First edition. Publisher's original drab paper-covered boards with printed paper title label to the spine. Page edges untrimmed. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with bumping to the corners and a little chipping and a couple of minor old repairs to the spine. The contents with a touch of occasional light scattered foxing are otherwise in very good order, clean throughout and remain free from any previous owners' inscriptions or stamps.

A detailed study of the legendary "Man in the Iron Mask" - the mysterious figure who was held captive by the French government from 1687 until his death in 1703, spending most of that time in the Bastille. Long thought to have been the identical twin brother of Louis XIV, here Agar-Ellis concludes that is was in fact the Italian politician Antonio Ercole Matthioli (1640-1694), who had been arrested for treason after selling state secrets. Providing an account of the legend's history and a narrative of Matthioli's own misadventures, followed by the text of 133 contemporary letters from documents in the French archives, the present work was an important source for Alexandre Dumas in writing his story "The Man in the Iron Mask", which formed the most famous and thrilling adventure in "The Vicomte of Bragelonne", the third and final of "The d'Artagnan Romances" charting the swashbuckling escapades of The Three Musketeers.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the authors. Publisher's original quarter blue cloth over blue paper-covered boards with titles in gilt to the spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated with a black and white photographic frontispiece and several photographic plates. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with a little creasing to the spine, fading to the extremities and offsetting from the dustwrapper to the upper board. The contents with the date "10/15/73" in ink to the second front blank are otherwise clean and bright throughout. Complete with the very good price-clipped dustwrapper which has a 1/2 cm tear and a little chipping to the head of the spine and a 1/2 cm tear to the head of the front flap.

Signed and inscribed by Buzz Aldrin in black ink to the front free endpaper "To Frederick / Best wishes / Buzz Aldrin", additionally signed beneath by Wayne Warga. Buzz Aldrin's account of his historic first landing on the moon in 1969 and the personally tumultuous years that followed as he adapted to his new-found fame.

Oblong album (19.5 cm x 14.5 cm), original textured cloth, containing 147 black and white gelatin prints across 75 pages, captioned beneath in white (although with many captions now worn away). Condition is very good with a little rubbing and wear to the extremities of the binding. The contents with a little creasing to the edges of six photographs are otherwise in very good order and clean throughout.

An interesting album documenting a five year period spent by an English missionary family in South Sudan and Uganda during the mid-1920s. Beginning with an image of the SS Madura, the ship on which they set sail for the African continent, the album goes on to capture the family's experiences as they live and work in the region. The bulk of the photographs depict the native population, including the Azande people, with many images of men, women and children engaged in all manner of everyday occupations as well as activities organised by the missionaries, such as schooling, sports (including the "Christmas Sports Obstacle Race, Arua"), and religious ceremonies (there are eight images of open-air baptisms, for example), as well as photographs of Sudanese and Ugandan villages, towns, marketplaces, and agriculture, plus a handful of scenes along the Nile, including one of a herd of wild elephants, and a number of images of the family themselves (husband, wife and children) and their servants, with the final photograph being of the ship on which they would ultimately depart from Mombasa, the Postdampfer Usambara.

First UK edition (published the same year in the US as A Homicide for Hannah), first printing. Review copy with the publisher's review slip loosely laid in. Original peach cloth with yellow titles to the spine. In the dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth with a stain that runs the length of the spine, fading to the spine, and a little softening at the board edges. The contents, with stains to the top and bottom of the textblock edges and toning to the textblock edges and margins, are otherwise clean. Complete with the original lightly rubbed and creased dustwrapper which has a large stain along the spine and rear panel corresponding to the stain on the binding, and a few small nicks to the extremities. Not price clipped (8/6 net to the front flap). Scarce in the dustwrapper.

Babcock started his career writing pulp shorts and thrillers before joining Universal Pictures in 1943 as a screenwriter, where he worked on horror films such as The Mummy's Curse and House of Dracula.

First US edition, first printing. Inscribed by the author. Original ochre cloth with white titles to the spine and upper board and an illustration to the upper board. A very good copy, the binding slightly cracked to the internal rear hinge but still firm, the spine a little faded and the boards slightly mottled. The contents, with a few marks to the front pastedown and light spots to the endpapers are otherwise clean throughout.

Inscribed by E. F. Benson on the front free endpaper "For / Jimmie / from / the Author / Oct 20 1915". A scarce crime novel by the author of the Mapp and Lucia series and several notable Supernatural story collections. Published in the UK by William Heinemann in the same year. (Hubin).

First edition thus. Publisher's original navy blue cloth with Art Nouveau peacock design in green and white by Talwin Morris, titles in gilt to the upper board and spine. Title page printed in red and black. Illustrated with 6 black and white plates after drawings by John H. Bacon. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with a little rubbing to the boards and minor wear to the spine tips and corners. The contents with a little toning to the endpapers, light scattered foxing to the preliminary pages and the odd minor mark to the textblock edges are otherwise clean and bright throughout and remain free from any previous owners' inscriptions or stamps. An attractive copy.

An appealing edition of Charlotte Brontë's best loved work, charmingly illustrated by the artist John Henry Bacon and in an elegant Art Nouveau style binding by the influential book designer Talwin Morris (1865-1911).

First edition, first printing of this notable collection of fantasy and weird tales. Publisher's original green cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated with headpieces by T. L. Poulton. A very good or better copy, the binding firm and the cloth fresh and bright. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. The closed textblock edge is a little spotted. Complete with the rubbed, nicked and marked dustwrapper that has several short closed tears with associated creasing but remains without loss. Correctly priced 7/6 net to the spine. Scarce.

