51. Gilpin, William. [Castle-Freke Library Bookplates]

Collection of four Volumes (bound in two) by Gilpin – All from the historical library at Castle Freke (Castlefreke, West Cork / Ireland). The Volumes include: I. & II. Observations Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, Made in the Year 1776, on Several Parts of Great Britain; particularly the High-Lands of Scotland. [Second Edition, with an “Account of the Prints” bound to the rear] / III. Observations on the River Wye and several Parts of South Wales &c. relative chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; Made in the summer of the Year 1770 (Third Edition). / IV. An Essay on Prints – [″The chief intention of the following work was to put the elegant amusement of collecting prints, on a more rational footing; by giving the unexperienced collector a few principles and cautions to assist him”] (Fourth Edition with the printed dedication “To the Honorable Horace Walpole in Deference to his Taste in the Polite Arts; and the Valuable Researches he has made to improve them; the following work is inscribed by his most obedient and very humble servant, William Gilpin”). [Volumes I & II with 40 original illustrations and vintage 18th century maps [correctly 39 illustrations and one table], for example of Loch Lomond and the Firth of Forth/ all illustrations are vintage mezzotint-plates].

Mixed Editions. Four Volumes (bound in two). London, Printed for R. Blamire, Strand, 1792. Octavo. Pagination: Volume I: XI, [1], 221 pages with 24 mezzotints / Volume II: 195, XVI pages with 16 mezzotints and an “Account of the Prints” as well as “Translations of Latin Passages” / [Volume III]: [River Wye]: XVI, 152 pages with 16 (of 17) full – page mezzotints / [Volume IV]: [An Essay on Prints]: XIII, [3], 174 pages plus XI pages Index and 1 page Errata. Hardcover / Early 19th century quarter – morocco with gilt lettering and ornament on spine. Both volumes bound in unison. Very good + condition with only minor signs of external wear. Pages 185 – 191 of Volume I with some stronger browning. Otherwise the interior very clean. All mezzotints in very good or even better condition. This is the original copy from the historical Castle-Freke Library in West Cork (Ireland), with two armorial bookplates to front and rear pastedown with the family’s motto ‘Pro Patria’. With two pages of manuscript annotations by a contemporary hand with a reference between the common name “Tarbet” in Scotland and a place-name in County Kerry in Ireland” (pages 13 of Volume II) / another entry is on page 12 of Volume II regarding the name-sake “Loch-Loung” for a Lake of ships in Scotland and Ireland.

52. Stuart de Rothesay, Charles Stuart, Baron (1779-1845) / Strangford, Percy Clinton Sydney Smythe, 6th Viscount (1780 – 1855).

Original, unpublished letter by Anglo-Irish diplomat, Percy Clinton Sydney Smythe, 6th Viscount Strangford, to Sir Charles Stuart [Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay], asking him for a favour to send a Lantern to an address in Paris [?]. Strangford writes from his post as British Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Stockholm, where he was posted between 1817 and 1820.

Stockholm, 1819. 2 octavo – pages on 1 sheet, folded. Excellent condition. Signed by Strangford.

53. Stuart de Rothesay, Charles Stuart, Baron (1779-1845) / Hay, Robert William (1786-1861) / Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (1780 – 1831) [Baron de Rousseau – French Orientalist and French Consul at Tripoli] / Alexander Gordon Laing (1794 – 1826) [Scottish explorer and the first European to reach Timbuktu] / Hanmer Warrington / Foreign Secretary for Prime Minister Wellington, George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen [Lord Aberdeen].

