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SETS . . .
As
old-time auctioneers called it, “'X'-many FOR ONE MONEY”!
WONDERS ~ Oddities ~ *&* Good Old-Fashioned
ENTERTAINMENT! 
(A WEALTH OF RECREATION). Hone, William; George Cruikshank, Samuel Williams, et al., illus. The every-day book, and table book; or, everlasting calendar of popular amusements, sports, pastimes, ceremonies, manners, customs, and events, incident to each of the three hundred and sixty-five days, in past and present times ... [WITH!] The year book of daily recreation and information; concerning remarkable men and manners, times and seasons, solemnities and merry-makings, antiquities and novelties, on the plan of the Every-day book and Table book, or, everlasting calendar of popular amusements, sports, pastimes, ceremonies, customs, and events, incident to each of the three hundred and sixty-five days, in past and present times; forming a complete history of the year; and a perpetual key to the almanack. London: William Tegg & Co.; Glasgow: R. Griffin & Co.; Dublin: Cumming & Ferguson (pr. by J. Haddon), 1826–28; 1848. 8vo (22.8 cm, 8.98"). 4 vols. I: Frontis. (incl. in pagination), viii pp., 1720 col., 8 (adv.) pp.; illus. II: Frontis., [6] pp., 860, 888 col.; illus. III (marked II): Frontis., viii pp., 1712 col.; illus. IV: Frontis., [4] pp., 1644 col., [2] pp.; illus.
Click the images for enlargements.
Americana content is not lacking, with entries appearing, e.g., on Niagara Falls and “Penn and the Indians.”
“These publications were at once popular, educational, quaint, and socially pertinent,” says the DNB. Assorted contributors including Charles Lamb supplied the pieces not written by Hone himself for this entertaining grab-bag, illustrated with
over 700 wood engravings, some of which were done by George Cruikshank.
With all four volumes present, a massive amount of wonderfully various reading, offering engaging evidence of readership and lots and LOTS of evocative illustrations. (27545)
An Elegant Production!Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres. Choix des mémoires de l’Academie Royale des inscriptions et belles-lettres. Londres: T. Becket & P. Elmsly, 1777. 4to (27 cm, 10.6"). 3 vols. I: [2], iii, [1], lx, 656 pp. (pagination skips 17–32, text uninterrupted). II: [2], iii, [1], ccviii, 495, [1 (blank)] pp. III: [2], iii, lxviii, [1], 696 pp.; 1 fold. plt., 2 plts.
Click the images for enlargements.
two plates and one oversized, folding plate reproducing two inscriptions and a frieze, engraved by E. Malpas.
Uncommon outside of Great Britain.
• ESTC T113913; Brunet, I, 26; Lowndes, I, 5. Contemporary treed calf, spines gilt extra, with gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels; leather worn at edges and moderately rubbed with joints cracking. Front pastedowns with private bookplates and signs that a plate was removed on front free endpaper (one vol. endpaper holed); impressions of old pencilled shelf numbers on title-pages (and one lightly inked old date). First two leaves of vol. III with upper margins stained and final leaf browned; some pages with a few spots of faint foxing, most clean and crisp. (13107)
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Classics, Illustrated & Extra-DeluxePhiladelphia Productions with a PARISIAN AestheticAnacreon, Sappho, & Publius Virgilius Maro; Paul Avril, illus. Antique gems from the Greek and Latin. Anacreon: Odes [with] Sappho: Odes, bridal songs, epigrams [and] Virgil: The Bucolics [with] Catullus: Odes to Lesbia and the Nuptial song of Peleus and Thetis. Philadelphia: George Barrie & Son, 1902. 8vo (21.6 cm, 8.5"). 2 vols. Anacreon: [6], xviii, 201, [1], xviii, 65, [7] pp.; col. illus. Virgil: [6], xxix, [1], 199, [1], xxi, [1], 151, [7] pp.; col. illus.
Click the images for enlargements.
numbered copy XI (eleven) of only twelve printed featuring “duplicate impressions of the illustrations, finished with watercolors” — the Greek or Latin and the English versions appearing here on facing pages with the engravings repeated on each side, the classical-side vignettes left unadorned and the English-side versionshand-painted with remarkable delicacy and precision. In one instance, what would have been the unpainted duplicate has been colored and used as the doublure inlay (see below), and in two other cases hand-colored vignettes appear without any uncolored opposites; all other illustrations are doubled as described above with an apparently extra engraving having been colored to serve on the doublure in one case.
stunning doublures of inlaid violet and teal morocco with ornate gilt tooling. Each inside front cover bears a different small delicately color-printed medallion derived from an engraving associated with a poem, inlaid at center, and the rear inside covers feature similarly sized and placed classical heads of inlaid tan and cream gilt-tooled leather. Patterned silk endpapers; all edges gilt. A signed binding, with rear doublures stamped “Bound by Barrie.”
A simply, gloriously luxurious set, inspired by European elegance but produced by an American firm for American bibliophiles. (41693)
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Lane'sILLUSTRATED Arabian Nights(Arabian Nights). Lane, Edward William. The thousand and one nights, commonly called, in England, the Arabian nights’ entertainments. London: Charles Knight & Co. (I & III pr. by William Clowes & Sons, II by Whitehead & Co.), 1840–1841. 8vo (26 cm, 10.25). 3 vols. I: xxxii, 618, [2] pp.; illus. II: xii, 643, [1] pp.; illus. III: xii, 763, [1] pp.; illus.
