Native Son by Richard Wright - 1940

De l'imprimerie de P. Didot L'Aine. L'An 111 de la Republique. 1795. Edition limited to 100 copies. Se vend chez Ponce et Regnault, graveurs, rue du Fauberg Jacques.In 18: 11x 17cm. Half title, x (in smaller state), 173pp. Eng. frontis by Rouchard, 3 double engraved plates after Marillier (in two states, & large paper). Occasional light spotting. Fine copy in the original full crushed red levant morocco, raised bands to spine, inner gilt dentelles, silk bookmarker, top edge gilt.
Provenance:
A fine copy from the libraries of two notable bibliophiles.
Bookplate of Lord Stanley of Alderley. John Thomas Stanley (1766-1850), 7th Baronet and First Baron Stanley of Alderley of Alderley Park, Cheshire. He undertook learned expeditions to the cultural centres of Europe, becoming one of the first explorers of Iceland.
Amédée Rigaud (1819-1874), circular bookplate, black and gilt with elaborate initial R, motto "bona fide sine fraude". This volume is listed in the Catalogue de Beaux Livres Rare et Curieux… Read More

First UK edition. John Camden Hotten. London. 1868. Small octavo. xii, 403pp. Half title, Frontispiece portrait. Title. Later full blue calf, spine in six compartments with raised bands, leather labels, gilt rules and lettering. Lightly toned. Spine slightly darkened. Signature of Raisley Moorsom in pencil to ffep.
The first edition of Whitman published in the UK, the only time Whitman (reluctantly) allowed his writings and his portrait photograph to be censored.

The second edition with additions. Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme. London. [1805] G. Woodfall, Printer, Paternoster Row to verso of half title. Octavo. Half title, Title, xv, 300, (21), (bl.), (1), (1)pp. 6 folding engraved plates. Later half calf, marbled boards, spine in six compartments, leather label, gilt lettering, rules and embellishment. Minor corner chips to half-title. Short closed fold tear to Plate I. Toned with some light offsetting of plates, foxing/browning to index.
This edition has an additional plate to the 1790 edition, plus additional material. The plates are each dated September 1, 1805. Significant to the library of the vine. A handsome volume.
William Speechly (1723 – 1819), gardener to the Duke of Portland at Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire. ODNB.

Printed by W.S. for Richard and Ralph Simpson near the North Door of St Paul's. London. Third edition. 1708. Octavo. (8), 310pp. Contemporary calf, relaid to spine. Decorative and elaborate original blind tooling and speckle to upper and lower boards. Spine in six compartments with raised bands, blind rules, leather label, gilt lettering. Vestiges of floral gilt tooling to edges. Corners slightly bumped and rubbed. Edges sprinkled red. Endpapers toned. Light marginal water stain to lower gutter of title page. Wright Bookplate to fep. A pleasure to hold and to read.
Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet (1628-1699) Restoration diplomat, statesman and essayist. Jonathan Swift was his secretary from 1689; the original manuscript of this work was in Swift's hand. Swift began a sequel, but later abandoned it. Samuel Johnson stated Temple was "the first writer who gave cadence to English prose" and modelled his own style upon it. One of the earliest scholarly studies of Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman culture.
ESTC… Read More

New York J. R. Anderson & H. S. Allen. Boston, Lee & Shepard, 1882. New York J. R. Anderson & H. S. Allen. Boston, Lee & Shepard (1882). Olive Green boards , Black lettering with embossed Gold design to front cover and spine, clean, bright and vibrant. No. VERY Good ++Near Mint, tight,.clean, spine is intact, no pulling. Text clean, very little yellowing, if any, corners not pumped. minute shelf wear at top and bottom of spine./DJ. Mary Virginia Terhune (née Hawes, December 21, 1830 - June 3, 1922), also known by her penname Marion Harland, was an American author. She began her career writing articles at the age of 14, using various pennames until 1853, when she settled on Marion Harland. Her first novel was published in 1854 and would go on to sell over 100,000 copies. For fifteen years she was a prolific writer of best-selling women's fiction novels, as well as writing numerous serial works, short stories, and essays for magazines. After marrying Presbyterian minister Edward Payson Terhune in… Read More

