Rules, Bye-Laws, Regulations and List of Members of The Empress Club -
1903London - First Edition
Rules. ‘1. The Club shall be for Ladies only, and shall be called THE EMPRESS CLUB.’
A rare and fine example of the member’s handbook for the most luxurious ladies club in London, founded in 1897 and blessed by Queen Victoria herself, by 1903 the club had moved into a purpose built premises at 35 Dover Street with another entrance on Berkley Street.
Containing a history of the club, details of charitable work with The Prince of Wales Hospital, Rules, Bye-Laws etc, details of charges and updated subscription fees, and a list of the members. Illustrated with a wonderful sectional drawing of the interior of The Empress Club, a ‘Sketch of the Gold Badge presented to Life Members, facsimile of the 1897 receipt from The Prince of Wales Hospital Fund for £105, and frontispiece ‘Bust of he Late Majesty’ ‘Executed for the Empress Club by Geflowski’.
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Price HK$ 3,000
1903London - First Edition
Rules. ‘1. The Club shall be for Ladies only, and shall be called THE EMPRESS CLUB.’A rare and fine example of the member’s handbook for the most luxurious ladies club in London, founded in 1897 and blessed by Queen Victoria herself, by 1903 the club had moved into a purpose built premises at 35 Dover Street with another entrance on Berkley Street.
Containing a history of the club, details of charitable work with The Prince of Wales Hospital, Rules, Bye-Laws etc, details of charges and updated subscription fees, and a list of the members. Illustrated with a wonderful sectional drawing of the interior of The Empress Club, a ‘Sketch of the Gold Badge presented to Life Members, facsimile of the 1897 receipt from The Prince of Wales Hospital Fund for £105, and frontispiece ‘Bust of he Late Majesty’ ‘Executed for the Empress Club by Geflowski’.
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Price HK$ 3,000
Almanach du Masque d'Or -
Edouard Halouze (illustrator)
1920 - chez Devambez, 23 - Premiere Année
A lovely copy of this delightful Almanach. A stunning example of beauty, finesse and luxury from the Art-Deco period. Only 1000 copies were printed and this is numbered 68. The hand-coloured illustrations are by Edouard Halouze and include four plates of the seasons as well as 17 full page plates which decorate the ‘Petit Guide de la Vie Elégante’ presented in the form of a collection of advertisements for the Moulin Bleu, Cartier, Prunier, Gaveau, les couturiers Raimon et Martial & Armand, etc. Suitably housed in a one of a kind, hand-tooled case by Bayntun-Riviere.
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Price HK$ 22,000
1920 - chez Devambez, 23 - Premiere Année
A lovely copy of this delightful Almanach. A stunning example of beauty, finesse and luxury from the Art-Deco period. Only 1000 copies were printed and this is numbered 68. The hand-coloured illustrations are by Edouard Halouze and include four plates of the seasons as well as 17 full page plates which decorate the ‘Petit Guide de la Vie Elégante’ presented in the form of a collection of advertisements for the Moulin Bleu, Cartier, Prunier, Gaveau, les couturiers Raimon et Martial & Armand, etc. Suitably housed in a one of a kind, hand-tooled case by Bayntun-Riviere.
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Price HK$ 22,000
Golf -
Cecil Leitch
1922 - J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia & London - First American Edition issued same year as the First English Edition.
‘The golfing life and experiences of this very great English lady golfer’ - Joseph Murdoch, The Library of Golf.
Charlotte Cecilia Pitcairn Leitch (nicknamed Cecil) was the first superstar of women’s golf. In 1914 she won the first of her four British Ladies Amateurs, taking the title from Muriel Dodd. Her opportunity to possibly win several more was interrupted for five years during the First World War. She retired having won 12 national titles, five French Ladies Amateurs and one Canadian Women's Amateur.
With fifty illustrations, including photographic plate laid onto front covers, and full page black and white photographs.
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Price HK$ 1,800
1922 - J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia & London - First American Edition issued same year as the First English Edition.
‘The golfing life and experiences of this very great English lady golfer’ - Joseph Murdoch, The Library of Golf.Charlotte Cecilia Pitcairn Leitch (nicknamed Cecil) was the first superstar of women’s golf. In 1914 she won the first of her four British Ladies Amateurs, taking the title from Muriel Dodd. Her opportunity to possibly win several more was interrupted for five years during the First World War. She retired having won 12 national titles, five French Ladies Amateurs and one Canadian Women's Amateur.
With fifty illustrations, including photographic plate laid onto front covers, and full page black and white photographs.
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Price HK$ 1,800
Narrative of a Journey from Calcutta by Way of Egypt -
Mrs. Charles Lushington
1829 - John Murray, London - First Edition
‘‘Every evening in the desert, the Lushingtons and their party, which included Lord Elphinstone, late Governor of Bombay, would settle down to a light supper of ‘roast turkey, ham, fowls, mutton in various shapes, curry, rice and potatoes, damson tart and a pudding; madeira, claret, sherry, port and... beer; ... almonds and raisins, watermelons, pumplenose (grapefruit)... and a plum cake’. There were thrilling ‘mummy-openings’ to attend in Thebes, balls in Cairo, and soirées in Naples and Paris. In fact the experience, said Mrs Lushington, was decidedly not to be missed.’ - Jane Robinson, Wayward Women.
Judging from the frontispiece illustration, it seems the camels may have also benefited from the leftovers of the Lushington’s ‘light suppers’.
A handsomely bound copy of Sarah Lushington’s entertaining and informative account of her journey from Calcutta to Europe, with notes on route, itinerary, and the necessities of travel for ladies intending to brave the ‘Overland Route’ from India to England.
