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PUBLISHERS' CLOTH[
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Hey, Gang! Let's Build a Fountain!
(A DIFFERENT KIND of “Student Social Activism” @ Berkeley). University of California magazine. Under the Berkeley Oaks. Stories by students of the University of California; selected and edited by the editorial staff of the University of California magazine. San Francisco: A.M. Robertson, 1901, ©1900. 12mo (19 cm, 7.25"). Frontis., [2] ff., 227, [1] pp.
Click the images for enlargements. 
It may interest the reader to know that half of the writings in this volume are by women.
Sole edition. The volume was a fund-raising effort: “The principal reason that these stories have been gathered together and given to the public, is to start a fund wherewith to erect a fountain on the Campus of the University of California to be in harmony with the great Hearst architectural plan.”
Binding: Publisher's blue cloth stamped in gilt with title and a scene of a rolling hill with trees on it. Binding signed “Kales.”
• BAL 15035. Binding as above: gilt a little rubbed or dulled. Overall, very good. (34834)
This entry is repeated in the
History “in an Amusing Light” with
Hand-Colored Plates Abbott à Beckett, Gilbert; John Leech, illus. The comic history of England. With twenty coloured etchings, and two hundred woodcuts. London: Bradbury, Evans, & Co., [ca. 1855]. 8vo (22 cm, 8.66"). 2 vols. in 1. xviii, 320, [1]–304 pp.; 20 col. plts., illus.
Click the images for enlargements.
20 hand-colored plates as well as numerous in-text steel engravings and woodcuts, feature Abbott à Beckett's historic figures portrayed with amusing contemporary touches; e.g., William the Conqueror has a handlebar mustache, a portrait of a medieval king being medically treated features patent medicine placards in the background, and Henry VIII wears an opera hat a'Maying while his queen on the occasion carries a pink parasol. In all, of course, as was to be the case also with this duo's Comic History of Rome, the history/”history” comments on the readers' own time.
• Publisher's textured green cloth, front cover and spine with gilt-stamped vignettes, covers framed in blind; edges rubbed, gilt dimmed, covers unobtrusively reattached with hinges reinforced. All edges gilt. Half-title for vol. I present; half-title and separate title for vol. II removed by binder. Minor foxing, mostly around plates. 
Exterior a bit worn, still a very nice exemplar of this popular work in original publisher's binding. (40369)
“Harry of England, Your Career Shall be Stained in
Blood!”Ainsworth, William Harrison. Windsor Castle. An historical romance. London: Henry Colburn, 1844. 8vo (24.5 cm, 9.69"). Add. engr. t.-p., x, [2], 324 pp.; 22 plts., illus.
Click the images for enlargements.a total of 22 engraved plates, including a frontispiece portrait of the author, 4 plates by Tony [Antoine] Johannot, and 14 by George Cruikshank, who stepped in to replace Johannot as soon as he had finished illustrating Ainsworth's previous serial, The Miser's Daughter. In addition, W. Alfred Delamotte supplied an abundance of in-text wood engravings.
The work was first serially published in Ainsworth's Magazine in 1842–43, with a three-decker book-form printing following shortly after its completion; the present example (described as a “new edition” on the title-page) follows the story's first appearance in one volume in 1843. This copy is in the publisher's original gilt-stamped red cloth binding.
• NCBEL, III, 912; NSTC 2A5904. Publisher's textured red cloth, covers with embossed knotwork frames, front cover with gilt-stamped deer and castle vignette, spine with gilt-stamped title and three scenes; joints and extremities rubbed with cloth starting to peel at back corners, spine and board edges somewhat darkened. Frontispiece portrait with upper outer corner waterstained (not affecting image), added engraved title-page darkened, scattered small spots of foxing to pages and plates. A delightful Cruikshank item, and thrill-inducing in its own right as an English Gothic historical novel. (39887)
“WONDERFUL is theComfort of Words” Aked, Charles F. Wells and palm trees. Cool water and abundant rest on life's rough way. New York: Dodge Publishing Co., © 1908. 12mo. Frontis., [6], 149, [1] pp.
This is the original first edition, not a modern reprint.
Binding: Publisher's light blue straight-grained cloth, front cover and spine with gilt-stamped title, front cover with desert vignette stamped in black and green.
• Binding as above, minimal wear to extremities, spine with small area of light discoloration. Light pencilled underlining and marks of emphasis, including a star and a wing (all removable). A nice copy of an interesting volume. (28604)
Pre-Civil War Kentucky — Particularly Its Birds — But Also Those Lovely Dresses! Allen, James Lane; & Hugh Thomson, illus. A Kentucky cardinal and Aftermath. New York & London: The Macmillan Co. (pr. by Norwood Press), 1900. 12mo (20.9 cm, 8.22"). [2], xxxii, [2], 276, [4 (adv.)] pp.; illus.
