1-101. The history of Greece. A new edition, with numerous additions and corrections. To which is prefixed a brief memoir of the author, by his brother, Lord Redesdale. In eight volumes. London: printed for T. Cadell, Strand, 1829.
$750
8 volumes, 8vo, original drab paper-covered boards, green cloth shelfback, printed paper labels on spines; labels toned, tops of the spines of the first two volumes with some neat repair; all else very good and sound. Largely unopened. Bookplate and ownership signature of William Wagstaff.
Undertaken at Gibbon's urging, "Mitford's history for many years remained popular, and had the merit of supplying a laborious English work on a comparatively neglected subject. It was superior at most points to the Greek history by John Gillies published in 1786...It may be added that Mitford never visited Greece, never travelling beyond Naples" (DNB).
Lowndes, p. 1580.
1-102. The opinions of different authors upon the punishment of death, selected by Basil Montagu, Esq. of Lincoln’s Inn. London: printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, Paternoster Row, 1809.
$500
First edition, 8vo, pp. vi, [2], 315, [3], 16 (ads); original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; boards a little soiled, corners rubbed and bumped, spine creased, final gathering foxed, else clean and largely unopened; very good.
Inscribed on title page: "With Mr. Montagu's respects to Lord Suffolk." The publisher's ads in back are dated "corrected March 1810."
Montagu was a barrister and legal reformer, who wrote extensively on laws surrounding debt and capital punishment. He was on intimate terms with Coleridge, Wordsworth, and William Godwin. His Opinions of Different Authors upon the Punishment of Death collated material from Dr. Johnson, William Blackstone, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas More, Erasmus, and Francis Bacon, among others. It was followed by a second volume in 1812 and a third in 1813.
1-103. The works of the right honourable Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, including her correspondence, poems, and essays. Published, by permission, from her genuine papers. The sixth edition. London: printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; John Murray; and Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1817.
$500
5 volumes, 8vo, engraved frontispiece portrait by Watson after Richardson; original drab paper-covered boards, printed paper labels on spines; labels a bit rubbed but generally a very good, sound set. Uncut, and largely unopened.
A commanding figure of the 18th century, Lady Montague evinced an admirable style with her intelligence, independence and sense of adventure. She defiantly noted the prevailing attitudes towards women: "There is no part of the world where our sex is treated with so much contempt as England" -- which is perhaps why she settled in Italy, choosing to live apart from her husband for a period of twenty-three years. She maintained "an undisputed supremacy as hostess in the intellectual society of London, and to her assemblies was, apparently for the first time, applied the now accepted epithet of 'blue-stocking'" (DNB).
1-104. The citizen; a hubristic poem. In five cantos. to which is added, Nelson’s ghost; a poem. In two parts. London: printed by W. Lewis, Paternoster Row for J. F. Hughes, 5. Wigmore-Street, Cavendish-Square; and sold by C. Chapple, Pall-Mall., 1806.
$500
First edition, 8vo, 2 parts in 1; pp. xii, 150, [2]; 15, [1]; last third of the volume unopened; 2 hand-colored engraved caricatures; original blue paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; spine darkened and label rubbed, otherwise very good and sound. Ownership signature on front pastedown of "John Goodford / 1806 Yeovil." Also, with the book label of J. O. Edwards.
Not a common book and apparently the only book by this author. OCLC locates (as best I can tell) 10 physical copies: Cambridge, McGill, Texas, Duquense, Chapel Hill, UCLA, Ashbury Theological, the BL, and the State Library of New South Wales, to which we can add Toronto.
1-105. Prison amusements, and other trifles: principally written during nine months of confinement in the castle of York. By Paul Positive.. London: J. Johnson, no. 72, St. Paul’s Church Yard. Price Four Shillings in Boards, 1797.
$750
First edition of the author's first book, 8vo, pp. viii, 200; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; a bit of cracking along the front joint, boards somewhat soiled; all else very good, sound and clean.
Montgomery (1771-1854) was a Scottish poet and writer of hymns. "He was raised in the Moravian Church and theologically trained there, so that his writings often reflect concern for humanitarian causes, such as the abolition of slavery and the exploitation of child chimney sweeps" (Wikipedia). Early in life he worked for an auctioneer and bookseller in Sheffield, and published the local newspaper, the Sheffield Iris. For his political views he was twice imprisoned for sedition, and his time in jail was the seed for his first book, Prison Amusements. He wrote a number of books of poetry, and among his many hymns was "The Lord Is My Shepherd" which is still a favorite today.
1-106. Mordaunt. Sketches of life, characters, and manners, in various countries; including the memoirs of a French lady of quality. By the author of Zeluco & Edward. London: printed for G. G. and J. Robinson, Paternoster-Row; S Hamilton, Falcon-Court, Fleet-Street, 1800.
$675
First edition, 3 volumes, 8vo, pp. [4], 403, [1]; [4], 408; [4], 460; edges trimmed and speckled; original patterned paper-covered boards, red morocco labels on spines lettered in gilt; slight cracking along the upper joint of the first volume; all else near fine. Ownership signature of "Edw. Rogers" on the front pastedown of each volume.
The patterned paper on these volumes is unusual - like seaweed, or crazed glass. That the pages edges have been trimmed and speckled indicates a later binding, but probably no later than 1830.
Moore (1729-1802) was a Scottish physician and writer who spent much time traveling on the continent. Much of his early writing focused on the society and manners of Europeans, but he also wrote novels such as the proto-Gothic Zeluco (1789), and Edward (1796). He was present in Paris during part of the French Revolution and his Journal during a Residence in France (1793) is the careful record of an eye-witness to some of the events. His last novel, Mordaunt, is "an epistolary novel ... in which acquaintances of the gentleman traveller Mordaunt reveal their lives and character. Though the novel is mainly a satire of English manners, the letters from a French marquise in the central section allow Moore to explore his interest in revolutionary France" (Oxford Companion to English Literature).
1-107. Hints towards forming the character of a young princess ... In two volumes ... The fifth edition. London: printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies, in the Strand, 1819.
$500
2 volumes, 8vo, pp. vii, [12], xviii-xxviii, 331, [1], [4] Cadell ads; viii, 403, [1], [2] ads; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, printed paper labels on spines; 2 smudge marks on the upper cover of volume II, all else very good and sound. Bookplate of Anne and F. G. Renier.
First published in 1805, this fifth edition contains an entirely new Preface and Advertisement. The book offers suggestions for the education of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales who died in 1817. In the new preface to this edition, More laments the loss, and mentions that the Princess, who might one day have been Queen, actually read the book.
1-108. The adventures of Hajji Baba, of Ispahan, in England. In two volumes. London: John Murray, Albemarle-Street, 1828.
$400
First edition, 2 volumes, 12mo, pp. xxxii, 306, [2]; [4], 352; half-title in volume II only, per Sadleir; original brown paper-covered boards, brown paper shelfback, printed paper labels on spine; front hinge cracked at the title page in volume I; all else generally very good. At the top left corner on outside of front board is a bright green octagonal bookseller’s ticket: "Sold by / Hodges & Smith / Bookellers & stationers /No. 21 College green, / Dublin."
Morier (1780-1849) was a diplomat and a writer. "His fame depends on The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan (1824), a picaresque romance of Persian life that long influenced English ideas of Persia; its Persian translation (1905) led to the development of the modern Persian novel of social criticism. The first of a series of novels written by Morier after he retired, Hajji Baba drew on the knowledge of Persia and its people that he had acquired on the British embassy staff at Tehrān (1809–15) and in journeys described in two travel books" (Britainnia). Sadlier 1794; Wolff 4926.
1-109. A treatise on domestic poultry, pigeons and rabbits, with a practical account of the Egyptian method of hatching eggs by artificial heat; and all the needful particulars relevant to breeding, rearing, and management. Dedicated to Her Grace the Duchess Dowager of Rutland. London: printed for Sherwood, Neely, and Jones; Paternoster Row; by R. & R. Gilbert, St. John's Square, Clerkenwell, 1815.
$325
First edition, 12mo, pp. vii [i.e., viii], 218, [2] ads; original blue paper-covered boards, blue paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; bottom third of spine perished, label darkened, boards soiled; a good, clean copy, and the binding still sound. Previous owner's signature of "Chas. Jas. Lewis / St. Pierre." Towards the top of the hinge on the rear pastedown, stamped in small letters: "Larkin."
John Lawrence (1753-1839) was an English writer on political and agricultural subjects and an early advocate of animal welfare and rights; he was among the first to call for laws to protect animals. In 1796 he writes in his Philosophical and Practical Treatise on Horses: "They arise then, spontaneously, from the conscience, or sense of moral obligation in man, who is indispensably bound to bestow upon animals, in return for the benefit he derives from their services, good and sufficient nourishment, comfortable shelter, and merciful treatment; to commit no wanton outrage upon their feelings, whilst alive, and to put them to the speediest and least painful death, when it shall be necessary to deprive them of life ... I therefore propose, that the Rights of Beasts be formally acknowledged by the state, and that a law be framed upon that principle, to guard and protect them from acts of flagrant and wanton cruelty, whether committed by their owners or others" (paraphrased from Wikipedia).
1-110. Falkenburg. A tale of the Rhine. By the author of "Mildred Vernon," "Germania," &c. In three volumes. London and Bremen: Colburn and Co., publishers, 13, Great Marlborough Street; Germany: Franz Schlodtmann, Bremen, 1851.
$750
First edition, 3 volumes, 8vo, pp. vi, 320; [4], 319, [1]; [2], 313, [1]; original drab paper-covered boards, purple cloth shelfbacks, printed paper labels on spines; spines a bit sunned, else near fine.
Marie Blaze de Bury, or Baroness Rose Blaze de Bury, or Marie Pauline Rose Blaze de Bury (1813-1894) published a number of works (5 novels, 6 works of non-fiction, and a book of poetry) under the pseudonyms Hamilton Murray and Arthur Dudley. She was a Scottish-born political writer educated in France and was notably opposed to the rule of Napoleon, and there were reports that she was an agent for Austria or England. In 1844 she married the writer Henri Blaze de Bury who she had met in 1840, and they resided for most of their lives in Paris.
Not in Sadleir or Wolff. And apparently uncommon: Huntington, Berkeley, UCLA, Cambridge, National Library of Scotland, and University of Bremen only in OCLC.
1-111. [Napoleon Bonaparte.] Bonaparte, and the French people under his consulate. London: Tipper and Richards, Leadenhall-Street, 1804.
$450
First edition in English, 8vo, pp. [6], 379; original chocolate brown paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; minor rubbing but very good and sound.
Schlabrendorf (1750-1824) spent more than 17 months in prison during the Reign of Terror where he was often visited by his friend Mary Wollstonecraft. Later, he wrote several works critical of Napoleon Bonaparte, including this, his best-known work, and published anonymously after the manuscript was smuggled out of France by another friend, the musician Johann Friedrich Reichardt, who it through publication. "The book was a sensation with readers because of the way in which, as early as 1804, it exposed the brutality of the authoritarian Napoleonic tyranny, even before the relaunch of his régime as the French Empire in May 1804. Between the book's appearance during 1804 and Napoleon's fall ten years later, von Schlabrendorf's warnings proved prescient. In the characteristic phraseology of von Schlabrendorf's biographer, Karl August Varnhagen von Ense, von Schlabrendorf's trenchant opinions were "like a shining meteor in a politically gloomy sky of that time" (Wikipedia).
1-112. [Native Americans.] Historical notes respecting the Indians of North America: with remarks the attempts to covert and civilize them. London: Archibald Constable and Co. Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson, and Co. 90, Cheapside, and 8, Pall Mall, 1825.
$425
First edition, 8vo, pp. vii, [1], 408; original blue paper-covered boards, brown paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; cracks and small losses in the paper at the joints, the boards a bit soiled, corners bumped, spine darkened; all else good and the binding remains sound. With a reader's pencil markings in the margins (in passages relating to religious practices and conversion) on pages 247, 254, 256, 264, 367, 369-371, 373, 379, 382, 384-385, and 395. Ownership signature of "Wm. Vaughan."
"The book delves into the history of the indigenous people of North America and discusses the various efforts made by Europeans to convert and civilize them. Halkett provides a detailed account of the cultural practices, social structures, and beliefs of the indigenous people, as well as their interactions with European settlers. He also examines the role of religion in the conversion process and discusses the successes and failures of various missionary efforts" (Amazon).
Howes, H43; Sabin 29709.
1-113. A tour through some of the islands of Orkney and Shetland, with a view chiefly to objects of natural history, but including also occasional remarks on the state of the inhabitants, their husbandry, and fisheries. With an appendix, containing observations, political and economical, on the Shetland islands; a sketch of their mineralogy, &c. &c.. Edinburgh: printed for A. Constable and Company, and John Murray, London., 1806.
$500
First edition, 8vo, pp. xi, [1], 239, [1]; original drab paper-covered boards, rebacked with a blue paper shelfback matching the original; large printed lending library label on the upper cover for "William's Library/ Eastern Corner / of Assembly Rooms / Cheltenham" (bearing a bust of Shakespeare); boards worn and soiled with small cracks at the extremities; front free endpaper replaced, some foxing of the preliminaries, but the binding is sound and but for the little foxing the textblock is clean. University of Aberdeen bookplate marked withdrawn.
William's Library (apparently founded by George Arthur Williams) was a circulating subscription library in Cheltenham. See A Catalogue of Williams's Library, Corner of Assembly Rooms, Cheltenham (Cheltenham, 1818) for a summary of the collection, rules and regulations, etc. Williams was also the author of A new guide to Cheltenham : being a complete history and description of that celebrated watering place (Cheltenham, 1825)
1-114. Leisure-moments in the camp and in the guard-room. By a veteran British officer. York: printed by Thomas Wilson and Son, for the Author; and sold by J. Hatchard. Bookseller to Her Majesty, Opposite Albany, Piccadilly, London; and by J. and G. Todd, Stonegate, York, 1812.
