First edition, first printing of the Hugh Thomson illustrated edition. Original green cloth with titles and peacock design in gilt to the upper board and spine. All edges gilt. Illustrated with 160 line drawings by Hugh Thomson throughout the text, including the tissue guarded frontispiece. Original green coated endpapers. An excellent very near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the spine tips a little rolled, with a touch of rubbing to rear board and lower corners, the cloth and gilt exceptionally bright and fresh. The contents with a few light spots to the prelims and last few pages and a tiny fragment of paper adhered to the half title, are otherwise clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. The inner hinges remain sound.

An beautiful example, in entirely original condition, of this most desirable illustrated edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. (Gilson E78).

Early printing of the first combined edition. Publisher's original green cloth with gilt titles and illustration to the upper board and spine, in the original dustwrapper. Beautiful illustrated endpapers. With 72 full page colour plates by Cicely Mary Barker. A lovely near fine copy, the binding square and firm with slight bumping to the spine and board corners. The contents, mildly toned to the paper stock are otherwise clean throughout. Complete with the lightly rubbed and creased dustwrapper that has a small chip at the head of the spine and a few closed tears at the edges. Not price-clipped (10/6 net to the lower front flap).

This volume collects the first three of Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairy books.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's first state green cloth with silver titles to the spine, in the Peter de Francia illustrated dustwrapper. Frontispiece by Peter Petri. A very near fine copy, the binding square and firm with just tiny bumps to the extremities, the cloth clean and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the better than very good, lightly rubbed and creased dustwrapper that is without fading, loss or tears. Not price-clipped (18s net to the front flap).

The Booker Prize winning author's first novel, uncommon in the primary binding of green cloth with silver titles due to the book being withdrawn by the publisher under pressure from the Congress for Cultural Freedom, just a month after its first publication. The book was subsequently re-issued in brown cloth with black lettering.

Second printing of the 1917 first edition with these illustrations. Original paper covered boards with a green spine and an illustration plate onlay to the upper board, in dustwrapper. With four colour plates and further black and white illustrations by Florence Mary Anderson. A very good or better copy, the binding square and firm, the spine tips and corners lightly rubbed and bumped. The contents, with faint offsetting to the endpapers, a little spotting to the closed text-block edge, and occasionally to the margins, are otherwise clean throughout and without stamps or inscriptions. Complete with the rubbed, nicked and toned original dustwrapper that has minor chipping to the head of the spine and a few closed tears to the edges. There is an illustration plate onlay to the front panel. Scarce in the dustwrapper.

A collection of short fairy stories written by Dorothy Black (the maiden name and pseudonym of Dorothy MacLeish), a writer and journalist who was the niece of Frederick Delius. Beautifully and delicately illustrated by Florence Mary Anderson. Anderson had studied at the Glasgow School of Art, and while her artistic style is unique and distinctive, elements of the Art Nouveau style that 'Glasgow Girls' such as Jessie M. King and Annie French became know for can be identified within her work.

First edition with these illustrations, first printing. Publisher's original yellow cloth with black titles to the spine and an illustration in red and black to the upper board. Housed in an illustrated yellow slipcase. Illustrated throughout in colour by Tim McDonagh. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, the contents clean and bright throughout and without stamps or inscriptions. Complete with the fine original slipcase.

A classic work of horror and dark fantasy about an ominous carnival, beautifully produced by the Folio Society and arrestingly illustrated by Tim McDonagh. 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' has been adapted multiple times for screen, stage and radio, including the 1983 Walt Disney-produced film of the same name starring Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd and Pam Grier.

Complete in six volumes. Contemporary brown half leather with five raised bands and gilt titles to the spines, the compartments with gilt floral motifs. Marbled endpapers. Top edges gilt. Illustrated with a total of 60 colour plates throughout by Edmund Dulac. A very good or better set, the bindings square and firm with some rubbing at the spine tips, corners and raised bands and minor bumping to a few corners. The contents, with offsetting from the marbling to the versos of the free endpapers, are otherwise clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. An attractive set.

Edmund Dulac's illustrated editions of the novels of Jane, Emily and Anne Brontë are described by Brontë biographer Nick Holland as "perhaps the most beautiful set of Brontë books of them all". As his first commission, the set launched Dulac's illustrious career in 1905, soon before he became one of the most sought after names in the 'golden age' of illustration, providing artwork for numerous lavishly produced volumes of fairy tales.

First edition, first printing. Two volumes. Publisher's original purple cloth, stamped in blind to the upper and lower boards, titles in gilt to the spine. Publisher's adverts [in the first state] dated June 1857 at the rear. Complete with half titles. A near fine set, the bindings square and firm with a little bumping to the spine tips and corners, the cloth bright and fresh with some uniform fading of the spines. The contents, with a small ink name to the endpaper of each volume, and the original binder's ticket to the lower edge of the rear pastedown of volume I (as issued), are otherwise remarkably bright and fresh throughout. Housed in the bespoke quarter burgundy morocco solander case with titles in gilt to the spine.

A superb, unsophisticated example, uncommon thus. 'The Professor', was the first of four novels written by Charlotte Brontë although the last to appear in print. Whilst 'Jane Eyre', 'Shirley' and 'Villette' were published during the author's lifetime, 'The Professor' did not find a publisher until 1857, two years after the author's death. (Smith, E. Walter: The Bronte Sisters, 7).

Second edition. Contemporary brown calf ruled in gilt to the spine. A near very good copy, the leather worn and chipped at the extremities with cracking at the spine and hinges, the binding however is holding firm. The contents, with a previous owner's inscription to the front pastedown, front free endpaper (in pencil), and the half-title, some toning at the edges of the endpapers and a little faint toning and spotting throughout, are otherwise clean and bright. Scarce.