Click the images for enlargements.a new preface by the author and 100 drawings by Hugh Thomson. Set in a Kentucky village, the two pieces recount from beginning to end — in a fashion reminiscent of a natural history — the relationship between a serious-minded naturalist and the young lady who moves next door. The stories' focus on native plants and and birds was informed by the author's own experiences growing up near Lexington as one of the last of several generations of gentleman farmers. Cardinal, which opens in 1850, was first published in 1894 and Aftermath in 1895, with both stories making references to the coming war and to the question of Kentucky's honor; the publisher's advertisements at the back of this edition quote contemporary praise for their simplicity, gentleness of spirit, and “old-time courtesy.”
This edition was the first to feature Thomson's charming illustrations, depicting both indoor and outdoor scenes while notably prioritizing well-dressed human figures over Allen's lovingly described gardens and woods.
Binding: Publisher's olive cloth, front cover and spine with gilt-stamped branch and bird designs (unsigned).
• BAL 468; Wright, III, 76 & 80 (for first eds.). Binding as above, spine and board edges sunned. Page edges untrimmed; one signature carelessly opened. Aesthetically pleasing, culturally intriguing, and sure to be of interest to both birders and gardeners. (37531)
“A God-Hero of the Golden Age of Myth” —Arnold, Edwin. The light of Asia. Being the life and teaching of Gautama prince of India and founder of Buddhism. Avon, CT: Printed for the members of the Limited Editions Club, 1976. Folio (30 cm, 11.8"). xxiv, 193, [3] pp.; 8 col. plts.
Click the images for enlargements. 
the life of the Buddha, with an introduction by Melford E. Spiro. Ayres Houghtelling painted eight brightly colored, “highly unconventional” plates, as to which he said that he “allegorically painted by design and symbolism what [he hoped] Sir Edwin Arnold would have liked” (according to the newsletter); he also provided a number of black-and-white and two-color line drawings. The volume was designed by Frank J. Lieberman, and the green, yellow, cream, and tan paisley and floral cotton cloth binding was done by the Tapley-Rutter Co.
This is
numbered copy 733 of 2000 printed, signed at the colophon by the illustrator. Both the appropriate Club newsletter (in its original envelope) and the prospectus are laid in.
• Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by the Limited Editions Club, 497. Publisher's fabric-covered binding as above, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label, in original brown paper–covered slipcase with printed paper label; spine cloth very slightly (and unobtrusively) sunned, slipcase showing only minimal traces of shelfwear.A nice copy of this handsome piece of LEC exotica. (36838)
For our INDIA gathering, click here. For RELIGION, click here. For
PHILOSOPHY, click here. For LITERATURE, click here. For ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, click here.For LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB books, click here. For “GIFTABLES” — mostly $150
Eye-FillingBRIGHT CHROMO Illustration“Aunt Fanny”; Weir, Harrison, et alii, illus. Aunt Fanny's pretty picture book with beautiful coloured illustrations, containing the following favourite stories for children: A large-letter alphabet. Tales of animals. Story of Cock Robin. Old Mother Hubbard. The naughty chicken. Punch and Judy. London: Ward, Lock & Tyler, [ca. 1875?]. 8vo (24.8 cm, 9.76"). [2] pp., [48 (col. illus.)] ff.
Click the images for enlargements.48 striking, vividly colored chromolithographed leaves combining images and text, printed on one side each. Many of the animal illustrations were signed by Harrison Weir; W.T. Green, Walter Gorway, William Measom, and H. White (among others) have signed others, but many plates are unattributed. The texts likewise are unassigned; several different women wrote under the Aunt Fanny pseudonym, and this publisher's five-shilling picture book “Aunt Fanny” series may or may not have been connected to any of them. 
Provenance: Front free endpaper with inked inscription to James Curfew from Mr. Pilkington, dated 1869.
• Not in Gumuchian; not in Opie; not in Osborne Collection. Binding as above, spine sunned, sides with a few small scuffs, light rubbing overall more noticeable to spine and extremities. Title-page with offsetting and faint shadowed image of inscription on endpaper; pages age-toned, variable foxing, light soil and the occasional stain including an old, light one to a leaf's lower corner just touching edge of image. A scarce item with bright, vivid illustrations — this copy clearly read and loved, but not “to death.” (41164)
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ORDERED
BY DATE
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Szyk's LEC RuthBible. O.T. Ruth. English. 1947. Authorized (i.e., “King James Version”). The book of Ruth from the translation prepared at Cambridge in 1611 for King James I with a preface by Mary Ellen Chase and illustrations by Arthur Szyk. New York: [Printed by the Aldus Printers for the] Limited Editions Club, 1947. Small folio (31 cm, 12.2"). 42, [6] double-fold pp.; col. illus.