$400
First edition, 12mo, pp. 12, 204; original brown paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; lightly rubbed, but a near fine copy. Ownership signature of "Mary Coates / 1813" on front free endpaper; bookplate of Anne and F. G. Renier on pastedown.
Includes a 6-page subscriber list. In this copy, Neville has signed his name at the end of the dedication, as often.
1-115. [Numismatics.] An essay on medals. London: printed for James Dodsley in Pall Mall, 1784.
$650
First edition, 8vo, pp. xxxii, 324, [2]; original drab paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, manuscript title on spine; boards rubbed, extremities worn, spine a little spotted; a good to very good, sound and clean copy.
An immensely popular guide to coin collecting. "A popular handbook for coin collectors, still of interest, especially for giving the flavour of late eighteenth century numismatics and personalities, enlivened by Pinkerton's often dyspeptic remarks on earlier numismatic writers" (Manville).
Lowndes 1871; Manville 213.
1-116. [Orkney Islands.] The history of the Orkney Islands: in which is comprehended an account of their present as well as their ancient state; together with the advantages they possess for several branches of industry, and the means by which they may be improved. Illustrated with an accurate and extensive map of the whole islands, and with plates of some of the most interesting objects they contain. Edinburgh: printed for the author ... and sold by Archibald Constable and Company, Edinburgh; and Longman Hurst Rees & Orme, London, 1805.
$1,500
First edition, 4to, pp. [2], viii, 509, [3] plate list and ads; folding map and 11 engraved plates; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelf-back, printed orange label on spine; small chip from the corner of the label but on the whole a very good, sound and clean copy.
Barry's History contains "a view of the ancient and modern inhabitants, their monuments of antiquity, their natural history, the present state of their agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and the means of their improvement," but depends also on the unpublished manuscripts of George Low. The book "displays much diligent research and careful individual observation, notwithstanding the fact that he had access to the valuable manuscripts of Low, who had died without being able to find for them a publisher. Barry never sought to conceal his possession of Low's manuscripts; he refers in his 'History’ to Low's ‘Tour,’ and possibly would have more fully acknowledged his obligations to him had he not been attacked by his last illness while the ‘History’ was passing through the press" (see DNB).
1-117. Original poems. London: printed [by W. Wilson] for the author, and sold by Vernor, Hood, and Sharpe, 31, Poultry; and J. Deighton, Cambridge, 1811.
$450
First edition, foolscap 8vo, pp. [16], 191, [1]; lithograph portrait frontispiece and 2 plates; original pink paper-covered boards, green paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine, boards a little faded, plates a little offset, front hinge a little weak, I4-I5 detached (never caught by sewing thread), some light spotting on final gatherings; still very good. Bookplate of John Sparrow.
Mary Pilkington was a governess and primarily a novelist, with over 40 titles attributed to her. From the 7-page subscribers list of this book half are women.
1-118. Modern geography. A description of the empires, kingdoms, states, and colonies; with the oceans, seas, and isles; in all parts of the world: including the most recent discoveries and political alterations. Digested on a new plan. The astronomical introduction by the Rev. S. Vince. Carefully abridged from the larger work, in two volumes, quarto. With maps, drawn under the direction, and with the latest improvements, of Arrowsmith. To the whole are added, a catalogue of the best maps, and books of travel and voyages, in all languages, and an ample index. The second edition, revised by the author. London: T. Cadell and W. Davies, Strand; and Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, Paternoster-Row [by Strahan and Preston, Printers Street], 1806.
$750
Second edition, revised by the author; 8vo, pp. xx, lvii, [1], 676; 15 folding engraved maps; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; corner torn away from the title page (no loss of letterpress), else a near fine copy, largely unopened.
Contains an 84-p. section on the Americas, and a 30-p. section on Australia and Polynesia.
The first edition was published in 2 volumes, 4to in 1802. Pages 625-641 contain a "Catalogue of Maps, and of Books of Voyage and Travels," which combines some bibliographic description and a select retail listing of available items and publications, and their prices, from many different sources. Sabin 62959.
1-119. [Political Satire.] Politics of the Georgium Sidus. Or advice how to become great senators & statesmen, interspersed with characteristic sketches, and hints on various subjects in modern politics. By a late member of Parliament. London: printed for Oddy and Co, 27, Oxford Street; Gray & Son, opposite St. James’s Street, Piccadilly; and Jordan & Maxwell, Strand [by R. Zotti, 16, Broad Street, Golden Sq.], 1807.
$325
First edition, foolscap 8vo, pp. [4], 178, [2]; engraved hand-colored folding frontispiece depicting the devil drawing aside a curtain to reveal election hustings, a speaker, and an attentive crowd; original blue paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; boards a little spotted, spine toned, generally very good. With an early ownership stamp reading "Prov Cant" on title page, and the modern bookplate of Anne Renier and F. G. Renier on pastedown.
Not found in Halkett and Laing.
OCLC locates copies at Cambridge, Oxford, BL, Reading, Harvard, Huntington, U. of Minnesota, Newberry, and Melbourne.
1-120. Sir Edward Seaward’s narrative of his shipwreck, and consequent discovery of certain islands in the Caribbean Sea: with a detail of many extraordinary and highly interesting events in his life, from the year 1733 to 1749, as written in his own diary ... In three volumes. New-York: printed and published by J. & J. Harper, No. 82 Cliff-Street, 1831.
$500
First American edition (published the same year as the first London edition), 12mo, 3 vols.; pp. xii, [1], 14-239, [1]; [5], x-xi, [2], 14-250, [2]; [5], x-xii, [1], 14-236; original red muslin, printed paper labels on spine; spine sunned, label of vol. 1 chipped, upper joint of vol. 3 cracked, labels on volumes I and II slightly chipped (loss of 3 letters), endpapers and the odd page of text foxed, contemporary ownership signatures of Grace Walton and Edward H. Walton on title pages, (a manuscript note on the back of vol. 3 notes the date of Grace's death 5 years later), good and sound, or better.
Although presented as a discovered account, this is a wholly fictional work. According to the Quarterly Review, which devotes seven pages to proving the novel to be a romance, "Nine-tenths of those who have perused the book, and among others a great many naval officers, believed it to be a true and genuine story." Despite the deception, the Review concludes it is an "amusing romance in the school of Defoe - a far better school than most of those now in fashion." (Review v. 48, 1832) Jane was credited as the author until family correspondence revealed that the bulk of the writing had been done by her brother, William, albeit with significant contribution and input from both his sisters. "[Edward's] years at sea served him well in writing the nautical passages, and he had the assistance of his sisters, both accomplished historical novelists, in drafting the scenes in London and at court."(Wolff)
Wolff, 19th Century Fiction, 5612; Hunter, Shipwrecks & Disasters, 248C; Sabin 64323.
1-121. Gleanings through Wales, Holland, and Westphalia, with views of peace and war at home and abroad. To which is added humanity; or the rights of nature. A poem, revised and corrected. By Mr. Pratt. London: printed for T. N. Longman, and L. B. Seeley, Paternoster-Row, 1795.
$850
First edition, 3 volumes, 8vo, pp. lxxii, 410, [2] errata; xvi, 535, [1] errata; xii, 429, [1] errata; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfbacks, manuscript titling on spines, volume designation numbers stamped on spines; a bit of cracking along the front joint of volume I, but on the whole a very good, sound set. Ownership signature in each volume of "G. Rushout 1796."
Pratt (1749-1814), often writing under the pseudonym of Courtney Melmoth, was a British poet, novelist and dramatist who fell from grace the result of a scandalous relationship with one Charlotte (she at the time in boarding school, and her last name still unknown) who thereafter referred to herself as Charlotte Melmoth, and traveled the country with Pratt acting in his plays. They separated in 1781 and Pratt took himself to writing for much of the rest of his life, a bumpy ride, for sure, writing in turn licentious novels and campaigning for animal welfare. In all, he completed seven novels, ten plays, and 23 volumes of poetry and miscellanies. His novel Emma Corbett, a romance set in America during the American Revolution, was the first novel, apparently, using that war as a backdrop. His Gleanings through Wales was a popular work and went through several editions.
1-122. The Italian, or the confessional of the black penitents. A romance ... Second edition. London: T. Cadell jun. and W. Davies (Successor to Mr. Cadell) in the Strand, 1797.
$1,250
3 volumes, 12mo, pp. 380; [2], 360; 444; original blue paper-covered boards, at some point rebacked and re-labelled in the style of the original binding. The spine paper is incongruously fresh; the font, type- setting, and design of the labels are clearly later; and, signs of the spine restoration can be glimpsed within. (Original) boards are a weathered dull grey. Red cloth clamshell box, morocco label lettered in gilt.
In volume III, G12 - I1 (pp. 167-194) has mistakenly been placed in front of G2-11 (pp. 147-166). This likely occurred not when the volume was originally bound, since the reversed sections do not correspond to complete signature gatherings, but when the volume was rebacked. The whole recessed cluster of pages is now detached from the sewing.
Ownership signature on the title page of each volume: "H.R.H. The Dutchess of York," i.e. Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia (Friederike Charlotte Ulrike Katharina, 1767-1820), a Prussian princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. She was the eldest daughter of King Frederick William II of Prussia and the wife of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, second son of King George III of the United Kingdom.
A masterpiece of gothic literature, The Italian was translated as soon as it was published by the abbot Morellet. The novel was the last work published by Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823) during her lifetime.
Rothschild, 1703.
1-123. An inquiry into the human mind, on the principles of common sense. Edinburgh: printed for Anderson and Macdowall, and James Robertson, Parliament Square, 1818.
$250
8vo, pp. xvi, [1], 18-400; original blue paper-covered boards, brown paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; some cracking and chipping on the spine, otherwise a very good, sound copy.
Thomas Reid (1710-1796) was a Scottish philosopher "best known for his philosophical method, his theory of perception and its wide implications on epistemology, and as the developer and defender of an agent-causal theory of free will. In these and other areas he offers perceptive and important criticisms of the philosophy of Locke, Berkeley and especially Hume. He is also well known for his criticisms of Locke's view of personal identity and Hume's view of causation. Reid also made influential contributions to philosophical topics including ethics, aesthetics and the philosophy of mind. The legacy of Thomas Reid's philosophical work is found in contemporary theories of perception, free will, philosophy of religion, and widely in epistemology" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).
1-124. Poetical miscellanies. Coventry: printed for the author by N. Merridew, at the Herald and Advertiser Office, Cross-Cheaping, and may be had of all other booksellers in Coventry, n.d., [ca. 1810].
$750
First edition, v, [7], 160; partially unopened; original gray paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; label darkened, corners bumped; generally very good.
The second of two published collections of verse by Rhodes, both published in Coventry. Includes a 4-page subscribers list, largely local.
Dedicated to "the Nobility and Gentry." In his prefatory Address, Rhodes promotes loyalty and patriotism, and "a proper, and perhaps laudably partial regard for our country: at a most eventful period, when she is assailed by an increasingly inveterate enemy whose unprincipled aims at universal aggrandizement are everyday more and more apparent."
Very uncommon book. Copies are at the BL and Oxford in the UK, and in the U.S. only Stanford, Illinois, and UC Davis.
1-125. Memoirs of the late Mrs. Robinson, written by herself. With some posthumous pieces. London: print\ed by Wilks and Tylor, Chancery-lane, for R. Phillips, 71. St. Paul’s; sold by T. Burst, Paternoster-Row, and by Mess. Carpenter. Old Bond-Street, 1801.
$4,500
First edition, 4 volumes, 12mo, pp. [6], 192; [2], 187, [5]; [4], 184; [4], 192; engraved oval portrait frontispiece of the Mrs. Robinson by Hopewood after Crank; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, printed paper labels on spine; some loss to the bottom of the spine on volume III, otherwise very good and sound.
The first two volumes contain Mrs. Robinson's memoirs, and the last two contain her poems and tributes to her by others, including those of General Burgoyne, Peter Pindar, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Edited and published posthumously by her daughter who signs herself as "Mary" at the end of the Advertisement.
"Robinson came to notoriety as courtesan to the Prince of Wales (subsequently George IV) after he saw her in the role of Perdita in The Winter’s Tale at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1779 ... [I]n later life Robinson reinvented herself as a member of the radical intelligentsia and established a highly successful literary career that has secured her place within the history of British Romanticism. There has been extensive scholarly interest in Robinson’s Memoirs in recent years, examining its relationship to Gothic literature, Romantic autobiography, and anti-adultery and legal discourses. Critics have highlighted Robinson’s complex textual strategies to recuperate her notorious public image, noting her ability to manipulate the mechanics of eighteenth-century fame" (Culley, Amy, "The Literary Family and the ‘Aristocracy of Genius’ in the Memoirs of Mary Robinson," in: British Women’s Life Writing, 1760–1840. London, (2014).
"Mary Robinson was one of the first female celebrities of the modern era. She was dubbed as scandalous, but on the other hand educated and able to be partially independent from her husband. She was one of the first women to enter the sphere of writing, and to be successful there. Scholars often argue that she used her celebrity status only in her own advantage, but it is to be noted how much she contributed to the awareness of early feminism. She tried to elaborate the ideas of equality for women in England during the late 18th century. Nevertheless, many contemporary women were not amused with how she exposed herself to the public and ostracized her. They did not want to be associated with her, since they feared to receive a bad reputation sympathizing with Mary Robinson" (Wikipedia).
1-126. Human life, a poem. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1819.
