1. [Autobiography Cities and Men] – Luke, Sir Harry [Luke, Harry Charles].

Cities And Men: An Autobiography [Working copy of Sir Harry Luke with original letters and notes included / With manuscript annotations in the chapter on Cyprus “The Enchanted Island”]. Volume I and II in one.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. London, Geoffrey Bles, 1953. 22 cm x 14,5 cm. Volume I: 245 pages / Volume II: 256 pages. Original Hardcover. Sir Harry Luke’s (Lukach) personal copy. With annotations and markings by Harry Luke. Some rubbing to spine, bumping to boards. Otherwise in good condition.

2. [Catharine II] Castera, Jean-Henri / Tooke, William.

The Life of Catharine II. Empress of Russia. With Eleven Elegant Portraits, A View of the Fortress of Schlusselburg, and a correct Map of the Russian Empire.

The Fourth Edition, with Great Additions and a copious Index. Three Volumes (complete set with all portraits and illustrations and map). London, T.N.Longman and O. Rees, 1800. Quarto. Volume I: Frontispiece with two Portraits, XI, Large Folded Map of “The Russian Empire”, 520 pages and a full-page-engraving of Fortress Schlusselburg / Volume II: Frontispiece with five Portraits, VIII, 485 pages plus three pages of a Bookcatalogue of Publisher’s Longman & Rees / Volume III: Frontispiece with four Portraits, VIII, 563 pages plus five pages of a Bookcatalogue from Publisher’s Longman & Rees. Hardcover / Modern half-leather with marbled-paper-covered boards and new endpapers. All three Volumes have been beautifully rebound by our favourite bookbindery in Frankfurt / Germany. All Volumes are now in protective Mylar. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. From the library of Daniel Conner (Connerville / Manch House), with his Exlibris / Bookplate to pastedown.

3. de Waal, Edmund.

The Hare With Amber Eyes – A Family’s Century of Art and Loss.

11th edition. New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010. 15 cm x 21.5 cm. 354 pages. Several black and white photographs and illustrations throughout. Original Hardcover with the rare illustrated dustjacket in protective collector’s Mylar. Stunning condition with only minor signs of external wear. Out of print Hardcover – Version.

4. Foster, Vere [Henry Louis / Lewis] / [Emily Albinia “Alba” Foster] / [Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire].

Amazing Vere Foster-Collection including Educational Materials and as a centerpiece the “Presentation Copy of “The Two Duchesses” with Autograph / Manuscript – Letter by Vere Foster to his niece, Emily Albinia “Alba” Foster. With a stunning, unpublished, two-page-letter, revealing several important details about the immediately favorable reviews and reception of the book [″in the Daily Telegraph”] and Vere Foster’s disdain about some criticism from one J.Donohue [which led to an alteration in the second edition of the book]. Vere Foster is also expecting a review to appear in the “Athenaeum” but reports “the Athenaeum has nothing yet”. Vere Foster apologizes to his niece for the delay in sending the book and explains that he had left 12 “parcels″£ with Blackie’s agent and gave instructions to send them but a few days later found they had been “untouched”. / The Two Duchesses – 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. [See Full list of items which are part of this collection, on our website under the topic “Libraries & Collections”].

First Edition. London / Glasgow and Dublin, Blackie & Son Limited, 1898. Octavo (15 cm x 22 cm). Pagination: Frontispiece, IX, [3], 497 pages with 18 Illustrations (including frontispiece and one Vignette of the two Duchesses opposite page 1). Hardcover / Original, publisher’s green cloth with gilt lettering on spine. Very good condition with some minor signs of wear only. This is an astonishing find for the Vere Foster Research Community and the letter gives significant insight into the importance the publication had for him, its reception as seen by Vere Foster and it solves the riddle why an altertaion was necessary for the second edition [which Vere Foster explains in a brief note to the reader at the beginning of the second edition]. The heartfelt inscription to his niece Albinia Foster is also of great importance and to our knowledge the only presentation-copy of this book on the international market for the several decades we can look back at auction records.

5. 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.

6. Foster, Vere [Henry Louis / Lewis] / [Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire].

The Two Duchesses – 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”]. Very good condition with some minor signs of wear only. “Presentation Copy of “The Two Duchesses” with Autograph / Manuscript – Letter by Vere Foster to his niece, Emily Albinia “Alba” Foster. With a stunning, unpublished, two-page manuscript letter, revealing several important details about the immediately favorable reviews and reception of the book “Two Duchesses” [″in the Daily Telegraph”] and Vere Foster’s disdain about some criticism from one J.Donohue [which led to an alteration in the second edition of the book]. Vere Foster is also expecting a review to appear in the “Athenaeum” but reports: “the Athenaeum has nothing yet”. Vere Foster apologizes to his niece for the delay in sending the book and explains that he had left 12 “parcels” with Blackie’s agent and gave instructions to send them, but a few days later found they had been “untouched”. One of the most important finds of Vere Foster – Material in recent years with no sign of similar material on offer in the past years on the international market.

7. Foster, Vere [Henry Louis / Lewis] / [Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire].

The Two Duchesses – 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. Second Edition [Revised] Unique version of the second edition, with a multitude of additional, uncalled-for illustrations (Portraits) and an original engraving of Harper’s Ferry (Virginia).

One Volume bound in two Volumes due to added images (complete set). London / Glasgow and Dublin, Blackie & Son Limited, 1898. Octavo (15 cm x 22 cm). Pagination: Volume I: An extra-illustrated edition, with 96 plates instead of the only 18 plates which were called for according to the inventory pages of the set. Hardcover / Two stunning, privately commissioned, red morocco bindings with five raised bands as well as gilt lettering and ornament to spine, boards and inner pastedown-borders. Excellent condition with some minor signs of wear only. Both Volumes firm and endpapers intact. Interior beautiful and clean with a plethora of illustrations added into this rare second edition with the portraits reflecting personalities touched upon in the letters published by Vere Foster. The often rare portraits of contemporaries to the Duchess of Devonshire and Vere Foster’s father, Sir Augustus Foster, are of significance since many of them are now scarce as well.

8. [Frame, Janet], Alley, Elizabeth

The Inward Sun – Celebrating the Life and Work of Janet Frame. Selected and Edited by Elizabeth Alley.

Wellington, New Zealand, Daphe Brasell Associates Press, 1994. 14 cm x 22 cm. 214 pages. One black and white portrait photograph of Janet Frame by Jane Ussher on frontispiece. Softcover. Designed by Margaret Cochran. Edited by Ruth Munro. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Rare ! Out-of-Print !

9. [Hoover, J. Edgar] Gentry, Curt.

J. Edgar Hoover, The Man and His Secrets.

New York, Plume, 1992. 15 cm x 23 cm. 846 Pages. Original Softcover. Excellent condition with only very minor signs of external wear.

10. Jones, Stephen.

A New Biographical Dictionary: Containing a brief account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons and remarkable characters in every age and nation.

Fourth edition (corrected). London, Robinson / Longman and Rees / Wallis, 1802. 8.5 x 13.5cm. Unpaginated. Hardcover / Contemporary, full morocco with gilt lettering on spine and gilt tooling on board edges. Marbled endpapers and all edges gilt. Very minor signs of wear to spine and corners, otherwise excellent condition. Binding solid and text clear and bright. Previous owner’s name on title page: “Susan Courteney, died 10 June 1808”.