Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Greece) from Louise Aird

This is a very handsome copy of The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision, by the British historian Henry Kamen, who is an expert on the subject. In it, he dispels many of the myths and misconceptions about what happened during that dark time; he argues that there was less persecution and violence than we think. This book was first published in… Read more about this item

This is a first Readers Union (UK) edition of The Ides of March, which was first published in the US in 1948. It is by the American playwright and novelist Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) and is about the last days of the Roman Republic and the events leading up to the murder of Julius Caesar. It's a very plain book. Red covers… Read more about this item

This is a pristine First American Edition (1975) of Napoleon by the English author John Bowle. It is the biography of the great general, going from birth to death. It was first published in the UK in 1973. This copy was also printed in the UK, then shipped to the US for marketing by a Chicago publisher. Laminated covers. Unclipped dust jacket.… Read more about this item

This is a stated first edition (1966) of The Grass Crown, the second historical novel in the epic Masters of Rome series by the great Australian writer Colleen McCullough (1937-2015). From the publisher: In this great drama, Marius, the general who saved Rome from barbarian invasion and became consul an unprecedented six times, has fallen into decline. Sulla, his closest associate,… Read more about this item

This is a first edition (1966) of I, The King, a best-selling work of non-fiction by the American writer Frances Parkinson Keyes (1885-1970). It tells the story of the Philip IV of Spain (1605-1665), an accomplished and talented man who gave us the Golden Age of Spanish culture--and then was blamed for the decline of Spain. His story is told… Read more about this item

This is an unread first edition of The Complete Paintings of Pablo Picasso, Blue and Rose Periods. It was written/compiled by art historians Denys Sutton and Paolo Lecaldano and published in 1968. Works covered are from Picasso's Blue Period (1901-1904) and Rose Period (1904-1906), when he was in his early 20s. The book consists of a minimal amount of introductory text,… Read more about this item

This is an unread copy of Imperial Rome, part of the Great Ages of Man series which Time-Life Books began publishing in the 60s. This book was written in 1965 by the American academic Moses Hadas (1900-1966); Time-Life's editors updated it and it was republished in 1979. This book was well received. One review says "Great use of… Read more about this item

This is an excellent cookbook. But it's not just recipes; it tells the story of Italian Cooking. The editorial goes into great detail and there are loads of color photos, including maps and demos. Hard cover, 208 pages. There are a few marks on the cover. The spine is greatly darkened, just from sitting on a shelf for all of these years.The… Read more about this item

This is a mint-condition first edition (1973) of The Peninsular War, by the military historian Roger Parkinson. The Peninsular War was the military conflict fought by Spain and Portugal, assisted by the United Kingdom, against the invading and occupying forces of France for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. It began in 1808 with Napoleon at the… Read more about this item

From 1978 to 1981, Time-Life Books published a series called 'The Seafarers'. It was 22 volumes, all written by experts in their fields, on different aspects of maritime history. All are 175-185 pages, all bound in thick black leatherette, all beautifully illustrated with drawings, paintings and photographs. Of the 22, I have 11 left (the list is below). All are listed here… Read more about this item

This is actually an art history textbook, but it's a fascinating read and a must-have for those interested in art history. It was first written by Helen Gardner in 1926 but was continuously updated; this is the 8th edition, written by Richard Tansey and Horst de la Croix. I attach photos of the table of contents. From a Review:"The market-leading text for… Read more about this item

Gourmet Magazine, the Magazine of Good Living. May 1992 See Table of Contents Scans Highlights - Gourmet Getaways: Martha's Vineyard - Gourmet Holidays: Sailing the Maine Coast - Feature: Barcelona - Feature: Prague - Moving to the Perigord 220 Pages Excellent Condition: there are a few dogears and a tiny tear where the cover meets the spine, which I've taped.

This is a first edition of Perspectives on Man: The Primitives of Italy, part of the The Universal History of Painting, a series published in 1979 by Ferni Geneva. (I also have The Impressionists from the same series.) It was written by Daniel Arasse (1944-2003), a French art historian who specialized in Renaissance and Italian art. From a review: Arras' book on… Read more about this item

This is an unread (stated) first edition of The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, an illustrated novel by Italian writer Umberto Eco. It was first published in Italian in 2004; in English in 2005. The title is taken from the title of an Italian edition album of an episode of the American comic strip Tim Tyler's Luck. It is about a… Read more about this item

This is a stated first edition of Italian Folk Tales, the best-selling collection selected and retold by the Italian author Italo Calvino (1923-1985). The English translation was first published in 1980 and it was on the New York Times Top Ten Best Books list for that year. It is 200 tales, of fantasy and mystery, romance and… Read more about this item

This is a first edition of The Bridesmaid, a best-selling 1989 novel by the British author Ruth Rendell. It is about a man whose feminine ideal is a Greek goddess; when he meets a woman who matches that image, he thinks he's found true love—until she demands that he commit murder. In 2004, it was adapted into the acclaimed French… Read more about this item

This is a trade paperback of The Liri Valley: Canada's WWII Breakthrough to Rome, written by the Canadian military historian Mark Zuehlke. For the Allied Armies fighting their way up the Italian boot in early 1944. Rome was the prize that could only be won through one of the greatest offensives of the war. It is a gripping story of courage… Read more about this item

This is a first edition of a rare book: Modigliani, a folio published by Harry N Abrams as part of its Great Art of the Ages series. It is a collection and short biography of the famed Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920). The text is by the French sculptor Jacques Lipchitz (1891-1973), who was Modigliani's best friend, and a… Read more about this item

This is one of the loveliest cookbooks I've seen--it could double as a coffee table book. It's big--10 1/4" x 14 1/3", 256 pages. It is 250 recipes from traditional Tuscan cuisine, all perfectly laid out and photographed. It also contains photographs of the Tuscan landscape and people. It was written by Lorenza de Medici,… Read more about this item

In this book, two scholars bring us a broad panorama of the art, architecture and sculpture of 17th and 18th centuries, the most dynamic era in the history of art. Julius Held covers Flemish, Dutch and English painting, as well as Italian sculpture, Italian architecture and Northern European architecture. Donald Posner writes about France, Spain and Italy. Dark red boards with… Read more about this item