$225
First edition, 4to, pp. 96; original drab paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; light soiling and wear; very good. Contained in a fleece-lined tan cloth folding box.
Bookeller’s ticket top left corner of front pastedown: "Sold by / Asperne / 32 / Cornhill / London." Early ownership signature on title page of J. H. Buchall. Armorial bookplate inside front flap of cloth box: "Esher."
1-127. Italy, a poem.. London: printed for T. Cadell, Strand; Jennings and Chaplin, 62, Cheapside; and E. Moxon, 64, New Bond-Street, 1830.
$425
First illustrated edition; 8vo, pp. vii, [1], 284; 54 steel-engraved vignettes throughout, 25 of which after designs by Turner, and 19 after designs by Strothard; original brown paper covered boards, pinted paper label on spine; joints cracked, front hinge starting; all else very good and contained in a terracotta cloth chemise and matching slipcase. Early ownership signatures of Richard Sutton and William Bourne Sutton on front pastedown.
Bookseller's ticket of: "Robert Robinson / English & Foreign Bookseller / Bookbinder Printer &c / No 7 St. Anns Place / Manchester" on front pastedown. On rear pastedown the bookbinder's ticket of: "F. Westley / Binder, / Friar street, / -Near- / Doctors’ Commons."
1-128. Chevy Chase, a poem. Founded on the ancient ballad.. London: printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies, Strand, by J. M'Creery, Black-Horse-Court, 1813.
$250
First edition, 4to, pp. [4], 108; original brown paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; joints cracked, other small cracks on spine, label rubbed to the point of illegibility; all else very good, partially unopened.
This copy inscribed "From the author" on the half-title.
1-129. Apology addressed to the Travellers Club or anecdotes of monkeys. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1825.
$2,000
First edition, 12mo, pp. [6], 183, [1]; original drab paper-covered boards, blue paper shelfback; top of spine chipped, and some cracking along the joints, one gathering extended, but generally a good, sound, and most interesting copy. Ownership signature on front pastedown of David Hirwes (?).
The whole text extensively altered, corrected, redacted, and supplemented by hand (in ink), seemingly in preparation for a new edition—which was never produced. Approximately two-thirds of the pages contain corrections, cross-outs, and other emendations, some as long as a paragraph; similarly, the prelims are also heavily corrected, and one leaf of Commendatory Verses, signed "T.K., Printer's Devil" is excised and not present - clearly on purpose. There are also manuscript changes to the printer's imprint as well as to title itself. Another leaf is loose, but present.
An excellent example of a noted author at work in the Romantic era. Rose (1775-1842) held a number of government posts in Parliament, and was an MP himself from Christchurch. He famously translated Orlando Furioso, and wrote plenty of satire. He was an acquaintance of Lord Byron and championed the Italian poets. The text of the book concerns "amusing and entertaining anecdotes about monkeys, which were popular pets among aristocrats in the 18th and 19th centuries. The book is written in the form of a letter of apology to the Travelers Club, a prestigious social club in London. Rose explains that he was inspired to write the book after spending time with a group of monkeys owned by a friend. He goes on to recount various humorous and sometimes absurd stories about the monkeys, including their mischievous behavior, their interactions with humans, and their intelligence and cunning" (amazon[dot]com).
1-130. Letters from the north of Italy. Addressed to Henry Hallam, Esq. In two volumes. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1819.
$550
First edition, 8vo, 2 volumes, pp. xi, [1], 339, [1]; viii, 229, [1]; original drab paper-covered boards, pink muslin shelfback, printed paper labels on spines; spines sunned, small losses in the cloth along the joints, front hinge starting; all else very good and sound. With the ownership signature on the half-title of volume I: "W. S. Parramore."
Rose's major work was his translation of the Orlando Furioso of Ariosto into English verse with notes, which he made in over the course of nearly 8 years, 1823 to 1831. North of Italy, based on his trips to the continent 1814-17 consisted of a series of discursive letters addressed to Henry Hallam, the British historian and member of the Royal Society.
A 1827 watermark on the front pastedown of volume II places the binding of the volumes some years after its publication date of 1819 - and is not, therefore, a highly unlikely instance of an early cloth binding.
1-131. A residence at the court of London. London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, Publisher in Ordinary to His Majesty, 1833.
$375
First British edition, 8vo, pp. [3], vi-xviii, 420; original drab paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; spine chipped at extremities, label a little worn, joints starting, three pages with pencil marginalia; very good. Armorial bookplate of T. A. Walker on pastedown,
Richard Rush (1780-1859), the son of Benjamin Rush, served in many prominent positions, including Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Comptroller of the Treasury during the James Madison administration, United States Attorney General, acting Secretary of State (albeit briefly), Secretary of the Treasury, and he was a candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States on John Quincy Adams's ticket in 1828.
Howes R-522: "Present the diplomatic maneuvers concerning the conflicting claims to Oregon and the adjustment of a Northwestern boundary line."
1-132. The life of William Lord Russell; with some account of the times in which he lived. Second edition. In two volumes. London: printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, Paternoster-Row; and James Ridgway, Piccadilly, 1820.
$425
8vo, 2 vols., pp. xix, [1], 275, [1]; iv, 282; engraved portrait frontispiece, folding facsimile plate; original blue paper-covered boards and brown paper shelfback, printed paper labels on spine; light rubbing to labels and edges, corners a little bumped, light foxing, mostly to first and last gatherings of each volume, hinges starting, else very good.
As noted in the Britannica: "William Russell, Lord Russell (1639-1683) was an English Whig politician executed for allegedly plotting to murder King Charles II and his Roman Catholic brother James, Duke of York. Because the charges against Russell were never conclusively proved, he was lauded as a martyr by the Whigs, who claimed that he was put to death in retaliation for his efforts to exclude James from succession to the throne."
Lowndes, p. III, 2154.
1-133. Harmonies of nature, by J. B. H. de Saint-Pierre; being a sequel to his studies of nature. With a portrait and a prefatory account of the author, and the work. By Louis Amé-Martin ... Translated by W. Meeston. London: Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 47, Paternoster Row, [C. Baldwin, printer, New Bridge-street, London], 1815.
$750
First edition in English, 3 volumes, engraved portrait frontispiece, original chocolate-brown paper-covered boards, paper labels on spines; a few chips and cracks but largely a very good, sound set. In ink, on verso of each front free endpaper: El: Rose / Kilravock Castle 27th June / 1816.
Though she died in 1815, the signer is probably Elizabeth Rose, of the clan Rose, erstwhile owners of Kilvarock Castle.
Saint-Pierre (1737-1814) was the author of the often-reprinted story Paul et Virginie (1789). In Harmonies, Saint-Pierre attempts to prove the existence of God based on the wonders of nature. "After Rousseau, and even more than Rousseau, Bernardin was in French literature the apostle of the return to nature, though both in him and in his immediate follower Chateaubriand there is still much mannerism and unreality" (EB-11).
1-134. Poetical tales, founded on facts. London: printed for the Author, and Sold by Darton and Harvey, Gracechurch-Street, 1808.
$425
First edition, 12mo, pp. [8], 148; original tan paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; near fine throughout. Bookplate of Sarah Fennell Jun. / Caher Abbyville. This is likely Sarah Fennell (1766-1834), daughter of Joshua and Sarah Fennell of Cork, Ireland, an unmarried Quaker woman who passed at Caher Abbyville.
From Wikipedia: Martha Savory (1781-1851) "published her first work, Inspiration, a Poetical Essay, in 1805, followed by two other poetry collections [this among them] before the end of the decade. She became committed to Quaker ministry and undertook 'gospel tours' in Europe. In 1824 on one such tour she met her future husband, John Yeardley (1786-1858), and married him in 1826. Over the twenty-five years of their partnership, the couple made five further tours ... During the fourth tour, Yeardley established a school for girls in Corfu. Yeardley continued to publish poetry, as well as various works co-authored with her husband, often with William Darton, a Quaker publisher particularly known for children's titles. In addition to these substantive publications, the Yeardley's co-authored a series of fourteen tracts for use in their missionary work."
Only four in OCLC: UCLA, Colorado, Texas, and the BL.
1-135. The Gȗlistân, or, rose-garden; by Musle-Huddeen Shaik Sâdy, of Sheeraz. Translated from the original, by Francis Gladwin, Esq. A new edition. London: printed for Kingsbury, Parbury, and Allen, Booksellers to the Hon. East-India Company, Leadenhall Street, 1822.
$400
8vo, pp. xxii, [2], 304; uncut; original blue paper-covered boards with drab paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; bottom of spine chipped away, corners bumped, text clean, small monogram label on front pastedown, later ownership signature of "Clive Coates of Helperby, 8 May, 1934" on front free endpaper; very good.
Wikipedia notes that Abū-Muhammad Muslih al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī, better known by his pen-name Saadi, also known as Saadi of Shiraz, was a major Persian poet and literary figure of the medieval period. He is recognized for the quality of his writings and for the depth of his social and moral thoughts. Saadi is widely recognized as one of the greatest poets of the classical literary tradition, earning him the nickname "Master of Speech" or "The Master" among Persian scholars. The Gulistan, containing stories and personal anecdotes, was completed in 1258. It is "interspersed with a variety of short poems which contain aphorisms, advice, and humorous reflections, demonstrating Saadi's profound awareness of the absurdity of human existence."
Yale, Princeton, Cambridge, Oxford and 3 copies in Germany in OCLC.
1-136. The Puritan’s grave. By the author of “The Userer’s Daughter.”. London: Saunders and Otley, Conduit Street, 1833.
$650
First edition, 3 volumes, 12mo, pp. [4] ads, [3], vi-viii, 274, [2]; [4], 267, [1]; [4], 264; original brown paper-covered boards, printed paper labels on spines; volume I a little skewed and with the front hinge cracking, a small crack starting at the top of the front joint; all else very good and sound.
Each volume with the ownership signature of "Penry Williams, Penpont" on the front pastedowns; also with a large lending library ticket pasted in on the front pastedown of volume I with the printed name of "Mr. Penry Williams, Penpont" as well as the names of 15 other "members' names," under the heading "this book to be kept [12] days," with columns for "received," "sent," and "remarks." Note that Williams' signature appears above the lending list on the front pastedown of volume I, suggesting that he acquired the book after its lending life. A brief note on the label seems to imply he acquired the book on Dec 1 1834.
Penpont is a village about 2 miles west of Thornhill in Dumfriesshire, in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland. Population there in 1835 was about 600 people. Scargill (1787-1836) was minister of Churchgate Street Chapel, Bury St. Edmunds for twenty years, but his ministry was not successful, and he turned to literature as a means to supplement his small income, contributing to periodicals, and producing original tales and sketches. In all, 14 books are associated with him, nearly half of them novels, The Puritan's Grave being his last.
Not in Sadleir or Wolff.
1-137. Mary Stuart: a tragedy. From the German of Schiller. [Translated Anne Trelawny, afterwards Gibbons]. London: A. Schloss, 42, Great Russell Street, British Museum, 1838.
$250
First Edition in English, 12mo, pp. [7], 10-162; original blue paper-covered boards, brown muslin shelfback, printed paper label on spine; binding slightly skewed, strip of tape on verso of title page reinforcing a fault in the paper; all else very good.
Gibbons was a Cornish author, apparently disposed towards Schiller. She also translated his Lyrical Ballads and also published An Easter Offering (1845) and An Itinerary of Launceston (1865).
1-138. A course of lectures on dramatic art and literature ... Translated from the original German by John Black. London: printed for Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 47, Paternoster Row; William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and John Cumming, Dublin., 1815.
$450
First edition in English, 2 volumes 8vo, pp. xv, [1], 391, [1]; iv, 390, [2] ads; original drab paper-covered boards neatly rebacked to match, and with recent but sympathetic printed paper labels on the spines; edges worn, but on the whole very good and sound.
Originally published as Über dramatische Kunst und Literatur (Heidleberg, 1809-11). August W. Schlegel (1767-1845) was a German essayist, critic, translator, philosopher, and poet. "Although the philosophical dimension and profundity of his writings remain underrated, he is considered to be one of the founders of the German Romantic Movement—which he conceived of as a European movement—as well as one of the most prominent disseminators of its philosophical foundational ideas, not only in Germany but also abroad and, most notably, in Britain" (Encyclopedia of Philosophy).
"Schlegel accompanied Mme de Staël on travels in Germany, Italy, France, and Sweden, where he served in 1813–14 as press secretary to the crown prince Bernadotte. The series of important lectures Schlegel gave while in Vienna in 1808, published as Über dramatische Kunst und Literatur ... attack French Neoclassical theatre, praise Shakespeare, and exalt Romantic drama. These lectures were translated into many languages and helped spread fundamental Romantic ideas throughout Europe" (Encyclopedia Britannica).
1-139. Chronicles of Canongate; by the author of “Waverley,” &c. ... In two volumes. Edinburgh: Cadell and Co., Edinburgh; and Simpkin Marshall, London, 1827.
$1,500
First edition, 2 volumes, pp. [4], xxviii, 351, [1]; [4], 374, 8 (Cadell ads); original drab paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spines; small cracks in the joints of volume I, corners a little bumped, label alignment a bit off, otherwise a very good, sound set. On the upper cover of the first volume is the label reading "From / Robert Miller, / (late Manners & Miller,) / No. 92, Prince's Street, / Edinburgh".
Together with: Chronicles of Canongate. Second series. By the author of “Waverley,” &c. ... In three volumes. Edinburgh: Cadell and Co., Edinburgh; and Simpkin and Marshall, London, 1828. pp. [4], 336; [4], 336; [4], 348, 6 (Cadell ads); bookseller's ticket of "Ogilvie, / book-seller & stationer / Argyll Street, / Glasgow" on the pastedown of the first volume; original drab paper-covered boards, printed paper labels on spines; minor wear, but generally fine.