A book of short pieces of life advice for young women encompassing a wide variety of subjects, from the practical to the philosophical, including conduct towards one's husband, treatment of servants, fashion, social conduct, amateur dramatics, the refinement of one's mind, letter writing, friendship, the possession and loss of beauty and coming to terms with mortality. The maxims were penned by Isabella Howard, née Byron, Dowager Countess of Carlisle (1721-1795), the second wife of the 4th Earl of Carlisle, Henry Howard of Castle Howard in North Yorkshire, and great aunt of the notorious poet Lord Byron. Isabella's book of maxims is particularly interesting when set against the context of her life; despite the images of respectability conjured by both the very concept of a guide to social conduct and the book's frequent urgings towards restraint and moderation, Isabella contrastingly repeatedly rebelled against her family's wishes and society's expectations, living an unconventional life characterised by adventure and drama. Isabella's marriage to the Earl of Carlisle produced five children and evidence suggests she was contented at Castle Howard, taking an interest in the running of the kitchen garden and producing a book of recipes and remedies (indeed, in 'Maxims' she claims that "A degree of knowledge in gardening and farming... will not only save you from weariness of mind, but also preserve your health of body"). However, in 1758 the Earl of Carlisle, who was 28 years older than his wife, died, and Isabella shocked society by remarrying only a year later. Her marriage to Sir William Musgrove, 16 years her junior, required Isabella to relinquish her custody of her children and her right to the Howard estate, in accordance with instructions in her first husband's will. The marriage eventually broke down and the couple separated in 1769, after which Isabella travelled to Europe. She lived between France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany for over a decade while indulging her love of art (a number of her etchings and drawings are held by the British Museum), poetry and music; reputedly engaging in multiple affairs; accumulating debt and refusing to return to England in defiance of her family's repeated pleas. She also began working on 'Maxims' during this period. She eventually returned to England in the late 1780s where she secured a publisher for 'Maxims', which was first issued in 1789, and lived modestly, her access to money and society now reduced by her damaged reputation, until her death in 1795. Despite some words of advice mimicking the constricting expectations of women that were ubiquitous at the time, such as warning against behaviours and interests unbecoming of the female sex (for example, laughing too loudly and politics), a desire to ensure an enjoyable life and a sense of self-assuredness for the female reader that reflects Isabelle's choices can be pieced together from the pages of 'Maxims', such as her recommendation to choose solitude over the company of those who would "destroy your happiness", to "pursue the rules you have laid down with firmness", to "let none share your bounty, whose conduct and character do not merit it", that when abandoned by false friends "you are better without them" and to avoid "Too great a degree of timidity". An excellent artefact of the complex nuances of 18th century upper-class womanhood and of the life of a truly fascinating woman.

First edition, first printing. Original magenta cloth with white titles to the spine and an oval illustration plate inlaid on the upper board. 28.5 x 35 cm. Illustrated endpapers. With a colour frontispiece and evocative black and white graphite drawings throughout by Kuniyoshi Kaneko. A very near fine copy, the binding square and firm with a very faint bump to the head of the spine. There is one spot to the rear flyleaf, the contents are otherwise clean throughout. Uncommon.

A beautiful, unusual edition of 'Alice' with moody illustrations by the Japanese artist and designer Kuniyoshi Kaneko (1936-2015) that foreground the darker elements of Carroll's classic children's novel. Kaneko became particularly known for his Alice illustrations in Japan; he continued to produce Alice illustrations for decades following the original Olivetti publication, multiple exhibitions of his Alice work have been held in Tokyo, he directed and designed a ballet called 'Alice's Dream' and his Alice illustrations have been used in designs by Japanese fashion brands such 'Innocent World'.

First edition thus, first printing. Signed by Jan Švankmajer. Publisher's original black cloth with titles in white to the upper board and spine and blind-stamped decorations to the upper board, in slipcase. Top edge ochre. Brown silk bookmark. Illustrated throughout with 76 colour and black-and-white illustrations by Salvador Dalí, Sir John Tenniel, Harry Furniss and Willy Pogany. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth fresh, the contents clean and bright throughout, without inscriptions or stamps. Contains frontispiece black-and-white photograph of Carroll shot in 1855 on page 6. Complete with very lighty rubbed original ochre and black cloth slipcase, structurally sound, with white titles on the upper board and spine and blind-stamped decorations to the upper board.

Issued in a limited edition of 300 copies, this example is numbered 18 and is signed by Jan Švankmajer in black ink on the limitation page alongside facsimiles of the signatures of Lewis Carroll and Salvador Dali. First published by Maecenas Press and Random House in 1969, Dali's surreal illustrations for 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' pair excellently with Carroll's fantasy world. This edition supplements Dalí's work with 40 illustrations by the original illustrator of the text, Sir John Tenniel, with an additional 18 illustrations by British illustrator Harry Furniss and five by Hungarian illustrator Willy Pogany in an Art Deco style. This array of artistic contributions brilliantly demonstrates the extremely long-lived and varied impact of Carroll's work on art and culture. With an introduction written by Czech filmmaker Jan Švankmajer, who himself wrote and directed a surreal film adaptation loosely based on the text, titled 'N co z Alenky / Alice' in 1988, starring Kristýna Kohoutová as the eponymous Alice. In an interview with Electric Sheep Magazine in 2011, Švankmajer declared that 'Lewis Carroll's Alice is one of the most important and amazing books produced by this civilisation' and went on to explain how he viewed Carroll's rendering of Wonderland as a 'dream', instead of a fairytale, and strove to retain this 'dreamlike' quality in his film adaptation (Sélavy, 2011). Švankmajer's film went on to win the feature film award at the Annecy International Film Festival in 1989.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original black cloth with silver titles to the spine, in the Michael Brett designed photo illustrated dustwrapper. A very good or better copy, the binding firm with a little bumping to the extremities, the cloth and titles bright and fresh. The contents, with a couple of foxing spots to tone page, are otherwsie clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. The closed text block edge also has a few light spots. Complete with the lightly rubbed and creased dustwrapper that has a little bubbling to the laminate around the spine. Not price-clipped (25s net to the lower front flap). An attractive example.

The novel, inspired by Clarke's 1951 short story "The Sentinel" and written concurrently with the screenplay by Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, was published shortly after the release of Kubrick's 1968 multi-award winning film adaptation.

