Search Results: Authors starting with W from Peter Harrington

[Paris:] Imprimerie des Sciences et Arts,, [1793]. First edition of this scarce economic treatise from the prominent abolitionist. Like his associate Thomas Clarkson, Carl Bernhard Wadstrom (1746–1799) undertook first-hand investigations into the realities of the slave trade. As with Clarkson, his testimony was cited by Wilberforce in the great parliamentary debates of 1789-91. Here, Wadstrom reflects on the economic tensions between traders and farmers in the nascent French republic. Octavo (192 x 116 mm). Modern red straight-grain quarter morocco by Atelier Laurenchet, spine lettered and ruled in gilt, marbled paper sides, green morocco tips. A couple of spots of foxing: a very good copy indeed. Not in Goldsmiths' or Kress.

London: [Edward Millington,], 1669. A "sweepingly sceptical performance" First edition, first issue, with no publisher listed in the imprint. This is the author's most famous work, in which he "offered a robust critique of the belief in witchcraft, appealing to reason and invoking sarcasm to make his case that the power of witches was illusory" (ODNB). The work is significant as one of few such open and plainly-stated attacks on the belief in witchcraft at this date. John Wagstaffe (c.1633-1677) was a noted Oxford wit, known in London in the free-thought circles around the inns of court, and a "pioneering critic of commonplace witchcraft beliefs" (Hunter, p. 47). In this work, described by historian Keith Thomas as a "sweepingly sceptical performance" (p. 580), he takes "the view that witch beliefs had been consciously embroidered by the clergy as a means of self-aggrandizement" (ODNB). He lays out his argument in three parts, the first arguing that witchcraft is not found in scripture, the second… Read More

Costumes and Habits of People from all parts of the World, published by Wahler, Auguste, 1843 Brussels edition. A typical costume plate. Woodcut, original colour In fine condition.

London: James Elliott & Co.,, 1894. Waite's allegorical work for children First edition, in bright condition, of this uncommonly found allegorical children's fantasy. The work, set in the mythic land of Ravendale, features lightly disguised versions of Waite and his cohort. In "all his work Waite presented himself as a non-denominational mystic", here named "the Mystic", and depicted at page 95 (ODNB). Waite's wife, Ada, is represented as the dormouse, while her sister, and Waite's first and true love, Dora, is featured as the heroine, Mesuline. Waite first met Dora in 1886 and the two fell almost immediately in love; however, in June 1887 she married one Reverend Granville Stuart-Menteath. In January 1888, Waite in turn married her sister Ada. Dora and Waite remained close despite their marriages and the two families lived near one another in Gunnersbury. Stuart-Menteath's sister, Evelyn, was also a close friend of Waite's and provided the striking illustrations for this work and several of his… Read More

[Mona, Jamaica:] University College of the West Indies,, 1958. An early Caribbean printing First edition, second printing, of Walcott's early play following the story of the St Lucian fisherman Afa, who defies the elements by going to sea on a windy day. First printed and staged in Mona, Jamaica, in 1954, The Sea at Dauphin was "Walcott's most fully realized St Lucian play thus far in his career. It employs local registers throughout, blending Francophone patois elements with anglophone Creole, and this immersion in everyday St Lucian speech is complimented by a similar commitment to the local world in the use of a beach setting, which allows the sea to function as a major protagonist in the action" (Thieme, p. 52). Octavo. Original cream textured wrappers printed in black, wire-stitched as issued. Couple of small stains to wrappers, contents clean. A near-fine copy of this fragile publication. John Thieme, Derek Walcott, 1999.

London: Jonathan Cape,, 1962. Hearts learn to die well that have died before Uncorrected proof copy of the first edition. In A Green Night was the author's first collection of poems to be published outside of the Caribbean. Walcott went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992 and is best known for his Omeros (1990), an epic poem retelling the Homeric legends in a modern Caribbean setting. This poetry collection was his first major and international success. Dedicated to his mother, Alix Walcott, the book "brought together what he considered to be the best of his verse to date... [it] represents a coming of age for Walcott, the first clear step on his Odyssean journey towards becoming a Caribbean Homer" (Thieme, pp. 14 and 38). Octavo. Original light green paper wrappers decorated with white publisher's motif, lettered in black. With dust jacket. Tiny mark to top edge: a near-fine copy in like jacket. John Thieme, Derek Walcott, 1999.

