Paris: George Crés et cie Le Théatre d'art, 1920. First edition. Bound in three quarter dark blue leather, with marbled boards. A little rubbing to the edge of the spine, but overall clean and tidy. Gift inscription to the front end paper. Original paperback covers are bound in. These are a little darkened and slightly marked. (8), 181, (5) pages, frontispiece and title vignette in colour, vignettes, banners and ornaments in black after the compositions of George Barbier engraved on wood by Aubert. Overall in decent condition. This is #140 of the Papier de Rives (from a total limitation of 1950). Despite the high number printed, surprisingly few have survived to be offered for sale now. A very nice copy. 220 by 150mm (8¾ by 6 inches).

. Première édition. Relié en trois quarts de cuir bleu foncé, avec des planches marbrées. Un peu de frottement au bord du dos, mais l'ensemble est propre et bien rangé. Inscription de cadeau sur la première page de garde. Les couvertures originales en papier sont reliées. Elles sont un peu assombries et légèrement marquées. (8), 181, (5) pages, frontispice et vignette de titre en couleur, vignettes, bannières et ornements en noir d'après les compositions de George Barbier gravées sur bois par Aubert. L'ensemble est en bon état. Il s'agit du n°140 du Papier de Rives (sur une limitation totale de 1950). Malgré le nombre élevé d'exemplaires imprimés, un nombre étonnamment faible d'entre eux a survécu pour être proposé à la vente aujourd'hui. Un très bel exemplaire. 220 x 150 mm

London: John Long Limited, 1954. First Edition in original dust jacket. A memoir written by Douglas Valder Duff, once a British merchant seaman, Royal Navy officer, police officer, and author of over 100 books, including memoirs and books for children. Red cloth hardback book, with a photographic b/w frontis and several other b/w plates throughout. Dust jacket is lightly rubbed and soiled, but in good shape. Book in very good shape, with some light foxing inside, and to page edges. Also includes a loosely inserted letter from a couple called Mac and Phyllis gifting the book to their friends for Xmas 1954. The letter reveals that Mac was going with his friend Fatty Duff - as the letter calls him - to Palestine in the following February at the request of the Israeli government. 224 pages 220 x 145 mm (8¾ x 5¾ inches)

Düsseldorf: Künstler-Verein Malkasten, 1855. An attractive theatre poster, advertising a performance of Pannemann's Traum, starring Oswald Achenbach. A nice clean poster, in the style of Gustave Dóre. laid onto a backing sheet which is fractionally larger than the poster. The backing card has a little nicking to the edges, and marking to the rear. Overall, an excellent copy. 390 by 290mm (15¼ by 11½ inches). First Edition of this scarce poster. There are no other copies available to purchase at the time of cataloguing

. Une belle affiche de théâtre, annonçant une représentation du Traum de Pannemann, avec Oswald Achenbach. Une belle affiche propre, dans le style de Gustave Dóre, posée sur une feuille de support qui est légèrement plus grande que l'affiche. La carte de support présente quelques entailles sur les bords et des marques au verso. Dans l'ensemble, un excellent exemplaire. 390 par 290mm (15¼ par 11½ pouces). Première édition de cette affiche rare. Il n'y a pas d'autres exemplaires disponibles à l'achat au moment du catalogage.

London: The Cresset Press, 1931. Two volumes. Folio. One of 195 copies on Batchelor's handmade paper. (This copy #105). Set in type from a copy of the Revised 1674 edition (Paradise Lost) and the first edition of 1671 (Paradise Regained). Twenty wood-engravings (16 full-page, plus head- and tail-pieces in each volume) were designed and engraved on wood by Demitrios Galanis. Title page and Initial letters designed by Anna Simmons. The copies were printed Bernard Newdigate at Shakespeare Head Press, in Oxford. Volume I, (i)-xii, (1)-442, colophon; Volume II, (i-vi), (1)-88, colophon. 370 x 260 mm (14¾ x 10½ inches). Sold with this item, is a prospectus for this work, dated 1930, by Cresset Press, New York. This is printed in red and black 720 mm x 500 mm. Folded. Contains two engravings (one full page) and a leaf of the text. To the rear, is an apology to the Golden Cockerel Press for publishing a Milton at the same time that they are.

"The last and most beautiful book issued by the Cresset Press" (Sothebys).
Mr D. Galanis "Who, on the continent, is considered one of the finest contemporary wood-engravers" (Cresset advertising leaflet).

No slipcase. Marking to the covers and an area of damp staining to the back of Volume II. Inside, Volume I is spotless. There is a fractional staining to the last few leaves of Volume II (corresponding to the damp stain on the boards). Otherwise in excellent condition.

Paris: Aux Editions de La Sirène, 1921. First edition. 684/ 900 copies on papier Lafuma. Early rebind. Hardback paper covered boards, with leather label to spine. Lovely Greek patterned binding. Clean and tidy, with a touch of darkening and bumping but very presentable. Original pink softback covers bound in - these are in excellent condition, with a touch of darkening only. Clean and tidy lithographic portrait of the author by Picasso. (Previously unpublished). Pages are all clean, with a little darkening to the edges only. 60 pages. Index and colophon to rear. 190mm x 150mm

