English Fairy Tales -
Flora Annie Steel, Arthur Rackham (illustrator)
1918 - Macmillan &, London - Deluxe Signed Limited and First Rackham Illustrated Edition
Fine deluxe signed edition, numbered 291 of 500 copies, in publisher’s stunning deluxe vellum and gilt binding.
Magically illustrated by Arthur Rackham with sixteen tipped on colour plates, and forty-two black and white illustrations and decorations throughout.
With forty one fairy tales including – ‘St. George of Merrie England’, ‘The Story of the Three Bears’, ‘Jack the Giant-Killer’, ‘The Golden Ball’, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, ‘The Three Little Pigs’, ‘Mr. Fox’, ‘The Old Woman and her Pig’, ‘Little Red Riding-Hood’, ‘The Babes in the Wood’, ‘The Ass, the Table, and the Stick’, and ‘The Rose Tree’.
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Price HK$ 28,000
1918 - Macmillan &, London - Deluxe Signed Limited and First Rackham Illustrated Edition
Fine deluxe signed edition, numbered 291 of 500 copies, in publisher’s stunning deluxe vellum and gilt binding.Magically illustrated by Arthur Rackham with sixteen tipped on colour plates, and forty-two black and white illustrations and decorations throughout.
With forty one fairy tales including – ‘St. George of Merrie England’, ‘The Story of the Three Bears’, ‘Jack the Giant-Killer’, ‘The Golden Ball’, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, ‘The Three Little Pigs’, ‘Mr. Fox’, ‘The Old Woman and her Pig’, ‘Little Red Riding-Hood’, ‘The Babes in the Wood’, ‘The Ass, the Table, and the Stick’, and ‘The Rose Tree’.
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Price HK$ 28,000
To a God Unknown -
John Steinbeck
1933 - Robert O. Ballou, New York - First Edition, First Issue
A superior first edition of Steinbeck’s scarcest work of which only 598 copies were printed, housed in a bespoke slipcase titled in gilt on morocco labels to spine and front.
While fulfilling his dead father's dream of creating a prosperous farm in California, Joseph Wayne comes to believe that a magnificent tree on the farm embodies his father's spirit. His brothers and their families share in Joseph's prosperity and the farm flourishes - until one brother, scared by Joseph's pagan belief, kills the tree and brings disease and famine on the farm.
Set in familiar Steinbeck country, To A God Unknown is a mystical tale, exploring one man's attempt to control the forces of nature and to understand the ways of God.
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Price HK$ 55,000
1933 - Robert O. Ballou, New York - First Edition, First Issue
A superior first edition of Steinbeck’s scarcest work of which only 598 copies were printed, housed in a bespoke slipcase titled in gilt on morocco labels to spine and front.While fulfilling his dead father's dream of creating a prosperous farm in California, Joseph Wayne comes to believe that a magnificent tree on the farm embodies his father's spirit. His brothers and their families share in Joseph's prosperity and the farm flourishes - until one brother, scared by Joseph's pagan belief, kills the tree and brings disease and famine on the farm.
Set in familiar Steinbeck country, To A God Unknown is a mystical tale, exploring one man's attempt to control the forces of nature and to understand the ways of God.
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Price HK$ 55,000
Anna Kar -
Count Lyof [Lev] N. Tolsto
1886 - Thomas Y. Cromell &, New York - First Edition in English, Early Issue
A fine first English translation of the classic Russian novel, which writers consider the greatest work of literature ever, Tolstoy himself called it his first true novel, Nabokov called it ‘one of the greatest love stories in world literature’.
Set against the rich backdrop of 19th century Russia, recounting the story of beautiful, rebellious Anna and her doomed love affair with the impetuous cavalry officer, Count Vronsky. When Anna rejects her passionless marriage to be with her lover, their liaison scandalises society and tragedy ensues. In contrast to this narrative of love and jealousy, Tolstoy weaves the tale of Levin, a young man striving to find contentment and meaning in his life, his experiences drawn from those of Tolstoy himself.
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Price HK$ 12,000
1886 - Thomas Y. Cromell &, New York - First Edition in English, Early Issue
A fine first English translation of the classic Russian novel, which writers consider the greatest work of literature ever, Tolstoy himself called it his first true novel, Nabokov called it ‘one of the greatest love stories in world literature’.Set against the rich backdrop of 19th century Russia, recounting the story of beautiful, rebellious Anna and her doomed love affair with the impetuous cavalry officer, Count Vronsky. When Anna rejects her passionless marriage to be with her lover, their liaison scandalises society and tragedy ensues. In contrast to this narrative of love and jealousy, Tolstoy weaves the tale of Levin, a young man striving to find contentment and meaning in his life, his experiences drawn from those of Tolstoy himself.
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Price HK$ 12,000
Newmarket & Arabia. An Examination of the Descent of Racers and Coursers -
Roger D. Upton (Captain Late 9th Royal Lancers)
1873 - Henry S. King &, London - First Edition
A fine, thus scarce, first edition of this important work, by former cavalry officer, Roger Upton, a prominent early expert in purebred Arabians and the English thoroughbred horses.
