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"May blessings be upon the head of Cadmus, the Phoenicians, or whoever it was that invented books." -Thomas Carlyle

Welcome to my virtual book collection. Since collecting actual books is somewhat cost-prohibitive, I've begun to amass all of the books I would love to have if I had the means. Some are new, lots are old, all are unique or beautiful or unusual or in some other way have captured my fancy. Enjoy browsing!

Special Collections: Fine Bindings ~ Fairies and Fairy Tales ~ Terror and Madness ~ Poetry ~ Food, Drink and Apothecary ~ Science Fiction ~ Illuminations, Lettering and Hand-Coloring ~ Magic ~ Supernatural and Occult ~ Alchemy ~ Science and Technical ~ Maritime ~ Costumes ~ Humor ~ Children's books ~ Legend of King Arthur ~ Americana ~ 18th Century ~ 19th Century

Authors and illustrators: Edgar Allan Poe ~ Jules Verne ~ Edmund Dulac ~ Kay Nielsen ~ Arthur Rackham ~ Edward Gorey ~ Charles Dickens ~ H.P. Lovecraft ~ William Hope Hodgson ~ Mark Twain ~ Lewis Carroll ~ Salvador Dali ~ George Cruikshank ~ Emily Dickinson ~ Geoffrey Chaucer ~ H.G. Wells

Posts tagged History.

In Many Wars by Many War-Correspondents.
Lynch, George and Palmer, Frederick; editors.

Photographic frontispiece and several full-page illustrations (one folding). 8vo, original pictorial printed silk over card covers with silk ties, soiled with scattered staining; rear free endpaper torn. (Tokyo): Tokyo Printing Company, (1904)

First edition, with mounted signature of Jack London and 44 other war correspondents. A collection of articles, including London’s piece entitled “A Camera and a Journey,” covering the Russo-Japanese War. Page iii of Contents has pasted over correction of “by Richmond” in place of [Richard] Smith. A total of 49 contributions, 45 of them with the autograph of the author mounted to the page at the end of their contribution. A legendary rarity and one of the most elusive signed Jack London items. BAL 11883.

Oregon Voters’ Pamphlet 1912 Page 2

On November 5 1912, by a vote of 52% in favor, women in Oregon won the right to vote - eight years before the 19th Amendment / Susan B. Anthony amendment is ratified and becomes law. There is lots of interesting information on the history and timeline of suffrage in Oregon here.

Echoes of the Welsh Hills
David Davies. Alexander and Shepheard, 1883.

Or Reminiscences of the Preachers and People of Wales, wood-engraved frontispiece, publisher’s pictorial morocco gilt, g.e., , 8vo.

Crusader Castles
T.E. Lawrence. Golden Cockerel Press, 1936.

2 vol., LIMITED TO 1,000 COPIES, plates, 2 maps in separate pocket at end, uncut in original red half morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, t.e.g. [O’Brien A188, A189], 4to,

Posthumous publication of Lawrence’s thesis. “Before he became famous throughout the world as Lawrence of Arabia, T. E. Lawrence travelled through Britain, France, Syria and Palestine to research his undergraduate thesis on ‘The Influence of the Crusades on European Military Architecture to the End of the Twelfth Century’. Lawrence’s brilliant observations have since been confirmed by modern research. Moreover, the thesis and correspondence that make up Crusader Castles give us an insight into both Lawrence’s fascination with the Crusades and his origins as an adventurer.” (foliosociety.com)

A Detection of the Actions of Mary, Queen of Scots, Concerning the Murther of her Husband, and Her Conspiracy, Adultery and Pretended Marriage with the Earl Bothwel.
Modern half calf [Wing B5282], Richard Janeway, 1689—

_______________________________________
It is to be confessed that in this History there is but a parcel,
and it tells you but of one circumstance, yet gives light to
a many considerable ones, which
that the common Reader may the better draw
out, I shall only briefly acquaint him that
James the fifth, a cruel and vain-glorious
‘Prince lost his two only Sons, (both in one
week] a little before he was slain at Flod-
den-field, and so left no other Heir, but
Mary, a Child of four days old, which he
never had seen. This Child was accepted
and at five years of age ( the Scots seeing
they were likely to make better merchandize
of her in France, than in England, tho’ they
then profer’d high sent her into France, and at
12 married her to the Dauphin………

Chronicles of Fashion, from the Time of Elizabeth to the Early part of the Nineteenth Century
Elizabeth Stone. London: Richard Bentley, 1845

Two volumes gilt morocco extra by Bayntun, with approximately 100 extra plates, 8vo, (good).