First UK edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Publisher's original black cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated with photographs in black and white. A very near fine copy, the binding square and firm, bright and fresh, the contents clean throughout and without previous owners' marks. Loosely laid in at the front is a 'Waterstones Piccadilly' slip from the signing event on 12 July 2004. Complete with the lightly creased dustwrapper that is without fading, loss or tears. Not price-clipped (£25.00 to the lower front flap).

Signed by the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton in blue ink on the title page.

Uncorrected Proof copy of the first edition, first printing. Signed by the illustrator. Publisher's original matt boards, issued without a dustwrapper. Illustrated in colour by Quentin Blake throughout. A better than very good copy, the binding square and firm with just light bumping and rubbing to the spine tips and corners, the boards lightly dust-marked. The contents, with the publisher's 'Proof Copy Only' ink stamp to the front endpaper, are clean throughout and without previous owners' marks.

Signed by the illustrator Quentin Blake in blue ink on the title page. Uncommon in this proof form. The proof has several subtle differences to that of the published version. The proof is bound in matt boards where as the published edition was laminated. The border to the board edges in black, was changed to purple in the published form. The publisher's price on the lower left of the rear board on the proof copy is '£4.25 net', this was changed to '£3.95' in the published form, on the opposite lower side, the ISBN number is printed in purple on the proof, but in black on the published book. Internally, the endpapers in the proof are of different weave and colour to those of the published form. The chapter heading on the last page of the 'Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs' verse, incorrectly states 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' in the proof copy, this error is corrected in the published version. An excellent pre-publication example of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake's poetic interpretation of popular fairy tales.

First American hardcover edition. Limited edition. Signed by the author, the illustrator and John Langan who provides an introduction. Publisher's original black cloth with colour printed label to the upper board and silver titles to the spine, in the Ben Baldwin designed dustwrapper. Illustrated in colour and black and white by Ben Baldwin. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm, bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owners' marks. Complete with the bright original dustwrapper that has a scuff to the bottom corner of the upper panel taking some of the surface layer of paper.

Issued in a limited edition of 200 copies, this example is numbered 100 and signed by Bret Easton Ellis, Ben Baldwin and John Langan on the colophon. Originally slated for publication by Simon and Schuster, the American hardcover edition was cancelled and the novel published as a paperback original by Vintage. The British edition published by Picador is the true first hardcover edition. This Centipede Press edition, with illustrations is the first illustrated, and first American hardcover edition.

A finely detailed oil or tempera painting on wood board showing Tristan and Isolde sailing in a swan-shaped boat. Signed and dated at the bottom right corner. Framed. The painting measures 8.5 x 22cm and the frame measures 24.7 x 28.4cm. In fine condition, the painting bright and clean, the frame firm and sound.

A beautifully precise and detailed painting by Rosemary Fawcett depicting the Celtic medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde. The bright colours, fantastical design of the costumes and the swan boat, and the mix of linear and flat perspective create a unique and surreally magical effect. Fawcett is known for illustrating the first edition of Roald Dahl's 1983 'Dirty Beasts' poetry collection, and despite there being some evidence of her continued creative work after the Dahl publication, including this example, there are unfortunately no records of any other known published illustrations by her.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original black cloth with titles to the spine in silver and a female silhouette to the upper board in brown, in the Pat Marriott illustrated dustwrapper. A better than very good copy, the binding square and firm with just a little bumping to the spine tips, the cloth bright and fresh. The contents, with a small bookseller's label to the bottom edge of the front pastedown, are otherwise clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. The closed text block edge with just a few isolated foxing spots. Complete with very good, price-clipped dustwrapper that has small nicks at the tips of the darkened spine, and some toning and dustmarks to the the rear panel.

First impression, second state binding with the honey-chile silhouette to upper board. 19,515 copies printed. [Gilbert A6a (1.3)]

First edition. Signed by Richard Attenborough. Publisher's original green cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout. Complete with the lightly creased dustwrapper that is without fading, loss or tears.

Signed by Sir Richard Attenborough in black ink on the title page. The words of Mohandas Gandhi covering daily life, cooperation, nonviolence, faith, and peace, chosen by the multi award-winning director Richard Attenborough from Gandhi's letters, speeches, and published writings.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Publisher's original quarter black cloth over black paper covered boards, stamped in gilt to the upper board and with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout. Complete with the original dustwrapper that is a touch faded to the spine and otherwise without loss or tears. Not price-clipped ($27.50 to the upper front flap).

Inscribed by the author in black ink on the title page "Allen Ginsberg / 4.20.95 / AH [circled] / for Ron Benham". The revealing, personal journals of the founding father of the Beat Generation, written during the most critical period of Ginsberg's life as a poet. Containing poems, musings on drink, sex, politics, and anecdotes on associates such as William S. Burroughs, Neal Cassady, Gregory Corso, Jack Kerouac, Peter Orlovsky, Gary Snyder and others.

First Centipede Press edition. Limited edition. Signed by the illustrator and translator. Publisher's original black cloth with silver titles to the spine and illustrated onlay to the upper board, in the Piotr Jablonski illustrated dustwrapper. Housed in the black and grey cloth slipcase. Illustrated with six full page colour plates by Piotr Jablonski. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. With the fine original dustwrapper which is free from fading, loss or tears. Complete with the fine, structurally sound slipcase.

Issued in a limited edition of 250 copies (plus 20 copies for distributors), this example is numbered 150 and signed by the illustrator Piotr Jablonski and translator Miroslaw Lipinski in black ink on the colophon. The colophon also contains the facsimile signature of Stefan Grabinski. A collection of 52 stories written by Stefan Grabinski between 1909 and 1930. Translated into English from the original Polish over the course of 30 years by Miroslaw Lipinski, with 'The Tawny Owl' published here for the first time in English.

First Centipede Press edition. Limited edition. Two volumes. Publisher's original black cloth with silver titles to the spine and illustrated onlay to the upper board, in the David Ho and Michael Whelan illustrated dustwrappers. Housed in the black and grey cloth slipcase. Illustrated throughout with a title page by Micheal Whelan, two full page colour plates by Jill Bauman and 13 further full page black and white illustrations by Jill Bauman, Allen Koszowski, Andrew Smith and David Klein. A fine set, the binding square and firm, the contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. In the fine original dustwrappers which are free from fading, loss or tears. Complete with the structurally sound slipcase, which has a few very light marks.