Click the images for enlargements.“many hundred” delightful in-text wood engravings from designs by William Harvey. An Egyptologist and noted scholar of Arabic language and literature, Lane made use of the Egyptian manuscripts, becomingthe first English translator to work from a primary source. He chose to bowdlerize portions of the tales he found “objectionable,” but added extensive anthropological and cultural annotations as well as explanations of many of his choices in translation and transliteration.
Provenance: From the library of American collector Albert A. Howard, small booklabels (“AHA”) at rear.
• NSTC 2L3671 (for first ed.). Publisher's red cloth, spines with gilt-stamped title and vignette, covers with blind-stamped vignette; cocked yet solid, with hinges/extremities rubbed and cloth (especially of spines) having uneven discolorations from sunning or other exposures. Endpapers and next adjacent leaves with variably light discoloration to gutter areas from binding process; text blocks otherwise gently age-toned but with very little foxing, this mostly confined to first and last few leaves of vol. I. Two facing pages in vol. III with traces of small spot of adhesion from organic matter; occasionally, elsewhere, another sort of spot. A well-used set of this landmark work described and priced accordingly, yet a respectable set; here in an early (partial-first!) appearance in the original bindings. (41416)
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The “BIRDS in Miniature” with theirBetter “Habitats”
Audubon, John James, & William MacGillivray. The birds of America, from drawings made in the United States and their territories. New York: V.G. Audubon, Roe Lockwood & Son, 1859. 8vo (27.5 cm; 10.875"). 7 vols. I: [iii]–viii, [1], 12–246 pp., 70 plts. II: [iii]–vii, [2], 12–199 pp., 71–140 plts. III: [iii]–viii, [1], 10–233 pp., 141–210 plts. IV: [iii]–viii, [1], 10–321 pp., 211–280 plts. V: [iii]–viii, [1], 10–346 pp., 281–350 plts. VI: [iii]–viii, [1], 10–456 pp., 351–420 plts. VII: vii, [2], 10–372 pp., 421–500 plts.
Click the images for enlargements. For this essentially new work Audubon increased the number of colored plates from 435 to 500, reordered the text, and edited the content to include more ornithological information and less travel narration. Plates were produced through the camera lucida process, using a prism to trace reverse images from the elephant folio prints onto lithographic stones. 
500 fine hand-colored lithographed plates by Philadelphian J.T. Bowen after J.J. and J.W. Audubon. Ayer notes that where backgrounds were plain in the first octavo they were tinted in later ones and that some already tinted backgrounds were attractively altered, with plates more closely approximating those of the elephant folio through the addition of more detailed scenery.
An excellent set of a splendid edition of one of the most influential color plate books of the 19th century. (36084)
Jane Austen's Works — A Handsome,
Limited Edition
Illustrated by the Brock Brothers Austen, Jane. The novels and letters of Jane Austen. New York & Philadelphia: Frank S. Holby, 1906. 8vo. 12 (of 12) vols. I: Frontis., [6], vii–lix, [6], 255 pp.; 5 plts. II: Frontis., [8], 302 pp.; 6 plts. III: Frontis., [4], v–vii, 3–283 pp.; 5 plts. IV: Frontis., [8], [3]–299 pp.; 5 plts. V: Frontis., [4], v–vii, [5], 338 pp.; 5 plts. VI: Frontis., [8], 347 pp.; 5 plts. VII: Frontis., [6], vii–viii, [4]–339 pp.; 5 plts. VIII: Frontis., [8], 359 pp.; 5 plts. IX: Frontis., [4], v–viii, [4]–338 pp.; 5 plts. X: Frontis., [4], vii–viii, [4]–362 pp.; 5 plts. XI: [10], 3–392 pp.; 3 plts. XII: Frontis., [8], 3–393 pp.; 3 plts. (1 fold.).
Click any interior image for enlargement.
PRB&M offers a small prize to anyone who can, without looking anything up,
69 plates, including a wonderful series of color drawings to accompany the text, done by the brothers Charles Edmond and Henry Matthew Brock, this isadditionally embellished with portraits of the author, pictures of her residences in Bath and Winchester, a view of her burial place inside Winchester Cathedral, a facsimile autograph letter, and a facsimile title-page of the first edition of Sense and Sensibility. Each plate is accompanied by a protective tissue guard, printed with a descriptive caption in red ink. Title-pages are printed in red and black, and each has its own unique engraved vignette. The delights in this production abound. On the whole, very satisfying!
• Publisher's brown cloth, spines with brown paper label; several labels with ssmall brown spots, cracks, and edge chips, not too conspicuous and not affecting printing. Two leaves (pp. 343–346 of vol. X) detached from binding; long tear down center of pp. 283/284 (vol. IV), without loss of text; except for two leaves with some offsetting from laid-in scrap of paper, interiors clean. Outer and lower edges deckle, with a few signatures opened unevenly and some unopened. A very good set. (24537)
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The Andrade Set inQuarter Red Morocco Barcía, Andrés González de. Ensayo cronologico, para la historia general de la Florida. Madrid: Imprenta de los Hijos de Doña Catalina Piñuela, 1829. 12mo. 2 vols. I: [2] ff., 508 pp., fold. table. II: [2] ff., 512 pp.
