Literature

Robson Books, 1983, 1st Edition. Book in very good condition, very faint foxing on top edge. Dust jacket excellent, very slight wear at edges.

Napa, CA: Tales for Travellers. Fine. 1986. Pamphlet. Volume 3 of the Tales for Travellers collection: A collection of 12 short stories presented in map-sized pamphlet form. Each pamphlet is 24 pages printed front & back with unique cover illustrations. The pamphlets themselves are in FINE condition - bright, intact & whole. Pamphlets are housed in a VG slipcase as issued: Some light rubbing & bumping to extremities else a bright & sturdy slipcase. Scarce in this condition as issued. FKTT 8/23 ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall .

1888 Jules Verne Captain at Fifteen Dick Sand SLAVERY Africa Voyages Hetzel

"If the name Dick had been given to the little orphan, it was because it was the name of the charitable passer-by who had picked him up two or three hours after his birth. As to the name Sand, it was attributed to him in remembrance of the lace where he had been found."
– Jules Verne, Dick Sand

Jules Verne's adventure novels are some of the most popular and famous works of literature of all time. Known mostly for his works of science fiction, this Verne novel contains no inventions or marvels, but is simply a story of moving scenes of travel and African exploration and zoology. However, the lessons of the work come in the form of the brutal and horrible stories of slavery. Dick Sand, a teenager, must take control of a ship after the captain dies; he encounters shipwrecks, slaves, and experiences revenge all in this popular Verne novel.

Note on dating: like many other Verne first editions, the title page included was… Read More

1664 Lesina Company Italian Politics Cuisine Finance Venice Canterbury Tales

In 16th-century Florence, there was a rise a style of literature that focused heavily on political satire. One such work was 'Company of the Lesina Dialogues'. This work of unknown authorship describes a group of travelers on the way to Lesina and their conversations. It covers a wide variety of topics including food and recipes, as well as money and finance – things the group sought upon arriving at their destination. This work, which was published throughout the 17th-century, has been attributed to Tommaso Buoni.

While there are no exact connections between the two, the parallels between 'Lesina' and Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' are evident. Fictional travelers discussing life on their way to a destination.

Item number: #24001
Price: $599

BUONI, Tommaso

La Contralesina; ouero, Ragionamenti, costitutioni & lodi della splendidezza, del Pastor Monopolitan

Venetia: Presso Paolo Baglioni, 1664.

Details:
·… Read More

1907 BRONTE Novels Jane Eyre Wuthering Heights Shirley Feminism Thornton 12v

"Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste."
― Charlotte Brontë

Famous novels of the Brontë Sisters, including Jane Eyre!

The Brontë Sisters produced some of the most famous and popular novels of the 19th-century including Jane Eyre, by Charlotte. This set of volumes was published in 1907 by Thornton and includes famous works including 'Jane Eyre', 'Wuthering Heights', and 'Shirley'.

Item number: #23300
Price: $950

BRONTË Sisters

[works]

Edinburgh: J. Grant, 1907.

Details:
· Collation: Complete with all pages; 12 tomes
o "Shirley", 2 vols
o "Jane Eyre", 2 vols
o "Agnes Grey"
o "The Professor"
o "Villette", 2 vols
o "Wuthering Heights"
o "Wildfell Hall", 2 vols
o "The Life of Charlotte Bronte", Gaskell
o 40+ illustrations throughout
· Language: English
· Binding: Hardcover; tight and secure
o Green cloth
· Size: ~8.5in X 5.75in… Read More

1664 Pharamond King of Franks Faramond by Gautier Calprenede French Novel 4v

Guatier de La Calprenede was a 17th-century French novelist. Calprenede, with his plays and novels, found favor with Queen Anne of Austria and her husband, King Louis XIII of France in 1650. Following the successes of his novel 'Cleopatre', Calprenede wrote another historical novel on the life and reign of the legendary first king of the Franks Pharamond. 'Faramond' became one of his most important and oft-read novels.

Item number: #24173
Price: $750

La CALPRENEDE, Gautier de Coste

Faramond ou l'histoire de France…

A Paris: Chez Antoine de Sommaville, 1664-70. First edition.

