Whisky Galore -
Compton MacKenzie
1947 - Chatto and Windus, London - First Edition
‘Love makes the world go round? Not at all. Whisky makes it go round twice as fast’
It's 1943, and the war has brought rationing to the Hebridean Islands of Great and Little Todday. When food is in short supply, it is bad enough, but when the whisky runs out, it looks like the end of the world. Morale is at rock bottom. George Campbell needs a wee dram to give him the courage to stand up to his mother and marry Catriona. The priest, the doctor, and, of course, the landlord at the inn are all having a very thin time of it. There's no conversation, no jollity, no fun, until a ship-wreck off the coast brings a piece of extraordinary good fortune.
‘The genre of Scotch whisky fiction is not an expansive one, and would barely make a credible Mastermind specialist subject, but one title stands out above all others in terms of its profile with both aficionados and the general public. That title is Whisky Galore’ – Gavin D. Smith, Famous Whisky Drinkers, (ScotchWhisky.com).
‘Compton Mackenzie's timeless text is a triumph. Inspired by the real events of 1941, when a cargo ship ran aground in the channel between Eriskay and South Uist, Whisky Galore is the gentle, comical story of how the booty on board became appropriated by a group of Scottish islanders. ‘ - 100 Best Scottish Books of All Time, The List.
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Price HK$ 3,000
1947 - Chatto and Windus, London - First Edition
‘Love makes the world go round? Not at all. Whisky makes it go round twice as fast’It's 1943, and the war has brought rationing to the Hebridean Islands of Great and Little Todday. When food is in short supply, it is bad enough, but when the whisky runs out, it looks like the end of the world. Morale is at rock bottom. George Campbell needs a wee dram to give him the courage to stand up to his mother and marry Catriona. The priest, the doctor, and, of course, the landlord at the inn are all having a very thin time of it. There's no conversation, no jollity, no fun, until a ship-wreck off the coast brings a piece of extraordinary good fortune.
‘The genre of Scotch whisky fiction is not an expansive one, and would barely make a credible Mastermind specialist subject, but one title stands out above all others in terms of its profile with both aficionados and the general public. That title is Whisky Galore’ – Gavin D. Smith, Famous Whisky Drinkers, (ScotchWhisky.com).
‘Compton Mackenzie's timeless text is a triumph. Inspired by the real events of 1941, when a cargo ship ran aground in the channel between Eriskay and South Uist, Whisky Galore is the gentle, comical story of how the booty on board became appropriated by a group of Scottish islanders. ‘ - 100 Best Scottish Books of All Time, The List.
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Price HK$ 3,000
The Naked and the Dead -
Norman Mailer
1948 - Rinehart and Company, New York Toronto - First Edition
First edition of Mailer’s gritty masterpiece, penned at the age of 25 and based on his own experience of military service in the Philippines during World War Two. Scarce in such nice condition due to the notoriously delicate black dust jacket.
‘Virtually a Kinsey Report on the sexual behavior of the GI. Its style is an almost pure Army billingsgate that will offend many readers, although in no sense is it exaggerated: Mr. Mailer's soldiers are real persons, speaking the vernacular of human bitterness and agony. It gives off a skyglow that is quite faithful to the spectrum of battle, and exposes the blood, if not always the guts, of war.’ - New York Times 1948
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Price HK$ 9,500
1948 - Rinehart and Company, New York Toronto - First Edition
First edition of Mailer’s gritty masterpiece, penned at the age of 25 and based on his own experience of military service in the Philippines during World War Two. Scarce in such nice condition due to the notoriously delicate black dust jacket. ‘Virtually a Kinsey Report on the sexual behavior of the GI. Its style is an almost pure Army billingsgate that will offend many readers, although in no sense is it exaggerated: Mr. Mailer's soldiers are real persons, speaking the vernacular of human bitterness and agony. It gives off a skyglow that is quite faithful to the spectrum of battle, and exposes the blood, if not always the guts, of war.’ - New York Times 1948
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Price HK$ 9,500
Traité Théorique et Pratique du Travail des Vins. Leurs propriétés, leur fabrication, leurs maladies. Fabrication des Vins Mousseux -
Edme-Jules Maumene
1874 - G. Masson, Paris - Deuxième Édition, Entièrement Refondue.
