Rare books from Attic Books

Paris: rue d'Anjou, Serpente St., hotel Serpente, d'Anjou-Dauphine [Jacques Perrin], 1785-1797. Leatherbound. Very good. 148 vols. (of a 156 vol. set). 13 cm full leather bindings with gilt and green labels on spines, gilt trimmed boards. Set consists of books from two different binding designs. Marbled endpapers. Includes 2 volumes of "Atlas" which consist of 31 plates with maps from around the world (originally 36 plates). FRENCH language text. Ex-library with bookplates and labels affixed to front endpapers. Bindings show wear with bumped corners and edges, some torn spines with some missing labels or pieces of leather missing. A few cracked hinges. All bindings remain intact with secured boards. Inside, contents are consistent of a single edition, the pages are clean and text unmarked. Contents: Atlas pontatif (2 vols.); La poetique de la musique par M. le Comte de la Cepede (2 vols.); Abdeker, ou l'art de conserver la beaute (4 vols.); Geometrie (2 vols.); Trigonometrie (2 vols.); Arithemetique… Read More

London: First 2 books printed by W Bulmer and Co. for G. and W. Nicol. Next 4 Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1814; 1823-28. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. 6 books: 484; vii p. + 132 engraved plates; xvii, 586; viii p. + 171 plates; viii, 437; vi p. + 68 plates; + index paginated 152-176. First two books 29 cm and last four 31 cm. Book I has frontispiece portrait but no other illustrations. Book IV has fold-out engraving of "proteosaurus" and several plates of a child with two heads. Bound in Felton bindings. Quarter leather with brown cloth. Black spine labels. Spines labelled I-VI. New endpapers. Untrimmed, wide-margined set. Last four books have rougher page edges. Ink stamps for Medical Library, Bath on rear of title and last page in each book. Books V and VI have ink stamps for Hunterian Society and ink notation from 1834 on title pages as well as an occasional Hunterian Society stamp inside. Book I has some foxing to frontispiece and offsetting to title page. Some offsetting and… Read More

Edinburgh: Printed for John Thomson & Co. for Baldwin, Craddick & Joy, London, & John Cumming, Dublin, ca. 1819-1825. Second Edition. Hardcover. Very good. xxviii, Plates, 18 p. 38 cm. Frontispiece Mountains table, title page vignette, engraving p. viii, 8 in-text illustrations before plates (6 colour, 2 tables), 44 engraved hand-coloured plates, most with small vignettes. Bound in half leather with marbled paper boards. New endpapers. Signed by previous owner William Hossack (1829) on front and rear endpapers. Foxing. Repaired edges to plates 36 & 37. An attractive atlas engraved by N. R. Hewitt from maps drawn by James Wyld the Elder (1790-1836). One of the foremost geographers of his time, Wyld is credited with introducing lithography to map printing during the Peninsula Campaign in 1812. A prolific publisher, he is reputed to have died of overwork. The detailed maps in this atlas emphasize Europe but there are several maps showing the Americas and Australia. Most maps feature a vignette… Read More

London: Burgess and Hill, 1819. Hardcover. Very good +. 126 p. 22 cm. Bound in full leather with blank and gold impressing and burgundy spine label. Marbled endpapers. Binder's label on rear pastedown. Checkmark in top corner of title page. last page has slightly chipped top corner with a few ink marks in upper margin. The first medical book about Upper Canada and one of only two medical works relating to the War of 1812. Douglas's Medical Topography is an extremely important and scarce work, for which we can find no British or American auction records for 50 years. The author, Dr. John Douglas (1788-1861), was an Assistant Surgeon with the 8th Regiment on the Niagara Frontier, present at the battles of Chipawa, Fort Erie, and Lundy's Lane, as well as spending considerable time at the military hospital at Fort York. On p. 3 the author gives the contents of the work: "I. Of the topography of the country. II. Of the soil and climate. III. Of the services of the troops. IV. Of the diseases which… Read More

Edinburgh: J. Balfour; J. Bell; Bell & Bradfute, 1774-1792. Vols. I & III are stated Second Editions. Hardcover. Very good. 6 vols.: xi, 678; xi, 588; xli, 8, 463; xxxi, 471; lii, [2], vi, 473 p. 22 cm. Full leather with red and black spine labels. Gilt trim to edges. Respined with original spines overlaid. Hinges repaired internally. Bookplates for Isaac Hawkins Browne on front pastedowns. Corners worn. Scuffs to front boards of vols. II & V. Chips to spine labels of vols. I & II. Foxing. Vol. II subtitle: "To Which Are Annexed, Three Dissertations, viz. 1. Of the Formation of the Greek Language. 2. Of the Sound of the Greek Language. 3. Of the Composition of the Antients; and particularly of that of Demosthenes." James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (1714 - 1799) was a judge by profession but a scholar of linguistic evolution in his spare time. He is best remembered today as a founder of comparative historical linguistics. Burnett's multi-volume work presents many unusual opinions, such as that the… Read More