Click the page-images for enlargements. The present edition forms volumes 8 and 9 of the series Historia de la conquista del Nuevo Mundo.
Provenance: Bookplate of the great 19th-century Mexican collector J. M. Andrade on the front pastedown of each volume.
• This edition not in Sabin. 19th-century quarter red morocco with red textured cloth sides. Spine with raised bands and very good gilt tooling including center devices in spine compartments. Interiors clean. A very good set. (25271)
The Private Edition, One of 12 Copies OnlyA Family CopyBarham, R. Harris. The Ingoldsby legends or mirth and marvels by Thomas Ingoldsby Esquire [with] The Ingoldsby legends ... Second series. London: Richard Bentley, 1840 & 1842. 8vo. 2 vols. I: [6], v, [3], 338, [2] pp. with inserted extra-engraved title (a proof before letters), numbered colophon leaf, engraved title, and six etched plates; II: vii, [3], 288 pp. with engraved title and seven etched plates.
Click the images for enlargements. 
Sadleir's analysis suggested to him the following probable sequence: a) the private edition, b) copies of the public edition with p. 236 in the same form as it appears in the private edition, c) copies of the public edition with p. 236 blank; and d) copies of the public edition with the complete new version of the text on p. 236.
However, the remnants of the binding preserved at the back of the present first volume — see note below and
Barham began writing the short pieces making up this series as contributions to his friend and classmate's Bentley's Miscellany. The subject matter was “at first derived from the legendary lore of the author's ancestral locality in Kent, but soon [was] enriched by satires on the topics of the day and subjects of pure invention, or borrowed from history or the ‘Acta Sanctorum’. . . . The success of the ‘Legends’ was pronounced from the first, and when published collectively in 1840 they at once took the high place in humorous literature which they have ever since retained” (DNB).
Provenance: With R.H.D. Barham’s signature as noted above, and with the armorial bookplate of Sir David Lionel Salomons (1851–1925) in each volume.
• NCBEL, III, 365; Sadleir 156a; Tinker 216 (public edition); Carter, Binding Variants, p.92. Bindings a bit darkened and slightly discolored at extremities, light rubbing to joints, some foxing to the prelims of the first volume, with an old tide-mark in the lower gutter areas of the plates; a tipped-in bookseller's description in the first volume. A very good, very interesting example of a very rare thing. (18236)
First Publicly Available, “Real” Editions,
Signed Bindings
[Barham, Richard Harris, a.k.a.] Ingoldsby, Thomas. The Ingoldsby legends or mirth and marvels. London: Richard Bentley (pr. by Samuel Bentley), 1840–47. 8vo (20.5 cm, 8.1"). 3 vols. I: Engr. t.-p., v, [3], 338, [2] pp.; 6 plts. II: Engr. t.-p., vii, [3], 288 pp.; 7 plts. III: Engr. t.-p., vi, [2], 364 pp.; 6 plts.
Click the images for enlargements. 18 plates engraved by George Cruikshank, John Leech, and John Tenniel.
Bindings: Contemporary signed bindings by E.P. Dutton & Co., of red morocco with covers framed in gilt triple fillets; spines with raised bands, gilt-stamped titles, and compartments framed in gilt double fillets. Board edges gilt-ruled, gilt inner dentelles. Upper page edges gilt. 
Original cloth covers and spines bound in at the back.
• Sadleir 156b, e, & f; NCBEL, III, 365. Bindings as above, spines and upper board edges darkened with a bit of rubbing; free endpapers with offsetting from turn-ins. One volume with lower part of cover stained and the lower inner margin of the title-page and plates (not the text leaves!) waterstained. One plate evenly age-toned. (12844)
A Dramatic, Beautiful Bible & BCP PairingBible. English. 1775. Authorized (i.e., King James Version). The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments; translated out of the original tongues, and with the former translations diligently compared and revised. Cambridge: Pr. by John Archdeacon, 1775–76. 4to in 8s (28.8 cm, 11.33"). Frontis., [639] ff. [with accompanying volume] The book of common prayer, and administration of the sacraments, and other rites and ceremonies of the Church, according to the use of the Church of England: Together with the psalter or psalms of David. Cambridge: Pr. by John Archdeacon, 1781. 8vo (20.7 cm, 8.15"). [376] ff. [bound with] Vickers, William. A companion to the altar: Shewing the nature and necessity of a sacramental preparation, in order to our worthy receiving the holy communion. London: Pr. for Thomas Beecroft, 1783. Frontis., [2], [v]–55, [1 (adv.)] pp. (lacking half-title or initial blank?) [and with] Bible. Psalms. English. Sternhold and Hopkins. The whole book of psalms, collected into English metre. Cambridge: Pr. by John Archdeacon, 1785. 8vo. [64] ff.
