The Writings

Twain, Mark

Published by Gabriel Wells, New York, 1922

Signed

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Limited Edition. New York, Gabriel Wells, 1922-25 octavo, 37 volumes, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, others untrimmed, frontispiece portrait and numerous illustrations throughout the set. Printed on specially made all rag Old Enfold Paper which bears the watermark "Samuel L Clemens - Mark Twain". Pages nice and clean. Finely bound by the Chelsea Bindery, London, in burgundy morocco, titles and decorations to spine, raised bands, rule to boards, signature to front boards, inner dentelles. Signed by Mark Twain. An exceptional fine and clean set in a spectacular full morocco binding. The Definitive Edition. Limited to 1024 sets, this is number 390. Signed in 1906 SL Clemens/Mark Twain in anticipation of this ultimate edition, as explained by the publishers announcement. The set includes the extra two volumes of Autobiography. It was Mark Twain's most cherished desire that a definitive and complete edition of his entire literary output be published. Whit this end in view, shortly before his death, he autographed with his signature 1024 sheets which would be inserted in the first volume of such an edition of his work, when it might appear. These autographed sheets were so carefully and hermetically preserved that their very existence was lost sight of, until quite recently, when an inventory disclosed them. This fortuitous discovery made possible the fulfilment of Mark Twain's ambition, a project which ever since he passed away, has been increasingly demanded by the public-an absolute complete, comprehensive, and definitive edition of his writings, his full biographical data, ably edited, finely printed and illustrated, and autographed by Mark Twain's own hand- taken from the publishers advert for the set. A very fine set in a spectacular full morocco binding!. Signed by Author(s).

Signed by Author

US$ 39,850.00

The Works, The Crowborough Edition

Doyle, Arthur Conan

Published by Doubleday, Doran & Co, New York, 1930

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Limited Edition. New York, Doubleday, Doran & Co, The Crowborough Edition, octavo, 24 volumes, Fine and clean, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, with photogravure frontispiece portrait of Arthur Conan Doyle in volume 1, Contemporary full blue crushed morocco, spines with extra tooling gilt, raised bands, triple line rule with corner tools to front and also to back board, inner dentelles gilt. Limited edition of 760 numbered sets of which this copy is number 21. Signed on the limitation page by Arthur Conan Doyle in volume 1. The best and only complete edition of his collected works. A very fine set in an extremely rare contemporary (probably publishers deluxe) binding Fine and clean. Signed by Author(s).

US$ 28,700.00

Signed by Author

The Complete Works

Cooper James Fenimore

Published by W.A Townsend & Co, New York, 1859

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Special Edition. New York, W.A.Townsend, 1859-61, octavo 190 x 129 mm, The Complete Works, 32 volumes, gilded top edges, with all the engraved illustrations by drawings of F.O.C. Darley, tissue guards present, faint foxing to a few frontis, illustrated title pages and additional frontis, illustrations throughout, in a spectacular half morocco binding by Whitman Bennet, New York, titles and elaborate decoration on spines, raised bands, matching boards, an near perfect set of the Townsend edition including the " The last of the Mohicans", probably the best set in a most pleasing binding on the market for a long time.