With chapters detailing many of Mrs Lushington’s experiences in Bombay, Luxor, Cairo, the Nile, Syracuse, Naples, and Rome, among others, and featuring an engraved frontispiece of ‘The Tukhte Rowan in the Desert’.
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Price HK$ 5,500
1829 - John Murray, London - First Edition
‘‘Every evening in the desert, the Lushingtons and their party, which included Lord Elphinstone, late Governor of Bombay, would settle down to a light supper of ‘roast turkey, ham, fowls, mutton in various shapes, curry, rice and potatoes, damson tart and a pudding; madeira, claret, sherry, port and... beer; ... almonds and raisins, watermelons, pumplenose (grapefruit)... and a plum cake’. There were thrilling ‘mummy-openings’ to attend in Thebes, balls in Cairo, and soirées in Naples and Paris. In fact the experience, said Mrs Lushington, was decidedly not to be missed.’ - Jane Robinson, Wayward Women.Judging from the frontispiece illustration, it seems the camels may have also benefited from the leftovers of the Lushington’s ‘light suppers’.
A handsomely bound copy of Sarah Lushington’s entertaining and informative account of her journey from Calcutta to Europe, with notes on route, itinerary, and the necessities of travel for ladies intending to brave the ‘Overland Route’ from India to England.
With chapters detailing many of Mrs Lushington’s experiences in Bombay, Luxor, Cairo, the Nile, Syracuse, Naples, and Rome, among others, and featuring an engraved frontispiece of ‘The Tukhte Rowan in the Desert’.
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Price HK$ 5,500
The Lady's Assistant for Regulating and Supplying her Table, Being a Complete System of Cookery -
Charlotte Mason
1777 - J. Walter, London - Third Edition
A particularly clean copy of this important but much neglected eighteenth century cookery book. Unusually, the table settings show layouts for more ordinary households as well as affluent ones, and the recipes follow this pattern. Scarce in any early editions.
‘Mrs Mason's lucidly composed English makes her delightful recipes as easy to follow today as they were in the eighteenth century, enabling the adventurous modern cook to re-create the extraordinary food of the Age of George III without a great deal of difficulty. Her fascinating bills of fare are invaluable to historians of food and dining for the insight they afford into the mores of Georgian table service.'
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Price HK$ 8,000
1777 - J. Walter, London - Third Edition
A particularly clean copy of this important but much neglected eighteenth century cookery book. Unusually, the table settings show layouts for more ordinary households as well as affluent ones, and the recipes follow this pattern. Scarce in any early editions.‘Mrs Mason's lucidly composed English makes her delightful recipes as easy to follow today as they were in the eighteenth century, enabling the adventurous modern cook to re-create the extraordinary food of the Age of George III without a great deal of difficulty. Her fascinating bills of fare are invaluable to historians of food and dining for the insight they afford into the mores of Georgian table service.'
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Price HK$ 8,000
The Indian Alps and How We Crossed Them -
Nina Elizabeth Mazuchelli
1876 - Longmans, London - First Edition
A handsome volume of this enduring work on mountaineering, the enthusiastic and irrepressible narrative of Nina Elizabeth Mazuchelli who, together with her Army chaplain husband, Francis, and their friend ‘C’ (the District Officer) traversed the Nepal-Sikkim frontier along the Singalila Ridge – they almost reached the Tibetan border before a blizzard forced them to turn back.
Despite their retreat, Mrs Mazuchelli was the first English woman to travel so far into the eastern Himalayas.
Profusely illustrated with 10 full page chromolithographic plates and numerous in-text drawings and sketches by the author, together with a folding map of Sikkim, the travelling party’s route marked in colour.
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Price HK$ 5,000
1876 - Longmans, London - First Edition
A handsome volume of this enduring work on mountaineering, the enthusiastic and irrepressible narrative of Nina Elizabeth Mazuchelli who, together with her Army chaplain husband, Francis, and their friend ‘C’ (the District Officer) traversed the Nepal-Sikkim frontier along the Singalila Ridge – they almost reached the Tibetan border before a blizzard forced them to turn back. Despite their retreat, Mrs Mazuchelli was the first English woman to travel so far into the eastern Himalayas.
Profusely illustrated with 10 full page chromolithographic plates and numerous in-text drawings and sketches by the author, together with a folding map of Sikkim, the travelling party’s route marked in colour.
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Price HK$ 5,000
Fifteen-Thirty: The Story of a Tennis Player -
Helen Wills
1937 - Charles Scribner's Sons, New York - First Edition
A delightful book by one of Tennis’ all time great female players, once described as ‘the first American born woman to achieve international celebrity as an athlete’. Illustrated throughout with drawings and sketches of the author.
Helen Wills [1905-1998] - 31 Grand Slam titles, eight at Wimbledon, seven at the U.S. Championships, two Olympic gold medals. From 1919 through 1938 she produced the amazing statistic of 398 matches won to 35 lost, this included a 158 match winning streak during which she did not lose a set.
Charlie Chaplin was once asked what he considered to be the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen. He responded that it was "the movement of Helen Wills playing tennis”.
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Price HK$ 2,300
1937 - Charles Scribner's Sons, New York - First Edition
A delightful book by one of Tennis’ all time great female players, once described as ‘the first American born woman to achieve international celebrity as an athlete’. Illustrated throughout with drawings and sketches of the author. Helen Wills [1905-1998] - 31 Grand Slam titles, eight at Wimbledon, seven at the U.S. Championships, two Olympic gold medals. From 1919 through 1938 she produced the amazing statistic of 398 matches won to 35 lost, this included a 158 match winning streak during which she did not lose a set.
Charlie Chaplin was once asked what he considered to be the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen. He responded that it was "the movement of Helen Wills playing tennis”.
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Price HK$ 2,300