Augsburg: Verlegt von Gabriel Bodenehr, Jupfersticher in Augsburg, [1704]. First Edition. Hardcover. Good. 101 p. incl. title page. 98 p. of maps and 3 tables. 3 fold-outs, 2 of which are tables. Maps 1 & 96 absent (Weltcreys and Polen) and extra map of Russia numbered 102 upside down after p. 6. No contents page. Most maps coloured in outline, some in b&w. Decorative geographical information in the margins. Pages mounted on linen. Title page replaced with copy printed on canvas. Leather spine and corners with marble paper boards. 20 x 31 cm. Corners and edges worn, dent in front boards. Page edges roughened. Some dampstains and soiling to interior. Captions in German. Title continues: "in welchem ausser den General Land Charten von America, Africa, Asia und Europa, und der in letzterem gelegenen Reichen und Ländern, sehr viele Speciale von besondern Provincien und Territorien." This atlas is mainly the work of Gabriel Bodenehr, German cartographer from a renowned engraving and publishing family… Read More

Philadelphia: Cowperthwait, Desilver & Butler, 1854. Hardcover. Good. 44 cm. 74 coloured numbered maps, No. 74 being the frontispiece showing mountains and rivers. 3 double-page maps: United States, State of New York, and Europe. Full-page city maps of New York, Philadelphia and Washington. Various state maps list steamboat routes. Some pages have insets. Title page vignette shows Columbus arriving in the New World. Contents in red with decorative red and gold border. Half burgundy leather with marbled paper boards, burgundy and gold label. Respined and corners repaired. Edge wear. Ink inscription from 1854 on a front page. Occasional foxing. Title continues: "Comprehended in seventy five sheets and forming a series of One Hundred and Twenty Nine Maps Plans and Sections." A better-than-average copy of a rare atlas, the focus of which is primarily the United States. First published by Augustus Mitchell in 1846, after he acquired the rights to Henry Schenk Tanner's "New Universal Atlas" from Carey… Read More

Koln: Taschen, 2011. Copy number 0934 in an edition of 1000 copies. Hardcover. Fine. Unpaginated. 45 cm in 48 cm box. Beige cloth with 39 cm pasted-on photo of Paul McCartney. Matching clamshell box with velvet interior. A few faint marks to clamshell cloth. Pencil signed by Paul McCartney. Texts by Paul, Linda, Mary and Stella McCartney, Annie Leibovitz, and Martin Harrison. A retrospective of Linda McCartney's life and photography. Linda (1941-1998) immortalized her entire world on film, including the years of The Beatles in London's "Swinging Sixties," tours with Wings, and raising four children with Paul. Her pictures show spontaneous family moments but also meetings with Tracy Ullman, Michael Jackson, Willem de Kooning, and Gilbert & George. Produced in close collaboration with Paul McCartney and their children, the book gathers some of the finest pictures from Linda's archive of over 200,000 images.

London: R. Phillips, 1799. First English Language Edition. Hardcover. Good. 2 vols.: xxii, 642, [12]; 686, [10] p. 28 cm. Frontispiece folding map in each volume: Map of the United States and Canada in vol. I and Map of the Northern Provinces of the United States in vol. II. Vol. II has second map opposite p. 17, Map of the Southern Provinces of the United States. Vol. II also has 6 fold-out charts towards rear. Half leather with black cloth. Moderate wear to extremities. Foxing and thumbing to both volumes. Vol. I: Repair to map and title; chip to bottom of first page of Preface; ink marks margins of pp. 53-56; ink and pencil notations to p. 139; large tear p. 157. Vol. II: chips to bottom of title and next page; tear in fold of second map; original paper fault to p. 215; some stains to margins; red marks to text block edge. An exiled French nobleman, the Duke traveled in all the Eastern states, the Great Lakes region and Upper Canada, making the acquaintance of many groups of people. He was… Read More

York [Toronto]: Printed by R. C. Horne, 1818; 1818; 1820. Hardcover. Good. 32, 485, lvi, 14, lxvi p. 26 cm. Lion and unicorn device to title pages. Half leather with marbled paper boards. Spine label for G. Ball. Corners and edges worn. Foxing. Bookplate on front pastedown for Samuel Edward Weir. First title page has chipped top corner. Second title page has notation "Ralfe Clench MP to George Ball". Dampstains to rear index and last section. The first title continues: "Particularly Applying to the Province of Upper-Canada, And of such Ordinances of the Late Province of Quebec, As Have Force of Law Therein." Second title: "The Provincial Statutes of Upper-Canada, Revised, Corrected, and Republished by Authority." Third title: "The Statutes of His Majesty's Province of Upper-Canada in North America, Passed in the Fifth Session of the Seventh Provincial Parliament of Upper-Canada, Met at York, on the Twenty-First Day of February, in the Sixtieth Year of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lord George the… Read More

