Search Results: Titles starting with S from Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts

Augsburg: Johann Schönsperger, 12 July 1482. 298 x 211 mm. (11 3/4 x 8 1/4"). Single column, 37 lines in gothic type. Attractively matted. Each side with one six-line and one three-line decorative woodcut initial. Goff E-23; ISTC ie00023000; not in BMC. ◆Faint freckled foxing to head edge, two small marginal wormholes, but a fine leaf, clean and fresh, from this rare work on German land law originally written between 1224 and 1227 (just one copy in the U.S.). .

London: John Turrill, 1834. Fourth Edition. 191 x 121 mm. (7 1/2 x 4 3/4"). xi, [i] pp., [2] leaves, 300 pp. Appealing 19th century black straight-grain morocco, covers with a gilt filigree and blind-rolled frame, raised bands, spine compartments gilt with curling cornerpieces and lancet tools radiating from a central circle, black morocco label, blind-rolled turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. With extra chromolithographed "missal" title page, woodcut tailpiece by John Franklin, and 10 COLOR LITHOGRAPHS mounted on heavy stock, three of these by John Martin (The Temptation, The Sermon on the Mount, and The Remorse of Judas), all lithographs with captioned tissue guards. Front pastedown with armorial bookplate bearing the motto "Soli Possumus Facere Nihil," front free endpaper with animated engraved bookplate of George Oliver Clark, with the added inscription "To 'Nona' and Michele with 'Didi's' love - Jan. 21, 1948." ◆Joints a little rubbed (part of the front joint with thin crack), spine… Read More

New York: Phillips & Hunt [and several other publishers elsewhere], 1879. 241 x 168 mm. (9 1/2 x 6 5/8"). 50 leaves, including 6 (blank) lined leaves with columns for subscriber name, address, and binding style preference. Original burgundy cloth with gilt titling, two tondo portraits, and two medallions with vignettes on front cover, front pastedown with the spine design for the publisher's cloth binding, rear pastedown with the spine design for morocco binding. Many woodcut illustrations throughout. ◆Binding a bit battered and soiled (and with evidence of silverfish visitation), occasional smudging internally, but solid and generally well preserved for an ephemeral item of this sort. Generally a prospectus like the present item was used by canvassers to sell subscriptions door-to-door for forthcoming publications; Mark Twain had most of the first printings of his books sold this way. But it appears as if the present work might (also?) have been marketed through congregations, with a publisher's… Read More

Paris: Printed at Dehon et Cie for the Limited Editions Club, 1938; London: Printed at the Fanfare Press for the Limited Editions Club, 1938. No. 827 of 1,500 copies (English) and no. 21 of 1,500 copies (French). 279 x 203 mm. (11 x 8"). 105, [1] pp., [1] leaf. Two separately published companion volumes. French volume designed by René Ben Sussan; English translation by Lord Alfred Douglas, with an introduction by Holbrook Jackson. French edition with printed black paper wrapper and original mylar jacket; English edition in publisher's terra cotta cloth, upper cover with gilt lettering and decoration designed by Beardsley, flat spine with gilt titling. French version with 10 gouache illustrations by Derain printed in pochoir by Saudé on black paper; English book with pictorial frames to title page and list of pictures, and 14 full-page illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley. French volume SIGNED BY DERAIN in the colophon. Quarto-Millenary 104. ◆Paper wrapper of French version slightly chipped at head… Read More

Rome: Giovanni Generoso Salomoni, 1768. 295 x 200 mm. (11 1/2 x 8"). XXIV, 354, [2] pp. EXCELLENT CONTEMPORARY ROMAN TAN MOROCCO, GILT, WITH THE ARMS OF CLEMENT XIV, covers with elaborate gilt frame and lavish cornerpieces of acanthus leaves exploding from a Grecian urn, papal arms at center on a red morocco onlay, surrounded by gilt foliage and topped with the keys of St. Peter and the papal crown, raised bands, spine gilt in compartments with acanthus leaf centerpieces and corners, gilt titling, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. With wood-engraved allegorical headpieces and historiated initials. ◆Joints and extremities slightly rubbed, a dozen or so tiny wormholes to spine and joints, arms on lower cover a bit abraded and with longitudinal worming (slight losses to leather and gilt), but the unsophisticated original binding with no significant wear, and shining with gilt. Half a dozen quires with faint overall browning, otherwise an extremely fine copy internally, the text remarkably clean,… Read More

