Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Part First and Part Second -
Louisa May Alcott
1870 - Roberts Brothers, Boston - Early Printing
Two matching little volumes of Alcott’s classic work, scarce in original cloth, each one illustrated with four full page wood engraved plates. An early printing of the ‘Part First’, and first edition of ‘Part Second’. Published separately in consecutive years (1868, 1869), the first part of ‘Little Women’ “did not sell at first. ‘Part Second’ was therefore also issued in a small edition, but it went like wildfire, and pulled ‘Part First’ along with it’ [Grolier 74].
‘Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth - four "little women" enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England. The charming story of the March sisters, Little Women has been adored by generations. Readers have rooted for Laurie in his pursuit of Jo's hand, cried over little Beth's death, and dreamed of traveling through Europe with old Aunt March and Amy. Future writers have found inspiration in Jo's devotion to her writing. In this simple, enthralling tale, Louisa May Alcott has created four of American literature's most beloved women.’ [Penguin]
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Price HK$ 6,000
1870 - Roberts Brothers, Boston - Early Printing
Two matching little volumes of Alcott’s classic work, scarce in original cloth, each one illustrated with four full page wood engraved plates. An early printing of the ‘Part First’, and first edition of ‘Part Second’. Published separately in consecutive years (1868, 1869), the first part of ‘Little Women’ “did not sell at first. ‘Part Second’ was therefore also issued in a small edition, but it went like wildfire, and pulled ‘Part First’ along with it’ [Grolier 74].‘Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth - four "little women" enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England. The charming story of the March sisters, Little Women has been adored by generations. Readers have rooted for Laurie in his pursuit of Jo's hand, cried over little Beth's death, and dreamed of traveling through Europe with old Aunt March and Amy. Future writers have found inspiration in Jo's devotion to her writing. In this simple, enthralling tale, Louisa May Alcott has created four of American literature's most beloved women.’ [Penguin]
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Price HK$ 6,000
Complete Novels of Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility; Pride and Prejudice; Mansfield Park; Emma; Northanger Abbey and Persuasion -
Jane Austen, C. E. Brock, Hugh Thomson (illustrators)
1920-1929 - Macmillan and Co., London
‘I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.'
An elegantly bound small five volume set, comprising all of Austen's novels. Beautifully illustrated with two-hundred full page plates by Hugh Thomson and Charles Brock. Each volume with an introduction by Austin Dobson. Housed together in a bespoke sheepskin lined slipcase.
‘Affectation of candour is common enough—one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone.’
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Price HK$ 9,800
1920-1929 - Macmillan and Co., London
‘I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.'An elegantly bound small five volume set, comprising all of Austen's novels. Beautifully illustrated with two-hundred full page plates by Hugh Thomson and Charles Brock. Each volume with an introduction by Austin Dobson. Housed together in a bespoke sheepskin lined slipcase.
‘Affectation of candour is common enough—one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone.’
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Price HK$ 9,800
The Works of Jane Austen. Being: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park -
Jane Austen, Charles Brock and Hugh Thomson (illustrators)
1895 to 1897 - Macmillan and Co., London - First Thomson or Brock Illustrated Editions
‘I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.'
An elegantly bound five volume set of Austen's novels, each being the first edition to be illustrated by Hugh Thomson with the exception of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ which is the first edition to be fully illustrated by Charles Brock. Profusely illustrated throughout, and with an introduction by Austin Dobson in each volume.
‘Affectation of candour is common enough—one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone.’
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Price HK$ 24,000
1895 to 1897 - Macmillan and Co., London - First Thomson or Brock Illustrated Editions
‘I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.'An elegantly bound five volume set of Austen's novels, each being the first edition to be illustrated by Hugh Thomson with the exception of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ which is the first edition to be fully illustrated by Charles Brock. Profusely illustrated throughout, and with an introduction by Austin Dobson in each volume.
‘Affectation of candour is common enough—one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone.’
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Price HK$ 24,000
Days and Nights of Shikar -
Mrs. W. W. Baillie
1921 - John Lane, London and New York - First Edition
‘Mrs Baillie seems to have been an incurable big-game hunter. She was married to a clergyman stationed in the Deccan; from there (rarely accompanied by the gentle padre) she made expeditions as far afield as Chamba in the Himalaya and Dharwar towards the south, in search of trophies to bring home to England.
‘This book is less bloodthirsty, than many; the worst moments in it are not concerned with the poor animals’ appointment with death, but with the author's own, which she managed to postpone twice at the very last minute.
‘The first time was on a night shoot from Bilaspur, near Simla. She had placed a goat’s carcass as a decoy under the hammock; unfortunately, just as an obliging tiger was approaching, the hammock string snapped and bowled Mrs Baillie into the mess below. Meanwhile the tiger fled away.
‘A closer shave involved a black bear, who caught our heroine as she fell from a rock, first chewing her leg and then making off with her head–for which it luckily mistook her sola topi, The leg healed after five weeks in hospital, and nothing daunted, Mrs Baillie lived to shoot another day.’ – Jane Robinson, Wayward Women.
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Price HK$ 900
1921 - John Lane, London and New York - First Edition
‘Mrs Baillie seems to have been an incurable big-game hunter. She was married to a clergyman stationed in the Deccan; from there (rarely accompanied by the gentle padre) she made expeditions as far afield as Chamba in the Himalaya and Dharwar towards the south, in search of trophies to bring home to England.‘This book is less bloodthirsty, than many; the worst moments in it are not concerned with the poor animals’ appointment with death, but with the author's own, which she managed to postpone twice at the very last minute.
