Sokol Books Ltd. ABA ILAB (876 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 8vo. (12mo., large paper copy) pp. (xx) 364. 12 steel engravings, printed on India Paper, after paintings and drawings by the prominent artists of those days, one after John Martin. Signed "Cars & Co, Glasgow" binding in full crimson calf with gilt and blind-stamped decoration, all edges gilt. Faxon 1564.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Small 8vo. Pp. [ix] 343. Steel-engraved frontispiece portrait of the authos after Thos. Lawrence. Signed "Thurnam. Carlisle", see Ramsden 163. Red, half-morocco binding with gilt back and marbled edges. Bookplate "William Wordsworth". Illustrated with numerous wood engraved vignettes after William Harvey, one of Thomas Bewick's favourite pupils, and by 1840 a prominent artist in his own right. Hand written dedication on bastard title: to William Wordsworth, Jnr. Esq. with the Publisher's best Regards". Dedication copy from Edward Moxon to the poet's son William (d. 1883). The bookplates shows the crest of the Wordsworth family, three bells encircled by a Rococo border, on top of which a deer's head.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 12mo pp. (vi) 188. Large Paper copy on copper-plate paper. With 15 delicate engravings on copper by Charles Heath after Stothard (see A. C. Coxhead, Stothard, 1906, p. 120-22). Set in Bell Roman and finely printed on heavy Whatman paper (watermarked "1794") by Bensley in an edition of only 100 copies (see Th. Besterman, Cadell & Davies, 1938, p. xxxi). Contemporary calf with gilt spine, gilt borderline on sides, marbled endpapers. Fine copy.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 8vo pp. (viii) 320. Publisher's full crimson silk binding with gilt lettering on the spine, silk on back hinge and tail-cap a little frayed, otherwise a very clean and neat copy, a.e.g. Contains 18 steel engravings after Flaxman, Bonnington, Tuners (2) and others. Includes the first printings of Mary Shelley's tales "The Swiss Peasant" and "The Transformation". Faxon 1492.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Roy 8vo pp 10(i-x) 96. Fine, modern brown half morocco with gilt lettering and raised bands, marbled endpapers, an elegant volume without foxing.  James Puckle (1667?-1724) published this collection of "characters" in 1711 which ran to several editions until the mid-Nineteenth century. A microcosmography in the Theophrastian sense with an enormous popularity in England. This de-luxe edition with wooden engravings by John Thompson, Branston, Besbit and other Bewick pupils after the designs by Thurston totalled only 735 copies and was printed by John Johnson, the master-printer and later author of "Typographia" (1824) right after he had left the Lee Priory Press; the style of his Puckle's Club very much resembles the Lee Priory imprints. This volume also contains the debut as a book illustrator of William Harvey (p.56), who had just left Thomas Bewick, his master, to become the pupil of Haydon, the painter, in London. Chatto & Jackson (p632) are of the opinion that several of the wooden engravings by John Thompson for this volume are "indisputably the best among the very many excellent cuts which have been engraved in England within the last twenty years". Lowndes, 2005.  X73.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 12mo. Pp. (xii) 284. Embossed maroon full publisher's morocco binding, hinges skilfully repaired, a good clean copy, all edges gilt. Twelve steel engravings after Thos. Lawrence, Westall, Stothard and others. First printings of two sonnets by Alfred Tennyson and his elder brother Frederic Tennyson. Faxon 1337 and p. 9-10 and Plate 4 (similar binding for 1836).

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 8vo pp. (iv) 308. Publisher's full crimson silk binding with gilt lettering on the spine, silk on hinges and tail-cap worn, interior clean, a.e.g. Contains 17 steel engravings after Turner (2), John Martin, Stanfield and others. Includes a first printing of Mary Shelley's tales "The Brother and Sister" and "The Invisible Girl". Faxon 1494.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 8vo pp. (iv) 320. Publisher's full crimson silk binding with gilt lettering on the spine, silk on back, hinges and tail-cap severely frayed, interior clean, a.e.g. Contains 17 steel engravings after Turner (3), John Martin and others. Includes a first printing of Mary Shelley's tale "The Dream". Faxon 1493 + Plate 9.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION. Oblong folio. pp. [4] + 28 lithographs. Title within decorated border, lithographed letter to W. Lascelles confirming 'His Royal Highness's acceptance' of the presentation copy, with stamp of Royal Commission Paris Exhibition, 28 lithographed plates with plans and elevations of cottages, printed by J. Ackermann and designed by Maurice B. Adams. Slight toning, a very good copy in contemporary publisher's embossed cloth, title gilt to upper cloth, joints weakening. First edition of this pioneering architectural work illustrating the construction of habitations using W.H. Lascelles' 'patent cement slab system'. R. Norman Shaw, R.A. (1831-1912), is considered one of the greatest English architects. He specialised in residential buildings, preferring classicism over Neo-Gothic, for instance, Bedford Park, Chiswick. In 1875, the architect W.H. Lascelles had patented 'a remarkable system of reinforced pre-cast slab construction', to speed up and reduce the costs of building projects. It 'consisted of a wooden framework [] faced with concrete slabs []. The slabs were cast in moulds with "iron rods embedded in the concrete to strengthen the slabs, [which required] no further finishing [] [and] the outer face of the slab would look like wall tiling' (Collins, p.42). In 1878, Shaw agreed to assist with the architectural and aesthetic definition of these buldings, so that country dwellings made with modern material would resemble old buildings. The lithographs, with elevations, plans and measurements, include a workman's and a labourer's cottage, one on two floors, a small bungalow residence, a small mission church for 80 worshippers, a boat house, a shop, a school, and a billiard and smoking room. The coffee and entertainment rooms were those built in Bromley, Kent. A very interesting book of civic architecture. P. Collins, Concrete: The Vision of a New Architecture (2004).

