Military Books

Album militaire. Illustrated French manuscript on paper. No place (Evreux ?, 1860). 432 original watercolour plates with uniforms of French miltary, heigthened with gum Arabic (recte 429, lacking plates 10, 11 and 38) and including a richly illustrated main title and 4 unillustrated half-titles. 1. Armée Fancaise 1806 à 1814 (plates 122-181) - 2. Garde Impériale de Napoléon III 1858 à 1859 (plates 182-330) - 3. Armèe Francaise (plates 331-392) - 4. Armèe d'Afrique (plates 393-432). Each plate with manuscript caption in brown ink, and framed by double rules in brown ink. Cont. half calf, flat spine richly gilt with gilt stamped title "Album Militaire" and the name "Picro". 4to (311 x 230 mm). Spine damaged, hinges split but still holding, boards heavily rubbed, edges worn.
A magnificent collection of watercolours of French military in chronological order, starting with plate 2 with a warrior of the 5. century through plate 32 with an infanteryman of 1680. Plates 33 through 43 covers the period… Read More

Green calf spine (faded to tan) with gilt title and decoration and raised banding. Green cloth boards with gilt Hull school emblem on the front board. All edges gilt.

Paris: Leroy, 1910. First edition. Finely bound in brown half leather with gilt titles and marbled paper covered boards, green endpapers. Published Paris: Leroy, 1910. Text in French. 4to., 8 1/2" x 12 1/4", 86pp., illustrated with 22 plates. Darkening to title page, gentle toning to the paper. Very good plus in an attractive binding. . 1st. Half-Leather. Very Good Plus/No Jacket, As Issued. 4to.

1945. First edition thus. Limited, numbered edition printed on special luxury paper. Number 128. Original 4to. wrappers with well preserved full color Job cover bound in blue, full Morocco leather with gilt spine titles and marbled endpapers. Text in French. No publisher, no date (1945), illustrated with color plates and facsimilies and numerous b/w reproductions - some tipped-in. Full color Job cover near fine. Large 4to., 10 1/4" x 12 3/4", 316pp., plus 4pp. addenda. Colonel Sauzey wrote most of the work. The chapters concerning 1914/1918 and 1939/1945 were written by the Army Historical Service. A beautiful edition. Light foxing along top edge of page block, minor starting to outer hinge of cover. Near fine. . Full-Leather. Near Fine/No Jacket, As Issued. 4to.

Lille: L. Danel, 1893. First edition, limited to 1,250 numbered copies, number 111. Published Lille: L. Danel, 1893. Text in French. Folio, 12" x 15 1/2", 434pp., Illustrated by Maison Ch. Gillot in Paris, based on the watercolors GRAMMONT, MARIE DE l'ISLE with full color, full page plates under tissue guard, and the drawings of NEYMARCK, along with b/w facsimilies, tables and reproductions. Burgundy publisher's cloth with gilt spine and cover titles, blind embossed spine design, green endpapers. Fading to the spine cloth, three inch hairline split to the outer cloth at rear hinge, wear and some tenderness to the tips, else very good. Binding strong and tight, pages clean and bright with slight, occasional foxing, color plates fine, some creasing/darkening to tissue guards. Very good. . 1st. Hard. Very Good/No Jacket, As Issued. Folio. Numbered, Limited Edition.

Paris: Boussod, Valadon & Cie, Imprimeurs-éditeurs, 1892. First illustrated edition. Beautifully bound in three-quarter leather and marbled boards. Published Paris: Boussod, Valadon & Cie, Imprimeurs-éditeurs, 1892. Text in French. Folio, 11 7/8" x 14", viii+168pp., printed on heavy coated paper, illustrated with 43 full page plates - 20 in full color (four of which are double page), 23 b/w (eight of which are double page), plus numerous b/w illustrations within the text. Bound in three-quarter red Morocco leather with raised bands and gilt titles over marbled paper covered boards, marbled endpapers, top edge gilting, green ribbon marker bound-in. Some scuff to the leather and rear cover, wear at the tips. A very good, clean, bright attractive example. . 1st. Leather. Very Good/No Jacket, As Issued. Folio.

Paris: A. Lahure, 1898. First edition. Beautifully bound in fine three-quarter Morocco leather in heavy boards with raised bands, gilt titles and intricate spine designs, marbled boards and endpapers, top edge gilting, ribbon marker bound-in. Published Paris: A. Lahure, 1898, printed November, 1897. Folio, 10 1/4", 13 1/2", 172pp., illustratred with 24 tissue-guarded intaglio engraved plates and 236 vignettes engraved in the text. A reference monograph on the painter Jean-Baptiste Edouard Detaille who specialized in military scenes and was regarded as as the "semi-official artist of the French army." Minor foxing on edges of page block, else a near fine, stunningly bound, attractive copy. . 1st. Three-Quarter Leather. Near Fine/No Jacket, As Issued. Folio.