Illustrated with hand-coloured wood engraved front, and to the rear ‘contains a list of Arabians, Barbs, Turks, and foreign horses which were employed, more or less, in the formation of the English stud from the time of King James I, until about the end of the 18th century’ [Loder] including four large folding charts.
Written ‘to encourage. deeper insight into the history of the horse in this country, more especially ‘the thoroughbred’. A great champion of the Arabian horse, he examines its history, defends it from its detractors, and strongly urges that the then degenerate English stock, as he saw it, be re-founded on a pure Arabian bloodline. In his conclusion he outlined radical plans for a national stud to regenerate the English horse, to the advantage of racers, hunters and cavalrymen. [Ithaca Press]
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Price HK$ 14,000
1873 - Henry S. King &, London - First Edition
A fine, thus scarce, first edition of this important work, by former cavalry officer, Roger Upton, a prominent early expert in purebred Arabians and the English thoroughbred horses.Illustrated with hand-coloured wood engraved front, and to the rear ‘contains a list of Arabians, Barbs, Turks, and foreign horses which were employed, more or less, in the formation of the English stud from the time of King James I, until about the end of the 18th century’ [Loder] including four large folding charts.
Written ‘to encourage. deeper insight into the history of the horse in this country, more especially ‘the thoroughbred’. A great champion of the Arabian horse, he examines its history, defends it from its detractors, and strongly urges that the then degenerate English stock, as he saw it, be re-founded on a pure Arabian bloodline. In his conclusion he outlined radical plans for a national stud to regenerate the English horse, to the advantage of racers, hunters and cavalrymen. [Ithaca Press]
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Price HK$ 14,000
Le Bon-Bock - 321 Letterpress Invitations in two Folio Albums -
Various
1886-1936 - Printed for Le Bon-Bock, Paris
An incredibly rare collection of 321 original illustrated letterpress dinner invitations from Le Bon-Bock society (each approximately 33x23cm), whose soirees on the second Tuesday of each month near Montmartre were frequented by Paris’ most flamboyant and original writers and artists of La Belle Époque and Les Années Folles.
The artists competed to have their work used for the next invitation, and together with their work each invitation provides an account of the previous dinners activities, beginning with opening speeches, notices and announcements, and then other activities, which usually include poems, prose, texts, songs, instrumental pieces.
The invitations are dated from April 1886 to April 1936, with the first thirty or so addressed to Monsieur Régnier, one of the founders of the association. Individually rare, a collection of this size and association provides one of the most important associations of these periods in Paris.
Inspired by Edouard Manet’s painting Le Bon Bock (The Good Pint), and the democratic, nationalistic ideals that it symbolised, Emile Bellot (the printmaker and model for Manet’s beer drinker) established the Bon-Bock Society in 1875. Consisting mainly of artists, writers and performers, the society sought to re-define France’s national spirit by delving into the country’s cultural past. The inseparable ideals of freedom and humour within their community created opportunities for artistic experimentation; the Bon Bockers and their carefree attitude would go on to inspire generations of Montmartre natives for years to come.
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Price HK$ 90,000
1886-1936 - Printed for Le Bon-Bock, Paris
An incredibly rare collection of 321 original illustrated letterpress dinner invitations from Le Bon-Bock society (each approximately 33x23cm), whose soirees on the second Tuesday of each month near Montmartre were frequented by Paris’ most flamboyant and original writers and artists of La Belle Époque and Les Années Folles. The artists competed to have their work used for the next invitation, and together with their work each invitation provides an account of the previous dinners activities, beginning with opening speeches, notices and announcements, and then other activities, which usually include poems, prose, texts, songs, instrumental pieces.
The invitations are dated from April 1886 to April 1936, with the first thirty or so addressed to Monsieur Régnier, one of the founders of the association. Individually rare, a collection of this size and association provides one of the most important associations of these periods in Paris.
Inspired by Edouard Manet’s painting Le Bon Bock (The Good Pint), and the democratic, nationalistic ideals that it symbolised, Emile Bellot (the printmaker and model for Manet’s beer drinker) established the Bon-Bock Society in 1875. Consisting mainly of artists, writers and performers, the society sought to re-define France’s national spirit by delving into the country’s cultural past. The inseparable ideals of freedom and humour within their community created opportunities for artistic experimentation; the Bon Bockers and their carefree attitude would go on to inspire generations of Montmartre natives for years to come.
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Price HK$ 90,000
The First Men in the Moon -
H. G. Wells
1901 - George Newnes, London - First English Edition, first state binding
A superior copy of this science fiction landmark. Wells’ wonderful 1901 tale of space travel, featuring twelve black and white illustrations by Claude Shepperson. The novel was heavily criticised upon publication due to its fantastical ideas but was later recognised as a milestone of the genre.