Paris: Didot le jeune, 1796. Third Edition. Large Paper Copy. 345 x 258 mm. (13 1/2 x 10 1/8"). Two volumes. Translated and annotated by Jean Dusaulx. STATELY CONTEMPORARY RED MOROCCO, GILT AND INLAID IN THE NEOCLASSICAL STYLE, BY GEORG FRIEDRICH KRAUSS FOR DUKE ALBRECHT OF SAXE-TASCHEN, covers framed by bead, Greek key, and flower-and-ribbon rolls, sunbursts at corners, double raised bands separated by green morocco inlaid strip with metope-and-pentaglyph gilt roll, spines gilt in compartments with starburst centerpiece containing the initials of Duke Albrecht, green morocco labels, gilt-rolled turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Each volume with an engraving after Moreau le jeune, in first state before letters. Text of satires in Latin (verse) and French (prose) on facing pages. Front pastedowns with shelf labels from the ducal library. Cohen-de Ricci 524-5. ◆Tiny abrasion to gilt border on one board, scattered very small dark spots to boards, extremities with a hint of rubbing,… Read More

Dublin: Typographia Academiae, 1746. 202 x 122 mm. (8 x 4 7/8"). 2 p.l., 136 pp. ATTRACTIVE NEAR-CONTEMPORARY RED STRAIGHT-GRAIN MOROCCO, VERY PROBABLY BY ROGER PAYNE, covers with single gilt rule border, raised bands, top and fore edge gilt, other edge untrimmed, yellow endpapers. Housed in a later black cloth slipcase. Title page ruled in red, and with engraved vignette. Pastedown with armorial bookplate of Joseph Neeld; front free endpaper with armorial bookplate of Vincent Lloyd-Russell. Dibdin II, 156 ("a very correct and beautiful edition"). ◆Just a little wear at spine ends and corners, contents faintly browned at top edge of leaves, title a bit soiled, two leaves rather foxed, otherwise in fine condition, the leather still lustrous, and the text clean and fresh. Although this elegantly simple binding is not signed, we are convinced that it was executed by the celebrated Roger Payne. According to Cyril Davenport's indispensable monograph on the binder, a crucial technique developed by… Read More

New York: Privately Printed, 1904. UNIQUE EDITION, ONE OF 125 COPIES on Japan Imperial paper (and one on vellum). 265 x 180 mm. (10 1/2 x 7"). 6 p.l., 333 pp. SUPERB CONTEMPORARY BLACK CRUSHED MOROCCO, INLAID AND GILT, BY BRADSTREET'S, FINISHED BY ALFRED WILLIAM LAUNDER (stamp-signed in gilt: Bradstreet's on front doublure, A. Launder on rear doublure), covers with inlaid Art Nouveau-style frame in taupe and ivory crushed morocco, the former semé with gilt dots, central panel of upper cover with large initial "A" formed by inlaid scarlet morocco acanthus leaves, that of lower cover with the final line of the book "ON A FIELD SABLE THE LETTER A GULES" tooled in gilt majuscules, the bold, flourished "A" inlaid in scarlet morocco; raised bands, spine compartments similarly framed, one compartment with inlaid scarlet morocco "A" tooled with gilt circlets, gilt titling, SPLENDID RED MOROCCO DOUBLURES bordered by inlaid ivory morocco swag-and-trefoil frame, central panel semé with rows of tiny floral… Read More