Issued in an unsigned edition (of around) 40 sets (as here), with the facsimile signature of Charles L. Grant on the first page of volume one. There was also an edition of 250 numbered sets, signed by the illustrators and author of the introduction. In 2000, Charles L. Grant was the recipient of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award. Collected here, are 96 short stories from across the genres of horror and science fiction, including his Nebula Award winning works 'Confess the Seasons' (1983), 'A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye' (1978) and 'A Crowd of Shadows' (1976).

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Inscribed association copy. Publisher's original black cloth with gilt titles to the spine, without the dustwrapper. A good copy, the binding square but worn with small split at the top of the upper spine fold, the cloth somewhat mottled and with somefraying to the spine tips and corners. The contents, partially split to the lower inner hinge and lightly foxed to the prelims and some margins, are otherwise tightly bound and clean.

Inscribed by the author in the month of first publication "In gratitude for the pleasure / "Love on the Dole" gave me, / from Graham Greene / Feb. 1934 [underlined]". A fabulous association copy. The recipient of Greene's presentation is the Salford born, working-class author Walter Greenwood (1903-1974), best known for his 1933 novel (and 1934 stage adaptation of) 'Love on the Dole'. Genuine, unsolicited presentation copies of any of Greene's major novels are scarce, we can find just one such comparable presentation of 'It's a Battlefield', that copy inscribed for Ottoline Morrell, also in February 1934.

First edition with these illustrations. Signed limited edition. Publisher's original green cloth with illustration fixed to the upper board and titles in gilt to the spine, in the green cloth slipcase. Red ribbon page marker. Letterpress printed. Illustrated with 29 full page colour plates and 12 pen and ink illustrations by Dave McKean. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owners' marks.

The 'collectors edition', issued in a limited edition of 225 copies (from a total edition of 451), signed by S.T. Joshi and Dave McKean on the colophon. William Hope Hodgson (1877–1918), an eminent figure in early 20th-century weird fiction, is celebrated for his pioneering contributions to the subgenre of cosmic horror. A former sailor, Hodgson used his nautical experiences to craft stories imbued with a unique blend of maritime adventure and otherworldly terror. This volume, selected and edited by S. T. Joshi collects some of his best short fiction 'The House on the Borderland', 'The Voice in the Night', 'The Mystery of the Derelict', 'The Whistling Room' and 'The Thing in the Weeds' in addition to 'On the Bridge', a poignant prose-poem about the sinking of the Titanic.

A New Edition. Two volumes. Contemporary full calf, ruled in gilt to the spine, gilt titles on red morocco labels. Outer board edges decorated in gilt. A very good set, the bindings square and firm with some rubbing and surface splitting at the spine folds, the spine ends and corners a little nicked. The contents, with the armorial bookplate of William Cope to the front pastedown of each volume, are otherwise clean throughout.

A handsome set of the Scottish philosopher's collected works.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original Gerald Rose illustrated boards, in the pictorial dustwrapper, repeating the design of the boards. Illustrated in colour and black and white throughout. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm with just a little rubbing to the spine tips and corners, the boards bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the lightly rubbed dustwrapper that has been clipped and repriced by the publisher (£1.95 net to the lower front flap), and is otherwise without fading, loss or tears.

A charming and beautifully illustrated retelling of a French folk tale, based on a letter written from James Joyce to his grandson, Stephen.

A beautiful, intricate original artwork by Jessie M. King illustrating William Morris's poem 'For the Bed at Kelmscott'. Ink, watercolour and pencil on vellum. Depicting a four-poster bed adorned with colourful and fantastical floral-patterned drapes and bedding. Angels, birds, stars and mystical figures surround the bed's occupant and adorn the poem that is inscribed boldly along the bottom of the painting, while cats and dogs can be spotted around the bed and owls sit in a tree seen through the window. In an attractive glazed contemporary floral-patterned gilt frame. Signed along the right edge. The artwork measures 30 x 33cm and the frame 34.5 x 37.5cm. A wonderful original painting with a pleasing single family owned provenance.

A gorgeous and exceptionally characteristic example of Jessie M. King's work. The painting illustrates and incorporates the 1891 poem 'For the Bed at Kelmscott', written by William Morris to be embroidered onto the hangings which were designed and embroidered by his daughter May Morris and her assistants for his prized four poster bed at Kelmscott Manor, which was constructed from Elizabethan and Jacobean panelling. The poem invokes the feeling of being safe and warm at home on a cold winter night, which Jessie M. King interprets through a host of beautiful spirits that surround the bed with magical activity. The lush and detailed composition display's her classic use of thin, flowing linework that builds up dense but airy naturalistic patterns, and is populated by her distinctive tall, elegant, Art Nouveau-styled figures. The artist was no stranger to illustrating Morris's poetry; one of her greatest achievements in book illustration are her enchanting illustrations for a 1904 edition of his 'The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems'. Jessie M. King (1875-1949) was one of the most influential of the 'Glasgow Girls' of the Glasgow School, helping to shape the British realisation of the Art Nouveau style, particularly in relation to book illustration, though she also worked across a wide range of disciplines and materials. She and her husband E. A. Taylor ran an art school in Paris called 'The Sheiling Atelier' for five years before returning to Scotland at the onset of WWII, where they lived in the artist's community of Kirkcudbright. King learned the wax resist 'batik' method in Paris and brought it with her to Scotland where it was mostly unknown. She popularised the technique with her batik scarf designs which were sold in Liberty's, and her own narrative guide book on batik called 'How Cinderella Was Able to Go to the Ball'. Provenence: Given by Jessie M. King to her friend Mary Murray (nee Geikie), thence by family descent.

