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The Sot-Weed Factor -
John Barth
1960 - Doubleday, Garden City - First Edition
First edition of John Barth's satirical epic set in the 1680s–90s in London and colonial Maryland, cementing his reputation as one of the leading experimental writers of his generation. Accompanied by two examples of the scarce and delicate dust jacket, suitably designed by Edward Gorey.
The main character - Ebenezer Cooke - was considered by Time to be ‘one of the most diverting... to roam the world since Candide’.
The Sot-Weed Factor ‘recounts the widely chaotic odyssey of hapless, ungainly Ebenezer Cooke, sent to the New World to look after his father’s tobacco business and to record the struggles of the Maryland colony in an epic poem. On his mission, Cooke experiences capture by pirates and Indians; the loss of his father’s estate to roguish impostors; love for a former prostitute; stealthy efforts to rob him of his virginity, which he is (almost) determined to protect; and an extraordinary gallery of treacherous characters who continually switch identities. “ [Atlantic]
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Price HK$ 6,000
1960 - Doubleday, Garden City - First Edition
First edition of John Barth's satirical epic set in the 1680s–90s in London and colonial Maryland, cementing his reputation as one of the leading experimental writers of his generation. Accompanied by two examples of the scarce and delicate dust jacket, suitably designed by Edward Gorey.The main character - Ebenezer Cooke - was considered by Time to be ‘one of the most diverting... to roam the world since Candide’.
The Sot-Weed Factor ‘recounts the widely chaotic odyssey of hapless, ungainly Ebenezer Cooke, sent to the New World to look after his father’s tobacco business and to record the struggles of the Maryland colony in an epic poem. On his mission, Cooke experiences capture by pirates and Indians; the loss of his father’s estate to roguish impostors; love for a former prostitute; stealthy efforts to rob him of his virginity, which he is (almost) determined to protect; and an extraordinary gallery of treacherous characters who continually switch identities. “ [Atlantic]
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Price HK$ 6,000
The Yellow Book -
Aubrey Beardsley
April 1894-April 1897 - Elkin Mathews &, London
A complete, clean and better than normally encountered thirteen volume set of this groundbreaking art nouveau publication, in the publisher’s bright yellow illustrated covers with designs by Aubrey Beardsley. Together with ‘A Selection’ published in 1950 and bound in yellow cloth to match the earlier set. Fourteen volumes in total.
From its initial visually arresting issue, for which Aubrey Beardsley was art editor and for which Max Beerbohm wrote an essay, ‘A Defence of Cosmetics’, ‘The Yellow Book’ attained immediate notoriety.
Published by John Lane and edited by Henry Harland, ‘The Yellow Book’ attracted many outstanding writers and artists of the era, such as Arnold Bennett, Charlotte Mew, Henry James, Edmund Gosse, Richard Le Gallienne, and Walter Sickert.
Although dominated by the illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley, and his decadent fin de siècle aura, many other distinguished artists contributed to the quarterly, notably Frederic Leighton, Will Rothenstein, Walter Sickert and Philip Wilson Steer; contributors to the text included Max Beerbohm, John Buchan, Baron Corvo, Edmund Gosse, Kenneth Grahame, Henry James, E. Nesbit and W. B. Yeats.
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Price HK$ 10,000
April 1894-April 1897 - Elkin Mathews &, London
A complete, clean and better than normally encountered thirteen volume set of this groundbreaking art nouveau publication, in the publisher’s bright yellow illustrated covers with designs by Aubrey Beardsley. Together with ‘A Selection’ published in 1950 and bound in yellow cloth to match the earlier set. Fourteen volumes in total.From its initial visually arresting issue, for which Aubrey Beardsley was art editor and for which Max Beerbohm wrote an essay, ‘A Defence of Cosmetics’, ‘The Yellow Book’ attained immediate notoriety.
Published by John Lane and edited by Henry Harland, ‘The Yellow Book’ attracted many outstanding writers and artists of the era, such as Arnold Bennett, Charlotte Mew, Henry James, Edmund Gosse, Richard Le Gallienne, and Walter Sickert.