London: Robert Jennings, 1826. FIRST EDITION. 305 x 241 mm. (12 x 9 1/2"). 5 p.l. (including engraved title), [60] leaves. Handsome contemporary dark green half morocco over moss green straight-grain buckram, wide raised bands decorated with plain and decorative gilt rules, spine lavishly gilt in compartments with leafy volute cornerpieces and a large and intricate central ornament composed of lilies, leaves, and small tools radiating from a central circlet, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt (joints and morocco corners artfully renewed). WITH 62 EXCELLENT ENGRAVED SCENIC PLATES PRINTED ON CHINA PAPER and mounted, the engravings after drawings by Batty and featuring city views, river vistas, and ruins. Descriptive text leaves printed in English (on the recto facing the engravings) and in French (on the verso). Hunnisett, p. 133; Houfe, p. 228. ◆Spine just slightly sunned, title page and four other plates somewhat foxed (mainly in the margins), occasional minor foxing elsewhere, a hint of offsetting… Read More

Dublin: Printed for J. Ewling, n.d. [1799?]. 213 x 130 mm. (8 1/2 x 5 1/4"). vi, 93, [3] pp. Full green levant by Riviere and Son (stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in), raised bands, two compartments with gilt titling, gilt-ruled turn-ins. Front pastedown with armorial bookplate of Charles Lilburn; with two old catalogue descriptions laid-in. Williams, p. 216 (citing it as the first edition); Rothschild 1845; ESTC T762. See Day, "History of English Literature 1660 to 1837," pp. 193-94. ◆Covers detached, spine and edges of covers sunned to brown, corners a bit rubbed, but the contents in excellent condition, with just a hint of toning to title and a couple negligible blemishes elsewhere. First performed in 1777, this play attacking sentimentalism and scandal-mongers is called by Hazlitt "perhaps the most finished and faultless comedy which we have," and Day praises its "verbal ingenuity and sparkling prose." It is also one of the few 18th century plays that remains popular to the present day. As… Read More

[Basel]: Nicolaus Kesler, 1492. FIRST EDITION. 318 x 229 mm. (12 1/2 x 9"). Complete. [154] leaves, the last blank. Double column, 66 lines and headline in gothic type. Early, perhaps contemporary, calf over wooden boards, covers simply ruled in blind, brass catches and clasps (with remnants of apparently original thongs), rebacked with modern calf, raised bands, new (not unsuitable) endpapers. Printer's device in colophon. Capitals struck with red, and hundreds of attractive three- to 11-line initials hand painted in red. Occasional early ink marginalia; original pigskin sectional tabs on three leaves. Goff T-329; BMC III, 770; ISTC it00329000. ◆Original sides slightly crackled, scuffed, and abraded, corners and edges a little worn, but the binding solid, retaining some of its period feeling, and entirely serviceable. One opening with small areas of staining in lower margin and extending slightly into the text, a few leaves with very faint browning (where painted initials have been sealed with… Read More

Venice: Nicolaus Jenson, 1472. EDITIO PRINCEPS. 323 x 237 mm. (12 3/4 x 9"). Single column, 40 lines in Jenson's lovely roman type. Attractively matted. Capitals struck with yellow, paragraph marks and two-line initials in red or blue. Lowry, Jenson, p. 68; Goff S-346; BMC V, 173; ISTC is00346000. ◆A couple of tiny, faint marginal spots, one small wormhole touching a couple of letters, but A VERY FINE LEAF--clean, fresh, and bright, with generous margins--from a collection of classical writings on agronomy that was the second book printed in roman type, the first scientific work printed in roman type, and "the most important classical first edition that Jenson produced." (Lowry). .