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Square 8vo. P [vii] [vii-xxiii] 6 6-105 [i]. Full calf binding. Nice, clean copy with fine, sharp impression of the engravings This is the second issue of the 8vo edition (1802) with Wooden engravings by Thomas Bewick after the designs of his brother John Bewick. The most uncommon of the two 8vo issues, which followed the 4to edition of 1796. The vignettes in this pendant to the "Poems of Goldsmith and Parnell" (8vo edition in 1804) are usually thought to be among the best work executed by Thomas Bewick.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION thus. 8vo. pp. [8] (xlviii) 363 [3], including original printed paper wrappers. Roman letter. 4 foldout plates (battle maps), 4 original full page, hand-coloured aquatints depicting local inhabitants, following original engravings of Samuel John Neele (1758-1824) after Thomas Walls, all in good impression. Some foxing, well-margined, contemporary mottled calf, some wear around at edges and gilt spine. First French translation, by Alfred Thiery (1794-1853), of Captain Walls' original 1803 monograph 'Journal of the late campaign in Egypt', a first-hand account of the British military expedition to Egypt around 1800, which aimed to oust Napoleonic forces, featuring original illustrations. The edition begins with a detailed introduction to Egypt's history and splendour, an account of its triumphant French military past, and the ambitions of the English, by Joseph Agoub (1795-1832), who wrote extensively about the country. The official papers of the original English version are included in the appendix, also translated into French. Walls' account is recorded in journalistic style and initially follows his journey through the Mediterranean, describing the landscapes and towns of Gibraltar, Minorca, Macri, Marmorice and Malta, on the way to Egypt. Next, he relates his landing in Africa and his battles, accompanied by foldout maps showing the position of each army. The battles of Mandara and Alexandria are treated in especially fine detail. The former ended inconclusively, while the latter saw British success, but at the tragic cost of lieutenant-general Ralph Abercromby, who received a musket ball to the thigh, resulting in septicaemia. Walls briefly discusses elements of local culture, including Mamluk history and dress, before returning to operations around Alexandria, and relating the history of the city. The account provides in-depth battle chronology and contextualises the surrounding country by way of history and culture, illustrated in its coloured plates. Thomas Walls was the captain of England's 93rd regiment of foot and the aide-de-camp to Major General Sire Eyre Coots during Abercromby's expedition to Egypt, sent by the British government to liberate the country from French occupation. Blackmer Sale Cat. 1078 (English version). Brunet 1410.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Crown 8vo pp. 296. Full, green cruched morocco, unsigned but definitely by Hayday (Ramsden, p. 78); except of the Roman urn on the sides identical with the copy of Italy (above) and with a copy of the Poems in the Danish Royal Library (press mark 75ii-156) signed "Bound by Hayday." With 72 engraved vignettes after designs by J.M.W. Turner and Thos. Stothard, the majority after Turner. Unquestionably the most famous and frequently praised book illustrated with steel engravings. Turner's illustrations are "vignettes, a form of art which Turner understood better than any artist ever did before, perhaps we might add, since. The 'Alps at Daybreak,' 'Columbus Discovering Land,' and 'Datur Hora Queti' may be given as examples of the finest" (Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th Edition). "Of outstanding beauty and importance" (Muir p. 71). Unfoxed copies are uncommon, and finely bound copies of the first edition in that condition are rare. A fine copy. Rawlinson p. 373-405.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION thus. Small 8vo. pp. [7] 4-92 [2]. Roman letter. Armorial book plate of art collector and industrialist John Sheepshanks (1787-1863). Later French mss. in blue on ffep, providing a brief description of the book's content, author's background, and interests. In contemporary calf, gilt tooled border, rebacked, spine gilt, remounted. A clean, crisp copy of the first edition in English of the initially unpublished pamphlet containing a progress report from the 'founder of modern Egyptology', Charles-Richard Lepsius (1810-1884), to King Federick Wilhelm IV of Prussia. The travel account dates from 4th March until 14th April 1845. In the narrative, Lepsius travels from Thebes to Mount Sinai and describes the Egyptian landscape, geology, and wildlife, noting