Published by William Blackwood & Sons Ltd., Edinburgh and London, 1865
Seller: Montreal Books, Westmount, QC, Canada
First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Some shelfwear to edges of spine, otherwise a nice solid and clean copy. Long essay on Robert Bruno. Book.
Published by William Blackwood & Sons Ltd., Edinburgh and London, 1865
Seller: RPBooks, Champlain, NY, U.S.A.
First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Some shelfwear to edges of spine, otherwise a nice solid and clean copy. Long essay on Robert Bruno. Book.
Published by William Blackwood & Sons Ltd.
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. Minor edge wear to cloth boards with gilt decoration. A small split at the head of the spine. A tan to the page edges. Slight cracks to the hinges, but textblock otherwise firm and unaffected. Contents clear and bright throughout. A lovely copy.
Published by William Blackwood, 1856
Seller: Hadwebutknown, Birnam, PERTH, United Kingdom
Miscellaneous essays on topics such as Wordsworth, gymnastics and a self penned comparison of the author's work in Scotland and England. Half leather binding worn at spine edges and corners but binding titght. Some light foxing otherwise a Good copy.
Published by William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London, 1866
Seller: Dark and Stormy Night Books, Newburyport, MA, U.S.A.
Hard Cover. Condition: Very Good Minus. Thomas Duncan, A.R.A., Sir John Watson Gordon, R. Scott Lauder (illustrator). "New Edition" published 1865,1866,1867. Set of Ten volumes. "New Edition" published 1865, 1866, 1867. Hard cover 12 mo, (5 x 7 1/2 inches) in three quarters tan calf and , with five raised bands to the spine, gilt with applied leather labels in red and black. Condition: Very Good Minus with occasional loss to applied title labels, light scuffing to the cloth, and signs of shelf wear to corners, some mild toning to a few volumes. Joints firm. Two nineteenth-century engraved armorial bookplates to prelims, including J.H.W. Lockhart Ross, who we have not been able to trace, but is likely a relative of John Gibson Lockhart,(1794-1854) another important Blackwood's Magazine contributor in this period, husband to Sir Walter Scott's eldest dauhgter, and whose portrait is the frontispiece to Volume 4. Marbled edges to text block remain pleasingly bright.**The material has been abstracted from Edinburgh's Blackwoods Magazine, where Prof. Wilson was a frequent contributor of essays, fiction, literary criticism and poetry between the years 1822 and 1835. The first four volumes contain the essays forming the "Nocte Ambrosianæ." As described in the Preface, this is the first authorized "New Edition" of "Nocte Ambrosianæ, overseen by the author's son-in-law , (preceded by an imperfect version published by an American, Dr. Shelton Mackenzie.) Each of these four has a tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait. * Collation: Vol 1, "Nochte"(1) (xxxviii), frontispiece portrait of Professor Wilson, after Christopher North, 384pp. (1). Vol. 2, "Nochte" continued. (1),(xiv), frontispiece portrait of James Hogg, the "Ettrick Shepherd," after Sir John Watson Gordon, 428pp. (1). Vol. 3,"Nochte" continued. (1), portrait of Thomas De Quincey after J.W. Gordon. 1864, (1) 382 (1) pp. Vol.4, "Nochte "(1), portrait of John Gibson Lockhart, after R. Scott Lauder, 368 pp. including index to first four volumes (1). The next several volumes give us an anthology of "Essays Critical and Imaginative." Vol. 5 (vi), 408pp.(1). Vol. 6 "Essays" continued, 397, (1) pp. Vol. 7 "Essays" on Robert Burns, Coleridge, McCauley, Shakespeare and others (1) 431 pp. (1). Vol. 8: "Essays," concerning Homer and Greek Drama. (1), 459, (1)pp. Vol. 9, "Recreations of Christopher North," portrait of Christopher North, after Thomas Duncan, A.R.A. (1), 440,(1)pp. Vol. 10 "Recreations" continued, (1) iv, 433 (1)pp. Vol. 11, "Tales" including three short novels, "Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life," "Trials of Margaret Lindsay," and "The Foresters." (1) 557,(1)pp. Vol. 12, "Poems." A New Edition, including "The Isle of Palms," "The City of the Plague," "The Convict" and "Miscellaneous Poems." 1865. (1) (viii) 558 (1) pp.**Professor John Wilson, (1785-1854) once a gentleman of leisure, Wilson's family had a reversal of fortune, due to a spendthrift uncle, and thereafter found himself necessitated to study at Glasgow and Oxford, thereafter qualifying as an advocate, and finally the first Professor of Moral Philosophy at Edinburgh University. The young bon vivant's country ways never left him, however, hence his hunting-and fishing alter-ego, "Christopher North." Watson III, 1308. Book.
