ABA Featured Books

Hurst and Blackett. London. 1877. FIRST EDITION. 3 volumes. 8vo. (7.2 x 4.5 inches). vi,320; iv,315; iv,314pp. Library stamps of South African Public Library on first and and one middle page of text. Previous owner has clumsily copied out the word "Glory" beneath the printed title in ink to the title page of volume one A few creases to corners of pages, and a few pages with brown (tea stain?) marks, otherwise a very good set bound, with half title in volume one only, in recent half tan calf. Spines with raised bands, red titles labels, gilt. Marbled paper on boards. Not in Sadleir or Wolff.

Tudor Publishing Company. New York.,1936. REPRINT EDITION. Large 8vo (10.7 x 8.3 inches). Finely illustrated with 8 full colour tipped-in plates, 24 full page mono plates, decorative title page and 26 vignettes, some repeated throughout the book. Top edge with original publishers black stain, the others untrimmed. Black endpapers. A fine, clean copy in publishers black cloth. Black and gold printed onlay to the front board. Spine with gilt lettering and small publishers design. The design gilt is rubbed but the lettering is fine and bright. Remains of the rare original illustrated dustwrapper loosely inserted. Most of it present, if torn and a little creased, apart from the front inner flap, so it could be easily restored if required. Housed in the original publishers black paper covered box with colour plate onlaid to the top. The box is rubbed and a bit bumped to the edges but overall in very good condition. Overall a lovely copy of one of the most powerfull illustrated books of the early twentieth… Read More

The First UK printing published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 1975. The Book is in near Fine condition. Free from inscriptions. The WRAPPER is in Very Good++ condition with light edge wear. A closed tear to the upper rear edge associated with some creasing and rubbing. A small closed tear to the lower front edge which has been repaired with a small amount of tape to the verso. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. The book has been signed (without dedication) by Stephen Spender to the title page. Contributors to the book include Stephen Spender, John Betjeman, Cyril Connolly, Christopher Isherwood, Geoffrey Grigson et al. Accompanied by a loosely inserted H/W letter dated 'Nov 13 '73' addressed to a 'M Dosse' in which Spender writes : ' I think it would be absurd to destroy these letters. But then I think it was absurd of Auden to make a request to his friends in such unqualified terms. These letters are gifts to you and I do not think a donor has the right, unless in very… Read More

The First UK printing published by Hodder and Stoughton, London in 1993. The BOOK is in near Fine condition with light pushing at the spine ends. A hint of toning and very light spotting to the text-block. Free from inscriptions and erasures. The WRAPPER is complete and is in near Fine condition with just a tiny nick at the upper rear spine fold (the white patches on the images are just glare reflected from the shiny wrapper). The wrapper is protected in a removal Brodart archival cover. The book has been signed (without dedication) in the year of publication by the author to the title page : 'John Le Carre, June '93'. The basis for the hugely successful BBC TV dramatisation starring Trevor Hiddelston, Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman. Scarce with such attributes.Ashton Rare Books welcomes direct contact.

Sylvia Beach. Shakespeare and Company. Paris. 1929. FIRST TRADE EDITION. 8vo. (7 x 5.6 inches). Page edges tanned, as usual, a small stain to the fore edge of the first handful of pages and a few minor chips to the edges of a few leaves, otherwise a very good example in the original cream coloured paper wraps, printed in black to spine and both covers. Some loss to the top of the spine, but not affecting the lettering, and a small closed tear and some minor chipping to the extremities. Paper a bit toned and rubbed but overall a presentable copy. There was also a limited edition of 96 numbered copies on thicker verge d'Arches paper issued simultaneously with this issue. This early critique of Joyce's final work was published some 10 years prior to the publication of the finished novel. Part of the incentive to publish was apparently to raise funds for the perennially impecunious Joyce. A myth surrounding this work is that one or both of the two letters of protest were written by Joyce himself. However… Read More