Philip Larkin's personal copy of the collected poems of Matthew Arnold. A reprint of the September 1890 'first complete edition'. Publisher's original green cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Portrait frontispiece. A very good or better copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth and gilt bright and with a few small marks. The contents, with Philip Larkin's tipped in University of Hull 'private collection' bookplate to the front endpaper (the endpaper clipped at the upper corner), a small paper Dublin bookseller's label to the front and rear pastedowns, some pencilled notes to the rear pastedown with corresponding pencil marks to the margins of the poems to which they refer, and some spotting to the endpapers, are otherwise clean throughout.

From the personal collection of Philip Larkin with his signed 'personal collection' University of Hull library bookplate tipped in at the front endpaper. A pleasing, poetic association copy. In a letter dated 23rd June 1941 to his childhood friend (and later the dedicatee of 'Jill'), James Ballard Sutton, Larkin writes "... After all, poetry is a thing depending almost entirely on words. There are Shites, of course, who think it does (first stage fuckers) and spend all their time (Maugham!!!) juggling with 'richly brocaded' words. These men are shit-pans, comepots and toss-bottles. Then you get the intellectual fuckers (M. Arnold) who say 'Poetry is written with ideas'. Their obstreperous failures cover pages of literary history". (Twaite, Anthony edits: Selected Letters of Philip Larkin, p.17)

First edition with these illustrations and revised text, first printing. Signed by the author and illustrator. Original illustrated flocked boards with gilt titles to the spine, in slipcase. Illustrated throughout with colour illustrations by Harry O. Morris. A excellent fine copy, the binding square and tight, the contents bright and clean throughout and without previous owners' stamps or inscriptions. Complete with the fine original slipcase.

Issued in a limited edition of 500 copies, this example is numbered 46 and is signed by the author and illustrator on the colophon. A collection of eight pieces (some of which collect together microfictions) inspired by characters from classic works of gothic literature, including a Poe Anthology and a short piece on Lovecraft. Previously published in 1993 by Silver Salamander.

First edition. Original green cloth with titles in cream and black to the spine and upper board, with an illustration plate inlay to the upper board, in dustwrapper. Illustrated with eight colour plates by Florence Mary Anderson. A very good copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth clean, the corners and spine tips a little rubbed, the spine a touch faded. The contents, with some offsetting and foxing to the early and late pages opposite the plates, are otherwise clean and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the chipped, torn and creased original dustwrapper that has been repaired with several small pieces of tape to the underside. Scarce in the dustwrapper.

A children's retelling of the story of the knights Valentine and Orson from the medieval French Carolingian cycle, beautifully illustrated by Florence Mary Anderson.

Eighth edition, with large additions. Two volumes. Contemporary full panelled calf, with five raised bands, ruled and with titles in gilt to the spine. A made up set, the bindings similar but not quite identical. Portrait frontispiece of John Locke in volume one. Index at the rear of volume two. A good copy, the bindings square, with heavy rubbing to the extremities, the outer hinges cracked and a little tender, but firm. The spine tips are chipped and rubbed with some loss, the gilt almost completely perished from the spines and board edges. Volume one with the contemporary ownership inscription of Andrew Adam. Volume two with the Ex Libris ownership inscription of James Bones Coll: Regal Alumni, 1752 in ink to on the front endpaper and with the same owner's later Kings College, Cambridge bookplate to the front endpaper. The contents are lightly spotted and discoloured to the endpapers and pastedowns, volume two has damp staining to the top corner of the margin of the last few pages, a 3.5cm closed tear to page 221 (across the text) and two torn page corners (page 223 and 225) not affecting the text. Both volumes remain in entirely original condition, without repair or restoration.

Locke's principal philosophical work was first published in 1689. Locke was the first "to attempt to estimate critically the certainty and the adequacy of human knowledge when confronted with God and the universe" and concludes that man has a means of controlling his own destiny and is thus not the pure victim of chance (PMM). The work was one of the principal sources of empiricism in modern philosophy, and influenced many enlightenment philosophers, such as David Hume and George Berkeley. (Printing and the Mind of Man 164).

First Chiroptera Press edition. Complete in three volumes. Publisher's original green, blue and burgundy cloth with illustration in black to the upper board and black titles to the spine, in the Karmazid illustrated dustwrappers. All are fine copies, the bindings square and tight, the cloth bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the fine original dustwrappers that are without fading, loss or tears.

Each volume was issued in an edition of 500 copies, and sold out immediately on publication. In the 1980s, S. T. Joshi prepared revised editions of H. P. Lovecraft's stories for Arkham House. Basing his work on consultation of manuscripts, early publications, and other sources, Joshi corrected thousands of errors in the existing texts of Lovecraft's fiction, allowing readers to appreciate the stories as Lovecraft originally wrote them. In the years that have followed, Joshi has continued to do research on the textual accuracy of Lovecraft's stories, and this comprehensive new edition is the result. For the first time, students and scholars of Lovecraft can see at a glance all the textual variants in all relevant appearances of a story: manuscript, first publication in magazines, and first book publications. The result is an illuminating record of the textual history of the tales, along with how Lovecraft significantly revised his stories after initial publication. Along the way, Joshi has made small but significant revisions to his earlier corrected texts. He has determined, for example, that Lovecraft slightly revised some stories when a reprint of them was scheduled in Weird Tales, and he has altered some readings in light of a better understanding of Lovecraft's customary linguistic usages. The result is the definitive text of Lovecraft's fiction, an edition that supersedes all those that preceded it and should endure as the standard text of Lovecraft's stories for many years.

First edition, first printing. Original green cloth with gilt titles to the spine and upper board with an illustration onlay to the upper board. Illustrated endpapers. Illustrated with 12 colour plates and further black and white drawings throughout by Hope Dunlap. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with some rubbing to the extremities. The contents, with a little spotting to the early pages and a short (1cm) closed tear to the margin of the illustration facing page 156 (not affecting the illustration itself), are otherwise clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps.

A collection of six beautifully illustrated original fairy stories.

Limited edition. Signed by the author. Publisher's original light green cloth with gilt titles on navy to the spine and navy illustration in blind to the upper board, in the Ed Binkley illustrated dustwrapper. Housed in the green cloth slipcase. Printed on archival Cougar Natural paper. Illustrated throughout with ten full colour plates by Ed Binkley. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents are clean throughout and free from inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the fine original dustwrapper, which is free from fading loss or tears. Housed in the fine structurally sound slipcase.

