Picture Show Annual

We pored over this delightful 'Picture Show Annual' hailing from the Golden Age of cinema, and depicting all manner of Hollywood stars as they feature in costume. With the pictorial cover depicting the lovely Dorothy Gish as Nell Gwyn, its contents include photographs of the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Buster Keaton, Alice Joyce, Mary Astor Wyndham Standing and Norma Talmadge. Considering that the work is under a century old, we marvelled to behold the roots of cinema and the many transformations it has undergone in the years since this work's release. With remarkable photographs of its subjects both on and offscreen, it gave us an insight into times past, into the year of Eartha Kitt, Jerry Stiller and Janet Leigh's birth. 'The Picture Show Annual 1927' is a truly special piece that we'll be sorry to part with!

The Prisoner of Ham

Although similar in name to a work by J. K. Rowling, 'The Prisoner of Ham' actually details the true story of Napoleon III's imprisonment at the Chateau de Ham in the Somme, France, following his attempted seizure of power. The renowned and notorious first President of France spent a number of years held at this castle prison following his exile to London and subsequent failed coup to gain control of France. The coup was a fiasco, with the mutineers stopped by customs at shore in France and soldiers refusing to join the mutiny leading to Napoleon's arrest. He was sentenced to life in prison at Ham, and whilst here, he penned political essays, poetry and articles, securing his name as a writer. Whilst his uncle Napoleon Bonaparte's popularity was on the rise around France, he grew impatient and finally escaped Ham by disguising himself as an artist named 'Badinguet', a name which was subsequently used by his enemies to ridicule him. A fantastic tale of wit, what's more, we were thrilled to find the inscription denoting this work the gift of the subject, Prince Napoleon Louis Bonaparte himself, most likely added by a member of his household. This is a scarce first edition as well as a presentation copy, making it a unique account of Napoleon III's early history.

The Poems of Geoffrey Chaucer, Modernized

A fascinating and very scarce modernization of the poetry of one of Britain's oldest and finest, Geoffrey Chaucer, was added to our collection this week. Brought into a more fluent and modern form by the likes of William Wordsworth and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, this is a unique and hard to acquire piece which is the history of both early and modern poetry, unifying the works of a number of renowned and celebrated poets, least of all Chaucer, one of the founding fathers of English literature. Our copy of 'The Poems of Geoffrey Chaucer, Modernized' dates from 1841, and is the first modernized edition of this work presented in the publisher's original cloth binding.

An Authentic History of the Cato-Street Conspiracy

A beautiful leather bound history of the Cato Street Conspiracy caught our eye this week. The conspiracy was an attempt on the lives of all the cabinet ministers and Prime Minister in 1820, named for the coffee house that the conspirators met at. During a time of economic strife, social unrest was on the rise, resulting in this group, known as the Spencean Philanthropists, plotting a revolution to assassinate the cabinet and form a provisional government. Whilst the plan was under way, George Edwards, who was both second in command in the plot and a police informant, saw to it that the group was apprehended. In the brawl that ensued, one man was killed: the conspirators were subsequently all tried, with five hanged, drawn and quartered, and another five deported to Australia. Our edition of 'An Authentic History of the Cato Street Conspiracy' is an early work on the event, illustrated with eight plates, and makes for a fascinating account of attempted assassination.

Novum Testamentum

Works studied at school always bring us a smile, with our school days very much behind us, and this Ancient Greek textbook of 'Novum Testamentum', the text of the New Testament printed in 1834 was no exception. A particularly cheeky schoolboy, G. H. Verney, possessed this work whilst studying at Cheam School, and took it upon himself to wreak all sorts of private havoc within its leaves. Between witty colour caricatures of his teachers, to a rather naughty list at the rear of the work which lists his teachers alongside their descriptions as 'brute', 'middling', 'beast' or 'cheat', Verney ensured that his character was ever preserved in the leaves of this work. What's more, this cheeky young chap grew up to become the designer of a version of four-player chess, as well as a prolific writer on the subject. A one-of-a-kind treasure, which reminded us that laughter is always good for you - particularly during an Ancient Greek lesson! Have a look at some more of Verney's brazen annotations here.


And finally, our header is taken from a 1910 edition of 'Bonaparte', a fantastic history of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, complete with colour plates.