A collection of eleven short stories, comprising Helen's Lovers; The Snob; The Torch, In Xanadu; Three Men at Thark; The Camel; Wax; Fiddler's Luck; Blessed are the Meek; The Elder; Tangent in Trouble. The title story is a notable Timeslip romance, while "Fiddler's Luck" and "Tangent in Trouble" are ironic tales involving human males with supernatural females in a modern context; "Three Men at Thark" is a disturbing tale of a Poltergeist, and the ghostly Conte Cruel "The Elder" is perhaps Bullett's best Horror story. (Encyclopedia of Fantasy, 1997)

Second edition. Four volumes. 8vo. Publisher's original marbled paper-covered boards backed in cream paper with printed paper title labels to the spines. Page edges untrimmed. Engraved portrait frontispiece to the first volume and each volume with a woodcut vignette to the title page. A very good set indeed, the bindings square and firm with a little cracking to the upper joint of volumes one and three, a neatly repaired chip to the head of the spine of volume four and a little wear and rubbing to the extremities. The contents with occasional light spotting and a minor damp mark to the upper margins of volume four are otherwise in very good order and clean throughout. An attractive, unsophisticated set.

A most uncommon survival in the original boards of the second edition of the first collected works of Robert Burns, following the 1800 Liverpool edition. The textual changes between the editions were minor, and the frontispiece is in fact the same plate reused (with its imprint dated 1800). "The content is in the same order, but the differences reflect this new edition, most notably in the new advertisement, the lack of a list of subscribers, and the added appendix" (Lamont). (Lamont 623; Egerer 89).

First edition. Publisher's white card covers printed in black. Small square quarto. Unpaginated. Illustrated with photographs in black and white, throughout. An excellent near fine copy, the binding square and firm with only minor rubbing and a hint of toning to the spine. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. An attractive example.

One of the earliest photo books to document Chicano gang graffiti, and Cholo street writing in the barrios of Los Angeles. Scarce in first edition.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original burgundy cloth with silver titles to the spine, in the R. J. Hales illustrated dustwrapper. With seven full page scraper-board illustrations (eight if you include the frontispiece that is duplicated on page 35) and numerous other smaller drawings throughout the text by Denys Watkins-Pitchford "BB". An excellent near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the boards a touch bowed. The cloth is bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the very lightly rubbed and nicked, price-clipped dustwrapper that is otherwise without fading, loss or tears. A very attractive example.

First edition, first printing. Handsomely bound by Bayntun of Bath in contemporary half purple morocco over purple linen boards. The spine with five raised bands, compartments ruled and decorated in gilt and with titles in gilt. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Illustrated with 16 black and white photographic plates. A very good copy indeed, the binding square and tight with a touch of fading to the spine and the head of the upper board. The contents with some light foxing to the half title are otherwise clean and bright throughout and remain free from any previous owner's inscriptions or stamps.

A collection of essays on historical and contemporary dictators, including Julius Caesar, Benito Mussolini, Vladimir Lenin, Nikolaus Horthy, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Józef Pilsudski, amongst others, and the elements and effects of dictatorship as a form of government, together forming an open discussion as to what the future holds for the political systems of European nations. Particularly notable is the one page contribution by Albert Einstein, "Science and Dictatorship", which simply but powerfully consists of just two sentences: "A dictatorship means muzzles all round and consequently stultification. Science can flourish only in an atmosphere of free speech." In his introduction to the work, Winston Churchill considers the great benefits of British parliamentary democracy and casts a quizzical eye across Europe, wondering whether the newly enfranchised masses will ultimately turn to democracy or dictatorship. An uncommon title.

First edition. Volumes 1-8 and 10-12 (of 15). Volumes 1-3 folio, volumes 4-12 quarto. Volume 1 bound in contemporary blue cloth with titles in gilt to the upper board and spine, all 12 issues bound in with their original wrappers. Volumes 2-6, 8 (part 1, 2, and 4), and 10-12 in their original parts, in original wrappers (volume 2, part 1 as loose sheets). Volume 7 bound in contemporary half vellum with titles in neat manuscript and with the original wrappers bound in at the rear. Printed on hand-made paper, page edges untrimmed. Numerous black and white illustrations and plates throughout, including many reproductions of work by Edward Gordon Craig and others (early stage designs, plans and costumes). A very good set, the bound volumes square and firm with minor bumping to the extremities, those bound in wrappers with a little chipping and loss to the extremities and wear to the spines. The contents with some occasional scattered foxing and two previous owner's bookplates to the front pastedown/endpaper of volume 7 are otherwise clean and bright throughout. Also included are volumes 9-12 and 14-15 (plus an index volume) in facsimile, published by Benjamin Blom, New York in 1967 (near fine in publisher's original blue cloth).

A near complete run of this important theatrical periodical edited by the English modernist theatre practitioner, director, stage designer and theatre theorist, Edward Gordon Craig (1872-1966). After settling in Florence in 1907, Craig directed a great deal of his creative energies into the development of "The Mask", creating what became the first international theatre magazine, and one of the most cutting-edge expressions of modernist thought and practice as regards to the theory and artistry of the theatre. An innovative and influential production, its publication continued sporadically for twenty years (it was first published monthly, then quarterly, with volume eight consisting of pamphlets, and volume nine of just one lone issue). As Craig's son Teddy later explained, "The format of The Mask was governed by the size of the paper, which was hand-made, cheap and came from near-by Fabriano. The typography was dependent on what founts of type the printers had to hand...The layout was based on an early copy of Vitruvius that he had picked up for a few lire." (Edward Gordon Craig: The Story of His Life p.231).

