101. Smyth, Nicola Josephine. (*1969)

“At the Crossroads of Growth”.

Original Artwork / Acrylic on Canvas. Ireland, 2006. Framed: 71 cm wide x 90 cm high. Artwork (canvas): 60 cm wide x 80 cm high. Signed.

102. Foster, Vere [Henry Louis / Lewis] / [Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire] / [Publisher Blackie & Son – Publishing House in Glasgow].

Publisher’s original “Private Library” – Correction-Copy of “The Two Duchesses”, for the “Second Edition”, with necessary alterations and wishes for changes marked by the corrector / publisher in pencil. Comparisons between pages allow to see the changes in effect if one compares the first and second edition. [A sensational find] / Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire – Family Correspondence of and Relating to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire, Earl of Bristol (Bishop of Derby), The Countess of Bristol, Lord and Lady Byron, The Earl of Aberdeen, Sir Augustus Foster Bart, and Others, 1777-1859. First Edition. With 17 illustrations.

London / Glasgow and Dublin, Blackie & Son Limited, 1898. Octavo (16 cm x 22,5 cm). XII, 497 pages with 16 full-page-illustrations and one small vignette, showing the Two Duchesses in cordial embrace. Hardcover / Original, green publisher’s cloth with gilt lettering and ornament to spine and armorial supralibro to cover with the Motto of the “British chivalric Order of the Garter”: “Honi soit qui mal y pense” [″shame on anyone who thinks evil of it”]. Excellent, very clean binding. Very good condition with some minor signs of wear only. “Publisher’s Copy” with the publisher’s library sticker and bookplate to pastedown: “Blackie & Son Limited – Private Library – Case Kd – Shelf 5” – Exlibris of Blackie & Son below the library-sticker.

103. [Cullen, Stephen] Anonymus.

The Haunted Priory: or, The Fortunes of The House of Rayo. A Romance founded partly on historical Facts.

The Second Edition / [Original Edition – This is NOT a reprint]. London, Printed for J. Bell, 1794. Small Octavo. 256 pages. Hardcover / Modern half-leather with gilt lettering on spine and paper-covered boards. In bespoke made clamshell-box / solander-box. Beautifully restored and bound by a master bookbinder. Including the original endpapers and the original half-title. Front free endpaper and halftitle with dampstain to lower corner only. Dampstain in lower corner of the titlepage only faintly present. One of the rarest titles of Irish Literature and one of the rarest, early gothic-novels / horror-novels. Extremely, sbsolutely scarce publication and in excellent condition after the beautiful restoration.

104. Williams, John Calthrop.

Practical Observations on Nervous and Sympathetic Palpitation of the Heart, as well as on Palpitation the Result of Organic Disease.

Second Edition. London, John Churchill, 1852. Octavo. VII, 207 pages with a 32 page catalogue of John Curchill’s publications to the rear. Modern Hardcover (green half maroquin) in custom made solander box. Remarkably rare book that has been extensively restored by master bookbindery “George Bayntun” in Bath, England. The pages have been all singlely restored and “japanese-paper-tissued”.

105. Wells, Percy A. (1867-1956) / [Letter by Morris, Mary ‘May’ (Designer)] / [Letter by Allom, Sir Charles Carrick (english decorator)] / [Letter by Garnett, Prof. William (Experimental Physics)] / [Letter by Henry, Jacob Solomon (Furniture Maker)] / Letter by Hems, Harry (English architectural and ecclesiastical sculptor)] / [Letter: Image, Selwyn (British Artist & Designer of the Arts & Crafts Movement)] / [Letter: Russell, Sir Sydney Gordon (English Designer & Craftsman) / [Letter: Quennell, Marjorie (Courtney) (British historian, illustrator and Museum Curator at The Geffrye Museum) //

Small Archive / Manuscript Material, Letters, Designs, Books and Pamphlets as well as vintage photographs of Furniture like Chairs (Percy A. Wells Chair), Wardrobe, Advertising of Exhibitions [chaired for example by Christopher Hussey], etc. etc. This material all originates from Percy A. Wells’ personal collection and sensationally also includes a manuscript notebook / sketchbook with his drawings, designs and a detailed, typescript with autobiographical memories in which Wells details his decades of being involved in Furniture Design. Loosely inserted in the manuscript notebook / sketchbook, is a signed manuscript letter on stationery of Kelmscott Manor by Mary ‘May’ Morris, daughter of the Pre-Raphaelite artist and designer William Morris and his wife and artists’ model, Jane Morris [included is ephemeral material which for example informs about a pair of Episcopal Gloves, designed by William Morris’s daughter [May Morris] and the clipping continues: “Those who remember Morris’s attitude towards the Church will smile and reflect upon time’s revenges”]. The collection includes an abundance of information which easily can lead to a monograph on the life of Percy A. Wells. Detailed description of the Archive and all materials contained below (more details will be listed constantly).

