New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1895

Frontispiece, xxxii, (ii), 546 pages. 12 photogravure plates with tissue guards and 256 text illustrations. 4to. Japanese vellum boards backed in red morocco with ornate gilt decoration and lettering outlined in red; gilt lettering on spine. Top edge gilt. Number 203 of 500 limitation noted in red ink on verso of half title. Red morocco spine worn and boards a little yellowed else a very solid copy of this beautifully produced volume. Useful bibliography and glossary. Outstanding photogravure plates. Later owner's neat signature on front leaf. Longfellow studied at Harvard University, and in 1859 entered the office of Edward Cabot of Boston. For a year he was director of architecture in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then director of the School of Drawing and Painting connected with the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Amongst other things, he was secretary of the Boston Society of Architecture and was chairman of the Jury of Fine Arts at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. He was the first editor of the "American Architect." As well as this book he wrote a series of historical essays entitled "The Column and the Arch."

Engraver's proof. 50 plates, each with hand-written pencil description of the location, bound as a presentation copy. Inscribed 'To Wm. Barton Esq. as a mark of esteem from his friend J. le Keux.' 4to. Quarter calf, gilt decorated spine, marbled boards and end-papers. Gren title labelled on the spine only, no title page. Spine slightly rubbed and a little cracked at base, else a bright copy. All but two plates, which are foxed, are in very good condition indeed. The plates were engraved for J.P. Neale and Le Keux's 'Views of the Most Interesting Collegiate and Parochial Churches in Great Britain'. This was published in 1824 with 98 plates across two volumes. A loosely inserted slip hand-written by the architect George G. Pace, gives a brief account of the history of the volume.

Kirby Lonsdale 1835

First edition. 24pp Lithographed frontis, 9 plates, 2 woodcuts, 4to. 9 x11 inches Pencil markings and marginalia. Blue paper flimsy boards with paste down label, brown contrasting paper spine. Worn at corners, head and base of spine. Upper hinge split. Reverend William Carus-Wilson, Charlotte Bronte's real-life headmaster at the Clergy Daughter's School at Cowan Bridge, later at Casterton, in Cumbria. His school was reputedly also the inspiration behind Lowood School in Jane Eyre and Wilson himself the basis of the strict Mr Brocklehurst character, it's headmaster. Revered Wilson had allegedly threatened libel action against Charlotte Bronte at the time which apparently led her to tone down her descriptions of the school. When Elizabeth Gaskell wrote her biography of Charlotte Bronte she blamed the school's regime and inadequate food for the deaths of Maria and Elizabeth Bronte and for the poor state of Charlotte's own health. Letters by Edward Carus-Wilson (grandson of William Carus Wilson) which recount the tale of the intended libel action were sold in 2006 at a Shropshire Auction House. The book on offer here is a pattern book for the design of non conformist chapels and parsonages and school rooms; it is a fascinating design book but unfortunately does not throw light on the Charlotte Bronte controversy. Scarce.

Oxford At the Clarendon Press. Sold by D. Prince and J. Cooke, Oxford; J.F. and C. Rivington, T. Cadell, and R. Faulder, London 1788

28 + [1]pp. Small 4to. Disbound. A little dusty and a crease from ancient horizontal fold, else very good. 'By William Crowe, L.L.B. of New College and Public Orator of the University, The Second Edition' in pencil on t.p. This is the first anonymous publishing of the poem in 1788; it was also published under his name at later dates. William Crowe (1745-1829) was a poet and clergyman with other skills in horticulture and timber: he was always selected by the Fellows of New College as their woodsman (DNB). Lewesdon Hill is the highest point in Dorset and the poem describes a walk up the hill on a May morning and what can be seen of the surrounding picturesque landscape. It was published at the time when an interest in the landscape was developing rapidly.

London : B.T. Batsford. 2nd edition, 1885

Title page + 2pp text + 55 plates Small folio. Original cloth with gilt lettering along spine. Cloth a little faded and worn and boards a little bowed else good. Internally very good. First published in 1876 and expanded slightly in 1885. A third edition followed with information on lifting gear included. All editions are uncommon. Ogden's building designs were governed by the need to get the maximum amount of daylight into his buildings. He advocates the value of the book in his own preface drawing attention to the lack of books on the design of buildings in business quarters of industrial cities. The book contains some very original ideas. The author was an architect in the Cheetham-based practice Ogden & Charlton.(Manchester). Dedication copy from the author. Signed in the pencil.

Printed at the Chiswick Press (1900)

[2]pp + 12 leaves of leadwork designs onto which there are 15 real photographs in sepia which are pasted down. There are occasional manuscript prices and notes and prices in red ink and one in particular asking for enquiries to be addressed to Miss Veronica Whalls at Ravensourt Park. 4to. Original blue sugar paper printed wrapper preserved in outer cloth covered boards with lettering on upper board "Glazing by Whall". Bookplate of Claude Arthur Kirby on verso of upper wrapper. Signed in minute handwriting by Christopher Whall on the lower edge of the wrapper. Loosely inserted printed pamphlet on "Hall's Memorial Window for the Royal Military Academy Chapel, Woolwich". Hand written note from Whalls to "CK" [Claude Kirby] which is an invitation to view this window at Whall's Studio 20.21.2.22. Upper wrapper rather dusty. At the end of p22 of the text the address at Chelsea has been scored out in favour of the address at Ravenscourt Park. Rare. Veronica Whalls became a partner in the business in 1922 but was active much earlier. One version of Leaded Glazing 1900 located on World Cat. This item not located.