the excess of iron ore deposits around the temple of Hathor at Sar'but el Cha'dem, and also writes about the ancient copper mines. The French handwritten note at the beginning of the book mentions Lepsius' personal interest in minerology, which is made manifest in his visitation of a variety of quarries, including marble, granite and porphyry. Attention is given to three key historical aspects, namely the 'primeval Egyptian colonies' with their inscriptions and temples which 'have attracted the admiration of travellers and given rise to the most extraordinary hypotheses'. Lepsius studies stelai and sketches sites, whose descriptions are included. He then turns to theories as to the purpose of the ancient ruins, analysing those put forward by other scholars, explorers and collectors like Lord Prudhoe (1792-1865), Eduard Rüppell (1794-1884), Edward Robinson (1794-1863) and Carsten Niehbur (1733-1815). Next is the identification of Biblical settings, which he attempts through the comparison of 'statements with the present localities' with the 'journey of the Israelites through the wilderness'. Lepsius occasionally quotes the Bible, comparing the textual descriptions with the observable surrounding landscape, in an attempt to trace the exact journey of the Israelites through Sinai as they escaped Egypt. He concerns himself with the location of Mount Sinai and the 'significancy and position of Horeb'. The third historical point is the briefly mentioned Sinaic inscriptions, which he describes as the 'work of the Israelites'. An interesting monograph combining secular and Biblical archaeology. See Blackmer Sale Cat. 781 for full official publication.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 2 vols, 8vo. pp. [6] (x) 487 [1], [4] 492. Roman letter, a little italic. Separate t-p to each, publisher's advertisement at opening of vol 1. Five extending foldout engraved pls. depicting ancient sites and a plan of the Temple of the Sun in Balbek. 3 foldout maps of Egypt, Syria and Turkey. Some foxing, browning to vol 1 (poor paper). Contemporary mottled sheep, spine gilt with some wormholes and wear to covers. Constantin-François de Chasseboeuf's (1757-1820) oeuvre, released upon his return in 1787, discussing the physical and political state of Egypt and Syria. He chose these as his subject because of 'ce qu'elles furent jadis, et de ce qu'elles sont aujourd'hui' and an interest in the state of the Ottoman Empire. Chasseboeuf explores the ancient sites, visiting the Sphinx and the Pyramids in Egypt, and Palmyra and Balbek in Syria, where he surveys the local histories, native inhabitants, and minorities. In Egypt, he focuses on the history of the Mamluk dynasty and of Ali-bek; in Syria he investigates the history of Daher, the pachalic distribution (including Palestine), and the religion and trade of each country. He discusses their climate, geography, meteorology, and natural history. The volumes exemplify the author's interest in different cultures and nature he pursued in his academic studies. Chasseboeuf then considers the state of commerce in the Levant based on the records of the Chamber of Commerce at Marseille. It details imports and exports, and studies Constantinople, Smyrna and other key cities in the Mediterranean. The second volume concludes with Volney's 1788 publication on the war between Russia and the Turks. Having commented on the political state of two Ottoman provinces, Volney explores the implication of the outcome of the war, resulting in Russia's extension of its border to the Black Sea. French relations with Russia are made evident in a letter dated 1789 and addressed to Baron Grimm, informing him of Volney's return of the gold medal bestowed to him by Catherine II as a result of Russia's alliance with France's enemies. The following section covers Turko-Russian hostilities over the Crimea and considers the consequences of the conflict. Chasseboeuf travelled in Syria and Egypt for around 4 years, where he visited nomadic tribes as well as cities and took great interest in local languages, learning Arabic while staying in a Lebanese convent. Not much was previously written about this area in the West, and the book was well received. It ran to 6 editions between 1787 and 1823. An interesting and comprehensive survey of the Near East at the end of the 18th C, and its foreign relation during this eventful period. Blackmer 1067. Brunet 1351.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 4to., unpaginated. Profusely illustrated with wood engravings. Publisher's prospectus included. Publisher's decorated orange cloth, designed by Owen Jones ("The Grammar of Ornament"), cloth slightly damaged at head and tail, a little wear to corners. A good copy. The first edition was published in 1841 ("The first time of the true 'Illuminated Books' [Ruari McLean, Victorian Book Design, p. 154]). A good copy.