Rare books from Rob Zanger Rare Books LLC

London: Methuen, 1926. First Trade Edition. Near fine/Very good. Ernest H. Shepard. Crown 8vo, 7 5/8 x 5 in (194 x 127 mm), pp. 158, green cloth, gilt stamping on the front board with an illustration of Christopher Robin and Pooh, gilt lettering on spine, top edge gilt; full-page and text illustrations, illustrated endpapers with map of "100 Aker Wood... Drawn by me and Mr. Shepar Helpd (sic.)"; in very good dust jacket (slightly worn, some dust and finger smudging - primarily affecting back panel, spine panel somewhat sunned, some dampstaining to bottom edge of spine panel, 1/4 inch; 6 mm tear to stop of spine panel, slight chipping with no losses to lettering or design elements). Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard (except where exceptions are noted). THIS COPY SIGNED IN INK BY BOTH A.A. MILNE AND ERNEST H. SHEPARD ON THE TITLE PAGE. [Haring-Smith C79; Cutler-Stiles p. 116; Grolier, no. 71]. Milne, A.A. (Alan Alexander: 1882-1956). Winnie-the-Pooh. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1926. First Edition.… Read More

Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1894. Limited Edition. Octavo, 8 1/4 x 5.5 in (206 x 140 mm) 392 pp. Edited by F.S. Ellis. One of 300 copies on Flower paper, printed in red and black in Golden type, wood-engraved borders and initials designed by William Morris, neat contemporary ink inscription to front free endpaper, original limp vellum with ties, yapp edges, spine titled in gilt, uncut; binding very slightly soiled with a small mark  to the upper cover, else in fine condition. Inscription: "W.M. Marshall / from E.M. & T.C. Farrer / 1896" [Peterson A24; Tomkinson p. 113 no. 24; Forman p. 220; Ransom p. 327, no. 24]. This collection and the extreme care and expertise William Morris poured into his edition of the poems of John Keats (1795-1821), is a testament to the high regard in which this second-generation romantic poet was held towards the end of the 19th century, and particularly by the Pre-Raphaelites. "This was, arguably, the most popular of the titles published by the press, and the supply… Read More

Rome: Andrea Fe, 1622. First Edition. Large Octavo, 9 3/16 x 6 7/8 inches (232 x 175 mm);pp. XI + 161 + [12], including 66 full-page engraving of which 43 represent individual birds and 23 illustrate the materials about trapping and caring for birds; woodcut initials & tail-pieces, light offsetting as typical, a little browned, a few stains, A7 lacking small portion from inner margin, E4 with small paper flaw holes at head just touching head-line; 18th century diced russia, rebacked, flat spines divided into panels by single gilt rules, gilt title and publication year, rubbed, corners worn, gilt-rolled turn-ins, marbled endpapers. Front pastedown with the engraved armorial bookplate of Thomas Philip Earl de Grey, Wrest Park, and a second engraved bookplate belonging to his daughter Anne, who inherited the Wrest Park estate and its library (ACC initial for Anne Countess Cowper). Title page reads: Uccelliera Overo discorso della natura e proprietà di diversi uccelli e in particolare di que' che… Read More

Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1891. First, Limited Edition. near fine. Small 4to, 8 x 5 7/8 inches (205 x 145 mm); pp. vi +197. One of 300 on Flower paper; printed in Golden type, THIS IS THE FIRST book printed by KELMSCOTT IN TWO COLORS; it is also the first book to feature the famous Kelmscott printer's mark, which in fact appears twice - at the end of the table of contents and on the colophon leaf at the end. Wood-engraved borders and initials designed by Morris. Original stiff vellum, yapp edges, gilt titling on spine, uncut, with four silk ties, (one is detached but present), a little soiling on the spine, pristine interiors. This is an AUTOGRAPHED PRESENTATION COPY from WILLIAM MORRIS, in ink on front free endpaper "to Robert Smith, from William Morris, Nov. 5th 1891 [Peterson A2; Forman 126; Tomkinson, p. 108, no. 2; Ransom p. 325, no. 2]. The recipient, Robert Smith, was one of two business-like brothers employed originally in the London shop of Morris and Co., but later promoted to junior… Read More

Andoversford: Whittington Press, 1993. First, Limited Edition. Fine. Miriam Macgregor. Royal 8vo, 11 x 7 7/8 in. (280 x 200mm); pp. 41. Two wood engravings by Miriam Macgregor. Copy 267 of 350 copies printed. Set in Goudy Modern and printed in black, the wood-engravings in brown, on Zerkall cream smooth laid paper on the Heidelberg press. Fine Bindery in quarter binding in cloth with Whittington printed paper-covered boards, gilt spine titling, headbands, top edge gilt, mauve Hahnenühle endpapers. [Butcher 118]. An elegant tribute to Alan Hancox was assembled by Alan Tucker, The introduction is by Melvyn Bragg and the afterword by Michael Foot. It contains sixteen poems (15 of them previously unpublished), and a prose piece by Laurie Lee. Alan Hancox Opened his first bookshop in Cheltenhaim in the late 1940s, and it quickly became a meeting place and the literary heart of the town.