An influential and fundamental work in the history of Champagne production, by a pioneering industry chemist and Professor at Reims. In addition to the production of sparkling wines, and a lengthy study on the affects of sugar, this work deals with the properties of wine, manufacture, and their diseases. Also included are descriptions of the efforts made by other chemists, and a bibliography. This work appeared for the first time in 1858 under the title ‘Indications Théoriques et Pratiques sur le Travail des Vins’.
An internally fine unopened and uncut copy with illustrations and tables throughout.
Maumene was intrigued by the large number of exploding bottles, a problem that in some years affected over 60% of bottles in the mid-nineteenth century as Champagne houses battled to produce sufficient mousse to produce a good champagne. It had been supposed that the excess CO2 produced by the addition of too much sugar was the culprit, however Maumene, evaluating this ‘mousse-power’ by measuring the pressure of the CO2 inside the bottle, discovered that different wines produced different amounts of CO2 despite having the same amounts of sugar added.
Building on this work, by the end of the 19th century, Emile Manceau of Moet et Chandon, successfully reduced the breakage of 8-10 percent to 1 percent, and produced some pretty good Champagne to boot.
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Price HK$ 3,500
1874 - G. Masson, Paris - Deuxième Édition, Entièrement Refondue.
An influential and fundamental work in the history of Champagne production, by a pioneering industry chemist and Professor at Reims. In addition to the production of sparkling wines, and a lengthy study on the affects of sugar, this work deals with the properties of wine, manufacture, and their diseases. Also included are descriptions of the efforts made by other chemists, and a bibliography. This work appeared for the first time in 1858 under the title ‘Indications Théoriques et Pratiques sur le Travail des Vins’.An internally fine unopened and uncut copy with illustrations and tables throughout.
Maumene was intrigued by the large number of exploding bottles, a problem that in some years affected over 60% of bottles in the mid-nineteenth century as Champagne houses battled to produce sufficient mousse to produce a good champagne. It had been supposed that the excess CO2 produced by the addition of too much sugar was the culprit, however Maumene, evaluating this ‘mousse-power’ by measuring the pressure of the CO2 inside the bottle, discovered that different wines produced different amounts of CO2 despite having the same amounts of sugar added.
Building on this work, by the end of the 19th century, Emile Manceau of Moet et Chandon, successfully reduced the breakage of 8-10 percent to 1 percent, and produced some pretty good Champagne to boot.
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Price HK$ 3,500
The Artistry of Mixing Drinks by Frank Meier of The Ritz Bar, Paris -
Frank Meier
1936 - Printed by Bishop & Sons, Paris - First Edition, one of 700 copies on Cream Vellum paper
One of the most elegant cocktail books of the art-deco era, in unique leather and tartan binding with matching bespoke slipcase.
Text and decorations in black and red, illustrated throughout with enchanting art-deco vignettes. Containing nearly 500 drink recipes, including over 40 marked FM originated by the Author.
Beginning with Ode to The Ritz Bar (5), Foreword (7-8), Introduction (9-12), How to Enjoy Cocktails at Home (13-16), Various Specialities and Their Origin (17-19).
And on to the main section: - Cocktails (21-44), Mixed Drinks (After Dinner Drinks, Collins, Coolers, Crustas, Cups, Daisies, Egg Nog, Fixes, Fizzes, Flips, Highballs, Hot Drinks, Juleps, Lemonades, Miscellaneous Drinks, Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Puffs, Punches, Rickeys, Sangarees, Scaffas, Shrubs, Slings, Smashes, Sours, Toddies, and Zooms, 45-94).
This main section is followed by the supporting essentials:- Sandwiches (95-102), Wines (103-122), Useful Formulas (including Poisons and their Antidotes, Differences in Time (compared to noon in Paris obviously), Help in Case of Accidents, and Pick-Me-Ups, 123-144), Horse Racing (145-149), advertisements (many beautifully illustrated, 151-175), and the Index with blank pages for ‘Additions’.
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Price HK$ 10,000
1936 - Printed by Bishop & Sons, Paris - First Edition, one of 700 copies on Cream Vellum paper
One of the most elegant cocktail books of the art-deco era, in unique leather and tartan binding with matching bespoke slipcase. Text and decorations in black and red, illustrated throughout with enchanting art-deco vignettes. Containing nearly 500 drink recipes, including over 40 marked FM originated by the Author.