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original grey cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with a little rubbing to the corners, the contents, with very faint spotting to the text block edges, a neat previous owner's name to the front free endpaper, and a small numerical stamp to the rear free endpaper, are otherwise clean. Complete with the original illustrated dustwrapper which is toned to the spine and has some dustiness to the rear panel. Not price clipped (15s net to the front flap). A lovely copy.

A collection of crime and mystery short stories.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original grey paper-covered illustrated boards and blue cloth spine with titles in pink. In the dustwrapper. Illustrated throughout with black and white line drawings by Joseph Schindelman. A near fine square and tight copy, the spine a little faded, and very slight softening to the top corner of the upper board. The contents, with a bookplate to the front pastedown, are otherwise clean and bright throughout. Complete with lightly rubbed and nicked original dustwrapper which is slightly faded to the lettering on the spine. Not price-clipped ($3.95 to the upper front flap).

Reprint of the final revised edition. Signed by the author. Publisher's original maroon cloth with titles in gilt to the spine. Illustrated with a double-page map. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with fading to the spine and the head of the upper board and with just a hint of cracking to the front hinge. The contents with toning to the endpapers and a little spotting to the top edge of the textblock are otherwise in very good order and clean throughout.

Signed by Arthur Conan Doyle in black ink on the title page "Yours sincerely / Arthur Conan Doyle / May | 25." The final revised edition of the Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle's detailed account of the Second Boer War (1899-1902). First published in 1900, by the end of the war the book had been published in sixteen editions, having been constantly revised by Doyle as events developed, with the final, complete edition first appearing in 1903.

First edition, first printing. Signed and inscribed by the author to Anthony Eden. Publisher's original black cloth with titles in gilt to the spine. Lacking the dustwrapper. Illustrated with 9 black and white photographic plates and 7 maps (1 folding). A very good copy, the binding square and firm with a few small marks to the boards and some minor wear to the head of the spine. The contents with the occasional dot of foxing and a very minor dent to the lower fore-edge of the the first few pages are otherwise in very good order and clean throughout.

Signed and inscribed by Brigadier Sir John Smyth to former Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden in blue ink on the front free endpaper "To Anthony Eden / with sincere admiration / and affectionate regards / from / Jackie Smyth / Nov 1957." Brigadier Sir John George Smyth, 1st Baronet, VC, MC, PC (1893-1983), often known as Jackie Smyth, was a British Indian Army officer who served in both the First and Second World Wars, earning the Victoria Cross for "conspicuous bravery" in the former at the age of just 21. The present work provides an account of his experiences in the Second World War, specifically his participation in two historic retreats, Dunkirk in 1940 and Burma in 1942. In 1950 Smyth became a Conservative Member of Parliament, later serving under the premiership of Anthony Eden (April 1955-January 1957), to whom he warmly presented the present volume a few months after Eden had resigned following the Suez Crisis. A nice association copy.

First edition, first printing. Signed and inscribed by the authors to "Laddie" Lucas. Publisher's original green cloth with titles in gilt to the upper board and spine, in dustwrapper. Map endpapers. Illustrated with several black and white photographic plates. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm with a touch of bumping to the extremities. The contents remain clean and crisp throughout. Complete with the near fine dustwrapper which has a little fading to the spine and some minor shelf-wear to the extremities. Not price-clipped.

Signed and warmly inscribed by J. F. "Stocky" Edwards and J. P. A. Michel Lavigne in black and blue ink on the half title page "To: P. B. "Laddie" Lucas / A swell fellow. / Good wishes, / J. F. 'Stocky' Edwards / Michel Lavigne / 4 June 86". An account of the wartime exploits of the Canadian fighter pilot James Francis "Stocky" Edwards, CM, DFC & Bar, DFM, CD, who, with 19 confirmed aerial victories, was Canada's highest scoring ace in the Western Desert Campaign. The present copy was presented by Edwards and his co-author to the legendary spitfire pilot Percy Belgrave "Laddie" Lucas, CBE, DSO and Bar, DFC (1915-1998). Lucas joined the RAF in June 1940, travelling to Canada to undertake flying training at the Flying Training School. On completion, he was assigned to 66 Squadron in August 1941, with whom he flew combat missions until the end of 1942. Arriving in Malta in February 1942, he commanded No. 249 Squadron during the Battle of Malta, after which he was awarded the DFC. In 1943, he took command of No. 616 Squadron, later commanding the Spitfire wing at RAF Coltishall, and then, between 1944 and 1945, serving with the RAF Second Tactical Air Force in North-West Europe. Lucas was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in January 1944, and then a bar to his DSO in October 1945 for making numerous attacks on enemy communications, often in dangerous conditions. A nice association copy.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original brown cloth with illustration to the bottom corner of the upper board and titles in gilt to the spine, in the Caney illustrated dustwrapper. Top edge green. With eight full page black and white illustrations by Clifford Caney. A very good copy, the binding firm with a slightly rolled spine, the cloth bright and fresh. The contents, with the odd foxing spot to the margins, more so to the closed text block edge, are otherwise clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the lightly rubbed and nicked dustwrapper that whilst without loss, is toned to the fold edges and spine and has a single piece of tape to the underside. Not price-clipped (9s 6d net to the front flap)

The ninth and final book in the popular equestrian "Jill" series, most of which are scarce in first edition.

