Prestige Items

The Story of the Rear Column of the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition (Jameson’s Story of the Rear Column) – First UK Edition 1890.

First UK edition 1890 published by R.H. Porter, London. A book edited by Mrs James Jameson … as the author of the diaries, letters etc upon which this is based died during the expedition. Published partly to exonerate her husband from rather difficult accusations

Royal octavo, 455 pages with 100 plus illustrations. Two pages of folding maps at the rear that if which joined must be close to two metres long [We have only shown a scan on one map in two scans, in the images provied]. Really nice “Woodburytype” of Jameson as frontispiece. Original green cloth covered boards, gilt title to spine, gilt device to front with some loss of gilt. Some age, generally in a good to better condition. Illustrations by Charles Whymper from sketches by Jameson

This is one of the four important accounts concerning the Henry Morton Stanley lead mega-expedition of 1886 to 1889 to save Emin Pasha who was under siege as the Governor of Equatoria. Stanley had put together an impressive yet unusual array of officers and gentlemen to assist in the expedition. Stanley’s account is written up in his best seller “In Darkest Africa” … volumes written within a few weeks of the expedition being over whilst resting in Cairo.

It is a long story … Stanley heavily connected to Prince Leopold of Belgium decided to approach Equatoria, in the east from the west coast, up the Congo and through some very difficult previously unexplored territory “Darkest Africa”. There were many difficulties and mainly due to the immense number of personal and feeding them etc he decided to split the venture and produce and Advance and Rear Column

James s Jameson was of the Irish whiskey family and a man of money. He was assigned to the Rear Column under the command of Barttlot. He acted as Naturalist and Artist. The organisation within the rear column quickly was in disarray many because they were left with insufficient currency to procure men, food etc (which was ammunition). Barttlet was shot attempting to strike a woman. Jameson got involved in one of the greatest scandals of the 19thC. He was said to be obsessively intertest in cannibalism and procured a young woman paying ten silk handkerchiefs … and the purpose was for him to witness her being offered in a ritual act of cannibalism. It is suggested he made sketches of various parts of the process. A Syrian translator with the Rear Column, Assad Farran, exposed these goings on which naturally Jameson vehemently denied … the book containing letters back to his wife etc on the affair … news of which had reached London. Perhaps fortuitously, Jameson contracted a fever and died.

Jameson – in Stanley’s Darkest Africa with the Rear Column

$290.00

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Amorous Fiammetta – Boccaccio – Stunning Illustrations and Striking Gilt Illustrated Vivid Vellum Cover – First Limited Numbered Edition 1929

Published as a limited edition (No 118 of 550) in 1929 by the Mandrake Press, London.

This is simply a stunning book – starting with the vivid blue/green stained limp vellum covers with yapp edges with striking gold motif of The Three Graces. Maybe the most beautiful book we have had. A feast of brightly coloured illustrations … simply stunning.

Originally written by Giovanni Boccaccio and translated into English by Bartholomew Young in 1587.

Edited and introduced by K.H. Josling. Illustrated by M. Leone

Folio, after preliminaries .. Introduction of xxxviii pages; further introductions etc per original text up to xlix; 161 pages then illustrated limitation page. Quality bright gilt to all page edges.

The beautiful Fiammetta was the beloved muse of Giovanni Boccaccio, and was almost certainly Maria d’Aquino (died 1382) a Neapolitan noblewoman. She was the illegitimate daughter of Robert the Wise, King of Naples. Her mother was Sibilia Sabran, wife of Count Thomas IV of Aquino. She was begat during King Roberts coronation festivities.

Beautiful, will make a super gift

$340.00

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Garden District – Two Plays .. Something Unspoken and Suddenly Last Summer – Tennessee Williams – First Edition 1959

A first UK edition published by Secker and Warburg, London in 1959.

Octavo, 72 pages, very good condition.

Two plays … a short one Something Unspoken a type often referred to as a curtain-raiser; and the longer Suddenly Last Summer.

Both had just been performed in England at the London Arts Theatre to much acclaim

Entertaining and still challenging from T.W. …

$30.00

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The Collected Poems of Sidney Keyes – With Unpublished typescript Poem “Ode to Hitler”

Published posthumously by Routledge, London a fourth impression, 1951. Small octavo, xxiv, 123 pages, original binding, very good condition. The typescript poem “Ode to Hitler’ is dated June 1941 (whilst he was till at Oxford – see below). There is a manuscript note on the endpapers “including unpublished poem”; also a note from Anthony Smith, Headmaster of Dartford Grammar School, which Keyes attended “Dear Professor Porter, I am returning three items we borrowed from you …”. This is October, 1987 and there had been a special Keyes Conference held at the school that year … it is possible that the unique poem was one of the borrowed items, and that this book was Porter’s Professor Porter is likely the Theologian who was at Oriel college, Oxford for 13 years from 1949.

