1. 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.

2. Handcoloured Map Art of 18th century Scotland – [Millar, William] / [Grant, John] / [Leslie, William] Forsyth, Isaac / [Hugh Houstoun].

A Survey of the Province of Moray; Historical, Geographical, and Political. [Inscribed and dedicated by scottish Mapmaker William Millar / Including the amazing, large Map of Moray and the Nairn Shires by William Millar (51 cm x 49 cm) and the engraving of “Elgin Cathedral” (also by William Millar)].

First Edition. Aberdeen, Printed for Isaac Forsyth, Bookseller, Elgin, 1798. Octavo (14 cm x 21,5 cm). Folded, hand-coloured Frontispiece-Map by William Millar, Frotispiece-Engraving of the “Elgin Cathedral” , VIII, 353 pages. Original Hardcover / Original 18th or early 19th century leather with original spinelabel. The large, hand-coloured Map with a minor tear only. Corners slightly bumped. Spine slightly starting but overall in excellent condition with some minor signs of wear only. Interesting Provenance and signed manuscript dedication by the Cartographer and Mapmaker William Millar: From the library of Aberdeen Highlander, Major Hugh Houstoun, with a dedication: “April 27th, 1798 – To Major Hugh Houstoun – from his Much obliged and Humble Servant William Millar”.

3. Heriot / Innerleithen / Scottish Borders – Anonymus –

Vintage manuscript map of “Road from Heriot to Innerleithen – 1843”. [With an inset of wider dirctions to Pentland Hills, Arthurs Seat / showing the River Tweed in the South and names the kinds of sheep that are kept along the road to Edinburgh (″Black-Faced Sheep” – “Cheviot Sheep”)].

Ink on Paper. [Britain], 1843. 9.8 cm wide x 17 cm high. Very good condition. Some mild browning. From a wonderful collection of maps at South Shields Library (tiny stamp verso (on the back) of this map).

4. Northfield, The Rt. Hon. Lord.

Acquisition and Occupancy of Agricultural Land: Committee of Inquiry Report.

London, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1979. Octavo. 378 pages. Original Softcover. Good condition with some stronger signs of external wear (some pages dogeared). Otherwise very good ! Rare ! Name of preowner on endpaper.

5. [West Highland Line] / [Scottish Railway Line Glasgow to Mallaig] / [Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean – “Iron Road to the Isles”]

Massive Photographic Documentation of The Western Highland Line [Glasgow to Mallaig] in 900 [ninehundred] vintage Photographs, taken over a period of 30 Years by a Railway and Nature-Explorer and placed in four massive XXL Folders with extensive, beautiful and detaild annotations and explanations. The photographs range from smaller formats (10 cm wide x 15.2 cm high) to a huge amount of Extra-Large Vintage Photographs (39.2 cm wide x 29.4 cm high) and many even measure 40 cm x33 cm, filling entire leaves. Many of the photographs are impeccably applied inside these High-End-Archival-Folders with often numerous captions in the handwriting of the Photographer / Highland Explorer. An inexplicably stunning and absolutely unique documentation of the scottish landscape along the West Highland Line between the years 1974 – 2002. The images document Scottish rivers, Lochs and Roads, Mountains and Hills alongside the Railway-Lines but landscapes are also often shown without the Railway present. Besides the nature we also find photographs of architectural features like overpasses or industrial buildings and railway-track-imagery masterfully photographe, bordering on the abilities of a New Objectivity – photographer like Albert Renger-Patzsch. An important, maybe even singular photographic Impact-study of Railway to the Scottish Highlands. The anonymous photographer has injected himself occasionally in the images, beautifully showing his pitched tent and motorcycle in order let the viewer understand the dedication his travels have cost him. The masterful photographer also showcases his love for detail and artistry by ever so often partially and sparsely coloring Railway-Waggons or Locomotives within his black-and-white-photography, highlighting the technology in the vulnerable landscape, giving the whole collection an artistic and critical component of focusing the viewer on the object of his desire, yet contrasting how lost even a magnificent Locomotive and its carriages seems when vanishing in front of the majestic scottish landscape. The documentation is meticulous, often allowing for multiple vintage photographs on one page showing the same location during different times, exhausting all questions of functionality of the Railway opposed to the landscape with or without Railway in the shots. For the conservation-movement of the Scottish Highlands this collection is an unbelievable chance to preserve the memory of this landmark Railway-Line, connecting the extreme remote with the urban. For those who research the scottish landscape this is a unique opportunity to acquire the life’s work of one man’s obsession with “Railway and Landscape” in the Scottish Highland.

Scotland, 1974-2002. Oblong-Folio (44 cm wide x 36 cm high). Hardcover / Original Full-Leather Folders with stong, black cardboards and original tissue-guards. Excellent condition with only minor signs of wear. With hundreds of manuscript annotations on the photography, the photography-technique, film used and with extensive elaborations on each photograph in these albums. More images on request !