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Small 8vo pp. 418. With 13 full-page engravings on copper by Thos. Cook and John Pye after Wale and Nash and 72 neat, but anonymous vignettes engraved on wood. Publisher's blue blind-stamped cloth. A nice edition in very good condition. Lowndes 2829.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 8vo. pp. 480. Presentation copy from the author, inscription on the title page to Ms. William Reynolds. A few page and plate margins expertly repaired, and the usual light browning of the plate paper. In general a good copy with clean and crisp impressions of the plates and in a nice and well preserved contemporary half morocco, signed Fraser. Regent St. with red title piece on the spine. FIRST EDITION in one volume. By 1847 Fraser had moved away from 215 Regent Street, and the premises were taken over by one Nicholson, bookseller (Tallis, Street Views Suppl. 4), which dates the binding within these seven years. The volume includes the frontispiece portrait of the author and the 27 etchings on steel by George Cruikshank. The first edition appeared in 1839 as three consecutive volumes in Bentley's Miscellany. The present second edition was published in 15 numbers, of which most sets were apparently bound in one volume, like the present copy. Unbound sets are of great rarity. Cohn No. 13.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 12mo. (18 x 10.5 cm). Pp. 318. unpaginated and without signatures. Engraved title page and frontispiece with hand-coloured illustrations. 8 additional, uncoloured woodcuts on the following 4 leaves, by Cruikshank. Later, light blue borads. Light stain to a few pages, a good copy. Chapbook of popular songs, rarely found complete.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Crown 8vo. Pp 306. PROOF EDITION. Original yellow publisher's boards with leather title piece on the back, spelling "Campbell's Poetical Works". Repaired tear to head of spine. A fine copy. All steel engravings singed "Proof." Rawlinson, 613-623. Not in Lowndes.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. PROOF EDITION. Original yellow publisher's boards with leather title piece on the back, spelling "Campbell's Poetical Works". Repaired tear to head of spine. A fine copy. All steel engravings singed "Proof." Rawlinson, 613-623. Not in Lowndes.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Crown 8vo pp. 296. FIRST EDITION, proof issue, each engraving signed "proof". Publisher's yellow glazed paper boards with leather title piece lettered "Rogers' Poems. Proofs". Title page expertly restored and hinges repaired with the same quality and colour of the early 19th century paper, interior immaculate. Rawlinson 373-405 X58.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. [MANUAL FOR JESUITS] 8vo. pp. (iv) 48 (iv). Roman letter, little Italic. T-p within woodcut architectural frame, woodcut Jesuit printer's device, typographical initials and ornaments. Light water stain to lower blank corners, one gathering slightly browned, minimal marginal foxing, small loss to fore-edge of last. A good copy in wrappers, minor loss to spine and corners. A good copy of the third edition of this important manual for Jesuit superiors. Cardinal Claudio Aquaviva (1543-1615) is one of the major figures of the Counter-Reformation and among those responsible for the Jesuits' enormous theological and political success in the C17. After a swift career in the echelons of the Jesuit Order, from the 1580s he devoted himself to the writing of works concerned with the education of Jesuit priests and the characteristics necessary to become good Superiors. First published in Rome in 1606, 'Instructio' was based on one of several letters he wrote to Superiors of the Congregation 'to offercounsels and directions to enable them to be of greater help to their subjects in their interior life' (Guibert, 'Jesuits', 243). It lays down general guidelines seeking to 'increase and confirm the soul of the Society', focusing on the Superiors' demeanour, the role of prayer and serious mistakes made by them in their daily pastoral care, e.g., ignoring the spiritual 'illnesses' of their subjects and encouraging spiritual lassitude. Among the advice given so as to maintain and improve the spirituality of the Order was the use of Ignatius's spiritual exercises, oration and meditation. Aquaviva's advice to Superiors was integral to the shaping of the Congregation in the epoch of its Golden Age. BM STC It. C17, p. 43; Sommervogel I, 258.4. J. de Guibert, The Jesuits: Their Spiritual Doctrine and Practice (1972).

