[London]: Chiswick Press, 1903. Hardcover. One of 200 copies. From the colophon: "The unknown 'Chanson de Geste' here transcribed belongs to the cycle of William Of Orange. There has been no attempt to edit the text, or even to correct not a few very obvious minor errors. The two reproductions are of the same size as the original manuscript." The Chanson de Guillaume, also called Chançun de Willame (English: "Song of William"), is a chanson de geste from the first half of the twelfth-century (c.1140, although the first half of the poem may date from as early as the eleventh century. Along with The Song of Roland and Gormont et Isembart, it is considered one of three chansons de geste whose composition incontestably dates from before 1150. The work is generally considered to have two distinct halves: the first tells of Guillaume of Orange, his nephew Vivien and the latter's young brother Gui and their various battles with Saracens at L'Archamp; in the second half of the poem Guillaume is aided by Rainouard, a giant. [Wikipedia] Bound in blue paper boards with cream linen spine with paper title label. Boards have fading along with light wear and bumping. The spine is faded with some light stains and wear along edges. Label is chipped and wrinkled. Offsetting to front and rear free endpapers. Some splitting to a few gutters not affecting the tightness of the text block. Most of the pages are unopened. A nice copy in very good condition. Octavo. Not continuously paginated. PRI/120822. Very Good. More

San Francisco: Deeply Game Publications, 2012. Hardcover. Number 45 of 55 copies. Signed by the author and book artists. Book artist Sara Press collaborated with Andrew Rottner to create this exquisite tribute to printing’s golden age. "The story, by Christina Lauritsen, mis-remembers H.C. Andersen’s classic tale of the same name, transforming it into a story of revelation and madness. The visual progression of the book mirrors the plot, pitting the beauty of the decorative arts against the intense and unpredictable messiness of human experience. This book confronts the inevitability of loss and bows to intellectual freedom and its attendant risks." [artists' statement]. The book is printed in Garamond and Bembo types on Moab Entrada paper. It features two 26 inch wide foldouts with illustrations by Rottner. The striking cover is done from a cut-marbled-paper and brocade. The book measures 7 x 9 inches. It is unpaginated. Deeply Game Productions creates and distributes the art works of Sara Press and her collaborators. Sara L. Press is a photographer, printmaker and book artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Many of her projects examine peculiar areas of overlap between nature and culture (for example: dog fighting, feral children, and our co-evolution with snakes). Sara has also wrestled with the relationship between creativity and the scientific method. Recently, Sara has turned to constructions of masculinity and femininity in our culture (such as human bloodsports and altered fairy-tales). Her work can be seen in public collections around the country and are also in many library and private collections. A lovely book in fine condition. PRI/021919. Fine. More

London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1893. Maurice Greiffenhagen. Hardcover. First Edition of this Aztec romance. Author's Presentation Copy, inscribed "To Andrew from his affec brother H Rider Haggard 1894." Henry Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was the author of a number of adventure novels set in exotic locales. His books, including She and King Solomon's Mines, are still popular today. Haggard traveled to Mexico in 1891 to do research for this book and sadly his young son died while he was away. The book describes the first interactions between the Spanish and South American natives, as well as murders, shipwrecks, and slavery. Colonel Andrew Haggard, who had a distinguished military career - he was one of he first British officers to command in the Egyptian army - was also a successful novelist, travel writer and poet. It is known that Andrew helped Rider with the writing of Dawn and he likely played an important role in helping his younger brother with the several bestsellers which revolved around Egypt and mummies. There are 25 black and white illustrations by the British painter and illustrator Maurice Greiffenhagen. He was Haggard's friend, which led him to illustrate several of his adventure books, starting with She in 1889. Bound in the original publisher's blue-green cloth with gilt author and title to front cover and spine. Light bumping, small chip to bottom of faded spine. Hinges a bit tender but text block is tight. Interior pages are clean. Bookplate of collector Mark Samuels Lasner to front pastedown. Very good condition. 325 pages plus 24 page publisher's catalog. LIT/012016. Very Good. More

London and New York: Bliss, Sands and Foster; Brentano's, 1894. Hardcover. First Edition. Presentation Copy, inscribed on free front endpaper "To the 'Star Barker' of our house, whose sunny nature excuses a dozen faults, and whose tiny, rippling laugh makes serious work impossible - but whom we would not do without - With the fondest love of his mother - The Author," and further inscribed "To Karl Martin, Buffalo, June 20 1901." The recipient of this extravagant inscription was the author's son. Jones was an American writer and this is the uncommon English issue of this book. These five stories are of a science fiction / fantasy nature. Bound in brown cloth with delicate cream and green design of cupids and title and author in gilt. Edges are worn and chipped. Interior pages have some browning along margins. There is some splitting of the signatures but the text block remains solid. In very good condition. 95 pages. LIT/010413. Very Good. More

