Book Trade History

Dimensions 29 x 12 cm. Pasteboard mount, 31 x 14.5 cm. In blue, black and white. In good condition on lightly-aged paper. In front of a background of ricketty railings, a jolly bespectacled penguin [with Tschichold's sprightly eyes], with a Penguin book under his left arm, and preceded by a letter P and followed by an n, drags a bespectacled, bearded man (looking a little like a young Michael Bentine) towards the right of the drawing.

The text area is about 13.5 x 30 cm, on the top half of a slip of paper around twice as long. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. The lower half of the slip is blank apart from the pagination 196. Headed 'EPILOGUE | COWKEEPER'S TUNE', and beginning 'Unless your window is fitted with very strong iron bars and, just to make sure, your window locks, | Do not attempt to keep a Dexter cow in your window box.' Signed in type at end 'M.

4to, 1 p. Fourteen lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper. He has been 'extremely unwell', and is sending '3 bills for the account of Thomsons Chemistry £1100'. 'I trust that you will not be dis-satisfied with this as I can assure you conscientiously that I could not afford to give them shorter.' Reference to Longmans, and to his anxiety, 'as you left the settlement to my own conscience'.

The dimensions of the book are 4 x 5 cm. 48 pp. In brown card binding, yellow endpapers. Tight copy, in good condition on aged paper, in good binding with slight discoloration to endpapers. 'This Little Book, one of the least ever published, and certainly printed with the Smallest Type, is intended as a curious illustration of the extraordinary perfection to which the elegant art of Type Founding has been carried in modern days.' Filled with details concerning the Institution, including nine pages listing its officers and members.

12mo, 2 pp. On disbound leaf. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper. Drop-head title. First page with, and second page without, catchword. Ten learned works are listed, beginning with the ill-fated 'Suidae Lexicon, Graece & Latine' ('3 Vol. Folio, 1710'). The earliest dates from 1706 and the latest from 1716. According to the Victoria County History, it was under Richard Bentley that 'Crownfield ('a Dutchman . . .

One page, 8vo, sunned and grubby, two small chips, small closed tear, spike-hole (loss of two letters), text legible and complete bar two lost letters. A large cross in the white space means perhaps that the bookseller has dealt with the enquiry. "Lord Dynevor begs Mr Andrews will send him the first Voyage of Discovery by Captain Parry in Quarto, (he has got the second - but has lost the first) & whenever any account comes out of Captain Ross's present Expedition to send him a Copy directed to Dynevor Castle, Lan[?] S Wales, by the Paul Pry Gloucester Coach-| Half Bound in Linnen."

The subscription Liverpool Library within the Lyceum, founded in 1757, is believed to have been the first circulating or lending library in Europe, and the first two of these items provide a valuable insight into its status at the time when the advent of the public library system was undermining its position.

12mo, 40 pp. In original brown wraps, printed in green ink on the front with the British royal crest, and on the back with that of Napoleon. Yellow endpapers. Text clear and complete. A fair, tight copy, on aged paper, in worn wraps. Illustrated title-page in red and black. In manuscript on reverse Sainsbury has written: 'J. S. | 13 Upper Ranelagh St | Eaton Square | This Collection is offered at One Half it's Cos - | Viz 1200 Guins.' The text begins with a two-page description of 'Drawings and Proof Engravings. Important scenes in the French Revolution' by J.

61 items, characterised by grey-brown amateur wrapper, usually grubby, with: A label on the front usually stating, 'CHRIST CHURCH, KILNDOWN | LIBRARY. | No. [...] | Please keep clean. | Can be exchanged on EVERY FRIDAY on application to Rev. H. HARRISON. | October, 1875', And a label on reverse of wrapper, 'CHRIST CHURCH, KILNDOWN | Lending Library | Rules. | . 1. The Library to be Free to Sunday Scholars and Members of the Choir; all other persons using the Books to pay a Subscription of a Half-penny a Month. | 2.

