Curiosities

Covent Garden Drollery: Printed at The Whitefriars Press for the Fortune Private Press 1927

A seriously special book. Octavo, vi,2,123pages bound in quarter cloth over paper boards, in pictorial speckled paper dust jacket. Illustrated frontispiece, facsimile title from 1672 first, decorated with vignettes. A lovely reprint of the original work. Couldn’t be a better copy.

Subtitled .. A Collection of all the Choice Songs, Poems, Prologues and Epilogues, Sung and Spoken at Courts and Theaters, never printed before. Written by the refined’st Witts of the Age. And collected by A.B. With explanatory notes at the end. Edited by Montague Summers (1880-1948) author and clergyman, who wrote on the occult.

This book is numbered 342 of a limited number of 575 copies. All printed on English unbleached handmade paper … absolutely lovely paper.

Drollery from the past still amusing in the present and beautifully presented

$70.00

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D.H. Lawrence and the Body Mystical – Frederick Carter – First Edition 1932

An unusual book on aspects of Lawrence’s thinking and a fine production, printed in “Private Press Style” published by Denis Archer, London.

Largish octavo format, 63 pages with extra blanks. Frontispiece of D.H. Lawrence by the author who was a skilled etcher. Printed on sumptuous Japan Vellum. Bound quarter black cloth over lightly marbled paper covered boards. Design, partly in gilt to front with titles, gilt titles to spine. A little rubbed at the corners and a slight stain to one of the rear blanks otherwise a very good copy.

Frederick Carter (1885-1967) knew D.H. Lawrence very well … Lawrence would stay with Carter at his house in Shropshire. There they would share and develop their views on humanity. It was a time in Lawrence’s life that he was concerned with his health and the English cold and damp. He craved warmer climes. One of his favourite if not most favourite places was Mexico where he saw something unusual and special in the people.

Fine and worthwhile book on D.H. Lawrence by a man who knew him well.

$80.00

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Don Giovanni – Mozart [In English by Edward Dent]

A smashing little reference … a libretto [little book]. Published by the Oxford University Press in 1948. Perfect bond soft cover, xix and 72 pages.

Very good Preface by the translator describing the movement in language, so to speak, in Opera and the difficulties of good performance in English and German. The a good introduction to Don Giovanni, Voyager’s favourite.

The translator points out that the words are there to be sung not just read out and “if the reader discovers in these pages any line that they can call poetry, they may be sure that is has been stolen from some respectable – and, I hope, non-copyright author” …we will not tell!

Now we don’t have to watch the subtitles and miss the action!

Understandable Don Giovanni by Dent.

$20.00

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The Evil Shadow – A Johnny Nero Adventure – 1967

Published by Fleetway in 1967 as part of the Secret Agent Series … this number 19. Card covers, perfect bound, 122 pages plus end fill cartoons.

Quiet scarce, particularly in this condition. An upmarket, more adult, cartoon book. The Evil Shadow is set in Egypt, starts with a bomb at the Aswam dam under construction. A gold finger is found with links to valuable art work thought to be taken by the retreating German army in WWII.

High profile businessman Johnny Nero has a side line as a secret agent … and is recruited to solve the mystery along with his formidable secretary Jenny Bird they have a busy time …

Johnny Nero dealing with the “Evil Shadow” and statuesque Jenny Bird never a hair out of place.

$30.00

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Hockey – the Game that Grows – Fred Browne.

Fred Browne was the Australian Olympic Coach for Hockey at the time of publication in 1960.

Perfect bound soft cover, 141 pages and some blanks for notes. Illustrated with the odd image from photographs and a multitude of diagrams regarding play and tactics. A very good unmarked copy.

A super education that stands up well today all down to the knowledge of Coach Browne and his ability to communicate that in writing and drawings.

Hockey much more than Jolly Hockey Sticks

$25.00

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Illustrated Games of Patience – Lady Adelaide Cadogan – 1880

Card games of all sorts were all the rage in Victorian times among all classes. Here we have none other than Lady Cadogan the leading expert on the many many variations of a card game generally known as Patience.

This is fourth more glamorous edition published by Sampson Low, London in 1880. Quarto, strangely paginated around the description both in narrative and pictorially of each game. The images are truly delightful a feature that is carried over to the decorated green cloth binding. A very good copy of a scarce form.

The names of the various game forms points to the French derivations .. La Belle Lucie; Le Cadran; La Quinzaine; La Loi Salique; Les Quatre Coins; Le Moulin; Le Shah etc although ending with the rather drearily named “the British Constitution”

Patience is a blessing .. let’s have more of it!

$80.00

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Covent Garden Drollery: Printed at The Whitefriars Press for the Fortune Private Press 1927

D.H. Lawrence and the Body Mystical – Frederick Carter – First Edition 1932

Don Giovanni – Mozart [In English by Edward Dent]

The Evil Shadow – A Johnny Nero Adventure – 1967

Hockey – the Game that Grows – Fred Browne.

Illustrated Games of Patience – Lady Adelaide Cadogan – 1880

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