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A Collection of Ordinances and Regulations for the Government of the Royal Household, made in divers reigns. From King Edward III to King William and Queen Mary. Also Receipts in Ancient Cookery -

1790 - Printed for the Society of Antiquaries by John Nichols, London - First Edition
A fine example of this important collection of ordinances and regulations on the stewardship of the Royal House of England.

‘Most of these texts appear here for the first time from manuscripts preserved in various English libraries (Harleian, Cotton, the Society of Antique Dealers, Thomas Astle, etc). They form a source of first-rate information about table manners, protocol, menus, feasts, official holidays, table and cellar service, expense accounts, lists of the officers of fine dining, of the wardrobe, etc. and contain numerous pieces of information about all the products used in the royal kitchens, the grocery stores, kitchen gardens, farmyards, Crown breweries, about the composition of breakfasts, dinners, suppers and princes’ snacks, about the names, salaries and roles of the staff.

At the end of these prescriptions, pages 423 to 476 are dedicated to a ‘
Collection of Old English Recipes’, extracts from a manuscript from the Arundel Collection, kept in the Royal Society library. This manuscript dates from the 15th century but the recipes could be a lot older. It is undoubtedly the ‘Oldest Culinary Recipe Book’ in England. The spelling of the manuscript has been preserved.

This important and rare publication was carried out at the expense of the
Society of Antique Dealers in London. It is a collection of 20 texts, ordinances, edicts etc, from the 15th century to the end of the 17th century, concerning the functioning of the English Royal Household from the reign of Edward III until 1689, by way of Henry VI (1455), Prince Edward (1474), Edward IV’s Black Book of the Royal Household, the house of George Duke of Clarence in 1469, Henry VIII in 1526; Queen Elizabeth, King James in 1604, etc.’ [Oberlé] 
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Price HK$ 5,000



A Voyage Round the World, In the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV. - George Anson, Richard Walter

1748 - Printed for the Author, London - First Edition
A finely bound ‘Royal Paper’ copy of this beautifully illustrated work which ‘has long occupied a distinguished position as a masterpiece of descriptive travel’ (Hill), and ‘a model of what such literature should be’ (Cox).

Containing forty-two copper-engraved maps, charts, views, and coastal profiles, all but one folding, including views of Brazilian harbours and cities, Acapulco, Tenian, Port St. Julian, Magellan’s Straits, the Bay of Manila, Saipan, Lama, Lantau, Chinese junks, and others, and large folding maps of South America, the Philippines, and the Pacific Ocean, as well as a twelve-page subscriber list, and the two-page instructions to the binder.

England, at war with Spain in 1739, equipped eight ships under the command of George Anson to harass the Spaniards on the western coast of South America for the purpose of cutting off Spanish supplies of wealth from the Pacific area. Seven ships were lost and of 900 men 600 perished. As usual, scurvy took an appalling toll.

The Spanish fleet sent to oppose the British ran into storms; provisions ran out and many ships were wrecked. Thus the primary objective of the expedition was not attained. Anson, however, continued taking prizes off the Pacific coast during 1741-42, and in June 1743, near the Philippines, he captured the Spanish galleon
Nostra Seigniora de Cabadonga and its treasure of £400,000 sterling, which allowed Anson and the surviving members of his crew to reach England much the richer. 
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Price HK$ 59,000



The Commentaries of Caesar, Translated into English. To which is prefixed a Discourse Concerning the Roman Art of War - Caius Julius Caesar, William Duncan

1753 - J. &, London - First Edition
The magnificent folio edition of Cæsar's Commentaries, translated and with preliminary matter by William Duncan, with a superb array of 86 copper-engraved plates including six maps, most double-page.

These include the scarce fold-out "Bull" plate (
The Ursus or Buffalo) and The Battle with Elephants. Together with numerous finely engraved battle plans, depictions of the various peoples conquered by Cæsar (Picts, Druids, Gauls, Germans, etc.), maps of the regions occupied, etc.

This is thought by many as the finest edition of Caesar's commentaries in English.
 
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Price HK$ 115,000



War Speeches - Including: Into Battle, The Unrelenting Struggle, The End of the Beginning, Onwards to Victory, The Dawn of Liberation, Victory, and Secret Session Speeches - Sir Winston Spencer Churchill

1941 to 1946 - Cassell and Company, London - First Editions
Seven finely bound first edition volumes of the monumental orations from Britain's war leader, compiled by Randolph S. Churchill and Charles Eade. Illustrated with half tone plates mostly from photographs.