Click the images for enlargement. Binding: Bound by Russell-Rutter Company in half white leather with slightly raised bands a gilt-background title label; smooth vellum-paper sides, gold-stamped with a large image of Ruth holding a sheaf of grain and a scythe. Top edge gilt.
• Limited Editions Club, Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by The Limited Editions Club, 184. Binding as above, in the original gold foil-covered slipcase; volume with spine and corners moderately darkened and rubbed, slipcase foil with expectable rubbing and spine chipped. LEC newsletter creased, with small stains. In spite of these flaws, still a sturdy case and a pleasing book, internally bright and lovely. (36857)
For other BIBLES & TESTAMENTS, click here.
Little Lord FauntleroyBurnett, Frances Hodgson. Little lord Fauntleroy. London: Frederick Warne & Co., 1890. 8vo., xi, [1 (blank)], 269, [1] pp.; 14 integral plts. (incl. frontis.), illus. 
Binding: Publisher's red pictorial cloth, front cover and spine stamped in black, brown, and gilt.
• Good++: Some soiling to binding; light to moderate foxing internally. (8539)
For CHILDREN / EDUCATION, click here.
A Beautiful Country Girl & a Spanish BullfighterBurnett, Frances Hodgson. The pretty sister of José. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1889. 12mo (19.1 cm; 7.5"). iv, 127, [8] pp (publisher's
catalogue), [12] leaves of plates.
Click the images for enlargements. 
Twelve beautiful plates illustrated by C.S. Reinhart accompany Burnett's tender story, including a tissue-guarded frontispiece.Binding: Publisher's green decorative cloth printed on front cover with a guitar and lady's fan in gilt and with a flowering vine design in dark green and gold; spine lettered in gold.
• BAL 2073, state 2; Wright, III, 814. Bound as above, slightly cocked; top and bottom of spine rubbed with loss of green coloring of cloth, now a bit frayed, and spots of discoloration on rear cover. Interior lightly age-toned, overall unmarked and readable. 
A nice copy. (35454)
One
could build a very interesting little collection of bindings and illustration,
using his books!
Quaint CustomsCarleton, Will. Farm festivals. New York: Harper & Brothers, copyright 1881. 8vo. 167, [1], 6 (adv.)] pp. ; 18 plts. (incl. in pagination), illus. 
• BAL 2482 (second printing state, with plates included in pagination). Publisher's brown cloth, front cover stamped in gilt and green, spine with gilt-stamped title; front cover lightly scuffed, with corners rubbed. Front fly-leaf with inked gift inscription "to My Daughter," dated 1890; newspaper clipping about Carleton affixed to front fly-leaf, poem affixed to back fly-leaf as described above. Several insurance advertisements, religious leaflets, and other ephemera laid in. (14367)
“The
Little Sleeper”
& “Paul's
Run Off with the Show”ILLUSTRATED
Carleton, Will. Farm legends. New York: Harper & Brothers, c. 1887. 8vo. 187, [1], 4 (adv.) pp.; 17 plts., illus. 
A WomanKNOW NOTHING AuthorCarroll, Anna Ella. The great American battle; or, the contest between Christianity and political Romanism. New York & Auburn: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1856. Small 8vo (20 cm, 7.5"). xii, 365, [1] pp.; 10 leaves of portraits.
Click the images for enlargements.The present work is totally anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant (i.e., Irish and German), pro-American Party, and nasty. The portraits, engraved by J.C. Buttre, are all of men, except one of the author: Millard Filmore, Andrew Jackson Donelson, George D. Prentice, E. B. Bartlett, Kenneth Rayner, Erastus Brooks, Jacob Broom, Alexander H.H. Stuart, and Edwin O. Perrin.
The symbolism on the binding portends the rhetoric of the volume. The large gilt-stamped vignette in the center of the front cover has the image of a hat-waving man holding hands with a woman personification of the American Constitution, and she holding the American flag. Above them, the American Eagle holds a ribbon with the words, “Americans Should Rule America.” On the spine there is a small gilt-stamped vignette of the American Eagle defending the ballot box and Declaration of Independence from a serpent.
Provenance: 1856 ownership signature of J.H. Chase on front free endpaper.
Sole edition of this disturbing work of nativism.
• Sabin 11063. Publisher's binding of fine-ribbed charcoal cloth over boards; corners and spine extremities mildly rubbed. Blind-stamped double-ruled border and ornamental spandrels on front cover and gilt vignette as above; spine with author, title, and publisher stamped in gilt and with the above-mentioned vignette at base just above the publisher's name; front cover's stamping repeated in blind on back cover. Light foxing to a few plates and surrounding leaves. (40293)
A Southern Hero Enters the “Brawl with Boston” — Illustrated by ChristyGirl Heroes, Prominent! Chambers, Robert W. The maid-at-arms. New York & London: Harper & Brothers, 1902. 8vo. Frontis., vi, [6], 342, [6] pp.; 7 plts.
