Prestige Items

The Big Game of Central and Western China – Harold Frank Wallace FRGS, RZS – First Edition 1913

Being an Account of a Journey from Shanghai to London Overland Across the Gobi Desert by Harold Frank Wallace.

A first edition published by John Murray, London in 1913. Royal octavo, 318 pages after preliminaries and including appendices and index.

Bound in original yellow cloth covered boards with decoration and facsimile signature of author to front. Top edge gilt. Some rubbing externally and a hint of glue in the front hinge. A very good copy with barely a mark internally. A sought after travel and hunting account written in a very readable style. Well illustrated with a frontispiece and 22 illustrations from drawings by the author (very talented) and thirty-eight illustrations from photographs.

In 1911 the author accompanied the experienced George Fenwick-Owen into the interior of China. Their primary objective was to secure a specimen of the Takin of which then little was known in the west, along with a collection of smaller animals for the British Museum. Their journey lasted precisely one year. The course of their journey had to be varied because of the outbreak of the Revolution. The book on the whole is well balanced towards a special travel account with excellent observations on the topography, the people, customs, manners, law etc the latter could not be more demonstrated by the sad image of the man caged for opium crimes.

Chapters include … the Call of the Red Gods; Shanghai; the Father of rivers [Yangste]; Hwa-Shan the Flower Mountain; Sian -Fu the Magnificent; Notes on caves and the Home of the Takin; Fensiang-Fu an inland town; Modern Rehoboam and His Capital; the Western Kanus; Rumours of war; On the Fringe of the Desert and Across the Desert. Animals sought include the aforementioned Takin … White-maned Serow; Roe deer; Wapiti; Przewalski’s Gazelle; Mongolian Gazelle etc.

The appendices make interesting reading with Field Measurements; Estimates of Expenses and Tables of Distances and Stages.

Central and Western China in 1911

$240.00

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Il Pentamerone; or, The Tale of Tales – Basile – Translated Sir Richard Burton KCMG – First and Limited Edition – 1893

Being a Translation by the Late Sir Richard Burton, K.C.M.G., of Il Pentamerone;OveroLo Cuntode Li Cunte, Trattenemiento de Li Peccerille, of Giovanni Battista Basile, Count of Torne (Gian Alessio Abbattutis).

First edition in two volumes published by Henry and Co, London 1893. Published posthumously by his devoted wife Lady Burton.

A limited edition of 1,500 copies. Two volumes, octavo, 282 pages, [283]-562 pages. Original dark blue (near black) buckram cloth, gilt lettered. Minor rubbing to spine ends. Overall a very good clean set of a sought after Burton work.

The stories in the Pentamerone were collected by Basile and published posthumously by his sister Adriana in Naples in 1634 and 1636 under the pseudonym Abbatutis. The stories were later adapted by a number of authors including the Brothers Grimm who acknowledged the use of stories in the Pentamerone in Cinderella, Rapunzel, Puss in Boots, Sleeping Beauty and Hansel and Gretel.

Basile recorded the stories in Neapolitan and is regarded as the first writer to record the Neapolitan intonations. The style is heavily Baroque with many metaphorical expressions.

The term Pentameone comes from the Greek “pente” or five and “hemera” day. The work is set within a “frame story” with fifty separate tales being told over the course of five days … referencing Baccaccio’s Decameron of 1353 which has a ten day structure.

Beautiful stories translated by the genius that was Sir Richard Burton. Limited first edition.

$170.00

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Original manuscript Accounts Book 1791/92 – Webster’s Ropery Sunderland, County Durham, England

Original folio accounts book for the two-year ending 31st December 1792 most likely of or the predecessor to one of England’s leading maritime rope makers, Webster of Deptford, Sunderland County Durham. Original quarter reverse calf with marbled paper covered boards. 62 pages of fine handwriting … appears all the same hand.

Titled at the head of page the first page “An Inventory of Goods etc at the Ropery belonging Messrs William Marshall and John Webster together with an account of the Debts due to & from them this first Day of January One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety One”

The first record of rope making on Wearside (the river Weir runs through Sunderland) was in 1636. The rope was likely made from Baltic hemp. Before 1800 ropes were hand-made on ropewalks a practice that continued for another 100 years. Ropewalks had to be wide enough for four men to spin abreast of each other and long enough to make a standard 120 fathom marine rope. Up to 20 people may be employed on just one rope.

Webster’s plant at Deptford was the first on Wearside driven by steam. It is believed to be the world’s first factory producing machine-made rope. Robert Fothergill a Sunderland schoolmaster had patented a machine to spin hemp the year after our accounts book (1793). It could be that this careful record was produced as part of an exercise to obtain finance for the mechanisation … although the low wages recorded suggest that that mechanisation may well have been underway. We do know that Fothergill died shortly afterwards and Grimshaw a local clockmaker took up the rights in partnership with our Webster and two others. Although its not clear whether the Webster involved was Rowland a distinguished magistrate or John as noted here.

