Rare books from Thorn Books

Lisboa (Lisbon): Typ de Borges, 1850. First edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Seven volumes in four. 8vo. xxiv,183;224;215;208;213,(3);220;279,(1)pp. Errata page for Vol. 5 after p. 213; publisher's announcement of the Diccionario after p. 279 of vol. 7. Frontispiece portraits of the author in Vol., 1, of O Immortal Infante D. Henrique in Vol. 2; and portrait plates of D. Vasco da Gama and Antonio da Silveira in Vol. 5, and D. Alvaro de Castro and D. Joao de Castro in Vol. 6. Volume I begins with a comprehensive chronology of Portuguese exploration in Africa, Asia, America and Oceania, commencing in 1412, followed by descriptions of the voyages and discoveries. Contemporary marbled sheep, spines gilt with brown lettering labels. Marbled paper endpapers. Volume I with the bookseller label of Livraria de Joao Pereira da Silva, Lisboa; and also a label from Francis Edwards of London: "This Book was purchased in 1941 from London whilst the great battle for civilization was in progress." Rare. OCLC… Read More

Madrid: Juan Herrera, 1599. First edition. Hardcover. Near fine. 4to. (14), fol. 1-271, (1). Woodcut of the arms of Don Luys Faxardo on the title page. Full vellum, ties, manuscript spine title Illustrated with woodcuts, including several full page plates of the sphere of Ivan Sacrobosco, another illustrating both solar and lunar eclipses, and a large woodcut of the solar system showing the earth in the center and the sun revolving in an orbit between Venus and Mars. This title is somewhat bibliographically confusing in that the preliminaries differ from copy to copy, and the title page is sometimes typeset, sometimes with the shield of Don Luys. Palau (271732) remarks that the author may have spoiled some of the early leaves by not including his frontispiece ("Es debido a que el autor inutilizó las primeras hojas por no haber incluido su retrato..."), and by substituting 18 new leaves. This copy lacks p2, the frontispiece, as is frequently the case; but the leaf with the Sonnet of Lope de Vega… Read More

London: Printed for John Garfield, 1657. First edition in English. Hardcover. Very good. Rendred into English by a person of quality, and dedicated to the author of that well-known treatise call'd Advice to a son." 12mo. (22), 89. 61pp. Contemporary full leather, tooled simply in blind. The dialogue of Polygamy is followed by the dialogue of Divorce, which has its own pagination. The endpapers are filled with penciled notations of a former owner (C. Inglis, M.D? His bookplate is on the front pastedown.) Also the first two blanks are filled with a beautifully calligraphed biography of Ochino. We note some old repairs to the leather especially the spine, perhaps they could actually be part of the original binding. The corners are worn else this is in very good condition. Wing O126; ESTC R9210.

London: T. Cotes for William Cooke, 1638. First edition in English. Hardcover. Fine. 12mo. (134),327pp. Engraved frontispiece of Gildas by William Marshall. First edition in English, translated from the Latin by Thomas Habington. Early handwritten notes on the front blanks. Bookplate. Nicely bound in full brown morocco, spine in six compartments, tooled in blind and with the title in gilt; boards intricately tooled in blind. Marbled endpapers. Title page, frontispiece and preliminary blank remargined (no loss). Some contemporary names and notes mostly on the beginning and ending blanks. A fine copy. Gildas provides some of the earliest commentary on the war effort associated with King Arthur. The first edition of the original Latin was pubished as Opus de Calimitate, Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae in 1525. STC 11895. Potthast, I, 525. Sarton I, 455. Lowndes, p. 790. ESTC S103163.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910. First editions, first printings. Hardcover. Near fine. Four 4to volumes, all in original mustard-color cloth with spines and upper boards blocked in black, red and gilt., With black and white illustrations by Howard Pyle. This is essentially a near fine set. These titles have traditionally suffered cracked inner hinges because the textblock was too heavy for the binding structure. Here, the first, second, and fourth volumes have perfect inner hinges. The remaining volume, 'Launcelot', has a minor and nearly invisible repair to the front inner hinge. Overall this is a near fine set. Pyle's quintessential treatment of King Arthur. "The books are lavishly decorated with Beardsleyesque headpieces, tail pieces, and full-page pen-and-ink drawings featuring enigmatic ladies, neo-Gothic furnishings and complexly patterned dress and armor."--so does Muriel Whitaker describe this set in the Arthurian Encyclopedia. Gaines C-17, 19, 21 & 27. .

