth of the Palatinate, and is an exploration of the connection between human emotions - the province of the mind - and the physical body. The vellum is sound with the usual discolouration and a slight warp to the boards. There is tape at the front endpaper joint and a signature to the top of the fep. Page edges are red. Contents: title with printer's device; ad lectorem 2pp; epistola prima 18pp; epistola secunda with response 2pp; text pp 1-92 in 3 parts; Finis. Index 4 pp. Text has decorative initial capitals at the beginning of sections. Contents are generally clean with some toning to paper at the margins, particularly the top margin. There is a repaired side edge tear at p 21 and at the final leaf, which is very browned. Size 20.4… Read More

London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1908 A very good copy of Eleanor Vere Boyle's last work, inscribed by her to Lady Phillimore on February 4th, 1909. The inscription, which is on the front free endpaper reads 'For Lady Phillimore with EVB's Love'. The green cloth binding has gilt titles and a gilt peacock to the front board and spine. The boards are bright and clean with some light marking on the back board, which has a couple of small bubbles to the cloth at the top. The spine is slightly faded. Spine ends are pulled and there is light wear to corners. Top page edges gilted. Contents are complete and clean with black and white frontispiece and 7 further black and white plates by EVB. Publisher's catalogue at the rear. There is occasional foxing, for example at the beginning of the prologue and including the half title and title page. There is some spotting to the foredge which is occasionally noticeable internally.

London and Edinburgh: W & R Chambers, Limited A good copy with dustwrapper in the original decorative cloth binding with 9 colour illustrations by Chas. Pears. Undated but early 1900's. A nice collection of fairy stories. The wrapper has considerable loss to the top and bottom of the spine and back section. It is slightly grubby. It is in a removeable plastic wrap. The decorative cloth binding is a little shaken, with a slight warp to the front board, some pulling to the spine and slight wear to corners. With frontispiece, title page in blue inks and text with 8 further illustrations. Many small black and white illustrations in the text. There is some browning to page edges and the odd spot. There is a more recent bookplate to the front free endpaper and some marking on the endpapers coinciding with the edge of the dustwrapper.

Edinburgh: Printed for the Author: Sold by George Stewart, at the Book and Angel, 1716 A very good copy of a scarce detailed account of the Scottish Peerage in the early eighteenth century. George Crawfurd was a Scottish genealogist and historian and this was his second work. This copy is in a newer, probably 20th century binding, copying contemporary binding style. With raised bands and title label to spine and a decorative border to the boards. It is in near fine condition with very slight wear to the top of the spine. Contents: new endpapers and new initial blank; title page in red and black; Preface pp iii-vii; list of subscribers pp i-iv; text pp 1-502; index pp i-iii; final blank. The pagination is somewhat odd: pages 46 and 462 both have additional starred pages - 46* and 46**; 462* and 462**; there is no 49/50 but the text is continuous; there are 2 x pp 53 and 181; and the numbering runs 286, 283, 385, 286, 291 - with continuous text. There are 2 small scholarly ink annotations; very small… Read More

London: John Crump, 1680 A fair copy of the 'Second Edition Corrected and much Enlarged. Whereunto is added His Character, and A compleat Catalogue of all the Honours conferr'd by him on several Persons.' First published in 1660, this is a largely sympathetic view of Cromwell and has been attributed to Henry Fletcher and William Roybould who are listed as the publishers for the 1st edition. This copy has been rebound, probably in the early 1800's, as there is a signature of William Hall, June 3rd 1826, on the first new initial blank. It lacks the frontispiece but is otherwise complete. The half leather binding has raised bands to the spine and gilt tooled decoration. There is a title label (part rubbed) and a stamped date to the base. The spine has some wear to joints and the base but is sound. The boards have scuffing and wear to corners and little scuffing to the marbled suface. The endpapers are marbled. Contents: 2 initial blanks (1800's); title page in red and black ink;… Read More

London: Printed for W Mears, at the Lamb, without Temple-Bar, 1721 A very good copy in largely contemporary pannelled calf with 28 hand coloured plates. Richard Bradley (1668-1732) was elected to the Royal Society on the basis of his work and ideas on the balance of nature and productivity, although he lacked a university education. He became Chair of Botany at Cambridge, an unsalaried position, in 1724, and attempted to make a living through writing. He was known to a number of eminent and influential people including Hans Sloane, and a 2012 post from the Sloane Letters Project reveals a man constantly seeking funds but then failing to use them properly - the post is headed up 'Richard Bradley An Eighteenth Century Rogue'! This work is Bradley's attempt to provide an overview of the plant and animal kingdoms and the subscribers' list shows a number of eminent customers including Isaac Newton (6 copies) and Hans Sloane. The calf binding has a blind-stamped pannelled design to the boards. The spine is… Read More

New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1917 A good copy in the original cloth binding with coloured frontispiece and 7 further colour plates by May Wilson Preston. 1st edition, 1st issue with 'Copyright, 1916' on the verso of the title page. The binding is clean and sound. It has been rebacked, relaying the original cloth spine. A matching title label (matching in colour and cloth type) with black titles has been added, as the original was very faded. There are a few small scuff marks to boards, including a paler area lower down from the titles on the front board. New endpapers have been added. Contents are complete and clean. There is spotting which mainly affects margins and edges. The plate at p120 has had professional repair to the side edge.