One of 850 copies of the 'Classic' edition, signed by the author Robert McCammon and illustrator Ed Binkley in blue ink on the limitation page. There was also a numbered edition of 250 copies and a further edition of 26 lettered copies. Joint winner of the 1987 Bram Stoker Award for best novel, tied with Stephen King's 'Misery'.

First edition with these illustrations. Limited edition. Signed by the author. Publisher's original dark blue cloth with blue foil titles to the spine, in the Vincent Chong illustrated dustwrapper. With two full page colour plates and an illustrated limitation page by Vincent Chong. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owners' marks. Complete with the fine original dustwrapper that is without fading, loss or tears.

Issued in a limited edition of 1000 copies, this example is numbered 213 and signed by Robert McCammon in black ink on the limitation pages. An expanded edition of McCammon's classic short fiction collection with the addition of three never before collected stories.

First edition with these illustrations, first printing. Signed by the author. Original purple cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in the David Ho illustrated dustwrapper and slipcase. Illustrated with eight colour plates by David Ho. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, the contents clean and bright throughout. Complete with the fine original dustwrapper. Not price clipped ($125 on the front flap). Complete with the lightly rubbed original slipcase.

Issued in a limited edition of 474 copies, this example is numbered 225 and is signed by Robert McCammon in black ink on the limitation page. A mystery novel set in 1960s Alabama, first published by Pocket Books in 1991. Winner of the 1992 World Fantasy Award.

First edition with these illustrations, first printing. Signed by the author. Original grey cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in the David Ho illustrated dustwrapper and slipcase. Illustrated with eight colour plates by David Ho. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, the contents clean and bright throughout and without previous owners' stamps or inscriptions. There is a slight dust mark to the bottom corner of the closed text-block edge. Complete with the with the very lightly rubbed dustwrapper that is without fading, loss or tears. Not price-clipped ($150 on the front flap). Housed in the very lightly rubbed, structurally sound slipcase.

Issued in a limited edition of 500 copies, this example is numbered 1 and is signed by Robert McCammon in black ink on the limitation page. A post-apocalyptic science fiction novel originally published as a paperback original in 1987 by Pocket Books. Joint winner of the 1987 Bram Stoker Award for best novel, tied with Stephen King's 'Misery'.

First edition with these illustrations. Lettered copy, one of 26. Two volumes. Publisher's full blue morocco with red morocco corners, ruled in blind and with a gilt illustration and titles to the boards, titles in gilt on red morocco labels to the spines. Hand marbled endpapers. Printed letterpress on mouldmade Arches Text paper. Housed in the European cloth covered solander case with titles in gilt on a red morocco label to the backstrip. Illustrated with six full page plates after oil paintings by David Palumbo and foldout plates of the endpapers and dustwrapper of the 'classic edition'. A fine copy, as new.

Issued in a lettered edition of 26 copies, this example is lettered 'Y' and signed by Robert McCammon and David Palumbo on the colophon in volume two. With an exclusive introduction by the author A mystery novel set in 1960s Alabama, first published by Pocket Books in 1991. Winner of the Bram Stoker Award and World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.

First Centipede Press edition and first edition with these illustrations. Signed by John Clute and Helmut Wenske. Original quarter cloth with pictorial boards and gilt titles to the spine. In slipcase. With a dark green silk bookmark. Illustrated with a tissue-guarded frontispiece, black-and-white full colour plates throughout the text and a portfolio of colour plates by Helmut Wenske at the rear, followed by a 'Film and Art' portfolio featuring film stills and posters. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, the contents clean and bright throughout and without previous owners' inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the lightly rubbed original black cloth slipcase.

Issued in a limited edition of 210 copies, this example is numbered 57 and is signed by John Clute and Helmut Wenske in black ink on the limitation page. A beautifully produced edition of Gustav Meyrink's classic, hallucinatory gothic novel based on an old Prague myth about a man formed from the mud of the Vltava River. Originally serialised in Die Weißen Blätter in 1913 and 1914, it was first published in book form by Kurt Wolff in Germany in 1915. An immediate success, 'The Golem' sold 200,000 copies in the first year of publication. German psychedelic artist Helmut Wenske's series of 12 paintings inspired by Meyrink's novel, first completed in the 1970s, are published in combination with the source material here for the first time. Also included are images from the 1920 silent expressionist film 'Der Golem' directed by Paul Wegener, which was based on the novel.

An original monthly wall calendar comprising 13 card sheets bound with brown cord. Printed on rectos only. Illustrations by E. H. Shepard surrounding a verse by A. A. Milne on each page of the month. A very good copy, the binding secure, the cover sheet a little spotted to the edges, the sheets a touch creased at the corners. An attractive example of an uncommon piece of Poohiana.

Oxford edition. Octavo. Publisher's half vellum over marbled paper covered boards, the spine decorated in gilt and brown, titles in gilt on an orange morocco labels. Top edge gilt. Cream silk bookmark. Tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait. A very near fine copy, the binding square and tight, bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and clean without inscriptions or stamps.

A beautifully bound edition of the complete poetical works of John Milton.

First UK edition, first printing. Publisher's original black cloth with silver titles to the spine, in the Eric Ayers designed dustwrapper. Top edge red. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm with some bumping to the bottom of the spine, the cloth bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamp. The fore-edge of the closed text block with just a handful of tiny foxing spots, the red top edge a little faded. Complete with the very good, lightly rubbed and creased dustwrapper that has several short closed tears (without loss), a few marks to the rear panel and just a hint of fading to the spine. Not price-clipped (21s net to the front flap).