—————————————————————
“Fashion, who had found a haven and a home in the Court of Charles the Second, fled from its precincts during the occupation of his successors, the stern and unattractive William and Mary, the homely and indolent Anne, and the heavy and uninteresting German Elector. They had not any of them a spark of that brilliancy whose coruscations in the chambers of Whitehall had dazzled the eyes of beholders, and almost blinded them to the real nature of the orgies carried on within. We have seen that virtuous and irreproachable as Mary’s personal character was, she won none to her circle; she beguiled none of the votarists of the very questionable code of manners of her uncle’s and father’s day to imitate the purity and propriety of her own. It was not because she was virtuous, but because she was cold and repulsive, that Fashion fled away.”

-opening paragraph of Volume 2

Ouch.

Mémoires sur la Bastille, et la Détention de l’Auteur dans ce Château Royal, depuis le 27 Septembre 1780, jusqu’au 19 Mai 1781.
LINGUET, SIMON-NICOLAS-HENRI.

Engraved frontispiece. iv, 171 pages * [SERVAN, JOSEPH-MICHEL-ANTOINE.] Apologie de la Bastille. Pour servir de Réponse aux Mémoires de M. Linguet sur la Bastille … Par un Homme en Pleine Campagne. [iii]-vi, [6], 231 pages; lacks half-title. 2 volumes in one. 8vo, contemporary sheep, spine ends damaged, cover corners worn through, joints cracked, cords intact; scattered stains, outer margin of G7 restored in first work. “Londres: De l’Imprimerie de T. Spilsbury,” 1783; “Philadelphie,” 1784

Woman: in All Ages and in All Countries, vol. 2-10 (of 10)
Philadelphia, Printed for Subscribers Only by George Barrie, [1907]

NUMBER 6 OF 7 COPIES “issued with watercolor vignettes on the sub titles”, from an overall edition of 1000 copies, Original watercolour vignette of a woman on each half-title, numerous plates, mostly printed in 4 states, without the additional portfolio of plates, publisher’s blue crushed morocco gilt, signed inside upper cover “bound by Barrie”, spines with peacock motifs in gilt and red morocco onlays, morocco doublures with elaborate borders of linked chains, peacock feathers and flower sprays in gilt and morocco onlays, the front doublure with central oval incorporating a hand-painted portrait of a woman in national dress, the lower one with central design of a naked woman standing on top of a globe, watered silk free endpapers, g.e., slipcases, 8vo,

B-A Note: Manybooks.com lists the ten volumes, and the texts are available for download there as well.

The Pilgrim Fathers: A Journal of their coming in the Mayflower to New England and their Life and Adventures there
Theodore Besterman, editor. Inlaid Cartographic Binding by Denise Lubett. Golden Cockerel Press, 1939.

8 wood-engraved illustrations by Geoffrey Eales. 8vo, gray-green morocco with tan morocco onlays forming a map of Massachusetts Bay, by Lubett, with her monogram stamp on rear lower turn-in; contents clean; 1/4 morocco folding case, spine darkened. number 65 of 300 copies.

Pompe Funebri di Tutte le Nationi del Mondo
Verona, Francesco Rossi, 1646

Second revised and corrected edition of a description of the various modes of burial with all sorts of different people of the world, including descriptions of the religious traditions on death and burial as well as wordly views on the matter.

Depictions of Commemorative Tombstones
BOXHORN, Marcus Zuerius. Amsterdam, Joannes Janssonius, 1638.

Bound in a very fine contemporary French black morocco mourning binding, spine ribbed and fully gilt with tear drops in compartments, sides with numerous tear-drops within triple gilt fillet and dentelle borders, large gilt coat-of-arms in centre, comprising lion rampant, three stars and three rosettes. With engraved frontispiece and 125 full-page engraved plates with grave-stones and tombs of famous Italian men, including Cicero, Ovidius, Lucretius, Virgilius, Dante Alighieri and many others.

A Sentimental History of Chimney Sweeps in London & Westminster, Shewing the Necessity of putting them under Regulations to prevent the grossest Inhumanity to the Climbing Boys…,

Hanway (Jonas). First edition, engraved title and plate, title corner torn with loss, preliminaries small tears at head and slightly stained, contemporary sheep, gilt, a little rubbed, corners worn, rebacked, 8vo, 1785.

Curiosities, Rarities & Wonders in England, Scotland, and Ireland
R.B. (Nathanael) Crouch, 1685.

Fourth edition enlarged, engraved frontispiece, 5 plates, 3pp. advertisements at end, contemporary ownership inscription to endpaper, frontispiece becoming loose, torn at top edge, lightly soiled, contemporary calf, chipped and rubbed, joints cracked, lower board becoming loose, 12mo, for Nath. Crouch at the Bell, [1685]. *** An account of earthquakes, tempests, fires, murders etc around the British Isles. Scarce, only 4 copies listed in libraries on ESTC.

The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh
Sir Francis Bacon, 1622.

First edition, mixed issue, with errata partially corrected, engraved portrait frontispiece and title.

 
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