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Literature
Great works of literature, often in their first edition. Classic and familiar stories as well as tales you have never heard before. We go back through four hundred years of storytelling.
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1874 Poems and Letters of Thomas GrayLondon: 1874A finely bound Riviere & Son edition of Gray's poems and letters, featuring monochrome tipped-in illustrations and an Eton prize label. -
1789 An Account of the Pelew Islands, Situated in the Western Part of the Pacific OceanLondon: 1789Illustrated with an impressive folding map, this is the third edition of George Keate's account of the wreck of the Antelope in the Pelew Islands, and their subsequent interactions with the Pacific Islanders. -
1821 4 Vols The Works of Robert Burns: Including His Letters to Clarinda, and the Whole of His Suppressed Poems; With an Essay on His Life, Genius, and CharacterLondon: 1821A handsome four-volume set of the works of Robert Burns, featuring his poems, songs, letters, including the famed “Clarinda” correspondence, suppressed pieces, and a biographical essay. -
1816 The Poet's Pilgrimage to WaterlooLondon: 1816The second edition of this long narrative poem from English poet Robert Southey, with illustrations. -
1906 Abyssinia of To-day: An account of the first mission Sent by the American Government to the Court of the King of Kings (1903-1904)London: 1906The first edition of Robert P Skinner's uncommon account of his time in Abyssinia (Ethiopia), a very smart illustrated account of the author's mission to establish a trade deal in Ethiopia. -
1805 Original Poems for Infant Minds by Several Young PersonsLondon: 1805A vanishingly scarce copy of the third edition of this volume of poems for children, featuring works by Jane and Ann Taylor, O'Keeffe, and others, including the classic poem “My Mother.” -
1928 L. E. L. A Mystery of the ThirtiesLondon: 1928A smart first edition of D. E. Enfield's scarce work on Letitia Elizabeth Landon's life, work and mysterious death. -
1835 The Lay of the Last MinstrelLondon: 1835The illustrated edition of Sir Walter Scott's narrative poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel. -
1856 The ListenerLondon: 1856A smartly bound eleventh edition of this collection of life stories and moral lessons from British writer Caroline Fry, complete in one volume. -
1869 Albert Durer: His Life and WorksLondon: 1869A smartly bound first edition of this biographical study of German artist of the Renaissance, Albrecht Durer. -
1922 Young Boswell: Chapters on James Boswell the Biographer Based Largely on New MaterialLondon: 1922A richly illustrated first edition of this work exploring James Boswell’s formative years and legacy as Samuel Johnson’s famed biographer. -
1885 Risen by Perseverance; Or, Lives of Self-Made MenEdinburgh: 1885A smartly bound copy of this collection of biographical sketches of important and inspirational self-made men. -
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1859 The Poems of Oliver GoldsmithLondon: 1859A first edition of this collection of the poetry of Oliver Goldsmith with illustrations, a presentation copy inscribed by the editor. -
1926 2vol Fifty Years of ParliamentLondon: 1926A leather bound first edition two volume set of H. H. Asquith's reflections on his time in Parliament, with illustrations. -
1929 The Legion BookLondon: 1929A smart fifth impression of this collection of works dedicated to H. R. H. The Prince of Wales. -
1822 Journal of a Visit to Some Parts of EthiopiaLondon: 1822Illustrated throughout, this is the first edition of Cambridge academics George Waddington and Rev. Barnard Hanbury's travels in Africa while disguised as Turks. -
1974 The Poems of Samuel JohnsonOxford: 1974A smart second edition of this collection of the poetry of renowned English writer Dr. Samuel Johnson. -
1952 2vol Johnson's England: An Account of the Life & Manners of His AgeOxford: 1952Two volumes of the corrected edition of this study on the England of Samuel Johnson's time, with illustrations. -
1848 A Three Years' Cruize in the Mozambique Channel for the Suppression of the Slave TradeLondon: 1848The very scarce first edition of Lieut. Frederick Lamport Barnard's account of three years spent patrolling the Mozambique channel in order to suppress the slave trade. -
1952-1963 4vol A Collection from the Yale Edition of the Private Papers of James BoswellLondon: 1952-1963A collection of four smart volumes from the Yale Editions of The Private Papers of James Boswell. -
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2001 According to QueeneyLondon: 2001A first edition, first impression of According to Queeney, signed and inscribed by the author, Beryl Bainbridge, five-time Booker nominee and sole recipient of the “Booker Best of Beryl” prize. -
1986-1986 2vol Boswell: The English Experiment & The Great BiographerLondon: 1986-1989Two smart volumes from the Yale Editions of The Private Papers of James Boswell. -
1889 A Visit to Stanley's Rear-Guard at Major Barttelot's Camp on the AruhwimiEdinburgh and London: 1889An exceptionally bright example of the uncommon first edition of J. R. Werner's narrative of the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition led by Henry Morton Stanley. -
1843 A Private Journal Kept During the Niger ExpeditionLondon: 1843A bright example of the scarce first edition of William Simpson's account of William Allen's anti-slavery expedition and negotiations with Nigerian chiefs. -
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1983 The Poems of William AustinOxford: 1983A signed limited edition of The Poems of William Austin, being one of 150 copies printed by Vivian Ridler with an introduction by Anne Ridler, signed by both. -
1819 A Narrative of the Expedition to Algiers in the Year 1816London: 1819Illustrated throughout, this is a handsome example of the first edition of Abraham Salame's narrative of Lord Exmouth's expedition to end slavery on the Barbary Coast. -
1919 Seven MenLondon: 1919A very smart first edition of Beerbohm's Seven Men, five short stories by English caricaturist and writer Max Beerbohm, praised by Virginia Woolf as "a little masterpiece." -
1933 Letters of Robert BrowningLondon: 1933A very smart first UK edition of the collected letters of Robert Browning with the vanishingly scarce original dust wrapper. -
1964-1979 6vol The Yale Edition of The Works of Samuel JohnsonNew Haven: 1964-1979A collection of six volumes from The Yale Edition of the Works of Samuel Johnson, with the original dust wrappers. -
1930 Nettles: Criterion Miscellany, No. 11London: 1930A first edition copy of this collection of poetry by renowned modernist author D. H. Lawrence, part of the Criterion Miscellany. -
1931 Bibliography of William HazlittLondon: 1931A pleasing copy of the limited edition of this bibliography of the works of William Hazlitt compiled by Geoffrey Keynes. -
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1983 Edward Gordon Craig: The last eight years 1958-1966, letters from Ellen Gordon CraigAldoversford: 1983A limited edition biographical work on Edward Gordon Craig, the noted theatre actor and director, told through letters from his daughter, and signed by his son Edward Craig. -
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1933-1939 Nine Signed Novels by TaffrailLondon: 1933-1939Signed association copies of the first editions of nine thrilling novels from Taffrail, each inscribed to the author's secretary, Mrs. Mitchell, who typed up the author's handwritten manuscripts and offered editorial advice. -
1679-91 Five Sermons Preached by John SharpeLondon: 1679-91A collection of very scarce seventeenth century sermons by the English divine and Archbishop of York, John Sharp. -
1913 The Hungarian Fairy BookLondon: 1913A handsome example of the first edition of Nandor Pogany's scarce volume of Hungarian fairy tales, beautifully illustrated by his brother, Willy Pogany.