Nabokov completed 'Lolita' in December of 1953; it had taken five years to write. He correctly predicted that the novel's content would cause a stir and the novel was indeed rejected by every UK and US publisher who looked at it. It was eventually issued by Maurice Girodias' Olympia Press in Paris (Samuel Beckett had recently published 'Watt' with Girodias), appearing in September 1955 across a pair of the distinctive green Olympia paperbacks, 'Lolita' received little attention until Graham Greene singled out the novel in the Sunday Times as one of the three best books of 1955. Owing to the subsequent legal wranglings, however, 'Lolita' had to wait until 1958 for its first US publication (it was an immediate bestseller, for all the wrong reasons), and another year before appearing in the UK.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author, inscribed presentation copy. The dedication copy, of sorts. Publisher's original grey cloth with blue titles to the upper board and spine, in dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding firm with a little bumping and rubbing to the extremities, the cloth a little toned to the edges. The contents, with the bookplate of the writer and publisher David Garnett to the front pastedown and some spotting throughout, are otherwise clean. Complete with the good, rubbed, nicked and creased dustwrapper that has small chips at the spine and fold corners. Not price-clipped (7s 6d net to the lower front flap).

An interesting association copy, this copy from the library of David Garnett, son of the dedicatee of this volume Edward Garnett (who passed away earlier in the year of publication). Inscribed by the author in black ink on the front endpaper "With greetings:- / Seán O'Faoláin / Co. Wicklow / Nov. 1937". The printed dedication reads "For Edward Garnett, / Best of friends, this handful of modest life out of Ireland - much / rubbed, perhaps even with superscription / defaced by time and compression. You have / wished me more passionate and heroic, and I / have said, 'What can a writer do but gather up / the coins and make his own fumbling effort to / say what Caesar each belongs?' If there is some / lovely figure here, blotted by time, and maligned / by me, you in Avalon, will know how much I am / astray. / Alas, that for once, we cannot contradict each / other". The author's second collection of short fiction.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Original pictorial upper board and red cloth lower board with a textured black cloth spine lettered in gilt. Generously illustrated throughout in black and white by the author. A very near fine copy, the binding square and tight, the corners very slightly rubbed. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owners' stamps or inscriptions. Scarce.

Issued in a limited edition of 300 copies, this example is numbered 250 and is signed by Reggie Oliver in black ink on the limitation page. A luxuriously produced and sizeable collection of Oliver's ghost stories, supernatural fiction and essays, including the entirety of his first three books, printed alongside the author's own illustrations, many of which appear here for the first time.

First ZAGAVA edition, first printing. Limited edition. Publisher's original burgundy cloth with silver titles to the spine and die cut parallelogram to the upper board. Frontispiece and endpaper illustration by Reggie Oliver. Publisher's bookmark loosely laid in. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps.

Issued in a limited edition of 199 copies of which this example in number 74. There was also an edition of 24 signed lettered copies in a slipcase. First published by Choma Press in 2011.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Inscribed presentation copy. Mid-twentieth century full tan morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, ruled in gilt to the upper and lower boards, five raised bands, gilt decorated compartments and titles in gilt on brown morocco labels to the spine. Marbled endpapers, inner dentelles double ruled in gilt. All edges gilt. With an illustrated title page and two plates in colour (from the front and rear endpapers) by William Roberts. A fine copy, the binding square and firm. The contents are clean throughout.

Inscribed by Edith Sitwell in blue ink on the half title "For / my dear Alberto / with much love / from his friend / Edith". The recipient is the distinguished and internationally admired Portuguese poet Alberto de Lacerda (1928-2007), Edith being an early champion and one of his greatest friends. Her inscription almost certainly dates from the time of the binding, which may well have been commissioned for this presentation. The volume, edited and with contributions by Edith Sitwell, is notable for the first publication of seven poems by fallen soldier poet Wilfred Owen. The printed dedication reads "we dedicate this book to the memory of Wilfred Owen, M.C."

First edition with these illustrations, first printing. Limited edition. Signed by the author and the illustrators. Publisher's original black cloth with gilt titles on black to the spine, bordered in blind with gilt illustration to the upper board, in the Ricardo Martinez illustrated dustwrapper. Housed in the grey and black cloth slipcase. Top edge black. Illustrated throughout with a frontispiece artwork by Ricardo Martinez and five full page black and white plates by Doug Bell. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the fine original dustwrapper which is free from fading, loss or tears. Housed in the fine, structurally sound slipcase.

Issued in an edition of 500 copies of which this example is numbered 18 and signed by the author Arturo Perez-Reverte and illustrators Doug Bell and Ricardo Martinez in black and blue ink to the colophon. First published in Spanish in 1993 as 'El Club Dumas'. The first English edition, 'The Dumas Club', was translated by Sonia Soto and published by Harvill Press in 1996.

First edition, first printing. Original blue textured card wraps lettered black to the spine. Black discs (suns) to front and rear covers, title page and rear colophon, with yellow discs to two consecutive pages mid-sequence. Printed on laid paper by the Saffron Press, Saffron Walden in an edition of 500 copies. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the spine just a touch faded, the front panel with one small faint mark. The contents are clean and bright and without inscriptions or stamps. Scarce.

'Into the Day', privately printed for the poet in Cambridge, was distributed by Prynne's friend and fellow poet Andrew Crozier's Ferry Press (who had published Prynne's earlier 'Aristeas' (1968) and 'Brass' (1971)). In his peerless study of Prynne's writings, Kevin Nolan contrasts "the almost Pindaric equity" of this diurnal sequence with "the asperities" of 'Brass', the later volume "commencing a reluctant valediction to that tradition of Orphic tageleid (constituting not merely the oldest form of European song, but also [...] the ur-form of all song)." Upon publication, the American poet George Oppen wrote to Prynne that he could "scarcely credit the existence of the last poem … its incredible beauty", while the English poet Douglas Oliver wrote of the sequence's quality of patience, noting "that patience is beautiful". (Kevin Nolan, 'Capital Calves: Undertaking an Overview', Jacket 24, November 2003).