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. pp. (xi) 2-348 [12]. Roman letter. A well-margined, uncut, clean copy in original panelled blue cloth binding. Light age yellowing, small damage to head and tail of spine and joint, with remnants of the contemporary label. This personal and informative set of 12 letters from Scottish banker John Gardiner Kinnear (1800-1866) provides fascinating insight into contemporary feelings in the West towards the government and culture of the Near East. Each letter is summarised under a number of headings, laid out after the preface and the reader can track Kinnear's movements moment by moment from his arrival in Alexandria on the 16th of January 1839 until his quarantine on Malta, as he returned home, on the 15th of September 1839, on his initially 'entirely mercantile' (p. vii) expedition. His observations, descriptions and personal responses are laid out in most intimate detail, addressing themes ranging from culture and religion to taxes and politics. In particular, he mentions the religious tolerance under the current government, specifically towards Jews and Christians, and also acknowledges the government's faults in his fairly eulogistic discourse, but admits they are 'by no means so bad as is supposed in England'. He blames many of their problems on the traditional form of government, rather than the rule of Mehemet Ali (1767-1849) himself. The collection was compiled in honour of his friend Roberts, to memorialise the 'interesting scenes through which we passed last year'. Kinnear's positive comments about the government of Mehemet Ali, the ruler of Egypt and Syria at the time, are admittedly 'more favourable than those entertained by many persons in this country' (pp. viii). Ali had initially been the pasha of Ottoman Egypt, founding a dynasty which lasted until the mid-20th C, but he poached Syria from Ottoman control in 1839, until he was ousted in 1841. He revolutionised the traditional political and economic structure of Egypt, building on the foundations left by the Napoleonic occupation. The dedicatee, and Kinnear's travelling companion, was the Scottish painter David Roberts (1796-1864), who exhibited at the Royal Academy for the first time in 1824 and often journeyed in search of 'exotic or impressive subjects', making him one of the 'first independent and British artists to experience the Orient at hand'. A striking contemporary account contrary to the popular western view held at the time. Blackmer 739. Not in Lowndes.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 4to. pp. [xii], 28, 19-158. A⁶ B-L⁸ M⁴ Roman letter, some Italic. Woodcut floriated initials, woodcut and typographical headpieces, numerous small woodcuts in the text of early farming tools and implements, blind stamp of the Wigan free Public Library on first and last two leaves. Light age yellowing, rare marginal spot or mark, small repair to blank verso of fore-edge of t-p and following leaf. A very good copy, clean with good margins, in modern quarter calf over marbled boards, a.e.r. Third edition revised, corrected, and amended, together with many new additions, of this important and innovative agricultural work by Markham, on the preparation and improvement of soils and on arable farming generally. Soil husbandry began to be seen as the key to productive, profitable farming. Gervase Markham, one of the first agricultural writers to write in English instead of Latin, described soils as various mixtures of clay, sand, and gravel. What made good soil depended on the local climate, the character and condition of the soil, and the local plants (crops). Simple Clays, Sands, or Gravels together; may be all good, and all fit to bring forth increase, or all barren. Understanding the soil was the key to understanding what would grow best, and essential to keeping a farm productive. Thus having a true knowledge of the Nature and Condition of your ground. it may not only be purged and clensed but also so much bettered and refined. Prescribing steps to improve British farms, Markham recommended using the right type of plow for the ground. He advised mixing river sand and crushed burned limestone into the soil, to be followed by the best manure to be had, preferably ox, cow, or horse dung. In describing procedures for improving barren soils, Markham advocated growing wheat or rye for two years in a field, and then letting sheep graze and manure it for a year. After the sheep, several crops of barley were to be followed in the seventh year by peas or beans, and then several more years as pasture. After this cycle the ground would be much improved for growing grain. The key to sustaining soil fertility was to alternate livestock and crops on the same piece of ground. Equally important, although it received less attention, was preventing erosion of the soil itself. Markham advised plowing carefully to avoid collecting water into erosive gullies. Good soil was the key to a good farm, and keeping soil on the farm required special effort even on England s gentle rolling hills. David R. Montgomery. Dirt. The Erosion of Civilizations The work also deals with the preservation of grains and pulses, including a section on the best grain to take to sea (which he concludes is rice). It also contains two chapters at the end on the husbandry of cattle for plowing. Many books on agriculture and gardening were published during the century, but from the historical point of view the most important are those of Markham, because they appeared at an early stage in the new development, were widely read, and full of useful information and sound advice. Markham was a too prolific writer, but one can forgive his constant repetition and shameless re-issuing of unsold books under a new title for the great influence his writings had on English agriculture. His most important work was Markhams farewell to husbandry. It dealt fully and expertly not only with ploughing, sowing and harvesting, but with methods such as sanding, lining, marling and manuring, by which fertility of land could be increased. Anne Wilbraham The Englishman s Food: Five Centuries of English Diet . STC 17374. ESTC S112113. Poynter. P. 132 No. 24 (1620 edn.).