Venice: Johannes Rubeus Vercellensis, 15 July 1490. Third Edition. 305 x 205 mm. (12 x 8 1/8"). 106 leaves. Complete. Single column, 54 lines in roman typeface. Attractive 19th or early 20th century brown levant morocco by David (stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in), raised bands ruled in blind, gilt lettering, gilt dentelles, all edges gilt, fore edge with old ink titling visible under gilt. Front pastedown with morocco ex-libris of W. A. Foyle; front free endpaper with old catalogue description tipped on; several pages with contemporary notations in ink. BMC V, 417; Goff S-342; ISTC is00342000. ◆A couple faint stains and scratches to upper board, upper left corner of first leaf expertly re-margined (with loss to a couple of letters on both sides), persistent small round wormhole of no consequence in text (neatly filled in in first quire without causing any legibility issues), occasional light foxing, a few other minor imperfections, but still an excellent copy with good margins, the leaves… Read More

London: s.n., 1730. First Collected Edition. 292 x 223 mm. (11 1/2 x 9"). 6 p.l., 252 pp. Pleasing polished calf, gilt, by Riviere & Son (stamp-signed on verso of front free endpaper), covers with French fillet border, raised bands, spine compartments with central sunflower sprig surrounded by small floral tools, lily sprays at corners, two light brown morocco labels, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Engraved vignette to title page, and FIVE ENGRAVED PLATES, four with allegorical depictions of each season, the last a memorial to Sir Isaac Newton. Front pastedown with bookplate of Christopher Clark Geest. ESTC T153055. ◆Narrow three-inch black ink(?) smudge on front cover, corners and edges with light wear, otherwise quite a fine copy with only trivial imperfections, the text and plates on fresh, clean, and bright paper, the margins very ample, and the binding quite attractive on the shelf. Printed on high quality laid paper and looking very much like a Large Paper copy, this is an attractively… Read More

Wausau, Wisconsin: Printed by Van Vechten & Ellis for The Philosopher Press, 1901. No. 91 OF 100 COPIES PRINTED, A UNIQUE ILLUMINATED COPY. 314 x 250 mm. (12 3/8 x 9 7/8"). [14] French-fold leaves.Translated by Edward FitzGerald. Attractive three-quarter maroon morocco over marbled boards, raised bands, two compartments with gilt lettering, others with central gilt tool. Housed in a maroon cloth slipcase (slightly worn and faded). Each text page with an elaborate decorative border colored by hand, and AN ORIGINAL SIGNED WATERCOLOR ON VELLUM by Plein tipped-in before title. Title page with watercolor inscription: "Iluminated [sic] by / Charles M. Plein / Omaha Neb. / Oct 1915"; two glossy leaves with examples of the border decoration laid in. ◆Final French-fold leaf cleanly torn along part of the fold at the top (not affecting contents on either side), free endpaper in front and back with just a hint of darkening at edges (apparently from binder's glue), but A FINE COPY--clean and bright throughout… Read More

Basel: Nicolaus Kessler, 1502. 313 x 215 mm. (12 1/4 x 8 1/2"). 13 p.l. (blank b6 cut away), CCXL (240), [5] leaves (lacking final blank). Part II, only, of three.. Contemporary blind-stamped pigskin, raised bands, brass catch plates and remnant of two straps, thin strip of vellum from a 12th(?) century musical manuscript used as a sewing guard (visible before b1), rear cover WITH ORIGINAL IRON EYELET AND THREE LINKS OF CHAIN. Fo. I with 14-line Lombard initial in red, numerous four-line initials in red. VD16 A 2958; Adams A-1207; USTC 686502; ISTC ia00781500. ◆Pigskin rather rubbed and darkened, vertical split to spine, corners quite worn, but the binding still completely sound and with a good deal of antique appeal. Occasional minor marginal smudges and stains, one opening with half a dozen small wax stains (nothing obscured), but excellent internally, generally clean and fresh, with leaves that crackle when you turn them. This history of the world up to the year 1360 comes in a pleasing… Read More