York [Toronto]: Printed by R. C. Horne, 1818. Hardcover. Good. 485, lvi, [errata leaf], [2], lx-lxvi p. 26 cm. Quarter leather with brown cloth. New endpapers. Professional repairs to title page with remains of wax seal (referred to in Proclamation) and signature of J. B. Macaulay. Further professional repairs to margins up to p. 8 and to rear index and errata pages. Ink notes and marks throughout, noting subsequent revisions, etc. Note on the first page of text states "Print in Roman type" which suggests the notemaker played an editorial role. Macaulay's signature appears again on this page. Foxing. Last four leaves following errata at rear were not bound in and are tattered with loss. Initials JBM appear on p. lx. Tucked inside is a copy of the Canada Gazette, No. 116, published Kingston on December 16, 1843. This first revision of the statutes in the new Province of Upper Canada was made in 1818. It consisted of a collection of the Acts of the Province of Upper Canada in force at that date,… Read More

London: Virtue & Co, nd.. Probable reprint of 1842 first edition. Hardcover. Near fine. 128, 116 p., interspersed with engraved plates. 28 cm. Map frontispiece. 2 title page illustrations. 54 plates in vol. I and 63 in vol. II. Rebound in leather by Keith Felton, Georgetown, with new green marble endpapers. All edges gilt. Engraved plates recently coloured before rebinding. All plates present as per lists in each section, each with tissue guard. Some thumbing. William Henry Bartlett (1809-1854) apprenticed with architect and antiquarian John Britton before becoming known for his own drawings and watercolours. In 1838, Bartlett was in Upper and Lower Canada and the Maritimes, producing sketches for this volume by American writer Nathaniel Parker Willis. Published 1842, Canadian Scenery Illustrated portrays pioneer days in Canada, from native scenes to cities, from Aylmer, Upper Canada, to Halifax. There are also early views of Toronto, the Rideau Canal, the Ottawa River, the Eastern Townships,… Read More

Montreal, ca. 1959-60. Fine. 90 original b&w photographs. 28 x 35 cm. Each numbered with the photographer's monograph in the negative. Original 7 p. mimeographed key identifying the source for each of the images. Housed in a cardboard box. Thirty of these images show some of the most architecturally significant houses and buildings in Quebec, from Ile d'Orleans, Quebec City and many other villages. Thirty photos show carved wooden sculptures and bas-reliefs from various old chuches. The final thirty depict various works of art in wood, silver, iron, etc. Sets of this series of photos are held by several major Canadian Archives, including Libary and Archives Canada, Bibliotheque Nationale du Quebec, and the National Gallery of Canada. Now you can own a set too.

London: The London Printing and Publishing Company, nd. 1850s?. Hardcover. Very good. 6 vols. in 3 books: xxiv, 744; ii, 384, ii, 188; 564, ii, 172 p. 29 cm. Engraved title in vol. 1. 32 engraved portraits and views. 39 double-page Tallis maps with outline hand-colour, drawn and engraved by J. Rapin. Text in double columns. Rebound in half brown leather with brown cloth by Keith Felton. Marbled endpapers and text block edges. 4 raised bands on spine, gilt trim. Some rubbing and scratches to cloth. Corners worn. A few scuffs to leather spines and a few small black marks. Former owner's bookplates on front pastedowns. Vol. I has repaired edge to frontispiece. Some light dampstains to edges of book 2's frontispiece. These volumes provide information on the history, topography, geology, government, population, and industry of the Empire. I. British North America. Vol. II. Australia. Vol. III. New Zealand, Tasmania, Etc. Vol. IV. Africa and the West Indies. V. British India. VI. Ceylon, East India, and… Read More

London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1915. No. 2, July 1915, Review copy without graphic cover. Same style as No. 1, published July 1914. Final installlment. Softcover. Fair. 102, [6] p. 30 cm. 16 b&w designs. Front cover design not present. Gaudier-Brzeska's head of Exra Pound is pasted in. Paper covers. Blind stamp on front states "Review copy with John Lane's Compliments." Spine missing. Covers detached and separated. Small rears and chips to edges. Lower corners chipped and dogeared. Soiling to exterior. Some foxing. Short-lived art and literary magazine of the Vorticist movement in Britain. Emblematic of the modern art ovement in England, Blast is also recognised as a seminal text of pre-war 20th-century modernism. Editorial, War Notes, and several articles by chief writer Wyndham Lewis, including "Artists and the War," "The Exploitation of Blood" and "A Review of Contemporary Art." Poems by Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, and Ford Madox Hueffer (later known as Ford Madox Ford). Article by… Read More