nd c1880-1890

Hand written title page in ink "Isles of Scilly". 40 large format photographs, some 8x10 inches(203mm x 254mm) and others 6x8 inches(152mm x 203mm). + 5pp snapshots All sepia. Foxing to mounts and some browning to these all but the first two images unaffected by foxing. Late nineteenth century album rebound in modern cloth preserving original album spine. New end papers. Overall 80% of images are sharp, 20% have some fading but in all cases the interest and quality of the compositions is very good. The images comprise the house and gardens at Tresco Abbey including 2 striking 8x10 inch (203mm x 254mm) interiors of the house, further interiors and exteriors of one of the green houses, the ornamental grounds with subtropical plants including Yucca's and setting. Yet other images document social history aspects of the island. These document working life, daffodil fields, commercial flowers and fishing. Others concentrate on leisure pursuits including tennis + rowing. The sea is always present. 18 of the images are attributable to the the Gibsons and 8 to John Valentine but others have no attribution. The album includes two images of the contemporary ferry, possibly the Little Western. As well as an image of Cromwell's Castle, built after the 1651 conquest of the Scilly Isles it is one of the few surviving Cromwellian fortifications in Britain. Also excellent images record the unique coastal geology of Peninnis Head (Southern most point of saint Mary's) and Round Island Lighthouse designed by William Tregathen Douglas for Trinity House, completed in 1887. These images also give a fascinating insight into period dress. A rare insight into the social history, architecture, geology and horticulture of a unique island at at time when the proprietors of the Scilly's was Thomas Algernon Smith-Dorrien-Smith of Tresco Abbey.

London, Printed for I. & J. Taylor, (1795) New edition, Library of Fine Arts 1836

ii, 61pp text, (1 p.), 27 engraved plates, including the title and dedication leaf. Folio. Rebound sympathetically conserving the original title label on upper board. New end papers. The architectural publishing firm, Isaac and Josiah Taylor, later Taylor's Architectural Library, was closed in April 1834 upon the death of Josiah Taylor. The stock of the firm was sold at two auctions, held in October 1834 and January 1835. At one of these the copperplates for the present work were purchased by John Williams of the "Library of Fine Arts", who created this edition of the work. He had the text reset by T.H. Drury and arranged to have the plates restruck. The dedication plate and list of the original subscribers to the 1795 edition were redundant, and thus omitted to be replaced by a letterpress dedication to John Soane. Church and Monastery of Santa Maria da Victoria, also known as Batalha was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese over the Castilians at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. It is a World Heritage Site. A highly original, national Gothic style evolved, profoundly influenced by Manueline art. The plates in this book record the details of the building. In 1835, William Beckford published his last work, the travelogue Recollections of an Excursion to the Monasteries of Alcobaça and Batalha and this book, which perhaps capatilzed on the publication of Beckford's work, followed in the next year. Murphy, of Irish descent and a talented draftsman, was commissioned by William Burton Conyngham to make drawings of the church and monastery of Batalha and the result was the original 1795 edition of the book. William Beckford, that great devotee of the gothic, called Murphy "a dull draftsman" which seems rather cruel [ Gentleman's Magazine 1836 vol 161 p 280].

London, Royal Institute of British Architects 1882-89

8 vols., photographs, maps, plans (some fold out), plus text ills. Large 4to. Uniform quarter calf board with corners, gilt lettered spine with raised bands. Sprinkled edges. Each volume has a numbered ticket pasted in the top corner of the front endpaper with a number written in pencil underneath. Very slight rubbing to corners and edges, else very good. v.1. Session 1881-82; v.2. Session 1882-83; v.3.Session 1883-84; v.4. Vol.I. New Series, 1884-85; v.5. Vol.II. New Series, 1885-86; v.6. Vol.III. New Series, 1886-87; v.7. Vol.IV. New Series, 1887-88; v.8. Vol.V. New Series, 1888-89. Lovely set of consecutive volumes of the transactions of the Royal Institue of British Architects from 1881-89. These were printed in limited quantities for the use of the members of RIBA, and other kindred institutions. Topics discussed include: Musical Requirements in Church Planning; The History and Uses of Plaster-Work, especially as relating to Ornamental Ceilings; Picturesqueness in Reference to Architecture; Recent Legal Decisions affecting Architects; The Drainage of the Palace and City of Westminster; The Use of Flint in Building, especially in the County of Suffolk; and, The Pugin Travelling Studentship: Extracts from an account of Tour in Oxfordshire.

York: William Blanchard 1798

Frontis + xii + 352 + [8]pp, plus two engraved maps, one folding, and three plates 'engraved from drawings by Mr Hornsey', following pages 144, 266 and 282. 3 inserted blanks with additional pasted-in images, apparently tourist engravings of the town's sites, make this an interesting extra-illustrated copy. 4to. Nicely rebound in 19th-century quarter calf, with marbled boards and edges; a note on the fep reads 'M. A. Naylor, Scarborough. Rebound 1874'. A few pages have some very slight offsetting, and there are minor age marks to the prelims and pages 197-202, 235-58 and 320-30. Overall a nice copy in vg condition. A wealthy former mariner, Hinderwell (1744-1825) was also an antiquary and a keen social reformer who was a friend of William Wilberforce. This volume, the fruit of extensive research and a love of his native town, was the first history of Scarborough. It remains a model of topographical and urban history and is an invaluable resource for the history of the town and the surrounding area.