T. Carnan, and F. Newbery. London. 1778. Fourth edition. 8vo. (6.9 x 4.4 inches). Engraved frontis showing two men viewing Millenium Hall through several trees, engraved by A. Walker. ii, 262pp. Some very light spotting to a few pages but overall a very good copy in a recent period style binding of half tan calf. Spine with raised bands. Compartments ruled, lettered and decorated in gilt. Red and green labels, gilt. Marbled paper on boards. ---- An important early feminist utopian novel. The most famous work of Sarah Scott (1720-1795), 'Millenium Hall' describes a female utopia, free from male violence, where property is held in common and a community of women conduct lives devoted to artistic pursuits and education, Christian virtues, and philanthropy. Through its focus on female equality, education and friendship, and with the Hall forming a model of mid-century reform ideas, it provided a fictional embodiment of the ideals of the Blue Stockings Society, of which Scott was a member and of which her… Read More

J. B. Lippincott Co. Philadelphia. 1914. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. Large 8vo. (8.8 x 7 inches). Illustrated with 8 beautiful full page colour plates, each with a printed tissue guard, 104 line drawings throughout the text, plus illustrated endpapers at the front and back, all by Charles Robinson. Small bookseller label to the bottom of the front free endpaper. A fine and spotless copy of the book in publishers dark green cloth binding with gilt illustrations and lettering to the front board and spine. In the rare original illustrated dustwrapper, printed in red and green on beige paper. The red ink on the spine is faded and there are a couple of very small chips but overall this is a very smart example of the wrapper on a truly fine book. This first American edition uses sheets from the English edition, prnited by Ballantyne and Company in London. An uncommon survivor in such lovely condition.

A. Ferroud. - Librarire Dea Amateurs. Paris. 1892. LIMITED EDITION. Small 4to. (9.5 x 6.5 inches). Beautifully illustrated with twenty fine etchings throughout the text after Rochegrosse, each with a tissue guard. One of 250 copies, from a total edition of 500, on Velin a'Arches paper. This copy is out of series with presentation inscription, signed by the publisher, on the limitation leaf. Finely bound by Bickers and Son in early full dark green morocco. Spine with raised bands with gilt ruled lines. Compartments ruled and lettered in gilt. Single gilt ruled line border on boards and board edges. Top edge gilt, the others untrimmed. Marbled endpapers. Decorative gilt roll to the turn-ins. Some offsetting to the endpapers from the leather turn-ins. A very good copy in an attractive late nineteenth century leather binding that has some very light wear to the edges and the spine darkened to an attractive brown colour but is overall very good indeed.

1865. Twelve manuscript maps with dated inscription: "A.M. Tatham from her afft. Bro Sherman Dec. 1865". Rebound from a broken binding as a folding leporello series of maps in cloth covered boards "Bible Atlas S.R.T." on original label to the front. Binding is new and without flaws. Slight scratch to blank (back) of first map, otherwise the maps are in excellent condition. The maps comprise: The Nations of the Ancient World, Assyria and the Adjacent Lands, Canaan in Patriarchal Ages, Canaan as Divided among The Tribes, Dominions of David and Solomon, Armenia, Egypt and Sinai Peninsula Illustrating the Journey of the Israelites to the Promised Land, Jerusalem and its Environs, The Kingdoms of Judah & Israel, Palestine in the time of Our Saviour, Modern Palestine, and The Eastern Mediterranean Illustrating the Travels of St. Paul. Each map folds out to approx. 165 x 133 mm. The maps still retain their original bright colouring. Sherman Ralph Tatham was born in Hampstead in 1850. Educated at… Read More

