New York: Harper & Brothers, 1853. Hardcover. Includes Melville's short story "Cock a Doodle Doo - The Crowing of the Cock Beneventano" on page 77 - 86, Charles Dickens' "School Boy Stories", and chapters 4 - 20 of Thackeray's "The Newcomes." Bound in three quarter brown leather with black cloth covered boards and gilt title and raised bands to spine. Rubbing to boards and minor wear to edges of boards, corners, and hinges. Foxing to interior and occasional small spots of soiling. Illustrated. Ex-library bookplate from the Vermont Asylum, East Wing Library. Lacks fashion plate and cartoon page from several issues. 860 pages. PER/060321. Very Good. More

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1855. Hardcover. Includes Melville's short story "Jimmy Rose" on pages 803 - 807 and chapters 58 - 80 of "The Newcomes" by Thackeray. Also includes articles on apparitions and visions, bears and bear hunting, earthquakes, the history of tobacco, and Brazil. Bound in three quarter tan leather with patterned dark brown cloth covered boards. Raised bands and gilt title to spine. Minor rubbing to boards and minor wear to edges, corners, and hinges. Occasional spots of foxing, but clean and bright overall. Lacks cartoon and fashion plate for September. Illustrated. 864 pages. PER/060321. Very Good. More

Baltimore: Image Publishing Ltd, 1991. Hardcover. Signed and inscribed by the author "Enjoy the Beauty and Freedom of Washington! Roger Miller." Oblong / square shaped. Black paper covered boards with gilt title to spine. Filled with color photographic illustrations. Clean and bright. In color illustrated dust jacket with black spine panel titled in white. There is a gold sticker to the front of the jacket "Autographed Copy by Roger Miller." 144 pages. STA/032321. Fine / Fine. More

London: The Nonesuch Press, 1931. Hardcover. Number 450 of 1375 copies of which 900 copies were for sale in England and 475 in the United States. From the third edition of John Florio's translation in 1632, the first English translator of Montaigne's essays. A beautiful edition of the essays by the famed French philosopher Montaigne. Bound in full brown leather with raised bands to spine with leather title labels, and gilt ornament on front cover with the words "que scay je" (what do I know) written in gilt on green leather background. Leather is browned on covers and the spine darkened by the sun. Some rubbing and light bumping. It appears that the title label on the spine of Volume I was reattached at some point and some of the glue can be seen beneath it. Fore-edges are untrimmed with light browning. Tender front hinges. Interior pages are clean. Very good condition. Octavos. Volume I: 724 pages; Volume II: 708 pages including index. LIT/090821. Very Good. More

Baltimore: The Hill Press, 2001. Hardcover. One of 40 copies. Signed and dated by the printer, Stephen Heaver, owner of The Hill Press. This passionate and beautiful tale was written by William Morris at age twenty-one and published with many other of his writings in the short-lived Oxford and Cambridge Magazine. In his introduction, Morris scholar Theo Rehak quoted Joseph Dunlap as having observed that this particular story was the most perfect example of the works published, "a separate thing, better than the rest of the lot." Rehak also said that Morris did not allow these early pieces to be reprinted during his lifetime, and that he does not recall ever seeing an instance of their being done in a fine press book. The story tells of the journey of a Mediaeval stone cutter, his sister and her husband-warrior, all now departed. The prose is lyrical as it tells their story, and the land on which the church sat is described in all its beauty through the seasons. Morris writes of how beautiful the church is "in the solemn starry nights, so solemn that it almost reached agony - the awe and joy one had in their great beauty." This book was printed in Cloister Old Style type on paper made by Twinrocker for this book. Renowned engraver Simon Brett's engravings are printed from the blocks and include a full-page frontispiece of a cathedral interior, overlayed by by an image printed on transparent Japanese paper, and an historiated initial. The title page calligraphy by Sheila Waters was printed from an electro-plate. Bound in quarter black leather and tan decorated paper boards. Housed in grey cloth slipcase. In fine condition. Unpaginated [nine pages of text and three of introduction]. MOR/072921. Fine. More