Each of the five volumes is contained in a quarter tan calf slipcase, gilt-decorated spines, red morocco labels.
Together, both series of The Chronicles, both published as part of the Waverley Novels, the first of which included "Chrystal Croftangry's Narrative," "The Surgeon's Daughter," and two short stories, "The Highland Widow" and "The Two Drovers"; and the second series: St Valentine's Day, or, The Fair Maid of Perth, a novel. The first series was Scott's only work of shorter fiction.
Todd & Bowden 206Aa and 216Aa respectively.
1-140. Harold the dauntless; a poem, in six cantos. By the author of “The Bridal of Triermain”. Edinburgh: printed by James Ballantytne and Co., for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London; and Archibald Constable and Co. Edinburgh, 1817.
$300
First edition, 12mo, pp. [2], 199, [1]; original blue paper-covered boards, brown paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; some cracking along the joints with small losses; all else very good, clean and sound. Armorial bookplate of: John F. Patrick. Bookseller's ticket of William Whyte / 12, South St. Andws. Street, Edinburgh. Contained in a quarter tan calf slipcase, gilt-decorated spine, red morocco label.
Todd & Bowden 100a.
1-141. Peveril of the peak, By the author of “Waverley, Kenilworth,” &c. Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Co. Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson, and Co., London, 1822.
$2,800
First edition, 4 volumes, 8vo, pp. [4], xxxii, 302; [4], 319, [1]; [4], 315, [1]; [4], 320; errata slip in volume III; original blue-gray paper-covered boards, printed paper labels on spines; an exceptional copy, contained in a green cloth, fleece-lined folding box.
Leaves U1, A8 and Q7 in volumes II, III, and IV respectively are cancels. Two states of Q7 are found. This copy is in the second state with line 3 on page 253 ending with the word "circumstance," and line 6 bearing the words "and Whitehall." In this issue, the inappropriate comma has been removed from the end of the third line of the imprint. Includes the oft-missing errata slip in volume III.
Todd & Bowden 165Aa
1-142. St Ronan’s well. By the author of “Waverley, Quentin Durward" ... In three volumes. Edinburgh: printed for Archibald Constable and Co. Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson, and Co. London, 1824.
$3,500
First edition, 8vo, 3 volumes, pp. [4], 310; [4], 325, [1]; [4], 323, [1], [4] ads; original drab paper-covered boards, green muslin shelfbacks, printed paper labels on spines; boards a little spotted and soiled, labels rubbed with some loss, and darkened; all else very good and sound.
In volume I U2-3 were never sewn in with the gathering, and are held in place by a small unopened fold at the head of the pages. Charles Lamb's copy withy his (light) ownership signature at the top of each title page.
Van Antwerp 17: "Sir Stephen Leslie tells a story of a dozen modern connoisseurs of the Waverly Novels who agreed that each should write down separately the name of his favourite. It appeared that each had ... named St. Ronan's Well."
Worthington 16; Todd & Bowden 171Aa..
1-143. The abbot. By the author of “Waverley”. Edinburgh: printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, Edinburgh., 1820.
$650
First edition, 3 volumes, 12mo, pp. [4], iv, 348; [4], 351, [1]; [4], 367, [1], plus leaf of ads; original blue grey paper-covered boards, brown paper shelfback, original printed labels on spines; dampstain in the top margin of the first volume affecting the prelims, and the terminal ads at the back of volume III; all else very good and sound; housed in a dark blue cloth, folding box with black morocco spine label lettered in gilt.
Todd & Bowden 146Aa.
1-144. The monastery. A romance. By the author of “Waverley.” In three volumes. Edinburgh: printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London; and for Archibald Constable and Co., and John Ballantyne, Bookseller to the King, Edinburgh, 1820.
$600
First edition, 12mo, 3 volumes, pp. [4], 331, [1]; [4], 333, [1]; [4], 351, [1]; original gray paper-covered boards, printed paper labels on spines; spines rubbed, joints starting, some loss of paper at the joints (especially volume III), inkspot on two leaves, some light foxing mostly to fore-edges and ends of textblock, ownership signatures of E. Barker (crossed out) and P. J. Heisch on endpapers, good.
P. J. Heisch was an early biographer of Lavater, having published in 1842 Memoirs of John Caspar Lavater with a brief memoir of his widow.
Todd & Bowden 144Aa.
1-145. The pirate. By the author of “Waverley, Kenilworth ,” &c. ... In three volumes. Edinburgh: printed for Archibald Constable and Co. and Hurst, Robinson, and Co. London, 1822.
$800
First edition, first issue; 3 volumes, 8vo, pp. [4] ads, [4], vii, [1], 322; [4], 332; [4], 346; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfbacks, printed paper labels on spines; spines a little soiled, labels lightly rubbed, light dampstain pervades top outer covers of the boards, heavier on volume II, with minor transfer to the prelims and terminals of the textblock; all else very good and sound.
The book was published 22 December, 1821. Four pages of Longman ads for Popular Novels, dated April 1821, is sewn into the first volume at the endpaper. These ads are not noted by Todd & Bowden.
Todd & Bowden 154Aa.
1-146. Letters of Anna Seward: written between the years 1784 and 1807. Edinburgh: printed by George Ramsay & Company, for Archibald Constable and Company, Edinburgh; and Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, William Miller, and John Murray, London, 1811.
$950
First edition, 6 volumes, 8vo, pp. xv, [1], 399, [1]; viii, 399, [1]; viii, 397, [1]; vii, [1], 397, [1]; vii, [1], 432; vii, [1], 490, xiv (index); uncut and largely unopened; engraved frontispieces in the first three volumes, folding facsimile; original brown paper-covered boards, printed paper labels on spines; tops of spines lightly chipped or cracked, a couple of labels with small chips (affecting only 1 letter, pages vi-vii in volume III crudely opened at the top (no loss); all else very good and sound.
The portrait of Anna in volume I was engraved by A. Carden from the original picture painted in 1762 by Kettle in the possession Thomas White Esqr. Anna Seward (1742-1809) was both a poet and a novelist, as well as a literary critic. She "fostered a close-knit network of friends and correspondents from across many areas of knowledge and culture, including Samuel Johnson, Erasmus Darwin, George Romney, Helen Maria Williams, the Ladies of Llangollen (Sarah Ponsonby and Eleanor Butler), Hester Lynch Piozzi, and Richard Lovell Edgeworth, as well as such members of the blooming Romantic movement as Robert Southey and Walter Scott ... In her provincial salon she cultivated friendships, and in her vast epistolary record she wove a network of writers, scientists, and artists" (Brittanica).
1-147. Anecdotes of distinguished persons, chiefly of the last and two preceding centuries. Illustrated by engravings. The fifth edition. In four volumes. London: printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies, in the Strand, 1804.
$750
4 volumes, 8vo, engraved frontispieces in each volume, 14 pages of engraved music, 8 other engraved plates and 3 facsimiles; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfbacks, manuscript titling on spines; joints starting, spines darkened, occasional bumps and cracks, but generally very good.
Seward (1747-1799) was an intimate of Samuel Johnson and Fanny Burney, and he once proposed marriage to Hester Thrale. Seward's papers of "Drossiana" in the European Magazine from October 1789 formed the basis of his anonymous five-volume Anecdotes of some Distinguished Persons (1795–1797). This fifth edition in four volumes followed in 1804.
1-148. [Shakespeare, William.] Shaksperiana [i.e. Shakespeariana]. Catalogue of all the books pamphlets, &c. relating to Shakespeare. To which are subjoined, and account of the early quarto editions of the great dramatist’s plays and poems. The prices at which many copies have sold in public sales; together with a list of the leading and esteemed editions of Shakespeare’s collected works. London: John Wilson, 21, Great May’s Buildings, St. Martin’s Lane, 1827.
$425
First edition of the first Shakespeare bibliography, small paper issue, slim 8vo (9" x 5¾"), pp. xli, [1], 69, [1]; original drab paper-covered boards, paper label on upper cover; rubbed, spine cracking, covers spotted; all else very good. Bookseller ticket of "Circulating Library - Williams / Bookseller, / Cheltenham" on the front pastedown. Also, on the front pastedown is a pencil note about this book's purchase in a sale at Putticks in 1860.
This copy with extensive annotations in pencil on pp. 3-69, with x's and checkmarks, and supplemental titles added in the margins.
Lowndes, p. 2329: "The preface to this little volume contains a curious account of the fabricated portraits of Shakespeare." Jaggard, p. 692: "A few copies were done on large paper. The first distinct effort towards a complete Shakespeare bibliography. It was preceded by Capell's limited sketch in his edition of the poet's works, 1767-68, and by the Marquis of Bute in 1805." An account of spurious portraits of Shakespeare occupies pp. vi-xxxvi.
This copy measures larger than others on line; despite the very ample margins, I'm reluctant to call this a large paper copy.
1-149. The case of Saul, shewing that his disorder was a real spiritual possession, and proving (by the learned researches and labour of a strenuous promoter even of the contrary doctrine) that actual possessions of spirits were generally acknowledged by the ancient writers among the Heathens as well as among the Jews and Christians ... To which is added, a short tract, wherein the influence of demons are further illustrated by remarks on 1 Timothy iv.1-3. London: printed by W. Calvert, Great Shire-lane, Temple-bar; for Vernor and Hood, Poultry; F. and C. Rivington, St. Paul’s Church-Yard; J. White, Fleet-Street; J. Hatchard, Piccadilly; W. Dwyer, Holborn; and L. Pennington, at Durham, 1807.
$1,850
First edition, 12mo, pp. [4], iv, 187, xv, [1]; original pink paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; extremities sunned; very good and sound. With the signature on the front pastedown of "Jud: Sharp / Oct. 3 1807."
This copy from Granville Sharp's sister's library (per Jarndyce Catalogue CLXXVI, Summer, 2008). Elizabeth Prowse (née Sharp), of Wiken Park, presumably inherited this book following her sister Judith's death in 1809. A manuscript note in A Short Treatise on the English Tongue (item 290 in the Jarndyce catalogue) notes that these books were returned to him "in a box from the family library of his late dear sister ... on the 24th of December, 1811..."
"Jud[ith] Sharp" (1733-1809) is Granville's sister and the book seems likely to have transferred from Judith to Elizabeth after Judith's passing, and thence back to Granville Sharp after Elizabeth's passing.
First complete edition of a work on demonic possession, first printed in the year 1777 as an appendix to A Tract on the Law of Nature and Principles of Action in Man, and here supplemented with a conclusion and two "appendages" not included in the 1777 Tract.
1-150. The soldier’s orphan; or, history of Maria West: an interesting and instructive narrative. Written by a clergyman of the Church of England, and intended as a companion to the 'History of Susan Grey.". London: printed and sold by Dean and Munday, Theadneedle Street, [and A. K. Newman & Co. Leadenhall Street], 1822.
$500
First edition, 12mo, pp. 129, [1], [2] ads; inserted engraved frontispiece and title page; original printed blue paper-covered boards; some soiling, 2-inch crack starting at the top of the front joint, otherwise a very good, sound copy. Early ownership signature of "Ann & Charlotte Benton's Book." Frontispiece dated Jan. 1, 1822.
Oxford only in OCLC. There is also an 1821 edition in OCLC (BL only), but strangely, the pagination for the Oxford copy (1822) is given as [1], 4-158, [4]; while the BL copy (1821) conforms exactly to the pagination here. In any event, a rare book in a nice, original binding.
Mary Martha Shewood (1775-1851) was a prolific writer of children's stories having written some 400 of them. With her husband Captain Henry Sherwood, she "moved to India for eleven years. She converted to evangelical Christianity, opened schools for the children of army officers and local Indian children, adopted neglected or orphaned children, and founded an orphanage. She was inspired to write fiction for the children in the military encampments. Her work was well received in Britain, where the Sherwoods returned in 1816 for medical reasons. She opened a boarding school, edited a children's magazine, and published hundreds of tracts, novels, and other works for children and the poor, which increased her popularity in both the United States and Britain" (Wikipedia).
1-151. Poems, chiefly in the Scottish dialect. Edinburgh: printed for the author, by D. Willison; and sold by W. Creech and P. Hill, Edinburgh; and G. G. J. & J. Robinson, London, 1790.
$800
First edition, 8vo, pp. xxviii, [2], xv-xxvii, [2], 30-365, [1], 41 (glossary), [1]; engraved oval portrait frontispiece by Buego after Caldwall; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, manuscript titling on spine; a very nice copy, in a blue cloth folding box with black leather label lettered in gilt. With the ownership signatures on the title of Anne Brodie and Hugh Rose.
Contains a lengthy subscriber list and a dedicatory epistle to Charlotte Lennox (1709-1804), the Scottish author and critic, and the author The Female Quixote (1752). Shirrefs (1762-1807?), once crippled, "abandoned the intention of following a learned profession, and began business in Aberdeen as a bookseller and bookbinder. In May 1787 he joined with others in starting the short-lived "Aberdeen Chronicle" (not to be confounded with the paper of the same name started in 1806), and became proprietor and joint editor of the "Caledonian Magazine." The latter ceased in 1790, and he went to Edinburgh as a bookseller and printer. In 1798 he left for London, after which it is impossible to trace him. The date of his death is given as 1807, but this cannot be confirmed; and from his not appearing with his other brothers in the will of his first cousin Alexander, a Jamaica planter, who died in 1801, it might be inferred that he was dead before that date.