Click the images for enlargements. eight halftone plates were done by Howard Chandler Christy, and the belles are much in the style of his famed Christy Girls.
This is the genuine first edition, not a modern reprint.
Binding: Publisher's olive cloth, front cover with Art Nouveau water lily design and gilt-stamped title, spine with gilt-stamped title.
• Binding as above, minor rubbing at extremities. Front free endpaper with pencilled Christmas gift inscription dated 1902; back free endpaper with rubber-stamped numeral (no other markings). Pages and plates clean. A very nice copy. (28585)
For ILLUSTRATED BOOKS,
Years & Years' Worth ofSelf-Sacrifice — On Both the Man's & the Woman's PartCrawford, F. Marion. A rose of yesterday. New York & London: Macmillan & Co., 1897. 8vo (19.7 cm, 7.75"). [4], 218, [10 (adv.)] pp.
Click the images for enlargements. extended meditations on divorce and on women's rights, with the latter focusing on the perceived undesirability of trading the right to vote for the privilege of being supported by a man. This is an early reissue, marked “tenth thousand,” of the first edition of the same year.
Binding: Publisher's terra-cotta cloth, front cover stamped with gilt rose and ribbon design, spine with similar motifs; front coversigned “G.W.E.” — George Wharton Edwards.
• BAL 4200. Binding as above, gently faded overall, slightly cocked, edges and extremities rubbed. Top edge gilt. Front free endpaper with early inked ownership inscription. A few scattered faint spots, pages overall clean. (35835)
Bite-Sized
Theatrical Morsels
inFancy
Dress — Signed
Bindings
Cruz, Ramón de la. Sainetes de D. Ramón de la Cruz. Barcelona: Biblioteca “Arte y Letras” E. Domenech y Ca., 1882. 8vo (20.5 cm, 8"). 2 vols. I: [4], xliii, [1], 338, [2] pp.; 16 plts. (some incl. in pagination). II: [4], 343, [5] pp.; 5 plts.
Click the images for enlargements. 
21
plates and numerous in-text engravings by José Llovera
and A. Lizcano, most depicting lively social scenes, musicians, dancers, and
flirtatious maidens. Although the second volume contains fewer plates than the
first, it makes up for the difference with extra in-text images.
Signed Binding: Publisher's teal pebbled cloth, front covers with striking chariot and armorial scene in light blue, tan, and gilt. The “Cibeles” statue found in Madrid's Cibeles Plaza and the coat of arms (and gilt monogram) of the city of Madrid appear with de la Cruz's name stamped in gilt below; spines offer gilt-stamped title and black-stamped griffin decoration. Cover of vol. II is signed “J. Orba.” All page edges are stamped in a Greek key pattern in blue and gilt.
Provenance: Half-titles each with old-fashioned rubber-stamp of José Carmona y Ramos.
• Palau 65340. Bindings as above, edges and extremities
showing minor shelfwear, back cover of vol. I with small spots of faint discoloration,
front joint of vol. II rubbed. Collector's stamp as above, each front pastedown
with small paper label bearing hand-inked numeral. Pages age-toned; edges
slightly embrittled, occasionally with small chips or short tears. Scattered
light smudges in vol. I; vol. II with mild to moderate foxing. A
peacocky set. (29262)
For THEATER/THEATRE, click here. This also appears in the HISPANIC
“You Can't Keep a Squirrel on the Ground”Cullen, Clarence Louis. Tales of the ex-tanks: A book of hard-luck stories. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1900. 12mo (18.6 cm, 7.25"). 392 pp.
Click the images for enlargements.gambling/sporting adventures involving boxing, horse racing, cards, etc., and a Stradivarius found in a hock shop — in quite a range of American cities. Cullen's stories are here gathered and presented in this handsome, decorated cloth binding.
Binding: Publisher's light green cloth with gilt lettering to spine and front board. The front board is divided into four compartments by single-ruled black borders; a scene of a man walking along a railroad track stamped in blue, black, and gilt decorates the top section.
• Wright, III, 1331. Binding as above; extremities a bit rubbed, spine faded not unattractively. Small waterstain to top edge of about a dozen leaves, minor dirtying and finger-smudges to a handful of pages; overall very nice. (37534)
For POST-1820
AMERICANA, For TEMPERANCE, click here. For GAMES, PUZZLES, SPORTS, &
A Celebration of Fine Education — Inscribed by the AuthorCunningham, Frank H. Familiar sketches of the Phillips Exeter Academy and surroundings. Boston: James R. Osgood & Co., 1883. 8vo (20.1 cm; 7.875"). xiv, 360 pp. illus.
Click the images for enlargements. Over 20 illustrations of buildings, interiors, and portraits illustrate the beauty of the campus and its history, many offering two images (or more) per plate leaf (with a tissue guard). A fold-out “Table of Athletic Tournaments” listing events from 1874 to 1881 is also included.