‘The first time was on a night shoot from Bilaspur, near Simla. She had placed a goat’s carcass as a decoy under the hammock; unfortunately, just as an obliging tiger was approaching, the hammock string snapped and bowled Mrs Baillie into the mess below. Meanwhile the tiger fled away.
‘A closer shave involved a black bear, who caught our heroine as she fell from a rock, first chewing her leg and then making off with her head–for which it luckily mistook her sola topi, The leg healed after five weeks in hospital, and nothing daunted, Mrs Baillie lived to shoot another day.’ – Jane Robinson, Wayward Women.
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Price HK$ 900
Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink -
Vic Bergeron
1946 - Doubleday, Garden City - First Edition
A fine example of the rather scarce first edition of his classic, with ‘First Edition’ stated on the copyright page. Not to be confused with the large number of copies being offered as first edition but actually being later printings without this first edition statement.
For many reasons an indispensable addition to any cocktail library or cookbook collection. With an introduction by Lucius Beebe, and colour illustrations form water-colours by Guy Huzé.
Tropical South Sea chic by Victor “the Trader” Bergeron... regarded as being the first Tiki book, it contains cocktail recipes, recipes for parties and barbecues, important details such as how to throw a luau, hangover cures and an in-depth look into the different rums of the world.
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Price HK$ 1,800
1946 - Doubleday, Garden City - First Edition
A fine example of the rather scarce first edition of his classic, with ‘First Edition’ stated on the copyright page. Not to be confused with the large number of copies being offered as first edition but actually being later printings without this first edition statement.For many reasons an indispensable addition to any cocktail library or cookbook collection. With an introduction by Lucius Beebe, and colour illustrations form water-colours by Guy Huzé.
Tropical South Sea chic by Victor “the Trader” Bergeron... regarded as being the first Tiki book, it contains cocktail recipes, recipes for parties and barbecues, important details such as how to throw a luau, hangover cures and an in-depth look into the different rums of the world.
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Price HK$ 1,800
Folk-Tales of Bengal -
Rev. Lal Behari Day, Warwick Goble (illustrator)
1912 - Macmillan & Co., London - Edition de Luxe, first to be illustrated by Warwick Goble
A stunning large vellum bound collection of twenty-two traditional Bengal Fairy tales, the ‘Edition de Luxe’ limited to 150 copies, enchantingly illustrated with thirty-two colour plates by Warwick Goble tipped on to brown paper each with a lettered tissue guard.
Collected and translated by the Bengali journalist and missionary Reverend Lal Behari Day (1826-94) and first published in 1833, this edition of 1912 was the first to combine the tales with Warwick Goble’s magical drawings.
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Price HK$ 18,000
1912 - Macmillan & Co., London - Edition de Luxe, first to be illustrated by Warwick Goble
A stunning large vellum bound collection of twenty-two traditional Bengal Fairy tales, the ‘Edition de Luxe’ limited to 150 copies, enchantingly illustrated with thirty-two colour plates by Warwick Goble tipped on to brown paper each with a lettered tissue guard.Collected and translated by the Bengali journalist and missionary Reverend Lal Behari Day (1826-94) and first published in 1833, this edition of 1912 was the first to combine the tales with Warwick Goble’s magical drawings.
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Price HK$ 18,000
Great Expectations -
Charles Dickens, F. A. Fraser (illustrator)
1876 - Chapman and Hall, 193 Piccadilly - Household Edition, and first Fraser illustrated edition
A handsomely bound, nineteenth century edition of Dickens's haunting late novel depicting the education and development of the young Pip as his life is changed by a series of events - a terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor - and he discovers the true nature of his 'great expectations'.
With 30 illustrations by Frank Fraser, and text in double column format.
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Price HK$ 3,000
1876 - Chapman and Hall, 193 Piccadilly - Household Edition, and first Fraser illustrated edition
A handsomely bound, nineteenth century edition of Dickens's haunting late novel depicting the education and development of the young Pip as his life is changed by a series of events - a terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor - and he discovers the true nature of his 'great expectations'.With 30 illustrations by Frank Fraser, and text in double column format.
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Price HK$ 3,000
The Fashionable Savages - Inscribed -
John Fairchild
1965 - Doubleday & Company, New York - First Edition
“Fashion is temptation and thousands of busy minds and busy hands are at work”
First edition, inscribed: "Thank you for enjoying the chapter on Chanel, John Fairchild !"
‘John Fairchild, the pugnacious, eagle-eyed Princeton grad and newspaper scion who died today, transformed fashion reporting by refusing to treat designers with deference, and by turning the spotlight on the beautiful society people who wore it. He leaves an enormous legacy, two pieces of which are the books he published in 1965 and 1989 respectively: The Fashionable Savages and Chic Savages, which contain profiles of designers and their acolytes, as well as many pithy bon mots.’ – Vogue February 27, 2015.
“Clothes don’t change each season. Designers just work on the cut and change the technique. No designer can escape the three shapes.”
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Price HK$ 3,500
1965 - Doubleday & Company, New York - First Edition
“Fashion is temptation and thousands of busy minds and busy hands are at work”First edition, inscribed: "Thank you for enjoying the chapter on Chanel, John Fairchild !"
‘John Fairchild, the pugnacious, eagle-eyed Princeton grad and newspaper scion who died today, transformed fashion reporting by refusing to treat designers with deference, and by turning the spotlight on the beautiful society people who wore it. He leaves an enormous legacy, two pieces of which are the books he published in 1965 and 1989 respectively: The Fashionable Savages and Chic Savages, which contain profiles of designers and their acolytes, as well as many pithy bon mots.’ – Vogue February 27, 2015.
“Clothes don’t change each season. Designers just work on the cut and change the technique. No designer can escape the three shapes.”
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Price HK$ 3,500