New York: George P. Putnam and Co, 1854. First edition. Hardcover. Very good plus. 8vo. Original publisher's maroon marbled cloth, upper cover with elaborate blocked design in gilt and blind with large central sunken lozenge blocked with a gilt vignette of the "southern mocking bird" signed "Tompson" (in reverse), derived from the plate facing p. 66. Illustrated with chromolithographed plates, drawn on stone by Max Rosenthal, printed by L.N. Rosenthal of Philadelphia after Mrs. Webber (15) or Miller (5). The binding has been expertly and nearly invisibly rebacked (indeed, we had to use magnification to confirm the reback), with the inner hinges strengthened. Some tissue guards are torn, and there is occasional light spotting on the plates, an offset from the guards. Miller's contribution consists of five views of Indian life, four of which, according to the author, are of "scenes in the camp of the Delawares," although they are almost certainly based on the artist's sketches of the Snake Indians… Read More

New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1925. Limited edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Four volumes. Thick 4tos. Brown buckram spines, gilt; tan buckram boards with the upper boards blocked with a rule in gilt and an illustration by the author. Top edges gilt. Illustrated with photographs as well as line drawings by the author. Each volume has an engraved frontispiece. Limited to 177 numbered sets signed by the author. This is copy No. 65. The author has signed the frontispiece of Volume I, as usual. A fine set with only traces of soil and wear. Illustrated with 1500 photographs, halftone plates and line cuts, most made from Seton's own drawings from life, documents 100 land animals, "which are considered 'game,' either because they have held the attention of sportsmen, or received the protection of law." These include cats, wolves, foxes, bears, raccoon, badgers, weasels, deer, antelope, buffalo, sheep, peccary, squirrels, rabbits, armadillo, and opossum. A superb monument to American game animals… Read More

London: Printed for the Author, by W. Bowyer,,,, 1743. Hardcover. Very good. Comprising Vol 1: Observations on Egypt; Vol 2 part 1: Observations on Palestine or the Holy Land, Syria, Mesopotamia, Cyprus, and Candia; Vol 2 part 2: Observations on the Islands of the Archipelago, Asia Minor, Thrace, Greece and some other parts of Europe. Folio. Three parts in two volumes. With 177 full page or folding engraved plates and maps. Fill contemporary calf, Spines in seven compartments, gilt, red leather lettering pieces, gilt. Spine tips worn, upper hinges mended and lower cracked but firm, the contemporary bindings generally rubbed, but presentable and firm. A few of the plates have tears on the lower margins, which do not approach the images as the margins are quite generous. Collated complete, although a number of plates in the second volume are misbound. A complete listing accompanies the set. Cox, I, p. 224, who notes that the author traveled the Nile as far as Philae before passing into Palestine… Read More

n.p.: n.p., 1854. Hardcover. Very good. 8vo. Bound diary of blue lined paper on which the author has recorded his trips on sixty-four pages. The first page of the diary lists the ships: the Ship Arvum and the Ship R. B. Forbes. Peirce owned timberland in northern Maine, and did business as a shipping and commission merchant in Bangor. He and his brother, Hayward, owned the firm of W. T, and H. Peirce. Laid into the diary is a receipt for 11,995 pieces of one inch plank to be carried on the trip. The diary begins on September 9, 1854, at Frankfort. The ship was not ready. Apparently the ship did not sail until Sept. 12, as the following day Peirce was seasick. Later he noted flying fish, a whaler, took a salt water bath, took a turn at the wheel, read Gil Blas. On October 24, he made St. Antonio, Cape Verde, and then tried for SE trade winds. In November an English Man-o'War questioned Captain Rankin and nearly boarded the Arvum. Later the SE trade winds were found and he crossed the equator.… Read More

London: Tilt and Bogue, 1853. First edition. Hardcover. Fine. NIneteen volumes comprising the complete first and second series. Bound in full crimson morocco by Riviere and son; spines in six compartments with raised bands, gilt titles, gilt inner dentelles, top edges gilt, marbled endpapers. With the color engraved bookplates of Chales Cobb Walker. And also with a music conservatory blindstamp at the base of each title page and another page near the end, varying with the volume. Otherwise this is a fine set, and profusely illustrated by Cruikshank. Wrappers are bound in, although the 1835 edition has wrappers from 1842. Three frontispieces with contemporary coloring, otherwise uncolored, as called for. Ads present in a few volumes. The last five volumes have folding frontispieces. Cohn, 183, who notes that there we frequent reissues in volume form. .