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 8vo. ff. 142, [ii]: A-S⁸ Black letter, some Roman and Italic. Small typographical ornament on title, 'Tho. P Cunliffe' in C19th hand on fly, bookplate on pastedown, marginal notes to a few leaves. Light age yellowing, title slightly dusty. A very good copy, crisp and clean in early C19th calf, covers blind ruled to a panel design with large blind scroll in outer panel, spine tooled in blind, rebacked with original spine laid down, a little wear. A slightly amended edition of the translation from the original 'Law French' into English of Thomas Littleton's seminal treatise on tenures. "Sir Thomas Littleton, , jurist, author of Littleton on Tenures, the first important English legal text neither written in Latin nor significantly influenced by Roman (civil) law. An edition (1481 or 1482?) by John Lettou and William de Machlinia was doubtless the first book on English law to be printed. It long remained the principal authority on English real property law, and in the 20th century Littleton's work was still occasionally cited as authoritative. Throughout a turbulent period in English history, Littleton held several high offices: sheriff of Worcestershire; recorder of Coventry, Warwickshire; justice of assize (trial judge) on the Northern Circuit; and judge of the Court of Common Pleas (appointed by King Edward IV, 1466). In 1475 he was created a Knight of the Bath. Intended for the instruction of his second son, Richard, Littleton's Treatise subtly differentiates various kinds of medieval English land tenure. It was written in law French, a specialised form of Anglo-Norman. Sir Edward Coke held Littleton's work in high esteem and wrote an extensive commentary on it." Encyclopaedia Britannica. The work consolidated the law as it pertained to property, land, and especially of the law of trusts, also dealing with the subject of trespass. Henri de Bracton, his predecessor, had largely ignored this important topic. Unlike preceding writers on English law, Glanville, Bracton, and the authors of the treatises known by the names of Britton and Fleta, Littleton borrows nothing from the sources of Roman law or the commentators. He deals exclusively with English law. The book is written on a definite system, and is the first attempt at a scientific classification of rights over land. Littleton's method is to begin with a definition, usually clearly and briefly expressed, of the class of rights with which he is dealing. He then proceeds to illustrate the various characteristics and incidents of the class by stating particular instances, some of which refer to decisions that had actually occurred, but more of which are hypothetical cases put by way of illustration of his principles. The first book deals with freehold estates, and Littleton adopts a classification that has been followed by all writers who have attempted to systematise the English law of land, especially Sir Matthew Hale and Sir William Blackstone. The second book relates to the reciprocal rights and duties of lord and tenant, It contains a complete statement of the law as it stood in Littleton's time relating to homage, fealty, and escuage, the money compensation to be paid to the lord in lieu of military service to be rendered to the king. The third and concluding book of Littleton's treatise deals mainly with the various ways in which rights over land can be acquired and terminated in the case of a single possessor or several possessors. ESTC S108678. STC 15783.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 12mo. [viii] 232 [xvi]. Roman and italic letter, head- and tail-pieces, engraved title page depicting the creation of a tempest through magic. Light age yellowing, a good clean, well-margined copy in ornate straight-grained red morocco by Bozerian with gilt-ruled and -rolled panels, compartments richly gilt on spine, all edges gold, marbled endpapers, armorial bookplate of Holland House on pastedown. Arthur Houghton's acquisition note on rear fep.

Soft cover. Condition: Good. 8vo. Two works in one, ff. 48 + 54 [ii] last two blank. Italic letter. Historiated initials, printer's woodcut device on both titles, "Franco di flamminis" ms. In contemporary hand on second, small ms. armorial device below, extensive marginalia in the same hand in the second work, bookplate of Allardyce Nicoll. Light age yellowing, the odd marginal spot. A good copy in C18 marbles paper wraps. Excellent edition, with Giraldi's important 'guide,' of Speroni's most famous, influential and controversial play, first published in 1546. A versatile and extremely influential man of letters, Speroni was known for his literary criticism, in the many prose dialogues and treatises he wrote over his long career, and for this Senecan revenge tragedy, Canace, which instigated a feud among the Italian literati on the tragic genre that lasted for decades. Sperone was born in Padua and taught in various capacities at the city's university, where he was acquainted with Pietro Bembo, Giraldi, and Tasso, and was at the center of the powerful literary circle at Padua. This is a verse tragedy, undivided into scenes, based on the Greek legend of Canace, daughter of Aeolus, who was forced by her father to commit suicide for having fallen in love with her brother, Macar. It was composed for Padua's literary academy, the Accademia degli Inflammati, and was printed at Firenze in 1546. The work was highly polemical, the subject of