First UK edition, first printing. Inscribed by the editor, including a cartoon drawing. Original beige boards with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. A very good or better copy, the binding square and firm, the boards just a touch bowed, the contents clean throughout. Complete with the creased, marked, and toned dustwrapper which has a few short closed tears to the extremities and two pieces of tape to the underside at the head of the. Not price clipped (12s. net to the front flap).

Inscribed by the editor on the front free endpaper "For / Lawrence, / Best / Ron Goulart", with a cartoon face drawing above his signature and a speech bubble around the inscription. A collection of hardboiled detective stories previously published in magazine form between 1932 and 1941. The American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy, and science fiction author Ron Goulart's first book.

First edition, first printing. Original yellow cloth, lettered and ruled in brown to spine and front panel, with the publisher's monogram to the rear panel, in the G. S. Brien designed dustwrapper. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Lower textblock edges untrimmed. There is a small area of erosion to the upper spine tip (3mm deep and 2cm wide) and a couple of nicks to the lower tip; the upper edges are a touch darkened. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. The dustwrapper, with a little chipping at the head of the spine, some rubbing to corners and folds, and a 1cm closed tear to the lower edge of the upper spine fold, is in very good shape. Correctly priced 7s. 6d. net to the front flap. An attractive example of a very scarce title in dustwrapper.

The third of Grant Watson's six Australian novels, important for their pioneering use of the desert as a metaphor for the Jungian subconscious and prefigured aspects of the works of such Australian writers as Katharine Susannah Prichard, Patrick White and Randolph Stow, particularly in their early sympathy with Aboriginal and environmental interpretations of the landscape. "[a] story of the borderland of the Australian Desert. Martin O'Brien grows from childhood to youth and from youth to manhood in close intimacy with the arid, sun-stricken land. [...] The Desert Horizon almost encloses him when at last he meets with human love, so different from the impersonal though direct appeal of that untamed country; this is the beginning of a struggle that can only end when life ends" (from the jacket).

First edition with this portrait frontispiece. Contemporary full calf with gilt morocco title label to the spine. Illustrated with a wood-engraved portrait frontispiece of William Wallace. The second work with a separate title page and pagination. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with a minor crack to the head of the upper joint, a little wear to the corners and rubbing to the extremities. The contents lacking the front free endpaper, with a few contemporary ink jottings to the frontispiece and rear pastedown and endpaper, a later previous owner's inscription to the rear of the frontispiece, toning to the preliminary pages, and a little spotting and occasional marking to page margins are otherwise in very good order throughout.

A charming late eighteenth-century edition of William Hamilton's 1721 translation of the romantic biographical poem "The Wallace" by the fifteenth-century Scottish makar, Blind Harry (c.1440-1492). Commemorating and eulogising the life and actions of the Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace, it depicts its subject as the ideal hero of chivalric romance, and presents the English as the natural and irreconcilable enemies of the Scottish people. For several hundred years following its publication, "The Wallace" remained the second most popular book in Scotland after the Bible, going through more editions than any other book before the times of Burns and Scott.

First edition, first printing of the occultist author's only novel. Inscribed by the author. Publisher's original black cloth with white titles and illustration to the upper board and spine. Publisher's adverts to the front and rear. A near very good copy, the binding sound but worn at the spine tips and bumped at the corners. The cloth marked and damp-stained to the top left corner of the lower board. The erroneous 'g' in the author's surname has been removed on both the upper board and spine (presumably by the author himself, prior to presentation). The contents, with toning to the occasionally roughly cut page edges and spotting to the endpapers are otherwise clean throughout. The author's name, this time in its entirety, has been competently removed from the title page.

Inscribed by the author in black ink on the front endpaper "To / Mr Everest / With best regards / Louis Hamon / 18 Sept 1919". Tipped onto the front pastedown is a portrait photo card of the author, inscribed in blue ink "very sincerely yours / Louis Hamon". A scarce and largely neglected supernatural novel by the Irish astrologer and colorful occultist, better known as Cheiro, until it was reissued by the University of Tampa Press in 2006, as part of their 'Insistent Visions' series.

First edition, limited to 3,500 copies. Signed by David Hockney. Original tan cloth with gilt titles to the spine and upper board, in dustwrapper. Illustrated throughout with details from a series of portraits by David Hockney. A lovely fine copy, the binding square and tight, the cloth clean save for a thin mark running down the top of the rear spine hinge. The contents, with a single spot to the front endpaper, are otherwise clean throughout. Complete with the original spine toned dustwrapper which has a little dustiness and a shadow to the rear where there was once a label.

Signed by David Hockney in black ink on the half title. A beautifully produced collection of details from a series of portraits created by Hockney during 1976 at the studios of Gemini G. E. L. in Los Angeles, each page being filled with a head (most of which are the actual size of the original drawings) or a small detail from elsewhere in the portrait. Sitters include Joe McDonald, Christopher Isherwood, and Don Bachardy.

First American edition, first printing. Signed by David Hockney. Hardcover issue. Publisher's original white boards with gilt titles to the upper board and spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated with 64 plates in monochrome, eight plates in colour and an illustrated line drawing to the title page. An excellent near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the spine tips a little bumped. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the lightly rubbed and nicked dustwrapper that remains without fading or loss. Not price-clipped ($7.95 to the upper front flap).

Signed by David Hockney in black ink on the half title.

