19th Century Literature

London: George Routledge and Sons 1887. (Hardcover) 404pp. Very good. Three quarter leather binding. Top edge gilt, frontispiece. The leather is scuffed around the edges. This is the book with the famous first line "It was a dark and stormy night". Noteworthy content: " It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...". (Fiction).

Mayhew (the Brothers), The Greatest Plague of Life: or The Adventures of a Lady in Search of a Good Servant. By one who has been "Almost Worried to Death." Edited by the Brothers Mayhew. Illustrated by George Cruikshank. London, David Bogue, 86 Fleet Street, N.D. [1847]. First edition in book form. Stamp-signed Bayntun binding, Bath. Twelve etchings by George Cruikshank and a glyphograph by him on the title-page. [ii; 286] List of plates on the verso of the last paginated leaf (p. 285). Original cloth wrapper bound in at the end. Cohn 544. 18 cm; 8vo. Bound in brown calf with gilt-ruled covers and spine, morocco title and author labels on the spine are chipped, top page edge gilt, back repaired, original back strip preserved. A good copy, bright and fresh. Wear at extremities of spine.

1849 TEXAS 1ed Mexican War Porter Annexation Mexico Americana Peace Treaties
The Mexican American War was an armed conflict between the United States of America and the United Mexican States from 1846 to 1848. It followed in the wake of the 1845 American annexation of the independent Republic of Texas, which Mexico still considered its northeastern province and a part of its territory after its de facto secession in the 1836 Texas Revolution a decade earlier.

Porter's 'Review of the Mexican War' was written to give reasons behind why the war started, give a view of the consequences or outcomes of the war, and propose a way in which long term peace could be established between the two countries.

This 1849 first edition book of Porter's 'Review of the Mexican War' includes commentary on the annexation of Texas, the invasion of Mexico, declaration of war, and many other topics!

Item number: #7391
Price: $399
PORTER, Charles T
Review of the Mexican War, embracing the causes of the war, the… Read More

London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1883. Bound in full vellum with ornamented titles. Published London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1883. Twentieth Edition. 4to., 8 1/2" x 10 3/4", xiv+527pp., illustrated with tissue-guarded plates, engravings within the text and historiated chapter headings by F. Armstrong, W. Small, and W.H.J. Boot, top edge gilting. Bookplate on front padstedown, light soil/rub to the vellum. Very good, bright, attractive copy. . Hard. Very Good/No Jacket. 4to.

1864 Masonic Choir Sheet Music Hymns Quartet Freemasonry Civil War Military

John Dadmun (1819 – 1890) was a pastor at the Methodist Episcopal Church, in South Hadley Falls, Holyoke, Massachusetts. He also served as prison chaplain at Deer Isle, off the coast of Maine. He wrote multiple works including:
·
The Eolian Harp
·
The Melodeon
·
Army and Navy Melodies: A Collection of Hymns and Tunes, Religious and Patriotic
·
The Masonic Choir
·
The Timbrel (editor)

'The Masonic Choir' is a collection of sheet music of hymns and songs for 4-part male voices by Bro. O. B. Brown., intended for the use of the Masonic fraternity printed during the Civil War Era. The songs are arranged in 4 sections Blue Lodge, Chapter Songs, Encampment Songs, and Council of Royal and Select Masters.
Item number: #9024
Price: $499
DADMUN, John
The masonic choir: a collection of hymns and tunes, original and selected, for the use of the fraternity
Boston: G.D. Russell & Co., ©1864. 1st… Read More

St. Paul, Minnesota: Macalester Park Publishing, 1951. First printing. 223 pp. The boards have small spots of oxidation. Previous owner's name is written on the front free endpaper. The endpapers are mildly foxed. Otherwise unmarked and in a square, tight binding. An apparently unread copy.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

1874 1ed Jules Verne Behemoth Meridiana Africa Adventure Voyages Illustrated

"Reality provides us with facts so romantic that imagination itself could add nothing to them."
― Jules Verne