‘Written with astonishing animation and lucidity.’ – G. K. Chesterton
When Dr Cavor, a brilliant but absent-minded scientist, accidentally creates a gravity-defying substance, he and his companion – a penniless businessman named Mr Bedford who has retreated to the coast of Kent to write a play – journey to the moon. While the materialistic Bedford is driven by possible fortune and Cavor by his unquenchable thirst for knowledge, neither man is prepared for what they discover: an alien world where a frightening race of biologically engineered creatures will go to sinister lengths to defend their planet.
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Price HK$ 16,000
1901 - George Newnes, London - First English Edition, first state binding
A superior copy of this science fiction landmark. Wells’ wonderful 1901 tale of space travel, featuring twelve black and white illustrations by Claude Shepperson. The novel was heavily criticised upon publication due to its fantastical ideas but was later recognised as a milestone of the genre. ‘Written with astonishing animation and lucidity.’ – G. K. Chesterton
When Dr Cavor, a brilliant but absent-minded scientist, accidentally creates a gravity-defying substance, he and his companion – a penniless businessman named Mr Bedford who has retreated to the coast of Kent to write a play – journey to the moon. While the materialistic Bedford is driven by possible fortune and Cavor by his unquenchable thirst for knowledge, neither man is prepared for what they discover: an alien world where a frightening race of biologically engineered creatures will go to sinister lengths to defend their planet.
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Price HK$ 16,000
The Day of the Locust -
Nathanael West
1939 - Random House, New York - First Edition
A very difficult first edition to find in a reasonable dust jacket with the price intact on the front flap (those without price should be treated with caution as there was an unpriced book club edition) no restoration or tape repair, with the commonly encountered toning to the spine label due to the publisher’s adhesive.
‘Admired by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, and Dashiell Hammett, and hailed as one of the “Best 100 English-language novels” by Time magazine, The Day of the Locust continues to influence American writers, artists, and culture.’ [New Directions].
‘In The Day of the Locust a young artist, Tod Hackett, arrives in LA full of dreams. But celebrity and artifice rule and he soon joins the ranks of the disenchanted that drift around the fringes of Hollywood. When he meets Faye Greener, an aspiring actress, he is intoxicated and his desperate passion explodes into rage...’ [Penguin]
‘Los Angeles has been the subject of, and setting for, many fine novels yet The Day of the Locust still feels like the single best-achieved piece of fiction the city has inspired.’ – The Los Angeles Times.
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Price HK$ 16,000
1939 - Random House, New York - First Edition
A very difficult first edition to find in a reasonable dust jacket with the price intact on the front flap (those without price should be treated with caution as there was an unpriced book club edition) no restoration or tape repair, with the commonly encountered toning to the spine label due to the publisher’s adhesive.‘Admired by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, and Dashiell Hammett, and hailed as one of the “Best 100 English-language novels” by Time magazine, The Day of the Locust continues to influence American writers, artists, and culture.’ [New Directions].
‘In The Day of the Locust a young artist, Tod Hackett, arrives in LA full of dreams. But celebrity and artifice rule and he soon joins the ranks of the disenchanted that drift around the fringes of Hollywood. When he meets Faye Greener, an aspiring actress, he is intoxicated and his desperate passion explodes into rage...’ [Penguin]
‘Los Angeles has been the subject of, and setting for, many fine novels yet The Day of the Locust still feels like the single best-achieved piece of fiction the city has inspired.’ – The Los Angeles Times.
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Price HK$ 16,000
Sketches of China: with Illustrations from Original Drawings -
W. W. Wood
1830 - Carey &, Philadelphia - First Edition
A rare little treasure with six lithograph plates from drawings by Wood, in publisher’s original paper boards.
William Wightman Wood was an early influential American writer from Philadelphia who worked in Canton with Russell & Company. Wood wrote for, edited, and published two early newspapers, the Canton Register in 1827 and, in 1831, the Chinese Courier and Canton Gazette.
Wood was also a friend of George Chinnery, once challenged the editor of the Canton Register, Arthur Keating, to a duel, and after being refused the hand of Harriet Lowe, a Salem girl who travelled to China with her uncle, who was also working for Russell & Co., Wood decamped to the Philippines where he became one of the first photographers in the far east.
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Price HK$ 8,000
1830 - Carey &, Philadelphia - First Edition
A rare little treasure with six lithograph plates from drawings by Wood, in publisher’s original paper boards.William Wightman Wood was an early influential American writer from Philadelphia who worked in Canton with Russell & Company. Wood wrote for, edited, and published two early newspapers, the Canton Register in 1827 and, in 1831, the Chinese Courier and Canton Gazette.
Wood was also a friend of George Chinnery, once challenged the editor of the Canton Register, Arthur Keating, to a duel, and after being refused the hand of Harriet Lowe, a Salem girl who travelled to China with her uncle, who was also working for Russell & Co., Wood decamped to the Philippines where he became one of the first photographers in the far east.
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Price HK$ 8,000