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19th Century and Prior Classics

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  • The Arabian Droll Tales – Translated by Carlo De Fornaro – Limited Numbered Edition 1929

    The Arabian Droll Tales – Translated by Carlo De Fornaro – Limited Numbered Edition 1929

    Published by the Lotus Society, New York 1929. Number 461 of a limited edition of 550. A Zaidenberg illustrator.

    Octavo, 200 pages, original half green cloth and exotic paper covered boards with original stylish paper label to spine. The beautiful paper has some rubbing as usual. Otherwise a very good clean example. Still uncut to a large degree.

    The translator, Carlo De Fornaro (1871-1943), was quiet a character. He later described himself as artist, writer and revolutionary (he got well wrapped up in the politics of Mexico).

    The Droll Tales consist of 13 classic semi-erotic tales from the east including; The Runaway Lover of Thaquif; The Perverse Dervish; The Blemished Virgin; The Dimpled Beauty and The Donkey Driver’s Mistress.

    For those that are nervous … the tales are interesting, fun and rather mild really!

    Lusty tales from Arabia – Presented Nicely

    $80.00

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  • Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

    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

    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

    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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  • La Princesse de Cleves – Madame de la Fayette – With Aquarelle by Edith Follet – 1920′s

    La Princesse de Cleves – Madame de la Fayette – With Aquarelle by Edith Follet – 1920′s

    The original novel was published anonymously in 1678. This is the stunning 1920’s production by Nilsson, Paris and contains ten striking tipped in aquarelles (watercolours) as well as the beautiful front cover by Edith Follet.

    In the French language, quarto soft covers (protected0, 186 pages in very good condition. All the aquarelle bright and clean.

    La Princesse de Cleves is regraded by many as the first psychological novel and is regarded as a classic. The story takes place between 1558 and 1559 at the Royal Court of Henry II of France. The novel reflects that era with precision. The characters mainly (apart from the heroine) represent real individual and the events that unfold are faithful to the historical record.

    Striking beautiful illustrations by Follet

    $140.00

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  • Barchester Towers and The Warden – Anthony Trollope

    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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