First edition, first printing. Inscribed by the author. Pictorial card covers with a pocket to the rear holding 8 postcards of paintings from The National Gallery. 25 pages. With black and white photographs and reproductions of paintings throughout. A very good copy, the binding firm, a little light spotting around the spine and some dustiness to the covers, primarily to the rear. The contents, with some very light spotting to the text block edges and occasionally to the margins, are otherwise clean throughout. The postcards are all present and in fine condition.

Inscribed by Hockney on the front free endpaper, reading "for Paul / love / david H". A postcard book coinciding with the 1981 The Artist's Eye exhibition at The National Gallery, containing Hockney's accompanying essay on the act of looking at paintings. A significant amount of the essay is spent arguing in favour of the value of reproductions, including cheap reproductions, of art, and detailing Hockney's own personal enjoyment of art postcards.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original cream cloth with brown titles illustration to the upper board and spine, in dustwrapper. With a colour frontispiece and eight further full page illustrations by Leslie Stead. An excellent near fine copy, the binding square and tight, the contents clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. Small area of erosion to the middle of the front and rear inner hinge. Complete with the bright original dustwrapper that has a touch of rubbing at the head of the spine and a single closed tear to the lower spine fold. Not price-clipped (6/- to the front flap). An attractive example, uncommon thus.

First edition. Publisher's illustrated folding card box containing 27 sections of printed text in a wraparound band, as issued. A near fine copy, the box a little faded to the spine, with minor rubbing to edges and corners and some wear to the paper that covers the front hinge (the hinge itself remains strong). The individual sections are generally in fine condition, the first section showing some very light spotting. Priced (21/-) to the upper edge of the box. A very well-preserved example.

The author's experimental novel, with the first and last of the 27 unbound sections to be read as composed, while the remaining sections (ranging from a single paragraph to 12 pages in length) can be read in any order. Despite the novel's formal novelty, the content is semi-autobiographical. Many scenes are set at a football match in an unnamed English city. Jonathan Coe, in his biography of the author, relates that "in the mid-1960s, after giving up supply teaching, [Johnson] supported himself by various kinds of journalism [...]. For a while he was a soccer reporter for The Observer." The provincial town where the journalist-narrator watches football turns out to be in the same city where his late friend, Tony Tilllinghast, who died of cancer in 1962, had studied as an undergraduate and the novel documents the random weaving together of the author's present with memories of his friend. As the author explained, "this randomness was directly in conflict with the technological fact of the bound book: for the bound book imposes an order, a fixed page order, on the material. I think I went some way towards solving this problem by writing the book in sections and having those sections not bound together but loose in a box." (Jonathan Coe, 'Like a Fiery Elephant: The Story of B. S. Johnson', London, 2004)

First edition, first printing. Sumptuously bound by Riviere & Son, London in contemporary full tree calf, the boards with decorative borders in gilt, the spine with five raised bands, compartments richly decorated in gilt, and with morocco title label lettered in gilt. Gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Illustrated with 24 colour plates by Averil Burleigh. A near fine copy, the binding square, firm and bright. The contents with the very occasional pale spot of foxing to the odd text page margin are otherwise wonderfully clean and crisp throughout. A superb copy.

A beautifully produced edition of Keats' poems containing a marvellous suite of Art Nouveau illustrations by the artist Averil Burleigh (1881-1949). After studying at the Brighton School of Art, Burleigh adopted an early style distinctly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, as best exemplified by her watercolours for the present work. She later became particularly well known for her luminous egg tempera paintings, which she exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Royal Scottish Academy, the Society of Women Artists, the New English Art Club, the Arts and Crafts Society, the Walker Art Gallery and at the Paris Salon.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original olive green cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Top edge gilt. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with a little creasing at the head and tail of the slightly darkened spine. The cloth remains fresh. The contents with an interesting previous owner's inscription to the front pastedown and ownership inscription to the front endpaper are also spotted to the prelims and with the occasional mark throughout. Publisher's eight page catalogue at the rear. Scarce.

Inscribed by the previous owner on the front pastedown "When I was living with Desmond MacCarthy in 1921, Vernon Lee (Miss Paget) used to come to dine". With the earlier illegible (to this cataloguer) ownership signature and inscription on the front endpaper "... at 11 Lower Belgrave Street / SW1 / July 16 1941 / Bought from Desmond / MacCarthy". British writer and Bloomsbury group member Desmond MacCarthy was the foremost literary and dramatic critic of his day. He was a close friend, correspondent and champion of the author and her work.

First edition. Signed Limited Edition. Publisher's full blue morocco with gilt titles to the spine. All edges gilt. Illustrated with 31 colour and 99 monochrome plates. Silk marker. A beautiful "as new" fine copy, the binding square and tight, the corners sharp and without bumping. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owner's marks or inscriptions.

Limited edition of 100 deluxe copies, each numbered and signed by the artist L. S. Lowry to a bookplate on the front pastedown. This copy is number 17.

First edition. Two volumes. 4to. Handsomely bound in contemporary full calf, the boards ruled in gilt, the spines with five raised bands, compartments ruled in gilt and with morocco title labels lettered in gilt. Red speckled edges. A near fine set, the bindings square and tight with an area of abrasion to the upper and lower boards of the first volume, two areas of abrasion to the upper board of the second volume, bumping to the corners and a little rubbing to the extremities. The contents with a contemporary ink inscription to the front pastedown of each volume and the occasional minor mark to page margins are otherwise wonderfully clean and bright throughout. An attractive set.

The most important historical work by the Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician James Macpherson (1736-1796), comprising an enormous collection of state papers, letters and speeches related to the Stuarts and Hanoverians, with a particular focus on the Jacobites.