Binding: Original brown cloth with beveled edges, stamped in gilt and black with gilt lettering to front board and spine; gilt vignette of the Academy to front board.
Provenance: Cunningham, an affectionate and appreciative graduate of the Academy, has inscribed the front free endpaper“With the compliments of the author, 6/22, '83.” Later in the library of American collector Albert A. Howard, booklabel (“AHA”) at rear.
• Extremities lightly rubbed, minor bumping; gilt bright on spine and brighter on cover. Very nice, clean copy “personalized” by the author. (37760)
For CHILDREN / EDUCATION, click here. For ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, click here. For GAMES, PUZZLES, SPORTS, & For ARCHITECTURE, click here. For “GIFTABLES” — mostly $150
Popular Author — Decorative Designers BindingDeland, Margaret. Dr. Lavendar's people. New York & London: Harper & Brothers, 1903. 8vo (19.3 cm, 7.6"). [viii], 369, [7 (adv.)] pp.; 12 plts.
Click the images for enlargements. twelve plates by Lucius Hitchcock: loosely interconnected tales of Deland's beloved “Old Chester” setting. One story features four snippets of printed music.
Signed binding: Teal cloth, front cover with village scene stamped in dark green, terra cotta, and white, marked with the distinctive intertwined capital Ds of Decorative Designers (Henry and Lee Thayer).
• Binding as above, slightly cocked, spine dimmed, front panel lightly rubbed. Front free endpaper with early inked ownership inscription of Lottie Ellis. One piece of dried plant matter laid in. (35665)
Thomson's Illustrations — “Beau Brocade”Dobson, Austin. The ballad of Beau Brocade and other poems of the XVIIIth century. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1892. 8vo. Frontis., xiii, [3], 89, [3] pp.; 25 plts., illus. 
Click the images for enlargements. • Publisher's cloth, front cover and spine decoratively gilt-stamped; spine, lower edges, and corners a touch rubbed. Top edge gilt. A few leaves and plates with waterstaining to lower outer corners, scattered spots of light foxing. (18409)
New
Homes, NEW
HEARTS
Duncan, Norman. The suitable child. New York:
Fleming H. Revell Co., 1909. 4to. Frontis., 96 pp.; 4 plts.
Click the images for enlargements. Christmas-time aboard the westbound express train from
Winnipeg. Written by a Canadian-born journalist, this sentimental tale (meant
for grownups who love children rather than the children themselves) is here
illustrated with a frontispiece and four plates by Elizabeth Shippen Green,
mounted on green paper, with additional in-text decorations done by Harold J.
Turner and printed in green.
Binding: Publisher's sage green paper–covered sides with dark green cloth shelfback, front cover with decorative title and train vignette both stamped in gilt and dark green, spine with gilt-stamped title. Top edge gilt, outer edge deckle.
• Binding as above; edges, joints, and extremities rubbed, front cover mottled. Front pastedown with inked ownership inscription. Pages and plates clean. (29126)
Biblical Law, DebatedDupin, André Marie Jean Jacques. The trial of Jesus before Caiaphas and Pilate. Being a refutation of Mr. Salvador's chapter entitled “The Trial and Condemnation of Jesus.” Boston: Charles C. Little & James Brown, 1839. 16mo (18 cm, 7.1"). viii, 88, [2 (blank)] pp.
Click the images for enlargements. Binding: Publisher's blue cloth, front cover with gilt-stamped title. Cloth is ribbed and fits Krupp's Rb3 pattern.
Evidence of readership: One pencilled footnote, arguing that capital punishment is the will of the divine.
• American Imprints 55455. On the binding cloth, see: Krupp, Bookcloth in England and America, 1823–50, p. 40. Binding as above; spine and board edges gently faded, extremities rubbed. Mild to moderate foxing throughout. An interesting book in a good example of an early American cloth binding. (34765)
For RELIGION, click here.For JUDAICA / HEBRAICA, click here. For TRANSLATIONS, click here. For EUROPEAN LAW, click here.
CRANBERRIESEastwood, B. A complete
manual for the cultivation of the cranberry, with a description of the best varieties.
New York: C.M. Saxton, Barker, & Co., 1860. 8vo. Engr. t.-p., 120 pp; 9 plts.
Click the images for enlargements. • Publisher's embossed cloth, spine with gilt-stamped title; corners and spine extremities showing minor wear, with gilt oxidized. Front free endpaper with pencilled inscription; some page edges with small blotches. Binding very handsome in its subtle way. Impossible! to get a good image of! (12986)
For a bit more AGRICULTURE, click here.
Stamped in the Titular MetalsEllwanger, George H. In gold and silver. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1892. 12mo (17.1 cm, 6.73"). Frontis., illum. t.-p., viii, 156, [2 (adv.)] pp.; 8 plts., illus.
