China in Sign and Symbol - with decorations by Kent Crane -
Louise Crane
1926 - Kelly and Walsh, Shanghai - First Edition
‘All symbols are of universal use and date from earliest antiquity. Mrs. Louise Crane has taken in hand in this volume to describe some of the symbols she has observed in the social life of the Chinese... symbols are our agents.’
Gorgeously presented in a vivid art-deco dust jacket, this profusely illustrated work is a nicely put together study of the ornate shop signs and enigmatic symbols from 1926, explaining the customs and tradition they are based on. Illustrated by Kent Crane with 49 photographs and full colour plates, depicting different symbols and signs, all brightly coloured, some heightened in gold, and including two large folding coloured plates.
Organised to show how each group of symbols applies to life - The Inner Man; The Outer Man; His Occupation; His Funds; His General Needs; His Health; and His Future State.
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Price HK$ 19,000
1926 - Kelly and Walsh, Shanghai - First Edition
‘All symbols are of universal use and date from earliest antiquity. Mrs. Louise Crane has taken in hand in this volume to describe some of the symbols she has observed in the social life of the Chinese... symbols are our agents.’Gorgeously presented in a vivid art-deco dust jacket, this profusely illustrated work is a nicely put together study of the ornate shop signs and enigmatic symbols from 1926, explaining the customs and tradition they are based on. Illustrated by Kent Crane with 49 photographs and full colour plates, depicting different symbols and signs, all brightly coloured, some heightened in gold, and including two large folding coloured plates.
Organised to show how each group of symbols applies to life - The Inner Man; The Outer Man; His Occupation; His Funds; His General Needs; His Health; and His Future State.
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Price HK$ 19,000
In the Land of Misfortune -
Lady Florence Dixie
1882 - Richard Bentley and Son, London - First Edition
Illustrated with sixteen plates engraved from sketches by Major Fraser and Captain C. F. C. Beresford.
Born Lady Florence Douglas, sister to the 9th Marquess of Queensbury who endorsed the eponymous rules of boxing, Lady Dixie (1855-1905) packed in a varied career. In this book she recounts her adventures in Africa as the first official woman war correspondent, covering the aftermath of the Anglo-Zulu War and the First Boer War for the Morning Post.
Prior to this she travelled to Patagonia and corrected Charles Darwin's contention in his Journal of Researches that the Tuco-tuco was nocturnal after observing it active during the daytime. Back in Britain she was a keen proponent of women's suffrage and women's association football, her crusades became increasingly bizarre with age (including a campaign for total parity of dress for men and women), so that The Times in its obituary rather sadly concluding that Lady Florence Dixie would be best remembered as a ‘somewhat peculiar woman’.
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Price HK$ 2,800
1882 - Richard Bentley and Son, London - First Edition
Illustrated with sixteen plates engraved from sketches by Major Fraser and Captain C. F. C. Beresford. Born Lady Florence Douglas, sister to the 9th Marquess of Queensbury who endorsed the eponymous rules of boxing, Lady Dixie (1855-1905) packed in a varied career. In this book she recounts her adventures in Africa as the first official woman war correspondent, covering the aftermath of the Anglo-Zulu War and the First Boer War for the Morning Post.
Prior to this she travelled to Patagonia and corrected Charles Darwin's contention in his Journal of Researches that the Tuco-tuco was nocturnal after observing it active during the daytime. Back in Britain she was a keen proponent of women's suffrage and women's association football, her crusades became increasingly bizarre with age (including a campaign for total parity of dress for men and women), so that The Times in its obituary rather sadly concluding that Lady Florence Dixie would be best remembered as a ‘somewhat peculiar woman’.
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Price HK$ 2,800
The Pipe Book -
Alfred Dunhill
1924 - A. & C. Black, London - First Edition
‘You do not need to be a smoker of pipes, or of tobacco in any form, to enjoy this book. If you like to be entertained and instructed by unique information, you will find it a fascinating volume.’ – New York Times.
A finely bound and uncommon first edition of this remarkable reference work, profusely illustrated throughout with 28 full page plates (four in colour) and 230 illustrations in the text of the vast variety of pipes available up to that time.
In 1907, in London, Alfred Dunhill, a young man in his early 30s, opened his first tobacconist's shop. It was an instant success, custom blending individual tobaccos as well as carrying smokers' accoutrements. Dunhill began to develop a collection of pipes from around the world, which was then catalogued. From this emerged, in 1924, The Pipe Book, which has rarely been out of print since that date.