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original black cloth with yellow titles to the upper board and spine, in the Abbey illustrated dustwrapper. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm with just a little bumping to the extremities, the cloth is bright and fresh. The contents, with a previous owner's inscription to the front endpaper are otherwise clean throughout. Publisher's catalogue dated 'Autumn 1935' to the rear. Complete with the lightly rubbed and nicked dustwrapper that has a hint of fading to the spine and two small pieces of tape to the underside. Correctly priced 7/6 net to the lower spine.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Publisher's original black cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in the Dale Holt illustrated dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding firm with some bumping and rubbing to the extremities. The contents, spotted to the endpapers, are otherwise clean throughout. Complete with the rubbed, nicked and creased dustwrapper that has several short closed tears at the edges and small chips to the spine tips. Not price-clipped (9/6 net to the lower front flap).

Inscribed by the author in black ink on the title page "To Tom / affectionately / Rafael Sabatini / Sept 46". Signed copies of this Queen's Quorum title are scarce. A collection of 16 short stories, at least one of which, 'The Ghost of Tronjolly' was adapted for film. (Hubin; Queen's Quorum 101).

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original black cloth with orange titles to the spine, lacking the rare dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding firm with a little bumping at the extremities, the spine a touch rolled, the cloth and titles are bright and fresh. The contents, with a small previous owner's name and some offsetting to the front endpaper, some random notes to the rear endpaper, and toning to the text block edge, are otherwise clean throughout. An attractive example.

The author's fifth novel to feature Lord Peter Wimsey, and the first in which Harriet Vane appears. (Hubin)

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Publisher's original black cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in the Susi Mawani designed dustwrapper. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, the cloth and gilt bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owners' marks. Complete with the fine original dustwrapper that is without fading, loss or tears. Not price-clipped (UK £16.95 / US $25.95).

Signed by Hubert Selby Jr in black ink on the half title.

First edition with these illustrations, first printing. Limited edition. Signed by the author and illustrators. Publisher's original quarter black and blue faux leather, with gilt titles to the spine and illustrated onlay to the boards, in the Marcela Bolivar illustrated dustwrapper and the black and navy cloth slipcase. Illustrated with a colour frontispiece, six full page colour plates and seven black and white drawings by Rodger Gerberding. Printed on Hahnemuhle paper. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the fine original dustwrapper, which is free from fading, loss or tears. Housed in the structurally sound slipcase.

Issued in an edition of 200 copies of which this example is numbered 145 and signed by the author Peter Straub in blue ink, the illustrators Rodger Gerberding and Marcela Bolivar and author of the introduction T. M. Wright, in black ink on the colophon. The author's second published novel and first supernatural story, originally published by Coward, McCann & Geoghegan in 1975. 'Julia' was adapted for the 1977 film 'Full Circle' (UK) directed by Richard Loncraine and starring Mia Farrow.

First edition with these illustrations, first printing. Limited edition. Signed by the illustrators. Publisher's original illustrated cloth with titles in white to the spine, in the Ransom & Mitchell illustrated dustwrapper. In the black and blue cloth slipcase. Top edge grey. Illustrated throughout with a frontispiece and seven full page colour plates by Ransom & Mitchell and six colour magic posters with lettering by Dan Sauer. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the fine dustwrapper, which is free from fading, loss or tears. Housed in the fine, structurally sound slipcase.

Issued in an edition of 500 copies with this example is numbered 18 and signed by the illustrators Stacey Ransom and Jason Mitchell and letterer Dan Sauer in black ink on the colophon. The colophon also contains the facsimile signature of Peter Straub. 'Shadowland' was nominated for the 1981 World Fantasy Award in the 'Best Novel' category.

First Centipede Press edition. Limited edition. Signed by the author. Publisher's original grey cloth with titles in red to the spine and wraparound illustration in black to the boards, in the Douglas Smith illustrated dustwrapper. Housed in the black cloth slipcase with illustrated onlay and titles in green. With a frontispiece and three black and white full page illustrations by Douglas Smith and five by Vladimir Zimakov. Top edge red. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. With the fine original dustwrapper, which is free from fading, loss or tears. Complete with the structurally sound slipcase.

Issued in a limited edition of 500 copies of which this example is number 18 and signed by the author Peter Straub in blue ink, and the illustrators Douglas Smith and Vladimir Zimakov in black ink on the colophon. Originally published in 1979 by Coward, McCann and Geoghegan, 'Ghost Story' was adapted into the 1981 film of the same name, directed by John Irvin, starring Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Publisher's original black cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated with numerous black and white photographs. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth and gilt bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the very lightly creased dustwrapper, that is free from fading, loss or tears. Not price-clipped (£25.00 net to the front flap).

Signed by Margaret Thatcher in blue ink on the front free endpaper. 'The Path to Power', Margaret Thatcher's second memoir, covers her life from childhood up to 1979, when she entered Downing Street.

First edition, first printing. Original brown paper-covered boards, in dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with slight bumping to the spine tips and top corners. The contents, with a faint mark to the front free endpaper, are otherwise clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the rubbed, nicked and creased dustwrapper that has a few tiny closed tears to the head of the spine, and an indentation to the rear panel. An uncommon title.

A reconstruction and analysis of the story of the legendary Anglo-Saxon heroes Finn and Hengest, which is told in the Old English poems 'Beowulf' and 'The Fight at Finnesburg'. Posthumously prepared by J. R. R. Tolkien's former student Alan Bliss, according to Tolkien's wishes, from lecture notes that span five decades. In his analysis Tolkien argues that Hengest was a historical figure rather than a purely legendary character, a viewpoint which has gained support from a number of historians.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the illustrator. Publisher's original black cloth with bronze titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. With nine full page illustrations in colour, and several line drawings throughout the text by Alan Lee. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, the cloth and titles bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owner's marks. Complete with the fine original dustwrapper that remains without fading, loss or tears. Not price-clipped (£20 to the lower front flap).

Signed by the illustrator Alan Lee in black ink on the title page. A compilation of multiple versions of the epic fantasy story about Lúthien and Beren, one of Tolkien's earliest tales of Middle-earth. Edited by his son Christopher, it tells the story of the love and adventures of the mortal Man Beren and the immortal Elf-maiden Lúthien. Tolkien considered it one of the three Great Tales in his legendarium and it is mentioned in 'The Lord of the Rings' at the Council of Elrond.