Although dominated by the illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley, and his decadent fin de siècle aura, many other distinguished artists contributed to the quarterly, notably Frederic Leighton, Will Rothenstein, Walter Sickert and Philip Wilson Steer; contributors to the text included Max Beerbohm, John Buchan, Baron Corvo, Edmund Gosse, Kenneth Grahame, Henry James, E. Nesbit and W. B. Yeats.
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Price HK$ 10,000
A Portfolio of Drawings Illustrating Salome by Oscar Wilde -
Aubrey Beardsley
1912 - John Lane, London
Aubrey Beardsley was just 21 years old when he produced the drawings for Oscar Wilde's play Salome. They were first published in The Studio magazine in 1893. These illustrations launched Beardsley from obscurity to international fame almost overnight. More importantly, they marked the beginning of a new era in the arts: these are commonly held to be the first works to develop an Art Nouveau style.
This scarce portfolio contains sixteen large black and white plates of the Salome illustrations, together with a separate list of plates, all printed on Japanese vellum, and loose as issued [plates size 34.2 x 26.9 cm]. Without the ‘Design for Title Page’ plate.
Housed in publisher's portfolio of half cream vellum over olive green paper boards, front panel titled in gilt ‘Aubrey Beardsley’s Illustrations to Salome’ and with the Beardsley designed rose-bush motif from the 1894 edition blocked in rose gold.
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Price HK$ 12,000
1912 - John Lane, London
Aubrey Beardsley was just 21 years old when he produced the drawings for Oscar Wilde's play Salome. They were first published in The Studio magazine in 1893. These illustrations launched Beardsley from obscurity to international fame almost overnight. More importantly, they marked the beginning of a new era in the arts: these are commonly held to be the first works to develop an Art Nouveau style.This scarce portfolio contains sixteen large black and white plates of the Salome illustrations, together with a separate list of plates, all printed on Japanese vellum, and loose as issued [plates size 34.2 x 26.9 cm]. Without the ‘Design for Title Page’ plate.
Housed in publisher's portfolio of half cream vellum over olive green paper boards, front panel titled in gilt ‘Aubrey Beardsley’s Illustrations to Salome’ and with the Beardsley designed rose-bush motif from the 1894 edition blocked in rose gold.
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Price HK$ 12,000
The Two Undertakers -
Francis Beeding
1933 - Little, Boston - First American Edition
Featuring Colonel Alistair Granby of C.I.D., aided by Ronald Briercliffe and Hilda von Esseling as they engage in a chess game across Eastern Europe against a fanatical Frenchman’s modern day Assassins who plan the destruction of present-day Germany.
An interesting scenario considering this ‘present-day Germany’ is set in the early 1930’s.
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Price HK$ 1,800
1933 - Little, Boston - First American Edition
Featuring Colonel Alistair Granby of C.I.D., aided by Ronald Briercliffe and Hilda von Esseling as they engage in a chess game across Eastern Europe against a fanatical Frenchman’s modern day Assassins who plan the destruction of present-day Germany.An interesting scenario considering this ‘present-day Germany’ is set in the early 1930’s.
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Price HK$ 1,800
The Book of Household Management -
Isabella Beeton
1861 - S. O. Beeton, London - First Edition, Second Impression , Second State
‘This book has more wisdom to the square inch than any work of man’ – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
A nice clean example of the first edition of this truly important English work, and one of the most successful cookbooks of all time. In a contemporary binding, and complete with the engraved and coloured art-nouveau title page, and an additional twelve colour plates.
Containing over 1,100 pages of recipes, culinary advice, and household hints, Mrs Beeton’s incomparable The Book of Household Management was one of the earliest cookery books to use coloured illustrations.
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Price HK$ 9,500
1861 - S. O. Beeton, London - First Edition, Second Impression , Second State
‘This book has more wisdom to the square inch than any work of man’ – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.A nice clean example of the first edition of this truly important English work, and one of the most successful cookbooks of all time. In a contemporary binding, and complete with the engraved and coloured art-nouveau title page, and an additional twelve colour plates.
Containing over 1,100 pages of recipes, culinary advice, and household hints, Mrs Beeton’s incomparable The Book of Household Management was one of the earliest cookery books to use coloured illustrations.
