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Franny and Zooey -
J.D. Salinger
1961 - Little, Boston - First Edition
A fine first edition of Salinger’s third book. Two stories about the Glass family, which originally appeared in the New Yorker, following on from ‘Raise High the Roof Beam’ [1959].
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Price HK$ 6,000
1961 - Little, Boston - First Edition
A fine first edition of Salinger’s third book. Two stories about the Glass family, which originally appeared in the New Yorker, following on from ‘Raise High the Roof Beam’ [1959].
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Price HK$ 6,000
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction -
J.D. Salinger
1959 - Little Brown, Boston - First Edition, First Issue, without the dedication leaf, as called for
‘Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters’ is written with a dazzling, almost showy, technical brilliance. Its dialogue is expert, its satirical comedy amusing, its style fluid and graceful. There can be no question that J. D. Salinger is a finished literary craftsman. What he sets out to do he does with consummate skill.’ - New York Times
First edition, first state, of this collection of stories about the Glass Family, in beautiful condition, and scarce as such.
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Price HK$ 15,000
1959 - Little Brown, Boston - First Edition, First Issue, without the dedication leaf, as called for
‘Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters’ is written with a dazzling, almost showy, technical brilliance. Its dialogue is expert, its satirical comedy amusing, its style fluid and graceful. There can be no question that J. D. Salinger is a finished literary craftsman. What he sets out to do he does with consummate skill.’ - New York Times First edition, first state, of this collection of stories about the Glass Family, in beautiful condition, and scarce as such.
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Price HK$ 15,000
A Trilogy of Epic Historic Poems - Marmion; The Lady of the Lake; Rokeby -
Sir Walter Scott
1808 - Archibald Constable & John Ballantyne, Edinburgh - Fourth, Twelfth, and Second Editions respectively
An early trilogy of three of Sir Walter Scott’s most popular epic historical poems, uniformly bound in contemporary tan tree-calf.
‘Marmion; A Tale of Flodden Field’ – ‘Marmion was Walter Scott’s second historical romance and one of his most popular epic poems. The chivalric tale of love, betrayal, loyalty and honour ends with the English victory over James IV of Scotland at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.’
‘The Lady of the Lake, A Poem’ – ‘Scott’s Highland poem concerning the struggle between King James V and the powerful clan Douglas. Composed of six cantos, and set in the Trossachs of the Scottish Highlands in the 16th century, it mines Gaelic history to retell a well-known legend of graceful, feudal heroine, Ellen Douglas, and the contest between three young men to win her love.
A huge critical and commercial success at the time of its first publication, breaking all records for the sale of poetry, and cementing Scott’s fame and reputation as a poet in both Britain and the United States.
‘Rokeby; A Poem’ – ‘After the monumental success of his Highland poem The Lady of the Lake (1810), for his next historical epic poem, Walter Scott moved the setting to England, perhaps to appease his increasing English readership. Set in County Durham during the English Civil Wars, in the immediate aftermath of the Parliamentary victory at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644.’
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Price HK$ 5,000
1808 - Archibald Constable & John Ballantyne, Edinburgh - Fourth, Twelfth, and Second Editions respectively
An early trilogy of three of Sir Walter Scott’s most popular epic historical poems, uniformly bound in contemporary tan tree-calf.‘Marmion; A Tale of Flodden Field’ – ‘Marmion was Walter Scott’s second historical romance and one of his most popular epic poems. The chivalric tale of love, betrayal, loyalty and honour ends with the English victory over James IV of Scotland at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.’
‘The Lady of the Lake, A Poem’ – ‘Scott’s Highland poem concerning the struggle between King James V and the powerful clan Douglas. Composed of six cantos, and set in the Trossachs of the Scottish Highlands in the 16th century, it mines Gaelic history to retell a well-known legend of graceful, feudal heroine, Ellen Douglas, and the contest between three young men to win her love.
A huge critical and commercial success at the time of its first publication, breaking all records for the sale of poetry, and cementing Scott’s fame and reputation as a poet in both Britain and the United States.
‘Rokeby; A Poem’ – ‘After the monumental success of his Highland poem The Lady of the Lake (1810), for his next historical epic poem, Walter Scott moved the setting to England, perhaps to appease his increasing English readership. Set in County Durham during the English Civil Wars, in the immediate aftermath of the Parliamentary victory at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644.’
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Price HK$ 5,000
The Comedies; Tragedies; Histories and Poems -
William Shakespeare, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Edward Dowden, W. J. Craig
1967 - Oxford University Press, London
A fine three volume set of Shakespeare in elegant bindings by Bayntun of Bath, housed together in a matching felt-lined slipcase.
The text prepared by W. J. Craig; with a General Introduction by Algernon Charles Swinburne; Introductory Studies of the several Plays and Poems by Edward Dowden, and full Glossaries.
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Price HK$ 10,000
1967 - Oxford University Press, London
A fine three volume set of Shakespeare in elegant bindings by Bayntun of Bath, housed together in a matching felt-lined slipcase.The text prepared by W. J. Craig; with a General Introduction by Algernon Charles Swinburne; Introductory Studies of the several Plays and Poems by Edward Dowden, and full Glossaries.