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Price HK$ 3,500
1924 - A. & C. Black, London - First Edition
‘You do not need to be a smoker of pipes, or of tobacco in any form, to enjoy this book. If you like to be entertained and instructed by unique information, you will find it a fascinating volume.’ – New York Times. A finely bound and uncommon first edition of this remarkable reference work, profusely illustrated throughout with 28 full page plates (four in colour) and 230 illustrations in the text of the vast variety of pipes available up to that time.
In 1907, in London, Alfred Dunhill, a young man in his early 30s, opened his first tobacconist's shop. It was an instant success, custom blending individual tobaccos as well as carrying smokers' accoutrements. Dunhill began to develop a collection of pipes from around the world, which was then catalogued. From this emerged, in 1924, The Pipe Book, which has rarely been out of print since that date.
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Price HK$ 3,500
The Fun Of It -
Amelia Earhart
1932 - Brewer, New York - First Edition
‘Flying might not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price.’
A lovely copy of Earhart’s biography, accompanied with an audio recording of highlights from her first solo Transatlantic flight in May 1932. Profusely illustrated with photographs chronicling Earhart’s childhood to her later career, the book delves into Miss Amelia’s motivations, and the challenges she faced prior to her success, as she struggled to prove herself within highly male dominated arena.
The work also delves into the fascinating and complex history of aviation, with Earhart examining the careers of titans such as the Wright Brothers, Eleanor Smith, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Harriet Quinby, and Ruth Nichols.
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Price HK$ 12,000
1932 - Brewer, New York - First Edition
‘Flying might not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price.’A lovely copy of Earhart’s biography, accompanied with an audio recording of highlights from her first solo Transatlantic flight in May 1932. Profusely illustrated with photographs chronicling Earhart’s childhood to her later career, the book delves into Miss Amelia’s motivations, and the challenges she faced prior to her success, as she struggled to prove herself within highly male dominated arena.
The work also delves into the fascinating and complex history of aviation, with Earhart examining the careers of titans such as the Wright Brothers, Eleanor Smith, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Harriet Quinby, and Ruth Nichols.
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Price HK$ 12,000
Light in August -
William Faulkner
1932 - Harrison Smith and Robert Haas, New York - First Edition, first issue
A superb first edition of Faulkner's seventh novel, an exploration of the lasting effects of racism and misogyny, one of four of his novels consistently ranked among the best of the twentieth century.
‘One of William Faulkner’s most admired and accessible novels, Light in August reveals the great American author at the height of his powers. Lena Grove’s resolute search for the father of her unborn child begets a rich, poignant, and ultimately hopeful story of perseverance in the face of mortality. It also acquaints us with several of Faulkner’s most unforgettable characters, including the Reverend Gail Hightower, plagued by visions of Confederate horsemen, and Joe Christmas, a ragged, itinerant soul obsessed with his mixed-race ancestry.’ - Penguin Classics.
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Price HK$ 69,000
1932 - Harrison Smith and Robert Haas, New York - First Edition, first issue
A superb first edition of Faulkner's seventh novel, an exploration of the lasting effects of racism and misogyny, one of four of his novels consistently ranked among the best of the twentieth century.‘One of William Faulkner’s most admired and accessible novels, Light in August reveals the great American author at the height of his powers. Lena Grove’s resolute search for the father of her unborn child begets a rich, poignant, and ultimately hopeful story of perseverance in the face of mortality. It also acquaints us with several of Faulkner’s most unforgettable characters, including the Reverend Gail Hightower, plagued by visions of Confederate horsemen, and Joe Christmas, a ragged, itinerant soul obsessed with his mixed-race ancestry.’ - Penguin Classics.
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Price HK$ 69,000
The Great River -
Gretchen Mae Fitkin, Arthur de Carle Sowerby, Donald Mennie (photographer), ‘Sapajou’
1922 - North-China Daily News & Herald, Shanghai - First Edition
A scarce work, and even more so here in the original dust jacket.