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Price HK$ 9,500
Death in the House -
Anthony Berkeley
1939 - Hodder and Stoughton Limited, London - First Edition
A rare Berkeley title.
‘Lord Wellacombe, Secretary of State for India, dies whilst giving a speech to introduce a new bill on the floor of the House of Commons. His untimely demise looks like a stroke, but is it mere coincidence that a threat on his life had been made? The bill needs to be passed, but is anyone brave enough to defy the threats and risk potential murder?’
Enter Lord Arthur...
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Price HK$ 1,800
1939 - Hodder and Stoughton Limited, London - First Edition
A rare Berkeley title.‘Lord Wellacombe, Secretary of State for India, dies whilst giving a speech to introduce a new bill on the floor of the House of Commons. His untimely demise looks like a stroke, but is it mere coincidence that a threat on his life had been made? The bill needs to be passed, but is anyone brave enough to defy the threats and risk potential murder?’
Enter Lord Arthur...
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Price HK$ 1,800
Trial and Error -
Anthony Berkeley
1937 - Hodder and Stoughton Limited, London - First Edition
Dedicated to P. G. Wodehouse.
‘Non-descript, upstanding Mr Todhunter is told that he has only months to live. He decides to commit a murder for the good of mankind. Finding a worthy victim proves far from easy, and there is a false start before he settles on and dispatches his target. But then the police arrest an innocent man, and the honourable Todhunter has to set about proving himself guilty of the murder.’
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Price HK$ 2,800
1937 - Hodder and Stoughton Limited, London - First Edition
Dedicated to P. G. Wodehouse.‘Non-descript, upstanding Mr Todhunter is told that he has only months to live. He decides to commit a murder for the good of mankind. Finding a worthy victim proves far from easy, and there is a false start before he settles on and dispatches his target. But then the police arrest an innocent man, and the honourable Todhunter has to set about proving himself guilty of the murder.’
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Price HK$ 2,800
Les Grands Vins de Bordeaux. -
M. P. Biarnez, Professeur Babrius [Pseud. Dr. Jules Arthaud]
1870 - Feret, Bordeaux - Second Edition revised and enlarged
A finely bound revised and enlarged second edition, the text in French, profusely illustrated with four engraved frontispieces and twenty full-page engravings of people in various social “wine” situations related to the text. The engravings are after designs by Pauquet.
‘Biarnez takes us on a poetic tour of the Médoc, in French, singing the praises of the classified growths (pages 17-93) and ends with a paean to the white wines of Bordeaux (pages 97-123) and the effect they have on the imbiber: “C'est une ivresse sainte, un sublime délire, Et, parmi tous les vins, notre vin seul l'inspire!. To the rear is Dr. Arthaud’s 51 page essay ‘De L’influence du vin sur la civilisation’.
Published 20 years after the first, this edition adds further lines to the verses, an enlarged preface, and includes an additional engraved frontispiece, and the original engraved plate from the first edition. The ‘hanging plate’ opposite page 73 has been replaced with the man being led to the gallows, perhaps readers had complained that it spoilt their enjoyment of a decent glass of claret.
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Price HK$ 7,000
1870 - Feret, Bordeaux - Second Edition revised and enlarged
A finely bound revised and enlarged second edition, the text in French, profusely illustrated with four engraved frontispieces and twenty full-page engravings of people in various social “wine” situations related to the text. The engravings are after designs by Pauquet. ‘Biarnez takes us on a poetic tour of the Médoc, in French, singing the praises of the classified growths (pages 17-93) and ends with a paean to the white wines of Bordeaux (pages 97-123) and the effect they have on the imbiber: “C'est une ivresse sainte, un sublime délire, Et, parmi tous les vins, notre vin seul l'inspire!. To the rear is Dr. Arthaud’s 51 page essay ‘De L’influence du vin sur la civilisation’.
Published 20 years after the first, this edition adds further lines to the verses, an enlarged preface, and includes an additional engraved frontispiece, and the original engraved plate from the first edition. The ‘hanging plate’ opposite page 73 has been replaced with the man being led to the gallows, perhaps readers had complained that it spoilt their enjoyment of a decent glass of claret.
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Price HK$ 7,000