Paris: Chez Treuttel et Würtz, 1828. Hardcover. Scarce. These three volumes in French on the voyages made by Christopher Columbus to the new world were published as part of Navarette's five volume Collection of the voyages and discoveries made by the Spaniards since the late 15th century. The volumes include two engravings of Columbus, a facsimile of one of his handwritten letters, and two large fold-out maps of the areas he explored. This is a monumental history of the four voyages of Columbus that includes a lengthy introduction, detailed descriptions of each voyage, the texts of his letters, and more. Bound in three quarter brown leather with marbled paper boards and endpapers. Leather is scuffed, bumped, and the spine is sunned. Volume II has an area of exposed board to front cover. Evidence of spine and front cover labels having been removed and round blind stamp to title pages. There is scattered foxing throughout, most heavily in volume II. The plates and maps are in nice condition. A very good copy of this classic work. Octavo. Volume I: 400 pages; Volume II: 489 pages; Volume III: 444 pages. TRAVEL/072021. Very Good. More

London: Sir Richard Phillips and Co., 1822. Hardcover. Roger O'Connor (1762-1834) was an Irish nationalist and writer, known for the controversies surrounding his life and writings, notably his fanciful history of the Irish people, the Chronicles of Eri. He was the brother of Irish nationalist Arthur O'Connor (1763-1852). While living in Paris, O'Connor prepared the Chronicles of Eri (1822), a book purporting to be a translation of ancient manuscripts detailing the early history of the Irish people. It was dedicated to his friend and supporter Sir Francis Burdett. The book was prefaced by a portrait of O'Connor holding a crown, the caption to which proclaimed that he was the "Head of his Race" and "Chief of the prostrated people of his nation", a position he claimed as the supposed lineal descendant of the 12th-century king Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair. According to O'Connor, he had attempted to write this book three times before, but had been frustrated by the machinations of his enemies, who stole his manuscripts. Another version of the book had been destroyed in the disastrous fire at Dangan in 1809. The book gives a history of the Gaels from supposed records written by "Eolus", who is said to have lived fifty years after Moses. It claims a continuous existence of the Gaelic people, originating among the ancient Phoenicians, migrating to Scythia, Spain and then Ireland. O'Connor interpreted Biblical stories and medieval Irish lore to support this narrative. William John Fitzpatrick in the Dictionary of National Biography stated that the book is "mainly, if not entirely, the fruit of O'Connor's imagination"[Wikipedia] Bound in three quarter brown leather with marbled paper boards. Gilt titling and interesting gilt decorations to spine. Leather is scuffed and bumped, and marbled paper boards are scuffed and abraded. Interior pages are generally clean and bright with occasional light foxing and with some offsetting to pages opposite plates and maps. Volume I has a frontis portrait of Roger O'Connor and four fold-out maps. Volume II has a fold-out hand colored plate and a purported facsimile of the roll of the laws of Er-i. Someone has written erroneously on the free front endpaper of Volume I: "Arthur O'Connor /[?] Irishman/Author of this Book/Died 25 April 1852/Age 89 Years." Very good conditon. Octavo. Volume I: xiv,91, ccclxii; Volume II: 509 pages + 3 pages of publisher advertisements. IRELAND/032421. Very Good. More

Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1926. Hardcover. Third edition of this celebration of books and the art of printing. Orcutt writes of this quest, the kingdom of books, friends through type, the lure of illumination, friends through the pen, and triumphs of typography. Bound in three quarter green leather by Sangorski and Sutcliffe. Leather is faded, bumped, and rubbed. With marbled paper boards with a few chips and spots. Interior pages are clean and bright. Marbled endpapers and owner bookplate on rear free endpaper. Color frontispiece and numerous black and white illustrations and facsimiles throughout. A nice copy of this bibliographic classic. Octavo. 316 pages plus colophon. BOB/071221. Very Good. More