"Shirrefs corresponded with John Skinner and James Beattie; and Burns in the notes of his northern tour mentions having seen him, and describes him as ‘a little decrepit body with some abilities.’ He was best known as the author of ‘Jamie and Bess,’ a pastoral five-act comedy, avowedly in imitation of Ramsay's ‘Gentle Shepherd.’ It was performed in Aberdeen in 1787, and in Edinburgh, for the author's benefit, in 1796, when he appeared and sang his own song, ‘A cogie o' yill and a pickle aitmeal.’ Inglis (Dramatic Writers of Scotland) mentions a short piece, ‘The Sons of Britannia,’ said to have been acted in Edinburgh in 1796, but it does not seem to have been printed. In 1790 Shirrefs published ‘Poems, chiefly in the Scottish Dialect’ (Edinburgh, printed for the author), which contains his portrait by Beugo" (DNB).
1-152. Amusements of leisure hours: or poetical pieces, chiefly in the Scottish dialect: by the late reverend John Skinner; at Longside, Aberdeenshire. Too which is prefixed, a sketch of the author’s life, with some remarks on Scottish poetry.. Edinburgh: printed by John Muir, Royal Bank Close, and sold by Stuart Cheyne, Edinburgh; by Alexander Brown, Aberdeen; and by the Principal Booksellers in Scotland, 1809.
$225
First edition, 12mo, pp. [4], 144; original brown paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; label chipped but without loss of lettering; all else very good to fine.
A collected edition of his poems published posthumously. "He could write in Scots, English and Latin with equal skill. Yet the verses for which Skinner was remembered were those of The Reel of Tullochgorum [included here], which no less than Robert Burns described as ‘the best Scots sang I ever saw’." (See abdn.ac.uk.)
1-153. Zillah; a tale of the holy city ... In four volumes. London: Henry Colburn, New Burlington Street, 1828.
$750
First edition, 4 volumes, 8vo, pp. xxiii, [1], 300; [4], [4], 309, [1], [2] Colburn ads; [4], 307, [1]; [4], 316; original drab paper-covered boards, printed paper labels on spines; joints with small cracks at the extremities, evidence of a label having been removed from the front board of each volume (was this once a copy from a lending library?), minor chips and bumps; otherwise, still very good.
Possibly a lending library survivor, in relatively good condition, demonstrating the care with which readers were encouraged (or fined) to care for the books they borrowed.
Zillah is a young Jewish girl in Jerusalem and the novel is set in The Holy Land fifty years before Christ amidst the Roman invasion and later occupation. The novel was a major source for Edgar Allan Poe for his story, "A Tale of Jerusalem." In a review of a later novel by Smith, The Moneyed Man, Poe called Smith “perhaps, the most erudite of all the English novelists, and unquestionably one of the best in every respect.”
Sadleir 3112; Wolff 6440.
1-154. The naturalist’s cabinet: containing interesting sketches of animal history; illustrative of the natures, dispositions, manners, and habits, of all the most remarkable quadrupeds, birds, fishes, amphibia, reptiles, &c. in the known world. regularly arranged, and enriched with numerous beautiful engravings ... In four [i.e. six] volumes. London: Albion Press printed: James Dundee, Ive-Lane, Paternoster-Row, published by James Cundee, 1806-07.
$950
First edition, the octavo issue (there was also an issue in duodecimo), bound from the original 50 parts (stab holes evident); 6 volumes, 8vo, containing 6 engraved frontispieces, 6 engraved vignette title pages, 52 engraved plates and 34 wood-engraved vignettes; original blue paper-covered boards, gray-brown paper shelfback, printed paper labels on spines; labels rubbed, boards a little soiled, a few small cracks starting at the joints, but generally a good, sound set, or better, internally clean.
The caption titles to the full-page plates, and their page positioning, do not always correspond to the titles and placing given in the "Directions to the Binder for Placing the Cuts" (volume VI, pp. 355-56). The Directions to the Binder lists 66 engravings. Two are missing from this particular set, namely: volume III, 322 - Golden-breasted Trumpeter; and volume VI, 76, Black Snake. There is no evidence of either plate having been inserted (and removed); the second location, III, 322, is part of an unopened gathering.
The work seems to have been published in 50 numbers (see the advertisements at the back of volume VI), and then gathered up and bound in six boarded volumes. The watermark of 1814 on the front and rear endpapers of volume V suggests this was done eight years after the early numbers appeared in 1806. The plate publication dates are mainly from early 1806, but a few run into early 1807. Many of the plates are keyed to episodes in the accompanying text. Large portions of the text are unopened; those that are obviously reflect reader interest.
1-155. The adventures of Peregrine Pickle: in which are included memoirs of a lady of quality. In two volumes. London: J. Walker and Co.; J. Richardson; F. C. and J. Rivington; Law and Whittaker; J. Nunn; Newman and Co.; Lackington, Allen, and Co.; Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; Cadell and Davies; Black and Parry; Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy; Sherwood, Neely, and Jones; R. Scholey; J. Asperne; Gale, Curtis, and Fenner; and J. Robinson., 1815.
$150
2 volumes, 16mo (6" x 3¼"), pp. [4], 463, [1]; [4], 475, [1]; uncut; inserted engraved frontispiece and vignette title page in each volume; original printed paper-covered boards; upper joint of volume I cracking, small piece at top of the spine glued down, some soiling and fragility, but still a very good, sound copy. Advertisements on both rear boards for Walker's British Classics. Ownership signature in each volume of "Math. Count. Galen."
1-156. The Œdipus Coloneus of Sophocles, chiefly according to the text of Brunck; with critical, philological, and explanatory notes, illustrations of peculiar idioms, and examination questions. By the Rev. John Brasse. London: sold by Baldwin & Co., Longman & Co., Whittaker & Co., and all other booksellers., 1829.
$175
First Brasse edition, 12mo, pp. [2] ads, [3], vi-viii, 112; text in Greek, Latin, and English; original brown paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; student drawings on rear pastedown and front free endpaper, the occasional annotation in the margins, design incised on front board, and some pin-pricks, the wrap-around label too wide for the slim volume and extends onto the boards; very good and sound. Label reads: "School & College / Greek Classics, / with / English Notes, / &c. &c. / — / Sophocles. / Œdipus / Coloneus. / — / Price 5s."
1-157. A tale of Paraguay. London: printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row, 1825.
$275
First edition, 12mo, pp. xviii, [2], 199, [1]; engraved frontispiece and one engraved plate by Westall after Heath; original pink paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; extremities rubbed, binding a little soiled, else very good. Bookplate of Simon Nowell-Smith on the front pastedown.
"At the age of fifty - some five years after A Vision of Judgment and thirty years after Joan of Arc, the works that had, respectively, undone and made him as a poet - Southey published the last of his long poems, A Tale of Paraguay. Almost his poetic swan song, the Tale is probably the least known of his more substantial verse narratives, and in some ways it is the least characteristic. It has none of the extravagance, the 'wild streaming lights' of the romances and none of the sentimental melodrama of the epics. There are no struggles against insuperable odds, no wicked sorcerers, fanatical priests, or monstrous tyrants, and no heroes of superhuman piety and fortitude. In fact, as the Preface stresses, the poem is hardly fictional at all, since it merely retells, in metrical and only moderately embellished form, a factual story Southey had come across in his researches for the History of Brazil in the Historia de Abiponibus by the Austrian Jesuit Aloysius Dobrizhofer. It is altogether a surprising performance to come from the poet whom Wordsworth, in the dedication of Peter Bell, had addressed as the dean of romancers" (Bernhardt-Kabisch, Ernest, "Southey in the Tropics," Wordsworth Circle, volume 5, no 2, p. 97).
1-158. De L’Allemagne, par Mme La Baronne de Staël Holstein. Paris: H. Nicolle, à la Libraire Stéréotype, Rue de Seine, N, 12. 1810. Ré-imprimé par John Murray, Albemarle-Street, Londres. [Volume II: De l’Imprimerie de R. Taylor et Co. Shoe-lane, Londres; volume III: De l’Imprimerie de Cox et Baylis, Great Queen-street, Lincoln’s Inn-fields, Londres], 1813.
$1,500
Second (i.e. first available) edition, 3 volumes, 8vo, pp. xxi, [3], 360; [6], 399, [1]; [8], 416; original blue paper-covered boards, brown paper shelfback, printed paper labels on spine; light cracking and wear but generally very good and sound. Ownership signature of "Cambusmore" on the title pages.
This is the first edition to reach the public of Madame de Staël's most important work which introduced German literature, especially the Romantic poets, to French readers, and greatly influenced French writers throughout the 19th century.
The book was first printed in Paris in 1810, but the entire edition, except for three proof copies ending with page 240 of the third volume was seized and destroyed on the orders of Napoleon who misunderstood it as a political work. In her preface to this London edition - the "de facto" first edition - De Staël wrote about the fate of her book and her expulsion from France. She explains the circumstances of the suppression: although the text had already been submitted and passed after certain excisions, the minister of police had all 10,000 copies destroyed on the grounds that the book was "un-French."
Her impressions are based on two journeys through Germany in 1803-04 to Weimar and Berlin, and in 1807-08 to Munich and Vienna. The most important second part offers an almost complete literary history of the time of Goethe and Schiller, but the young romantic poets were especially close to her heart. No doubt she was influenced there by her travel companion August Wilhelm von Schlegel.
1-159. Public characters of 1803-1804. London: printed for Richard Phillips, No. 71, St. Paul’s Church Yard. And sold by Tomas Hurst, Paternoster-Row; Carpenter and Co. Old Bond-Street; John Ginger, 169, Piccadilly; E. Balfour, Edinburgh; J. Archer, Dublin; and by all booksellers. [Price Half a Guinea in Boards.], 1804.
$350
8vo, pp. [6], 567, [1], [23] index, [3] names of others appearing in earlier volumes, [8] Phillips ads; 6 engraved portrait plates, each showing 2 figures; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, gilt titling printed direct on spine; small hole affecting several letters in the 4th leaf of the index, stain in the lower margin of the penultimate leaf, small cracks on spine; on the whole, a very good, sound copy.
This is the sixth volume in an ongoing series which ran to 10 volumes in all, and includes brief biographies and notices of Robert Peel, Admiral Cornwallis, the Marquis of Wellesley (i.e. the future Duke of Wellington), Thomas Grenville, General Paoli, Lady Hamilton, and 28 other nobles, lords, bishops, military figures, and the like.
1-160. The genealogy of the Stewarts refuted: in a letter to Andrew Stuart, Esq. M. P.. Edinburgh: printed for Bell & Bradfute; and G. G. and J. Robinson, London, 1799.
$250
First edition, 8vo, pp. viii, 3-169, [3]; very large (15” x 38") folding genealogical table of the house of Bonkill with long tear (but no loss) in the first panel; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback; boards a little soiled, spine worn and with a few small chips, but in all a very good, largely unopened copy. On the front pastedown is the ownership signature of "Earl of Galloway."
Steuart (1759-1836) was replying to Andrew Stuart's work, A Genealogical History of the Stuarts (1798); Stuart also wrote a reply to this work. Stuart had contended that as the royal line had failed with the descendants of Stewart of Darnley that the head of all Stewarts or Stuarts was Stuart of Castlemilk, and the he was a Stuart of that clan, and thus the male heir of the family. Sir Henry Steuart asserts the rightfulness of the hitherto uncontested claims of the lineage of the Earl of Galloway, and Galloway is mentioned numerous times in this book. The autograph on the front pastedown is probably that of John Stewart, Seventh Earl of Galloway (1736-1806), who acceded to the Earldom in 1773. He is also remembered as the object of some of Burns's satirical; verses.
1-161. Elements of the philosophy of the human mind ... The fourth edition, corrected. London: printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies, in the Strand; and W. Creech, Edinburgh, 1811.
$300
2 volumes in 1, 8vo, pp. xii, 276; [2], 277-585, [1]; 16-page Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown catalogue dated February 1812 inserted at the back; original blue paper-covered boards, neatly rebacked with old cream paper shelfback laid down, and manuscript titling on spine. Early ownership signature of John Bewley on the front pastedown.
On p. [ii]: “For such of the Purchasers of this Work as chuse to have it bound in Two Volumes, a Title for the Second Volume is printed, which is intended to begin at Chapter V. p, 277.” This second title page is present here.
This is Stewart's major work. This fourth edition was the last to appear before he completed the second volume in 1814.
1-162. The secret history of the court and cabinet of St. Cloud: in a series of letters from a gentleman at Paris to a nobleman in London, written during the months August, September, and October, 1805. London: John Murray, 32, Fleet-Street, 1806.
$2,000
First edition, 12mo, 3 volumes, pp. [2], xx, 362; xiv, 311, [1]; xix, [1], 316; with the final leaf of advertisements in volume III; a fine copy in original blue paper-covered boards, pink paper shelfback, printed paper spine labels on each volume; lightly rubbed else near fine. With the bookplates of Harry H. Blum. Contained in a blue morocco pull-off case, gilt lettering on spine misidentifying the author as "Goldsmith" (see below).
A virulent attack on Napoleon and revolutionary France, with letters on censorship and on the French discontent with President Jefferson. The work was very popular but little is known of the possibly pseudonymous "Mr. Stewarton." Owing to a similarity of title with The Secret History [of the Cabinet of Bonaparte], the anti-Revolutionary and anti-Napoleonic works of B. Stewarton have often been falsely attributed to [the journalist Lewis] Goldsmith who ran an English language newspaper in Paris, before disillusionment led to his outspoken writings against France (see DNB).
Wolff 6576.
1-163. Cape of Good Hope and its dependencies. An accurate and truly interesting description ... Likewise a luminous and affecting detail of Captain Stout’s travels through the deserts of Caffraria and the christian settlements, to the Cape ... Likewise a luminous and affecting detail of Captain Stout's travels through the deserts of Caffraria and the Christian settlements, to the Cape. London: printed for Edwards and Knibb, 53, Newgate-Street, 1820.
