Book of the Week

A Fine Manuscript Commonplace Book of poems along with 21 pen and ink drawings of birds, insects and flowers

Large quarto, 66 pages in total have been used, the rest are blank. There are 21, fairly accomplished, (probably) pen and ink drawings of birds, insects and flowers, some of which are full page. There are also a couple of other illustrations and a few silhouettes. Along with the drawings are numerous poems, all appear to be in the same hand and have copied from a number of sources, many of them are on a botanical theme. There is no indication of who owned or compiled this manuscript. The paper is watermarked, J. Whatman, Turkey Mill and is dated 1821. Finely bound in full red morocco with gilt decorated borders to the front and rear and a full gilt spine.

Price: £495.00

From the stock of Simon French Books.

You can view more books on butterflies here and more books of nineteenth century poetry here.

Book of the Week

Bill Badger's finest hour by B.B. (Denys Watkins-Pitchford)

Published: Hamish Hamilton, 1961
Edition: First Edition; First Printing
Binding: Hardcover

Very clean, tightly bound book which has a small bookseller's label at the bottom of the front pastedown, in a bright priceclipped dustjacket which has minor rubbing at the corners but no tears or loss. An exceptional copy of one of the rarer B.B. childrens books, Very Good in Very Good dust jacket
Stock number: 25167.
£ 375.00

From the stock of Aucott & Thomas.

You can view more books illustrated by B.B. (Denys Watkins-Pitchford) here.

Book of the Week

110 YEARS OTFORD STATION 1882-1992
Published: 1992

Six b/w postcards of Otford Station in Kent. Contained in green and white envelope., Book condition Fine, C/w
Stock number: 811313.
£ 10.00 ( approx. $US 16.37 )

From the stock of Stella & Rose's Books.

You can view more books on Kent here.

Book of the Week

Historic carriage drawings, volume one (1): LNER and constituents by Nick Campling

Published: Easingwold, Pendragon Partnership, 1997
Edition: First Edition Thus
Binding: Hardcover

Very clean larger format hardback in glossy pictorial boards, as new, no inscriptions or signs of use. 128 pages, illustrations throughout, sources, bibliography, Fine
Stock number: 26635. ISBN: 1899816046

From the stock of Aucott & Thomas.

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Book of the Week

Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll

Published: London, Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1912
Binding: Hardback

12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. xi., 229 pp. Bound in a recent half deep red morocco with a gilt patterned paper to the boards. All edges gilt.. Book Condition: Fine. Binding: Half Morocco
Stock number: 8006.
£ 125.00 ( approx. $US 204.58 )

From the stock of Stephen Foster.

You can view more Lewis Carroll books here.

Book of the Week

Alentejo Blue by Monica Ali

Published: "London: Doubleday, 2006
Edition: First Edition
Binding: hardcover, with Dustjacket

1st edition. Blue cloth boards stamped in gilt on the spine. Fine in Fine dustwrapper.
Stock number: 12169. ISBN: 0 385 60486 6
£ 11.00 ( approx. $US 18.00 )

From the stock of The Glass Key.

You can view more modern first editions here and more books by Monica Ali here .

Book of the Week

The National Sports of Great Britain. With Descriptions in English and French. A New edition. by Henry Alken

Published: New York, D Appleton & Co, 1904
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Red half leather cover with red boards

100pp + plates :: 50 full colour plates :: 490mm x 310mm (19" x 12") :: 50 full-page engraved hand-coloured plates on subjects including hawking, hunting, horse-racing, shooting, fishing, baiting, and combating animals. Rare, VG : in very good condition without dustwrapper. Some rubbing and scuffing to leather cover. Top and tail of spine frayed. Top of spine with horizontal tear. Uncut pages. Teg. Slight foxed in places throughout the book on pages with text. Small section of worming at top of page from contents page through to the end of the preface which does not impinge on the text. All plates clean with tissue guards. Small tear to two of the endpapers (not affecting text or plates)
Stock number: L0403.

£ 1560.00 ( approx. $US 2553.10 )

From the stock of Barter Books.

You can view more books on shooting here, on hunting here, on birds of prey here, and horse racing here.