New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux,, 1993. First edition, first printing, presentation copy to the publisher, Robert Giroux, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Bob, love and thanks, Derek, Tennessee, July 25 / 93". Walcott and Giroux shared a long association, which began in 1964 with the publication of Walcott's Selected Poems. Giroux was one of the most prolific publishers of the 20th century; he "was not only a working editor, he created a tradition as an agent, submitting poems to journals, handling requests for readings, and building the careers of his writers... reading memos between Giroux and others at Farrar, Straus later when Walcott's career began to take off, one can feel a sense of excitement" (King, p. 192). Walcott was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992 "for a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment". His Nobel Lecture, an evocative meditation on the culture of the Antilles, was… Read More

31 April 1969. Autograph letter signed from the 1967 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, George Wald, to the journalist Ray Gardner (1919-1997), journalist and editor at the Toronto Star, thanking him for a cartoon. "Dear Mr Gardner, At last I know whom to thank for that wonderful cartoon. It is just perfect for my second talk, the one at Chicago. I've given the text to the Globe, & told them to get in touch with you on the cartoon. It would run so well under some such head as: We've Become Dinosaurs Again - Many thanks - George Wald". Autograph letter signed on Wald's letterhead, stapled to the original envelope addressed to Gardner in Wald's hand. Light soiling to envelope, else in excellent condition.

Copenhagen: Edition Copenhagen,, 2015. Edition of 60. Signed, numbered and dated in pencil lower right by Waldach. Original lithograph on 2 sheets of 250 gsm Velin d'Arches paper. Sheet sizes: 100 x 69 cm. Excellent condition. Presented in 2 acrylic box frames.

New York: Corinth Books,, 1970. First edition, signed limited issue, number 39 of 50 copies, numbered and signed by the author. Giant Night was Waldman's third poetry collection. The total edition comprised 3,000 copies, of which 2,000 were issued in wrappers and 1,000 in cloth. Anne Waldman (b.1945) is an American writer, experimental poet, and lecturer connected to the Beat poets, in particular Allen Ginsberg, who once referred to Waldman as his spiritual wife. She is "known as one of the most influential performance poets of the 20th century", founded the poetry journal Angel Hair, and was active in editing a number of other key Beat publications (Oakes, p. 352). The poem "Giant Night" was previously published alone by Angel Hair in a pamphlet in 1968. Octavo. Original purple cloth, spine lettered in white. With the illustrated dust jacket, designed by Joe Brainard. A near-fine copy, couple of spots to cloth, internally clean, in the like dust jacket, unclipped, bright and sharp. Elizabeth H.… Read More

New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc.,, 1970. Coming down hard on America, you've got to have a heavy typewriter First edition, first printing, signed by the author on the title page. Ted Berrigan, contributing the blurb to this volume, assesses Waldman: "Her poems sing like prayers, pray like songs of joy, never failing to catch the rush of hope, despair, intensity and desperation which pours in in golden smog-filled red-haze with each breath of life. This book is an ordinary miracle." Octavo. Original purple cloth, spine lettered in metallic blue. With dust jacket. A fine copy in near-fine jacket, extremities a little rubbed, spine ends and corners a little nicked and creased, sharp and bright.

New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc.,, 1970. Coming down hard on America, you've got to have a heavy typewriter First edition, first printing, signed by the author on the title page. Ted Berrigan, contributing the blurb to this volume, assesses Waldman: "Her poems sing like prayers, pray like songs of joy, never failing to catch the rush of hope, despair, intensity and desperation which pours in in golden smog-filled red-haze with each breath of life. This book is an ordinary miracle." Octavo. Original purple cloth, spine lettered in metallic blue. With dust jacket. Spine and top edge a touch sunned, single mark to front board and one brown spot to fore edge, rear free endpaper a little soiled, very fresh and firm. A near-fine copy in jacket, a few nicks and trivial rubbing to extremities, spine panel a little toned with ends creased, clean and sharp.

Munich: Enja Records,, c.2000. Attractively signed by Waldron in blue ball-point pen on the front cover, "To Corvanvelsen, Thanks a lot for listening - Mal Waldron"; the recipient is almost certainly the Dutch illustrator and graphic designer Cor van Velsen (1921-2010), who executed some stylish covers for Philips, including that for an eye-catching jazz compilation of 1959. This is a later pressing of a live album recorded in June 1971 at the Domicile club in Munich and features Jimmy Woode (bass) and Pierre Favre (drums); it is similar in mood to another album for Enja, Up Popped the Devil (1973), which is described by the Penguin Guide as "one of Waldron's darker and more intense sessions". AllMusic awards Black Glory a four star (out of five) rating and remarks, "a master at using repetition and brooding chords, Waldron is in excellent form on five of his originals plus Woode's brief "M.C," playing with a knowledge of the avant-garde but still connected to the hard bop tradition". 12-inch vinyl… Read More

Japan: Globe,, 1971. Rare Japanese sample pressing signed cleanly by Waldron in full in blue ball-point pen on the front cover. The Call features Waldron on electric piano, accompanied by Jimmy Jackson on electric organ, Eberhard Weber on bass and Fred Braceful on drums. Photos and stylish album design are by the great Japanese jazz photographer Katsuji Abe. This studio session from February 1971 was recorded in Ludwigsburg, Germany, and put out there in the same year on the short-lived JAPO label. Waldron had settled in Munich in 1967 and "helped launch the former bassist Manfred Eicher's ECM label there, with the intriguing semi-free session Free At Last" (John Fordham in The Guardian obituary 28 January 2003, retrieved 3 November 2020). Weber and Detroit-born Braceful had both played in Wolfgang Dauner's band; Jackson, like Braceful, had also settled in Germany. This is an oddly compelling album mixing fusion, modal and free improvisation, comprising two long cuts, "The Call" and "Thoughts", and… Read More

