The Works of Shakespeare. The text of the First Folio with Quarto variants and a selection of modern readings -
William Shakespeare
1929-1933 - The Nonesuch Press for Random House, Printed at the Cambridge University Press and Bound by A. Bain of London. - Limited Edition. Number 1348 of 1600 copies
Considered one of the finest presentations of Shakespeare and the Nonesuch Press’ most handsome production, in seven volumes.
T.E. Lawrence on the Nonesuch Press Shakespeare - ‘A most marvellous pleasure. I have handled it ever so many times, and read The Tempest right through. It satisfies. It is final, like the Kelmscott Chaucer or the Ashendene Virgil. And it is a book which charms one to read slowly, an art which is almost gone from us in these times. Every word which Shakespeare uses stands out glowing… The tact and grace of your editor have been surpassing. I think I like the size and shape and binding almost as much as the text. The paper, too, is just right. Altogether a triumph.’
‘The Shakespeare represents the chef-d'oeuvre of the Nonesuch Press. This is the finest edition of our greatest poet.’ - [Nonesuch Century]
More details
Price HK$ 28,000
1929-1933 - The Nonesuch Press for Random House, Printed at the Cambridge University Press and Bound by A. Bain of London. - Limited Edition. Number 1348 of 1600 copies
Considered one of the finest presentations of Shakespeare and the Nonesuch Press’ most handsome production, in seven volumes. T.E. Lawrence on the Nonesuch Press Shakespeare - ‘A most marvellous pleasure. I have handled it ever so many times, and read The Tempest right through. It satisfies. It is final, like the Kelmscott Chaucer or the Ashendene Virgil. And it is a book which charms one to read slowly, an art which is almost gone from us in these times. Every word which Shakespeare uses stands out glowing… The tact and grace of your editor have been surpassing. I think I like the size and shape and binding almost as much as the text. The paper, too, is just right. Altogether a triumph.’
‘The Shakespeare represents the chef-d'oeuvre of the Nonesuch Press. This is the finest edition of our greatest poet.’ - [Nonesuch Century]
More details
Price HK$ 28,000
The Works of William Shakespeare -
William Shakespeare, Alexander Dyce
1891 - Swan Sonnenschein &, London - Sixth Edition
An attractively bound ten volume set of Shakespeare, volume I with Dyce’s Life of Shakespeare, prefaces, and history of the early editions, volume X containing a 526 page glossary.
More details
Price HK$ 18,000
1891 - Swan Sonnenschein &, London - Sixth Edition
An attractively bound ten volume set of Shakespeare, volume I with Dyce’s Life of Shakespeare, prefaces, and history of the early editions, volume X containing a 526 page glossary.
More details
Price HK$ 18,000
The Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare -
William Shakespeare, William Watkiss Lloyd, Samuel Weller Singer
1856 - Bell and Daldy, London
An elegant ten volume mid-nineteenth century set of Shakespeare's works, finely bound by Bayntun-Rivière of Bath.
Illustrated with wood engravings by John Thompson from drawings by Thomas Stothard, and photographs, decorated with headpieces and floriated initials.
The text carefully revised with notes by Samuel Weller Singer, together with a biography and critical essays on the plays by William Watkiss Lloyd.
More details
Price HK$ 15,000
1856 - Bell and Daldy, London
An elegant ten volume mid-nineteenth century set of Shakespeare's works, finely bound by Bayntun-Rivière of Bath.Illustrated with wood engravings by John Thompson from drawings by Thomas Stothard, and photographs, decorated with headpieces and floriated initials.
The text carefully revised with notes by Samuel Weller Singer, together with a biography and critical essays on the plays by William Watkiss Lloyd.
More details
Price HK$ 15,000
A Ballad Book -
Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Sir Walter Scott, David Laing (editor)
1880 - William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London - First Edition
‘I think you do me much honour by preserving my scribbles’ writes the colourful and eccentric Sharpe in the tipped in letter that accompanies his finely bound Ballad Book, re-edited by David Laing, with additions from Sharpe's manuscripts, and which he first printed only 30 copies in 1823, although according to Henderson, the majority of the added ballads in 1880 were of more or less questionable authenticity (ODNB). The final portion of the book prints Sir Walter Scott’s commentary on the original poems, and is taken from correspondence between Scott and his friend Sharpe.
Scarce. Illustrated with a colour frontispiece portrait, woodblock engraving plate and headpiece (as used for the original 1823 edition).
A speculative note regarding the letter - As stated in the editor’s introduction (ix) ‘Mr Sharpe’s own annotated copy’ was carefully followed to produce this work, a copy that was ‘in the possession of Sir James Gibson-Craig’. Gibson-Craig had one of the finest collection of Scottish works ever assembled, and other correspondence from Sharpe to Gibson-Craig did begin with ‘Signor Mio’, leading us to speculate that this letter accompanied the original and rare 1823 printing of which only 30 were produced, and which in this case was later given by Sharpe to Gibson-Craig.