In 1873, Scribner's published the first authorized edition of Jules Verne's famous 'Meridiana' or 'Adventures of Three Russians and Three Englishmen in South Africa'. This book, which is part of Verne's 'Extraordinary Voyages,' is
"a hunting story, which aroused many a youthful sportsman's throbbing eagerness for the chase and gave him this first knowledge and earliest enthusiasm for that heart-stirring excitement." (Myers)


This adventures story follows the story of English and Russian scientists who head to South Africa for research. While on their mission, the Crimean War begins, and the researchers find themselves to be enemies of locals.

This 1874 printing was unauthorized and pirated by Shepard and printed under a different title – 'Adventures in the Land of the Behemoth'. Shepard used sheets from the… Read More

1819 1st ed Forbin Travels in EGYPT Levant Voyages Pyramids Sphinx Jerusalem
Nicolas Philippe de Forbin was an early 19th-century French historian and art antiquary, who, in 1817, set out on a voyage to the Levant to view, study, and acquire ancient pieces of art. The voyage took Forbin and his traveling party to the Holy Land and Jerusalem, Syria, Athens, Constantinople, and even the Dead Sea.
His journal of the excursion covers his discoveries giving special attention to the Egyptian pyramids and the Great Sphinx. This undated first English edition includes impressive sketch illustrations of ruins, the Temple of Karnak, ruins of ancient Jericho, Castle at Cairo, the Pyramids at Giza, and the ancient walls of Jerusalem. A highly desirable work of Middle Eastern voyages!
Item number: #14024
Price: $499
FORBIN, Count Nicolas Philippe de
Travels in Egypt, being a continuation of the Travels in the Holy Land, in 1817-18
London : Printed for Sir Richard Phillips, [1819]. First edition.

Details:
·… Read More

1885 Japanese Samurai History Nihon Gaishi Tokugawa Shogunate Genpei War Japan

An interesting Edo woodblock-print of 'Nihon Gaishi,' a 19th-century book on the history of Japan by Rai San'yo, a confucianist philosopher, historian, and poet of the Edo era. The whole work of 'Nihon Gaishi' was the first comprehensive study of samurai history, covering Japanese history, from the emergence of the Minamoto clan and the Genpei War, through to the reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu in the Edo era. His history was later banned in several provinces because it encouraged strengthening the authority of the Emperor and was a major influence on the Sonnō jōi movement, a movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu period. It became part of the private studies of Chinese people in meiji Japan and in their curricula became one of the most read history books from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era. (Mehl)
This rare 1885 edition is written in Kanbun in a column handwritten format.

Item number:… Read More

1823 EXQUISITE Tour Doctor Syntax Combe Illustrated Comic Poetry FINE BINDING
William Combe was a British writer who is mostly remembered for his comic poem "The Three Tours of Doctor Syntax". This set of three epic poems was a descriptive and satirical work that made light of William Gilpin, a British explorer who toured Britain to describe the picturesque landscape. While the satire was a popular book for British readers, the Thomas Rowlandson comedic color plates were a beautiful spectacle. Includes 32-full page color engravings.
Item number: #16666
Price: $499
COMBE, William
The Tour of Doctor Syntax
London: R. Ackermann, 1823.
Details:

· Collation: Complete with all pages
o
[4], 276, [18]
o
Illustrated throughout with 32 hand-colored engravings
· Language: English
· Binding: Leather; tight and secure
· Size: ~6in X 4in (15.5cm x 10cm)
Our Guarantee:
Very Fast. Very Safe. Free Shipping Worldwide.
Customer satisfaction is our priority! Notify us with 7 days of… Read More

1844 Complete Angler Fishing Hunting Angling Fish Cotton Walton Engravings

Charles Cotton and Izaak Walton's 'The Complete Angler' was an important and extremely popular game and hunting book from 1653. Walton sought to celebrate the everyday fisherman and hunter, providing tips, tricks, and first-hand observations on fishing, and hunting through the lens of a conversation between two fictional anglers.

