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Design
Here you will find our selection of works on design. Sometimes abstract sometimes architectural, always interesting. Please check back regularly. We often search out rare works on the subject but they tend not to hang around for long. If you have any special requests or questions about the books on design below, please do get in touch.
We deliver to all locations worldwide. and we send to every continent, every week. All our books are packed very carefully.
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1935 The London SpectacleLondon: 1935The first edition of The London Spectacle, a witty and entertaining showcase of Polish expressionist Feliks Topolski. -
1884 Histoire Des Enseignes De ParisParis: 1884The first edition of Edouard Fournier’s last work, The History of Signs of Paris, an insightful history from the iconic French city. -
1943-1945 2vol Set Greater and County of London PlansLondon: 1943-1945An uncommon 2 volume set of heavily illustrated works, including a first edition. -
1920 Two Centuries of TypefoundingLondon: 1920An uncommon paper-bound copy on the history of William Caslon I.'s typefounding legacy, and beyond. -
1920 Etchers: And EtchingLondon: 1920The third edition of Joseph Pennel's beautiful and informative work into the intricate craft of etching. -
c1880 Zur Geschichte der KostumeMunich: c1880A striking and beautifully illustrated collection of ninety-eight hand coloured costume plates depicting German dress from the 11th to 19th century. -
1898 Iron Work: 53 Plates, from Objects and Drawings in the South Kensington MuseumLondon: 1898A very scarce first edition of this large folio, featuring 53 plates showcasing historic iron designs and objects held in the South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria and Albert Museum. -
1904 Arts and Crafts of Old JapanEdinburgh; London: 1904An uncommon limited first edition of this 1904 title, signed by the published, and bound in paper vellum. -
1881 The Etcher's HandbookLondon: 1881The third revised and augmented edition of The Etcher's Handbook by P.G. Hamerton, a leading figure within the etching revival. -
1944-1950 2 Vols English Medieval Wall Painting: The Twelfth CenturyOxford: 1944-1950Two first edition volumes from E. W. Tristram’s monumental English Medieval Wall Painting series, richly illustrated studies of twelfth and thirteenth century church murals. -
1948 Kamisuki Chohoki: A Handy Guide to PapermakingBerkeley : 1948A smart English translation of Kunisaki Jihei’s 1798 manual on traditional Japanese papermaking, illustrated throughout. -
1952 First and Last LovesLondon: 1952A charming first edition of this collection of essays on the architecture of English towns from writer, Poet Laureate, and broadcaster, Sir John Betjeman, with the original unclipped dust wrapper. -
1920 Le Mémoire de Mahelot, Laurent et d'autres décorateurs de l'Hôtel de Bourgogne et de la Comédie-FrançaiseParis: 1920The first edition of this illustrated French memoir on 17th-century art and decor in France, in half blue morocco with blue cloth boards, featuring forty-nine original monochrome plates drawn from Mahelot's manuscript. -
1875 Lectures and Lessons on ArtLondon: 1875A smartly bound, scarce second edition prize copy of Francis Wollaston Moody’s practical guide to art education, outlining principles of drawing, design, and ornament within the influential South Kensington system. -
1910 A Sienese Painter of the Franciscan LegendLondon: 1910An illuminating illustrated study by Bernard Berenson, analysing an anonymous Sienese painter of the Franciscan cycle. -
1993 Clouds: Biography of a Country HouseNew Haven and London: 1993A first edition of Caroline Dakers’s richly detailed history of Clouds, the Arts and Crafts country house that became a centre of artistic and intellectual life in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain. -
1992 The House of Gold: Building a Palace in Medieval VeniceCambridge: 1992A first edition, richly illustrated study of Venice’s Ca’ d’Oro, exploring its design, construction, and significance within the art and society of 15th century Venice. -
2007 Inigo Jones and the European Classicist TraditionNew Haven; London: 2007A first edition, richly illustrated study of Inigo Jones by Giles Worsley, examining how he introduced and transformed European classicism within the tradition of British architecture. -