US$ 12,950.00

Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World

Swift, Jonathan

Published by Benjamin Motte, 1726

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Printed for Benjamin Motte, London 1726, 2 volumes, First edition, First printing, Octavo, contemporary full speckled brown calf gilt, raised bands, brown morocco spine labels, housed in two custom cloth chemise and a fine clamshell box. Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World. In four parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon and then a Captain of several Ships. An extraordinary copy in unrestored full contemporary calf, one of the scarcest and most desirable books in all of English literature, with engraved frontispiece portrait of Gulliver, six plates (four maps and two plans), as well as numerous woodcut initials, head- and tail pieces. Exceptionally rare first issue, particularly in contemporary calf. A classic "at once a favorite book of children and a summary of bitter scorn for mankind", Swifts Masterpiece will "last as long as the language, because it describes the vices of man in all nations" (DNB) "A remarkable feat in the creation of imaginary worlds as a vehicle for satire upon the political and religious establishments of the day"(Clute & Grant, 914). "Gulliver's Travel has given Swift an immortality beyond temporary fame. for every edition designed for the reader with an eye to the historical background, 20 have appeared, abridged or adapted for readers who care nothing for the satire and enjoy it as a first class story" (PMM 185)." Of all Swift's writings it best shows the merits of his mind and his gifts of expression. it is important to realize that it could be written only by one who had the highest ideals for human achievement and who despaired of the achieving" (Baugh et al. 865-66)- although Swift himself expressed his hope for his "Travells" to a friend: "They are admirable Things, and will wonderfully mend the world" (Rothschild 2104). "Swift was just short of sixty when the work appeared which was to pluck his from the roster of 18th-century political pamphleteers and place it among the elect. He begun to write it many years before, not as something to be tossed off and hurled into the thick of just one more partisan scrimmage, but as a general, all-embracing satiric survey of mankind that could take much time in the making." (Winterich). First published October 28,1726," John Gay wrote Swift that the whole impression sold in a week" (Winterich, 215). This copy is the extremely rare first edition, first issue (Teerink"A"), with "subsidies" on Part I, 35.5; Part III page 74 misnumbered "44" and all other neccesary points. Frontispiece in second state (Teering,s state 2a), with Latin inscription on tablet and vertical chain lines as is usual with many first state copies. Teerink 290. Grolier 100 42. Anatomy of Wonder II-1114. Fantasy and Horror 2-55. Early ink owner signature of a member of the Cottrell Dormer family, a British aristocratic line. The Cottrell Dormers inhabited Rousham House, a manor in Oxfordshire. The family included Royalists as well as prominent military men. Notably, Rousham House had a "delightful" library according to Walpole an several members of the Cottrell Dormer family were avid book collectors. The signatures in this book are probably from Clement Cottrell Dormer- the first Cottrell owner of the manor- who took the name Dormer from his cousin, a general, from whom he inherited Rousham House. Cottrell Dormer was a knight, Master of Ceremonies, a close friend to Alexander Pope and an enthusiastic antiquary who began the family tradition of book-collecting. It seems rather likely that this most exceptional copy was once housed in his library. Includes a letter from 1925 from Bernhard Quaritch describing this copy " the finest copy that has been offered for sale in London for many years", laid in in volume 2. Interior generally clean and lovely, only minor rubbing to original bindings. A very handsome copy with a distinguished provenance.

US$ 116,500.00

(Reynard The Fox) Reynike Vosz de Olde

David Zoepfel

Published by David Zoepfel, 1562

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Frankfurt am Main, David Zoepfel, 1562, small quarto,(196 x 150 mm)ff,(8), 300. Late nineteen-century brown crushed morocco, spine with five raised bands, gilt in compartments, sites paneled in gilt, marbled endpapers, gilt edges, by Francis Bedford. Woodcut title vignette, 43 woodcuts in text (some repeats), title printed in black and red. Ownership inscription of William Tite dated 1856 to front free endpaper verso; engraved bookplate of C.S. Ascherson to front pastedown; above label of Edward Ascherson, with gift inscription from C.S.A to E.A. on front free endpaper verso dated Christmas eve 1901. Extremities very lightly rubbed, an excellent copy. The first of two Frankfurt printings by David Zoepfele that year, using the same woodcuts. The text is descended from the Low German version Reynke de Vos, first printed at Luebeck in 1498. This copy from the renowned library of the eminent British architect and book collector Sir William Tite (1798-1873), whose sale at Sothebys in May and June 1874 took sixteen days and produced the sum of GBP 19,943. It was one of the greatest collections of the time, including many rare books and historical autographs, and was almost the first of a series of great library sales of that era. A fine survival of exeptional rarety!.

US$ 14,750.00