. Première édition. 684/ 900 exemplaires sur papier Lafuma. Reliure ancienne. Carton rigide recouvert de papier, avec étiquette en cuir au dos. Jolie reliure à motifs grecs. Propre et bien rangé, avec un peu de noircissement et de bosses, mais très présentable. Les couvertures roses d'origine sont reliées - elles sont en excellent état, avec seulement un peu de noircissement. Portrait lithographique de l'auteur par Picasso, propre et net. (Inédit jusqu'à présent). Les pages sont toutes propres, avec un léger assombrissement sur les bords seulement. 60 pages. Index et colophon au dos. 190 mm x 150 mm

London: Burns and Oates, 1910. First edition. Hardback. Pale brown cloth covers with gilt titles. Book plate of Syon Abbey to the inside front board. Three black and white illustrated plates. Rough cut page edges. There is a touch of fading to the cloth and a very pale cup ring to the front board. Slight bowing to the boards only. Internally clean and tidy throughout, with very slight foxing to the end papers. [vi], 78 pp. + plates

There is an anonymous biographical memoir of Hingston at the beginning of the book, written in a rather florid, late Victorian style. It is recorded here that she died in a tragic boating accident in 1907. In fact, her death was the result of a suicide pact, agreed with her fiancee Shirley Davidson, the son of Sir Charles Peers Davidson, Chief Justice of the Quebec Supreme Court. He refused to allow the marriage, as Aileen was a Roman Catholic. Ironically, in 1912, another son, Thornton Davidson - Shirley's older brother, was to die on the Titanic.

Paris: Societé Littéraire de France, 1916. A very nice copy of this numbered edition of poems of Flanders and Brabant with Dufy's illustrations. It was published to celebrate the victory at the Somme. Pale grey original paper covers. Clean and tidy if a little darkened. Reinforced to the head and tail of the spine. Internally clean and tidy throughout with a touch of darkening only. A nice copy. 230 pages. 165 by 130mm (6½ by 5 inches).

. Très bel exemplaire de cette édition numérotée de poèmes des Flandres et du Brabant avec les illustrations de Dufy. Elle fut publiée pour célébrer la victoire de la Somme. Couvertures en papier d'origine gris pâle. Propre et bien rangée, bien qu'un peu assombrie. Renforcées à la tête et à la queue du dos. A l'intérieur, l'ouvrage est propre et bien rangé, avec seulement un peu d'assombrissement. Un bel exemplaire. 230 pages. 165 x 130 mm

London: Printed by T. Bensley, for E. and S. Harding, 1797. Hardback, covered in marbled paper covers with leather label to the spine. The preface is dated March 1796, and the pagination conforms to the first edition, but the date to the title page has been very neatly cut out. We are a little confused by this copy. The pagination is correct, and every page number is present as it should be - but there are 14 engraved head pieces by Thomas Stothard, and 8 engraved tail pieces (not 14 as other 1st edition copies mention). The is also no full page engraving. So this may be a second edition without engraving? The label is darkened, and the edge of the spine a little chipped, exposing the paper beneath. Still attractive though. A few light foxing spots, but the engravings are good clean impressions.
The first section is of 'Elfin Eclogues', featuring characters from A Midsummer Night's Dream, with the remainder of the volume containing odes on various subjects, including: 'Music', 'Morning', 'Evening', 'the Glow-Worm', 'Love' and 'Youth'. vii, [1], 112 pp. 175 x 100 mm (7 x 4 inches).

London: E. Moxon, Son & Co ltd. Two volumes (both first editions 1872) bound together in a beautiful dark blue full leather binding with gilt decoration to the boards and the spine. The binding is slightly rubbed to the edges, with slight cracking to the bottom edge of the spine. but otherwise in very good condition. The binding is signed "Bound for George Rutland, Newcastle, Upon Tyne" We cannot find a binder of this name, but there was a publisher of (primarily) angling and fishing books based in Newcastle in this period, so it is presumably done for him. Inside, there is light to moderate foxing to many of the pages. Rear end papers have a darkening to the edges. This volume includes both the "Poems illustrated" and the subsequent volume "again illustrated" Pagination: viii, 109, [i]. vii, [i], 180 pp.

Prague: Antonín Víte, 1906. Original cardboard cover with embossed pale blue cover title and textile hasps. First and only edition of this visually charming, yet as regards the story also pertinently disturbing bibliophile edition, with 33 full-paged illustrations after indian ink or pencil drawings by Czech symbolist painter and printmaker Emil Holárek (1867-1919) after a fairy tale by Jaroslav Kvapil. The story is about a nymphet, who wears herself out between various institutions of state and society and the wickedness of their protagonists, finally ending up as a supposed culprit on the scaffold. The reproductions of Holáreks drawings are skilfully arranged by the Prague based printmaker Antonín Vítek by contrasting them with a ochre surface and ornamental frames and elegantly printed on cream machine-mould paper. Apart from minor wear to the cover and a few foxing stains inside, present is a very clean copy of this attractive bibliophile publication.

Holárek's unique and to some extent irritating style is marked by 'a sombre pessimism'. He embodied a sense of sarcastic moralism in most of his series, reflecting on a deep tragic and romantic conception. Except for his connection to [Max] Klinger [whom he met when studying in Munich] he never allied with any school, nor did he have any followers. (Urban).

Otto M. Urban: Mysterious Distances. Symbolism and Art in the Bohemian Lans, 1880-1914. Catalogue on the occasion of the Exhibition in the Olomouc Museum of Art 201/15. Olomouc/Prague: 2014, pp. 106-09, with 7 illustrations, whereof 3 of comparable ink or pencil drawings; Thieme/Becker, vol. XVII, 326.

320 by 250mm (12½ by 9¾ inches). 4Mo. 35, [5]. pages.