Details:
· Collation: Complete with all pages; 7 parts in 4 tomes
o Part 1 – [16], 466
o Parts. 3-4 – 370; 367, [1]
o Parts. 5-6 – 375, [1]; 340
o Parts. 7-8 – 364; 384
o 6 engraved plates
· Language: French
· Binding: Leather; tight and secure
· Size: ~6.75in X 4.5in (17cm x 11cm)

Our Guarantee:… Read More

1926 EXQUISITE Leather 5v SET Marcus Aurelius FINE BINDING Browne Religio Medici
A fine set of leather bound, 20th-century books featuring beautiful tomes of the works of Charles Lamb, John Hay, and Lord Moran. Though, the draw of this set is the exquisite leather bindings, the inclusion of Thomas Browne's "Religio Medici" and a translation of Marcus Aurelius's autobiography make this set truly desirable.
Item number: #24608
Price: $750
Main author: John Hay
Title: Poems by John Hay Brown 1858
Published: Cambridge: the Riverside Press, 1935
Provenance: Handwritten – Shirley J Hine
Main author: Lord Moran
Title: the Anatomy of courage
Published: London: Constable: 1966
Main author: Charles Lamb
Title: The Essays of Elia
Published: London: J.M. Dent & Sons, / New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1926.
Main author: Thomas Browne
Title: Religio Medici : Letter to a friend and Christian Morals
Published: London: Macmillan and Co., 1926.
Provenance: Handwritten and stamped – D K Worcester, Jr.
Main… Read More

1738 CHAPBOOK Jean de Paris French Charles VIII France SPAIN Troyes CHIVALRY
'Jean de Paris' is a rare, 15th-century fictional romance written by an unknown author. This work tells the story of Jean, the son of the king of France and his eventual ascension to the throne through descriptions of political diplomacy with Spain and England, identity concealment, and royal marriage. While the date that this book was first written is unknown, it is likely that it was written during the reign of Charles VIII of France.
This 1738 French edition was published in Troyes by Garnier and features a fine, woodcut engraving on the title page.
Item number: #24785
Price: $499
unknown
Histoire de Jean de Paris, roi de France
A Troyes: Chez la Veuve Garnier, [1738].
Details:
· Collation: Complete with all pages
o 46, [2]
· Language: French
· Binding: Unbound
· Size: ~6.5in X 4.25in (16.5cm x 11cm)
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Customer satisfaction is our priority! Notify us with 7… Read More

1875 EXQUISITE William Shakespeare Complete Works Knight Gilbert Illustrated 2v
A rare set of the works of Shakespeare. In the mid-19th-century, Charles Knight published an illustrated edition of the works of William Shakespeare, a set that proved to be very popular throughout the late 1800s. This set includes numerous in-text engravings of prominent characters from the artwork depicting scenes from each of the plays.
This stunning 1875 Knight edition was printed in two leather-bound tomes, filled with 340 illustrations by John Gilbert.
Item number: #24812
Price: $499
SHAKESPEARE, William
The Works of Shakspere
London: George Routledge and Sons, 1875.
Details:
· Collation: Complete; 2 volumes
o Vol. I – viii, [2], 11-560
o Vol. II – 560
o Heavily illustrated throughout
· Language: English
· Binding: Leather; tight and secure
· Size: ~10in X 7.25in (25.5cm x 18cm)
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Customer satisfaction is our priority! Notify us with 7 days of… Read More

1864 Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe Voyages Illustrated Shipwreck English CLASSIC

"It is never too late to be wise."
― Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

Called the original adventure novel, Robinson Crusoe was originally published in 1719 and depicts the life of a castaway who learns to survive on an island for decades. However, while it saw substantial success with the masses, there were still those that were not impressed. Charles Dickens said,
"...Robinson Crusoe should be the only instance of a universally popular book that could make no one laugh and could make no one cry."

Item number: #25096
Price: $499

DEFOE, Daniel

The life and adventures of Robinson Crusoe

London: George Routledge and Sons, [1864].