First edition, first printing of the author's first novel. Inscribed presentation copy. Publisher's original blue cloth with green titles to the upper board and spine, in dustwrapper. A very good or better copy, the binding square and firm with a little rubbing at the extremities and some darkening of the spine. The contents, toned to the text block edges, are otherwise clean throughout. Complete with the rare, rubbed and nicked dustwrapper that has several small chips at the edges and pieces of tape to the underside. A previous owner has drawn a small ink doodle (window?) to the upper panel. Correctly priced 7/6 net to the front flap.

Inscribed by the author in black ink on the front endpaper "To Louise and Otto / with love / from / John / John Metcalfe". The horror and supernatural author's first novel, following his 1925 short story collection "The Smoking Leg and Other Stories".

First edition, first printing of the author's second novel. Inscribed presentation copy. Publisher's original blue cloth with yellow titles and a wavy line design to the spine and upper board, in the W. Johnson designed dustwrapper. A very good or better copy, the binding firm, the cloth bright and fresh, the spine lightly worn at the spine tips and with the ghost of a vertical crease. The contents, almost imperceptibly spotted to the text block edges, and with a few light marginal spots within, are otherwise clean throughout. Complete with the rubbed, nicked, lightly soiled dustwrapper, with a few shallow areas of loss to spine tips. With several closed tears, the largest being 4cm at the edge of the darkened spine. Not price-clipped (7/6 net to the front flap). Scarce.

Inscribed by the author in black ink on the front endpaper, "To / Louise & Otto / With love from / from / John / John Metcalfe". Metcalfe's second novel is the story of Gerald Imlay, "an over-sensitive and amiable young Englishman who is unable to deal with his own life or anyone else's save at arm's length" (from the jacket). (Hubin).

First edition, first printing of the author's fourth novel. Inscribed presentation copy. Publisher's original red cloth with black lettering to the spine, in dustwrapper. A very good or better copy, the binding square and firm. The cloth of the spine panel shows a few spots of discolouration and is a little toned to the tips. The contents, lightly spotted to the text block edges, are otherwise clean throughout. Complete with the rubbed, nicked and lightly soiled dustwrapper that has a few small chips to the spine panel, edges and extremities. Priced 9/6 net to the front flap. Scarce.

Inscribed by the author in black ink on the front endpaper, "To / Otto & Louise / affectionately / from / John Metcalfe / 27/10/'48". "After the interval of the war years, spent in service with the R.A.F., Mr Metcalfe now gives us, in this tale of London and New York, what is probably so far his most important work. [...] The linked destinies of the two protagonists, Lake and Clayshaw, provide a main strand with which are interwoven the fates and fortunes of a richly diverse throng of minor characters, each vividly and clearly realised." (from the jacket)

First edition. 15pp. Original printed wrappers. A very good copy, the staples removed, leaving a trace of rusting, and with a little light marking to the edges of the covers. The contents remain clean and bright throughout.

A scarce pamphlet marking the birth of the National Party of Scotland - the first Scottish nationalist political party, and the first to campaign for Scottish self-determination. The National Party of Scotland was formed after John MacCormick (1904-1961) of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association called a meeting of all those favouring the establishment of a party seeking Scottish Home Rule to convene. This meeting was presided over by Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham (1852-1936), the influential Scottish politician, writer, journalist and adventurer, who, beginning as an MP for the Liberal Party, had subsequently become the first ever socialist member of the UK Parliament, a founder, and the first president, of the Scottish Labour Party, and an outspoken advocate for Scottish independence. An amalgamation of the GUSNA with the Scots National League, Lewis Spence's Scots National Movement and the Scottish Home Rule Movement, the NPS's inauguration took place in Stirling on 23rd June 1928 on the 609th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn. The present pamphlet was issued to mark this event, detailing its proceedings and recording the speeches made by MacCormick, Cunninghame Graham and others. It begins by setting the scene thus: "Carried forward on a spate of oratory and to the accompaniment of strains from the World's Champion Pipers, the Caln M'Lean Pipe Band, the new National Party of Scotland was inaugurated". In 1934 the NPS merged with the Scottish Party to form the Scottish National Party (SNP), of which Cunninghame Graham served as the first president. Only two institutional copies are recorded on Copac (Universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh). An important document of modern Scottish history.

First edition with these illustrations. Recent fine binding of quarter black morocco over heavy textured boards with five raised bands, gilt ruled compartments and titles in gilt on deep burgundy morocco labels to the spine. Illustrated with 10 full page colour illustrations printed on art paper by Jonathan Burton. Housed in a bespoke black textured slipcase. A fine copy.

The first edition with Jonathan Burton's illustrations of George Orwell's dystopian classic, beautifully presented in a bespoke fine binding by designer bookbinder Stephen Conway. This edition also features an introduction by Alan Rusbridger.