Click the images for enlargements. illustrated with a frontispiece, eight additional plates, and a number of in-text vignettes by A.B. Wenzell, W.C. Greenough, and W. Hamilton Gibson, as well as a title-page printed in accordance with the title.
Binding: Publisher's brick-colored cloth, front cover with cream medallion stamped in gilt and silver, in silver- and gold-stamped frame with corner fleurons, spine and back cover repeating the corner fleuron motifs. Top edges gilt. Silk bookmark detached but laid in.
• Binding as above; spine foot chipped, corners rubbed, otherwise fresh and bright inside and out. In fact a lovely little volume, with both the gold and the silver, i.e., aluminum, shine extraordinarily bright and clear. (41288)
Ellis on “the Whole Law of Woman's Life” — Complete SetSCARCE PRESENTATION CASE Ellis, Sarah Stickney. (The Englishwoman's Family Library). The daughters of England, their position in society, character & responsibilities. The mothers of England[,] their influence & responsibility. The wives of England, their relative duties, domestic influence, & social obligations. The women of England, their social duties, and domestic habits. London: Peter Jackson & Fisher, Son, and Co., [ca. 1845]. 8vo (17.7 cm, 6.96"). 4 vols. Daughters: Frontis., 400 pp. Mothers: Frontis., [8], 390 pp. Wives: Frontis., 371, [1] pp. Women: Frontis., 343, [1] pp.
Click the images for enlargements.the embodiment of the Angel in the House, though these books preceded the publication of that poem. Ellis grants the necessity of some degree of education for women primarily in order to make them better housekeepers and more interesting companions to men, noting that “so far as cleverness, learning, and knowledge are conducive to woman's moral excellence, they are therefore desirable, and no further” (Daughters, p. 105) — but still she reinforces women's agency, responsibility, and need for self-awareness and self-management, particularly in the daunting task of choosing husbands who will respect them and treat them well. 
in the publisher's leather-covered wooden display casewith shaped roof-like pediment, gilt decorations, gilt-stamped “Library” title, glass-fronted door, and push-button metal catch. The works were first published separately in 1839 (Women), 1842 (Daughters), early 1843 (Wives), and late 1843 (Mothers); the case, apparently first advertised in 1843, could be “had separately” and assembled sets then ensconced in it, or one could buy handsome, variously bound complete sets already encased when new.
Uniform sets are uncommon, and contained in cases like this one are even more so.
Provenance: Daughters with inked ownership inscription of Josephine Sparre, dated 1856; Women with early inked inscription of A.M. Kirwan of Well Park, Drumcondra (Ireland).
• Publisher's red pebbled cloth, covers elaborately stamped in blind, spines with gilt-stamped titles and embossed decorations; volumes with edges and extremities rubbed, small scuffs and spots of discoloration to sides, spines gently sunned, Daughters cloth somewhat lighter overall. Daughters: Offsetting from frontispiece to title-page. Mothers: Frontispiece lightly foxed; light pencilled marks of emphasis. Wives: Front free endpaper lacking; frontispiece foxed. Inscriptions as above; occasional small spots of foxing, smudges, and edge chips scattered throughout; box with scuffs and wear, cracks to leather at top refurbished. A removable dais has been added to the foot of the box in order to fit the presently contained volumes more snugly; markings to the cloth lining of the box suggest that, at one time, taller volumes resided there. Some of Ellis's most successful and influential writing in a desirable uniformly bound set, within the rarely surviving and quite charming display case. (41250)
Opposing Satan's Servants witha Lot of SloggingFernald, Mark. Life of Elder Mark Fernald, written by himself. Newburyport: Geo. Moore Payne & D.B. Pike; Philadelphia: Christian General Book Concern (pr. by William H. Huse), 1852. 12mo (19.6 cm, 7.7"). Frontis., 405, [1] pp.
Click the images for enlargements.The work opens with an introduction from the publishers, who dedicated the Life to the members of the First Christian Church and Society of Kittery, ME. The frontispiece portrait of Fernald was engraved by John Sartain, after a daguerrotype.
Binding: Publisher's textured black cloth, covers framed in blind rules and with foliate designs surrounding central gilt-stamped floral motifs on both boards. Spine gilt extra, all edges gilt.
• Bound as above; spine extremities and corners rubbed, cloth showing small split starting at foot of front joint (hinge holding). Mild foxing to margins of frontispiece, with offsetting to title-page from guard leaf; two pages with small section of offsetting from now-absent laid-in item; pages otherwise clean. A solid, worthwhile copy with its gilt shining bright and crisp. (38618)
For POST-1820
AMERICANA,
click here.
For MAINE, click here.
For RELIGION, click here.
For TEMPERANCE, click here.
For BIOGRAPHIES, mostly 20th-Century
“General Reading” & Inexpensive, click here.