London: Printed by G. Bigg for C. Nourse; Maidstone: Printed for the Author by J. Blake; and sold by T. Payne and Son, London,, 1781. Two "outstanding" works in the 18th-century demographic controversy First editions of the authors's probing analyses of the national population in the late 18th century, "the two most outstanding replies" (Glass, p. 12) to Dr Richard Price's Essay on the Population of England and Wales (1780), which contended that the population of England and Wales had steadily declined over the previous centuries. In contrast, the works of William Wales (1734-1798) and John Howlett (1731-1804) challenge Price's methodology, data, and biases, to argue that the population had in fact doubled since 1688. Howlett's work, in particular, challenges the wider biases that Price demonstrated in his discussions of the socio-cultural aspects of populations. William Wales is perhaps most notable as the mathematician and astronomer on Cook's second voyage: in 1781, he was serving as master of… Read More

London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd,, 1919. First edition, first impression, signed by the author on the title page. Alongside A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems, this work marks the beginning of Waley's development into the West's most well-known translator of Chinese poetry after Ezra Pound. Provenance: with the distinctive bookplate of Anthony Hobson (1921-2014) on the front pastedown. Hobson was a scholar, esteemed bibliophile, and expert on Renaissance bindings. He served as president of the Association Internationale de Bibliophilie between 1985 and 1999. Octavo. Original cream cloth-backed blue boards, spine lettered in blue. Publisher's historiated device on the title page. A little soiled and bumped overall, lettering lightly rubbed: a very good copy. Johns A3.

London: The Blackmore Press,, 1929. A rare Waley work from his Genji period First edition, first impression, number 28 of 50 deluxe copies signed by the author, bound in green silk, and printed on handmade paper. This intriguing short story, the original Japanese text of which was never completed, tells of an eccentric young aristocratic woman who breaks away from the courtly role she is expected to play. Waley produced this translation in the period when he was working on his renowned multi-volume version of The Tale of Genji. The first edition totalled only 550 copies, with the remaining 500 bound in cream silk boards. Octavo. Original green silk over bevelled boards, spine and front cover lettered in gilt, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Dry-point frontispiece and similar additional title page, two similar vignettes in text. All dry-points by Hermine David. Binding bright with just a little rubbing and sunning, contents clean. A near-fine copy. Johns A18.

London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd,, 1923. First edition, first impression, signed by the author on the front free endpaper. In this, one of his early works, Waley engages with Bai Juyi's "strange power of alchemizing flatness into beauty" (p. 61), presenting Bai's "The Temple" alongside works by Wang Yanshou, Ouyang Xiu, and other literary greats. Provenance: with the distinctive bookplate of Anthony Hobson (1921-2014) on the front pastedown. Hobson was a scholar, esteemed bibliophile, and expert on Renaissance bindings. He served as president of the Association Internationale de Bibliophilie between 1985 and 1999. Octavo. Original yellow cloth, paper spine label lettered in dark blue, top edge trimmed, others untrimmed. Spine lightly toned, small loss to spine label, contents clean: a near-fine copy. Johns A10.

Shanghai: The Commercial Press, Limited,, 1935. First edition, second printing, signed by Waley on the title page. Compiled by the sinologist Sir James Lockhart, this anthology includes 51 of Waley's translations, all of which first appeared in A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems and other earlier works. Provenance: with the distinctive bookplate of Anthony Hobson (1921-2014) on the front pastedown. Hobson was a scholar, esteemed bibliophile, and expert on Renaissance bindings. He served as president of the Association Internationale de Bibliophilie between 1985 and 1999. Octavo. Original grey and blue wrappers, spine and front cover lettered in black. Old pencil notations on front wrapper. Lightly cockled as issued, spine and margins of covers toned, internally clean. A near-fine copy. Johns A23 (for the first edition).

London: Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge,, [c.1844]. Benevolent societies with the intention to disseminate knowledge were a distinguishing feature of the Victorian age. SDUK was founded in 1827 by John, Earl Russell and Henry Brougham, later Lord Chancellor of England. The Society published books that were deemed to be of high educational worth but with an affordable price. These fine steel engravings have original hand colouring and are often embellished with vignettes and comparisons of the height of the principal buildings of the city. Extent: eastern China, part of eastern Tibet, Burma (Mynmar), Laos, part of Thailand and Vietnam. Steel engraving. Original outline colour. A very small wormhole in the centre, otherwise in good condition. Size: 36.5 x 31 cm. (14½ x 12 inches)