First edition. 12mo. [viii], 24, 152, 159-174, 169-184, 177-240, 205-220, [8], 233-351,[1], 351-358, 321-335, [1], 385-440, 455-459, 500-534, 24, [ii], 6, 14, [2], [ii], 46 pp. Contemporary full calf, rebacked, with titles in gilt to the spine. Red speckled fore-edge. Three separate title pages. Woodcut headpieces and initials throughout. Thomas Tyrell's copy, with his ownership inscription in ink to front endpaper and again to the title page. The title page also with "Great and Happy" crossed out and with "Long [and] Rebellious" inserted in its place in manuscript in Tyrell's hand. Additional inscriptions by Tyrell's sons(?), Toby and Edward Tyrell, to the rear endpaper, along with a verse from a Civil War rhyme: "The best head next Jupiter's / Was cut off by Hugh Peters", attributed to "Wogan" (possibly the Royalist officer Edward Wogan (c.1626-54)). A very good copy, the binding square and tight with rubbing and wear to the restored original calf boards and a little rubbing to the raised bands of the later, renewed spine. The contents, with the imprint of the third title page clipped away, a marginal tear to pp.3-4 with an old paper repair and a tear to pp.213-14 (possibly an original paper flaw) are otherwise in very good order and clean throughout.

A record of the momentous first months of England's Long Parliament, which ultimately spanned the entire duration of the English Civil War and Interregnum, sitting from 1640 until 1660. Predominantly a collection of documents pertaining to the proceedings of Parliament over the course of the seven months between November 1640 and June 1641, it includes printed speeches from many of the major figures of the impending war such as Charles I, Lord Digby and the Earl of Strafford, as well as numerous other remonstrances, articles and orders that were issued during this eventful and tumultuous period. Indeed, it was in these first few months that it abolished the Star Chamber and High Commission and passed the Habeas Corpus and Triennial Acts, which intended to prevent kings from ruling without Parliament. The present copy belonged to Sir Thomas Tyrell (1594-1672), a judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1660 and later served as a colonel in the Parliamentarian army under Bedford and Essex, notably fighting at the battle of Lostwithiel in 1644. His wry alteration of the title page, added after the subsequent years of struggle, certainly underscores his own transition from legal and political life to the duties of a military leader. Tyrell himself, however, weathered the period well, later switching sides and receiving a knighthood in July 1660, following the restoration of Charles II. He was even on the commission for the trial of the regicides of Charles I, although did not take an active role, and later, following the Great Fire of London, served as one of the twenty-two judges appointed to resolve property disputes arising from the rebuilding the city. Considering Tyrell's political rehabilitation following the Restoration and his involvement in the trial of the regicides, the rhyme on the rear endpaper (in either his or a contemporary family member's hand) is most apt, lamenting the execution of Charles I and referencing the common belief that the influential preacher and political advisor Hugh Peter (or Peters) (1598-1660) had been the first to propose the trial and execution of Charles I. Following his own trial, Peter was hung, drawn and quartered in October 1660. An excellent association copy. (Early English Books, 1641-1700, 259; ESTC, R212697; Lincoln's Inn, Catalogue of Pamphlets, 1506-1700, 340; McAlpin, II, p. 81; Thomason, E.159[1]; Thomason, E,198[18]; Wing, E2309).

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original black cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, in the Mary Adshead illustrated dustwrapper. A better than very good copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth and gilt fresh with minor pushing and rubbing to spine tips. The contents, with faint staining to the edges of the front and rear endpapers and a very light splash stain to the fore-edge of the page block are otherwise clean throughout. Complete with the lightly rubbed and stained dustwrapper, that is a little chipped to the upper edge of the lightly toned spine. Altogether, an attractive example of the scarce first impression.

Pritchett's third book (and his first of shorter fiction) is made up of the titular novella "which presents in a series of rapid episodes the reactions of a mother and her daughter to sudden poverty; and ten shorter stories, all caustic and vivid in their comedy, their tragedy and their fantasy" (from the jacket).

First edition, first printing. Inscribed presentation copy from Lynn Chadwick to Elisabeth Frink. Publisher's original photo-illustrated white card covers, with titles in black to the spine. Illustrated with 24 photographs in black and white at the rear. Text in English and German. A very good or better copy, the binding square and firm with a little creasing at the bottom edge of the covers. The contents are clean throughout.

Inscribed by English sculptor and artist Lynn Chadwick in black ink on the blank reverse of the half title "To Liz, with love / Lynn / 1.2.58". The recipient is fellow sculptor and artist Elisabeth Frink, Chadwick presented this volume in the year he purchased Lypiatt Park after winning the prestigious International Prize for Sculpture at the XXVIII Venice Biennale. An outstanding association copy linking two major young British sculptors at the height of their careers. Provenance: Dame Elisabeth Frink (presentation inscription); thence by descent to Lin Jammet; sold Woolley and Wallis (20th August 2020, Lot 1).

First edition, first printing. Inscribed presentation copy. Publisher's original black cloth with silver titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. An excellent near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the lightly rubbed dustwrapper that remains without loss or tears. Not price-clipped ($5.00 to the upper front flap).

Inscribed by the author (McClure) in black ink on the front endpaper "To Norman Hall (for Freewheelin Frank) / Gracias / [drawing with 5 letter code] Michael McClure / N.Y.C. Sept 27, 1967". Scarce thus. The first book by an Angel about the Hell's Angels. Frank Reynolds, [illiterate] secretary of the Hell's Angels, dictated his personal story of drugs, sex and violence to the beat poet and "prince of the San Francisco [counterculture] scene" Michael McClure, providing a rare insight into the Angel Code.

First edition, first printing. Signed contemporaneously by 12 members of the British Battalion of the International Brigade. Publisher's original red cloth with titles in black to the spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated with 16 black and white photographic plates and six maps. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with a little bumping to the spine and to the fore-edge of the upper board. The contents, with toning due to the paper quality and a very small chip to the foot of the margin of pp.61-130 are otherwise in very good order and clean throughout. Complete with the chipped and torn dustwrapper which has a little loss to the foot of the upper panel, head of the spine and head of the rear panel and fading to the spine. Not price-clipped ("Two Shillings" to the front flap).