'
Into Battle' contains the most memorable Churchill speeches of the war, from 'Blood Toil Tears and Sweat' to his heroic homecoming at Harrow School; 'Unrelenting Struggle' covers the period from Nov.'40 through Pearl Harbour and the 'some chicken, some neck' speech in Ottawa, Dec.'41; 'End of the Beginning' chronicles the turning point of the war, following victories at Alamein and Stalingrad and the North Africa landings; 'Onwards' features speeches delivered prior to the invasion of Europe on 6 June '44; 'Liberation' continues the 'hopeful' nature of the 1944 speeches, whilst 'Victory' provides us with the final, triumphant war speeches. Six 'secret' speeches concludes the series. 
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Price HK$ 24,000



Lex Parliamentaria: or, a treatise of the law and custom of parliaments. Shewing their antiquity, names, kinds, and qualities. Of the three Estates; and of the Dignity and Excellency of Parliaments, their Power and Authority. Of the Election of Members of the House of Commons in general, their Privilege, Qualifications, and Duties. Of the Electors; and their Rights, Duties; and Manner of Elections. Of the Returns to Parliament; the Sheriff's and other Officers Duty therein. Of the Manner of Election of the Speaker; and of his Business and Duty. Of the Manner of passing Bills, and the Orders to be observed in the House of Commons. Of Sessions of Parliament; as also of Prorogations and Adjournments: Together with the proper Laws and Customs of Parliaments. With an appendix of a case in Parliament between Sir Francis Goodwyn and Sir John Fortescue, for the Knights Place for the County of Bucks, 1 Jac. I. - Philips George

Circa 1701 - Printed for J. Stagg, London - The Second Edition, with large additions
A very rare printing of the second and enlarged edition, first published in 1690.

Lex Parliamentaria is a comprehensive treatise on the history of the rules, customs and practices of the English Parliamentary system at about the time of the Bill of Rights which had established, inter alia, that subjects had a right to petition the King, that elections of Members of Parliament should be free, and that Parliament should sit frequently.

Philips considers the development of Parliamentary powers, the election of Members, the rights and duties of electors, elections, the passing of Bills and the management of Parliamentary business. William and Andrew Bradford published an American edition in New York in 1716.’ [John Edwards]

This has until recently usually been attributed to George Petyt. The new attribution to the Irishman George Philips (1599?-1696) seems now to be widely accepted, however, an attribution originally claimed by both Sir James Ware (History of Irish writers, 1736) and Walter Harris, the History's editor.
 
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Price HK$ 12,000



Yorkshire: Coast and Moorland Scenes - Gordon Home

1904 - A. &, London - First Edition. Number 84 of 200 of the Edition de Luxe.
A scarce example of the large (28x22cm) deluxe edition, limited to only 200 numbered copies, each signed by Gordon Home.

Yorkshire described at the beginning of the 20th Century, with over 450 pages beautifully illustrated with 32 full colour plates from paintings by Gordon Home, each with descriptive tissue guard.

Fold-out map to the rear.
 
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Price HK$ 3,000



Popular Romances of the West of England; or, The Drolls, Traditions, and Superstitions of Old Cornwall - Robert Hunt (editor)

1865 - John Camden Hotten, London - First Edition
Two finely bound volumes of these magnificent collections of Cornish fairy tales, superstitions and traditions, 117 in the first series and 220 in the second series, to be read by firelight on a cold winter evening, or actually even in the height of summer...

What makes this set unique are the additional engraved plates that have been stunningly bound in by Bayntun of Bath, originally containing two engravings by Cruikshank, this set adds another 108 relevant older engravings (18 of which are hand-coloured) and two maps (one of which is hand-coloured).
 
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Price HK$ 11,000



Seven Pillars of Wisdom. A Triumph - T. E. Lawrence

1935 - Jonathan Cape, London - First Trade Edition
A finely bound example of this autobiographical and legendary account of the experiences of T. E. Lawrence ('Lawrence of Arabia') while serving as a liaison officer with rebel forces during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks of 1916 to 1918. Illustrated with 54 plates, and four folding maps.

Winston Churchill stated that this ‘ranks with the greatest books ever written in the European Language’.

‘With its richly detailed evocation of the land and the people Lawrence passionately believed in, its incisive portraits of key players, from Faisal ibn Hussein, the future Hashemite king of Syria and Iraq, to General Sir Edmund Allenby and other members of the British imperial forces,
Seven Pillars of Wisdom is an indispensable primary historical source. It helps us to understand today’s Middle East, while giving us thrilling accounts of military exploits (including the liberation of Aqaba and Damascus), clandestine activities, and human foibles.’ [Penguin] 
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Price HK$ 8,000



 
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