Russian Ballet. Camera Studies by Gordon Anthony. With an Introduction by Arnold Haskell -
Gordon Anthony
1939 - Geoffrey Bles, London - First Edition
Illustrated with 96 tipped-in black and white photographs of Russian ballet stars, including a frontispiece.
A series of photographic studies of the stars of both Russian ballet companies at the time, including a portrait of the choreographer Michael Fokine, young Serge Lifar, Irina Baronova, Anton Dolin, Alexandra Danilova, Frederick Franklin, Tamara Grigorieva, David Lichine, Alicia Markova, Marc Platoff, Leonide Massine, Mia Slavenska and others.
Gordon Anthony was born James Gordon Dawson Stannus in Wicklow, Ireland on 23 December 1902. He started working in photography in 1926, making images of the students at his sister's ballet school in London. In 1933 he became the portrait photographer to the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford. His photographs helped to make the Royal Ballet known across the world in the 1930s. In 1948, he published the first ever book of colour photography in Great Britain, Studies of Dancers.
Anthony's photographs are held in major collection including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
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Price HK$ 8,000
1939 - Geoffrey Bles, London - First Edition
Illustrated with 96 tipped-in black and white photographs of Russian ballet stars, including a frontispiece.A series of photographic studies of the stars of both Russian ballet companies at the time, including a portrait of the choreographer Michael Fokine, young Serge Lifar, Irina Baronova, Anton Dolin, Alexandra Danilova, Frederick Franklin, Tamara Grigorieva, David Lichine, Alicia Markova, Marc Platoff, Leonide Massine, Mia Slavenska and others.
Gordon Anthony was born James Gordon Dawson Stannus in Wicklow, Ireland on 23 December 1902. He started working in photography in 1926, making images of the students at his sister's ballet school in London. In 1933 he became the portrait photographer to the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford. His photographs helped to make the Royal Ballet known across the world in the 1930s. In 1948, he published the first ever book of colour photography in Great Britain, Studies of Dancers.
Anthony's photographs are held in major collection including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
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Price HK$ 8,000
The Player of Games -
Iain M. Banks
1988 - Macmillan, London - First Edition
A fine first edition of the second volume in Banks’ acclaimed ‘Culture Series’ (published at the same time as a limited edition of 400 in slipcase but which did not have iconic dust jacket illustrated by Richard Hopkinson / The Garden Studio).
The story of Gurgeh, one of the Culture’s greatest game masters who, bored with success, travels to the cruel and wealthy Empire of Azad, where he becomes entangled in the most dangerous and complex game he has ever played.
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Price HK$ 4,500
1988 - Macmillan, London - First Edition
A fine first edition of the second volume in Banks’ acclaimed ‘Culture Series’ (published at the same time as a limited edition of 400 in slipcase but which did not have iconic dust jacket illustrated by Richard Hopkinson / The Garden Studio).The story of Gurgeh, one of the Culture’s greatest game masters who, bored with success, travels to the cruel and wealthy Empire of Azad, where he becomes entangled in the most dangerous and complex game he has ever played.
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Price HK$ 4,500
The Stork Club Bar Book -
Lucius Beebe
1946 - Rinehart &, New York - First Edition
A fine first edition of one of the greatest and most entertaining of mixology works. In a highly presentable example of the delicate dust jacket. With recipes, humour, stories about the rich and famous who frequented this elegant club, and sly essays on such subjects as the mint julep and the zombie. A famous oasis after the ravages of Prohibition, the Stork Club was the place for celebrities to see and be seen.
Providing a historical glimpse into the high life in New York City at this legendary spot, and divided into sections for drinks consumed by Stork Club patrons at morning, noon, and night. Uncommon in such a nice dust jacket and binding, all designed together with the stylised typography by Paul Rand.
Legendary wit and bon vivant Lucius Morris Beebe (1902-1966) was born into a wealthy Boston mercantile and banking family and, flying in the face of a hopelessly proletarian 20th Century, he lived his life in the opulence and splendour of an earlier age. As an undergraduate at both Harvard and Yale, he was an outstanding student and a rake-hell of formidable accomplishment. It was his custom to appear for class Monday morning in full evening dress, wearing a monocle and carrying a gold-headed cane. He also had a roulette wheel and a fully equipped bar in his room. At the same time, he earned distinction as an undergraduate poet and won his Master’s degree with a thesis on the poetry of Edwin Arlington Robinson.
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Price HK$ 8,000
1946 - Rinehart &, New York - First Edition
A fine first edition of one of the greatest and most entertaining of mixology works. In a highly presentable example of the delicate dust jacket. With recipes, humour, stories about the rich and famous who frequented this elegant club, and sly essays on such subjects as the mint julep and the zombie. A famous oasis after the ravages of Prohibition, the Stork Club was the place for celebrities to see and be seen. Providing a historical glimpse into the high life in New York City at this legendary spot, and divided into sections for drinks consumed by Stork Club patrons at morning, noon, and night. Uncommon in such a nice dust jacket and binding, all designed together with the stylised typography by Paul Rand.