Dulwich / Shoreditch / London a.o., Percy A.Wells Private Library, c.1900-c.1920. Octavo / Quarto / Folio. Hardcover Folder with loosely inserted material like letters and photographs, envelopes, signed and inscribed books and rare pamphlets with designs etc. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Fantstic Archive and lots of unpublished material of one of the more eminent Cabinet, Furniture and Chair – Designers which resulted from inspiration by William Morris’ Kelmscott – School. Percy A. Wells Chairs are still in regular demand today and sell for stunning prices (3000 £ etc.).

106. Vallancey, Charles / Piers, Sir Henry [Provenance: Abraham Abell (Cork City)].

Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis – Five-Volume-Set with thirteen (13) Numbers (I – XIII) plus “A Vindication of the Ancient History of Ireland” and “Anecdotes of Chess in Ireland”. [See full list of Numbers, Chapters and Illustrations below and detailed images on our website].

Dublin, Thomas Ewing, 1770 – 1790. Octavo (13,5 cm wide x 21,5 cm high). Pagination: Volume I (contains Numbers I, II, III, IV): Frontispiece-Portrait, XIV, [6 unnumbered pages of “Contents”], 636 pages, [2] pages with the contents-page misbound [2], and 24 pages on “The Brehon Laws of Ireland” to the rear of the Volume. Volume I includes three illustrations (including the Large Folding-Map of Meath)/ Volume II (contains Numbers V, VI, VII, VIII, IX): 562 pages and 10 illustrations (including the Large Folding-Plan of the City of Kilkenny) / Volume III (contains Numbers X, XI, XII): LXX, 682 pages with one illustration (being the Large Fold-Out-Map of “Antient Ireland” by William Beauford) and VI Tables on two large sheets in the rear of the Volume (containing Orthography/Names of Numbers in different Languages, Names of Numbers of some of the Indians of America etc. etc. compared to the antient Irish) / Volume IV (contains Number XIII of Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis and “A Vindication of the Ancient History of Ireland” by Charles Vallancey”): LX, 161 pages (being the end of Number XIII), plus Pagination for “The Vindication of the Ancient History of Ireland”: Frontispiece-Map of Europe and Asia, XLVIII, 551 pages, followed by 16 unnumbered pages of an Index for “The Ancient History of Ireland”, followed by X (10) Plates (mainly fold-out plates with numerous illustrations for the “Ancient History of Ireland”, aslo included is a text-illustration “Inscription in the Cave of New Grange (page 212). / Volume V of Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis: 368 pages plus Hardcover / Original 19th century full-leather with gilt lettering and ornament to spine. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Spine of Volume Three is coming apart. From the library of Cork Antiquarian Abraham Abell, with an inscription and original manuscript letter by his friend and “Brother Antiquarian”, John Bennett, 9 Academy St., 18th September, 1841.

107. [The Rare Volume One] – O’Brien, Fitz-James.

The Diamond Lens [14 pages in: The Atlantic Monthly, Volume I – January, 1858 – No. III] – Here on Offer is a the original bound inaugural Volume I of “The Atlantic Monthly”, signed and inscribed, possibly by a distant family-member of Fitz-James O’Brien: “D.D.O’Brien, Mallow” – “Presented by D.D.O’Brien to L. O’Kelly”. A later, 19th century ownership-signature is: “John L. Williams”. The entire Volume includes the following numbers: Volume I – November 1857 – No.I. / Volume I – December 1857 – No. II. / Volume I – January 1858 – No. III. / Volume I – February 1858 – No. IV. / Volume I – March 1858 – No. V. / Volume I – April 1858 – No. VI //

Boston, The Atlantic Monthly, 1857-1858. Octavo. IV, 768 pages. Hardcover / Original Half-leather with gilt lettering on spine. Binding in poor but still good + condition with some stronger signs of wear, spine starting, mild foxing throughout and some faded damp-staining to the outer paper-margins inside only. Endpaper, Half-title and titlepage slightly detached. This is the very rare inaugural Atlantic Volume with a wonderful irish provenance, possibly even a relation to Fitz-James O’Brien.