incestuous twins was always going to be controversial, and was performed only once. "It was Speroni's Canace that most exploited the incest theme. In fact, Speroni theorized that incest may not be an evil: but even if it is, an evil hero may evoke a catharsis. In the critical battle over Canace, one thing is clear: incest is justified as a legitimate way to arouse pity and fear. Canace was, nevertheless castigated for its lasciviousness." Richard Fabrizio. The public reaction led Speroni to write an Apologia (1550), which he never finished. It is accompanied by Giraldi's long essay on the work and on the nature of tragedy in both theatre and poetry in general. This was long attributed to Cavalcanti but is now considered Giraldi's, himself an influential playwright. He is renowned as the author of the 'Hecatommithi,' a collection of tales told in the manner of Boccaccio which provided the plots of Measure for Measure and Othello. A good copy of one of the best editions of this work. BM STC C16th It. p. 636. cf. Gamba 1653. Fontanini, I, p. 507. L1065.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. [SEXUALLY EXPUNGED] 8vo. pp. (lviii) 477 [i.e., 491] (iii). Roman letter, some Italic, double column. Woodcut printer's device to t-p, decorated initials and ornaments. T-p a little spotted, light yellowing, faint water stain from upper outer corner of some ll., another to lower outer corner at end, couple or so gatherings somewhat browned (poorly dried). A good copy in contemporary vellum, early ms. drawing of half quadrant and ink splash to upper and few pen trials to lower cover, small loss of vellum to couple of corners. C17 ms. 'Vocabularius', crossed-out ex-libris and ms. 'Comprai usado l'anno 1766 p.s.di 6.8' to ffep, contemporary ms. 'Ill. (?) felipo lapo' and 'in Parige à 30 giugno 1609 (?) soldi 9 (?)'. A very scarce Venetian edition of this important Italian-Spanish dictionary, with fascinating expunctions by an early prudish owner. The work of the obscure Sevillian lexicographer Cristóbal de las Casas (d.1576), it was originally published in 1570the first such bilingual dictionary, praised in the preface by the famous author Fernando de Herrera. 'It was the first dictionary worthy of this name by which the Spanish language was compared to any other Romance language, excluding the polyglot dictionary of Ambrosio Calepino' (J.M. Lope Blanch). Las Casas probably learnt Tuscan during a stay in Italy, and his dictionary filled a major gap in the book market, the last Spanish (to Latin) dictionary having been published by Nebrija in 1495. Las Casas provided a way for Spanish-speaking readers to appreciate the wealth of the Tuscan language and literature, and to make it easier for Italians to learn Spanish, for diplomacy, trade, etc. The two parts, Tuscan-Castilian (15,000 lemmas) and Castilian-Tuscan (10,000 lemmas), were reliant on Calepino and Nebrija, but also featured numerous terms which had never been previously listed in a dictionary: e.g., desenquedernar / squadernare, that is, to have a book disbound and broken up into its constituent gatherings or sheets; salcizzo / salchichon (sausage); Berlingozzo / tortilla de huevos (a kind of flatbread); and turbante / turbante tocado turco (Turkish turban). The contemporary (most likely Italian) annotator of this copy carefully covered in ink, in the Tuscan-Spanish section, everyday words he deemed vulgar or inappropriate, concerning, that is, prostitutes (bagascia, bagascione, puttana), sexual intercourse (bugiarare, sodomitico, coito, fottere, sperma) and related body parts (coda, coglioni, cotale, fica, fregna), physiological functions (cacare), related body parts (chiappe, culo) and premises (cesso, cacatoio), and circumcision (circuncidado, preputio). He also corrected two inoffensive Italian translations. Newberry, UVM and UCSD copies recorded in the US.USTC 4036728; Iberian Books 24165. Not in Palau. I. Acero, 'Incorporaciones léxicas en el Vocabulario de las dos lenguas toscana y castellana de Cristóbal de las Casas', Anuario de Estudios Filológicos 14 (1991), 7-14.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 4to. pp. [iv], 24. A², B⁸, C⁴ Roman letter some Italic. Small woodcut printer's device on title, woodcut initials and headpieces. Light age yellowing, the odd marginal mark or spot. A very good copy, crisp and clean, in modern boards. Second separately printed edition of this most interesting agricultural work, first published in 1625, concerning the improving of the soils of the Weald of Kent. Much of the content of the work is taken verbatim from Markham's earlier work on soil improvement, 'farewell to husbandry' but here is of great interest as he has applied his techniques specifically to a particular region of England. "In the pamphlet, 'The inrichment of the  weald of Kent' of 1625, the Author advocated a systematic program for improving the productivity of the 'unapt' soils of the region. It was to be based on the regular spreading of Marl (which was commonly found in the Weald) to enrich the ground, and, equally important, the introduction of ley farming to the enclosed fields which have previously been used for either pasture or arable. A complete dressing of marl the author recommended 300 to 500 loads per acre - would serve for 20 to 30 years: 'your marlable grounds being ordered in this wise . will continue to stand fruitfully either for corn or pasture'. The improver did not go into much detail about the