Legendary wit and bon vivant Lucius Morris Beebe (1902-1966) was born into a wealthy Boston mercantile and banking family and, flying in the face of a hopelessly proletarian 20th Century, he lived his life in the opulence and splendour of an earlier age. As an undergraduate at both Harvard and Yale, he was an outstanding student and a rake-hell of formidable accomplishment. It was his custom to appear for class Monday morning in full evening dress, wearing a monocle and carrying a gold-headed cane. He also had a roulette wheel and a fully equipped bar in his room. At the same time, he earned distinction as an undergraduate poet and won his Master’s degree with a thesis on the poetry of Edwin Arlington Robinson.
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Price HK$ 8,000
The Sheltering Sky -
Paul Bowles
1949 - John Lehmann, London - First Edition
First edition of Bowles’ most celebrated work, the unravelling of a young, sophisticated and adventurous American couple as they make their way into the Sahara.
‘I suspect that a good many people will read this book and be enthralled by it without once suspecting that it contains a mirror of what is most terrifying and cryptic within the Sahara of moral nihilism, into which the race of man now seems to be wandering blindly’ – Tennessee Williams, The New York Times
‘One of the most original, even visionary, works of fiction to appear in this century’ – Tobias Wolff
‘His art far exceeds that of the greatest American writers of our day’ – Gore Vidal
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Price HK$ 18,000
1949 - John Lehmann, London - First Edition
First edition of Bowles’ most celebrated work, the unravelling of a young, sophisticated and adventurous American couple as they make their way into the Sahara.‘I suspect that a good many people will read this book and be enthralled by it without once suspecting that it contains a mirror of what is most terrifying and cryptic within the Sahara of moral nihilism, into which the race of man now seems to be wandering blindly’ – Tennessee Williams, The New York Times
‘One of the most original, even visionary, works of fiction to appear in this century’ – Tobias Wolff
‘His art far exceeds that of the greatest American writers of our day’ – Gore Vidal
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Price HK$ 18,000
The Works of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte -
Anne, Charlotte & Emily Bront
1893 - J.M. Dent and Company, London
An elegantly bound twelve volume set of the Brontë sisters works, each volume with a decorated title page and frontispiece, and two further black and white illustrated plates by Greig and Tilney (three to volume I).
Presented in a matching navy fleece-lined slipcase with ribbon-pull.
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Price HK$ 25,000
1893 - J.M. Dent and Company, London
An elegantly bound twelve volume set of the Brontë sisters works, each volume with a decorated title page and frontispiece, and two further black and white illustrated plates by Greig and Tilney (three to volume I).Presented in a matching navy fleece-lined slipcase with ribbon-pull.
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Price HK$ 25,000
A Complete History of the most Remarkable Transactions at Sea -
Josiah Burchett, Esq; Secretary of the Admiralty
1720 - Printed by W.B. for J. Walthoe, London - First Edition
'This volume is particularly important in the literature of naval history, not only as a narrative of naval operations in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession, but as the first general naval history written in the English language.' [ODNB]
A stunning large folio, in contemporary binding, illustrated with nine folding naval charts by Hermann Moll, engraved allegorical frontispiece, engraved portrait, the royal privilege leaf (sometimes missing), engraved head and tail-pieces and initial letters, and title page printed in red and black.
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Price HK$ 22,000
1720 - Printed by W.B. for J. Walthoe, London - First Edition
'This volume is particularly important in the literature of naval history, not only as a narrative of naval operations in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession, but as the first general naval history written in the English language.' [ODNB]A stunning large folio, in contemporary binding, illustrated with nine folding naval charts by Hermann Moll, engraved allegorical frontispiece, engraved portrait, the royal privilege leaf (sometimes missing), engraved head and tail-pieces and initial letters, and title page printed in red and black.
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Price HK$ 22,000
Travels in Nubia -
John Lewis Burckhardt
1819 - John Murray, London - First Edition
Illustrated with an engraved portrait and three maps, two of which are folding.
Edited from Burckhardt's journals by Lieutenant Colonel William Martin Leake (1777-1860); he also wrote the biographical memoir which is prefaces the ‘Travels’. John Lewis Burckhardt of Kirshgarten (1784-1817) was a pioneering Swiss explorer who is best remembered for his rediscovery of the ancient city of Petra in modern Jordan.