1999 The World of the Country House in Seventeenth-Century EnglandNew Haven; London: 1999A first edition, richly illustrated study of the seventeenth-century English country house, examining its architecture, decoration, and social significance within early modern gentry life. -
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1957 Teapots and TeaNewport: 1957A signed first edition of Frank Tilley's illustrated discussion of the history of teapots. The very scarce edition de luxe, one of only 25 of such copies produced. -
1989 The Edwardian GardenNew Haven; London: 1989A richly illustrated first comprehensive study of the Edwardian garden, exploring its design, social context, and key figures, including the celebrated Blomfield–Robinson feud. -
2009 Elizabethan Architecture: Its Rise and Fall, 1540-1640New Haven; London: 2009The first edition of Mark Girouard’s richly illustrated and authoritative study of Elizabethan architecture, with the original unclipped dust wrapper. -
2009 Mrs. Delany and Her CircleNew Haven; London: 2009A first edition, richly illustrated Yale University Press exhibition catalogue exploring the art and social world of Mary Delany. -
1997 Sir William Chambers: Architect to George IINew Haven; London: 1997A first edition of this detailed study of Sir William Chambers, architect to George III, examining his lasting influence on eighteenth-century British architecture. -
1851 The Industry of All NationsLondon: 1851The first edition of this impressively illustrated special edition of 'The Art Journal', detailing the beautifully designed objects exhibited at the Great Exhibition. -
2011 Flora's Empire: British Gardens in IndiaPhiladelphia: 2011A first edition, first impression of Eugenia W. Herbert’s richly illustrated study of British colonial gardens in India, tracing their evolution from early settlements to the grandeur of the Raj, illustrated with colour plates. -
1997 The Fate of the English Country HouseNew York; Oxford: 1997A first edition, first impression of David Littlejohn’s exploration of the decline and revival of England’s great houses, complete with the original unclipped dust wrapper and illustrated with monochrome photographs by Sheila Littlejohn. -
1992 Scottish Interior: Georgian and Victorian DecorEdinburgh: 1992A first edition, richly illustrated study of Georgian and Victorian Scottish interiors, exploring architecture, decoration, and design. -
1993 The Follies And Garden Buildings of IrelandNew Haven; London: 1993The first edition of James Howley's richly illustrated study of Ireland's follies and garden buildings, complete with the original unclipped dust wrapper. -
1922-1927 The Library of Decorative ArtLondon; New York: 1922-1927Illustrated throughout with photographic plates, this is a mixed edition four volume set of works by Jourdain and Lenygon, detailing the history of English furniture. -
1929 English Furniture from Charles II to George IILondon: 1929A lovely example of R. W. Symonds's limited edition, first edition celebration of English furniture throughout the centuries. Illustrated throughout. -
1923 Meister der Schreibkunst Aust Drei JahrhundertenStuttgart: [1923]A limited edition of this study of artistic handwriting from Peter Jessen, with two hundred examples of beautiful handwriting, and previously owned by Ambrose Heal the noted furniture designer. -
1954 Schwedische Mobel. Meubles Suedois. Swedish FurnitureBasel : 1954The author's presentation copy of Carl Malmsten's study on Swedish furniture, in the original scarce dust wrapper and inscribed by the author to Ambrose Heal, a notable furniture designer. -
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1948 The Pageant of the LampLondon: [1948]The first edition of this uncommon work from the Edison Swan Electric Company providing a short illustrated history of the electric lamp, with a letter from Edison Swan to Ambrose Heal, a notable furniture designer. -
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1940 Masterpieces Of English Furniture and ClocksLondon: 1940The author's presentation copy of this limited edition study on furniture and clocks by R. W. Symond's, inscribed by the author to Ambrose Heal, the noted furniture designer. -
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1955 Furniture Making in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century EnglandLondon: 1955A signed first edition of Symonds' illustrated study on seventeenth and eighteenth century furniture making, signed and inscribed by the author to the noted furniture designer Ambrose Heal.