Rare books from D & E Lake Ltd. (ABAC, ILAB)

London: Printed By Henry Baldwin, For Charles Dilly, 1791., 1791. 2 Volumes. 4to. pp. xii, [16]contents & errata, 516; 1 p.l., 588 [ie. 586]. engraved frontis. portrait of Johnson by J.Heath after a painting by Joshua Reynolds. 2 engraved plates (facsimiles of Johnson's handwriting & a 'Round Robin' with facsimiles of signatures). contemporary sprinkled calf, rebacked, corners renewed (some light scattered foxing throughout - frontis. more heavily affected, lower blank corner of final leaf defective). First Edition of the most celebrated biography in English literature, with S4r, Vol. I, in the corrected state, reading in line 10 'give' rather than 'gve'; with all the cancels (2 in Vol. I & 5 in Vol. II) and misprints listed by Pottle. Grolier, One Hundred Books Famous In English Literature, 65. NCBEL II 1214. Pottle 79. Rothschild 463 (1st Issue).. F.

London: Printed for T.Cadell and W.Davies., 1801., 1801. 4to. pp. 2 p.l., viii, cxxxii, 412, [2]errata. complete with half-title. 3 large folding engraved maps (1 coloured in outline). engraved frontis. portrait. Uncut in original bds. (spine repaired, new spine label, half-title, title & dedication leaves washed, large folding map of America washed, backed & reguarded, title foxed & browned & with long tear repaired affecting a few letters, some scattered foxing & light browning throughout). First Edition of "the earliest expedition made by a white man in this direction. His investigations, although pursued at so early a period of Arctic exploration, were remarkable for their accuracy; Sir John Franklin more than once expressed his surprise at being able to corroborate their correctness in his own explorations. Some Indian vocabularies are included.". (Sabin) Mackenzie's journals recount his two expeditions undertaken on behalf of the North West Company in its… Read More

Paris: Abel Pilon Et Cie., [c1867] [Vol. III 'Second Edition', Paris: Au Bureau Principal De L'Éditeur, 1867; Plate Vols.: Paris: MM. Renard, Martinet Et Cie., 1849]., 1867. 14 Vols. Text in 8vo. + 3 Plate Vols. in 4to. with half-titles. 287 (of 288?) engraved plates on india paper, mounted. with tissue guards. An attractive set in contemporary half red morocco, gilt backs, text vols. with all edges gilt, atlas vols. with top edge gilt (slightly rubbed, abrasions to upper cover of Vol. I, short split in lower front joint of 2nd atlas, dampstain to lower inner margin of text & some plates at beginning of 3rd atlas, some scattered light foxing in text vols. - the plates generally very clean). Mixed edition set of "the best illustrated encyclopedia of natural history." (Casey Wood) First published in 1837, the work includes articles contributed by the leading contemporary French authorities: Arago, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Deshayes, Prévost, Quatrefages,… Read More

London: Printed for B.White, J.Robson, P.Elmsly, and G.Robinson, 1777., 1777. 2 Volumes. 4to. pp. xviii, [2], 602; 2 p.l., 607. without the errata leaf at the end of Vol. I. folding engraved map (frontis.). An attractive set in contemporary sprinkled calf, neatly rebacked, corners renewed, spines tooled in gilt (Vol. I title-leaf professionally remargined at lower edge & upper outer corner with small repair, marginal repair to GG2-3 affecting part of headline, occasional spotting). First Edition of this important account of Cooks second voyage, which preceded the publication of the official record by some six weeks. The author and his father, Johann Reinhold, served as naturalists on the expedition. While the elder Forster was originally to have written the account, he was forbidden to do so because of a dispute with the Admiralty concerning his emoluments. It is based on his journal and also draws from Cooks own although no acknowledgement is given. Humboldt said that he was indebted to this work… Read More

Paris: Chez Nyon Fils, 1754., 1754. 6 Volumes. 12mo. 57 engraved maps & plates (29 folding). with half-titles. 19th century marbled bds. (neat rubberstamp on verso of titles & half-titles). Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged of this standard work on Japan. Charlevoix’s compilation, based on numerous sources including the work of Engelbert Kaempfer and his own previously published Histoire de l'Établissement, des Progrès et et de la Décadence du Christianisme dans L'Empire du Japon (1715), was first published in 1736 in quarto format with 33 maps and plates. The work contains information on the country’s geography and history including details on christian missionary activity there, the manners and customs of the Japanese, natural resources, government and commerce, and natural history. The plates depict Japanese costumes, musical instruments, ships, weapons, and native plants. Included are maps of Japan, Korea, and Japan together with the Chinese coast and Kamchatka, and town plans of… Read More

