English History – Rare (156 items)

John Guillim - A Display of Heraldry. By John Guillim, pursuivant at Arms. The Sixth Edition.

5. Heraldic Illustration of the 18th century – Guillim, John / [ Edward Le Davis ] / [ Michael van der Gucht].

A Display of Heraldry. By John Guillim, pursuivant at Arms. The Sixth Edition [on fine paper]. Improv’d with large Additions of many hundred Coats of Arms, under their respective Bearings, with good Authorities from the Ashmolean Library, Sir George Mackenzie, &c. With his Tract of Precedency, containing all his Rules, Observations, Arguments, and chief Instances. To which is added, “A Treatise of Honour Military and Civil”, According to the Laws and Customs of England, By Capt. John Logan. Illustrated With the Arms, Crests, Supporters, and Motto’s of the Royal Familly, and Nobility: The Arms of the Sees of the English Bishops, and several of the Gentry. Together With the proper Habits of the different Degrees of the Nobility of England, and the Emblems of the chief Orders of Knighthood in Europe; all fairly engraven on Copper Plates. Also An Exact List of the Baronets, from their first Creation to this present Time; and most of their Arms Blazon’d. With an Account of the Customs, Government, and Privileges of the City of London, the other Cities of England, and Shire-Towns of each County, and their Arms. Likewise A Supplement of Scarce tracts relating to the Office of Arms, taken from Authentick Copies. And A Dictionary, explaining the several Terms used by Heralds, in English, Latin and French. With proper Tables to the Whole. [With 17 full-page, original portraits, engraved by Edward Le Davis and flemish engraver Michael van der Gucht / With 295 engraved crests / coat of arms, displayed on 47 pages].

London, R. and J. Bonwicke and R. Wilkin in St.Paul’s Church-Yard / And J. Walthoe and Tho. Ward, in the Temple, 1724. Folio (26 cm x 39 cm). Frontispiece, [5], 20 pp. [″The Introduction”], [1], 460 pp. [″A Display of Heraldry”], [2], 275 pp. [″Observations upon the Laws and Customs of Nations”], 58 pp. [″Honour Civil of the City of London”], 24 pp. [″Dictionary used by Heralds”], [11] pp. [″Alphabetical Table of the Names of the Nobility and Gentry”]. Illustrated and complete with 17 portraits of courtyard and apparatus and 47 plates, engraved on wood, reproducing a total of hundreds of coats of arms with coats, crests, lambrequins, helmets and coins. Very many coats of arms in the 2-columned text. Hardcover / Original 18th-century binding with modern restauration (rebacked) to the highest standards. Superior example of this publication ! Unusually excellent condition with only very minor signs of external wear. Frontispiece and last page of the work with minor crease. Two corners torn (two pages following the title), corner of page 185 torn and page 92 of the second part of the book with longer lesion within text (no loss of text). Endpapers and pastedown with some minor spotting. All these descriptions of faults sound worse than they are. Interior text, plates and portraits overall in unbelievably clean and excellent condition. Name of pre-owner in ink on title and verso frontispiece (″J.Stilwell”).

EUR 2.800,-- 

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Vere Foster, "Presentation Copy of "The Two Duchesses" with Autograph / Manuscript-Letter

16. 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.

EUR 3.800,-- 

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Cary's New Itinerary: Or an Accurate Delineation of the Great Roads, Both Direct and Cross throughout England and Wales: With Many of the Principal Roads in Scotland.