Click the images for enlargements.masterfully designed and executed deluxe matched bindings. The Bible opens with a frontispiece engraved by Charles Grignion after Francis Hayman; the Apocrypha are present in this copy, and the New Testament has a separate title-page dated 1776. The BCP is bound with Companion to the Altar (“Note, This Book is bound up with the Common-Prayers of several sorts, printed by the University of Cambridge,” as per the title-page); Sternhold & Hopkins bring up the rear.
identical on first glance), the details of the design vary slightly between the Bible and the BCP, as the size disparity — and possibly the time gap between the publication dates — necessitated the use of different tools. The spine designs differ more notably but still most companionably, with the Bible's spine decorations being built up with foliate and floral motifs and the BCP's with suns and stars. To engage in minute comparison of these bindings' detail is an entrancing exercise.
A gorgeous, lavish production altogether, with a remarkable, arresting provenance. (41458)
Didot Printed — Petit Bound — BEAUTIFUL Biblical AntiquarianismBible. Latin (Old Latin). Vulgate. 1785. Bibliorum sacrorum vulgatae versionis editio. Parisiis: Excudabat Fr. Amb. Didot natut maj., 1785. 8vo in 4s (19 cm, 7.5"). 8 vols. I: xvi, 501, [1] pp. II: [2] ff., 450 pp. III: [2] ff., 393, [1] pp. IV: [2] ff., 428 pp. V: [2] ff., 400 pp. VI: [2] ff., 444 pp. VII: [2] ff., 407, [1] pp. VIII: [2] ff., 373, [1] pp.
Click the images for enlargements.Old Latin versions, which exist only in fragments, compiled from manuscripts and the writings of the Fathers” by Pierre Sabbathier and continued after his death under the care of Vincent de La Rue (Darlow & Moule). This edition, following the first (Rheims, 1739–49) was issued In the Didot series Collection des auteurs classiques, françois et latins.
Bindings signed Petit Succs. de Simier.
Provenance: Bookplates of Casimir L. Stralem, Clarence E. Clark, and Brian Douglas Stilwell.
WorldCat locates only six U.S. libraries reporting ownership ofall eight volumes as present here (NYPL, Cornell, Seton Hall, Holy Cross College, New York Historical Society, UC-Berkeley Law) and two libraries reporting ownership of incomplete sets (Harvard Divinity [vols. 1, 2 only], University of Dayton [vol. 3 only]).
• Darlow & Moule, III, 6263; Jammes, Les Didot, 25. Bound as above, some joints (outside) showing cracking but all intact. All volumes housed in light marbled-paper open-back cases, some with tape repairs. Very good. (40318)
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The State ofEarly 19th-Century Austrian Medical KnowledgeBischoff, Ignaz Rudolph Edler von Altenstern. Grundzüge der allgemeinen Naturlehre des Menschen ... Mit vorzüglicher Hinsicht auf die praktische Medicin. Wien: A. Strauss's sel. Witwe, 1838–39. 8vo (21 cm, 8.3"). 2 vols. I: Frontis., [22], 352, [2] pp. II: xvi, 492 pp.
Click the images for enlargements.somewhat surprisingly festive — considering the topic — signed contemporary bindings. This is the first edition to encompass all four parts: Grundzüge der allgemeinen Naturlehre des Menschen (books one through three) and Grundzüge der speciellen Naturlehre des Menschen (book four), here in two volumes. The author (1784–1850) was a professor at the Josephinum Academy of Vienna, a charter member of the Gesellschaft der Ärzte (the medical society of Vienna), and chief physician to the Austrian Army. His portrait, engraved by Andreas Staub after Friedrich von Amerling (of whom he was an early patron) and printed by Johann Höfelich, opens vol. I, and a bibliography of his works, including foreign-language editions, with documentation of their appearances in various journals and other publications, closes vol. II. 
Anton Lehenbauer, with his bookbinder's ticket on each back pastedown.
Provenance: From the residue of the stock of the F. Thomas Heller bookselling firm (est. ca. 1928).
Searches of NUC and WorldCat find no U.S. library reporting ownership and precious few in Europe.
• Bindings as above, joints and edges rubbed, gilt dimmed or darkened in spots. Occasional light to mild foxing, pages otherwise clean. An attractive and interesting production. (39910)
History of Malta & the Knights Hospitallers — Well Bound, Handsomely IllustratedBoisgelin de Kerdu, Pierre Marie Louis de. Ancient and modern Malta: Containing a full and accurate account of the present state of the islands of Malta and Goza, the history of the knights of St. John of Jerusalem, also a narrative of the events which attended the capture of these islands by the French, and their conquest by the English: and an appendix, containing authentic state-papers and other documents. London: Richard Phillips, 1805. 4to (27.5 cm, 10.75"). 2 vols. I: [6], xlviii, 326 pp.; 2 fold. plts., 3 fold. tables, 17 plts. (fold. map & 1 prelim. f. lacking). II: [8], vi, xxxi, [1], 258, [2], 315, [9 (index)] pp.; 5 plts.
Click the images for enlargements. 
oversized, folding detailed view of the city and port of Malta (with an accompanying folding map identifying the major landmarks); at the back of that volume there are also two folding tables accounting for treasury expenses of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Vol. II features a view of Messina, along with several portraits. In total, the work is illustrated with24 copper-engraved plates, some aquatint, done by Merigot and others. 
For VOYAGES, TRAVELS, & books on“EXOTIC” PLACES, click here. For ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, click here. For COMMERCE / TRADE / For NATURAL HISTORY, click here.