cost of systematic marling, but gave the game away when he referred to the farm he had in mind. Under his scheme the 'husbandman' of 100 or 125 acres will plough a fifth or sixth of his land, leaving the rest to pasture, and after a few years the former arable would become pasture again, as former grassland was ploughed up for corn in turn. In the sixteenth century, however, the farm of 125 acres in the Weald was exceptional, and the improvers prescription, had it been widely known, was beyond the budget of most Wealden farmers. Nevertheless, such grandiose schemes for dressing both the arable and pasture land of whole farms speak loudly of the recurring reality of Wealden farming: most Wealden soils were poor and unproductive compared to nearby arable regions like northeast Kent." Michael Zell 'Industry in the Countryside: Wealden Society in the Sixteenth Century'. "Many books on agriculture and gardening were published during the century, but from the historical point of view the most important are those of Markham, because they appeared at an early stage in the new development, were widely read, and full of useful information and sound advice. Markham was a too prolific writer, but one can forgive his constant repetition and shameless re-issuing of unsold books under a new title for the great influence his writings had on English agriculture." Anne Wilbraham 'The Englishman's Food: Five Centuries of English Diet'. STC 17364. ESTC S121251. 'Running title reads: The inrichment of the weald of Kent. (inner form) and The enrichment of the weald of Kent. (outer form).' L2677.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION 4to. pp. [xx], 27, [i]: A-F4. First leaf, a blank (dusty) signed "A." within floriated woodcut. Black letter, some Roman and Italic. Small woodcut ornament on title, floriated woodcut initials in various sizes, woodcut head and tail-pieces some incorporating royal emblems, full page woodcut of the royal arms on verso of title, manuscript title of the work at head of first blank in early hand, early manuscript shelf mark? and '210/2017' in tiny hand at head of title, stamp of "Lawes Agricultural Trust" on blank verso of last. Light age yellowing, faint water stain at foot of a few ll. (mostly marginal), small repair to blank outer corners of first two leaves, blank verso of last dusty and edges slightly chipped. A very good copy in recent three-quarter tan morocco over marbled boards, title gilt in long on spine, a.e.g. Rare first edition of this important set of 'Orders' by Charles I to regulate the grain market. during a period of famine. 1629 and 1630 were years of dearth; there was much unemployment in the cloth trade, rioting in London and the South East and the West Country. The 1629 harvest was uninspiring, and 1630 terrible; the price of wheat rose from 38 shillings in 1629 to 54 shillings in 1630. This work is a collection of orders to the justices of the peace dictating how they were to respond to food scarcity in their communities. As the proclamation itself notes, this was largely an expansion of similar orders and reforms to the poor laws made by Elizabeth I and James I. Among other requirements, the orders mandated that corn be sold in an open market and that justices of the peace be present to ensure fair prices and prevent hoarding. "Under Elizabeth I and the early Stuarts the central government through the Privy Council increased its intervention in nearly every aspect of the English economy. The distribution of grain, which had always been subject to local restriction and control, became governed by an increasingly elaborate centralized machinery. Marking what N. S. B. Gras called "the apogee of paternalism" in the history of the English grain trade, the first Book of Orders for the relief of dearth was issued in early 1587 It attributed the high price of grain to hoarding and outlined detailed instructions regarding the disposition of private stocks in crisis periods. As in other areas of royal regulation much was expected of local justices of the peace, who were responsible for particular county divisions. They were to organize juries consisting of "honest and substantial" citizens who were preferably not also large grain stockholders. The juries were to discover and report the stores of grain of each stockholder, the number of persons living in each house, and the number of acres to be sown that year. Justices were then to estimate the individual stocks held in excess of household use and seed requirements and bind the owners to bring the excess to local markets for sale at "convenient and charitable" prices. Market transactions were to be carefully observed, and justices were required to submit monthly reports informing the council of measures take in accordance with the orders and relating the current state of affairs. The dearth orders were issued in each subsequent crisis period until the revolution of the 1640 Recent work by Robert Fogel provides strong support for the view that the Tudor policy was both a necessary and effective method of famine relief. Fogel argues that the dearth orders eliminated famine during the period they were effectively enforced and that continuation of the program would have prevented two centuries of unnecessary famine episodes." Randall Nielsen. 'Storage and English Government Intervention in Early Modern Grain Markets'. A very good copy of this important work of great social and economic interest. ESTC S101037.