“May Not a POET Now & Then / Reveal These Lives of Average Men?”Foss, Sam Walter. Whiffs from wild meadows. Boston: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., copyright 1895. 8vo (19.4 cm, 7.7"). Frontis., [2], ix, [1], 272 pp.; illus.
Click the images for enlargements. Binding: Publisher's green cloth, front cover and spine stamped in black, gilt, and yellow, with a frame of apples and greenery surrounding a decorative title and small gilt motifs.
• Binding as above, corners and spine extremities very slightly rubbed, dust jacket lacking. Endpapers and a few pages sprinkled with spots of faint staining, pages generally clean A popular and entertaining author, in an attractive and well-preserved binding. (35257)
For HUMOR, click here.
GiltMOSAIC Binding [Gavard, Charles]. Souvenir d'une promenade a Versailles. Paris: au Bureau des Galeries Historiques de Versailles, [ca. 1850–55]. Folio (36.5 cm; 14.5"). [6] ff., 50 leaves of plates.
Click the images for enlargements. 
Binding: In the style of a percaline mosaïquée, but the gilt and mosaic are applied to a textured pebbled cloth. Spine gilt extra with added “mosaic” of green, white, red and blue. Front cover with a blind-stamped border incorporating elegant corner-pieces; within this, “Souvenir de Versailles” gilt-stamped in an arc above a large on-laid crowned coat of arms flanked by banners and flags, this embellished in gilt with rich use of blue, white, red, blue, and green. Rear cover with similar blind-stamped border and a different large gilt-stamped center device strikingly incorporating an on-lay of blue stamped in gilt with a military medal. All edges gilt.
• On this type of binding, see: Morris & Levin, The Art of Publishers' Bookbindings, pp. 94–97. Binding as above, rubbed to the underlying boards at the corners of the boards and top of spine slightly pulled with one bit of rubbing. Scattered pale brown stains mostly on interleaves and sometimes visible on versos of plates; some discoloration in some margins of plates and occasionally into one; overwhelmingly a clean copy, remarkably bright and unfoxed. A strong and nice example of this category of “souvenir” and of a gilt mosaic binding. (30464)
This English
Classic
Presented inClassic
Fashion Goldsmith, Oliver. The deserted village. Boston: J.E. Tilton & Co., 1866. 8vo. 53, [1] pp.; illus. 
• Publisher's green cloth binding, front cover stamped in black and gilt; bright and clean, with cloth showing only very minor wear to corners and extremities. All edges gilt. (14437)
Thomson's Illustrations — The VicarGoldsmith, Oliver. The Vicar of Wakefield. London & New York: Macmillan & Co., 1892. 8vo. Frontis., xxxiv, [2], 305, [7] pp.; illus. 
Click the interior image for an enlargement. • Publisher's teal cloth, front cover and spine with gilt-stamped title and decorative floral motifs; back cover and corners showing very slight scuffing. Back hinge cracked and front hinge starting; front free endpaper excised. Still, an attractive copy. (18393)
Hand-ColoredFloral FrontispieceGoodrich, Samuel G., ed. The token, or affection's gift,a Christmas and New-Year's present. Hartford: S. Andrus & Son, [ca. 1846]. 12mo. Frontis., 312 pp.; 4 plts.
Binding: Publisher's red cloth, covers and spine gilt-stamped with avian and foliate designs; all edges gilt.
• Faxon 786. Spine and edges moderately rubbed with front hinge cracked; spots of staining to bottom part of front cover. Front free endpaper with good portion torn away, back free endpaper lacking; waterstaining in varying degrees to lower outer corners after p. 120 and some soiling. One signature extruded and others heading for that; one plate shaved very very close to image at top but image itself not quite touched! Not a fresh copy, still, an interesting one. (12944)
For AMERICAN GIFT BOOKS, click here.
“In the reign of good King René . . . ”Guiney, Louise Imogen. The secret of Fougereuse: A romance of the fifteenth century; from the French. Boston: Marlier, Callanan & Co., 1898. 12mo (18.7 cm, 7.375"). Frontis., 347, [1] pp.; 4 plts.
Click the images for enlargements.illustrated with a frontispiece and four plates in black and white.
Binding: Decorated publisher's binding: blue cloth with “silver”-stamped lettering and fleur-de-lis decorations to front board and spine, front cover with large “silver”-stamped vignette of a medieval gentleman holding a cage with two owls. “Silver” work actually aluminum and very bright!
Provenance: On front free endpaper, two ownership stamps of Sarah E. Lembeck.
• BAL 6747 (state A imprint, state A binding). Bound as above; spine cocked and extremities and joints lightly rubbed. Stamps as above. Crease to p. 42; interior otherwise unspoiled. A handsomely medieval-esque production. (37506)
Taking the Fad TOO Far?Harsha, D.A. The Heavenly token a gift book for Christians. New York: H. Dayton; Indianapolis: Asher & Co., 1859. 12mo (18.6 cm; 7.625"). Engr. frontis., 491 pp.