London: Constable and Company Ltd., 1909., 1909. 4to. pp. xv, 325, [1]. title in red & black within decorative border. 40 tipped-in colour plates (incl. frontis.) & numerous text illus. tissue guards with legends. A very good copy in original gilt-stamped vellum, top edge gilt, others uncut (silk ties present but detached, covers moderately spotted & soiled, a few marginal spots). Deluxe Edition, Limited to 750 numbered copies signed by Rackham.. Signed by Author(s). Hardcover.

[Germany: c1835]., 1835. 4to. 237 x 190 mm. 250 full-page watercolour drawings of flowers, each with ms. title in Latin & German & number. with 57 pp. manuscript in German containing a brief description of each flower & 5 pp. manuscript index. 19th century bds. (bit worn, a few spots of paper adhesion on first watercolour, lacking flyleaf & probably a manuscript title). An appealing collection of competently executed original botanical watercolours including depictions of begonias, irises, salvia, passionflowers, amaryllis, lobelia, paeony, California poppy, hibiscus, azalea, trillium,.browallia, &c. Apparently part of a larger work as the watercolours are numbered from 6201 to 6450, but unfortunately we are unable to offer any information regarding the author or the work, including whether or not it was ever published..

Berlin: Gropius Brothers, [1829]., 1829. 2 Volumes. oblong folio. pp. 1 p.l., [13]. lithographed title, 2 hand-coloured lithographed views on India paper, mounted, 9 hand-coloured lithographed plates on India paper, mounted, 1 hand-coloured lithographed interior view, & 11 (of 12) hand-coloured lithographed views of the procession. original printed bds. with new cloth ties, rebacked (edges rubbed, mounting sheets for the 9 middle plates browned, light soiling & spotting to outer edge of first processional plate). First Edition of this record of the grand celebrations which took place in honour of the birthday of Alexandra Fyodorovna, Empress of Russia (wife of Czar Nicholas I), born Princess Charlotte of Prussia [1798-1860], who was then in Berlin on a visit to her father, King Frederick William III. The theme of the celebrations was the mediaeval legend of 'Blanchefleur' or the White Rose, a nickname given to Alexandra in childhood. Eleven of the fine hand-coloured plates by Ernst… Read More

Paris: Charles Meunier, 1915. folio. ff. [2], 12, [3]. each page of text & front wr. within gilt & red border. 10 original etchings in 5 states each (incl. 3 proofs, 1 finished etching in bistre on japan paper, & 1 finished etching on either parchment (5) or satin (5), 11 smaller etchings on 3 sheets, 1 original signed chalk drawing (of 2), & numerous text illus., incl. title vignette. loose sheets, as issued, with front wr., in cloth-backed portfolio (worn). Edition Limited to 30 copies, this #29 of 25 on 'vélin teinté'.. Hardcover. Very Good.

Rome: Giuseppe Luna, 1650., 1650. small 4to. pp. 8 p.l., 326, [1 leaf]errata. double-page engraved map. woodcut printer's device on title. woodcut ornaments & initials. contemporary vellum (slight worming to lower spine, lacking front flyleaf, front hinge cracked). First Edition of the first separately published description of the whole of Vietnam, containing what appears to be the earliest detailed map of North Vietnam. It is preceded by Cristóforo Borri's Relatione della nuova missione.della Cocincina (1631), which dealt only with South Vietnam. In addition to presenting a first-hand account of missionary activity in the country from 1627 to 1646, Rhodes gives details respecting the manners and customs of the native inhabitants, politics and government, natural resources and commerce, &c. French and Latin translations were published in 1652. Rhodes, a French Jesuit, was assigned to the missions of the East Indies and spent several years in Goa, Malacca, Batavia, and Macao, before proceeding to… Read More