The typescript poem contains an overtyped correction “Lonely” in the third last line – shown in the image. The manuscript date “June 1941” is surely in Sidney Keyes’ hand, by comparison with the facsimile of a hand written poem included in “Collected Poems”

This is a special story. Sidney Keyes (1922-1943) was raised by his maternal grandparent, his mother died shortly after his birth. He began writing poetry at a very young age, influenced by Wordsworth, Rilke and Jung. He won a scholarship to Queen’s College, Oxford. At University he wrote two books “The Cruel Solstice” and “The Iron Laurel” for which he was later awarded the Hawthornden Prize. He was very active at Oxford editing the Cherwell Magazine and forming a dramatic society. Leaving Oxford in 1942 he joined the army and sadly died in active service in Tunisia in April 1943.

All up there are 110 poems of which half relate to the War. All of his poems written during active service were lost.

“Ode to Hitler” is a seven verse poem the first six comprising seven lines, the last six. It is a serious matter, whilst being clear in meaning. We do not want to publish all here … but here are the final lines.

“You tapeworm of the mind, you will forgive
My wanderings, stung by a sudden fury;
Not even speaking for my country, only
A mouthing sharp-tongued poet for the lonely
And awkward speaking. But you will never thrive
While we, the sour and cunning, stay alive.”

A special writer and poet who gave his life too young and, a potentially important unpublished work.

ENQUIRIES WELCOME

$0.00

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The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex – Charles Darwin – 1890

A very good second revised and augmented edition, published by John Murray, 50 Albermarle Street, London, 1890.

The desired original “Murray”’ green cloth binding as issued with blind stamped borders and gilt titles and banding to spine. Octavo, 693 pages with 78 illustrations. Very clean binding, tight and whilst a little age to page edges a very good copy of desirable edition.

Darwin’s classic work on comparative anatomy. By comparing the physiological and psychological aspects of man and ape, he fills in what had been merely suggested in the Origin: that man’s ancestor, if still alive today, would be classified among the primates and on a lower scale than the apes.

The last chapter is an added essay on sexual selection, the superior chances of mating that some individuals of one sex have over their rivals. The essay ends with the famous and often misquoted statement, “Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.”

It was in this book (page 2) that Darwin used the word “evolution” for the first time.

The Descent of Man Companion to The Origin of Species….

$490.00

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Gold Mining in Queensland – Four Hand Coloured Magic Lantern Slides – 1890’s

Four rare original magic lantern slide issued by George Washington Wilson (G.W.W.) in the late 1890’s. Hand coloured to a high standard.

Original 3.5 inch square, standard size, lantern slide. Original label from G.W.W.. Fine quality image – no damage except the odd ageing to the securing tape, easily replaced.

G.W.W. sent their top photographer, Fred Hardie, to Australia in the 1890’s to take images for their business in magic lantern slides. Hardie travelled from South Australia to Cairns, Queensland mainly by train but occasionally by horse and trap. Very active at the time. G.W.W. went out of business just before WWI, through competition and a waning in interest in the product. The slides produced are quite scarce, and rarely seen coloured. The bulk of the G.W.W. catalogue eventually ended up at Aberdeen University.

The slides comprise:

Alluvial Gold Diggings – Cradle at Work – Aberdeen Reference 30591; Alluvial Gold Digging Queensland – Good Prospect – Reference 30592; Sinking in a Payable Reef – Reference 30593 and Gold Digging – The Whim – Reference 30595. Note we have an uncoloured slide of 30594 The Whip which is being sold separately.

Rare Hand Coloured Images of Queensland Gold Mining Activity.

SO SORRY SOLD

$390.00

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The Story of the Rear Column of the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition (Jameson’s Story of the Rear Column) – First UK Edition 1890.

Amorous Fiammetta – Boccaccio – Stunning Illustrations and Striking Gilt Illustrated Vivid Vellum Cover – First Limited Numbered Edition 1929

Garden District – Two Plays .. Something Unspoken and Suddenly Last Summer – Tennessee Williams – First Edition 1959

The Collected Poems of Sidney Keyes – With Unpublished typescript Poem “Ode to Hitler”

The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex – Charles Darwin – 1890

Gold Mining in Queensland – Four Hand Coloured Magic Lantern Slides – 1890’s

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