West Cork Rare Book Fair 2022

Special Selection Rare Books, Maps & Manuscripts (27 items)

Forster, The Arabian Nights, in Five Volumes.

2. [Arabian Nights] Forster, Edward / [Provenance: Daniel Callaghan of Lotabeg].

The Arabian Nights, in Five Volumes. [Including “The History of Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp” / The History of Ali Baba and of the Forty Robbers, killed by one Slave” / etc.] Translated by The Reverend Edward Forster [based on the French version of Antoine Galland]. With [24] Engravings, from Pictures by Robert Smirke.

First Edition [Large Paper Quarto Edition]. Five Volumes (complete set with all engravings). London, Printed for William Miller, 1802. Quarto (21.5 cm x 27.5 cm). Volume I: LXI, (7), 385 pages with 5 copper-engravings including Errata-Leaf and “Directions for placing the Plates” for all four volumes / Volume: 432 pages with 5 copper-engravings / 405 pages with 5 copper-engravings / 461 pages with 5 copper-engravings / 474 pages with 5 copper-engravings. Hardcover / Original, early 19th century full leather with gilt lettering and date on lower spine [″London, 1802”]. Beautiful, richly ornamented master-bindings. All Volumes in strong, protective collector’s Mylar, which invites the reader/collector to use the work without fear of handling. Armorial Bookplates / ExLibris of Daniel Callaghan, Esquire of Lotabeg (MP for Cork City 1830-1849) to all five pastedowns (Motto: “Fidus et Audax”). Marbled endpapers a little dusty but beautiful. Volume 1, 2 and 5 with some weakening to the spine (slightly cracked), but holding and still firm overall. All plates present. As known and always found with this scarce edition, the original, titled tissue-guards all in place, have created stronger signs of foxing to the plates but in sharp contrast the text in all the five Volumes in bright and clean condition with only occasional faint staining. Endpapers with some minor browning. Very good+ condition overall with some rubbing and minor bumping to the Volumes but really only minor signs of external wear. Extremely sought after publication, not to be confused with the later, much more common Octavo Editions !

EUR 2.800,-- 

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Bushby, Round the World from North to South with Rod & Camera

4. Bushby, John / [Maori Village Travels] –

Round the World from North to South with Rod & Camera / Collection of three Volumes of printed and manuscript travelogue (reads like a logbook) / Travel Diary. Volume I – Privately printed, luxury photoalbum from the year 1907 – 1908 with 142 pages of printed photographs of a trip through Canada, Alaska South Sea Islands (Suva, Fiji), Tonga, New Zealand with several photographs of a trip on S.S.Manuka (Union Steam Ship Company) with images of life on board and of the trip to Maori Villages, Rotoiti, Tu Moana, Cape Horn, Rio de Janeiro, Teneriffe, Hunting, Fishing, Camping etc. / Volume II: Manuscript Volume in an easy decipherable hand of a trip on the steamer “Pretorian” from Liverpool on July 30th, 1903 to New York, Maryland, then on to Vancouver and Japan with excellent travel descriptions and list of costs of lodging in Yokohama, Kyoto, Nagasaki etc. / Volume III: Continues the Travelogue to Singapore, Siam, Java, Japan, Hawaii (Honolulu and back to California) – With extensive listing of costs for Passage, Hotels etc. in New York, Honolulu, Hongkong, etc. This Volume with longer descriptions of Hong Kong etc.

Daere (Cumberland), Privately printed and original manuscript, 1903 – 1908. Octavo. Volume I – 142 pages / Volume II (Manuscript) – 89 pages / Volume III (Manuscript) – 185 pages. Original Hardcover and flexible red leather. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Magnificent account with exact and vivid descriptions of localities and the technique of the trip and its expenses. Ticket Prices, Hotel Costs, Voyage costs from Harbour to Harbour etc. etc. Unpublished account of a british merchant family’s private (Cotton Merchant) trip around the world.

EUR 1.800,-- 

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Cervantes - The Life and Exploits of the Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha

5. Cervantes De Saavedra, Miguel [Jarvis Edition with an excellent provenance, being from the library of John Fane, (Lord Burgersh) the Earl of Westmoreland].

The Life and Exploits of the Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha. Translated from the Original Spanish by Charles Jarvis, Esq. [Bound with: “The Life of Michael de Cervantes Saavedra” and an “Advertisement concerning the Plates”].