108. [Somerville & Ross] / Verling, John / [Edith Somerville & Violet Martin].

Somerville & Ross – Portfolio of ten (10) original, large Etchings by John Verling [signed].

Ballydehob / Schull, John Verling & Schull Books, 1984. Folio – Sheets (38.2 cm x 28.5 cm). Ten original etchings in bespoke Folder with original tissue-guards. Original Hardcover-Folder with one additional, signed inlay-etching to frontcover. The ten etchings and the folder with the original inlay-art, are all in mint condition. The etchings all protected by their original tissue guards. A stunning publication of a wonderful West Cork – Artist. A must-have for all collector’s of rare and signed Somerville & Ross collectables, this find is simply an unusual occurance because the artwork was originally designed to be framed. One usually never finds this edition with the artwork still in its original folder !

109. Sikes, Sylvia / [Natural History of the African Elephant]

Personal Papers / Archive of Material Related to the Life and Career of Zoologist Sylvia Sikes, the Foremost African Elephant Specialist of her time. All materials from her personal collection / working copies and manuscript material. Including her extensive, two-volume-thesis: “Cardiovascular Disease in Freeliving Wild Animals with particular Reference to the African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)”. A collection of professional and academic papers, copies of Sikes’ monographs, zoological manuscripts and a plethora of photographs and personal newsletters, letters, pamphlets and manuscripts spanning seven decades of Sikes’ personal and professional life in Africa and the UK. The collection is composed of 92 specific pieces (some of which are comprised of one or more items). A detailed bibliography of the collection has been outlined in a Word Document (please request). The collection also includes personal copies of three monographs Sylvia Sikes has published, an original copy of her two-volume doctoral thesis, 37 academic articles and 5 unpublished draft manuscripts. There are also 7 booklets and a book by a third author among the collection. The collection is rounded off by a large number of vintage colour and monochrome photographs, letters, single-sheet newsletters, newspaper and magazine cuttings.

Africa and the UK, Various, 1937 – 2012. 21 cm x 26 cm – 24.5 cm x 31 cm. Circa 2,500+ pages. Numerous monochrome and colour photographs throughout the collection. Includes Hardcover book with dustjacket, softcover book, reprints of academic journal articles in paper wrappers and a variety of loose material in cellophane files. The archive, running from 1937 to 2012, is contained in two green (24.5 cm x 31 cm x 10.5 cm) boxes, four additional folders (32 cm x 24 cm) and two hardcover volumes (21.5 cm x 26cm). Very good condition.

110. Schmidt, Arno.

Collection of 73 publications by and on eminent german writer Arno Schmidt / Sammlung mit 73 Titeln von und über den bedeutenden deutschen Schriftsteller Arno Schmidt. / The collection comes from the private collection of an Arno Schmidt-aficionado and includes most of the important publications in german and english language. In addition also some audiobooks, documentary film and Literary Criticism. / Die Sammlung stammt aus der Privatbibliothek eines Arno Schmidt-Enthusiasten und enthält nahezu alle bedeutenden Werke von und über Arno Schmidt und neben den Hauptwerken ausserdem den Dokumentarfilm sowie zahlreiche Hörbücher.

[More than 90 Volumes in total]. Frankfurt / Zurich / Bargfeld, Hoffmann & Campe / S.Fischer / Haffmanns / Arno-Schmidt-Stiftung, c.1971 – 2016. Diverse Formate: Octavo / Folio / Quarto. Mehr als 20000 Seiten. Original Hardcover / Original Softcover. Besides some minor signs of external wear to some of the Volumes, some mild foxing etc., the collection is overall in either very good or excellent condition. Please see detailed and extensive photographic evidence of the collection on our website. [The price for this heavy and opulent collection includes worldwide free shipping per UPS Express Courier (2 – 7 days of international express-shipping per UPS Express Saver)].