Life on the Mississippi by Twain, Mark (Samuel Clemens) - 1883

Nattali and Bond. London. No Date.,Circa 1850. THREE VOLUMES. Tall 8vo (10.2 x 6.6 inches). Text and plates taken from the Ninth edition. Complete set of this famous trilogy, with 80 fine hand-coloured, full page, aquatint plates, the colouring still strong and bright, by Thomas Rowlandson. Some minor spots of foxing to a few leaves in each volume but generally clean and bright copies in the scarce original publisher's brown cloth bindings, with gilt lettering and decoration on spines. Decorative blind stamped panels on boards. Original yellow coated endpapers. Previous owners bookplates to front paste downe endpapers. Some rubbing to top and tail of spines and fore-edges, and a couple of the hinges with neatly repaired splits (about 1.5 inches) but generally these are very good examples. Slight uniform fading to spines but overall a very attractive set of this classic work with Rowlandson's humourous plates. Uncommon in the publishers original decorative cloth bindings.:

Hurst and Blackett. London. 1856 . FIRST EDITION. Three volumes. 8vo. (7.8 x 5.2 inches). Integral publishers advert leaves at the end of each volume (iii, i, ii) but bound without the publishers catalogue in volume one. Some minor foxing to a few pages but generally a very good clean copy finely re-bound by Bayntun of Bath. Half brown morocco. Spines with raised bands, each with gilt decoration. Compartments double ruled, lettered and decorated in gilt. Tan cloth on boards Marbled endpapers. Top edges gilt. A lovely copy in a fine quality, highly attractive leather binding. Loosely inserted is a 4pp hand written letter from the author (" Your affectionate Dinah") to "My Dear Alice" ( her God Daughter, the subject of the poem "My Godchild Alice"), closely written in black ink on four sides of folded leaf, each side measuring 4.5 x 3.5 inches. The letter is undated but circa 1859 and discusses, among other things, the publisher Alexander Macmillan's approval of Clarence Dobell's illustrations for her… Read More

London; from March 30, 1850-May 28, 1859: (Bradbury and evans). Octavo. In 19 volumes, double-column. A weekly collection of stories, a mixture of fiction and nonfiction along with social issues of the time. While Dickens was the editor and he did serialize a few of his stories through this magazine, it have several "unnamed" contributors. An American edition was published but not well received as it pertained to the English way of life not American. Complete London editions are scarce. A complete set bound in 3/4 contemporary red morocco over marbled paper covered boards with matching endpapers, all edges marbled., raised bands gilt, title within one compartment gilt. All hinges and joints are fine and tight, internally clean and bright without foxing. Some rubbing or darkening to bindings. From the library Joseph Greene with his armorial bookplate. A very nice set containing six of the nine extra Christmas numbers.

London: A.H.Baily and Co., 83 Cornhill, 1834. 1st Edition . Half leather. Very Good. First edition, octavo, three volumes; xx, 288; 311; 308pp. In contemporary half calf over marbled boards (with light wear only), spines divided into five compartments by double gilt fillets, gilt lettered titles and volume numbers to second and fourth compartments respectively, all page edges marbled, half titles present, small bookselller's and early ownership labels to front pastedowns, very minor loss to front pastedown of volume three probably through label removal, light creasing to first few pages of volume three, unobtrusive spotting to opening and closing leaves of each volume, overall a very good clean copy. Hood's only novel was published the same year as the abolition of slavery and is centered on Walter Tyrell, born in St.Kitts and raised in Georgian society by Sir Mark Tyrell with all the trials and tribulations of racial prejudice this brings. An attractive copy in uncommon first edition of this… Read More

Longmans, Green, And Co. London. 1885. FIRST EDITION. Small 8vo. (6.4 x 4.5 inches). A bright and clean copy throughout with just a little browning to both free endpapers. Armorial bookplate on front paste down. Publishers original blue cloth binding. Boards with bevelled edges. Small gilt stamped publishers device to front board. Spine ruled and lettered in gilt. Top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Minor rubbing and darkening to the cloth edges but overall a very good copy.