More details
Price HK$ 5,000
1880 - William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London - First Edition
‘I think you do me much honour by preserving my scribbles’ writes the colourful and eccentric Sharpe in the tipped in letter that accompanies his finely bound Ballad Book, re-edited by David Laing, with additions from Sharpe's manuscripts, and which he first printed only 30 copies in 1823, although according to Henderson, the majority of the added ballads in 1880 were of more or less questionable authenticity (ODNB). The final portion of the book prints Sir Walter Scott’s commentary on the original poems, and is taken from correspondence between Scott and his friend Sharpe.Scarce. Illustrated with a colour frontispiece portrait, woodblock engraving plate and headpiece (as used for the original 1823 edition).
A speculative note regarding the letter - As stated in the editor’s introduction (ix) ‘Mr Sharpe’s own annotated copy’ was carefully followed to produce this work, a copy that was ‘in the possession of Sir James Gibson-Craig’. Gibson-Craig had one of the finest collection of Scottish works ever assembled, and other correspondence from Sharpe to Gibson-Craig did begin with ‘Signor Mio’, leading us to speculate that this letter accompanied the original and rare 1823 printing of which only 30 were produced, and which in this case was later given by Sharpe to Gibson-Craig.
More details
Price HK$ 5,000
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. With A Life of the Author, an Introductory Discourse, Notes, and Supplemental Dissertations by J. R. M Culloch, Esq. -
Adam Smith, J. R. McCulloch
1828 - Printed for Adam Black, Edinburgh - First McCulloch Edition
Four volumes in contemporary bindings, with a portrait frontispiece of Smith in Volume 1 after the Tassie bust. ‘Of real importance is [this] edition by John Ramsay McCulloch (1828) which contains a life of Smith and numerous notes, first published in four volumes and later in single-volume editions which for some three decades were used by students almost to the exclusion of others’. [Bullock]
First published in 1776, ‘the same year as the American Declaration of Independence, it has been argued that the global effect of Smith’s work has exceeded that of American constitutionalists. And if the wealth of a nation or a people is the foundation of all else, then from Hong Kong and Shanghai to Peru, from the oil and gas fields of Russia to the United States itself, from Estonia to Australia, it can be claimed that the principles and economic dynamics at work in all these places come from a book by a scholar of Scotland published before the French Revolution, before the Industrial Revolution and eighty four years before Das Kapital by Karl Marx.’ - Melvyn Bragg – 12 Books That Changed the World.
Reputedly stolen by Gypsies at the age of three, Smith grew up to become one of the pillars of the Scottish Enlightenment, winning fame as a moral philosopher as well as an economist. In 'The Wealth of Nations,' Smith laid the intellectual foundations for a liberal free-market society, and in so doing revolutionised the understanding of how societies, governments, and markets interact. He always insisted, from 'The Theory of Moral Sentiments' onwards, that the 'invisible hand of the market' would regulate capitalist impulses and channel excessive behaviour into productive and beneficent projects. 'The Wealth of Nations' further addresses questions of sovereignty of colonies, the origins of coinage, and the concept of credit, all of which would have a profound influence on the germinating United States of America, which declared independence in July 1776, the same year that Smith's work was first published.
More details
Price HK$ 25,000
1828 - Printed for Adam Black, Edinburgh - First McCulloch Edition
Four volumes in contemporary bindings, with a portrait frontispiece of Smith in Volume 1 after the Tassie bust. ‘Of real importance is [this] edition by John Ramsay McCulloch (1828) which contains a life of Smith and numerous notes, first published in four volumes and later in single-volume editions which for some three decades were used by students almost to the exclusion of others’. [Bullock]First published in 1776, ‘the same year as the American Declaration of Independence, it has been argued that the global effect of Smith’s work has exceeded that of American constitutionalists. And if the wealth of a nation or a people is the foundation of all else, then from Hong Kong and Shanghai to Peru, from the oil and gas fields of Russia to the United States itself, from Estonia to Australia, it can be claimed that the principles and economic dynamics at work in all these places come from a book by a scholar of Scotland published before the French Revolution, before the Industrial Revolution and eighty four years before Das Kapital by Karl Marx.’ - Melvyn Bragg – 12 Books That Changed the World.
Reputedly stolen by Gypsies at the age of three, Smith grew up to become one of the pillars of the Scottish Enlightenment, winning fame as a moral philosopher as well as an economist. In 'The Wealth of Nations,' Smith laid the intellectual foundations for a liberal free-market society, and in so doing revolutionised the understanding of how societies, governments, and markets interact. He always insisted, from 'The Theory of Moral Sentiments' onwards, that the 'invisible hand of the market' would regulate capitalist impulses and channel excessive behaviour into productive and beneficent projects. 'The Wealth of Nations' further addresses questions of sovereignty of colonies, the origins of coinage, and the concept of credit, all of which would have a profound influence on the germinating United States of America, which declared independence in July 1776, the same year that Smith's work was first published.