Amsterdam: Joannes Oosterwyk, 1720., 1720. small 4to. pp. 18 p.l., 330, [12]incl. index, [2]errata & ads. with half-title (verse on verso). additional engraved allegorical title by J.Folkema after F.Ottens. title in red & black with woodcut vignette. 6 folding engraved maps & 7 engraved plates (1 folding by Van der Hem after A.Salm). woodcut tailpieces & initials. A very nice copy in contemporary vellum (light foxing to a few leaves). First Edition. An extensive and authoritative history and description of the Dutch arctic whaling industry, with a general map of the polar regions and individual maps of the principal islands used for whaling: Greenland, Iceland, Spitszbergen, Jan Mayen, and Nova Zembla. The fine engraved plates depict whales, walruses, whaling vessels, and whaling scenes. In addition to information on natural history, geography, and economics, the work includes statistical tables of vessels and returns, and lists of the names of the directors and captains of the… Read More

London: Printed for A.Strahan and T.Cadell; And Sold by T.Cadell Jun. And W.Davies., 1795., 1795. 4to. pp. xliv(incl. errata), 458, [2]ads & directions to binder. 5 folding engraved maps (1 with routes in colour) & 4 engraved plates (3 double-page). modern gilt-stamped paneled calf by Annegret Hunter-Elsenbach (first map with few short tears repaired - no loss, some foxing to maps & plates & neighbouring leaves). First Edition of a classic of North American travel. Hearne's journal holds an especially honoured place in the annals of Arctic exploration, and Hearne "will always be remembered as the first white man that ever gazed on the dreary expanse of the Arctic or Frozen Ocean from the northern shores of the Continent of America." (Rich) In 1769, he was sent by the Hudson's Bay Company to find a north-west passage from Hudson's Bay and to investigate Indian reports regarding the existence of copper deposits to the north. Hearne made two false starts, but on his… Read More

London: Printed for J.Nourse and T.Davies, 1772. First Edition of the English Translation of the official account of the first French circumnavigation. Bougainville was instructed by the French government to surrender possession of the Falkland Islands to Spain and then to proceed across the Pacific to the East Indies. On his voyage he visited Tahiti, which he believed he was the first to discover, naming it ‘Nouvelle Cythère’, unaware of Wallis’s prior exploration, the Solomon Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago, and the New Hebrides. The largest island in the Solomons and two straits in the Pacific were named after him. The narrative includes an account of the discovery and occupation of the Falkland Islands, and a lengthy description of Tahiti and its inhabitants. Bougainville’s expedition stimulated great interest in France, and bolstered European romantic notions of a ‘South Sea paradise’ inhabited by ‘noble savages’. Despite the attribution on the title-page, the translation was… Read More

London: Printed for John Stockdale, 1789. First Edition. "This was the first authentic and official account of the expedition to New South Wales and the foundation of the settlement. It aroused world-wide interest…". (Ferguson) Phillip was appointed to transport seven hundred and seventy-eight convicts to Australia in 1787 for the purposes of establishing the first colony in New South Wales. After his arrival he inspected various sites and decided the most suitable location for the colony would be Port Jackson. This work gives a detailed and accurate account of the early history of the settlement based on the official government documents and the journals of Phillip, Shortland, Watts, Ball, and Marshall. A twenty-page list of the names of the convicts transported is included in the appendix. The volume is handsomely illustrated with twenty plates of birds, ten of animals, four of fishes, one of plants, portraits of Phillip, King and Shortland, a view of Botany Bay, &c. Our copy contains early… Read More

London: Printed For Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, And Brown, 1822-24. First edition. "The most valuable and accurate work on South Africa published up to the first quarter of the nineteenth century, and embracing a description of a large part of the Cape Colony and Bechuanaland at this period. Theal (ëHistory of South Africa, 1795-1834í) remarks that the author was ëa man of talent, an easy writer, and scrupulously exact in his descriptionsí, and according to Sclater he was ëa most skillful and well-trained zoologist and botanist, and his observations are all accurate and methodical.í Burchell penetrated as far as ëLattakooí (afterwards known as Kuruman), and during his explorations, which extended over a period of four years, made important collections of the fauna, flora, and curiosities of the country, together with a large number of drawings. Generally speaking, Burchell appears to have been favourably impressed by the Boers...The authorís name is perpetuated in the country by the… Read More