Signed on the front free endpaper in ink and pencil by Spanish Civil War veterans Arthur Nicoll, Bob Cooney, Paddy O'Daire, Sam Wild, Morris Davies, Malcolm Dunbar, Robert Walker, Jim Ruskin, George Fletcher, Fred Copeman, Tom Murray and D. F. Springhall. William Rust, later editor of the Daily Worker, who served as a war correspondent in Spain during the Civil War, here draws upon first-hand testimonies to provide an account of the British volunteers who went to fight fascism overseas in the years just prior to the Second World War. All bar one of those who have signed the present volume are described in the text, with their experiences narrated in detail, particularly those of Fred Copeman, who became commander of the British Battalion and appears here on the dustwrapper.

First edition in book form. Publisher's original green cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. Top edge greenA lovely fine copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth and gilt fresh. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the very lightly rubbed dustwrapper that remains without fading, loss or tears. Not price-clipped ($3.00 to the lower front flap).

An unusually attractive example of this collection of 15 stories, chosen from early issues of Black Mask magazine by its esteemed editor Joseph T. Shaw.

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Publisher's original blue cloth with titles in gilt to the spine, in dustwrapper. Colour map endpapers. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with a little bumping to the corners. The contents with one page a the rear slightly roughly opened, a very minor crease to the last few pages and a tiny scorch mark to the blank margin of pp.86-90 are otherwise in very good order and clean throughout. Complete with the very good dustwrapper which has some toning to the spine and a few small nicks to the extremities. Not price-clipped (12/6 net to the front flap).

Signed and inscribed by R. W. Thompson in blue ink on the title page "R.W. Thompson / For Frank Owen / with all good wishes / Nov. 47". An account of a journey through Europe from Tromso in North Norway to the Black Sea in the aftermath of the Second World War by the journalist Reginald William Thompson (1904-1977), who had previously served with the the Intelligence Corps as well as working as a war correspondent.

Third edition, second impression (sixteenth impression overall). Original green cloth with dark blue titles to the spine and upper board, and illustrations to the spine and both boards, in dustwrapper. Endpapers with map illustrations. With 4 colour plates and 8 black and white illustrations by the author. A very good copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth a little faded to the spine and the top edges. The contents, with a previous owner's inscription opposite the half title, minor spotting to the text block edges and extremely infrequently internally, are otherwise clean. Complete with the original dustwrapper with a wraparound illustration by Tolkien, which is faded to the spine, has some staining to the edges, and a few short closed tears on and around the flap and spine folds. Not price clipped (20s. net to the front flap).

[Hammond A3i].

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original green cloth with gilt titles to spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated with line drawings by Caroline Holden throughout. An excellent near fine copy, the binding square and firm with a hint of bumping at the spine tips and a slightly rolled spine. The text block edges are toned as always due to the paper quality used in production, the contents are otherwise clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the bright original dustwrapper that is lightly creased at the spine tips but without fading, loss or tears. Not price-clipped (£4.95 to the front flap).

An excellent example of the author's first book, a classic of Young Adult literature that justifiably was very quickly into reprint.

First edition. Three volumes. Handsomely bound in contemporary full olive-green morocco, the boards with elaborate gilt borders, the spines with four raised bands, compartments richly decorated in gilt, and with titles in gilt. Speckled page edges. Marbled endpapers. Silk ribbon page marker to each volume. Engraved armorial bookplate to the front pastedown of each volume. A near fine set, the bindings square and tight with a couple of very minor scruffs to the spine of the first volume and a touch of rubbing to the extremities. The contents with some faint occasional spotting are otherwise clean and bright throughout. An excellent set.

The first novel by the English bookseller, antiquarian and orientalist Edward Upham (1776-1834), forming an exoticised, and occasionally fantastical, tale of life in ancient Egypt, tracing the fortunes of the brothers Sabacon and Rameses, sons of the Egyptian general Sosis, during the reign of Amenophis. Upham was well-respected for his non-fiction works concerning the histories of Buddhism, China, the Ottoman Empire, and Ceylon, and the present novel also reflects his scholarly inclinations, containing extensive historical detail within the text and offering copious footnotes on all manner of aspects of ancient Egyptian history, focussing in particular upon the theory that the ancient Egyptians were, in fact, well in advance of the modern period in various branches of science and learning.

Early reprint. Original red cloth with black illustrations and titles to the spine and upper board, in dustwrapper. With two full page black and white illustrations. A very good copy, the binding square and firm, the contents, with a a little spotting to the text block edges, prelims, and occasionally the margins, are otherwise clean and without stamps or inscriptions. Complete with the original lightly rubbed and nicked dustwrapper which has some discolouration to the front panel and a small hole near the foot of the rear spine fold. Not price clipped (2/6 net to the front flap). A very attractive edition, seldom encountered in the dustwrapper.

First edition with these illustrations. Recent fine binding of quarter black morocco over red patterned paper covered boards; with six raised bands, gilt ruled compartments and titles in gilt on burgundy morocco labels to the spine. Illustrated with 30 full page colour plates and two vignettes by Ul de Rico. Housed in a bespoke grey cloth slipcase. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, the contents lightly toned at the edges are otherwise clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps.

With a foreword by Sir Georg Solti. First edition with the Italian visual artist Ul de Rico's wonderful illustrations, beautifully presented in a bespoke fine binding by designer bookbinder Stephen Conway.