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A Not-So-Brief History ofTime Brady, John. Clavis calendaria; or, a compendious analysis of the calendar: Illustrated with ecclesiastical, historical, and classical anecdotes ... second edition. London: Pr. for the author & sold by Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, et al., 1812–13. 8vo (21.6 cm, 8.5"). 2 vols. I: xxxvi, 387, [1] pp.; 1 plt. II: [2], 395, [1] pp.
Click the images for enlargements. Vol. I is illustrated with one wood-engraved plate depicting a Saxon almanac, and seven in-text engravings depicting Odin, Frigga, Thor, and the other deities with days named in their honor.
Provenance: Signature on title-pages of George Buckton, vol. I dated 1812 and vol. II dated 1813.
• Allibone 237 (listing 1813 & 1814 eds. only); NSTC B4120. Contemporary treed calf, rebacked preserving original spines with gilt-stamped titles, gilt-ruled and -dotted compartment bands, and gilt-stamped compartment decorations; original spine leather chipped, cracked, and darkened as by fire. Covers with corners and edges unobtrusively rubbed; portions nearest spines showing evidence of heat exposure; hinges (inside) reinforced. Front pastedowns each with institutional bookplate, vol. I front pastedown with bookseller's ticket and affixed early cataloguing slip, vol. I back pastedown and vol. II front pastedown with inked library inscription. Title-pages with inked ownership inscriptions as above. Offsetting from plate and to endpapers from binding, pages otherwise clean though with all edges (i.e., of closed book) darkened. A particularly handsome exemplar of popular scholarship of the day. (25436)
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“Large Scale” in Several Respects . . .A Classic of English Antiquarianism, Illustration, Brayley,
Edward Wedlake. The history and antiquities
of the abbey church of St. Peter, Westminster: Including notices and biographical
memoirs of the abbots and deans of that foundation. London: J.P. Neale for Longman,
Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1818–23. Folio (37.9 cm, 14.9"). 2 vols.
I: [18], 227, [19], 72, [10] pp.; 13 plts. II: [2], 304, [40] pp.; 49 plts.
Click any image where the hand appears on 
Provenance: Each front pastedown with armorial bookplate of William Arthur, sixth Duke of Portland.
• NSTC 2B46491; Allibone 240; Brunet, II, 1215. Binding as above, minor shelf wear to lower edges and corners, vol. I with front board expertly reattached and with small dent to outer edge of front cover. Joints delicate, due to size and weight of volumes, but holding. A few pages and plates with faint foxing, otherwise clean. (24100)
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Works of theBrontë Sisters Brontë,
Anne; Charlotte; & Emily. The Shakespeare
Head Brontë. Oxford: Basil Blackwell & Houghton Mifflin Co. (pr. at
the Shakespeare Head Press), 1931. 11 vols. 8vo (24 cm, 9.45"). I [Charlotte]:
Frontis., x, [2], 312 pp.; 2 plts. II: Frontis., [6], 284 pp.; 2 plts. III:
Frontis., [8], 351 pp.; 2 plts. IV: Frontis., [6], 362 pp.; 2 plts. V: Frontis.,
[8], 319, [1] pp.; 2 plts. VI: Frontis., [6], 313, [1] pp.; 2 plts. VII: Frontis.,
[10], 283, [1] pp.; 1 plt. I [Anne]: Frontis., [8], 220 pp.; 2 plts. II: Frontis.,
xi, [1], 282 pp.; 2 plts. III: Frontis., [6], 278 pp.; 1 plt. I [Emily]: Frontis.,
xii, 385, [1], 9, [1] pp.; 1 plt.
Click the interior images for enlargement. 
The lovely illustrations are of real places fictionally transfigured in the novels . . .• NCBEL, III, 865. Original green cloth, spines with printed paper labels, lacking the dust wrappers (which are scarce and almost never seen); labels darkened, a few starting to peel up at corners. Pages untrimmed, with some signatures unopened. A beautiful, clean example of this set. (24629)
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The State of19th-Century Metaphysics Brown, Thomas. Lectures on the philosophy of the human mind. Andover: Mark Newman (pr. by Flagg & Gould), 1822. 8vo (22.3 cm, 8.8"). 3 vols. I: 536 pp. II: 528 pp. III: 574, [2] pp.
Click the images for enlargements. • Shoemaker 8196; NSTC 2B53063. Period-style quarter light grey cloth and light blue paper–covered sides, spines with printed paper labels. One leaf with short tear from outer edge, not touching text. Pages age-toned with a scant handful of scattered small spots, otherwiseremarkably clean. (30339)
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Buffon's Natural History in the “Short” Version: Four Volumes“Upwards of Four Hundred Engravings on Wood”Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de; John Wright, ed. Buffon's natural history of the globe and of man; beasts, birds, fishes, reptiles, and insects. London: Printed for T.T. & J. Tegg (by C. Whittingham at the Chiswick Press), 1833. 12mo (16.8 cm, 6.6"). 4 vols. I: vi, 463, [1] pp.; illus. II: [2], 492 pp.; illus. III: [2], 476 pp.; illus. IV: [2], 470 pp.; illus.
Click the images for enlargements.over 400 wood-engraved illustrations of birds, animals, and denizens of various lands, along with the title-page vignettes done by John Thompson after William Harvey.