12mo, 4 pp. 40 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed to 'My dear Spencer'. He is sorry to have missed Childers: 'I came back early on Sat: morning fairly driven home by the weather.' Reports that 'Better reviews of the book are now appearing Athenaeum - evidently by Dilke: Tablet: Pall Mall &c.' Thinks 'Clarke will use his influence with the Times', the idea that 'King' has done so being 'entirely out of the question'.

12mo, 3 pp. Bifolium. Aged, and with fraying to extremities, causing minor loss to one word of text, and date of letter. Returning 'the volumes of Lowndes' Manual'. The firm has 'not yet been able to make use of your notes, as we received the volume too late for the new edition, which is moreover little more than a reprint of Mr. Bohn's with a few corrections'. They have, however, 'copied the notes, which will be useful when we bring out as we hope to do, a completely revised edition'. Apprarently signed, on behalf of the firm, with the initials 'PEB'.

12mo, 3 pp. Bifolium. 47 lines. Text clear and complete. On aged paper, wear and fraying to extremities. The cutting which Lawler leant him 'has helped me to trace one stage further in the wanderings of more than one vagabond Caxton'. Refers to John Winter Jones's discovery of a copy in the British Museum of the 'Quatre Derrenieres Choses', 'now more than 50 years ago [...] it has remained absolutely unique until our old friend at 15 Piccadilly [Bernard Quaritch] came upon a 2nd copy'.

4to, [ii] + 71 pp, with numerous leaves of additional manuscript and typescript material loosely inserted, as well as laid down. A few cuttings and extracts from printed works, as well as a Typed Letter Signed (17 March 1937) to Halliday from Ralph M. Williams of Yale, describing himself as 'interested in securing books, manuscripts, or other documents by or about the eighteenth century poet John Dyer'. Neatly written out in pencil and pen, on watermarked wove paper, in sturdy buckram binding. Internally in excellent condition, tight and clean, in worn binding with staining to front board.

Landscape card, 7.5 x 11.5 cm. Designed to show off the firm's capabilities, and printed on one side in purple, green, light brown and gold, with fancy lettering within florally-decorated body and border, around a small central illustration of three men working a press. Printers' details in small letters at foot, reading 'F. Bentley & Co. Lth' and 'Shoe Lane, London.' The almanac on the reverse is a more restrained affair, stylishly printed in purple and gold. Fair: lightly-aged, with small closed hole to one corner, and slight wear at foot of almanac.

4pp., 8vo, disbound, edges sl. frayed, mainly good. It has a selective list from the Catalogue, commences by offering Price 1s. 6d. allowed on First Purchase, giving selling and discounted price (R.B.'s Price) for c.150 titles. COPAC records the NLS copy.

pp.1-10 text, 15 detached plates with tissue-guards (as called for), text (concluding mid-sentence, bound in to grey-blue printed wraps, reinforced spine, 2 closed tear, chipped and sunned. Full quotation of title om front wrap: Specimen copy for the Plates only | The Marchioness of Brinvilliers | By | Albert Smith | Illustrated by John Leech | [Bentley insignia] | With fifteen spirited full-page Etchings on Steel, only once before printed from,* onthe first publication of the story, in its serial | form, about 1842. | *Besides twenty-seven impressions for the Leech Catalogue.

In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. Twelve of the engravings are on paper roughly the same size (12mo), with the thirteenth smaller, but laid down on a leaf of the same dimensions. The majority of the women are writers, and the collection may well have been assembled to illustrate a work such as Byron's Letters and Journals. The thirteen women depicted are Hannah More, Maria Edgworth, Lady Noel Byron, Teresa Guiccioli, Caroline Lamb, Mrs Henry Tighe, Lady Morgan, Joanna Baille, Felicia Hemans, Mary Russell Mitford; Anne Maria Porter; Jane Porter. Artists are G. Freeman, W. J.

32mo, 36 pp. Unpaginated. In original blue cloth, with gilt design on front. Marbled endpapers. Unopened. Good. Nicely printed, in small type. Two-page introduction, 'To the inquisitive and pertinent reader', by 'Henry Stevens of Vermont'. On the title page Stevens is described as 'GMB FSA ETC | Sometime Student in Yale College in America | now of London'. Leaf of addenda not present. Uncommon, copies on COPAC at the British Library, National Library of Scotland, Oxford, Cambridge, and the V & A and Society of Antiquaries libraries.

