THE REPUBLIC OF WINE. by Mo Yan - (2000)

Geneva: Apud Eustache Vignon, 1596.. Hardcover. Good. Thick quarto. Four volumes bound in one. With no separate title-pages to volumes II-IV. I: [iv]ff., 436cols.; II: 958cols.; III: 636cols.; IV: 714cols.; Index and Privilege - 40ff. I: 4, A4-O4, P2; II : aa8-zz8, Aa8-Gg8; III: a8-v8; IV: Aa8-Yy8, Zz4 ; Index & Privilege: A8-E8. Last leaf, E8, is blank and lacking. Engraved title-page. In a contemporary vellum binding.

London: James R. Osgood McIlvaine, 1891.. Small quarto. Gilt green cloth backed cream cloth over boards, elaborately decorated in gilt and red. Plates, illustrations and decorated endsheets. Binding a bit darkened, with some pale discolorations at edge, 1895 ownership signature on preliminary blank, corners a trifle worn, the plates by Shannon somewhat faded (as usual) but still legible, a few small nicks and a short tear to the edges of the front free endsheet but a good, sound copy, a few leaves unopened. First edition. Design, illustrations and decorations by C. Ricketts and C. Shannon, with plates by the latter. One of one thousand copies printed. Mason/Millard gives an account of the circumstances which led to the faint state of the Shannon plates. Contains four short stories: "The Young King" (which first appeared in THE LADY'S PICTORIAL, Christmas Number, 1888), "The Birthday of the Infanta" (which first appeared in PARIS ILLUSTRÉ, March 30, 1889), "The Fisherman and His Soul," and "The… Read More

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

London: The Society of Bibliophiles. Near Fine. 1898. First Edition Thus. Hardcover. A handsome binding in red morocco with 5 spine bands over red marbled boards. Gilt decoration & lettering. Top edges gilt. Matching marbled endpapers. This is copy "C" of a limited edition of 26 with text printed on Japanese vellum paper. There is a triplicate set of each illustration: Aquarelle, Tint and Japanese Proof. Each illustration is protected by a labeled tissue guard. Vol #1: [xii, 402pp, 10 illus]. Vol #2: [6, 376pp, 6 illus]. Vol 3; [6, 404pp, 10 illus]. Vol # 4: [6, 318pp, 6 illus]. Vol # 1 is VG+ with light rubbing to spine top & corners. Vols #2 - 4 are near fine. Wikipedia: "First published in a single volume in 1555, THE FACETIOUS NIGHTS OF STRAPAROLA is a collection of 75 stories by Italian author and fairy-tale collector Giovanni Francesco Straparola. Modeled after Boccaccio's Decameron, it is significant as often being called the first European storybook to… Read More

Rotterdam: Nijgh & van Ditmar, 1938. Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. 1st Edition. Bound in red cloth with black lettering. In original dust jacket. The book is in near fine condition. The binding is tight with slight lean, corners are sharp. No marks or inscriptions. Top edge stained grey. The original red lettered dust jacket shows wear and tears with loss to upper spine end and tape repairs. Light spotting and discoloration and fading to spine. 366 pp., 22,5 x 16,5 cm. First edition, first printing of one of the classics in Dutch literature in the extremely rare dust jacket. The book was adapted into a film in 1997 that won the Oscar for best International Feature Film. .

Geneva: Apud Eustache Vignon, 1596.. Hardcover. Good. Thick quarto. Four volumes bound in one. With no separate title-pages to volumes II-IV. I: [iv]ff., 436cols.; II: 958cols.; III: 636cols.; IV: 714cols.; Index and Privilege - 40ff. I: 4, A4-O4, P2; II : aa8-zz8, Aa8-Gg8; III: a8-v8; IV: Aa8-Yy8, Zz4 ; Index & Privilege: A8-E8. Last leaf, E8, is blank and lacking. Engraved title-page. In a contemporary vellum binding.

London: James R. Osgood McIlvaine, 1891.. Small quarto. Gilt green cloth backed cream cloth over boards, elaborately decorated in gilt and red. Plates, illustrations and decorated endsheets. Binding a bit darkened, with some pale discolorations at edge, 1895 ownership signature on preliminary blank, corners a trifle worn, the plates by Shannon somewhat faded (as usual) but still legible, a few small nicks and a short tear to the edges of the front free endsheet but a good, sound copy, a few leaves unopened. First edition. Design, illustrations and decorations by C. Ricketts and C. Shannon, with plates by the latter. One of one thousand copies printed. Mason/Millard gives an account of the circumstances which led to the faint state of the Shannon plates. Contains four short stories: "The Young King" (which first appeared in THE LADY'S PICTORIAL, Christmas Number, 1888), "The Birthday of the Infanta" (which first appeared in PARIS ILLUSTRÉ, March 30, 1889), "The Fisherman and His Soul," and "The… Read More

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

London: The Society of Bibliophiles. Near Fine. 1898. First Edition Thus. Hardcover. A handsome binding in red morocco with 5 spine bands over red marbled boards. Gilt decoration & lettering. Top edges gilt. Matching marbled endpapers. This is copy "C" of a limited edition of 26 with text printed on Japanese vellum paper. There is a triplicate set of each illustration: Aquarelle, Tint and Japanese Proof. Each illustration is protected by a labeled tissue guard. Vol #1: [xii, 402pp, 10 illus]. Vol #2: [6, 376pp, 6 illus]. Vol 3; [6, 404pp, 10 illus]. Vol # 4: [6, 318pp, 6 illus]. Vol # 1 is VG+ with light rubbing to spine top & corners. Vols #2 - 4 are near fine. Wikipedia: "First published in a single volume in 1555, THE FACETIOUS NIGHTS OF STRAPAROLA is a collection of 75 stories by Italian author and fairy-tale collector Giovanni Francesco Straparola. Modeled after Boccaccio's Decameron, it is significant as often being called the first European storybook to… Read More

Rotterdam: Nijgh & van Ditmar, 1938. Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. 1st Edition. Bound in red cloth with black lettering. In original dust jacket. The book is in near fine condition. The binding is tight with slight lean, corners are sharp. No marks or inscriptions. Top edge stained grey. The original red lettered dust jacket shows wear and tears with loss to upper spine end and tape repairs. Light spotting and discoloration and fading to spine. 366 pp., 22,5 x 16,5 cm. First edition, first printing of one of the classics in Dutch literature in the extremely rare dust jacket. The book was adapted into a film in 1997 that won the Oscar for best International Feature Film. .