In 1809 Burckhardt was commissioned by the African Association and their president, Sir Joseph Banks, to discover the source of the River Niger. Posing as a Muslim convert and going by the name of Sheikh Ibrahim he spent two years exploring and studying Arabic and Islamic law in Aleppo, before travelling widely in Arabia and Egypt This volume, first published posthumously in 1819, contains Burckhardt's account of his two visits to Nubia (modern Upper Egypt and Sudan) in 1813 and 1814. Burckhardt was the first western scholar to explore the Sudanese Nile valley, and one of the first western explorers successfully to cross the Nubian Desert. In this valuable volume, he describes in fascinating detail the many ancient ruins along the Nile and the logistics and hardships of his desert crossing. [CUP]
On his return to Cairo, Burckhardt, unable to set off for the Niger, compiled his journals into books which he sent to London for publication. He died in 1817 of dysentery and is buried in a Muslim cemetery under the name of Ibrahim ibn Abdallah.
In an article on Burckhardt published in 1973, Professor William Adams wrote of his first journey to Dongola in the Sudan, ‘I doubt if any ethnographer in history ever returned from a five-week field trip into totally unfamiliar country with a more balanced and comprehensive account’. [DEI].
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Price HK$ 9,000
1819 - John Murray, London - First Edition
Illustrated with an engraved portrait and three maps, two of which are folding.Edited from Burckhardt's journals by Lieutenant Colonel William Martin Leake (1777-1860); he also wrote the biographical memoir which is prefaces the ‘Travels’. John Lewis Burckhardt of Kirshgarten (1784-1817) was a pioneering Swiss explorer who is best remembered for his rediscovery of the ancient city of Petra in modern Jordan.
In 1809 Burckhardt was commissioned by the African Association and their president, Sir Joseph Banks, to discover the source of the River Niger. Posing as a Muslim convert and going by the name of Sheikh Ibrahim he spent two years exploring and studying Arabic and Islamic law in Aleppo, before travelling widely in Arabia and Egypt This volume, first published posthumously in 1819, contains Burckhardt's account of his two visits to Nubia (modern Upper Egypt and Sudan) in 1813 and 1814. Burckhardt was the first western scholar to explore the Sudanese Nile valley, and one of the first western explorers successfully to cross the Nubian Desert. In this valuable volume, he describes in fascinating detail the many ancient ruins along the Nile and the logistics and hardships of his desert crossing. [CUP]
On his return to Cairo, Burckhardt, unable to set off for the Niger, compiled his journals into books which he sent to London for publication. He died in 1817 of dysentery and is buried in a Muslim cemetery under the name of Ibrahim ibn Abdallah.
In an article on Burckhardt published in 1973, Professor William Adams wrote of his first journey to Dongola in the Sudan, ‘I doubt if any ethnographer in history ever returned from a five-week field trip into totally unfamiliar country with a more balanced and comprehensive account’. [DEI].
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Price HK$ 9,000
Hollywood's Favorite Cocktail Book, Including the Favorite Cocktail Served at Each of the Smartest Stars' Rendezvous -
George Buzza
1933 - Buzza-Cardozo of Hollywood, Hollywood - First Edition
Extremely rare and fine first ediiton of this wonderful little cocktail book, complete with the two part box.
Published the year prohibition ended and replete with favourite recipes of Hollywood stars of the day like Mae West, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Marlene Dietrich, Will Rogers and Jean Harlow. Some cocktail names include President Roosevelt Cocktail, Satan's Whiskers, San Diego, Shanghai, Sazerac, The Douglas Fairbanks, The Elissa Landi, the Jack Dempsey, the Jean Harlow, the Johnny Weismuller, The Lindbergh, The Lupe Velez, the Mae West, The Marlene Dietrich, The Mary Pickford, The Max Baer, The Roscoe Turner, etc. Signature cocktails from famous Hollywood hangouts like The Brown Derby, The Embassy Club and The Hi Ho, among others.
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Price HK$ 20,000
1933 - Buzza-Cardozo of Hollywood, Hollywood - First Edition
Extremely rare and fine first ediiton of this wonderful little cocktail book, complete with the two part box.Published the year prohibition ended and replete with favourite recipes of Hollywood stars of the day like Mae West, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Marlene Dietrich, Will Rogers and Jean Harlow. Some cocktail names include President Roosevelt Cocktail, Satan's Whiskers, San Diego, Shanghai, Sazerac, The Douglas Fairbanks, The Elissa Landi, the Jack Dempsey, the Jean Harlow, the Johnny Weismuller, The Lindbergh, The Lupe Velez, the Mae West, The Marlene Dietrich, The Mary Pickford, The Max Baer, The Roscoe Turner, etc. Signature cocktails from famous Hollywood hangouts like The Brown Derby, The Embassy Club and The Hi Ho, among others.
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Price HK$ 20,000