London and Toronto: Jonathan Cape, 1944 An interesting copy of the 2nd impression of The Picts and the Martyrs in good wrapper. The book was produced to War Economy Standards and the wrapper is double-printed - Cape re-used a wrapper from Duff Cooper's book on world war II which was published in 1939. In addition this copy was given as a prize by the Hallett War School, Naini Tal, India in November 1944. The school was for children of army personnel serving in India. The wrapper is in good condition overall - being complete without price-clipping. The corners are clipped but that was clearly by the publisher. The wrapper has a price of 8s 6d net on the front flap. It has some edge nibbling with a little loss at the top and bottom of the spine and has a little repair with acid-free archive tape. There is a little browning to the spine and top edge and a little browning and creasing to the back. It is in a removable protective wrap. The green cloth binding is in good to very good condition. There is… Read More

London: Thomas Mc Lean A good copy of the 2nd edition - undated but circa 1830 - with 50 hand coloured engravings. It is in a late nineteenth century binding with half leather and marbled boards. There is some fraying and loss at the top of the spine and wear to the front spine joint, with some splitting at the top. The bottom spine end has some rubbing and there is wear to edges and corners. Internally there is a small ownership label to the front endpaper and a pencil note on the initial blank. This tells the sad tale of how the book was given to the owner in 1879 but in a horrible accident involving several books, it got left out in the weather. The newer binding is likely to be down to this incident. There is an insert detailing the gift which was from the then Chief Constable of Manchester. Contents: frontispiece; title; plate list; 49 further plates with accompanying text pages. There is some spotting to the bottom outer corners of initial and final pages - affecting the frontispiece and plates… Read More

London, New York, and Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1897 A good copy of the 1st edition in the original pink decorative cloth binding with all page edges gilt. With numerous black and white illustrations by H J Ford. The binding has delicate gilt illustration to the front board which is bright. The spine is very sunned and faded. It has been rebacked with the original spine relaid onto matching cloth, so the book is sound and tight. The back board is clean with some faint marking and fading close to the spine. Corners with light wear. All page edges gilted. Contents are complete and clean. There is toning to the page margins, particularly the top margin and a persistent small stain at the top page edge from circa p170 to 257. The contents page has had the contents marked off. There are 2 flattened creases to the rear free endpaper and a number of top page corners have been turned over at one time, leaving light flattened creases. Occasional light marking otherwise

London : Eton College , 1967 A good to very good copy of Eton College's liimited edition of the poems of Thomas Gray, printed in the Riccardi Press Fount of the Medici Society. In the original cream cloth binding with gilt shield to front board and gilt titles to spine. Top page edges gilt. The binding has some brown marking towards the bottom of the boards - particularly noticeable on the back board. Internally the poet John Bate has signed the front endpaper. Contents in very good condition.

Edinburg: John Bell at the Apollo Press, 1778 A complete set of Spenser from the Bell's Edition - forming Vols 15 to 22 of the original 109 volumes. In very good condition. This set looks to be from the traveling library - with each volume being slim and bound in full red leather with gilt lines to boards and spine, and gilt decoration at the board edges and inner edges. Gilt titles and volume and series numbers to spine. All page edges gilted - in circa 3 of the volumes the gilting has resulted in the occasional page appearing unopened at the top edge. All the volumes have their original page markers and all are very clean and sound. Spines tend to be darkened and there is light wear/scuffing at corners and spine ends - occasional bumping or greater wear at corners and occasional scuff or pit to boards. Endpapers marbled. Each volume has 2 initial and 2 or 3 final blanks, an engraved title and 2 further title pages - one for the series and one for the Spenser set. Vol I has a portrait of Edmund… Read More

Edinburgh: William P Nimmo, 1869 A good copy, recently rebound in full leather, with colour frontispiece and 5 further colour Kronheim plates. All page edges gilt. The binding, with gilt-lined raised bands to spine, and title labels, is in quarter leather style, with green leather to spine and tan to the boards. The binding is in very good condition with a little surface loss in some places. Contents with frontispiece, engraved title and printed title page are in fair to good condition. They are complete with generally clean text. The plates and tissue guards have some staining - this is generally to the back of the plates and to borders. Final text leaves with some spotting - and final page brown-toned.

