11. 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.

12. [Davey & Hackney] / R.M.S.P. Arcadian.

Two Vintage Photo Albums / Portfolios of “Cruise No. 2 to ‘The Norwegian Fjords’ in June 1913 on the R.M.S.P. Arcadian”. Fantastic combination of two photo logbooks of one of the last trips for this beautiful passenger liner before she served with the Royal Navy and was sunk by a U-boat, the German submarine SM UC-74, in 1917. These luxury photographic records were created by Davey & Hackney, Alexandra Palace, London. I. Album One: On 24 pages (12 stiff cardboards with photographs on both sides) with 44 vintage high-quality photographs, the cruise was documented by not only focusing on the natural beauty of Norway but also by documenting the captain (Captain Custance) and crew of the Arcadian, one large photograph shows the captain and all his officers. Some striking images of the ship itself are showing this liner in all its glory. The ship was built in 1899 by Vickers, Sons & Maxim Ltd. for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company as SS Ortona. This unusually luxury Album also documents in an appendix with a small map of Norway the Itinerary of the cruise. All mileage covered and dates the cruise would reach the scheduled destinations in Norway are mentioned (Grimsby, Wed. 18 June / Leith, 235 miles, Thursday 19 June / Aalesund 493 Miles Sat. 21 June / and so on and so on). The cruise would stop at Molde (Moldefjord), Aandalsnaes (Romsdalfjord) / Oie (Jorundfjord) / Hellesylt (Sunelvsfjord) / Merok (Geirangerfjord) / Olden (Invikfjord) / Loen (Nordfjord) / Mundal (Fjaerlandsfjord) / Balholmen (Sognefjord) / Gudvangen (Naerofjord) / Sundal (Maurangerfjord) / Norheimsund (Hardangerfjord) / Bergen / back to Grimsby on July 2nd, 1913 with a total of 2127 miles covered in 14 days. The photographs of the “Arcadian” are differing in size from a beautiful full ship image in 17.5 cm x 28.7 cm to detailed photographs of the deck in 11.5 cm x 16.4 cm; a nice photo of the “Arcadian’s” Launch (with small steem funnel), interior of the ship (Dining Salon), a photograph of a visiting steam Tender (″The Grimsby Tender”), Deck tennis – scenes, Playing Bull Board, Letting go the Anchor with two crew members. / II. Album Two: This additional, smaller Album, on an additional 24 pages (12 stiff cardboards with photographs on both sides) shows a further 24 vintage, high-quality photographs. These additional photographs show The Hardangerfjord / Folgefond Glacier / An Arcade in the Dining Salon / Photograph of Captain Custance / Sundal / The Landing Stage in Norheimsund / Fysse / The Landing Stage in Trondheim with many locals waiting / The Landing Stage in Forhatten / Digermulen / The Raftsund Fjord / Lyngenfjord / A boat full of Lapps in traditional clothing, showing and offering livestock and handmade dolls for tourists on board the “Arcadian” / Hammerfest / North Cape & Midnight Sun from the “Arcadian” / Tromso, with a large gathering of schoolchildren / A Boxing Match on the “Arcadian”, showing two pugilists fighting it out to the bemusement of bystanders / Pillow Fighting as Pastime for Tourists on the “Arcadian” / Molde from the Hill, showing the “Arcadian” in the Fjord / Aandalsnes / View from Aandalsnes / Bergen and Bergen Harbour with a few nice local Yachts in the foreground // The quality of the photography in both of these Album is excellent.

London / Norway, Davey & Hackney Photo (Alexandra Palace), 1913. Sizes: Vol. I: Folio (25.5 cm x 32 cm) / Vol.II: Oblong Octavo (25 cm x 17 cm). Volume I: 12 cardboard sheets with 24 pages (of which 24 are with photographs) with foldable appendix / Volume II: 12 cardboard sheets with 24 pages (of which 24 are with photographs) Hardcover / Green soft morocco with gilt lettering on cover and ornament around the pastedowns of the inner boards. Some minor rubbing to the binding but overall in excellent, near Fine condition with only minor signs of external wear.

13. Webster, Charles A.

The Diocese of Cork. With [18] Illustrations.

Cork, Guy & Co. Ltd., 1920. 15.5 cm x 23.3 cm. Frontispiece, XXXII, 420 pages. 18 illustrations including frontispiece. Hardcover [publisher’s original red cloth] with gilt lettering on spine. Deckled edges. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Frontispiece cleanly detached and loosely inserted. Cracks to valley of index pages near rear of textblock. Binding still good and firm and text block is solid and square. Some untrimmed pages. Foxing to edges and to endpapers and very occasionally to interior. An extremely scarce publication.