Published by Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh, 1855
Seller: Dark and Stormy Night Books, Newburyport, MA, U.S.A.
First Edition
Hard Cover. Condition: Fine. Partial Set, but complete topic, First Edition in book form. Hard cover, 12mo, ( 5 x 7 5/8 inches) Finely bound (unsigned, but presumed to be by Edinburgh binders Henderson and Bisset) in three-quarter calf, rolled in blind, with marbled paper-covered boards of teal, umber and gold, the spine with five raised bands, shilling-rolled, with onlaid red morocco title label gilt to second compartment and black author and volume designation to fourth, and the remaining compartments framed in neoclassical foliate borders, centering oblong aster-like flowers and a pattern of closed and open dots, some in threes. Top edge gilt. Two facing title pages. A contemporary news clipping portrait bust of the Author in character as the rugged but sage Scottish wit and philosopher of men, "Christopher North," is tipped in to a fly leaf of Volume I, probably taken from Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine. Printed at William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh. Each volume has the engraved bookplate of ANDREW CARNEGIE to the front pastedown. **CONDITION: Near Fine. Marks to bottom two compartments of spine near joint of Vol. III, as seen. Otherwise, fine. ** COLLATION: Vol. 1: (March 1825 - Jun 1827), xxiii, [4] 384pp. [4]. Vol. 2: (July 1827-May 1830) [4] xiv, 428 [4]pp. Vol.3:, (June1830-Nov. 1832 )[4], xiii, 382pp.,[4]. Vol.4 (May 1834- Feb. 1835) [4] xi, 368 with glossary of scots words and index, [4]. **CONTENTS: The "Nochtes Ambrosianae " is a series of comedic columns, done as pub conversations primarily between the fictional "Timothy Tickler" (J. G. Lockhart) and "Christopher North" (Prof. Wilson) but also including "The Shepherd" (James Hogg, aka the poet known as the Ettrick Shepherd), first appearing in the weekly "Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine" between March 1822 and February 1835. Later appearances at the table included "The Opium Eater," (Thomas de Quincey). As edited by John Wilson's son-in-law, the contents are particularly among the best of Wilson's contributions, and form the first four volumes of a larger 12-volume anthology of his works--see our number 8758 for the later "New Edition" ten volume set. **The convivial, semi-monthly editorial-meetings over oysters and ale at Ambrose's Tavern, a hostelry once located in Gabriels Road, Edinburgh, gave these columns, and later the books, their title, a story told in the Preface by Wilson's son-in-law, Prof. Ferrier. Ambrose would eventually relocate to Picardy Place near the head of Leith Walk. (read "The Blue Parlour") **The running heads highlight the contents, but the commentary includes trash-talking the Lake poets, lampooning the hunting set, complaints about rival publishing outfits, bemoaning the physical changes to the City of Edinburgh; generally speaking out about art, culture and the issues of the day over a pint. There is a smattering of poetry, and some informal scots dialect to warm the cockles of an ex-pat, making you feel like you are at the table with the lads.**While best known in America as the self-made Gilded Age iron, steel, and railway magnate, the OWNER of this set of books, ANDREW CARNEGIE (1834-1919), never forgot his modest roots as the son of a poor weaver from the Scottish burgh of Dunfermline in Fife. The family emigrated to the US in 1848. During his lifetime, he underwrote the cost of hundreds of public libraries across America, Britain and in the British Colonies. His charitable organization, the Carnegie Corporation in New York, continues these civic works today. One can picture Mr. Carnegie dipping into these books to remind himself of home. **The attribution of the BOOK BINDERS Henderson and Bisset is based on the similarity to another item in our stock [see our no. 9125] which also has the Carnegie bookplate provenance and is stamp signed. REFS: A. Strout, "Concerning the Noctes Ambrosianae," in Modern Language Notes, Vol LI, No. 51, Dec. 1936. The National Library of Scotland has "A specimen book of binders' tools, prepared for use in the firm of Henderson & Bisset of Edinburgh, about 1860. Bookbinders to the Queen from 1839 to 1892." (British Museum.) Part of the 12 volumes of OCLC 4163660. (4.54 lbs.)(AMJ) Part of the "Works of Professor John Wilson of Edinburgh University". Book.