Printed on a slip of laid paper. Royal Crest at head. The announcement, signed in type by Bridgeman, is in sixteen lines of small type. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Tate and Brady have petitioned that they have, 'with their utmost Care and Industry, compleated A New Version of the Psalms of David', and their request that 'the said Version may be used in such Congregations as shall think fit to receive it' is agreed to.

8vo, 3 pp. Bifolium on laid paper. Fair, aged and lightly-creased. 'Composed in Lexicon, designed by Bram de Does in 1992. 250 copies printed by Offsetdrukkerij Jan de Jong, Amsterdam. | Presented to the members of The Wynknyn de Worde Society on the occasion of the International Luncheon Meeting 21 September 1995.' The facsimile of the letter, by 'Jan', dated 'Heemstede 12 March 1947', is on both sides of the first leaf. Biograpical printed text by Dreyfus on recto of second leaf, the verso of which is blank.

12mo, 73 pp. Introduction followed by bibliography (pp.11-19). In original red and black printed wraps. Good tight copy, in lightly-worn and chipped wraps. Unlimited edition, without illustrations. The only copies of this edition at the British Library and University of London.

12mo, 3 pp. 28 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on aged paper. He does not understand how they can have 'a record of a second edition [of Burns's poems] dated 1786, for the book was not published until April 1787'. He describes the two issues of the second edition ('a stinking or a skinking issue') and concludes that he will be glad to hear from them, should they 'meet with a 1786 second edition, or with a copy having the addenda incorporated in the list of subscribers, or one having Roxburgh spelled correctly'.

4to, 2 pp. 23 lines. Text clear and complete. Very good on lightly-aged paper. Reporting the 'record character' of the 'financial result of the recent Anniversary Festival', and thanking Harmsworth for his 'great personal interest in the Festival which has led to the Funds of the Institution being so considerably increased' and 'splendid service', and requesting permission for his 'name to be thus permanently connected wtih the Charitable Work which your kind efforts have so very materially advanced'.

12mo, 14pp, disbound, first leaf detached, good condition. Text clear and complete. In which the publishers outline their (historical) policy and ambitions for the various aspects of the periodical, and provide an Index by volume and subject. Sir Walter Scott took an almost proprietorial interest in this periodical. Scarce: COPAC lists NLS copy only (16pp).

One Hundred Copies only. [16]pp., cr.8vo, sewn as issued, unopened, tastefully printed in brown with decoration on hand-made paper, good condition. Sadleir, in XIX Century Fiction, describes this as A Prospectus of the Standard and Favourite Novels issued in January 1882. Given it's date, I would suggest it's a Commemorative Catalogue of a series which has great significance in publishing history. It gives the information present in Sadleir (II.100-4), but it calls the phantom Second Series (Sadleir) Bentley's Standard Novels. The Re-Issue. 1854-1859?.

Small 4to, 4 pp. Stitched. In original brown and black decorative wraps. Good, on lightly-aged paper. A pretty piece of printing, with the title-page printed in light blue and black, and the vignette on illustration on the reverse of the title leaf in the same light blue. The text covers two pages. Scarce: no copy on COPAC.

Both one page, c.21 x 17cm, small closed tear, some dusting, mainly good, texts clear and complete: [10 June] "Re. Infected Books | A few days ago one of your Clerks saw me in reference to the above, and said that it was Miss Strong's intention not to replace the books as they and numerous dresses were taken away by Sanitary Authorities.

BOOK TRADE LIBRARIES MILITARY UPPER CANADA AUTOGRAPH

Two pages, 12mo, chipped and with small closed tears, with loss of half a line of text and some letters, bottom edge turned up. I beg to offer you according to your reque[st] a list of books printed by Caxton, in the library at Ashburnham House with their imperfections and sizes.

Part of letter, 11 x 5cm, good condition, saying, yours try | Lancelot Speed.