Beginning with Ode to The Ritz Bar (5), Foreword (7-8), Introduction (9-12), How to Enjoy Cocktails at Home (13-16), Various Specialities and Their Origin (17-19).
And on to the main section: - Cocktails (21-44), Mixed Drinks (After Dinner Drinks, Collins, Coolers, Crustas, Cups, Daisies, Egg Nog, Fixes, Fizzes, Flips, Highballs, Hot Drinks, Juleps, Lemonades, Miscellaneous Drinks, Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Puffs, Punches, Rickeys, Sangarees, Scaffas, Shrubs, Slings, Smashes, Sours, Toddies, and Zooms, 45-94).
This main section is followed by the supporting essentials:- Sandwiches (95-102), Wines (103-122), Useful Formulas (including Poisons and their Antidotes, Differences in Time (compared to noon in Paris obviously), Help in Case of Accidents, and Pick-Me-Ups, 123-144), Horse Racing (145-149), advertisements (many beautifully illustrated, 151-175), and the Index with blank pages for ‘Additions’.
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Price HK$ 10,000
A Small Place in Italy - Inscribed -
Eric Newby
1994 - HarperCollins, London - First Edition
Inscribed by Eric Newby ‘To Gilly, with best wishes from Eric Newby’.
‘This book is a lush and beautiful memoir of a very special house and a superb recreation of a bygone era.
In 1967, veteran travel writer Eric Newby and his heroic wife Wanda fulfilled their dream of a return to life in the Italian hills where they first met during World War II. But this fulfilment would not come easy. The dream materialised in the form of I Castagni ('The Chestnuts'), a small, decrepit farmhouse with no roof, an abandoned septic tank and its own indigenous wildlife reluctant to give up their home. But in the foothills of the Apuan Alps on the border of Liguria and Northern Tuscany, this ramshackle house would soon become a hub of love, friendship and activity.
Whether recounting dangerous expeditions through Afghanistan or everyday life in a country house, Newby's talent shines through as one of the foremost writers of the comic travel genre.’ [HarperCollins]
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Price HK$ 800
1994 - HarperCollins, London - First Edition
Inscribed by Eric Newby ‘To Gilly, with best wishes from Eric Newby’.‘This book is a lush and beautiful memoir of a very special house and a superb recreation of a bygone era.
In 1967, veteran travel writer Eric Newby and his heroic wife Wanda fulfilled their dream of a return to life in the Italian hills where they first met during World War II. But this fulfilment would not come easy. The dream materialised in the form of I Castagni ('The Chestnuts'), a small, decrepit farmhouse with no roof, an abandoned septic tank and its own indigenous wildlife reluctant to give up their home. But in the foothills of the Apuan Alps on the border of Liguria and Northern Tuscany, this ramshackle house would soon become a hub of love, friendship and activity.
Whether recounting dangerous expeditions through Afghanistan or everyday life in a country house, Newby's talent shines through as one of the foremost writers of the comic travel genre.’ [HarperCollins]
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Price HK$ 800
The Big Red Train Ride - Inscribed -
Eric Newby
1979 - St. Martin's Press, New York - First US Edition
Signed by Eric Newby and inscribed ‘To Susan with love from The (Not Fellow) Travellers, remembering Happy Times! February 18, 1980’.
The only continuous land route between Western Europe and the Pacific coast of the USSR, the Trans-Siberian Railway covers nearly a 100 degrees of longitude, seven time zones and 5900 miles in a journey lasting 192 hours and 35 minutes.
In 1977 Eric Newby, author of the classic ‘Short Walk in the Hindu Kush’, set out with his wife, an official guide and a photographer to gather a wealth of irreverent and humorous detail about life in the USSR. [Picador]
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Price HK$ 800
1979 - St. Martin's Press, New York - First US Edition
Signed by Eric Newby and inscribed ‘To Susan with love from The (Not Fellow) Travellers, remembering Happy Times! February 18, 1980’.The only continuous land route between Western Europe and the Pacific coast of the USSR, the Trans-Siberian Railway covers nearly a 100 degrees of longitude, seven time zones and 5900 miles in a journey lasting 192 hours and 35 minutes.