Berlin: Ben Joachim Pauli, 1783. First Edition. Near fine. Ludwig Schmidt and others. Oblong 4to, 8 1/2 x 10 1/4 in. (211 x 260 mm), 117 fine hand-colored engraved plates, printed on handmade laid paper. Contemporary half calf with marbled paper boards and a handwritten paper label on the spine, chipped; binding rubbed and corners bumped but binding is square and firm; all edges red; light water stain to the cover and fly sheets, not affecting the plates. Very light foxing on a few of the plates. The copy offered here does not include the plate relating to the entomologist's instruments, which is included in some copies. [Nissen, ZBI 2078]. An exceedingly rare and beautifully-illustrated work by Carl Gustav Jablonsky and JFW Herbst, whose Natursystem is one of the first attempts at a complete survey of exotic and European butterflies, and edited following the system of Carl Linnaeus (1707 - 1778), the father of modern taxonomy, as stated in the subtitle of the work. Carl Gustav Jablonsky (1765 -… Read More

New York: Privately Printed by Order of Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan (DeVinne Press &, 1911. First, Limited Edition. Near fine. 2 volumes; Royal 8vo; 9 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (240 x 160 mm); Vol. 1: pp. xvii + 196; Vol. 2: lxxiii + 145; + 158 chromolithographs with rice paper guards inscribed with legend, many double-tissued. In vol. 2 plate no. 147 is used as a frontispiece. Each volume includes an index of cases with schematic drawings and key numbers, as well as Chinese characters and diagrams of maker marks. Top edges gilt, rest uncut; Brown pebbled morocco, with gold fillets on boards, five raised spines, gilt titling and decorations in compartments. Fillets on wide turn-ins, moiré silk and morocco doublures, spine sunned and some very light shelfwear to volume 1. Volume 2 bound in slightly darker morocco, with similar detailing and moiré-silk doublures, front cover re-attached by the Baytun-Riviere bindery. Volume two bears the pictorial bookplate of Earl Gifford Talbott. LIMITED EDITION of 250 copies… Read More

London: Bradbury & Evans, 1848. First Edition, First Issue. Near Fine. 8vo; 8 3/8 x 5 1/8 in. (212 x 130 mm); pp. ix + 625 + 38 steel-engraved plates, engraved frontispiece, engraved vignette title page, and 150 woodcuts and illustrated capitals in the text by Thackeray. COSWAY-STYLE BINDING by BAYNTUM of Bath (stamp-signed on front turn-in) with HAND-PAINTED PORTRAIT MINIATURE of THACKERAY on IVORY inset in the front cover. Contemporary full green-blue crushed levant over beveled boards, elaborately tooled and gilt, raised bands, spine compartments with scrolling tooling, turn-ins with gilt fillets and corner lilies, moiré-silk doublures, a.e.g., hinges repaired, binding a little worn and edges scuffed, as expected in a well-loved book. [Grolier English 100, 57; Allibone, Thackeray 7; Van Duzer 231]. This is the FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE of the best-known work by William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863), with the headline on page one in rustic type, the suppressed woodcut of the Marquis of Steyne… Read More

London: Methuen and Co, 1908. First Edition. Near fine/Near fine. Graham Robertson. 8vo. 7 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. (190 x 120 mm). pp. [1] + viii + 302 + i. Laid paper, deckle edges, t.e.g. With a captioned frontispieces, "And a River went out of Eden", on coated paper after a pen-and-ink drawing by Walford Graham Robertson (1866 - 1948); tissue guard. Original blue-green cloth with gilt illustration on the spine (Toad dressed in a driving outfit and goggles) and upper cover ( Pan playing flute to Rat and Mole by the river) and a single gilt rule on the upper cover. In the second issue publisher's pictorial peach-color dust jacket printed in black with price of 7/6 instead of 6/-.The spine of the dust jacket slightly darkened but in excellent condition with a couple small tears at head expertly repaired on verso; scattered foxing and discoloration to dust jacket and pages, wear to spine edges consistent with age. [Grolier: One Hundred Books Famous in Children's Literature, no.61; Osborne I, p. 349; Hunt… Read More

London: Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1928. First Edition, First Issue. Near fine/Near fine. Ernest H. Shepard. Crown 8vo, 7 1/2 x 5 in (192 x 127 mm), pp. 178, full-page and text illustrations. Original pink cloth cloth, gilt ruling and stamping on the front board with an illustration of Christopher Robin and Pooh, gilt lettering on spine, top edge gilt, rest uncut; illustrated pink endpapers with panorama and characters in silhouette, with light offset from dust jacket; dust jacket with very slight dust smudging at top edge and spine panel somewhat sunned, else fine. [Haring-Smith C108; Cutler-Stiles p. 116]. The third of A. A. Milne's charming books for children, The House at Pooh Corner begins with "One day with Pooh Bear had nothing else to do, he thought he would do something, so he went round to Piglet's house to see what Piglet was doing." Some of the chapters had appeared -as early as December 1926- in publications like the Evening News (London), The New York Evening Post and The Charleston (SC).… Read More