Original, unpublished and meaningful letter by British official and Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, Sir Robert William Hay, addressed with urgency to former secret agent in Spain and Portugal, Sir Charles Stuart de Rothesay, Scottish nobleman, and English ambassador to France (1815-1830); alerting Ambassador Charles Stuart of Hay’s arrival in Paris and his wish to ask him if he has “anything to communicate to me in regard to that Royal [Baron] Rousseau, The Barbary Consul”. Hay is in this letter preparing Stuart in order to investigate the situation around the death of explorer Alexander Gordon Laing in Africa. Under-Secretary for the Colonies, Sir R[obert] W.Hay, who had been informed about the situation around Laing’s missing Journals per private letter from the British Consul in Tripoli, Hanmer Warrington, announces his arrival in Paris to protest to the French government and advices ambassador Stuart:″I conclude that he [Baron Jean-Baptiste Rousseau] is by this time out of guarantiae, but I hope that by ensuing at Paris he will only get out of the frying Pan with the fire”. Hay continues: “I hope you will go with me (in case it be necessary) to the Minister, whoever he may be, in [?] Departement this ….were incredibly false for it. The French Govt. are really disposed & prosecute the Enquiry bon a fide. I think that same may acq…[….]…..on the other hand, if the French Govt. do not enter into y. enquiry with a good spirit, it will be in Rousseau’s …..to baffle me with the utmost facility in all our attempts to get at the truth. I spoke to Lord Aberdeen [George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Foreign Secretary for Prime Minister Wellington] on the day I left London, & he gave me full permission to conduct measures with you for the …of this affair. Yours very truly R.W.Hay”.

[London], [1829]. 5 octavo – pages on 2 sheets, folded. Excellent condition. Signed by Hay and dated probably “Monday, 19 Oct. [1829]”.

54. [Sinclair, Sir George] Grant, James.

Memoirs of Sir George Sinclair, Bart., of Ulbster. [Includes the “Interview with the First Napoleon”].

London, Tinsley Brothers, 1870. Large – Octavo. Portrait – Frontispiece with printed signature, X, 484 oages. Hardcover / Original half leather with gilt lettering and ornament on spine. Binding slightly rubbed, Interior a little dusty but otherwise in very good condition with some minor signs of wear only.

55. [Riddell, Charlotte Elizabeth] / [Riddell, William Easton].

A Bright Sunset – Or, Recollections of the Last Days of a Young Scottish Football Player. With introductory Note by J.H.Wilson.

First Edition. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1884. Small Octavo. Pagination: Original portrait photograph of William Easton Riddell as Frontispiece, VI, (2), 142 pages with two wood-engravings (″Toward Point” and “Up the Kyles in the Ariel”). Original, beautifully illustrated Hardcover with a football-scene on the front board, gilt lettering and floral elements. Excellent condition with only minor signs of external wear. The rare first edition with the original photograph of William Easton Riddell. Private giftinscription on the front free endpaper.

56. Grand Lodge of Edinburgh.

The Constitution and Laws of the Grand Lodge of Antient [sic] Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland.

First Edition. Edinburgh, Grand Lodge of Edinburgh and Grand Secrertary, 1958. 14.5 cm x 21.5 cm. VI, 178 pages. Original Hardcover (green cloth with gilt emblemata on the boards). Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Signed: “Provincial Grand Secretary – 1st March, 1959”. This is an amended version, probably the copy of the Grand Secretary himself, in which clean, red highlighted corrections have been made by hand with printed errata leaves tipped in on three locations within the publication. Rare !

57. [Stevenson, Robert Louis] Simpson, E. Blantyre.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Edinburgh Days. Illustrated.

London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1913. 15 cm x 22 cm. Frontispiece (R.L.S. “A deal of Aerial, just a streak of Puck, Much Anthony, of Hamlet most of all, And something of the shorter Catechist” W.E. Henley), VI, 293 pages. Several illustrations (also tipped-in-plates) of Edinburgh throughout some of which are portraits of Stevenson at different times in his life. Hardcover / Original publisher’s cloth with gilt embossed logo and gilt lettering on front board. Deckled fore and bottom edge. Excellent condition with only minor signs of external wear. Very decent, private giftinscription on endpaper. Protective tissue-guards for illustrations intact throughout. Spine slightly sunned.

58. Sinclair, John.

The Statistical Account of Scotland. Drawn up from the Communications of the ministers of the Different Parishes. Collection of five Volumes including Volumes 7 (1793), 8 (1793), 10 (1794), 11 (1794) and 19 (1797). Including the County of Fife, County of Ayr, Syno of Glasgow etc.

Original Edition. 5 Volumes. Edinburgh, William Creech, 1793 – 1797. Octavo. Collation: Volume 7: VI, 625 pages / Volume 8: (3), 650 pages / Volume 10: VIII, 637 pages / Volume 11: (4), 627 pages / Volume 19: VI, 631 pages. Illustrated with maps and illustrations ! Modern Hardcover (half cloth with marbled-paper covered boards. New endpapers. Excellent recent Masterbindings). Excellent condition of all five Volumes. Paper and illustrations in wonderful condition.