New York: The Century Co., 1885. Hardcover. Includes Twain's "An Adventure of Huckleberry Finn" on pages 268 - 278, "Jim's Investments and King Sollermun" on pages 456 - 458, and "Royalty on the Mississippi" on pages 544 - 567. Also includes chapters from Henry James's "The Bostonians." Bound in the original gold cloth boards with dark brown title to spine and years 1884 - 1885. Decoration to spine and boards. Slight browning to spine and chipping to cloth on hinges and spine ends. Minor wear and rubbing to corners, boards, and edges of boards. Occasional smudges and spots of soiling, but clean overall. Non-archival repaired tear to Portrait of Grant (page 162). Illustrated. 960 pages. PER/060619. Very Good. More

New York: G.P. Putnam & Col, 1854-1855. Scarce. The first appearance of Israel Potter, Melville’s novel about the Revolutionary War, was published in six parts in Putnam’s Magazine between July 1854 - March 1855. It was published in book form in March 1855. Loosely based on a real person, Israel Potter recounts the life of a young American who fights in the Revolution, is captured at sea by the British Navy, and has a series of adventures in England involving King George III, Benjamin Franklin, John Paul Jones, and Ethan Allen. The work ends sadly, with Potter exiled in poverty in England for fifty years, finally returning to America shortly before his death. The book was a commercial failure in its time but garnered critical appreciation. Volume IV also includes Melville’s “The Lightning-Rod Man.” Both volumes are bound in the original green cloth with embossed designs to covers and gilt titling to spine. Both volumes have a few light stains to the boards, bumped / worn corners, and rubbed cloth, with faded gilt design and titling to spines. Sunning to both spines and to edges of boards. Evidence of library marking to spines of both volumes, covered over partially. Gouge to rear board of Volume IV, not affecting interior and small tears to joint. Book cloth is worn along joints of both volumes with several small tears; although, the boards remain firmly attached. Chipping to spine ends of both volumes. Ownership stamp of D.F. Tillinghast to front and rear pastedowns of both volumes. Old book seller stamp to endpapers of Volume V. Interior pages clean and bright with age darkening to some pages. Overall in very good condition. Volume IV: 672 pages; Volume V: 668 pages. LIT/050418. More

London: Macmillan and Co., 1886. Hardcover. First Edition. A Presentation Copy, inscribed "Edward Shorthouse from his affectionate brother & sister J Henry & Sarah Shorthouse." John Henry Shorthouse (1834-1903) was an English novelist probably most famous for his book John Inglesant. The recipient was also an author. With the bookplate of Ohio book collector Paul Lemperly, with Lemperly's inscription stating that he received the book as a gift from Morris L. Parris, whose collection of Victorian novels is now at Princeton. Parrish's letter of presentation is inserted. Bound in original dark blue cloth with gilt stripes and embossed design on front cover and spine. In fine condition. Housed in a fine custom half-red morocco slipcase. Octavo. 300 pages. LIT/053013. Fine. More

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1867. Hardcover. Includes Twain's "Forty-Three Days in an Open Boat" on pages 104 - 113. This was Twain's first publication (with his name misspelled, Mark Swain). Bound in three quarter black leather over marbled paper covered boards with gilt title, volume number, and previous owner's name (M. Cornelia Welts) to spine. Rubbing and wear to leather, boards, and edges. Occasional spots of foxing to interior, but clean overall. Illustrated. 816 pages. PER/060619. Very Good. More

Toronto: George A. Walker, 2014. Hardcover. Number 41 of 80 copies. Signed by Walker, Ravvin, and Smart. Master engraver George Walker has created this splendid work celebrating the 80th birthday (September 21, 2014) of Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist Leonard Cohen. The eighty wood engravings commemorate Cohen's artistic accomplishments and explore how images of Leonard Cohen have appeared in popular culture over his six decade career. The black and white engravings are arranged chronologically and depict scenes from Cohen's varied creative endeavors. The book also presents portraits of some of the many famous people in his life, including Allan Ginsberg, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Andy Warhol. In his images Walker strives to communicate the importance of Cohen's Zen Buddhist philosophy and plays with numerology and the symbolism behind the number 8. This beautiful book took over one year to make. The engravings were hand printed on Folio Rising Stonehenge archival rag paper. The text pages used Garamond type for the text body and Bernhard for the headings. Bound in black Japanese Asahi bookcloth and housed in a clamshell box covered in the same cloth. The book cover has an inset of an engraved portrait of Cohen and has a brown cloth spine label. A different portrait is inset on the clamshell box. 6 1/4 x 8 x 2 1/2 inches. Unpaginated (22 pages printed recto). PRI/071122. Fine. More