$750
First edition, 8vo, pp. xvi, 144; original blue paper-covered boards, tan paper shelfback, printed title on spine; boards somewhat soiled, spine toned, extremities rubbed, text clean; good an sound, or better.
Later inscription on flyleaf, "Sir Matthew Nathan, from L. A. Barker." Nathan was colonial governor serving in Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Queensland. Contemporary signature on title page of "F. Cotton."
"Issued with a view of affording information respecting the country reserved for the 1820 settlers, which the editor asserts is not to be found in other works of South Africa" (Mendelssohn). Most of the material appeared earlier in Narrative of the Loss of the Ship Hercules (1798) where Stout, encountering a gale which rendered the ship unmanageable, ran the ship ashore on the African coast. Remarkably, all the crew reached the shore safely, and the native Caffres were friendly and led the crew to Dutch settlements.
Mendelssohn p. 445.
1-164. Worcester field; or, the cavalier. A poem in four cantos, with historical notes. London: published by Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row, [1826].
$325
First edition, 8vo, pp. [4], 163, [1]; original blue paper-covered boards, cream muslin shelfback, printed paper label on spine; label a little rubbed else near fine. Bookplate of Simon Nowell-Smith.
Presentation copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper: "Miss Dobbel with the Authoress's Compts." There is also a manuscript correction on p. 159, possibly authorial.
Agnes Strickland (1796-1874) was a British poet, author of children's stories, and historical writer, best known for her Lives of the Queens of England (12 volumes, 1840-48). This is her first book of poetry.
1-165. [Student Poetry.] Ovid in London: a ludicrous poem, in six cantos. By a member of the university of Oxford. London: printed by Dove, St. John's Square, for William Anderson, 186, Piccadilly, nearly opposite Albany, 1814.
$350
First edition, 12mo, pp. 120; uncut; errata slip tipped in at back; original salmon paper-covered boards, pink paper shelfback, red paper label on spine; joints just starting, spine toned, text clean; very good. Early ownership signature of Earl Percy on front free endpaper.
1-166. Swiftiana. [ Edited Charles Henry Wilson]. London: printed for Richard Phillips, 71 St. Paul’s Church Yard ... by Thos. Gillett, Salisbury Square, 1804.
$500
First edition, 2 volumes, 12mo, pp. xxxii, 208; 224, *209-*232, 225-237, [3]; inserted engraved vignette title pages, 6 folding facsimiles of Swift letters and manuscripts (5 at the back of volume I, 4 of which are detached, but present); original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfbacks, manuscript titling on spines; spines darkened and with cracks and some cracking of the joints; still, generally a very good copy.
A collection of memorable sayings and anecdotes relating to Swift and especially to his "acuteness, discrimination, and vigour of thought." Includes a Life of Swift by Wilson (1775-1808), the Irish writer, translator, and linguist.
Teerink 1373.
1-167. Correspondence between a mother and her daughter at school ... Fifth edition. London: printed for Taylor and Hessey, 93, Fleet Street, 1821.
$200
12mo, pp. 4, 164, [4] ads; engraved frontispiece; original drab paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; about fine.
With an inscription on the front free endpaper: "To Jemima Graham from her affectionate sister Mary Anne Chester Dec. 9 1828."
"For the purpose of conveying instruction to young people at School.'' (Advertisement).
1-168. The present of a mistress to a young servant: consisting of friendly advice and real histories. By Mrs. Taylor, of Ongar ... Seventh edition. London: printed for Taylor and Hessey, Fleet Street [by J. Moyes, Greville Street, 1822.
$160
12mo, pp. vi, [1], 167, [1]; engraved frontispiece; original brown paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; small crack at the top of the front joint, frontispiece slightly offset onto title page, label lightly toned, but in all, a near fine copy. Bookplate of Anne and F. G. Renier.
Ann Taylor (1757-1830) was the mother of Ann (the younger) and Jane Taylor, both of whom who would become noted writers. "Ann Taylor was a prolific and lively correspondent, writing regularly to her children whenever they were apart ... In 1814 [she] published as Maternal Solicitude for a Daughter's Best Interests. It sold extremely well, going into fifteen editions (two of them American) over the next sixteen years. There followed other works in the same vein: Practical Hints to Young Females (1815); The Present of a Mistress to a Young Servant (1816); Reciprocal Duties of Parents and Children (1818); and, in collaboration with her daughter Jane, Correspondence between a Mother and her Daughter at School (1817). Most proved equally popular and influential" (ODNB).
1-169. [Theatre.] Seven years of the King’s Theatre. London: William Harrison Ainsworth, Old Bond-Street, 1828.
$500
8vo, pp. xxviii, 395, [1]; lithograph portrait frontispiece and 5 plates; contemporary (original?) blue-green paper-covered boards, tan paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; spine darkened and scratched, boards lightly soiled and toned, upper hinge starting, lightly foxed, good or better.
On the back pastedown is a binder's ticker: "F. Westley, / Binder, / Friar St. Shoemaker Row / near / Doctors Commons," an indication that this is not the first binding. That said, there's no apparent evidence of an earlier binding, and F. Wesley is known to have bout at least one other of Ainsworth's books.
Ebers' account covers the full seven years of his career, from his jump into the business in 1820 to bankruptcy in 1827, after which he returned to his previous career as a bookseller. The book was published by the novelist William Harrison Ainsworth who in his early years waded into several publishing ventures, usually without much success.
OCLC locates 13 titles published under his name 1827-29. The ads at the front list all 13, and include 4 titles "in the press," none of which appear in OCLC under his imprint, but one, ironically, shows up under Ebers'.
1-170. [Theatre.] Memoirs of Charles Lee Lewes, containing anecdotes, historical and biographical, of the English and Scottish stages, during a period of forty years. Written by himself. In four volumes. London: printed for Richard Phillips, No. 6, Bridge-Street, Blackfriars ... by T. Gillet, Salisbury-square, 1805.
$600
First edition, 4 volumes, small 8vo, pp. [10], viii, 223, [1]; [4], 222; [4], 231, [1]; [4], 276, [4] Phillips ads; original pink paper-covered boards, printed paper labels on spines; spines and extremities sunned, a bit of soiling to the boards, but generally a very good, sound copy. With the armorial bookplate of the Earl of Annesley in each volume.
Lewes (1740-1803) appeared first on stage in Haymarket, then in the provinces; returning to London he had roles at Covent Garden and later at Drury Lane where he assumed a number of Shakesperian parts. Ultimately, he suffered financially and went to prison for his indebtedness where he compiled this memoir, published after his death by his son. DNB notes: "Among theatrical compilations it has an unenviable precedency of worthlessness."
1-171. [Theology.] A sketch of the denominations of the Christian world; to which is prefixed and outline of atheism, deism, Theophilanthropism, Judaism, and Mahometanism. With a chronological table of the leading events of ecclesiastical history, from the birth of Christ to the present time. Thirteenth edition. Corrected and enlarged, with an essay on the Bible, list of the Bible and missionary societies, &c. with remarks; a new article on the Roman Catholics—an account of the Haldanites—of the free-thinking Christians, and of the Shakers, who neither marry nor are given in marriage. London: printed for B. and R. Crosby and Co. Stationers’ Court, Ludgate-Street., 1814.
$425
12mo, pp. cvii, [1], 394, [2] ads; engraved composite frontispiece with oval portraits of 9 theologians; original tan printed paper-covered boards, title, decorations, and information about this edition printed direct on spine; minor wear, but in all, a very good, sound copy.
The spine is printed, with ornamental dividers: Evans’s / Sketch / of all / Religions. / — / Thirteenth Edition. / dedicated / By Permission to the / Right Hon. / Lord Erskine. / — / With / An Essay / on / The Bible, / List of the / Bible and Missionary / Societies, &c. / With Remarks, / And several new Articles. / — / 6s, Boards.
Evans (1766-1838) was an ardent Welsh Baptist and was known by the moniker, Bunyan of Wales. "Of his forty or more writings by far the most popular was his Sketch of the Denominations of the Christian World (London, 1795; 15th ed., revised, 1827). The book was translated into various languages, and during Evans' lifetime more than 100,000 copies were sold" (CCEL[dot]com).
1-172. Memoirs of Owen Glendower, (Owain Glyndwr) with a sketch of the history of the ancient Britons, from the conquest of Wales by Edward the First, to the present time, illustrated with various notes, genealogical & topographical. Haverfordwest: printed for the author by Joseph Potter, High Street, 1822.
$325
8vo, pp. [2], 2, [8], xxiii, [1], 240; original blue paper-covered boards, modern rebacking with brown paper shelfback and new spine label; boards soiled and edges rubbed, stain on top edge from about p. 90 to 140; good and sound. Includes an eight-page subscriber's list, and with an informed ink annotation in the margin of p. 187.
Owen Glendower (ca.1354-1415) is the anglicized form of Owain ap Gruffydd, more commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr. He "was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Late Middle Ages, who led a 15-year-long revolt with the aim of ending English rule in Wales. He was an educated lawyer, forming the first Welsh parliament under his rule, and was the last native-born Welshman to claim the title Prince of Wales."
Shakespeare portrays him as Owen Glendower in Henry IV, Part I. In more modern times, Glyndŵr was described by Fidel Castro "as the first effective guerrilla leader. It has been suggested that Castro, who may have kept books about the Welshman, and Che Guevara copied some of Glyndŵr's methods in the Cuban Revolution."
See Wikipedia for a long and entertaining biography and assessment.
1-173. The seasons. Parma: Giambattista Bodoni, 1794.
$750
Edition probably limited to 250 copies, large 4to, pp. [6], xii, 248 (leaf 29-3 is a cancel); uncut copy in original orange paper-covered boards, paper label on spine; extremities rubbed, corners worn, text a little shaken; a good copy in its original binding.
Ebert notes that there are some fifty copies on vellum paper in folio, and a single copy on vellum; ESTC records only 3 copies of the folio in America, and of the quarto only four: LC, Newberry, Tulane, and Oregon. Lowndes IV, 2671; Brooks 531.
1-174. The seasons, and The castle of indolence ... With the life of the author, by Samuel Jonson, L.L.D. London: printed for Baynes and Son; A. B. Dulau and Co.; Otridge and Rackham; J. F. Setchel; Westley and Parrish; Whitmore and Fenn; W. Mason; C. Smith; Gossling and Egley; Smith and Elder; W. Wright; T. and W. Boone; B. Iley; C. Rice; J. Hearne; J. Bain; Lawler and Quick; W. Crawford; R. Beckley; T. Lester; J. Cox; and R. Hoffman; T. Wilson and Sons, York; H. Mozley, Derby; J. Anderson, jun. Edinburgh; M. Keane and J. Cumming, Dublin., 1823.
$125
24mo (approx. 5½" x 3"), inserted engraved frontispiece and engraved title page, both by Edward Finden after Henry Corbauld, pp. xv, [2], 18-214; original printed paper-covered boards; small crack at the top of the front hinge, small stain on upper cover, spine a little darkened, but generally very good and sound. The engraved title page with the imprint: "London: published by the Proprietors of the English Classics, 1823". Early ownership signature of "G. Chiltshire."
Only 6 copies located in OCLC: Princeton, Tulsa, Univ. of Miami, National Library of Scotland, one in Switzerland, and one at the Hekekiah Oluwasanmi Library in Nigeria!
1-175. Poems on various subjects; selected to enforce the practice of virtue, and to comprise in one volume the beauties of English poetry. A new edition, with vignettes. London: printed for B. Crosby and Co. Stationers’ Court, Paternoster Row, by J. Swan, 76, Fleet Street, 1804.
$300
12mo, pp. [6], 256; engraved vignette title page and 3 engraved vignettes - all very attractive; original printed blue paper-covered boards, printed spine; spine slightly darkened, but near fine. Bookplate of John Sparrow.
An attractive anthology of mostly British poetry, with selections from Pope, Goldsmith, Piozzi, Collins, Milton, Gray, Lyttleton, Dryden, Addison, Johnson, and others.
1-176. Cindabright: or. the fatal flowers. A fairy tale. With minor poems. Kensington [London]: printed and sold by John Wild, bookseller (by appointment) to the Queen; sold also by Milliken and Son, publishers, Dublin, 1838.
$750
First edition, 8vo, pp. vi, [2], 151, [1]; largely unopened; 2 tinted engravings by S. Russell after E. H. Trotter; original tan paper-covered boards, printed paper label on upper cover; lower cover spotted, edges rubbed; very good and sound. Small manuscript insertion on p. 25 (authorial?).
Includes a subscribers' list of a mere sixty names (taking 75 copies), so the edition was likely quite small.
Only four in OCLC: Princeton, Toronto, Liverpool, and the BL.
1-177. A philosophical catechism; or, familiar introduction to some of the arts and sciences; being a synopsis of their elementary principles. For the use of schools and young people ... A new edition, with improvements and additions. Bath: printed for the author, by J. and J. Keene, at their Bath Journal, and General Printing Office, 7, Kingsmean-Street. Sold by Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Green, London; E. Collings, Bath; and may be had at every bookseller in the kingdom, 1825.
$750
12mo, pp. vi, [2], 184; original blue paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; a fine copy. Early inscription 'Master Rabbets 1/6/63' on front free endpaper. With a vernacular dust jacket made of paper and titled in ink ('George Rabbets Philosophical Catechism No. 6') on the upper panel and sewn with thread at the front (only).
R. Tucker is noted on the title page as being "Master of Imber-House Academy, lately removed from Tilshead." It appears that although intended for the use of schools and young people, this particular volume has little of no use at all, being in such fine condition.
COPAC records a single copy of an 1811 edition at the British Library; this edition located at the BL and Oxford only and no further copies of either edition in OCLC.