Provenance: Inked ownership inscriptions of Clara Gibbons, one dated 1850; most recently in the library of American collector Albert A. Howard, small booklabels (“AHA”) at rear.
• NSTC 2L8393. This ed. not in Osborne. Vols. I and II with Gibbons inscription on front pastedown, vol. III on title-page, vol. IV without inscription; front hinge (inside) of vol. III starting from head, with text block pulling. Gentle age-toning, occasional light spotting; title-pages mildly foxed; a few leaves in vol. II affected by small spot of staining in upper margins, two of those leaves with resulting adhesion and loss of perhaps ten words (total). Pages overall clean. A very nice set on shelf and in hand. (41038)
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Managing the EmpireCarleval, Tomás. Disputationum juris variarum ad interpretationum regiarum legum regni Castellae, et illis similium, tam ex jure neapolitano, quam ex utroque communi civili & canonico. Valentiae: ex typographia Benedicti Monfort, 1768. Folio (30.5 cm; 11.75"). 2 vols. I: [7] ff., 590 pp. II: [4] ff., 416, lxxxvi pp.
Click the images for enlargements. Includes decisions of the Sacro Regio Consiglio and an index. Title-page in black and red; text printed in double-column format in roman and italic.
• Palau 44244. Contemporary vellum over paste boards with remnants of ties; vellum of the back cover of vol. I and front cover of vol. II rodent-gnawed along fore-edge with loss of vellum exposing the boards. Front hinges (inside) of of both volumes mostly open but text blocks still adhering nicely to binding. Occasional age-toning. Good++. (29363)
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The Year inFour Vols. & Beautiful Bindings Catholic Church. Liturgy & ritual. Breviaries. Breviarium romanum ex decreto sacrosancti Concilii tridentini restitutum S. Pii V. pontificis maximi iussu editum, Clementis VIII. ac Urbani VIII. auctoritate recognitum, cum officiis sanctorum novissimis usque ad SS. D.N. Pium VI, pro recitantium commoditate diligenter dispositis. [Romae]: A. Galler , 1781. 8vo (18 cm, 7.1"). 4 vols. I: [20], 632, cclxxxviii, 19, [1] pp.; illus. II: [18], 646, ccliv, 21, [1] pp.; 1 plt. III: [54], 566, cclxxvi, 26 pp.; 1 plt. IV: [20], 608, cclxx, 15, [1] pp.; illus.
Click the images for enlargements. 
• Not in Weale & Bohatta. Bindings as above, edges and extremities rubbed, spine leather with tiny cracks, one spine head chipped, one joint starting. Ex-library with bookplates, rubber-stamp on lower edges of pages of the closed volumes. One volume with text block separating from spine and sewing loosening; this with the most leather rubbed away and the darkest instances of the usually-light waterstaining and spots of foxing seen occasionally throughout. Endpapers bear early inked ownership inscriptions and annotations. An elegant quartet. (12406)
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A Thoughtfully Cautious GiftCavendish, George; Samuel Weller Singer, ed. The life of Cardinal Wolsey ... Metrical visions, from the original autograph manuscript. Chiswick: C. Whittingham, 1825. 8vo (23.2 cm, 9.125"). 2 vols. I: [5], x–xxvii, [5], 344 pp. (lacking half-title); 6 plts. II: lxxii, 304 pp.; 3 plts.
Click the images for enlargements.nine plates of portraits, facsimiles, and scenes from the cardinal's life.
women mentioned in the text.
Provenance: An armorial bookplate of Samuel Edward Herrick with the motto “virtus omnia nobilitat” appears on the front pastedown of both volumes with the inked note “Gift of Jno. M. Fiske Xmas 1892" at the bottom (Fiske and the Rev. Herrick were both members of the City Missionary Society of Boston); a one-page letter from Fiske to a Mr. Doer written on Boston Custom House Stationary and tipped into the first volume notes, if he already owns the set, “I have the assurance of friend Bartlett of Hornhill that he will exchange it for something not already on your shelves.” Most recently in the library of American collector Albert A. Howard, small booklabel (“AHA”) at rear.
• NSTC 2C12319. On Cavendish & Singer, see: DNB (online). Half red roan in imitation of morocco and Papier Tourniquet paper–covered boards, spines lettered and compartments stamped in gilt, overprinted marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, others uncut; gently rubbed, hinges (inside) starting to crack. Light age-toning with the very occasional stain, light foxing or offsetting around plates. Provenance and readership indicia as above, some pencilled notes very faint. A nice edition of an influential work. (39444)
AMERICAN Edition — AMERICAN Bespoke Binding — Complete & ATTRACTIVE Chalmers, Alexander. The British essayists: With prefaces, historical and biographical, by A Chalmers. Boston: Little, Brown, & Co., 1856–57. 12mo (18 cm, 7"). 38 vols. (1, 2, 5, 6, 13, 14, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, & 32 with frontis.)
Click the image above for an enlargement. An early purchaser has recorded the cost of binding the set (60 pence per book) in a pencilled note on the front fly-leaf of vol. I: “Aug. 15th 1864 in 38 vol bound in fine 1/2 moroco [sic] per vol c/60 d.”
The essays and authors here were all once fashionable as well as interesting; they are no longer at all fashionable, but they are interesting in ways that their authors and original readers never imagined.