1951. Very good +. Gelatin silver print, 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (241 x 190 mm) from the Roland Butler Collection, Press Agent, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (1930s-1960s) Roland Butler Collection hand stamp on verso. [On the website of the Robert L. Parkinson Library & Research Center (The World's Source for American Circus History), the woman in this photograph is identified as her circus colleague Cilly Feindt (Photograph CWi 3182). Friedel Luciana Paster's obituary in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune on Tuesday, July 23, 2002 page 6B, entitled "Horse Trainer was a star of Royal Lipizzan Show," provided several biographical detail: "Friedel's entire life revolved around her beloved horses," said former circus performer and friend Rebecca Nock Brodeur of Bradenton. "She trained at the famous Spanish Riding School in Vienna and was in her first horse show when she was 12. She later trained her three stallions and toured in shows all over the world with her parents, Otto and Luciana," Brodeur… Read More

London: Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1927. First Edition. Near fine/Near fine. Ernest H. Shepard. Crown 8vo, 7 1/2 x 5 in (191 x 125 mm), pp. xi + 103 + colophon. With its ORIGINAL FIRST STATE DUST JACKET (price of 7/6 printed on spine panel) with only light browning on the folds and edges, one 3 mm tear to top edge and 15 mm tear on back flap, minor chipping to top of spine pane and one corner, still excellent overall. Original dark red cloth binding, gilt ruling and stamping on the front board with an illustration of Christopher Robin and toy train, and Pooh with Piglet on the back board; gilt lettering on spine, top edge gilt, rest uncut; illustrated pink end-papers, very light offset end papers, pages inside clean and bright, binding tight with one minor weakness after the first signature. Loosely inserted is the advertisement for exhibition of the original drawing for this book by E. H. Shepard at the Sporting Gallery, London, December 1927. [Haring-Smith C96; Cutler-Stiles p. 116]. A collection of 35… Read More

New York: Random House, 1957. First edition, First Printing, Third Issue. Near fine/Near fine. Dr. Seuss. 8vo, 9 x 6 1/2" (230 x 165 mm), (2) + 61 + (1) pp; pictorial end papers, verso of free end paper blank, pictorial title page, copyright page. Binding with glazed pictorial paper cover over boards and title on spine, very light signs of wear at corners and spine ends, binding stitched at 1 inch intervals; upper cover illustrated and lettered with addition of "For beginner readers"; back cover with excerpts from reviews printed in letterpress below illustration of chalkboard reading Educators hail The Cat in the Hat. Printed in red, black, salmon, dark blue and light blue on wove paper, with bold illustrations on every spread; pages a touch yellowed on edges. On the back of the last page of text is a note on the book enclosed within a large outline in blue of Cat in the Hat. The ORIGINAL DUST WRAPPER in near fine condition, with just slight wear on corners and a chip on the bottom of the spine,… Read More

The Netherlands, 1705. Engraving with hand coloring in watercolor on cream laid Honig paper with a large heraldic watermark with a Strasbourg Lily and the initials WR. 12 7/8 x 9 5/8 inches (327 x 245 mm), sheet 20 5/8 x 14 inches (522 x 354), full margins. Minor handling wear, and scattered light spots of minor discoloration throughout. Colors remain extremely vibrant. From the edition engraved by Pieter Sluyter, printed between 1719 and 1730. Translation of the original text regarding Plate No. 6: "This thistle, called Maccai in America, grows to a height of 4 ells. It has a white blossom with yellow threads in the middle. It yields yellow and red berries, which are eaten by people and birds. The stem becomes tall and hard, so that it has to be cut down with an axe. The red caterpillar with yellow stripes sitting at the top has long stiff and brown hairs. It eats the leaves of this thistle. On 4 August 1700 I saw it change into a pupa, having shed its skin beforehand after the habit of all… Read More

Boston: The Riverside Press / Houghton Mifflin and Co, 1884. Signed Limited Edition. Near fine/Fine. Elihu Vedder (1836 - 1923). Elephant Folio, 17 x 14 1/2 in. (430 x 365 mm); pp. [128], 8 pages at the end of the book have printed notes and an index of illustrations. This is NUMBER 80 of 100 DELUXE COPIES on Japanese paper with remarque plates. Decorative title and 56 mounted Albertype plates by Elihu Vedder, well inked and sharp. SIGNED BY THE ARTIST on the limitation page. Original brown morocco binding by Riverside Press (stamp on verso of f.e.p.), blind tooled and gilt on a design by Vedder; silk doublures decorated with vines, fruit and flowers, also on Vedder's design; wide turn-ins with elaborate gilt dentelles; a.e.g. endpapers in excellent condition, bar a little rubbing in the middle of the spine. Some foxing and staining throughout, mostly limited to the tapes that hold the heavy paper mounts on which the plates are pasted, and in 6 instances small spots on the plates but otherwise… Read More