1-178. Letters written during a ten years' residence at the court of Tripoli; published from the originals in the possession the family of the later Richard Tully, Esq. the British Consul: comprising authentic memoirs and anecdotes of the reigning Bashaw, his family, and other persons of distinction; also, an account of the domestic manners of the Moors, Arabs, and Turks. Third edition. London: printed for Henry Colburn, Conduit Street, 1819.
$1,500
2 volumes, 8vo, pp. xv, [1], 375, [1]; [4], 396; folding map, 7 hand-colored aquatints; original drab paper-covered boards, printed paper labels on spines; light wear; very good and sound.
First published in 1816 with 2 fewer aquatints, and with the title Narrative of a Ten Years' Residence at Tripoli in Africa. Written by the sister-in-law of Richard Tully, British Consul at Tripoli between 1783 and 1793. The female members of Tully’s family were on intimate terms with the Bashaw’s family. Thus the narrative contains a unique insight into the life of the Seraglio. The letters were published from the originals in the possession of the family of the late Richard Tully, comprising authentic memoirs and anecdotes of the reigning Bashaw, his family and other persons of distinction. Also included are accounts of the domestic matters of the Moors, Arabs and Turks. One of the most important records of Tripolitan life during the 18th century.
"These letters will prove no less important to the political inquirer than amusing to the public at large; laying open much that will materially assist the comprehensive views of the stateman, blended with all the rich entertainment that so greatly distinguished the correspondence of Lady Mary Wortley Montague" (Preface).
See Abbey, Travel, 299; Blackmer 1682; Tooley 493 for the 1816 edition.
1-179. [Turnpike Law.] A supplement to the general turnpike road act, of 3 Geo. IV. Cap. 126. Containing the three acts of 4 Geo IV. With notes and additional forms, and general rules for repairing roads; too which is prefixed, a digested index to the whole of the turnpike road acts now in force. London: printed for the Associated Law Booksellers, and sold by A. Maxwell, 21, and R. Stevens and Sons, 39, Bell Yard, Lincoln’s Inn; S. Sweet, 3, Chancery Lane; R. Pheny, Inner Temple Lane; and J. Wrightson, Birmingham, 1823.
$150
First edition, 12mo, pp. [2], 126, [4] Associated Law Booksellers ads; engraved frontispiece ("Tools for Making and Repairing Roads"); original cream paper shelfback over blue paper-covered boards, printed paper label on spine; very good. Early ownership signature of "Poulett" on upper cover and pastedown. This is likely the 5th Earl Poulet (1783-1864).
1-180. Essay on the principles of translation. Second edition, corrected, and considerably enlarged. London: printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies; and W. Creech, Edinburgh, 1797.
$375
8vo, pp. [2], xi, [1], 416; original blue paper-covered boards, gray-green paper shelfback, title in manuscript on spine; light fading, cracking and staining, but still a near very good, sound copy. Early ownership inscriptions of H. D. Forbes. Eight-line note in pencil on the front free endpaper quoting a notice in The Athenaeum.
Second edition but considerably expanded over the first (from 260 pages to 416) making it almost a new work. In this edition he adds much new material, "based on the criticism of the reviewers and the advice of his literary friends, among whom he numbered Robert Burns, Playfair and Dugald Stewart.
"This is the most important book of its time on the theory of translation. After its publication Tytler 'attained a rapid and extraordinary celebrity. Complimentary letters flowed in from the many eminent men in England; and the book itself speedily came to be considered a standard work in English criticism'" (Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen).
Tytler (1747-1813) was a professor of history at Edinburgh where his lectures were attended by a young Sir Walter Scott.
1-181. An inquiry, historical and critical, into the evidence against Mary Queen of Scots; and an examination of the histories of Dr. Robertson and Mr. Hume, with respect to that evidence ... The fourth edition, containing several additional chapters, and an introduction. London: printed for T. Cadell, in the Strand; and W. Creech, Edinburgh, 1790.
$450
2 volumes, 8vo, pp. vii, [1], 381, [1];viii, 422, [1]; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, volume designation numbers stamped on spines; one leaf in table of contents in volume I bound out of order, rear free endpaper in volume II partially adhered to the blank verso of the final leaf; binding slightly worn overall but still a very good, sound set, largely unopened.
Tytler (1711-1792), Scottish historian and man of letters, began his writing career with papers submitted to the "Lounger." This is his first separately published work. When it first appeared in 1759, it was favorably reviewed by Dr. Johnson and Tobias Smollett, and in succeeding years, went through four editions and was translated into French twice. "Though he had been preceded in 1754 by Walter Goodall ... [Tytler's] work continued to be, till the publication in 1809 of John Hosack's Mary Queen of Scots and her Accusers, the most widely read of the literary productions of Mary's apologists" (DNB). This edition, the last in Tytler's lifetime, was considerably expanded over the third (1772) edition.
1-182. Letters, on the subject of the concert of princes, and the dismemberment of Poland and France. (First published in the Morning Chronicle between July 20, 1792, and June 25, 1793.) With corrections and additions. By A Calm Observer. London: printed for G. G. J. and J. Robinson, Paternoster-Row, 1793.
$1,500
First edition, 8vo, pp. [8], lx, 231, [1], 23, [1]; original gray-blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, boards a little soiled, corners bumped, front hinge starting, some marginal pencil marks, and a line crossed out in the preface ("or even of the Bill of Rights" struck from the line "scarcely a shred of Magna Charta, or even of the Bill of Rights, is at present looked to in practice..."); very good.
Jamaican-born Benjamin Vaughan (1751-1835) was educated in England and took a strong interest in American affairs. He was a close associate of Benjamin Franklin and and an "active an important mediator" during the Anglo-American peace negotiations of 1782-3. Writing as "A Calm Observer," he wrote letters critical of the Pitt government and supportive of the French and Polish revolutions, which he later collected in the Concert of Princes. He fled England in 1794 to live in the United States where he settled in Maine.
1-183. [Veterinary Medicine.] A treatise on the disorders incident to horned cattle, comprising a description of the symptoms, and the most rational methods of cure, founded on long experience ... To which are added, receipts for curing the gripes, staggers, & worms in horses; and an appendix, containing instructions for the extraction of calves. Kidderminster: printed by G. Gower, for the wholesale booksellers, London, n.d., [c. 1818].
$600
8vo, pp. 12, [1], 18-145, [3]; original pictorial tan boards, printed title and decorations on spine; very good.
Originally published in London in 1797. OCLC dates this edition anywhere from 1807 to 1820. A watermark of 1818 on the rear endpaper and elsewhere narrows it down.
A handsome copy in pictorial boards with a cancel strip over the imprint to conform to the title page.
1-184. Publii Virgilii Maronis bucolicôn liber. The bucolics of Virgil, literally translated into English prose, from the text of Heyne: with the scanning of each verse, the synthetical order, a more free translation, and a copious body of notes explanatory, critical, and historical. To which are subjoined, a vocabulary of all the words that occur in the eclogues, and an index. For the use of students. By T. W. C. Edwards, M.A. London: Matthew Ivey, Somerset Street, Portman Square: sold by Talboys, Oxford; Newby, Cambridge; and Bell and Bradfute, Edinburgh., 1825.
$750
Folio in 6s; pp. xvi, [1], 18-208; original blue paper-covered boards, brown paper shelfback, printed paper label on spine; label chipped with loss to the 'Vir' in "Virgil,' some loss to the paper shelfback along the front joint, top of spine a little chipped; still, a compelling copy of a folio in boards.
Edwards was responsible for The Eton Latin Grammar which went through many editions, and he translated Euripides, Sophocles, Aeschylus, and this edition of Virgil's Bucolics. But look for Mr. Edwards online and your apt to run across a series of posts regarding his invention of the Auticatelephor, "a new and curious engine ... invented by Mr T. W. C. Edwards, Lecturer on Experimental Philosophy and Chemistry, and designed for the instantaneous conveyance of intelligence to any distance ... transmitting from London, instantaneously, to an agent at Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris, Vienna, St Petersburg, Constantinople, the Cape of Good Hope, Madras, Calcutta, &c., any question or message whatever, and of receiving back again at London, within the short space of one minute, an acknowledgment of the arrival of such question or message at the place intended, and a distinct answer to it in a few minutes" (Fahie, A History of Wireless Telegraphy, 1901, pp. 9-10).
1-185. Walpoliana. Second edition. [Edited by John Pinkerton]. London: printed for R. Phillips, 71, St. Paul’s Church Yard, by T. Bensley, Bolt Court, Fleet Street, n.d., [1800?].
$500
2 volumes 12mo, pp. l, [2] ads, 140; 180, [20]; inserted engraved vignette title pages, folding facsimile; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, printed paper labels on spine; spines slightly soiled, else near fine.
"A transcript of [the] literary chit-chat" of Horace Walpole, with anecdotes, extracts from his letters, etc., and with a biographical sketch compiled by John Pinkerton.
Hazen, p. 145.
1-186. Illustrations of human life ... Second edition. In three volumes. London: Henry Colburn, 13, Great Marlborough Street, 1838.
$225
Second edition, 12mo, 3 volumes, pp. viii, 356, [2]; vii, [1], 324; [4], 301, [1]; original gray paper-covered boards, printed paper spine labels; extremities rubbed, labels a little rubbed and darkened, text clean; all else very good. Bookplates of Anne Renier and F. G. Renier on pastedowns.
Ward's fiction was largely didactic in nature. "George Canning said that [Ward's] law books were as pleasant as novels, and his novels as dull as law books" (DNB).
See Sadleir 3299 and Wolff 7029 for the first edition of the previous year.
1-187. The posthumous papers, facetious and fanciful, of a person lately about town. New York: printed by J. & J. Harper. Sold by Collins and Hannah, Collins and Co., and G. and C. Carvill,—Philadelphia, Carey, Lea, and Carey, Tower and Hogan, and R. H. Small,—Boston, Hilliard, Gray, and Co., and Richardson and Lord, 1828.
$225
First American edition, 12mo, pp. [4] ads, [3], vi-viii, [3], 10-243; the final leaf used as a pastedown; original yellow paper-covered boards, green muslin shelfback, printed paper label on spine; spine sunned, label rubbed, corners bumped, text a bit foxed, but still a good, sound copy, or better. Ownership signature on the title page of Mary H. Wheeler, and her blue bookplate on the front free endpaper.
Webbe (born Cornelius Francis Webb 1789-1850) "worked as a proofreader for the Quarterly Review. His poetry was published in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1813-1817, and the New Monthly Magazine, 1814-1817, and later in the Literary Speculum. He was an acquaintance and admirer of John Keats, who later referred to him as 'one of our party occasionally at Hampstead.' In 1817, John Gibson Lockhart used lines by Webbe as an epigraph to his infamous attack on Keats and Leigh Hunt in Blackwood's Magazine, 'On the Cockney School of Poetry;' which led Keats to privately denounce Webbe as a 'Poetaster'" (pennyspoetry[.]fandom[.]com).
1-188. Metrical romances of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries: published from ancient manuscripts. With an introduction, notes, and a glossary. Edinburgh: printed by George Ramsay and Company, for Archibald Constable and Co. Edinburgh; and John Murray, and Constable, Hunter, Park, and Hunter, London, 1810.
$425
First edition, 3 volumes, 8vo, pp. lxxxvii, [1], 381, [1]; [6], 479, [1]; [6], 459, [5]; original drab paper-covered boards, manuscript titles on spines, that on volume III rather faint; volume designation numbers stamped on spines; joints rubbed, one corner on volume II bent, light flaking along the joints, small wormhole at the bottom of the first several gatherings of volume II affecting a letter or two on each page, but on the whole a very good, sound set, mostly unopened. Ownership [?] initials of "C.A." at the top corner of each front board,
Includes, among others, Kyne Alisaunder, the Lay le Freine, Richard Coer de Lion, and the Proces of the Seuyn Sages.
Weber (1783-1818) was employed by Sir Walter Scott "from August 1804 as his amanuensis, and secured for him profitable work in literature. Weber was described as affectionate, but imbued with Jacobin principles by Scott. (Scott, Journal, 1890, i. 149). After Christmas 1813 a fit of madness seized Weber at dusk, at the close of a day's work in the same room with his employer. He produced a pair of pistols, and challenged Scott to mortal combat. A parley ensued, and Weber dined with the Scotts; next day he was put under restraint. His friends, with some assistance from Scott, supported him, 'a hopeless lunatic,' in an asylum at York. There he died in June 1818" (Wilkipedia).
This is the second collection of metrical romances to be published, and Scott thought it superior to Ritson's earlier collection.
1-189. A collection of original poems, essays and epistles. Stamford: printed for the author, and sold by Mr. Bathurst, Fleet-Street, London; Mr. Thurlbourn, Cambridge; Mr. Akenhead, jun. Newcastle; Mr. Howgrave, and Mr. Rogers, Stamford, 1753.
$250
First edition, 8vo, pp. [20], 304; uncut; later blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback; old circulating library rules pasted to front pastedown; very good and sound, the textblock about fine. Early ownership signature of "Edm. Laycock" on front free endpaper.
The rebinding is clearly later, possibly 20th century, even though the circulating library rules, which shows evidence of its being reapplied, appears to be mid-19th century.
This appears to be the only work of the Rev. John Werge, a curate of Stamford, Lincolnshire, and it includes a 15-page list of subscribers.
1-190. [West Indies.] The history civil and commercial, of the British colonies in the West Indies. Third edition, with considerable additions. London: John Stockdale, 1801.
$2,500
3 volumes, 8vo, pp. xxiv, xxiii, [1], 576; viii, 617, [1]; [4], xxxii, 477, [1], blank leaf, [6] ads; engraved frontis portrait and 21 maps and plates, all folding (that of St. Domingo as large as 26" x 38") plus a number of printed tables throughout; interesting, venerable set in original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelf-backs, printed paper labels on volumes 2 and 3, early mss. label on volume 1; the boards dirty, the spines chipped, with modest loss at tops and bottoms; internally clean; a compelling set.
