19th Century and Prior Classics

Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

Published by the Modern Library, New York 1950. Our favourite “modern”‘ edition. Octavo, 400 pages. Pretty good condition albeit with a crease to the dust jacket at the front. As with all of our jacketed book now protected in removable Brodart. Private name stamp to the half title.

A wonderfully informative introduction by Royal Gettmann, Professor of English Literature, University of Illinois. And a preface and biographical notice by Currer Bell (Charlotte Bronte). Nice chapter heading illustrations throughout.

many believe the number one novel of all time.

Emily Bronte Classic

$40.00

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The Songs of Sappho – Miller and Robinson – Fine Production 1925

A beautiful edition published by Frank-Maurice, New York in 1925.

Longer Title … “the Songs of Sappho – Including the Recent Egyptian Discoveries – The Poems of Erinna – Greek Poems about Sappho – Ovid’s Epistle of Sappho to Phaon”. Translated by Marion Mills Miller (Editor of “The Classics – Greek and Latin”) with Greek texts prepared and annotated and literally translated in prose by David Moore Robinson, Professor in Classics, John Hopkins University.

Large octavo, 435 pages, rough cut page edges as issued. Very good near fine copy, original green boards with quarter vellum to spine with gilt titles. Top edge richly gilt. A limited edition of 750 copies. Ten full page plates.

Sappho (630BC – 570BC) was an archaic Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. Sappho is best known for her poems about love and women. Most of the poetry is now lost and surviving items are mainly in fragments, except for one complete poem “Ode to Aphrodite”. Little is known of Sappho’s life, although likely from a wealthy family. Sappho was exiled to Sicily around 600BC … legend surrounds her love for the ferryman Phaon.

Sappho’s work has continued to influence writers. Beyond her poetry she is known as a symbol of love and desire between women.

From “Old Love is Best”’ …
“Whose soft footfall sets my heart a-bounding
Wilder than when the clarions are sounding;
Whose bright face hath power more to charm me
Than Lydia’s army!”

Finely bound beautiful Sappho – 1925

$120.00

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Horace – Horatii Fiacci Opera – Munro and King – Bickers Binding – 1869

A delightful copy of “Horace” illustrated by with well over 100 classical cameos or “gems” and bound in superb style by Bickers and Sons of London with their discrete stamp at the front.

Published by Bell and Dalby, London in 1869. Large octavo, with 456 pages after preliminaries, the back section of the book being a lengthy and scholarly description of the said “gems”.

The Latin text revised by Munro and the “gems” selected and detailed by King both Fellows of Trinity College Cambridge.

Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65BC – 8 BC) known as “Horace” was a leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus. This is a well-produced and scholarly edition and we learn in the preface that the “gems” are authentic, whilst earlier attempts to illustrate Horace have succumbed to using inappropriate “modernised” versions etc.

The Bickers binding is full red morocco, spine panelled with raised bands, gilt lines to spine and boards, marbled endpapers with gilt rolled borders internally and to board edges, all page edges richly gilt. All a trifle rubbed … a solid a special binding. The shading on the right hand (front) board is our scanner not the board!

Nice inscription on endpaper … a gift to the Rev Mayo M.A. by his “Horace” class at Fauconberg School in Beecles … the distinguished grammar school was formed by Dr Fauconberg in 1712

Best Illustrated “Horace” in Bickers Binding

$140.00

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Barchester Towers and The Warden – Anthony Trollope

A very good near fine period Modern Library edition in a similar condition complete dust jacket.

Useful introduction by Harlan Hatcher then Professor of English at the Ohio State University.

Anthony Trollope wrote Barchester Towers in the 1850’s. He built a special transportable desk so he could write whilst on the train. His publishers thought it somewhat vulgar. The Guardian have it on their “must be read list”. Trollope most realistic and entertaining of the 19th century greats.

Double dose of Trollope

$30.00

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Emile Zola – Nana

A classic from the Modern Library collection published in the 1950′s and in very good condition.

Nana was banned in England on publication in 1888 for supposed obscenity. Zola the greatest influence on the school of “realistic” writing here demonstrated to perfection.

Obscenity surely not

$30.00

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Mirango the Man-Eater – C. Dudley Lampen – First Edition 1899

Title continues …A Tale of Central Africa being The Narrative of George Pryce traveller and exile, first writ down Anno Domini 1706 , and now retold …

An unusual book never mind the confronting title. First edition 1899 in pretty good condition considering. The author C. Dudley Lampen (1859-1943) is a recognised early Sci-fi writer and had previously published “The Queen of the Extinct Volcano”.

Mirango is about Africa and the finding of a society of lost ancient Egyptians. Recognised in a number of fantasy bibliographies including – A Spectrum of Fantasy 132; Bleiler 118 and Reginald 8571.

Octavo, 242 pages plus advertisements. Published curiously by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London. With three half tone plates and other decorative devices and the stunning pictorial book cover.

Lost Race Classic from 1899 …..

$50.00

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Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

The Songs of Sappho – Miller and Robinson – Fine Production 1925

Horace – Horatii Fiacci Opera – Munro and King – Bickers Binding – 1869

Barchester Towers and The Warden – Anthony Trollope

Emile Zola – Nana

Mirango the Man-Eater – C. Dudley Lampen – First Edition 1899

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