14. Cotton, Henry / [Charles Patrick Ranke Graves].

My Swing [Inscribed and signed by Cotton to British journalist and Travel Writer, Charles Graves].

London, Country Life Limited. 1952. 22 cm x 14,5 cm. 144 pages. With many black-and-white illustrations throughout the book. Original Hardcover. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear to spine. Inscribed and signed by author to Charles Graves. Rare !

15. Marc, Franz. (1880-1916)

“Reh im Blumengarten”.

Original Art-Print from the 1960s or 1970s, reframed from its original Frame with the original back of the old frame stating “Kunsthandlung O. Hofstätter”. Germany, c.1970. Print-Size: 36 cm wide x 32 cm high. Framed: 51 cm x 51 cm. Excellent condition. High Quality Artprint of the late 1960s or early 1970s. Franz Marc’s Masterpiece in a beautiful modern frame. The price includes international free shipping per UPS Courier.

16. [John Minihan Collection] – 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.

17. Hodges, Rev. Richard J. / Pike, W.T.

Cork and County Cork in the Twentieth Century / Contemporary Biographies. / [History of Big Houses, Town Houses and Country Estates in Cork, County Cork, North Cork, East Cork & West Cork with original Photographs of Houses and Portraits as well as Biographies of the Men and their Families who lived in these Houses] / [Full-Leather-Version – Limited Edition Reprint]. Edited by W. T. Pike.

Limited Edition Reprint of the First and only Edition by Pike in 1911. [Skibbereen (County Cork)], Inanna Rare Books / Inanna Reprint Series, 2022. 4° (24,5 cm wide x 33,5 cm high). 319 pages with hundreds of photographs and including an Index to Biographies and Illustrations. Hardcover / Full-Leather with marbled-paper-covered boards in protective Collector’s Mylar. [Important Information: This special limited edition has a special feature which makes each volume of this reprint unique: Each version of the book is bound by hand by a craft-bookbindery and the colour of the leather and endpapers, are always different / This means the interior is always the same while the look of the binding can differ from the image attached to this description]. One of 150 copies of the Full-Leather-version of a limited edition, republished by Inanna Rare Books Ltd. / This high-quality reprint, hand-bound and hand-numbered, includes hundreds of photographs of grand houses in the irish countryside from South Cork to North Cork, from East Cork to West Cork. The stories of the houses are not only accompanied by photographs of now mostly vanished or derelict homes, the images also show the original state of homes which are now restructured etc. The second part of the publication offers an abundance of historical biographies of local irish Nobility (Meade family, O’Callaghan, Browne, Kelly etc.), Gentry and Clergy and general owners of Country Houses etc. [Pike’s New Century Series].

18. Hodges, Rev. Richard J. / Pike, W.T.

Cork and County Cork in the Twentieth Century / Contemporary Biographies. / [History of Big Houses, Town Houses and Country Estates in Cork, County Cork, North Cork, East Cork & West Cork with original Photographs of Houses and Portraits as well as Biographies of the Men and their Families who lived in these Houses] / [Half-Leather-Version – Limited Edition Reprint]. Edited by W. T. Pike.

Limited Edition Reprint of the First and only Edition by Pike in 1911. [Skibbereen (County Cork)], Inanna Rare Books / Inanna Reprint Series, 2022. 4° (24,5 cm wide x 33,5 cm high). 319 pages with hundreds of photographs and including an Index to Biographies and Illustrations. Hardcover / Half-Leather with marbled-paper-covered boards in protective Collector’s Mylar. [Important Information: This special limited edition has a special feature which makes each volume of this reprint unique: Each version of the book is bound by hand by a craft-bookbindery and the colour of the leather and endpapers, as well as the marbled-paper-covered boards, are always different / This means the interior is always the same while the look of the binding can differ from the image attached to this description]. One of 350 copies of the Half-Leather-version of a limited edition, republished by Inanna Rare Books Ltd. / This high-quality reprint, hand-bound and hand-numbered, includes hundreds of photographs of grand houses in the irish countryside from South Cork to North Cork, from East Cork to West Cork. The stories of the houses are not only accompanied by photographs of now mostly vanished or derelict homes, the images also show the original state of homes which are now restructured etc. The second part of the publication offers an abundance of historical biographies of local irish Nobility (Meade family, O’Callaghan, Browne, Kelly etc.), Gentry and Clergy and general owners of Country Houses etc. [Pike’s New Century Series].