Rare books from E C Books

LONDON : Ray Society, 1861 An exceptional copy. Complete in 2 volumes - rebound - brown leather spines with raised bands and gold lettering; marbled boards in fine condition. Original Ray Society plates retained and pasted onto new end papers.Volume 1 issued in 1861 and Volume 2 in 1864. Contents in very good condition with 29 hand coloured plates drawn from nature by Tuffen West. Some brown age spotting.

LONDON: George Bell & Sons, 1870 A nice set of the second edition of Morris's History of British Birds. In 6 volumes with original decorative cloth bindings and 365 hand coloured plates as called for. The bindings are all clean with bright gilt pictures of birds to each front board and gilt titles and decoration to spine. There is some wear: volume I has some cloth splitting at the hinges and splitting at the rear endpaper with rubbing to corners; volumes II, III and IV have very slight pulling to top and bottom of spine and a little rubbing at corners; volume V has very small splits at the top and bottom of the spine; and volume VI has a 1 inch tear at the top of the spine (with no loss) and scuffing at the corners. Internally all have the original endpapers; the first section including the frontispiece is becoming loose on volumes I, II, and III; volume IV is sound but the stitching is looser than on the others. There is a little spotting to some plates and text pages but in general the… Read More

London : Simpkin & Marshall, 1825 Volumes I - VII of the 1st edition of Maund's Botanic Garden ranging in date from 1825 to 1836 (Vol VII is undated) with 167 of 168 fine hand coloured plates. It was originally issued in parts and these volumes are in what looks like an original publisher's cloth binding which is worn and disintegrating with some poor stitching, so this set has been priced to take account of rebinding costs. The book is in a square octavo format and text pages are printed on one side only. The contents are clean and bright with beautiful colouring on the plates (faults are listed in the detailed description below). There is some offsetting where particularly strong colour has been applied and shows through to the back of the plates. All have a decorative title page and an additional title page. Vol IV has a third title page part way through the book. All are unpaginated. Vol I has a dedication 'to the lovers of Botany', preface and index - the 9th plate has some… Read More

London : Hodder and Stoughton A nice copy in the original dark red gilt decorated cloth binding with 20 beautiful tipped in colour plates by Edmund Dulac. Undated but ?1909/1915. The binding has been rebacked to make a very sound copy.The gilt decorated front board has some light fading to top and spine edges and a slight warp at the top corner, and the spine has fading. There is some very light marking to the back board. Internally, the original endpapers are plain and clean. Text pages are printed on one side only with the text in decorative borders. The plates have descriptive tissue guards and have stunning decorative borders. There is some light spotting to some text pages but the plates are in fine condition.

LONDON: Tho Roycroft for Richard Blome, 1673 A fair copy of the 1st edition sadly lacking all but 2 of the maps. This work is rare. Richard Blome was heavily criticised at the time for producing the work - being accused of plagiarising Camden and Speed. He funded the work through subscribers but clearly sold few copies and ownership of it passed to John Wright in 1677. His work is now being reassessed and he is recognised for being the first to properly plan an illustrated description of London. This copy is in contemporary full leather binding which has been rebacked reasonably recently to provide a new spine with raised bands and gilt outlined title label. The boards have wear as you would expect - particularly to the corners - but are sound. With title page in red and black inks, dedication to Charles II, Preface to the Reader, alphabetical table of subscribers ('benefactors'), 12 leaves of coats of arms of the benefactors, portrait of Charles II pasted at the beginning of a general… Read More

LONDON : John Van Voorst, 1856 A VG copy of the first edition in the original blind stamped decorative cloth binding with gilt titles to spine. With colour printed fold out frontispiece, 5 further colour plates and one plain plate as called for. The Revd Tugwell unashamedly addressed this work to 'the amateur rambler about our English coasts' and provides an account in plain language for the rambler to follow. The result is a charming example of victorian natural history - written to encourage the reader to understand nature better. With a listing of locations at the rear. The binding and the original endpapers are in very good clean condition with only a very slight marking to the top of the boards. The contents are also very clean and bright. The reverse of the plates have shadows of the plate images but there is little offsetting to the text. Small light book, please enquire if you would like us to assess postage at cost.

LONDON: Groombridge and Sons A VG copy in the original green decorative cloth binding with gilt plant pictures and titles to front board and spine, and blind stamped decoration to rear board. The boards have bevelled edges. This work is generally attributed to Shirley Hibberd. It is clear from the Preface that it contains work from a number of authors, so it is likely that Hibberd had the editorial role. A number of the colour plates appear in 1870's copies of the Floral World - again edited by Hibberd. It is undated but is probably late 1870's/early1880's. With title page in red and black inks; colour printed frontispiece and 35 further colour printed plates, and numerous black and white illustrations - some full page. The binding is slightly shaken with a little bumping to corners and wear to edges including spine joint edges. The original endpapers are present. The contents are generally very clean apart from the very occasional brown spot. Some of the plant outlines can be seen faintly… Read More