NY: James G. Gregory, 1864. First edition. Bound in three-quarter leather. Published NY: James G. Gregory, 1864. 8vo., 6 1/4" x 9 1/2", 424pp. Bound in three-quarter pebbled leather with raised bands, gilt titles and decorations, burgundy marbled paper over boards and matching endpapers, marbled edges. Wear along the edges and outer hinges, bands rubbed, else very good. Binding straight and strong, text clean and unmarked. Volume 2 was never published. . 1st. Three-Quarter Leather. Very Good/No Jacket, As Issued. 8vo.

Edinburgh and London: W. & A. K. Johnston, 1895. First edition, limited to 530 copies. Hard cover in original publisher's decorated cloth. Published Edinburgh and London: W. & A. K. Johnston, 1895. 8vo., 6 1/2" x 10 1/4", 72pp., illustrated with 9 color plates by English military artist Harry Pane. Blind embossed red cloth with bevelled boards, gilt titles and cover emblem, patterned endpapers. Fade to the spine, band of fade across top cover and bottom bevel, mild wear at spine ends and tips, previous owner bookplate on pastedown. Very good, clean, tight, pages and plates bright. . 1st. Hard. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo.

Edinburgh: Banks & Co., 1885. First edition, limited to 1,000 copies. Hard cover in publisher's original decorated cloth. Published Edinburgh, Banks & Co., 1885. 8vo., 6" x 8 3/4", xxiv+185pp., illustrated with six colored plates. Blind embossed brown cloth with gilt titles, cover emblem and design, all edge gilting, patterned endpapers. Very good. . 1st. Hard. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo.

London: Spottiswoode, 1914. First edition. Hard cover in publisher's original three-quarter decorated leather. Published London: Spottiswoode, 1914. 4to., 8 1/4" x 10", xxii+505pp., illustrated with 28 b/w plates and plans and 17 color plates of uniforms by P. W. Reynolds, 4pp. of music. Bound in 3/4 deep burgundy leather with gilt titles and crest over burgundy cloth, top edge gilting. Some foxing on edge of page block, light rub to the leather. Very good, attractive, pages and plates clean and bright. . 1st. Hard. Very Good/No Jacket. 4to.

London: Eden Fisher & Co., 1911. First edition. Hard cover in publisher's original decorated cloth. Published London: Eden Fisher & Co., 1911. Thick 8vo., 7" x 9 3/4", 451pp., illustrated with photos, maps and color plates of uniforms. Bound in original blind embossed green cloth with beveled boards, gilt titles and silver and gilt cover crest, all edge gilting. Wear at the tips, crease on spine cloth. Very good, pages clean, bright, unmarked. . 1st. Hard. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo.

London: Oxford University Press, 1952. First edition. Hard cover in dust jacket. Published London: Oxford University Press, Geoffrey Cumberlege, Publisher to the University, 1952, first printing, 8vo., 7" x 10", xiii+517pp., illustrated with plates, a few in color, map endpapers, 4 folding maps at rear. Bound in green cloth with gilt tiles and gilt cover crest. A near fine, clean, bright, attractive copy, folding maps fine. Light dust spotting on top edge, minor nicking front edge of page block. In a near fine, unclipped dust jacket with a short, closed tear. Scarce.. 1st. Hard. Near Fine/Near Fine. 8vo.

London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1948. First edition. Hard cover in original cloth. Published London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1948, first printing. 8vo., 371pp., illustrated with 53 b/w plates, 5 maps, map endpapers. Salmon cloth with gilt titles in burgundy block, gilt cover crest, top edge titnted pink, printed on laid paper. Some sun fade to the spine and cover, mild foxing to preliminaries, paper clip ghost on top edge of first few sheets. Very good, clean, bright. . 1st. Hard. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo.

London: A & C Black, 1928. First edition. Hard cover in dust jacket. Published London: A & C Black, 1928. 8vo., 7 1/4" x 9 1/2", 144pp., illustrated with 15 tipped-in full color plates, 46 photogravure reproductions. Introduction by Ian A. Richmond. Blue cloth with black titles and designs. Mild foxing on pastedowns, ownership signature on flyleaf . Very good, clean, bright in a good dust jacket with loss at the spine ends and rear corner. . 1st. Hard. Very Good/Good. 8vo.