Details:
· Collation: Complete with all pages
o xx, 497, [3]
o Illustrated with 100 engravings
· Language: English
· Binding: Hardcover; tight and secure
o Decorative cloth
· Size: ~8.75in X 6.5in (22cm x 16.5cm)

Our Guarantee:
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One of a rare pre-publication copy of the elaborately produced edition of "De la terre à la lune", published by de Tartas in 1970. These "handmade" editions were given in a few copies to selected collectors and dealers to promote the printed edition.
Description: Cardboard portfolio, wrapped in an original colour lithograph. Folio: 38 × 28 cm; 8 folded leaves (2 blank), loose as issued. With 6 original colour lithographs: 2 full-page and 1 double-page and 3 within text; 2 b/w photos tipped in. The lithographs protected with tissue guards. All full-page lithographs marked with a perforation stamp "Specimen", the double-page lithograph additionally marked "Epreuve d'état non corrigée par l'artiste".
Condition: Minor signs of wear to covers. Contents and prints in excellent condition.
Notes: Jean Carzou (born Karnik Zouloumian, 1907–2000) was an Armenian-French painter and illustrator. He was educated in Cairo before moving to Paris in 1924, where he studied art and architecture. He started… Read More

First edition of the famous 4-volume edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses by Pierre-François Basan (1723-1797) and Noël Le Mire (1724-1801), illustrated by Baquoy, Choffard, Duclos, Legrand and many others after Bocuehr, Eisen, Gravelot, Moreau, etc. "It is one of the most brilliantly illustrated of the entire century" (Cohen). Large paper issue.
Description: 4 vols., contemporary marbled calf, sides ruled with triple gilt fillet and decorative gilt roll to board edges. Spine richly gilt in compartments between five raised bands, with two brown morocco labels, lettered gilt. Marbled endpapers. Large square octavo: 25 × 19 cm; pag.: vol.1: [5]ll., pp. xc, [2 (approbation)], 264. vol.2: vii, 352. vol.3: viii, 360. vol.4: viii, 367, 8 (explication). With 140 numbered copper-engraved plates (No. 1 frontispiece, 2-140 with printed captions), 1 final plate (vol.4), 4 title page vignettes, 3 engraved dedication vignettes (vol.1), 30 engraved headpieces. All edges gilt.
Provenance: Bookseller's paper label… Read More

First edition. With the two loosely inserted original lithographs by Francis Picabia. Limited edition, number 336, printed on wove paper, from an edition of 365.
Description: Paperback, with a colour illustration by Picabia on the front cover. Quarto: 28 × 22 cm; pp. 33, [1]. 2 loosely enclosed original lithographs. Printed on wove paper.
Inserted: Loose enclosed the original publisher's subscription form.
Condition: Cover somewhat soiled, with some bumps and tears to the head and foot of the spine. Unfortunately without the glassine wrapper. Faint marginal toning to contents. Overall, however, a very good copy.
Notes: La loi daccommodation chez les borgnes (The Law of Accommodation in the One-Eyed), was conceived by Picabia as a screenplay for a three-part film in which the reader would "project the story onto the screen of his own imagination". Published in May 1928.

One of the very few copies of this work. Complete with the handwritten addressed envelope. Limited edition of 111 copies, of which this is number xli.
Description: Sewn as issued in original printed wrappers and original glassine jacket. Quarto: 31 × 21 cm; [14] ll. (unpaginated). Printed from 16 pt Astrée on hand-made paper, edges uncut.
Enclosed: Original envelope with the address of the recipient of this print.
Provenance: Personal copy of Count E. da Silva Ramos (presumably father of racing driver Hernando "Nano" da Silva Ramos).
Condition: A few pages with a small spot of paper browning. Otherwise an excellent copy.
Notes: In its 16-year history, the Société de Bibliophiles Les Plaquettes has published only two works. The first was published in 1939, the second in 1943, and both works were only printed in small editions for members of the Société. This is the reason for the present edition of 'Éloge de la plaquette' being only 111 copies. In this text, Fernand Fleuret analyses the… Read More

First edition. Limited edition, one of 60 copies printed on Hollande Van Gelder, numbered I to LX, of which this is no. XXXI.
Description: Quarter navy blue morocco over marbled boards. Octavo: 23 × 15 cm; pp. 90, [1]. Illustrated with numerous decorative borders, head- and tailpieces by Gabriel Pinta. Top edge gilt.
Condition: Despite light wear to the extremities, the binding is in very good condition. Internally, clean and free of marks.