London: William Heinemann, 1892. Hardcover. First edition. In his preface, Pennell states that he is neither a Jew hater nor a Jew lover. However, this book presents an almost consistently negative portrait of the Jewish people that he encountered. A manuscript note on the free front endpaper written by a former owner came to that conclusion as well. Also ink lettering on rear pastedown.Bound in original orange cloth with gilt titling to spine and blacktitling and image of a Jewish man on the front cover. Slight bumping. Interior pages clean. Very good plus. Measures 6 x 7.75 inches. 130 pages. REL/042821. Very Good+. More

Wageningen: Afdeling Agrarische Geschiedenis Landbouwuniversiteit, 1998. Paperback. Blue and white paper wrappers with black title to spine and front cover. Minor wear to edges of wrappers. Clean and bright. With black and white photographic illustrations and many tables, charts, and references. 880 pages. GER/032321. Very Good. More

Lyon: Chez Bruyset Ainé & C., 1796. Hardcover. Fourth edition of this exhaustive treatise on the botany of European plants and flowers. The title translates: "Elementary Demonstrations of Botany. Containing the general principles of this Science, the fundamentals of Methods, and the elements of plant physics. The description of the most common, the most curious, the most useful Plants, arranged according to the Method of Tournefort & that of Linnaeus. Their uses & their properties in the Arts, the rural economy, in Human & Veterinary Medicine; as well as an instruction on harvesting & desiccating plants." The title page notes that this fourth edition adds to the notices of the principal authors, adds descriptions of nearly twelve hundred species not included in the previous edition, and draws up to form a complete body of doctrine, embracing the history of almost all of Europe and of those which have been naturalized there by culture. We have added the figures of nearly 400 alpine, southern or northern plants drawn under the direction of Richier de Belleval and under that of Linnaeus, those of the most common grasses in Europe, mosses and the like, accompanied by a commentary and a critical discussion. The author Jean-Baptiste François Rozier (1734 -1793 ) was a French botanist and agronomist. With his friend Claret de la Tourrette, he wrote Démonstrations élémentaires de botanique, foregrounding the virtues of plants and combining the principles of Tournefort and Linné. In 1786 Rozier became director of Lyon's agriculture school. He assisted in the early stages of the French Revolution, asking the first two assemblies to create a national agriculture school. He became curé constitutionnel of Sainte-Polycarpe parish in Lyon during the Revolution and was killed in his bed by a bomb during the siege of Lyon [Wikipedia]. Bound in brown quarter leather with green marbled boards and gilt titling to spine. Bindings are scuffed, bumped and rubbed. the top of the spine of Volume 2 is torn and chipped. The free front endpapers of the first two volumes have the top half torn away. the free front endpapers to volumes 3 and 4 are missing. Stamps to title page of Stl Alphonsus Church, New Orleans. No other ex-library signs. Volume 1 has eight foldout plates and Volume 4 has two. Despite flaws still a good, sound set of this classic work. Small octavos. Volume 1 has 512 pages followed by pages 721-735. It is unclear whether a section was removed during binding. Volume 2: 752 pages; Volume 3: 776 pages; Volume 4: 735 pages. NATURE/072021. Very Good -. More

Worcester, MA: J. Nancrede, 1797. First American Edition. Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (also called Bernardin de St. Pierre) (1737 -1814) was a French writer and botanist. He is best known for his 1788 novel Paul et Virginie, now largely forgotten, but in the 19th century a very popular children's book. In this work he argues that plants should not be classified not just by their florifications but by the relations of their several parts to the rest of nature. Bound in full brown leather with red title label to spine. Leather is torn, rubbed, abraded, and bumped. Front board is loose but holding. Interior pages are browned throughout and frontis is dampstained. Red accession stamped on title page and remains of book label to front pastedown. Frontis plate plus three fold-out plates numbered III, IV, and V as called for in Evans. A good only copy of this scarce item. NATURE/032621. More