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)

Provenance:  From the library of American collector Albert A. Howard, small booklabel (“AHA”) at rear.

•  ESTC T13872; Gumuchian 2682.   19th-century tree calf, rebacked with original spine laid on, this gilt extra with black leather title label; covers framed in a gilt foliate roll, board edges with gilt dot-and-dash roll, turn-ins with gilt pineapple roll, marbled endpapers. Binding rubbed and refurbished, top of spine pulled with loss exposing loose headband. Light to moderate age-toning, sometimes more deeply and variably toned around page edges; expectable foxing and offsetting from and around a few plates, two with short marginal tears; and otherwise, two small marginal chips, a stain or two, and one bent corner. Readership and provenance indicia and extra plate as above. Overall a pleasing book to peruse, and certainly one that ischock-full of beautiful images.  (38728)

Binding:  Publisher's quarter white linen with blue-green paper sides, printed paper label on spine; the variant binding without the embossed medallion on the front cover and bearing instead a paper label that gives full publication details and describes the book as in “imperial 8vo” costing “two guineas net.” Top edge gilt, others deckle.

•  Bound as above, without the d/j. A very good copy.  (34706)

The plates are signed “F. Kearny,” an artist born in Perth Amboy, NJ, who studied drawing with Archibald and Alexander Robertson and engraving with Peter Maverick. From 1810 to his death in 1833 he practiced engraving in Philadelphia.

There are two states of gathering “U”: this copy has the typographical error “tibbon” with the stop-press correction to “ribbon” on p. 235.

The volume ends with advertisements for several sporting and fishing goods suppliers.

•  Shoemaker 27838; Howes K108; Henderson, American Sporting Books, 6; Phillips, Sporting Books, 21; Streeter Sale 4084; Bennett, Practical Guide, 60–61. On Stauffer, American Engravers, I, 148–49.   Publisher's sprinkled sheep with simple rope roll in blind on board edges, some abrasion to leather; round spine with gilt double rules forming “spine compartments,” black leather title label. The usual light and scattered foxing noted in all copies, nothing more. A very nice copy.  (28553)

There is, to us, a surprising and very interesting section on grapes and wines. The first part of our caption delights partly in discovery that maize, the “corn” of the U.S., is here called “turkey wheat” — with further note that you can make bread of it, but that the result is pleasing only to “barbarous” tastes! The entry as a whole showsGerard at his characteristic best, at once scientifically systematic and engagingly discursive.

Provenance:  Neatly lettered name of “W. Younge” at top of title-page; it is tempting to attribute this to William Younge, physician of Sheffield and Fellow of the Royal Linnean Society, whose online correspondence shows him to have been an eager collector of botanical books.

•  STC (rev. ed.) 11752; Alden & Landis, European Americana, 636/25; Nissen, Botanischebuchs, 698n; Pritzel 3282n; Johnston, The Cleveland Herbal, Botanical, and Horticultural Collections, 185; Woodward, Gerard's Herball: The essence thereof distilled (London, 1964). On the source of the blocks, see: Hunt Botanical Catalogue and Bowen, K. L., & D. Imhof, The illustration of Books Published by the Moretuses (Antwerpen, 1997). For “Turkey Wheat, “ see: Gerard, p. 81; for polenta, p. 71.   Late 17th-century English calf, plain style; rebacked professionally in the 20th century, later endpapers. As usual, without the first and last blank leaves. Three leaves with natural paper flaws in blank margins. A very good copy.  (34500)

•  Gill (second ed.) 37.   Publisher's pink paper wrappers printed on front in blue, housed in matching pink and blue paper envelope. Pamphlet in fine condition; envelope with bumped edges and corners and a few spots of smudging.  (35362)

This is numbered copy 801 of 2000 printed, signed at the colophon by the artist. The appropriate Club newsletter is laid in.

•  Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by the Limited Editions Club, 500.   Binding as above, in publisher's green paper-covered slipcase. A handsome copy.  (31987)

Binding: Bound by Hayday in green pebbled morocco, spine with raised bands; two compartments with title and author and four with rich and elaborate gilt decoration; wide gilt composite borders to boards, board edges with gilt hatching, gilt zig-zag design on turn-ins. All edges gilt.

•  Bound as above; light rubbing particularly to spine-head, one slim scrape to front board and several to rear one. Endpapers lightly foxed, silk placemarker present with end a little frayed, old pencilling to verso of front free endpaper. Interior and illustrations clean and unmarked. A very good presentation copy of this classic.  (37320)

•  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)

16 steel-engraved maps

While the title-page gives the Boston publication line described above, the printed front cover gives Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwait, & Co., 1838; this is a later edition, following the first of 1832.

A first impression is that “child” readers had, in 1832, much greater powers of attention to print than is now common, but indeed the history here is — the stories are — absorbing and evocative.

•  American Imprints 50587.   Publisher's quarter sheep and printed green paper–covered boards, rubbed and worn; pages cockled and foxed, yet paper good and untattered. One page with stray ink marks, not obstructing legibility. A good, solid, pleasing copy.  (33716)

The little volume also offers astriking wood-engraved frontispiece in orange and black by Jean Gabriel Daragnès (1886–1950) who additionally provided the wood-engraved headpieces, and the colophon notes the item was printed by Ducros, Lefèvre, & Colas.

•  Red and black printed cream wrappers, gently worn around edges; light age-toning with a few occasional spots, frontispiece offset onto title-page. A very nice copy.  (36392)

Only 210 copies were printed: Florencio Ramírez composed the text using Dante, Centaur, Poliphilus, and Blado type. Juan Pascoe and Martín Urbgina printed the work on Tamayo De Ponte paper using a Vandercook cylinder press and two Washington handpresses. The work was bound by Fermín Urbina.

The two folding plates are printed in black and red, as is the title-page and the first page of text. Other illustrations are an Antonio Espinosa vignette, a woodcut of a kneeling Mexica man, and two printer's ornaments. All are printed from zinc plates.

•  Green shelfback with yellow paper spine label and matching yellow paper on the boards. Author and title printed on front board in a frame of printer's ornaments. As new.  (40095)

Sickness is a theme here

The volume is illustrated with a total of three wood-engraved depictions of New England buildings.

•  Publisher's pebbled terra cotta cloth, front cover and spine with gilt-stamped title; spine darkened and worn with gilt rubbed, sides with small spots of discoloration, cover gilt nice and bright. Some light smudging to margins, pages otherwise clean. All edges gilt.  (27649)

Provenance:  From the library of American collector Albert A. Howard, small booklabel (“AHA”) on rear free endpaper.

•  Adams G1187; Index Aurel. 104.188; Moreau, Éditions parisiennes du XVI siècle, II, 1360. On Gregory, see: Holweck, Biographical Dictionary of the Saints, pp. 446–7; our quotation is from this source.   Modern boards covered in a 16th-century leaf from a biblical index with accents in red, new endpapers; booklabel as above. Light age-toning with a handful of marginal stains, one red; uneven edges (probably from manufacture), one small wormhole touching letters throughout most of text with two additional near the end. Title-page and final leaf have been attached to stubs for binding; five other leaves with small, early marginal repairs. A neatly printed book with many embellishments; a very attractive thing of its kind.  (39284)

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)