This 1844 edition edited by John Major includes 12 Steel and 74 Woodcut illustrations.This is the last in a series of excellent editions Major published between 1823 and 1844. [Coigny 56].
Item number: #17572
Price: $499
WALTON, Izaak; COTTON, Charles
The complete angler, or, The contemplative man's recreation
London: D. Bogue, Fleet-Street; H. Wix, New Bridge-Street, MDCCCXLIV [1844].

Details:

· Collation: Complete with all pages; 2 parts in 1
o
lx, 418, [2]
12 full-page steel engravings
74 in-text wood engravings
· Language: English
· Binding: Hardcover; tight and… Read More

The Easton Press, The Collector's Library of Famous Editions (1985). First Edition in this format; Collector's Edition. Illustrated by Helen Sewell. Hardcover. No dust jacket. Used - Fine, Like New condition. Very slight shelf wear on back bottom edge. Text block is tight and clean with no ownership markings or bookplates. Bound In full (genuine) leather with hubbed spine. Embossed in 22kt gold on the spine and front and back covers. Heavy duty binding boards. Printed on acid-neutral, archival paper with gilded edges. Smyth sewn with concealed muslin joints, silk moire fabric end leaves, and permanent satin ribbon marker. Notes From The Archives sheet laid in. Photos are of the copy we have at Barbed Wire Books.Gorgeous gift book!

Hardcover green faux leather with leather corners and spine, six compartments with five raised bands, gilt titling. Condition Very Good Issued with NO Dust Jacket. Centenary edition 1871. Tight, square copies with no marks, highlights or bookplates. Marbled end papers and edges. Books Well kept and carefully stored in unread condition. Slight shelf wear. Pages are lightly toned with the usual minor signs of wear and/or age. Volumes 2, 4, 5, 12, 20, 21 & 24 have small spine cracks. Illustrated frontispiece for each novel. Not an ex-library, book club or remainder copy. Heavier than standard book; S&H will be adjusted.
Happy to provide additional photos and answer any questions about this consignment set. Please inquire.
"Waverley Novels Centenary Edition" is a collection of novels written by Sir Walter Scott, a Scottish historical novelist, poet, and playwright of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Centenary Edition was published to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his first novel "Waverley"… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1886 First edition, first issue. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1886. With 26 illustrations (12 of these are full-page) by Reginald Birch and 14 pages advertisements for 'Scribner's Books for the Young'.

First Edition issue points are existing: with DeVinne Press imprint on page 210, signature mark "12" on page 177 and "14" on page 209.

Book is in a good to very good condition regarding its age with no dustjacket as published. The boards and the spine are rubbed, bumped and show signs of use and shelf wear (see photos). Dedication to former owner on front free endpaper. Book has a crack to the rear inside hinge but the connections between text block and boards are still intact. Slightly spotting and miniscule closed tears to some of the pages. Dusting to the edges of the text block.

In 1886, Frances Hodgson Burnett published Little Lord Fauntleroy, her first children's book, which was enthusiastically received by… Read More

No dust jacket. The green fabric covered boards show little wear, mainly at the corners and the ends of the spine. Brown and gilt embossed decoration and title on the front cover and spine, with brown printed and embossed publisher's logo on the rear cover. The deckle-edged pages are clean, tight and unmarked. There is the beginning of a hinge split in the front endpaper. The frontispiece appears to be the onlt illustration. The book is an accounting of the time Stephenson and his new wife spent in an abandoned mining camp while on their honeymoon. Examining other copies available online, there appears to be some dispute as to which might be the first edition. I'm not going to make that claim here, but it is clearly in the running. It does seem to be a rare and highly valued edition. Included inside the back cover is a clipping about Stephenson's stay in Silverado, from the San Fransisco Sunday newspaper, dated May 11, 1980.