De l'imprimerie de P. Didot L'Aine. L'An 111 de la Republique. 1795. Edition limited to 100 copies. Se vend chez Ponce et Regnault, graveurs, rue du Fauberg Jacques.In 18: 11x 17cm. Half title, x (in smaller state), 173pp. Eng. frontis by Rouchard, 3 double engraved plates after Marillier (in two states, & large paper). Occasional light spotting. Fine copy in the original full crushed red levant morocco, raised bands to spine, inner gilt dentelles, silk bookmarker, top edge gilt.
Provenance:
A fine copy from the libraries of two notable bibliophiles.
Bookplate of Lord Stanley of Alderley. John Thomas Stanley (1766-1850), 7th Baronet and First Baron Stanley of Alderley of Alderley Park, Cheshire. He undertook learned expeditions to the cultural centres of Europe, becoming one of the first explorers of Iceland.
Amédée Rigaud (1819-1874), circular bookplate, black and gilt with elaborate initial R, motto "bona fide sine fraude". This volume is listed in the Catalogue de Beaux Livres Rare et Curieux… Read More

First UK edition. John Camden Hotten. London. 1868. Small octavo. xii, 403pp. Half title, Frontispiece portrait. Title. Later full blue calf, spine in six compartments with raised bands, leather labels, gilt rules and lettering. Lightly toned. Spine slightly darkened. Signature of Raisley Moorsom in pencil to ffep.
The first edition of Whitman published in the UK, the only time Whitman (reluctantly) allowed his writings and his portrait photograph to be censored.

The second edition with additions. Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme. London. [1805] G. Woodfall, Printer, Paternoster Row to verso of half title. Octavo. Half title, Title, xv, 300, (21), (bl.), (1), (1)pp. 6 folding engraved plates. Later half calf, marbled boards, spine in six compartments, leather label, gilt lettering, rules and embellishment. Minor corner chips to half-title. Short closed fold tear to Plate I. Toned with some light offsetting of plates, foxing/browning to index.
This edition has an additional plate to the 1790 edition, plus additional material. The plates are each dated September 1, 1805. Significant to the library of the vine. A handsome volume.
William Speechly (1723 – 1819), gardener to the Duke of Portland at Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire. ODNB.

Printed by W.S. for Richard and Ralph Simpson near the North Door of St Paul's. London. Third edition. 1708. Octavo. (8), 310pp. Contemporary calf, relaid to spine. Decorative and elaborate original blind tooling and speckle to upper and lower boards. Spine in six compartments with raised bands, blind rules, leather label, gilt lettering. Vestiges of floral gilt tooling to edges. Corners slightly bumped and rubbed. Edges sprinkled red. Endpapers toned. Light marginal water stain to lower gutter of title page. Wright Bookplate to fep. A pleasure to hold and to read.
Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet (1628-1699) Restoration diplomat, statesman and essayist. Jonathan Swift was his secretary from 1689; the original manuscript of this work was in Swift's hand. Swift began a sequel, but later abandoned it. Samuel Johnson stated Temple was "the first writer who gave cadence to English prose" and modelled his own style upon it. One of the earliest scholarly studies of Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman culture.
ESTC… Read More

New York J. R. Anderson & H. S. Allen. Boston, Lee & Shepard, 1882. New York J. R. Anderson & H. S. Allen. Boston, Lee & Shepard (1882). Olive Green boards , Black lettering with embossed Gold design to front cover and spine, clean, bright and vibrant. No. VERY Good ++Near Mint, tight,.clean, spine is intact, no pulling. Text clean, very little yellowing, if any, corners not pumped. minute shelf wear at top and bottom of spine./DJ. Mary Virginia Terhune (née Hawes, December 21, 1830 - June 3, 1922), also known by her penname Marion Harland, was an American author. She began her career writing articles at the age of 14, using various pennames until 1853, when she settled on Marion Harland. Her first novel was published in 1854 and would go on to sell over 100,000 copies. For fifteen years she was a prolific writer of best-selling women's fiction novels, as well as writing numerous serial works, short stories, and essays for magazines. After marrying Presbyterian minister Edward Payson Terhune in… Read More