Click the images for enlargements. riding the coattails of the gift book fad.”
Binding: Blue publisher's cloth, spine stamped in gilt with fancified title and partly arabesque design, covers decoratively framed in blind.
• Not in Faxon, nor Thompson, American Literary Annuals & Gift Books; for another year, see Tepper, American Gift Books & Literary Annuals. (Second edition), p. 100. Bound as above, recently well rebacked with original spine laid on and new endpapers, gently rubbed, small sticker on spine. Light age-toning and foxing (especially around the frontispiece as usual), with occasional other spotting or staining (some perhaps in press); a sound copy representingan interesting phenomenon in marketing. (37262)
For POST-1820
AMERICANA, click here. For AMERICAN GIFT BOOKS, click here. For RELIGION, click here.
He BeatMark Twain to the Use of Pike County Vernacular Hay, John. The Pike County ballads. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1912. 8vo (22.3 cm, 8.75"). 45, [3] pp.; illus.
• BAL 7841. Publisher's tan cloth, front cover with affixed color-printed paper illustration; binding somewhat darkened (especially spine), corners and spine extremities rubbed, a few small spots of discoloration to front and back covers. Front pastedown with pencilled gift inscription, front free endpaper with bookseller's small ticket. Pages clean. A very nice book. (20839)
For DICTIONARIES/GRAMMARS, LANGUAGE ETC., click here.
“There are Few Difficulties That Cannot be Surmounted by Patience, Resolution, & Pluck” Henty, G.A. Condemned as a Nihilist: A story of escape from Siberia. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1892. 8vo (19 cm, 7.45"). 332, 16 (adv.) pp.; 8 plts., 1 map.
Click the images for enlargements. Reproduced in black and white,Walter Paget's eight illustrations depict dramatic scenes of survival including a boxing match with a prisoner, a bear attack, and a fight with hostile Samoyeds; they are accompanied by one double-page map of the Russian empire.
Binding: Publisher's teal cloth, front cover with gilt-stamped title and scene of a bearded man either tying or untying the hero stamped in black, brown, and gilt, spine similarly stamped; midnight blue endpapers and all page edges stained to match boards.
• Dartt, pp. 40-41; Newbolt 58. Bound as above, binding very slightly cocked with edges and extremities lightly rubbed. Text clean.A nice copy of one of Henty's less common titles. (38686)
Something
Different fromthe
Creator of Ruritania
Hope,
Anthony, pseud. Helena's path. New York: McClure Co.,
1907. 8vo. Frontis., [6], 241, [1] pp.
Click the images for enlargements. Despite Hope's having been English and even knighted, this work was apparently never printed in England.
Binding: Publisher's red cloth, front cover with gilt-stamped title and blind-stamped garden design, spine with gilt-stamped title. Signed binding: Front cover with monogram of a J crowned with E (unidentified designer).
• Binding as above, cocked, with minimal rubbing to extremities. Front free endpaper with inked gift inscription dated Christmas 1904. A few corners bumped, one torn away. Pages very clean. A bright, pretty copy. (29132)
Dartmouth's LaureateHovey, Richard. Dartmouth lyrics. Boston: Small, Maynard & Co., (copyright 1924). 8vo. xiv, 94 pp. 
• BAL 9401. Green publisher's cloth, front cover stamped in white and gilt, spine with gilt-stamped title; clean and solid, with only very slight traces of wear to extremities. Front free endpaper with inked owner's name. (16665)
For COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES, click here.
Attractive Little Book! Howells, William Dean. Criticism and fiction. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1892. 12mo. Frontis., title-leaf, 188 pp., [2] ff.
Click the images for enlargements. Binding: Publisher's green cloth elaborately stamped in gilt on front cover with an overall pattern of torches with bows, surrounding a central cartouche with the title and author in gilt.
• BAL 9577 (for first edition). Binding as above, lightly rubbed at base of spine, small area of minor discoloration on spine. Ex–social club library: call number on endpaper, rubber-stamp on title-page, no other markings. (26805)
TO Part II
|
by
their publishers, by machine methods, in proudly “modern”
factories. The earlier examples here are often subtle in their
charm (and hard to photograph); the late 19th-century ones only
begin to show the range of what glittered and gleamed in the bookshop
windows of their exuberant era; and the early 20th-century bindings
demonstrate yet another change in taste. (There are a few “publisher's
paper” bindings here, too, just because we couldn't resist putting
them in!) 
Please
note that all these volumes are in fit condition to give real
pleasure to collectors or gift-recipients but not all are in states
to be “collected for condition”—
prices, of course, have been set accordingly, and condition details
have been carefully supplied. 
These,
you will want to pay attention to, and perhaps consult about.
For
a BINDINGS
“shelf” emphasizing volumes