As Sowerby puts it in his introduction, ‘it is not surprising, then, that Miss Gretchen Mae Fitkin should have come to China, alone, unafraid, not knowing a soul in the East; established herself upon the staff of the leading newspaper in the country; and – gone exploring!’. ‘Her journey was made during the late summer of 1921, and that fact alone commands our respect, for conditions were such all that year, and especially during the summer, as to render travelling upon the Yangtze Kiang neither safe nor comfortable. Merchantmen and men-of-war belonging to foreign Powers were constantly being fired upon by the lawless soldiery engaged in the campaign of North against West, and at times things were so bad that all shipping was held up for weeks. But these facts did not daunt our young American Friend, and so we have a fresh account of one of the greatest wonders of this land of wonders.’
With 28 black and white photographs by Donald Mennie, and illustrations for the dust jacket and cloth covers by ‘Sapajou’.
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Price HK$ 8,500
1922 - North-China Daily News & Herald, Shanghai - First Edition
A scarce work, and even more so here in the original dust jacket.As Sowerby puts it in his introduction, ‘it is not surprising, then, that Miss Gretchen Mae Fitkin should have come to China, alone, unafraid, not knowing a soul in the East; established herself upon the staff of the leading newspaper in the country; and – gone exploring!’. ‘Her journey was made during the late summer of 1921, and that fact alone commands our respect, for conditions were such all that year, and especially during the summer, as to render travelling upon the Yangtze Kiang neither safe nor comfortable. Merchantmen and men-of-war belonging to foreign Powers were constantly being fired upon by the lawless soldiery engaged in the campaign of North against West, and at times things were so bad that all shipping was held up for weeks. But these facts did not daunt our young American Friend, and so we have a fresh account of one of the greatest wonders of this land of wonders.’
With 28 black and white photographs by Donald Mennie, and illustrations for the dust jacket and cloth covers by ‘Sapajou’.
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Price HK$ 8,500
Live and Let Die -
Ian Fleming
1954 - Jonathan Cape, London - First Edition
Beautiful, fortune-telling Solitaire is the prisoner (and tool) of Mr. Big - master of fear, artist in crime, and Voodoo Baron of Death. James Bond has no time for superstition - he knows that Big is also a top SMERSH operative and a real threat. More than that, after tracking him through the jazz joints of Harlem to the Everglades and on the Caribbean, 007 has realized that Mr. Big is one of the most dangerous men he has ever faced, and nobody,not even the enigmatic Solitaire, can be sure how their battle of wills is going to end.
A bright sharp copy of the second Bond novel, the scarce ‘First, First, First’ edition, smartly and appropriately housed in a custom made black morocco leather, felt lined, clamshell case, with gilt lettering to the spine.
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Price HK$ 200,000
1954 - Jonathan Cape, London - First Edition
Beautiful, fortune-telling Solitaire is the prisoner (and tool) of Mr. Big - master of fear, artist in crime, and Voodoo Baron of Death. James Bond has no time for superstition - he knows that Big is also a top SMERSH operative and a real threat. More than that, after tracking him through the jazz joints of Harlem to the Everglades and on the Caribbean, 007 has realized that Mr. Big is one of the most dangerous men he has ever faced, and nobody,not even the enigmatic Solitaire, can be sure how their battle of wills is going to end.A bright sharp copy of the second Bond novel, the scarce ‘First, First, First’ edition, smartly and appropriately housed in a custom made black morocco leather, felt lined, clamshell case, with gilt lettering to the spine.
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Price HK$ 200,000
Cricket -
W. G. Grace
1899 - James Bowden, London - First Edition
‘I should like to say that good batsmen are born, not made; but my long experience comes up before me, and tells me that it is not so.’
Profusely illustrations, with over eighty mostly photographic plates including one of the great beard himself, the first man ever to score 1,000 runs in one month, and this at the age of 46.
Grace was still playing Test cricket into his 50s, and on his 58th birthday, after scoring 74, he laid his bat down on the pavilion table and declared, ‘There. I shan’t play any more’.
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Price HK$ 1,600
1899 - James Bowden, London - First Edition
‘I should like to say that good batsmen are born, not made; but my long experience comes up before me, and tells me that it is not so.’ Profusely illustrations, with over eighty mostly photographic plates including one of the great beard himself, the first man ever to score 1,000 runs in one month, and this at the age of 46.
Grace was still playing Test cricket into his 50s, and on his 58th birthday, after scoring 74, he laid his bat down on the pavilion table and declared, ‘There. I shan’t play any more’.
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Price HK$ 1,600