Second issue of the First Jarvis Edition. Two Volumes (complete set). London, J. & R. Tonson and R. Dodsley, 1738-1742. Quarto. Pagination: Volume I: Frontispiece, XXIV, (8), I – [XXIV], (interrupted with 8 unnumbered pages: “Supplement to the Translator’s Preface,” on the origin of books of chivalry, [by Wiliam Warburton]), continued pagination [XXV-XXXII], Second Frontispiece (Portrait of Cervantes by George Vertue after G. Kent), V, (2), 355 pages with 28 copperplates (including the two frontispieces). Volume II: XII, 388 pages with 41 copperplate illustrations. In total 69 copperplate engravings, all drawn by John Vanderbank and engraved by Gerard van der Gucht / Vandergucht. Modern Hardcover bindings by an english masterbinder, styled to the 18th century period and with new endpapers that carry the original bookplates / Exlibris of John Fane, (Lord Burgersh) the Earl of Westmoreland. Excellent condition with only minor signs of foxing to the outer margins of the pages. All illustrations in strong and fresh imprint. An excellent set from a famous library.

EUR 4.800,-- 

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Collection of four very important and meaningful manuscript letters by Leopold II

6. 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.

EUR 2.800,-- 

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Vintage Photo Album of "Cruise No. 2 to 'The Norwegian Fjords'  in June 1913 on the R.M.S.P. Arcadian"

8. [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.

EUR 2.200,-- 

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Vere Foster, The Two Duchesses - Presentation copy with important manuscript letter [signed and inscribed]

13. 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.

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Hodges, Cork and County Cork in the Twentieth Century / Contemporary Biographies

15. 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].

EUR 475,-- 

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Hodges, Cork and County Cork in the Twentieth Century / Contemporary Biographies

16. 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].

EUR 550,-- 

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Original, signed John Minihan-photograph of Seamus Heaney at his 70th birthday in his home in Dublin, in the year 2009

18. [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. 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) !

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Bartoli, Colonna Traiana

20. One of the most beautiful works of 18th century Illustrated Italian History – Bartoli, Pietro Santi / Giacomo de Rossi / [Trajan – Caesar Nerva Trajanus].

Colonna Traiana [The rare 18th-century Folio-Edition on Trajan’s Column, in which, atypically, all Oblong-Folio-Planches have a centerfold and which includes the often missing, large 1,1 meter – foldout-plan of Trajan’s Column] – Colonna Traiana Eretta Dal Senato, E Popolo Romano All’Imperatore Traiano Augusto Nel Suo Foro In Roma. Scolpita Con L’Historie Della Guerra Dacica La Prima E La Seconda Espeditione, E Vittoria Contro Il Re Decebalo. Nuovamente Disegnata, Et Intagliata Da Pietro Santi Bartoli. Con L’Espositione Latina D’Alfonso Ciaccone, Compendiata Nella Vulgare Lingua Sotto Ciascuna Immagine, Accresciuta Di Medaglie, Inscrittioni, E Trofei, Da Gio. Pietro Bellori. Con diligente cura, e spesa ridotta à perfettione, e data in luce da Gio. Giacomo de Rossi dalle sue stampe, in Roma, alla Pace con Privilegio del S. Pontefice.

Roma, [Giacomo de Rossi] alla Pace con Privilegio del S. Pontefice, [1751]. Folio: (26.5 cm wide x 37 cm high). All planches usually in Oblong-Folio are center-folded in this version, allowing it to be bound in Folio. Pagination: 9 unnumbered plates, [including titlepage, engraved dedication to Louis XIV, and also the large Trajan-Foldout, measuring 110 cm x 36 cm)], followed by 119 plates folded into 238 plates, [while our copy is lacking the 14 pages with Alphonso Ciacono’s “Historia Utriusque Belli Dacici A Trajano Cæsare” and Index and Colophon at the end of the Volume, this flaw is rather unimportant because this Volume is all about the masterful art of over 125 engravings and the powerful Homage by Pietro Santi Bartoli to Trajan, Rome’s “Optimus Princeps”]. Fully restored Folio in dark green Morocco, bound to 18th century – style by an english master-bindery. Unusually excellent condition with the tiniest of wormhole-damage to the Dedication pages. The plates all in exceptional condition. The large Column-Plate spellbinding.

EUR 6.800,-- 

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