27. Cary, John.

Cary’s New Itinerary: Or an Accurate Delineation of the Great Roads, Both Direct and Cross throughout England and Wales: With Many of the Principal Roads in Scotland. From an Actual Admeasurement by John Cary: Made by Command of his Majesty’s Postmaster General for official purposes: Under the Direction and Inspection of Thomas Hasker Esq., Surveyor and Superintendant of the Mail Coaches. [Including an advertising for Cary’s New Celestial and Terrestrial Globes (with Illustrations of Globes)]. [Subtitle:] This work shows the immediate Route from the Metropolis [London] to all parts of England and Wales: And from Town to Town in every direction, distinguishing also the Cities, Market, Borough and Corporate Towns: And those at which the Assizes are held and gives the time of the Mails, Arrival and Departure from each, Describes the Line of the Navigable Canals and the Course of the Rivers passed over, The Number of Houses and Inhabitants contained in each Town, And those Inns which supply Post Horses and Carriages. Also The Inn’s throughout the Metropolis [London] from which the Mail and Stagecoaches go, their time of departure & the Route they seveerally take. The Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Seats situate near the Roads, A List of the Packet Boats and their time of sailing. Copious Indexes. Maps of the Lot Wight Environs of London, Bath, Brighton, Margate & Cheltenham & a Large Map of England and Wales peculiarly adapted to the Work. – [An Advertisement juxtaposed to the titlepage reads: “This Edition contains the Routes to upwards of Nine Thousand Places, which have never been given in any work of a similar Description; being a complete Directory to every Parish situate out of the Line of the Direct and Cross Roads throughout England and Wales”].

Seventh Edition, with Improvements [complete with all maps as called for]. London, Printed for J. Cary, 1817. Octavo. Pagination: [1], 647 pages plus 7 maps / Detailed pagination see here: [1], Title, Large Folding Map, [121], 6 folded Maps, [526] pages. Modern, recent Hardcover / Very decorative half-leather with marbled-paper-covered boards. Gilt lettering on new sppine-label. New endpapers. Protective Mylar. Only the large folding map with a inor tear (one part of the map deliberately bound separate (geniously folding out to meet th erest of the map). Interior text and maps all in excellent, unusually clean condition !!

EUR 480,-- 

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Gilpin / Castle Freke Library - Observations Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, Made in the Year 1776

34. Gilpin, William. [Castle-Freke Library Bookplates]

Collection of four Volumes (bound in two) by Gilpin – All from the historical library at Castle Freke (Castlefreke, West Cork / Ireland). The Volumes include: I. & II. Observations Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, Made in the Year 1776, on Several Parts of Great Britain; particularly the High-Lands of Scotland. [Second Edition, with an “Account of the Prints” bound to the rear] / III. Observations on the River Wye and several Parts of South Wales &c. relative chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; Made in the summer of the Year 1770 (Third Edition). / IV. An Essay on Prints – [″The chief intention of the following work was to put the elegant amusement of collecting prints, on a more rational footing; by giving the unexperienced collector a few principles and cautions to assist him”] (Fourth Edition with the printed dedication “To the Honorable Horace Walpole in Deference to his Taste in the Polite Arts; and the Valuable Researches he has made to improve them; the following work is inscribed by his most obedient and very humble servant, William Gilpin”). [Volumes I & II with 40 original illustrations and vintage 18th century maps [correctly 39 illustrations and one table], for example of Loch Lomond and the Firth of Forth/ all illustrations are vintage mezzotint-plates].

Mixed Editions. Four Volumes (bound in two). London, Printed for R. Blamire, Strand, 1792. Octavo. Pagination: Volume I: XI, [1], 221 pages with 24 mezzotints / Volume II: 195, XVI pages with 16 mezzotints and an “Account of the Prints” as well as “Translations of Latin Passages” / [Volume III]: [River Wye]: XVI, 152 pages with 16 (of 17) full – page mezzotints / [Volume IV]: [An Essay on Prints]: XIII, [3], 174 pages plus XI pages Index and 1 page Errata. Hardcover / Early 19th century quarter – morocco with gilt lettering and ornament on spine. Both volumes bound in unison. Very good + condition with only minor signs of external wear. Pages 185 – 191 of Volume I with some stronger browning. Otherwise the interior very clean. All mezzotints in very good or even better condition. This is the original copy from the historical Castle-Freke Library in West Cork (Ireland), with two armorial bookplates to front and rear pastedown with the family’s motto ‘Pro Patria’. With two pages of manuscript annotations by a contemporary hand with a reference between the common name “Tarbet” in Scotland and a place-name in County Kerry in Ireland” (pages 13 of Volume II) / another entry is on page 12 of Volume II regarding the name-sake “Loch-Loung” for a Lake of ships in Scotland and Ireland.

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