71. Congo / Kongo – Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909) – King of the Belgians and Owner / Absolute Ruler of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908.

Collection of four very important and meaningful manuscript letters by Leopold II to his administrator and Foreign Minister of the Congo – Free-State, Baron Adolphe de Cuvelier (1860-1931) with a total of 16 pages filled with Leopold’s instructions on pressing issues regarding a warning about an imminent visit by the Rector of the Mill-Hill Missionaries [probably Herbert Alfred Henry Vaughan (1832 – 1903)] and Leopold’s qualification of the visit of being detrimental to the Congo Free State (″ne travaillent pas pour l’État”). Leopold continues in another letter to talk about the hostile positions of english officials (consuls) and missionaries (″que les consuls anglais et les missionnaires anglais se conduisent bien mal envers l’État”). Interestingly, Leopold also touches on the nuisance of the german press criticizing Belgian Railway Lines and he is of the opinion that this is all happening in order to force the german parliament [″Reichstag”] to finance the building of the Tanganyika Railway [between Dar es Salaam and Kigoma]: (″cherche à effrayer l’opinion [en] Allemagne à propos de mes chemins de fer afin d’obtenir du Reichstag des fonds pour la ligne allemande vers le Tanganika”.

16 pages of MLS, Manuscript Letters (signed) on 10 leaves of Leopold’s official stationery “Château de Laeken” and “Palais de Bruxelles”. Laeken / Brussels, Château de Laeken [Palace of Laeken], 1901 – 1906. The leaves with different sizes (13,5 cm x 9 cm) and (18 cm x 11,5 cm). Excellent condition. Unsigned. Tremendously rare to find original letters by Leopold II on the open market in which the Colonial Free State and the protection against inquisitive visitors is discussed in such clear and instructive fashion. Leopold’s correspondence with Adolphe de Cuvelier shows how he is very much trying to still protect and influence the narrative of his Colonial Slavery Outpost even in the final years of his life.

72. Dickens, Charles.

Collection of six First Editions, all bound uniformely around 1850 and all in their original state. A stunning set with nearly all of the books in their First state of First Edition printing and with all plates complete. The collection includes: Bleak House / Little Dorrit / Nicholas Nickleby / Martin Chuzzlewit / Dombey and Son / David Copperfield. A very rare occasion in which a contemporary 19th-century lover of Dickens’ Literature had all Novels in their first edition bound to his/her liking. The mid-19th-century bindings beautiful in their simplicity and uniform style.

London, Chapman and Hall, 1839 – 1857. Octavo. Hardcover / Mid-19th-century Half-Leather with gilt lettering on spine. Original marbled endpapers. Very good condition with only few layers and illustrations loosened and the usual tanning to the illustrations. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. [The David Copperfield Volume has a defect (see detailed description below)]. Perfect collection of first editions to start a Dickens-Collection in contemporary, 19th-century bindings.

73. Holme, Randle [Randle Holme III (1627–1700)] / [Provenance: Thomas Pennant].

The Academy of Armory, or, A Storehouse of Armory and Blazon. Containing the several variety of Created Beings, and how born in Coats of Arms, both Foreign and Domestick. With the instruments used in all Trades and Sciences, together with their Terms of Art. Also the Etymologies, Definitions, and Historical Observations on the same, explicated and explained according to our modern Language. Very usefel [sic] for all Gentlemen, Scholars, Divines, and all such as Desire any Knowledge in Arts and Sciences. By Randle Holme, of the City of Chester, Gentleman Sewer in Extraordinary to his late Majesty King Charles 2. And sometimes Deputy for the Kings of Arms. [With 48 Plates, showing hundreds of symbols].

First Edition. Chester, Printed for the Author, 1688. Folio (24 cm x 35 cm). Pagination: Engraved Titlepage by P. Edwards, Printed Titlepage, [10 unnumbered], [Book I]: 107, [9 unnumbered] pages / Book II: [1], 488 pages / Book III: [1], 501, [1 unnumbered] pages / Plus [Bound with the rare Index]: “Index of the Names of Persons contained in the Academy of Armory and Blazon by Randle Holme. Printed at Chester in One Volume, Folio, 1688”. London, McMillan / Robert Triphook, 1821. Pagination: [1], 46 pages. Hardcover / Modern Masterbinding with original endpapers bound in, bearing all the original ExLibris of previous owners. Stunning, modern half-leather with marbled-paper-covered Boards and gilt lettering on spine. All edges in original gilt. In protective Mylar. Provenance: From the library of welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant. Historically inherited from Thomas Pennant’s father, David Pennant of Bighton, who received it as gift from Randle Holme. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. See original, tipped-in, sales-note from AUctioneer “Henry Young and Sons Ltd.”. See also extensive images on our company’s web site. An extremely rare book, purchased as Duplicate from the Historical Library of the Athenaeum in Liverpool, with an ExLibris of the “Public Libraries of Liverpool” decommissioned from the “Historic Society of Lancashire & Cheshire”, formerly presented with an original ExLibris from “Jacob Kendrick of Warrington” (with his original ExLibris). Titlepage by Edwards cropped and pasted on stronger paper. Original titlepage cropped and pasted on normal paper (these two defects were already indentified by auctioneer Henry Young & Sons” and are clear markers of this being the original Randle Holme-Pennant-copy. Contents-page slightly frayed only. Corner of one page in the contents section torn. An extremely scarce publication, especially with the addition of the later published Index of Names. Interior in excellent condition.