Bindings: Contemporary half morocco over attractive marbled paper–covered sides, each spine with gilt-stamped title, volume number, and elegant arabesque decorations. Top edges gilt.
• On Chalmers, see: The Dictionary of National Biography. Bindings lightly rubbed, a few with leather showing slight cracking over spines. Frontispiece with bookplate of private collector. Pages age-toned, with edges slightly embrittled; some occurrences of staining and pencilled underlining, with the majority of pages clean. An attractive set; many hours’ worth of reading. For anyone who savors slices'o'life, and slices'o'time, very rich fare. (14180)
PERSIA in10 Volumes & 79 PlatesChardin, John. Voyages de Mr. le chevalier Chardin, en Perse, et autres lieux de l'Orient. Paris: André Cailleau, 1723. 8vo (16.5 cm, 6.5"). 10 vols. I: Frontis., [10], 254 pp.; 1 fold. map. II: 334 pp.; 4 fold. plts., 5 plts. III: 285, [1 (blank)] pp.; 4 fold. plts., 3 plts. IV: 280 pp.; 2 fold. plts., 3 plts. V: 312 pp.; 4 fold. tables, 5 plts. VI: 328 pp.; 4 plts. VII: [10], 15–448 [i.e., 446] pp. VIII: 255, [1 (blank)] pp.; 10 fold. plts., 6 plts. IX: 308 pp.; 1 double-spread fold. plt., 8 fold. plts., 19 plts. X: [22], 3–220, [82 (index)] pp. 
Click the images for enlargements. 
For 18TH-CENTURY BOOKS, click here. For ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, click here. For VOYAGES, TRAVELS, & books on“EXOTIC” PLACES, click here. For PERSIANA, click here. Or for more BOOKS IN FRENCH, click here.
Four Tiny, Lovely Fairy Tales — Brightly Illustrated & in Their BoxChatelain, Clara de. The Lilliputian library. London: A.N. Myers & Co., [1850]. 16mo (8.7 cm, 3.4"). 4 vols. I: 54 pp.; 2 col. plts. II: 39, [1] pp.; 2 col. plts. III: 46 pp.; 2 col. plts. IV: 46 pp.; 2 col. plts.
Click the images for enlargements.
Bindings: Each in different metallic-patterned glazed cloth with embossed flower applied to front cover, housed in publisher's pale pink moiré paper–covered box.
Provenance: From the children's book collection of Albert A. Howard, small booklabels (“AHA”) at rear.
• Welsh 1745-8; Opie V 23 (describing a three-volume set with two vols. matching). Not in Gumuchian, not in Osborne. Bindings as above, virtually unworn save for small chips to some spine extremities; box faded, edges rubbed, an embossed lozenge on one side now mostly lacking. A few pages with minor foxing, most clean. A delightful set, seldom seen intact. (41052)
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The Other Side of ChaucerChaucer, Geoffrey. Chaucer's romaunt of the rose[,] Troilus and Creseide[,] and the minor poems. London: William Pickering [colophon: C. Whittingham, Chiswick], 1846. 12mo (19.3 cm, 7.625"). 3 vols. I: 7, 10–144, [1], 2–230 pp. II: [7], 2–348 pp. III: 7, 2–352 pp.
Click the images for enlargements.
Provenance: Armorial bookplate of socialite and world traveler Lady Jane Davy (1780–1855; wife of chemist Sir Humphry Davy) on each front pastedown; most recently in the library of American collector Albert A. Howard, small booklabel (“AHA”) at rear of each volume.
• Kelly, Checklist of Books Published by William Pickering, 1846.2; Keynes, William Pickering (rev. ed.), p. 57. On Lady Davy and Sir Nicolas, see: DNB (online). Bound as above; spines sunned to old gold, covers rubbed with small leather loss at corners, two repaired tears plus a few small spots, indents, glue residue, and one cut. Light pencilling on endpapers and small marks on first and last leaf of text in each volume. Faint offsetting (most noticeable on title-page), scattered foxing and some edges unevenly trimmed; a few spotted leaves. A solid and handsome set owned by a fascinating woman. (38362)
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Pickering & Whittingham'sSEVEN BCPs Church of England. Book of Common Prayer. [Seven editions of the Book of Common Prayer, 1549–1844 ]. London: William Pickering (pr. by Whittingham), 1844. Folio (35.8 cm, 14"). 7 vols. I: [264] ff. II: [314] ff. III: [134] ff. IV: [130] ff. V: [142] ff. VI: [140] ff. VII: [154] ff.
Click the images for enlargements.
Provenance: Elegant old lozenge-shaped ink-stamp on title-pages: “John Brymer Heir-Loom.”
A monument. (24828)
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Clarendon's Rebellion — Three Folio Vols. from Oxford “at the Theater”
Clarendon, Edward Hyde, Earl of. The history of the rebellion and civil wars in England, begun in the year 1641. With the precedent passages, and actions, that contributed therunto, and the happy end, and conclusion thereof by the King's blessed restoration, and return upon the 29th of May, in the year 1660. Oxford: Pr. at the Theater (by Ro. Mander & Guil. Delaune), 1702–04. Folio (39.7 cm, 15.75). 3 vols. I: Frontis., [4], xxiii, [1], 557, [1] pp. II: Frontis., [14], 581, [1] pp. III: Frontis., [22], 603, [23] pp. (half-titles lacking).