Berne: The author, 1818. First Edition. Two parts in one volume, published in July and September 1818. Recent red three quarters leather with gilt titles and red boards. Clean and tidy without major flaws. Original blue paper wrapper bound in. To the front cover paper is written "Par l'auteur" presumably by Seringe. One plate and one folding table (complete.) Rough cut page edges. A little foxing to the pages only. VI + 1 ff. + 244 pp. Text in French. 210 x 130 mm (8¼ by 5 inches). Nicolas Charles Seringe, first Teacher at the Academy of Bern then Professor of Botany and member of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Lyon wrote a work with the exact description, classification and history of flowers. He sought to avoid scientific language, and to arrange the objects in an easy order, through which one can easily learn about plants, how to propagate them and finally how to use them. Première édition. Deux volumes en un seul volume, parus en juillet et septembre 1818. Cuir rouge trois quarts… Read More

Cassell. A first UK edition set published by Cassell between 1956 and 1958. These four volumes, a complete set, are in near fine condition. All four volumes are first printings. Volume I The Birth of Britain has some mild wear to the top of the spine of the jacket and very occasional foxing marks to the wrapper and one or two to the side text block. Volume II The New World has dusty top text block and is mildly pushed to a corner. Volume III The Age of Revolution has a handful of foxing marks to the side text block. Volume IV The Great Democracies has rubbing to the top of the spine. All 4 jackets are not price clipped and there are no previous owner's names in the books or inscriptions. Overall a really smart near fine set.  . Near Fine. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1st Printing. 1956.

Jonathan Cape. First edition published by Jonathan Cape in 1956. This is a very good or better copy. The jacket is no chips or loss except it is price clipped. There is minimal wear to the spine ends and corners. On the reverse of the jacket is a watermark. The book has a gift inscription on the front free end paper. The boards have a pushed corner but otherwise are clean as are the pages. The book is very good or better. An award winning children's novel set in the second world war. It is brilliantly illustrated by C. Walter Hodges. . Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1st Printing. 1956.

Circa 1834. 24 printed pages. 12 charming hand-colored lithographic plates. 72 x 88mm. Original, printed, cream boards (very slight age-toning). Concerning a disobedient young squirrel's trials and tribulations. English original first published by George W. Burgess circa 1832/1833 in New York. Not in Bondy, nor Spielmann, nor Welsh. WorldCat locates one sole copy worldwide (Pierpont Morgan Library). This copy is somewhat rare and undoubtedly charming.

Cassell. First edition of this comprehensive collection of horror short stories, edited by Alexander Laing and published by Cassell in 1937. The book and wrapper are in very good or better condition. The wrapper has wear to the spine ends and corners but is all there. There is a patch of browning to the top of the front panel. It displays the correct price of 8/6 net on the spine. The book has a gentle push to one corner and the spine ends. Overall a nice copy. The editor Laing has put together a who's who of horror short story writers, for what the publishers claim is the first illustrated omniibus of ghost stories. Algernon Blackwood, M.R. James, Arthur Machen, Edgar Allan Poe, Saki, Ambrose Bierce and Edith Wharton all contribute haunted tales. The real star of the show though is illustrator Lynd Ward who contributes 62 illustrations, either full page, vignettes or tail pieces to accompany each story.  . Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1st Printing. 1937.

Serpentine Gallery. In the Darkest Hour there may be Light. Works from Damien Hirst's Murderme Collection London: Serpentine Gallery, 2006 4to., printed photographic boards showing artworks by Hirst; lettered in metallic blue and black along spine; bright blue endpapers; [unpaginated], containing Director's Forward, an interview with Damien Hirst, and full-page, full-colour photographs of art from the exhibition; light compression to extremities, else fine. First edition, boldly signed by the artist in black felt pen to the title, with three kisses. Hirst's Murderme collection began with a collection of exchanges he had with several artist friends, including Angus Fairhurst, Sarah Lucas and Mat Collishaw, and went on to develop into a wide-ranging collection which explored his own artistic interests. Ranging from Francis Bacon to Banksy and Andy Warhol, the exhibition featured more than 60 works from 20 different artists, and were displayed both in, and outside the Serpentine Gallery… Read More