London: J. Bowyer, et al., 1718. First edition in English. Hardcover. Fine. 8vo. (ii),cxi,(xvii),401,(lv)pp. In a lovely contemporary binding of sprinkled panelled,calf. The spine is in six compartments, gilt, red morocco lettering label, gilt. The errata page is present in the rear. The List of Subscribers is present (including Isaac Newton). Spine tips neatly restored, hole to title page with loss of a few letters, pp. xlv/xlvi with small chip and small chip at head slightly affecting letters, otherwise contents fresh and binding in very good condition. Geoffrey's Historia dates from the 12th century and purports to be a history of Britain from its first settlement by Brutus to the death of Cadwallader in the 7th century. In contains one of the earliest developed narratives of King Arthur and dwells on Merlin and his prophecies. Originally written in Latin, this is the first translation into English, made by Aaron Thompson, who provides a lengthy preface giving his views on the authenticity of… Read More

San Antonio: n.p., 1929. Wraps. Very good. Oblong folio. Printed stiff orange wraps. Printed introductory page followed by nineteen stiff pages with mounted original photographs. The photographs range in size form 6½ by 8 to 7½ by 9 inches. Some are of testimonial letters the rest are pictures of the Tobin shops and labs, aerial photographs of Texas, and one of the dirigible "Los Angeles" flying over San Antonio. Covers soiled and worn else this is in very good condition. Accompanied by a 1929 typed letter signed from Tobin to Col. Birdseye of the U. S. Geological Survey with a map of Texas showing areas photographed and ready for delivery Edgar Tobin was a WWI pilot, a member of Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker's "Hat in the Ring" squardon. In 1928 he founded the TObin Aerial Surveys firm in San Antonio. At the time of his deather in 1954, his firm had become the largest aerial mapping firm in the world. He was credited with being a major contributor of the war effort in the United States. A very… Read More

London: J. Harris, successor to E. Newberry, 1808. Wraps. 12mo. Printed wrappers. 16pp. Eight hand-colored original plates, including the frontispiece. Some edge-fraying to plates, contemporary ms. ownership name on reverse of frontispiece, original printed blue wrappers, rubbed and faded, edge-frayed in places, old ms. price at head of upper cover, Housed in a custom clamshell case. A presentable copy in spite of the wear. Moon 618. The rare first edition of the first versification of the story of Cinderella. Marjorie Moon locates only two copies of this edition. Not in Osborne. .

Paris: Monnier et Cie, 1883. First edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Thick large 4to. Full orange morocco. Spine in six compartments, intricately gilt. Black leather lettering labels, gilt. Boards with two rectangles of triple gilt rules and intricate corner ornaments, gilt, with oval black onlays each with a gilt flower in the center, Top edge gilt. Gilt inner dentelles, qwith the binder's signature: Smeers Engel, Marbled endpapers. Upper hinge neatly mended else this is a fine copy. UNIQUE COPY. Bound isues from the second season, number 1 through 14. Preface by Ludovic Halévy. Extra illustrated with original photographs of contemporary French actors bound with the issue describing the play in which they performed. Fifteen original pen and ink drawings, six original watercolors, and 82 proofs, all illustrations appearing in the issues and bound near their appearance in print. Two autographs letters signed, one by Ludovic Halévy, who wrote the Preface, and the other by the artist Edward Detaille.… Read More

Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1896. Limited edition. Near fine. Hardcover. Thin 4to. One of 250 copies from a total edition of 260 copies. Half-borders and 163 initials by William Morris, engraved on wood by W. H. Hooper et al. Woodcut press device in Colophon. Printed in red, black and blue in Troy type on handmade Batchelor Perch paper. Linen spine, blue paper over boards, black printed title on the upper board. Boards lightly soiled else a near fine copy. Several leaves have three dots impressed just at the upper edge of the text which we believe are trim guides for the binder. This is the first Kelmscott edition printed in three colors. Armorial bookplate on the front pastedown of C. F. J. Beausure, the noted British watercolor collector. The text is taken from a 13th century Psalter (The Nottingham Psalter), owned by Morris and edited by Sydney Cockerell. The Laudes are attributed either to Stephen Langdon or John Peckham, both Archbishops of Canterbury. With the rare slip explaining that a… Read More