The last edition revised by the author before his death, including a note on his death by Sir William Young (who also contributes "A Tour through the Several Islands of Barbados, St. Vincent, Antigua, Tobago and Grenada, in the years 1791 and 1792" in volume 3); a life of the author written by himself a short time before his death; and prefaces to the first and second editions.
Sabin 21901 noting that this edition incorporates for the first time Edwards' "Historical Survey of the French Colony in the Island of St. Domingo, Comprehending an Account of the Revolt of the Negroes…"; James Ford Bell E55 citing the second edition (2 vols. 4to) of 1794: "An excellent and full general survey of the peoples, products, government, and history of the islands in the West Indies under British control."
1-191. The descriptive part of Mr. West’s guide to the lakes in Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire. Kendal: printed by W. Pennington; and sold by J. Richardson, Royal Exchange; and W. Clarke, New Bond Street, London, 1809.
$400
12mo, pp. [4], 149, [3]; folding map; original printed blue paper-covered boards; spine chipped and partially perished, joints cracked, light offsetting to map, leaf D2 with folded printer's error, otherwise overall very good and clean.
First edition of this abridgement of West's Guide, containing "the descriptive part of Mr. West's larger work, leaving out the antiquarian and historical researches, most of the notes, and the whole of the addenda."
Cornell, Princeton, Wisconsin, Cambridge, Simon Fraser, BL, and National Library of Scotland in OCLC.
1-192. Fitzalleyne of Berkeley. A romance of the present times. By Bernard Blackmantle, author of The English Spy. In two volumes. London: published by Sherwood and Co. Paternoster-Row, 1825.
$275
First edition, 2 volumes, 8vo, pp. xx, 219, [1]; x, 201, [1]; original blue paper-covered boards, brown paper shelfback, printed paper labels on spines; light spotting and small cracks, else very good and sound. On front board of each volume, an heraldic rubber stamp with the initials "T. F."
Westmacott (c. 1788-1868) was a British journalist and author, editor of The Age, the leading Sunday newspaper of the early 1830s. He was "savagely portrayed as the unprincipled gossip-monger 'Sneak' in Edward Bulwer's England and the English, and has been dubbed 'the principal blackmailing editor of his day.' While he did accept money to suppress publication of stories, this was legal until the 1843 Libel Act" (Wikipedia).
Not in Sadleir; Wolff 7136.
1-193. [Bayt-i laylah], or, Persian distichs, from various authors, in which the beauties of the language are exhibited in a small compass, and may easily be remembered. London: printed for the author; by S. Rousseau, Wood Street, Spa Fields, 1814.
$2,500
First edition, slim 8vo, pp. 101, [3]; parallel text in Persian and English; original blue paper-covered boards; about fine throughout.
This copy inscribed "From the author" on the blank verso of the front free endpaper. Laid in is a lengthy 4-page autograph letter dated Jan. 3 1814 and sent from Devonshire Place, signed "Drachi" (?) who seems to have a clear knowledge of Persian which he quotes at ease. He comments extensively on the book in English, and offers suggestions.
Stephen Weston (1747-1830), antiquary and classical scholar, was a prolific author, and also made some translations from Chinese, publishing works on philology and antiquities. The book was printed by S. Rousseau, "a teacher in the Persian tongue," at his Arabic and Persian Press, the first Oriental press in England.
1-194. The works of the right reverend Thomas Wilson, D. D. Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, in eight volumes. With his life, compiled from authentic papers by the Reverend C. Cruttwell [half-title]. Bath: printed by and for R. Cruttwell, and sold by C. Dilly, Poultry, London, 1782-85.
$1,500
8 volumes, each with a varying title; 8vo, the first four volumes are third edition (the first in octavo), and the second four are fourth edition; original blue-gray paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfbacks, printed paper labels on volumes I-IV, manuscript volume numbers on all the spines, the first volume (only) in tan paper-covered boards; contemporary ownership signature of Caroline Vaughan in each volume except volume IV, attesting to the uniformity of the set, albeit a set with variations. Volumes V-VIII with occasional marginal annotations in the tables of contents indicating the time at which a particular sermon might have been delivered.
A well-preserved set. Bishop Wilson (1663-1755) "was consecrated bishop in 1698. His episcopate was marked by a number of reforms in the Isle of Man. New churches were built, libraries founded and books were printed in Manx, his Principles and Duties of Christianity (London, 1707) being the first book published in that language. He also encouraged farming, and set the example of planting fruit and forest trees. In order to restore discipline in the island he drew up in 1704 his well-known Ecclesiastical Constitutions" (theodora[dot]com).
Includes volume I: The life of ... Thomas Wilson compiled by C. Cruttwell to which is added his History of the Isle of Man; volume II: Instructions for the Better Understanding of the Lord's Supper. Sacra privata; volume III: Instruction for Indians. Short Observations for Reading the Historical Books of the Old Testament. Private and Family Prayers. A form of consecrating churches, chapels, church yards, and places of burial; volume IV: Parochialia. Maxims of Piety and of Christianity. Form of Prayer for the Herring Fishery. Forms of excommunication, and of receiving penitents. Instructions for an academick youth. Catechetical instructions; volumes V-VIII: Sermons.
1-195. The history of Peter Pindar, from that memorable æra when he received a sound thrashing, down to the present time. And also an answer to his late publication, entitled “An Expostulatory Epistle.” By Tom Fact. [London]: printed for C. Stalker, Stationers-Court, Ludgate-Street, [1788].
$325
First edition, 4to, pp. [4], 31, [1]; Tom Fact is a pseudonym, and the work is sometimes attributed to John Wolcot.
bound with: Peter’s Pension. A solemn epistle to a sublime personage. With an engraving by an eminent Artist. By Peter Pindar, Esq. Second edition. London: printed for G. Kearsley, at Johnson’s Head, No. 46, Fleet Street. 1788. pp. [4], engraving, 47, [1], [4] (ads by Kearsley);
bound with: Brother Peter to brother Tom. An expostulatory epistle. By Peter Pinder, Esq. Third edition. London: printed for G. Kearsley, at Johnson’s Head, No. 46, Fleet Street. 1788. pp. iv, 49, [1], [2] (reward for the conviction for piracy of Pindar’s works, plus a lists of his works for sale);
bound with: An apologetic postscript to ode upon ode. Or a peep at Saint James’s. By Peter Pindar, Esq. London: printed for G. Kearsley, No. 46, Fleet Street. 1787. [2], 23, [1] (Kearsley’s ads for works by Pindar);
bound with: Ode upon ode; or, a peep at St. James’s; or, new-year’s day; or, what you will. By Peter Pindar. Seventh edition. London: printed for G. Kearsley, at Johnson’s Head, No. 46, Fleet Street. 1787. pp. [iv], engraving, [1], vi-x, [1], 12-79, [1] (Kearsley’s ads for works by Pindar).
Together, 5 volumes in 1, 4to, original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, manuscript titling on spine; very good and sound. Each publication shows the holes for its original stab-sewing so the binding is 1788 or after.
1-196. [Women.] The port-folio; containing essays, letters, and narratives. In two volumes. London: printed by Dove, St. John's Square, for the author, and sold by J. Murray, Albemarle Street; J. Underwood, Fleet Street; Richardson, Cornhill; Curtis, Plymouth; W. Blackwood, Edinburgh; and J. Cumming, Dublin, 1814.
$600
First edition, 2 volumes, 8vo, pp. [2], viii, 280; [2], iv, 310; original brown paper-covered boards, printed paper labels on spines; labels a little soiled, corners bumped, but generally a near fine copy throughout. Bookplate of Anne and F. G. Renier in each volume. Pink bookseller's ticket in volume I: "Sold by H. Godwin, Bookseller, / No. 24, Milsom street, Bath."
A curious assemblage of material, likely compiled by a male, but with much reference to women and their concerns, such as marriages, romance, parenting, children, blushing, pronouns, love letters, and other offbeat subjects such as physiognomy, fortune-telling, fops, superstition, and practical jokes.
Not common. OCLC locates 12 copies worldwide: Yale, LC, Newberry, Chicago, Chapel Hill, Texas A&M, Urbana, HRC, Sweet Briar, Boston Athenaeum, Cambridge, and the BL. Not in Halkett & Laing.
1-197. Translations from the French. By D.Y. Lynn: printed for the author. By W. Whittingham, 1770.
$2,000
4to, 3 parts in 1, pp. [12], 151, [1], 113, [1], 92; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, printed orange label on spine; upper joint slightly cracked, and lower joint starting at the top, corners bumped and slight chipping at spine extremities; all else very good and clean.
Contains three translations from the French by Dorothy Young, a close friend of Fanny Burney's, from two separate French texts, each paginated individually, and the second in two parts (separately paginated). The first is Observations on the Greeks by the Abbé de Mably. The second is The History of the City of Paris, 1763, by De St. Foix.
Among the 220 or so subscribers (who took about 280 copies) are Charles Burney and Mrs. Burney (who took six copies), David Garrick, Arthur Young, and nearly 60 women.
Harvard, Case Western, National Library of Scotland, BL, and University of South Africa seem to be all of the tangible copies in OCLC.
1-198. Essays and letters on important and interesting subjects. Second edition, with additions and corrections. In two volumes. London: printed for E. Williams, 11, Strand, Bookseller to the Duke and Duchess of York, and Successor to the late Mr. Blamire: and Sold by all Booksellers., 1806.
$1,250
2 volumes, 8vo, pp. [4], iii, [2], 6-227, [1]; [4], 219, [1]; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, printed paper labels on spines; one label chipped with the loss of 2 letters; all else very good, clean, and sound.
"The truth, then, is simply this: - Having, for a great number of years, accustomed myself to commit my thoughts to paper, on every subject that occurred to me, and to write them down on scraps of paper, without order; (or, if some are more methodical, yet they were mingled with other thoughts, and, by a course of time, were got into a very confused state); therefore, having a little leisure, I resolved to arrange my scattered fragments, and to print them in some kind of regularity, for my own use and comfort. This is the exact state of the case: my Preface, then, ought to have been addressed to myself, as it is for myself I send these collections of thoughts to the Press ... Perhaps it may be said, I had no business to think at all. Perhaps so; but Thinking is a liberty we have all a right to be indulged in; and, unless in matters which can disturb the peace of society, I hope we may be at liberty even to think aloud.
"These Papers, indeed, were the secret whispers of my own heart. I trust they are harmless, and that, if read, they will be found to contain nothing that can give the slightest offence to the three great articles of our happiness, Reason, Religion, and Virtue" (from the Preface).
The work was first published in 1783 but little seems to be known of Juliana Yonge. Grolier Club has an armorial bookplate of hers; her parents were Sir William Yonge, 4th Baronet, and Ann Howard; and her birthdate appears to be 1736. On the title page she is described as "Author of A short commentary on the Bible; On the Importance of the Baptismal Vow; &c. &c." Neither of these titles show up under her name in OCLC, although there is an 1828 third edition of The importance of reconsidering our baptismal vow, which is attributed to "J. Yonge", located in one copy only at the National Library of Scotland.
On looking into Allibone for Juliana Yonge I stumbled on "Yonge, I., Practical and Explanatory Commentary on the Holy Bible... London, 1787 4to." Checking this title in OCLC I find that title listed with both I. Yonge and J. Yonge listed as author, but never "Juliana Yonge."
Of this edition, McGill and the BL only in OCLC. None, apparently, in the U.S.
1-199. The works ... In three volumes. To which is prefixed, the life of the author, by Robert Anderson. London: printed for James Mundell and Company, 1796.
$250
3 volumes, 12mo, pp. iv, 360; iv, 299, [1]; iv, 277, [1]; uncut and mostly unopened, contemporary red pastepaper boards; spine labels perished; spines sunned, joints starting, spine on volume III chipped, some foxing mostly to endpapers and title pages, textblock starting to tone; good.
1-200. Solitude; or, the effects of occasional retirement on the mind, the heart, general society, in exile, in old age, and on the bed of death. In which the question is considered, whether it is easier to live virtuously in society, or in solitude. Written originally by J. G. Zimmerman. To which are added, the life of the author; notes historical and explanatory by the translator; six beautiful engravings of particular passages in the work; and a copious index of the whole contents. London: printed for the Associate Booksellers, Vernor and Hood, J. Cuthell, J. Walker, Lackington, Allen, and Co. J Nunn, Barton and Harvey., 1797.
$250
First edition, 12mo, pp. lii, 309, [1], [20] index, [2] Vernor and Hood ads; inserted engraved frontispiece and vignette title page, 5 engraved plates, engraved by William Ridley, E.W. Thomson, Isaac Taylor, Samuel Springsguth, and Thomas Bewick; after Kirk and John Thurston; original marbled paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfback, printed orange paper label on spine; paper along the joints cracked, spine soiled, extremities rubbed and worn; still, a good, sound copy.
With an inscription on the front pastedown: "Sarah Jane House / the gift of her father / Read slowly, Pause frequently, Think seriously, / Keep cleanly, Return duly, With the corners of the / Leaves not turned down. / — / Worcester May 28, 1832." Also, with Miss House's ownership signature at the trop of the Table of Contents page.
Zimmermann's famous work on the cultural history and philosophy of loneliness. Zimmerman (1728-1795) was a Swiss naturalist, physician, and philosopher, and the private physician of George III and Frederick the Great. "In Zimmermann's character there was a strange combination of sentimentalism, melancholy and enthusiasm; and it was by the free and eccentric expression of these qualities that he excited the interest of his contemporaries" (EB-11).