One of the partners in the business was the distinguished Rowland Burdon who later gave up his Parliamentary position on principle although many though that it was because Webster’s Ropery had gained very lucrative contracts with the Royal Navy and he was avoiding any backlash financially … for sure Webster’s were there at Trafalgar!

The records mention many of the vessels of the day that would have been working out of the North-east along with their captains … e.g. Captain McQuarrie of the Fanny; Johnstone of the Nancy William; Robinson of the Broughton Tower; Cleminson of the Argyll; Kennel of the Endeavour (a new one); Dixon of the Sarah; Holm of the Hollow Oak; Neal of the Betsy.

Neat recording of debts and payments with particulars of sales noted with full description for every transaction with monthly totals compared often against some measure of the physical amount sold (early KPI’s). Stock holdings, wages per wage period all set out very carefully. For an industrial historian there seems sufficient information to paint a pretty full picture of the extent of activities. We have gleamed that the Ropery Buildings are in the books at GBP 220, stockholdings were GBP205 and annual sales GBP484 with total wages of only GBP72. Looks nicely profitable.

Interestingly, the Ropery building still exists and has been restored … it is a magnificent building and has been re-established as Webster’s Ropery … but as a beautiful wedding venue … check it out we have shown an image here.

Accounting Records from 1792 …. unique Maritime interest …

$290.00

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The Lhota Nagas – Mills – First Edition 1932

First edition, published by MacMillan, London in 1932. Largish octavo, 255 pages nicely illustrated from photographs and drawings with a nice map of the relevant area. Striking blue cloth covered binding with gilt titling to spine and front as well as a lavish gilt image of a Lhota warrior in full dress.

Whilst the author had no formal anthropological training this is widely regarded as the primary source of information regarding the reclusive and inviting Lhota Nagas

Mills addresses the origins of the tribe, their migration, appearance, dress, ornament and weapons. Domestic life among the Nagas and the “Morung” … agriculture and the various unusual associated ceremonies. Hunting, fishing, food, medicine and drugs. Games they play, music and entertainment. The laws and customs by which they abide… war and head-hunting, Slavery and the position of women. Religion and life after death … magic, folk tales and songs. A good chapter on their language and various appendices concerning the Lhota calendar, mensuration and human sacrifice.

John Philip Mills (1890- 1960) was educated at Winchester College and Corpus Christi Cambridge. He spent three years as the Assistant Commissioner at Mokokchung, remote Nagaland in Northern India bordering Assam. During that period he worked on this book. Later in life he was rewarded for his work … back in London he was appointed Reader at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University. In the 1950’s he was President of the Anthropological Institute.

The surprising life of the Lhota Nagas a unique people

$240.00

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Hindu-Koh – Wanderings and Wild Sport on and Beyond the Himalayas – Major General Donald Macintyre.– 1891

Published by Blackwood, Edinburgh and London in 1891. Updated enhanced edition of 1891.

Large octavo, 362 pages with numerous illustrations. Striking blue cloth cover with the large gilt illustration of the mountain goat to the front. Very good condition. The frontispiece is a piece of work displaying the “bag” in all its magnificence. The tissue guard to the frontispiece is a masterpiece describing each element of the “bag” … we have put a piece of white paper behind to for the scan so that you can see the detail more clearly.

Macintyre travelled from Srinagar to Leh and on to Chang Chenmo and Lingzi=tang in 1871. This journey covers parts of Cashmere, Sind, Ladakh, Tibet and parts of China. Extensively in the Himalaya foothills. The account represents many years of travel and hunting in the region.

The account contains vivid descriptions of the people and their customs. And the wildlife … including elephant, tiger, bear, leopard, musk-deer, ibex, mansheer, yak and many more. A primary and early source.

Donald Macintyre (1831-1903) was a Major in the British Indian Army … 2nd Gurkha Rifles. He was awarded the Victoria Cross in the Lushai Campaign for successfully storming enemy battlements while under intense fire. His medal resides in the Gurkha Museum.

Rare and valuable account of the broader Himalayas.

$270.00

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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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The Big Game of Central and Western China – Harold Frank Wallace FRGS, RZS – First Edition 1913

Il Pentamerone; or, The Tale of Tales – Basile – Translated Sir Richard Burton KCMG – First and Limited Edition – 1893

Original manuscript Accounts Book 1791/92 – Webster’s Ropery Sunderland, County Durham, England

The Lhota Nagas – Mills – First Edition 1932

Hindu-Koh – Wanderings and Wild Sport on and Beyond the Himalayas – Major General Donald Macintyre.– 1891

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

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