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The House of the Four Winds -
John Buchan
1935 - Hodder Stoughton, London - First English Edition
A fine first edition. ‘The House of the Four Winds is set in Central Europe in the 1930s. Scottish grocer Dickson McCunn features in his most exciting role. Gorbals Die-hards, Jaikie and his pals are now dabbling in politics. On his trek across Europe, Jaikie is warned to avoid Evallonia. It is in danger of being overthrown by the cruel Mastrovin. However Jaikie cannot resist taking a look and ends up being kidnapped twice. He is not the only one needing to be rescued - Evallonia's fate hangs in the balance until Dickson McCunn appears on the scene.’
‘Aurunculeia is surely the nicest elephant in fiction outside Kipling. Escapes are as hairbreadth, escapades as hair-raising as ever.’ – Punch, July 1935.
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Price HK$ 3,500
1935 - Hodder Stoughton, London - First English Edition
A fine first edition. ‘The House of the Four Winds is set in Central Europe in the 1930s. Scottish grocer Dickson McCunn features in his most exciting role. Gorbals Die-hards, Jaikie and his pals are now dabbling in politics. On his trek across Europe, Jaikie is warned to avoid Evallonia. It is in danger of being overthrown by the cruel Mastrovin. However Jaikie cannot resist taking a look and ends up being kidnapped twice. He is not the only one needing to be rescued - Evallonia's fate hangs in the balance until Dickson McCunn appears on the scene.’‘Aurunculeia is surely the nicest elephant in fiction outside Kipling. Escapes are as hairbreadth, escapades as hair-raising as ever.’ – Punch, July 1935.
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Price HK$ 3,500
A Complete History of the most Remarkable Transactions at Sea -
Josiah Burchett, Esq; Secretary of the Admiralty.
1720 - Printed by W.B. for J. Walthoe, London - First Edition
'This volume is particularly important in the literature of naval history, not only as a narrative of naval operations in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession, but as the first general naval history written in the English language.' [ODNB]
A stunning large folio, in contemporary binding, illustrated with nine folding naval charts by Hermann Moll, engraved allegorical frontispiece, engraved portrait, the royal privilege leaf (sometimes missing), engraved head and tail-pieces and initial letters, and title page printed in red and black.
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Price HK$ 19,000
1720 - Printed by W.B. for J. Walthoe, London - First Edition
'This volume is particularly important in the literature of naval history, not only as a narrative of naval operations in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession, but as the first general naval history written in the English language.' [ODNB]A stunning large folio, in contemporary binding, illustrated with nine folding naval charts by Hermann Moll, engraved allegorical frontispiece, engraved portrait, the royal privilege leaf (sometimes missing), engraved head and tail-pieces and initial letters, and title page printed in red and black.
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Price HK$ 19,000
The Lost Get-Back Boogie -
James Lee Burke
1986 - Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge - First Edition, first printing in Glossy Jacket
Rejected a total of 111 times over a period of nine years before the LSU finally agreed to publish it. During this time Burke was not able to get any other novel published and apparently this many rejections is still still a publishing industry record. It was subsequently nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
The Lost Get-Back Boogie is the story of Iry Paret, a young blues musician who moves to Montana following his release from a Louisiana prison and becomes involved in a family's struggle against a company that is polluting the local river, and with the estranged wife of his best friend.
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Price HK$ 3,000
1986 - Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge - First Edition, first printing in Glossy Jacket
Rejected a total of 111 times over a period of nine years before the LSU finally agreed to publish it. During this time Burke was not able to get any other novel published and apparently this many rejections is still still a publishing industry record. It was subsequently nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.The Lost Get-Back Boogie is the story of Iry Paret, a young blues musician who moves to Montana following his release from a Louisiana prison and becomes involved in a family's struggle against a company that is polluting the local river, and with the estranged wife of his best friend.
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Price HK$ 3,000
Limehouse Nights. Tales of Chinatown - Signed by ‘Barnaby Ross’ and ‘Ellery Queen’ -
Thomas Burke
1916 - Grant Richards, London - First Edition, First Issue
A superb copy of this collection of short stories, with fine provenance, not only signed by ‘Barnaby Ross’ and ‘Ellery Queen’, but described by them in Queen’s Quorum as a work of high literary art’, ‘the tales of subtle murder and Oriental passion’, which ‘became a classic overnight.’ Housed in a custom made leather slipcase and cloth chemise.
‘A London native, Burke knew the city intimately and brought it to life in essays, mood pieces, and short stories, most of which had a melodramatic atmosphere of crime. His first and best crime book was Limehouse Nights (1916), a series of violent tales that rely on authentic background and Oriental flavour for their readability. Subtle passion and sinister murders abound.’ – Stenbrunner & Penzler.
Burke’s best friend ‘was the original model for the character of Quong Lee, the Chinatown philosopher in Limehouse Nights... Several years later, when his aged friend was deported for having operated an opium den, Burke was inspired to write the first of his collection of short stores about Limehouse. To Burke, whose literary credo was “to tell a story as ably as Ambrose Bierce and to see and write as clearly as Stephen Crane,” Limehouse Nights was “admittedly violent stuff written hastily,” as a means of “simply telling tales”. But it firmly established his literary reputation in Britain, and the film adaptation of the first tale in the collection under the title Broken Blossoms extended the boundaries of his reputation internationally.’ – Reilly
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Price HK$ 18,000
1916 - Grant Richards, London - First Edition, First Issue
A superb copy of this collection of short stories, with fine provenance, not only signed by ‘Barnaby Ross’ and ‘Ellery Queen’, but described by them in Queen’s Quorum as a work of high literary art’, ‘the tales of subtle murder and Oriental passion’, which ‘became a classic overnight.’ Housed in a custom made leather slipcase and cloth chemise.‘A London native, Burke knew the city intimately and brought it to life in essays, mood pieces, and short stories, most of which had a melodramatic atmosphere of crime. His first and best crime book was Limehouse Nights (1916), a series of violent tales that rely on authentic background and Oriental flavour for their readability. Subtle passion and sinister murders abound.’ – Stenbrunner & Penzler.