London; from March 30, 1850-May 28, 1859: (Bradbury and evans). Octavo. In 19 volumes, double-column. A weekly collection of stories, a mixture of fiction and nonfiction along with social issues of the time. While Dickens was the editor and he did serialize a few of his stories through this magazine, it have several "unnamed" contributors. An American edition was published but not well received as it pertained to the English way of life not American. Complete London editions are scarce. A complete set bound in 3/4 contemporary red morocco over marbled paper covered boards with matching endpapers, all edges marbled., raised bands gilt, title within one compartment gilt. All hinges and joints are fine and tight, internally clean and bright without foxing. Some rubbing or darkening to bindings. From the library Joseph Greene with his armorial bookplate. A very nice set containing six of the nine extra Christmas numbers.

Tinsley Brothers, London, 1874. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. First edition of Jefferies' first novel, published at the author's own expense; this copy being Miller & Matthews third variant, with the uncorrected dedication leaf and without advertisements. 8vo. 309pp. Professionally re-cased retaining the original decorated cloth but with new endpapers. Just a touch of very minor soiling to several leaf margins. A very good copy of an extremely uncommon book - rarely found in the original binding, this example admittedly having undergone some careful restoration. Former owner bookplate to the front pastedown. Miller & Matthews (B4.3) estimate a print run of 500 copies, issued in three batches in July 1874, spring 1875 and this third one sometime afterwards but before August 1877..

Chapman & Hall. London. 1886 - 87. NEW EDITIONS. The first three volumes are the first printing of these reprints using the original stereotype plates from the original First editions which were published between 1843 and 1848. The last two volumes are reprints from one year later, dated 1887.---- Five volumes. 8vo. (6.9 x 4.5 inches). The volumes are illustrated throughout by many different artists including, Leech, Doyle, Tenniel and Maclise. ---- Publishers red cloth with gilt lettering and decoration to all five front boards and spines. Blind single ruled border on boards. Endpapers featuring printed adverts. Minor bumping to the corners but overall a very near fine set . The cloth is bright and clean and the gilt fresh and gleaming on all five books. A beautiful set in superior condition and scarce thus.

Strahan & Co. Publishers, London, 1871. Book. Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. The first collected edition. 12mo. Original green cloth with bevelled edges, the spine and upper boards gilt lettered and decorated, with blind-stamped decorations to the rear boards. All edges gilt. The cloth lightly marked in places, with some bruising to the spine ends. A touch of light very occasional spotting. The binding of volume eight cracked and splitting at the front hinge and most gatherings quite tender as a result. The half title and title page of volume six detached and laid-in, and five further volumes exhibit some tenderness to the front hinges and one a short tear to the upper gutter. A nice bright set, somewhat marred by the aforementioned binding issues, but really very crisp internally. The first collected edition of the author's complete and vastly influential fantasy output, comprising 'Within and Without' and 'A Hidden Life' (volume one), 'Poems', 'The Gospel… Read More

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. First Edition. Mixed state. Beautifully bound by Riviere in full calf with 5 raised bands, gilt trim to boards, and gilt text block edges. Tightly bound and square. Marbled end papers. Sophisticated owner's bookplate on front pastedown. Very clean internally. Virtually no foxing. A beautiful copy in collector's condition. Mostly first issue, thus, mixed state. Frontispiece portrait and 39 plates by Hablot K. Browne (Phiz). Octavo. First issue points include "visiters" for "visitors" on p. 272, "flys" for "flies" on p. 245, "suprise" for "surprise" on p. 586 line 24, "incontestible" for "incontestable" p.297 line 22, "latter' has been corrected to "letter" on page 160 line 6 from the bottom, and "visiter" has been corrected to "sister" on line 17, page 123. Illustrations on pages 25, 38, and 44 do not say Chapman and Hall. Therefore, this is a mixed state.