Click the interior image for an enlargement. Each volume commences with a copper-engraved frontispiece and title-page vignette, the former done by Robert White after a painting by Lely, the latter signed M[ichael] Burg[hers]. Burghers also engraved a substantial number of head- and tailpieces for the work, as well as decorative capitals.
• ESTC N9847, N9850, T147811; Brunet, I, 81; Allibone 385. Contemporary speckled calf panelled in blind with plain calf, decorated with blind-tooled corner fleurons, spines with gilt-stamped leather title-labels; edges and extremities rubbed, joints cracked or starting, some acid-pitting to speckled portions, spines each with small paper shelving label. Each front pastedown with institutional bookplate over private collector's bookplate, and with early inked gift inscription. Title-pages with small institutional rubber-stamp in lower margin; half-titles lacking. Pages generally clean; occasional minor spotting mostly confined to margins. One instance of early inked marginalia. (24574)
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trio also appears in the GENERAL
Capturing an AgeOne Biography at a Time [Clarke]. The Georgian era: Memoirs of the most eminent persons, who have flourished in Great Britain, from the accession of George the First to the demise of George the Fourth. London: Vizetelly, Branston, & Co., 1832–34. 8vo (19.5 cm, 7.65"). 4 vols. I: Frontis., 582 pp.; 12 plts. II: Frontis., [2], 588 pp. III: Frontis., [2], 588 pp. IV: Frontis., 588 pp.
Click the images for enlargements. The first volume is illustrated with
12 plates each offering four rows of small portraits, some intriguingly expressive; each volume opens with an engraved frontispiece portrait of a royal George.
• NSTC 2C23867. Recent textured maroon cloth, spines with gilt-stamped black leather title and volume labels; title-pages institutionally pressure- (not rubber-) stamped. Scattered light spots of staining, pages generally clean; first few leaves of voI. \ II with outer margins chipped.
A hefty, substantive evocation of Georgian life and times. (30012)
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Creation of a Dynasty — The Kings of Spain of the House of BourbonCoxe, William. Memoirs of the kings of Spain of the house of Bourbon, from the accession of Philip V. to the death of Charles III. 1700 to 1788. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1815. 8vo. 5 vols. I: xxvii, [13], 475, [1] pp. II: [6], 396 pp. III: [6], 389, [1] pp. IV: [6], 421, [1] pp. V: [6], 393, [37 (index)] pp.
Click the images for enlargements. • NSTC C4019. Contemporary calf, covers framed in gilt dotted roll, spines with gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels, compartments with gilt-stamped decorations; rubbed and scuffed overall with a hinge or two just “tender,” some sides showing signs of waterstaining, spine heads reinforced some time ago with paper and two feet chipped with tape reinforcement. Ex–social club library with paper shelving labels on spines, 19th-century bookplates, call number on endpapers, old rubber-stamp on title-pages and a few others. First or last pages of some volumes with light to moderate waterstaining almost entirely confined to margins; scattered spots of light foxing. A compromised set, priced accordingly; complete, however, and not without its points. (29495)
Anti-Romantic VERSES of Love & Loss Crabbe, George. Tales of the hall. Boston: Wells & Lilly, 1819. 12mo (20 cm, 7.9"). 2 vols. I: xxi, [1], 250 pp. II: ix, [1], 267, [1] pp.
Click the images for enlargements. Bindings: Publisher's plain light blue paper–covered sides with tan shelfbacks, spines with printed paper labels; uncut.
• NSTC 2C41665; NCBEL, II, 611; Shaw & Shoemaker 47741. Spine paper darkened and cracked, joints and spines of both volumes restored with long-fiber tissue; inner margins of first and last few leaves unobtrusively repaired; as noted, page edges uncut.. Vol. I with front cover waterstained and back cover inkstained(?); title-page of vol. II with pencilled ownership inscription in upper portion. Foxing variously; one pencilled correction. (30085)
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An “Oriental” Embassy — IllustratedCrawfurd, John. Journal of an embassy from the governor-general of India to the courts of Siam and Cochin China; exhibiting a view of the actual state of those kingdoms ... second edition. London: Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley, 1830. 8vo (23 cm, 9"). 2 vols. I: Fold. frontis., vii, [1], 475, [1] pp.; 3 fold. plts., 8 plts., illus. II: [2], v, [1], 459, [1] pp.; 4 fold. plts., 7 plts., 1 fold. chart.
Click the images for enlargements. 
• NSTC 2C42639; Goldsmiths’-Kress 26080; not in Maggs, Bibl. Asiatica. On Crawfurd, see: Dictionary of National Biography. Publisher’s dark green cloth, blind-stamped, spines with gilt-stamped title; spines very slightly sunned and showing faint traces of now-absent paper labels, cloth lightly rubbed at corners and spine extremities. Hinges cracked (inside). Front pastedowns rubber-stamped (no other institutional markings). Title-pages with pencilled owner’s name in upper margins; contents pages with inked owner’s name dated 1865. Frontispiece, plates, and a few pages in proximity to plates lightly to moderately foxed; one plate in vol. II torn from inner margin, tear not touching image. Absorbing reading, evocative images. (19179)
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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)
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 TO Part II
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