1. [Saint Godelieve / Godeleva / Godeliève / Godelina / Sint-Godelieve] Sollerius, Joannes Baptista.

Acta S. Godelevae V. et M. patronae Ghistellensium.

Antwerp, apud Jacobum du Moulin [Jacob du Moulin], 1720. (15 cm x 18,5 cm). Collated: [24], 354, [15] pages including a thorough Index Rerum. With engraved title-vignette showing the murder of Saint Godelieve; with the title-vignette repeated on page one of the text and three further fold-out-illustrations (collation complete). Modern Hardcover (dark calf over marbled-paper-covered-boards) and new endpapers. Halftitle letter-press-text laid down an endpaper that precedes the title page. After the restoration and new binding the original bookblock is beautifully preserved and the whole volume in excellent condition with only minor signs of external wear and some browning to a few pages. Very rare Hagiography of poor Godelieve, who was martyred by the servants of her angry husband because she preferred to become a nun rather than marry.

2. Müller, Peter / Mueller, Peter.

De Jure Praegnantium – Vom Rechte Schwangerer Weiber [On the Rights of Pregnant Women – Abortion / Adultery / Marriage Fraud in the 18th century].

First Edition. Jena, Literis Ac Sumtibus Joh.Christ. Croeker, 1744. Octavo (17 cm x 21,5 cm). 160 pages plus 8 pages of an Index. Modern Hardcover with 18th-century bookblock bound in. Excellent condition with some minor signs of wear only. Faded dampstain to lower margins of some pages. An immensely important, early publication on women’s rights and pregnant women and their rights in particular.

3. [Kames] Henry Home, Lord Kames.

Elements of Criticism.

First Irish Edition. Two Volumes [complete]. Dublin, Printed for Sarah Cotter, 1762. Small Octavo (11.2 cm wide x 17.8 cm high). Volume I: VIII, 390 pages / Volume II: 387 pages plus 29 pages of an Index plus 4 pages of Advertising for 18th-century Irish printer and Bookseller, Sarah Cotter: “Books Publish’d by Sarah Cotter in Skinner-Row”. Hardcover / Original full leather with gilt lettering on spine. Name of preowner John Morrison on titlepages [possibly the 18th century – Architect John Morrison from Midleton, with a connection to Castlemartyr]. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. The very rare, even scarce irish edition of this important publication of the Scottish Aesthetic Movement: “In the popular book Elements of Criticism (1762) Home interrogated the notion of fixed or arbitrary rules of literary composition, and endeavoured to establish a new theory based on the principles of human nature. The late eighteenth-century tradition of sentimental writing was associated with his notion that “the genuine rules of criticism are all of them derived from the human heart.” Neil Rhodes has argued that Lord Kames played a significant role in the development of English as an academic discipline in the Scottish Universities” (Wikipedia).

4. [Foster, Sir Michael] / [Sarah Cotter – Dublin Printing History].

A Report of Some Proceedings on the Commission of Oyer and Terminer and Goal Delivery for the Trial of the Rebels in the Year 1746 in the County of Surry, and of other Crown Cases. To which are added Discourses upon a Few Branches of the Crown Law.

First Dublin Edition. Dublin, Printed for Sarah Cotter, in Skinner-Row, 1763. Octavo. XI, 412 pages plus 16 pages of Index and “Table of the Principal Matters”. Original Hardcover / Full 18th century calf with new spine-label. The binding firm and in excellent condition. Important: Several strong puncture – wounds to the first 54 and last 60 pages (without loss of text). Some occasional staining but text overall clean. A very rare Sarah Cotter print from 18th century Dublin. Although no sign of it, the book came from the library of Daniel Conner (Connerville / Manch House).

5. [Steele, Richard] Bickerstaff, Isaac.

The Tatler; Or, Lucubrations of Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq. [With four engravings by F.Haymandel / C.Grignion].

Four Volumes (complete set). London, Printed for J. and R. Tonson, J.Buckland, H. Woodfall, etc., 1764. Small Octavo (11 cm x 17 cm). Frontispiece, [2], 300, [14], Frontispiece, [3], 336, [13], Frontispiece, [5], 318, [16], Frontispiece, [7], 320, [12] pages. Hardcover / Oiginal 18th century full leather with original spinelabels and gilt lettering on spine. All four Volumes complete and in protective Mylar. Housed in a wonderful, bespoke Solander-Box. Excellent condition with some minor signs of wear only. From the library of Daniel Conner (Connerville / Manch House), with his Exlibris / Bookplate to pastedown of each Volume.

6. [Whyte’s School Dublin] / [Whyte, Samuel] / [Sheridan, Thomas].

Modern Education; or, An Attempt to Explain the Chief Causes and Effects of our Errours and Deficiencies in that Particular. With Practical Proposals for a Reformation. In the Course of which The Female Right to Literature is asserted ; The Supercilious Airs of Vain Pedants Exposed ; Their Wise Objections Exploded ; And the Trite Witticisms, Usual on the Question, Fairly Stated and Confuted : Clearly Demonstrating, That the Weakness and Depravity imputed to the Fair Sex, is wholly owing to our utter Neglect of their Minds ; and that the proper Cultivation of them is the First and Grand Principle of all Human Excellence, as well as of all our social and domestic Felicity. [Bound with: “Lectures On The Art of Reading ; First Part: Containing The Art of Reading Prose. By Thomas Sheridan, A.M., Author of Lectures on Elocution, British Education, &c.”].