Book of the Week

The Brontë Family with Special Reference to Patrick Branwell Brontë by Francis A. Leyland

Published: London: Hurst & Blackett, 1886.
Edition: First edition
Binding: Hard Cover

Two volumes complete. A highly regarded biography. Hard-to-find in this, the original, edition. Aims to redress the balance of previous literary portraits of Branwell in particular. Makes reference to other biographers, such as Mrs Gaskell, but the author's original research and interviews with those still living makes for much original and interesting material. Bound in original cloth. Internally very good, inner hinges starting to split but still firm. The edges of the cloth have some rubbing, the worst being along the top half of the rear outer hinge of volume 1, which is splitting. Both volumes are firm. Boards have bevelled edges with black borders; gilt titles to spines. Good+, sound copy.
Stock number: 4006.
£ 135.00 ( approx. $US 220.94 )

From the stock of C L Hawley.

You can view more books on the Brontes here, more books on Haworth here here and more books on Victorian novelists here.

Book of the Week

THE WOMBLES OF WIMBLEDON - The Wombles at Work and The Wombles to the Rescue by Elisabeth Beresford

Published: Ernest Benn, London, 1976,
Edition: 1st thus,

1st thus, 134pp, frontis and numerous in text line drawings by Barry Leith and Margaret Gordon, pale green cloth lettered in gilt at spine, pictorial dustwrapper, an ominibus edition of 'The Wombles at Work' and 'The Wombles to the Rescue', a little rubbed and lightly bumped at extrems., edges sl. dusty, dustwrapper: unpriced, a little rubbed at extrems., repaired tear head of upper hinge, faint stain lower flap, very good in a good plus dustwrapper.

Stock number: 34615. ISBN: 051009600X
£ 16.00 ( approx. $US 26.19

From the stock of A Book for all Reasons.

You can view more Elisabeth Beresford books here.

Book of the Week

Elia Dresses, Illustrated by Walter Crane.

A MASQUE OF DAYS
Published: Cassell & Company Ltd., 1901
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardback

1st edition, Pictorial paper boards, cream cloth spine. Beautiful colour illustrations surrounding text throughout, printed on one side of the paper only. Unpaginated. 11.25 x 8.5"., Book condition VG, Spine and covers slightly rubbed. Corners worn. Name plate to front pastedown. Light foxing to endpaper and prelims. Contents clean. A nice copy.

Stock number: 731900.

£ 120.00 ( approx. $US 196.39 )

From the stock of Stella & Rose's Books.

You can view other books by or about Walter Crane here.

Book of the Week

DAVY CROCKETT
Published: Strato, Oadby, Leicester, ND,

Paperback, unpaginated [48pp], coloured ills. throughout,
stapled coloured pictorial paper wrappers, magazine format about 10 x 7 inches, in the Classics Illustrated series, No. 129 (HRN 129), cover price 1/3, text in English, printed in Republic of Ireland, a little rubbed at extrems., small nick fore-edge upper wrapper and light creasing to wrappers, slight rusting to staples, pages lightly tanned, very good.

Stock number: 38837.
£ 18.00 ( approx. $US 29.46 )

From the stock of A Book for all Reasons.


You can view more books on the American West here.

Book of the Week

Dutch Dresses - Anon
Published: Netherlands, van Rijkom Bros, 1900

Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover

Clean hardback tightly bound in red cloth with pictorial decoration, cloth has minor rubbing at corners, no inscriptions. Contains 12 hand tinted postcards which open concertina style, cloth webbing is sound. No date, but stylistically late Victorian; 1880-1900 at a guess, Very Good

Stock number: 23087.
£ 45.00 ( approx. $US 71.96 )

From the stock of Aucott & Thomas.

You can view other books on the history of clothes here.

Book of the Week

TWO MERRY MARINERS by John Brymer and illustrated by Stewart Orr
Published: Blackie & Son Ltd., 1902
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardback

1st, Large oblong format. Red cloth spine. Colour pictorial boards. Colour plates. Story in verse., Book condition VG-, Covers edge worn with slight loss of surface paper to corners. Spine bumped and slightly grubby. Inscription in ink to half-title page. Some light fingering and foxing but contents generally clean. A nice copy.

Stock number: 736486.
From: Stella & Rose's Books
£ 120.00 ( approx. $US 191.89 )

You can view more children's picture books here.

Book of the Week

Charles-Joseph De Ligne

Coup d'Oeil at Beloeil & a Great Number of European Gardens

Published: University of California Press, 1991
Binding: Hardback , with Dustjacket

4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. 295 pp., bibliography, index 158 fig. 10e. Book Condition: Near Fine. Jacket: Near Fine

Stock number: 22581. ISBN: 0520046684
£ 30.00 ( approx. $US 47.97 )

From the stock of Stephen Foster

For other books on European Gardens click here.