In 1977 Eric Newby, author of the classic ‘Short Walk in the Hindu Kush’, set out with his wife, an official guide and a photographer to gather a wealth of irreverent and humorous detail about life in the USSR. [Picador]
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Price HK$ 800
Busman's Honeymoon. A Love Story with Detective Interruptions -
Dorothy L. Sayers
1937 - Victor Gollancz Ltd, London - First Edition
‘This, she felt, was her fault. Her idea in the first place. Her house. Her honeymoon. Her – and this was the incalculable factor in the thing – her husband. (A repressive word, that, when you came to think of it, compounded of a grumble and a thump.)’
First edition, in a superb example of the notoriously delicate Gollancz dust jacket, and with publisher’s promotional wraparound band.
The final novel to feature gentleman-detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, accompanied by his equally brilliant partner, Harriet Vane. As our protagonists hope (against better judgement) for a quiet honeymoon, fate intervenes with characteristic immoderation, and leaves the two lovers with a brutal homicide to solve before time runs out...
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Price HK$ 39,000
1937 - Victor Gollancz Ltd, London - First Edition
‘This, she felt, was her fault. Her idea in the first place. Her house. Her honeymoon. Her – and this was the incalculable factor in the thing – her husband. (A repressive word, that, when you came to think of it, compounded of a grumble and a thump.)’First edition, in a superb example of the notoriously delicate Gollancz dust jacket, and with publisher’s promotional wraparound band.
The final novel to feature gentleman-detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, accompanied by his equally brilliant partner, Harriet Vane. As our protagonists hope (against better judgement) for a quiet honeymoon, fate intervenes with characteristic immoderation, and leaves the two lovers with a brutal homicide to solve before time runs out...
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Price HK$ 39,000
The Voyage of the 'Discovery' -
Captain Robert F. Scott C.V.O., R.N.
1905 - Smith, London - First Edition, First Impression
‘With 260 full-page and smaller illustrations by Dr. E. A. Wilson and other members of the expedition, photogravure frontispieces, 12 coloured plates in facsimile from Dr. Wilson’s sketches, panoramas and maps.’.
A bright sharp set of the first edition first impression, chronicling Scott's first journey to Antarctica, from 1901 to 1904. The first major British effort in the Antarctic.
‘During this journey, Scott became the first man to see the South Polar ice cap and achieved a new 'farthest south' record. He explored the continent from the air via balloon and made a trip across the frozen wastes with Ernest Shackleton. In Voyage of the ‘Discovery’, the only work he lived to see published, Scott tells of his exciting and at times horrifying journey, in which he and his men faced blizzards, snow-blindness, the deaths of two crewmates, and a ship so trapped by ice that only dynamite could free it’.
Scott’s account of the ‘Discovery’ expedition was commissioned by the Royal Society and the Royal Geographical Society. Scott was unsure of his writing ability, but the work was published to great acclaim in 1905, feeding the public’s enthusiasm for polar exploration. It also helped to pay the expedition’s outstanding debts.
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Price HK$ 9,500
1905 - Smith, London - First Edition, First Impression
‘With 260 full-page and smaller illustrations by Dr. E. A. Wilson and other members of the expedition, photogravure frontispieces, 12 coloured plates in facsimile from Dr. Wilson’s sketches, panoramas and maps.’.A bright sharp set of the first edition first impression, chronicling Scott's first journey to Antarctica, from 1901 to 1904. The first major British effort in the Antarctic.
‘During this journey, Scott became the first man to see the South Polar ice cap and achieved a new 'farthest south' record. He explored the continent from the air via balloon and made a trip across the frozen wastes with Ernest Shackleton. In Voyage of the ‘Discovery’, the only work he lived to see published, Scott tells of his exciting and at times horrifying journey, in which he and his men faced blizzards, snow-blindness, the deaths of two crewmates, and a ship so trapped by ice that only dynamite could free it’.
Scott’s account of the ‘Discovery’ expedition was commissioned by the Royal Society and the Royal Geographical Society. Scott was unsure of his writing ability, but the work was published to great acclaim in 1905, feeding the public’s enthusiasm for polar exploration. It also helped to pay the expedition’s outstanding debts.
More details
Price HK$ 9,500