Fiction

Sartor Resartus – Thomas Carlyle – Bickers & Sons of Leicester Full Leather Binding

Thomas Carlyle’s first and possibly most important novel originally published in 1836 previously serialised in Fraser’s Magazine.

This edition by Chaman and Hall 1901 and in a full red polished calf binding by the famous bookbinders Bickers & Sons of Leicester. Carries the shield of posh girl’s school “Sandecotes” embossed in gilt to the front cover, a note of prize gift. The marbled end-papers are to die for, rolled gilt to board edges etc bar a foxing mark here and there a very nice copy.

Sartor Resartus means “the tailor re-tailored”. The novel purports to be on the thoughts and early life of a German philosopher Diognes Teufelsdrockh (God-born devil-dung). The structure of the book is very unusual, influences are thought to be Swift “a Tale of a Tub” and Sterne “Tristram Shandy”. For the time, it was a new kind of book being both factual and fictional, serious and satirical, speculative and historical. An unnamed Editor is struck with admiration but also confounded by Teufelsdrockh’s outlandish philosophy. A most enigmatic book which influenced many writers to come including Joyce on whose “Finnegan’s Wake” is surely modelled.

Controversial testing Sartor Resartus dressed by Bickers & Sons in red calf.

$80.00

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Unique Work English Literature – The Prose of Christina Rossetti – Lynda Palazzo – Original PhD Thesis Durham University1992

A high quality PhD thesis the author gaining a doctorate from Durham University. A unique work on the prose of Christina Rossetti more remembered for her beautiful poetry. Rossetti’s nine works are explored to a depth unseen elsewhere and Palazzo also presents here unpublished work – “notes on Genesis” with permission of descendant Joan Rossetti and a manuscript page from “Treasure Trove” permission of the Fitzwilliam Museum. Typed one sided 168 pages of A4 hardbound with blue cloth covers gilt titling to front and spine. Fine condition unmarked. Beautifully written superbly structured and full references.

The author Lynda Carol Palazzo went to Kings School Macclesfield before entry to the prestigious University of Durham. This Thesis led to her published work ten year later in 2002 the highly regarded “Christina Rossetti’s Feminist Theology”.

A Unique work for lovers of 19th Century English Literature

About Christina Rossetti

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) sister of Pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti (for whom she sat in a number of his greatest works including “The Girlhood of Mary Virgin”. She published her first work at the age of eighteen – on the death of Elizabeth Barrett Browning she was hailed as the natural successor as female laureate. She was a strong minded Victorian woman opposed to war, slavery, cruelty to animals, the exploitation of girls in under age prostitution. Sadly in later life she suffered from Graves disease and later developed and died of breast cancer – she is buried in Highgate. Her poem “In the Bleak Midwinter” became Voyager’s favourite Christmas Carol.

$80.00

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Saturnalia in Room 23 – Arthur Weigall – First Edition 1927

Published by Fisher Unwin a first edition 1927. Red cloth covered boards, 288 pages, some marks and ageing but a rare copy from a most unusual writer.

The beauty Camilla causes a few problems on the Riviera. Saturnalia the ancient Roman Festival in honour of the God Saturn is honoured from 17th to the 23rd of December. The author was many things and nothing but controversial … in this novel he challenged the Church’s attitude to marriage which he regarded as rather primitive.

Rare first edition from controversial Weigall

Arthur Weigall (1880-1934) was a distinguished Egyptologist and author of biographies of Cleopatra, Marc Anthony, Alexander the Great, Nero and Sappho. He studied hieroglyphics at Oxford: by age 24, he was appointed Inspector General of Antiquities for Upper Egypt and supervised excavations in the Valley of the Kings. During his career, Weigall made several important discoveries, mostly about the reign, life and death of Akhnaton. Later in life he wrote novels, stage plays, poems and was rather successful

$70.00

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The Way of the East – Arthur Weigall – First Edition 1924

Published by Fisher Unwin, London a first edition 1924. Blue cloth covered boards, 318 pages, the odd spot mark but on the whole a very good copy of a scarce and interesting book.

An unusual romance involving the an English Colonel Romance in Egypt. The setting and circumstances demand an explanation by the author for which he apologises. He need not as it is all quite dapper and intriguing.

Rare first edition from literary Egyptologist

Arthur Weigall (1880-1934) was a distinguished Egyptologist and author of biographies of Cleopatra, Marc Anthony, Alexander the Great, Nero and Sappho. He studied hieroglyphics at Oxford: by age 24, he was appointed Inspector General of Antiquities for Upper Egypt and supervised excavations in the Valley of the Kings. During his career, Weigall made several important discoveries, mostly about the reign, life and death of Akhnaton. Later in life he wrote novels, stage plays, poems and was rather successful at it – viz this work.

$80.00

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Memoirs of a Coxcomb – John Cleland – Numbered Limited Hand-Made Paper – 1926

A fine edition by Fortune Press, London 1926. Original quarter mottled calf over marbled papers, gilt titles. Number 389 of a limited 575 copies printed on Verge Montgolfier hand-made paper by Maurice Darantier. Very light rubbing a very good if not fine copy.

John Cleland the author of Fanny Hill, which he wrote in debtors prison. Memoirs of a Coxcomb was first published in 1751 and contains a parody of Mary Wortley Montagu who is famous for her Turkish letters (her description of nudes inspired Ingres in his famous painting of same), spurning Alexander Pope and other “love affairs”.

A witty and complex portrait of aristocratic life in the 18th century through the memoirs of our vain dandy our coxcomb, Sir William Delamore. A sophisticated examination of masculine identity in direct contrast to Fanny Hill.

Coxcomb Memoirs Proudly Presented – beautifully written.

$90.00

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Unproduced Film Script – Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness”

Late 1970’s unproduced film script titled “Voyage to the Inner Station: Joseph Conrad’s Descent and Return from the Heart of Darkness” 134 pages of script in the agency covers of Paul Kohner – Michael Levy.

The author is named John nelson Reid and believed to be one of the many pseudonyms of successful writer Shimon Wincelberg (Naked City, The Time Tunnel, The Paper Chase, Have a Gun – Will Travel etc).

The copy of Ilse Lahn who as a successful producer and worked at the agency around that time. Paul Kohner was in the movie business from the early days and would have been in his seventies when this script appeared. He was very successful and managed Ingmar Bergman, Maurice Chevalier, Dietrich, Garbo, Huston and many more. Michael Levy headed up CBS Theatrical Films which was generally unsuccessful.

There are no telling reasons why this script didn’t get to production. One of the difficulties would be that there was another unfulfilled script based on the book written by Orson Welles … it did not make it either … it was regarded as to difficult (read expensive) to produce but many think it was because Welles was frozen out of Hollywood because he upset Randolph Hearst when he made Citizen Kane.

We have read it through and we like it!

We also have the book see separate listing for the summary storyline.

Could be a gold mine waiting – Conrad’s Heart of darkness scripted but not acted

$190.00

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Sartor Resartus – Thomas Carlyle – Bickers & Sons of Leicester Full Leather Binding

Unique Work English Literature – The Prose of Christina Rossetti – Lynda Palazzo – Original PhD Thesis Durham University1992

Saturnalia in Room 23 – Arthur Weigall – First Edition 1927

The Way of the East – Arthur Weigall – First Edition 1924

Memoirs of a Coxcomb – John Cleland – Numbered Limited Hand-Made Paper – 1926

Unproduced Film Script – Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness”

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