51. 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.

52. Lewis, Sinclair.

It Can’t Happen Here [The Novel that tells you what will happen to your family if America gets a Dictator].

4th Reprint of the 1939 Edition (with the rare dustjacket). New York, Triangle Books, 1941. Octavo. 458 pages. Original publisher’s Hardcover with the rare, illustrated dustjacket, including the rear flap with the photograph of an idyllic american living-room secenery. In protective Mylar. From the private library of Walter Blake, with his personal stamp to the titlepage. In excellent condition with only minor signs of wear. The dustjacket extremely scarce in this condition.

53. Ligon, Richard.

A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes [sic] / [Barbados]. Illustrated with a Map of the Island [missing], as also the Principal Trees and Plants there, set forth in their due Proportions and Shapes, drawn out by their several and respective Scales. Together with the Ingenio that makes the Sugar, with the Plots of the several Houses, Rooms, and other places, that are used in the whole process of Sugar-making; viz. the Grinding-house, Still-house, and Furnaces; All cut in Copper.

[Second Edition]. London, Printed, and are to be sold by Peter Parker, at his Shop at the Leg and Star over against the Royal Exchange, and Thomas Guy at the corner Shop of Little Lumbard-street and Cornhill, 1673. Small-Folio (19 cm x 29 cm). [II], 122 pages plus an unnumbered Index-page (bound, according to instructions for the bookbinder after page 84), lacking the Fold-out-Map of Barbados but including all six illustrations of Plants, as well as the three diagrams of Houses and Production-Rooms for Sugar. 19th-century Hardcover (half-leather with gilt lettering on spine). Condition of Binding: Very good condition with only minor signs of wear to the binding / Condition of bookblock: Original, front free endpaper was preserved and bound in. Rear endpaper missing. The original endpaper includes two historical ownership-signatures in ink (c.17th or early 18th century) as well as several annotations in ink and pencil. The previous owners seem to have been one Richard Gardner and there is an additional notation verso which reads: “E[x] Libris Richmondi Garnays [or Garneys]”. Some ink-annotations or corrections throughout the book. Signs of old bookworm – damage and very few abrasions due to fire-sparks (few pages effected only). Some plates with professional repairs, some tears. Some professional paper-repairs and re-enforcements to title-page and Content-Page. All the described flaws sound worse than they really appear. All plant-plates in strong impresion. A scarce publication ! From the library of Rev. William Andrew Lamb, Kilcoleman Park, County Cork.

54. Lonicerus, Johann Daniel [Marburg / Basel].

Decades sex positionum medicarum de Angina Exquisita, Deo Dante, Nobilissimo Gratio-sissimoq Medica Facultatis legio permittente, Pro Laurea consequenda Medica in alma Rauracorum Academia [University of Basel], Publicae censurae subiiciet Ioh. Daniel Lonicerus Catto-Marpurgensis, Ad diem [2.] Julii, Anno MDCXXVIII. [Sixty Theses on Angina Exquisita].

Basileae / [Basel], Johan Jacob Genathi [Johann Jacob Genathius], 1628. Octavo (14 cm x 18 cm). [12] unnumbered Leaves (60 Theses / complete including title). Bound with an unidentified, additional Medical pamphlet on pharmaceutical questions regarding intestinal problems, listing CXLVI Theses on 5 unnumbered Leaves (Titlepage and A, A1 of this additional pamphlet are missing / Available are Theses LXIII – CXLVI). Modern Hardcover with original pamphlet bound in. Paper professionally restored in several locations. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Extremely scarce, early cardiology-publication on Angina.

55. Meijer, Bernhard / Leche, V. / Nyström, J.F. / Warburg, K. / Westrin, J.T.

Nordisk Familjebok. [Uggleupplagan / Owl Edition with Art Nouveau Binding] – Konversationslexikon och Realencyklopedi. Ny, reviderad och rikt illustrerad Upplaga.

33 Volumes plus 5 Volumes Supplement (38 Volumes in Total). Stockholm, Nordisk Familjebok Förlags Aktiebolag, 1904-1926. Large Octavo. c. 45000 columns with illustrations, photographs and also wonderful colour-illustrations. Original Hardcover in the rare art-nouveau owl-binding. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Volumes 1 – 37 in excellent condition with some minor injury to one upper hinge only. Some very few Volumes with some staining to the boards but the interior all very clean and fresh. Volume 5 of the Supplements (Volume 38 overall) needs to be repaired by a bookbinder (Spine broken). The price for this set includes free international shipping with DHL Express Courier ! (2-4 days delivery).