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Price HK$ 10,000
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.
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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.
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Price HK$ 5,000
The Complete Plays of Bernard Shaw -
George Bernard Shaw
1931 - Constable and Co Ltd, London - First Edition
A finely bound first edition of the complete collection of George Bernard Shaw’s plays,
Containing: Widowers' Houses: The Philanderer: Mrs. Warren's Profession: Arms and the Man: Candida: The Man of Destiny: You Never Can Tell: The Devil's Disciple: Cæsar and Cleopatra: Captain Brassbound's Conversion: Man and Superman: John Bull's Other Island: How He Lied to Her Husband: Major Barbara: The Doctor's Dilemma: Getting Married: The Shewing-up of Blanco Posnet: Misalliance: The Dark Lady of the Sonnets: Fanny's First Play: Androcles and the Lion : Over- Ruled: Pygmalion: Heartbreak House: Great Catherine: O'Flaherty V.C.: The Inca of Perusalem: Augustus Does His Bit: Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empress: Back to Methuselah: Saint Joan: The Apple Cart: Jitta's Atonement: the Admirable Bashville; or, Constancy Unrewarded: Press Cuttings: The Glimpse of Reality: Passion, Poison, and Petrifaction; or, The Fatal Gazo-Gene: The Fascinating Foundling: The Music-Cure.
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Price HK$ 6,500
1931 - Constable and Co Ltd, London - First Edition
A finely bound first edition of the complete collection of George Bernard Shaw’s plays, Containing: Widowers' Houses: The Philanderer: Mrs. Warren's Profession: Arms and the Man: Candida: The Man of Destiny: You Never Can Tell: The Devil's Disciple: Cæsar and Cleopatra: Captain Brassbound's Conversion: Man and Superman: John Bull's Other Island: How He Lied to Her Husband: Major Barbara: The Doctor's Dilemma: Getting Married: The Shewing-up of Blanco Posnet: Misalliance: The Dark Lady of the Sonnets: Fanny's First Play: Androcles and the Lion : Over- Ruled: Pygmalion: Heartbreak House: Great Catherine: O'Flaherty V.C.: The Inca of Perusalem: Augustus Does His Bit: Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empress: Back to Methuselah: Saint Joan: The Apple Cart: Jitta's Atonement: the Admirable Bashville; or, Constancy Unrewarded: Press Cuttings: The Glimpse of Reality: Passion, Poison, and Petrifaction; or, The Fatal Gazo-Gene: The Fascinating Foundling: The Music-Cure.
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Price HK$ 6,500
My Friend Maigret -
Georges Simenon, Translated from the French by Nigel Ryan
1956 - Hamish Hamilton, London - First Edition in English
A classic Maigret murder mystery set on a small Mediterranean island off the Côte d'Azure, amongst it’s isolated eccentric community, which Maigret solves with the help of his irritating Scotland Yard colleague, Inspector Pyke.
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Price HK$ 3,000
1956 - Hamish Hamilton, London - First Edition in English
A classic Maigret murder mystery set on a small Mediterranean island off the Côte d'Azure, amongst it’s isolated eccentric community, which Maigret solves with the help of his irritating Scotland Yard colleague, Inspector Pyke.
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Price HK$ 3,000
I, the Jury - Inscribed -
Mickey Spillane
1947 - E. P. Dutton & Company, New York - First Edition
I don't want to arrest anyone. I just want to shoot somebody.
First edition, with bookplate inscribed ‘Hi – Great to say hello! Mickey Spillane’. The first appearance of Mike Hammer, World War II veteran, Ultra X Hard-Boiled P.I., who sets out to avenge the death of his war buddy, following a trail that becomes a Spillane trademark, vengeance, violence, sex, a blonde, and nothing stands in his way, not the cops, the gangsters, or the blonde.
The roar of the .45 shook the room. Charlotte staggered back a step. Her eyes were a symphony of incredulity, an unbelieving witness to truth. Slowly, she looked down at the ugly swelling in her naked belly where the bullet went in.
"How c-could you?" she gasped.
I had only a moment before talking to a corpse, but I got it in.
"It was easy," I said.
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Price HK$ 5,000
1947 - E. P. Dutton & Company, New York - First Edition
I don't want to arrest anyone. I just want to shoot somebody.First edition, with bookplate inscribed ‘Hi – Great to say hello! Mickey Spillane’. The first appearance of Mike Hammer, World War II veteran, Ultra X Hard-Boiled P.I., who sets out to avenge the death of his war buddy, following a trail that becomes a Spillane trademark, vengeance, violence, sex, a blonde, and nothing stands in his way, not the cops, the gangsters, or the blonde.
The roar of the .45 shook the room. Charlotte staggered back a step. Her eyes were a symphony of incredulity, an unbelieving witness to truth. Slowly, she looked down at the ugly swelling in her naked belly where the bullet went in.
"How c-could you?" she gasped.
I had only a moment before talking to a corpse, but I got it in.
"It was easy," I said.
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Price HK$ 5,000