London : T Cadell; Scatcherd and Whitaker; G and T Wilkie; W Miller; and J Murray, 1793 A fair copy in contemporary full leather binding with title label to spine. New edition, published less than 20 years after the author's death. Oliver Goldsmith's writings are not particularly in fashion now, but he was extremely popular in his time - known for his poems - for example The Deserted Village; his books eg The Vicar of Wakefield and his plays eg She Stoops to Conquer. This book incorporates a sample of his poetry - some with dedications, and writings about Goldsmith. The binding is very worn, with leather loss to the top and bottom of the spine and wear to spine joints, edges and corners. The remnants of gilt compartments are just visible on the spine and there is some gilt decoration to board edges. There is an armorial bookplate to the front pastedown with the name erased. Contents are complete bar the fep and initial blank and include: half title, title with ink initials to top corner,… Read More

London : C Cooke A fair copy of the scarce Cooke's Edition of Nicholas Rowe's work. Undated but circa 1797. In contemporary full leather binding with bookplate of John Ashley Warre to the front pastedown. John Ashley Warre was a founder member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which became the RSPCA in 1840. The binding is splitting at the spine joints although the boards are still attached. The spine is lacking some leather at the top and the boards are worn at the corners. Contents: 2 title pages (it may be lacking an extra engraved title); Life of Rowe; Recommendatory Poems pp 19-138 with 2 full page plates; contents list iv pp. Generally clean internally with slight marking to endpapers.

Edinburg: John Bell at the Apollo Press, 1777 Complete 2 volume set of Waller's poetical works from the Bell's Edition - forming Vols 26-27 of the original 109 volumes. The volumes look to be from the travelling library - with each volume being slim and bound in full red leather with gilt lines to boards and spine, and gilt decoration at the board edges and inner edges. Gilt titles and volume and series numbers to spine. All page edges gilted. The bindings are bright and clean with darkening to spines and light wear at the corners. Endpapers marbled. Both volumes have 2 initial blanks and 2 title pages - one for the series and one for the set - and frontispieces by M Lowe. Vol I 187 pp; Vol II 200 pp. Contents are complete with an additional portrait of the author in Vol I to accompany text on the author's life. Both volumes have a page marker - the marker to Vol I has torn but the torn piece is present in the volume. There is toning to the paper where the page markers have rested.

London : Orr and Smith , 1835 A nice copy of this rare work. It originated as an article for the British Cyclopaedia of Natural History, and was enlarged for separate publication to give readers a systematic introduction to the science of Botany. In original pebbled brown cloth with gilt title on spine, and gilt edges to pages. Profusely illustrated with line drawings and with hand coloured plates. The binding is in good condition - the spine has been relaid at some point and corners and spine edges have been repaired so the book is tight and firm. With marbled endpapers and signature of Miss Wilson and the number 14 to one of the preliminaries. Internally the book is very clean and bright. The index of illustrations is difficult to interpret as it does not distinguish between text illustrations and plates and appears to randomly list some text illustrations and not others - however, I think the book is lacking a colour plate frontispiece and 2 other plates giving 24 plates present of a possible 27.… Read More

London : Lovell Reeve, 1854 A good copy with 20 hand coloured illustrations drawn by Sowerby and printed by Vincent Brooks. In the original decorative cloth binding with a gilt mollusk on the front board. This book forms part of Lovell Reeve's Popular Natural History series, designed for young people with aim of giving them an insight into the natural world. The decorative cloth bindings are very distinctive as is the good quality of the illustrations - with many of the volumes having hand coloured plates. This copy has been expertly rebacked to preserve the original spine and endpapers. It is therefore sound and tight. The front board has a couple of small indentations to the edges and a bumped top corner. The spine is dulled. The endpapers have slight marking. Contents: publisher's catalogue; half title; frontispiece; title page; preface; list of plates; text with 19 further plates; index. The paper has brown toning, particularly to edges and there is slight folding evident to the top page… Read More

London: Reeve and Co , 1852 A good copy in the original decorative cloth binding with hand coloured frontispiece and 15 further hand coloured plates. This was part of Reeve's Popular Natural History series and is one of the scarcer titles. The series was intended for older children as an introduction to different fields of natural history. They vary greatly from the very technical Popular History of Lichens to the chatty and anecdotal of which this volume is a good example. The binding has blind stamped decoration to both boards and gilt to the front board and spine. It is rubbed - particularly around the spine which is sunned with more faded gilt. The spine is lightly cocked to the front and the ends are pulled. Corners lightly turned. The original endpapers are present with 'From the Author' written at the top of the front free endpaper. Contents are complete with an 8 page publisher's catalogue at the rear. There is a small repaired tear to the top edge of the title page and a small piece of paper… Read More