More details
Price HK$ 25,000
Traveller s Prelude, Beyond Euphrates, The Coast of Incense, Dust in the Lion's Paw -
Freya Stark
1950 - John Murray, London - First Editions
A complete and finely bound four volume first edition set of the autobiographies by the ‘Grande Old Lady’ of travellers, the intrepid and pioneering Freya Stark (1893-1993).
Dame Freya Stark’s ‘figure has become the image for an archetypal British eccentric abroad – comfortable and regal, colourfully draped, and invariably topped with an elaborate titfer, perhaps astride a camel (’always so obliging’) or bobbing up-river on an inflated goatskin waving serenely to passers-by – but there is a far more serious side to her career. In all her journeys she has been able to distil and communicate a rich philosophy of travel and to illustrate the art of travelling in time as well as place. She carries the past with her, whether discovering long-buried fortresses in the Valley of the Assassins in Luristan, or tracing the footsteps of the ancient incense traders of Arabia, always teaching and learning at the same time. She is, quite simply, a classic.’ – Jane Robinson, Wayward Women.
More details
Price HK$ 11,000
1950 - John Murray, London - First Editions
A complete and finely bound four volume first edition set of the autobiographies by the ‘Grande Old Lady’ of travellers, the intrepid and pioneering Freya Stark (1893-1993).Dame Freya Stark’s ‘figure has become the image for an archetypal British eccentric abroad – comfortable and regal, colourfully draped, and invariably topped with an elaborate titfer, perhaps astride a camel (’always so obliging’) or bobbing up-river on an inflated goatskin waving serenely to passers-by – but there is a far more serious side to her career. In all her journeys she has been able to distil and communicate a rich philosophy of travel and to illustrate the art of travelling in time as well as place. She carries the past with her, whether discovering long-buried fortresses in the Valley of the Assassins in Luristan, or tracing the footsteps of the ancient incense traders of Arabia, always teaching and learning at the same time. She is, quite simply, a classic.’ – Jane Robinson, Wayward Women.
More details
Price HK$ 11,000
An Authentic Account of an embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China -
Sir George Staunton, Earl of Macartney, Sir Erasmus Gower
1797 - Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. for G, London - First Edition
A clean and exquisitely bound set of this cornerstone of China related travel literature, together with the magnificent Elephant Folio Atlas showing forty-four engraved maps and plates (mainly after Alexander), of which one is folding and six are double-page.
‘An account of the first British embassy to China, under Lord Macartney. Great Britain was anxious to establish formal diplomatic relations with China and thus open the way for unimpeded trade relations, but centuries of Chinese reserve and self-sufficiency presented a formidable obstacle to the embassy, and the Chinese emperor effectually resisted Lord Macartney’s arguments and gifts. The visit of the British embassy nonetheless resulted in this remarkable account of Chinese manners and customs at the close of the eighteenth century’ - The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages.
More details
Price HK$ 220,000
1797 - Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. for G, London - First Edition
A clean and exquisitely bound set of this cornerstone of China related travel literature, together with the magnificent Elephant Folio Atlas showing forty-four engraved maps and plates (mainly after Alexander), of which one is folding and six are double-page.‘An account of the first British embassy to China, under Lord Macartney. Great Britain was anxious to establish formal diplomatic relations with China and thus open the way for unimpeded trade relations, but centuries of Chinese reserve and self-sufficiency presented a formidable obstacle to the embassy, and the Chinese emperor effectually resisted Lord Macartney’s arguments and gifts. The visit of the British embassy nonetheless resulted in this remarkable account of Chinese manners and customs at the close of the eighteenth century’ - The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages.
More details
Price HK$ 220,000
A Child's Garden of Verses -
Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Robinson (illustrator)
1912 - John Lane, London - New Edition
A finely bound, delightful compilation of illustrated poems and verses from beloved children’s author, Robert Louis Stevenson, recalling the joys of his childhood, from sailing boats down a river, to flying through the air on a swing and being tucked into bed for a night of sweet dreams. With stunning art-nouveau illustrations and decorations throughout by Charles Robinson.
More details
Price HK$ 5,500
1912 - John Lane, London - New Edition
A finely bound, delightful compilation of illustrated poems and verses from beloved children’s author, Robert Louis Stevenson, recalling the joys of his childhood, from sailing boats down a river, to flying through the air on a swing and being tucked into bed for a night of sweet dreams. With stunning art-nouveau illustrations and decorations throughout by Charles Robinson.
More details
Price HK$ 5,500