First Edition. Dublin, Printed by R.Marchbank, Cole’s Alley, Castle-Street, 1775. Small-Octavo (11.2 cm wide x 17.2 cm high). Pagination: Whyte’s “Modern Education…” is bound to the rear of the Volume: 77 pages plus “Corrigenda” (complete” / Sheridan’s “Lecture on the Art of Reading – Part I” is bound at the start of the Volume: vii, (1), 213 pages plus 1 page “Advertisement” [of Whyte’s “English Grammar-School” in Dublin, Grafton-Street, No.75”]. Hardcover / Original, full 18th century leather with gilt ornament and new spine-label in the style of the 18th century. In protective Mylar. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Extremely scarce title !

7. [Mirror Club, The] / Henry Mackenzie / William Craig / Alexander Abercromby / Alexander Fraser Tytler.

The Mirror – A Periodical Paper, Published at Edinburgh in the Years 1779 and 1780 [″Veluti in Specula”].

Fourth Edition overall [First Dublin Edition]. In Two Volumes (complete set). Dublin, Printed by T.Henshall for T.Walker, 1782. Small Octavo (10 cm x 18 cm). VI, 288, VIII, 288 pages. Hardcover / Original 18th century leather with new spinelabels, made to style. Both Volumes now in protective Mylar. Some minor wormhole-damage to the last 20 pages of Volume Two.Minor lesions to some pages only. Faded dampstain to both Volumes. Still, both Volumes firm and complete. Important scottish enlightenment publication. From the library of one “John Courtenay”, with his name in ink on the titlepages of both Volumes. This is possibly John Courtenay (22 August 1738 – 24 March 1816), who was an Irish officer in the British Army, later becing a politician in England. He was a Whig member of Parliament (MP) at Westminster from 1780 to 1807, and again in 1812. (Wikipedia)

8. Smith, Charlotte.

Desmond – A Novel in Two Volumes.

First Irish Edition. Two Volumes (complete set). Dublin, Printed for P.Wogan, P.Byrne, J.Moore, J.Rice, W. McKenzie, H.Colbert, G. Folingsby etc. etc., 1792. Small-Octavo (11 cm x 17 cm). VII, 276, 306 pages. Hardcover / Original 18th-century leather with original spinelabels. Both Volumes in protective Mylar and now housed in a bespoke Solander Box. Bindings rubbed with loss to labels. Bookplate / Exlibris of Richard Meade of Ballymartle attached to pastedown of Volume I.

9. Radcliffe, Ann.

The Mysteries of Udolpho – A Romance; interspersed with some pieces of Poetry.

First Dublin Edition / First Irish Edition. 3 Volumes [complete set]. Dublin, , by Hillary and Barlow, for Messrs. P. Wogan, W. Jones, and H. Colbert, 1794. Small Octavo (17.5 cm x 11 cm). Collation complete: Volume I: 310 pages / Volume II: 321 pages / Volume III: 357 pages. [Few pages with misprinted numerals, as often the case, but all pages in order and complete]. Original, unaltered, 18th-century full leather with gilt lettering on original spinelabels. Very rare, complete set of the first Dublin Edition. Very good- condition with stronger signs of external wear but all three Volumes in firm, original condition. Lesions to the leather-covered-boards and some stronger rubbing to extremeties. Interior with only very few problems. All three Volumes used to have two endpapers before and after the text and some of these endpapers are torn or missing. Textblock in general very good with some very minor and only occasional staining only. In Volume I, tear to corner of page 101/102 and 135/136. Faded stain to only the outer margins of pages 239 to 310 (text never affected). Volume II with small tear to pages 21/22 / Volume III with lesion to page 281/282 and tear to corner 305. These all sound worse than they are and the set is still in very good- condition. From the library of the Meade family in Ballymartle, the titlepage of each Volume bears the name of Helena Meade. An extremely rare and highly collectable set of one of the rarest titles in english literature.

10. Radcliffe, Ann.

The Mysteries of Udolpho.

First Edition. 4 Volumes [complete set]. London, Printed for G. G. and J.Robinson, 1794. Octavo. Collation complete with all four half-titles: Volume I: 428 pages / Volume II: 478 pages / Volume III: 463 pages / Volume IV: 428 pages. Original, unaltered, 18th-century half leather with gilt lettering on original spinelabels. All four bindings with vintage paper-covered boards and their original, reinforced corners. The set is now housed in a custom-made solander-box / clamshell-box. Excellent, firm condition of all four volumes with minor lesions to hinges and some rubbing to extremeties only and some general, neglectable external wear to corners and upper spines. In Volume I, two sentences partly censored with manuscript editing in ink. Interior very good with the occasional lesion (I, p.109), minor tear (II, p.93), and stains to a page here or there and a faded, very mild dampstain in the background of some pages of Volume IV. Two excellent provenance signs: Bookplate / Exlibris of “William Tennant, Ashton Hall” to the pastedown of each Volume / Previous owner-stamp of “O.W.O’Grady Young – Castlerea”. A fantastic, in this state, unbelievably rare version, of one of the most desirable books in the english language. The seminal gothic novel, a most desirable collectable and the best copy of this first edition we have ever handled.