Londini [London]: Guilielmi Stansbij,Impensis Simonis Watersoni, 1615 2 volumes bound in one, in contemporary full leather binding, 1615 and 1627 respectively. 1st edition of Annales and 1st London edition of Tomus Alter. The binding retains the original boards and spine which has been rebacked, retaining the title label. It is slightly worn at the top of the spine joint with the front board and there is wear to corners with some loss of leather. Internally there is a label of Wimbledon College Community Library pasted to the rear of the front board and a small circular stamp of 'The Sacred Heart, Wimbledon' at the side of the Annales title page together with a very faint signature at the top. Contents: 2 blanks; title page; Lectori 6pp; Apparatus pp 1-15; Pars Prima pp 17-20; Pars Secunda pp 171-314; Pars Tertia pp 315-459; Index 20pp; Title page Tomus Alter; tribute to Camden 2pp; Pars Quarta p 1-186; Index 10pp; blank. All with decorative head and tail pieces and initial capitals. Generally… Read More

London: John and Arthur Arch, Cornhill. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green. Paternoster Row. & C Loddiges & Sons, Hackney, 1824 A scarce complete volume of Loddiges' Botanical Cabinet, with 100 hand coloured plates engraved by George Cooke. Conrad Loddiges founded a plant nursery business in Hackney and the family became famous for exotic and rare plants. The mauve rhododendron that has become common in Great Britain today was imported by Conrad Loddiges. The Botanical Cabinet showcases the rare plants that they imported and grew. This volume is volume X, dated 1824. In contemporary half leather binding with marbled boards and endpapers. Top page edges gilt. The spine has gilt compartments and elaborate gilt tooling. There are title and volume labels. Internally there is a decorative title page and then a series of plates, each followed by a brief description on a separate page. There are 100 plates of which 9 are folding. There is an index at the rear. The binding is in very… Read More

LONDON: William S Orr & Co, 1846 A poor copy of this beautiful work with 60 hand coloured plates. Classed as poor because the title page is missing; the binding is poor - in marked plain cloth and beginning to detach; and there is a little marking internally. The pagination matches our other 2nd edition copy so this is presumed as second, dated to 1846. The plates are in good condition - there is some brown spotting to edges, and around 3 have a darkened section, again at the edge not affecting the flower image (we have noticed only one plate with a light mark affecting the flower). All have tissue guards - one guard is torn and one has a small hole - most guards have marking. A few text pages have a little marking and p 117 has a repaired tear to the top margin. The final index page has a small hole at the top. This copy would be well worth rebinding.

London : Duckworth & Co, 1913 A good copy of the limited edition in gilt-decorated parchment binding with tipped-in frontispiece and 11 further tipped-in plates by Charles Robinson. This copy is number 241 of 260 copies of which 250 were for sale. The binding has a browned spine, and a lot of browning and scuffing to edges with some loss of surface at the front corners and the top back corner. There is some marking to the front board. Internally the decorative endpapers are present without inscription. The contents, including numerous designs and line illustrations by Charles Robinson are in good to very good clean condition. There are lightly creased tissue guards to plates at pp 26 and 68 and the tissue guards to plates at pp 76 and 122 have some wrinkling and browning. The mount to the plate at p76 has a slight ripple at the top. Page 47 has a turned corner tip and there is a small repaired edge tear to the bottom margin of p 54. Please enquire if you would like to see more images to assess condition.

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

Kirkwall: William Peace & Son, 1883 A good copy of the 1st edition in original cloth binding. Scarce. The binding has gilt titles to the spine and blind ruled lines to the board edges. It is clean and sound. There is wear to the corners, spine ends and edges and the spine is slightly cocked to the front. The cloth has a slight ripple, particularly on the back board. The original green patterned endpapers are present. Contents: half title; title; contents listing; text pp 9-132; erratum. The contents are in very good clean condition. There is a small spot at the top corner of p 81/2.

Liverpool: Henry Fisher , 1820 A very good 2 volume set of the 1st edition, newly rebound in half calf with marbled boards. With 2 decorative frontispieces, 1 decorative title, and 106 hand coloured plates. The title pages are undated but Vol I has a preface dated 1820 and the 1st edition was produced between 1816 and 1820. This copy is in new half calf with gilt lines title labels and volume numbers to spines. The marbled paper matches the marbling on the page edges. New endpapers. All the plates are in very good clean condition and are well coloured. The paper quality varies with the paper in the first half of Vol II being noticeably toned and prone to light spotting. Contents - Vol I: frontispiece; decorative title; title; preface 2 pp; introduction, instructions on finding a plant, and text (to letters KYL) with 56 plates pp 1-790. There are a couple of ink corrections in the margins of pp 304-5 and 627. Paper lightly toned with light spotting circa p 700. Vol II: frontispiece; title; text pp… Read More

London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1910 A very good copy of the limited edition of Sleeping Beauty signed by Edmund Dulac. No 598 of 1,000. In the original full morocco leather binding with gilt decoration to boards and spine, with tipped-in frontispiece and 29 further colour plates. Top page edges gilted. The binding has been rebacked, preserving the original spine which has some loss at the top. It is sound and tight with newer endpapers and initial and final blanks. There is slight colour variation to the front board and some scuffing to the middle of the back board. Edges and corners are lightly rubbed. There is a loose flyer for the exhibition of Dulac's art work for the book, which ran from November 19th to Christmas of 1910. Contents: half title; frontispiece with guard; title; preface; illustration list; preface; text 129 pp with 29 tissue-guarded plates. The original blanks are browned to one side. There is a small tear in the bottom edge of the tissue guard to the plate at p40; a mark to the guard,… Read More