Rochester: Printed and sold by W. Gillman, 1787. Third Edition. 218 x 135 mm. (8 1/2 x 5 1/4"). viii, 335 pp. Recent retrospective calf-backed marbled boards, flat spine with gilt-ruled into panels with central floral ornament, red morocco label with gilt titling. ESTC T126963. ◆First and last couple of leaves a bit foxed or browned, isolated spots of foxing elsewhere, but quite an excellent copy--clean and fresh, with quite comfortable margins, and in an unworn sympathetic binding. This is a collection of case studies by a pioneer in the humane treatment of mental illness, detailing the symptoms presented and the treatments administered. William Perfect (1734-1809) began his career as an obstetrician, then led efforts to inoculate the population in Kent against smallpox. In the 1760s, he began to treat patients deemed insane, operating his Kentish home as a private asylum. According to DNB, "Gentleness and common sense seem to have characterized his approach, whether dealing with women in… Read More

Newcastle: Printed by S. Hodgson, for Emerson Charnley, and Balwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1820. FIRST EDITION, IMPERIAL PAPER COPY. 278 x 174 mm. (10 7/8 x 6 3/4"). 1 p.l., xl, 332 pp. HANDSOME LATE 19TH CENTURY DEEP PURPLE MOROCCO, ELABORATELY GILT, BY TOUT (stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in), covers with gilt-ruled border and scrolling foliate corner decoration, raised bands, spine compartments with elaborate gilt scrolled tooling surrounding a central flower motif, gilt lettering, thick turn-ins with multiple gilt rules, rolls, and scrolling, all edges gilt. Frontispiece portrait of Thomas Bewick and NEARLY 350 WOOD ENGRAVED VIGNETTES BY JOHN AND THOMAS BEWICK. Front free endpaper with book label of Archer Ryland, dated 1942 in pencil, and an old catalogue cutting tipped on. Ray, England, 52; Hugo 428; Lowndes I, 168. ◆Lower corners very slightly bumped, a hint of wear to extremities, contents with occasional faint offsetting and trivial marginal imperfections, one leaf with marginal tear… Read More

Bloomsbury [London]: Nonesuch Press, 1928. No. 142 of 1,250 copies. 201 x 120 mm. (7 7/8 x 4 3/4"). 4 p.l., 51, [1] (blank), iv pp., [2] leaves. Publisher's limp vellum, gilt design on upper cover, flat spine with gilt titling. In the original glassine jacket (lacking most of spine) and original cardboard slipcase, slightly worn. Dreyfus 54. ◆A breath of browning just to untrimmed edges, otherwise A PRISTINE COPY, well protected for 90 years by its original jacket and slipcase. The verse of Thomas Beedome (d. 1641) includes love poems, elegies for such figures as his friend John Donne and Gustav Adolphus of Sweden, and religious works. Somewhat in the manner of Donne, they were published in 1641 after his death, and a pirated edition came out in 1657. Thereafter they languished until Meynell took an interest in them and edited them for this printing. The Nonesuch Press was founded in 1923 by typographer and book designer Francis Meynell (1891-1975) with the help of his friend David Garnett and… Read More

London: John Weale, 1825. First Edition in English. 364 x 270 mm. (14 1/4 x 10 3/4"). [29] leaves.Translated by J. F. d'Ostervald. Original purple cloth stamped in gilt on upper cover, rebacked in recent times with dark brown calf, red calf spine label with blind-stamped lettering, new pastedowns and endleaves. With 36 FINE HAND-COLORED AQUATINT PLATES. A Large Paper Copy. Abbey, "Travel" 264. ◆Cloth a bit sunned and spotty in places, but the binding sturdily restored. Occasional light offsetting and minor foxing to text leaves, but internally an extremely pleasing copy, THE PLATES IN BEAUTIFUL CONDITION. This is a pleasing copy of a work Abbey calls "the most ambitious of the coloured aquatint books edited by J. F. d'Ostervald," who produced a number of works on the picturesque, including two famous oversized editions focusing on regions in France. His book on Sicily was originally published in French in giant folio and appeared in 24 parts between 1822-26. Abbey notes that the present English… Read More