Burke’s best friend ‘was the original model for the character of Quong Lee, the Chinatown philosopher in Limehouse Nights... Several years later, when his aged friend was deported for having operated an opium den, Burke was inspired to write the first of his collection of short stores about Limehouse. To Burke, whose literary credo was “to tell a story as ably as Ambrose Bierce and to see and write as clearly as Stephen Crane,” Limehouse Nights was “admittedly violent stuff written hastily,” as a means of “simply telling tales”. But it firmly established his literary reputation in Britain, and the film adaptation of the first tale in the collection under the title Broken Blossoms extended the boundaries of his reputation internationally.’ – Reilly
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Price HK$ 18,000
East of Mansion House -
Thomas Burke
1928 - Cassell and Company, London - First Edition
‘A London native, Burke knew the city intimately and brought it to life in essays, mood pieces, and short stories, most of which had a melodramatic atmosphere of crime.’ – Stenbrunner & Penzler.
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Price HK$ 1,800
1928 - Cassell and Company, London - First Edition
‘A London native, Burke knew the city intimately and brought it to life in essays, mood pieces, and short stories, most of which had a melodramatic atmosphere of crime.’ – Stenbrunner & Penzler.
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Price HK$ 1,800
High Sierra -
W. R. Burnett
1940 - Alfred A Knopf, New York. London - First Edition in First State Dust Jacket
‘In the darkness, in a vivid flash, he saw old Barmy’s thin wise face. Dead and buried now, poor guy! What was it he’d said about being buried? Yeah. Barmy said when they planted him he’d be wearing ‘the turning globe’ for an overcoat. Now, who’d think of a thing like that but him? It made you see the little earth lost in space, turning slowly through the night.’
‘In High Sierra, Burnett, one of the most influential of the ‘Hard-Boiled’ crime writers, changed the typical characterisation of the gangster story from the aggressive, ambitious figure characterisation of the 1930’s to the ageing Roy Earle, a gangster well past his prime. A sense of fatalism pervades the story, and Burnett and John Huston scripted a film version for Warner Bros, which was released in 1941 with Humphrey Bogart as Earle.’ – Encyclopedia of Film Noir.
Housed in custom cloth slipcase.
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Price HK$ 8,000
1940 - Alfred A Knopf, New York. London - First Edition in First State Dust Jacket
‘In the darkness, in a vivid flash, he saw old Barmy’s thin wise face. Dead and buried now, poor guy! What was it he’d said about being buried? Yeah. Barmy said when they planted him he’d be wearing ‘the turning globe’ for an overcoat. Now, who’d think of a thing like that but him? It made you see the little earth lost in space, turning slowly through the night.’‘In High Sierra, Burnett, one of the most influential of the ‘Hard-Boiled’ crime writers, changed the typical characterisation of the gangster story from the aggressive, ambitious figure characterisation of the 1930’s to the ageing Roy Earle, a gangster well past his prime. A sense of fatalism pervades the story, and Burnett and John Huston scripted a film version for Warner Bros, which was released in 1941 with Humphrey Bogart as Earle.’ – Encyclopedia of Film Noir.
Housed in custom cloth slipcase.
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Price HK$ 8,000
The Secret Garden -
Frances Hodgson Burnett, Charles Robinson (Illustrator)
1911 - William Heinemann, London - First English Edition, and First Edition illustrated by Robinson
Mistress Mary, the orphaned expatriate, without ‘Ayah’, arrives at the dark, draughty, gloomy and cold Misselthwaite Manor.
A magical portrayal of reawakened spirits, elegantly bound by Bayntun RIvière, with illustrations by Charles Robinson, including eight coloured plates with captioned tissue guards.
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Price HK$ 15,000
1911 - William Heinemann, London - First English Edition, and First Edition illustrated by Robinson
Mistress Mary, the orphaned expatriate, without ‘Ayah’, arrives at the dark, draughty, gloomy and cold Misselthwaite Manor.A magical portrayal of reawakened spirits, elegantly bound by Bayntun RIvière, with illustrations by Charles Robinson, including eight coloured plates with captioned tissue guards.
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Price HK$ 15,000
The Poetical Works of Robert Burns - formerly owned by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. -
Robert Burns
1839 - William Pickering, London - Aldine Edition
Three finely bound volumes first owned by the Bishop of London, Charles Blomfield (1786-1857), and later by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Featuring Robert Burns’ best-known poetry and songs, including the epic tale of Tam O’Shanter. Volume I also contains a memoir of Burns by Sir Harris Nicolas, and to the rear of the final volume is a Glossary, Index of Poems, and Index of First Lines.
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Price HK$ 2,500
1839 - William Pickering, London - Aldine Edition
Three finely bound volumes first owned by the Bishop of London, Charles Blomfield (1786-1857), and later by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.Featuring Robert Burns’ best-known poetry and songs, including the epic tale of Tam O’Shanter. Volume I also contains a memoir of Burns by Sir Harris Nicolas, and to the rear of the final volume is a Glossary, Index of Poems, and Index of First Lines.
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Price HK$ 2,500