56. Minihan, John / Heaney, Seamus.

Original photograph of Seamus Heaney at his 70th birthday in his home in Dublin, in the year 2009 / Titled and Signed by John Minihan in 2014 / The vintage photograph is here framed together with the original commemoration Stamp and signed First Day Cover of Anpost [The photograph was used as a Template for the creation of the Anpost Stamp in 2014].

Vintage Photograph on archival paper / Vintage First Day Cover with extra signature by John Minihan. Dublin, 2014. Image of the Photograph: 16 cm x 24 cm / First Day Cover: 18 cm x 12 cm. Overall Framed Size: 79 cm wide x 53,5 cm high. From the personal library of irish photographer John Minihan. Titled and signed by John Minihan. Beautifully framed (see multiple images on our website). Our company knows of an edition of four photographs and signed First Day Covers, which we bought from John Minihan in 2014 and which he signed in 2014. Later, signed First Day Covers are circulating and we have some of those in our archive for sale. But since John Minihan has sold the rights to most of his iconic images to UCC in Cork, none of the photographs are reprinted by the photographer and that makes this combination of the signed Seamus Heaney photograph, combined with the First Day Cover, signed actually on August 28th of 2014, very scarce. We have an edition of 3 (three) left. One is part of the “John Minihan Photography Collection”, which we are selling on our website (see under “Libraries & Collections”) and two are for sale on the free international market. The here offered, beautifully framed version, is one of these two. The price includes free shipping as a framed version within Ireland / The price includes free international shipping per UPS Courier but only unframed (we pay for framing in your home-country) !

57. Minihan, John. (*1946)

Samuel Beckett – photographed in Room 604 at The Hyde Park Hotel in London, 1980. [Artist Proof] !

Rare, modern print of the 1989 Original / Vintage Photograph on archival paper. London, c. 2010. Photograph: c. 50 cm wide x 38 cm high / Framed: 60 cm wide x 47 cm high. Titled and signed by John Minihan. From his personal Archive. Marked as A/P (Artist Proof) by John Minihan.

58. Müschen, G. B.

Die Behandlung des Obstbaumes nebst einer Anweisung zum Wein-, Hopfen- u. Kümmelbau. [Weinanbau / Hopfenanbau]. Mit 23 Abbildungen.

Neue Ausgabe. Schwerin / Berlin, C. Kürschner / Verlag der C. Kürschner’schen Buchhandlung / In Commission der Plahn’schen Buchhandlung (Louis Ritze), 1844. Octavo (12 cm x 19,7 cm). IV, 111 Seiten mit 23 Abbildungen auf 1 lithographischen Falt-Tafel im Anhang. Softcover / Schlichter Interimsumschlag der Zeit. Sehr guter Zustand. Einige Seiten noch unaufgeschnitten. Gering stockfleckig. Sehr selten !

59. Overbury, Sir Thomas.

His Wife. – With Additions of New Characters and Many Other Wittie Conceits Never Before Printed. [With a manuscript inscription by a contemporary owner of the book [″Alexander Keith”] about Overbury going on an “Embassy to Muscovy” (Russia)]

The fifteenth Impression. London, Printed by R.E. for Robert Allot and are to be sold at the sign of the Beare in Pauls Church-yard, 1632. Duodecimo (9,8 cm x 14,5 cm). 317 unnumbered pages (collated complete). 18th century Hardcover (full leather with gilted spinelabel ‘Overbury’). The binding professionally repaired. 18th century endpaper with handwritten notes in ink. Manuscript exlibris ‘Paul Exner ex libris 939’. Several contemporary ownership signatures within the book (for example Henry Grier, 12th of Apryll 1687). Titlepage professionally repaired. Wonderful example of this rare book.

60. Pearse, Pádraic H.

Plays – Poems – Stories.

Sixth Edition. Dublin/Cork/Belfast, The Phoenix Publishing Co., [1924]. 8°. Portrait of Pearse as Frontispiz, XIX, 340, VIII pages. Hardcover / Original publisher’s cloth. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Preowner’s name on endpaper (″Katie O’Shea”). [Collected Works of Pádraic H. Pearse].