Search Results: Books from John Windle Antiquarian Bookseller

1838. [London: for John Linnell, 1838]. 7 plates, oblong folio, printed on laid paper only (not on India), lightly cleaned, in fine condition. § First printing (subsequent to a few proofs possibly pulled by Blake himself) preceding the 1838 printing on laid india on wove paper. Essick states (Blake Quarterly, vol. 24, issue 3): "The next impressions to be pulled after Blake's own working proofs are probably those printed directly on laid paper (not to be confused with India paper laid on wove) showing clear wire and chain lines, the latter approximately 3.7 cm. apart. Such a set was sold from the Doheny Memorial Library at Christie's New York, 21 February 1989, lot 1713, plate 2 illustrated in the auction catalogue [this set]. Part of a watermark, or countermark, "A & D," is present in plate 3. The heavy foxing of most impressions in this set [now cleaned] cannot mask the fact that these are superb impressions that justify a record price. All major engraved lines are dark, rich, and precise,… Read More

1880. London: John Murray, 1880. 8vo, x, 592, 32 (ads dated May 1878) pp. Illustrated with 196 in-text woodcuts. Original green blind-stamped cloth, backstrip titled in gilt, brown coated endpapers, hinges cracked, a little wear to crown and foot of backstrip, text block edges (but not pages) stained, an unsophisticated copy. § § First edition, first issue, inscribed in Charles Darwin's hand, "Elizabeth Darwin, From her Father." Presentation copies from Darwin, in his own hand, are exceptionally rare (most presentation copies were inscribed "from the author" by the publisher); a copy inscribed to a family member by Darwin himself is extraordinarily so. Elizabeth Darwin, known as Bessy, was Charles and Emma Darwin's youngest daughter and perhaps the most enigmatic of all their ten children. She is remembered as a quiet soul who lived in the family home until the death of her mother, and then in a cottage on her own near her three brothers until her death in 1926. The book which Darwin has… Read More

1825. London: [plates dated] 1825 [but published 1826]. Folio, engraved title and 21 plates on India paper mounted on handmade paper. Each plate separately matted, a brilliant set, with the original printed label preserved. § First edition, limited to 150 proof sets (65 sets were also printed on French paper, and 100 sets on drawing paper with the word 'proof' removed). This is one of finest sets of the proofs I have ever seen, and far outshines the other two original printings and the later re-issue. The India paper set is the best printing of these famous plates which comprise Blake's major single achievement as a printmaker after the illuminated books. "Blake's twenty-two engraved Illustrations of the Book of Job are the culmination of his long pictorial engagement with that biblical subject. His first efforts were a small group of wash drawings of the mid-1780s showing Job in his misery with his wife and three friends...This may have stimulated Blake's chief patron, Thomas Butts, to… Read More

1821. London: 1821. 2 vols., small 8vo, xii (-vii/viii), 12, xxiv (-i/iv), 214; [I], [215]-592 pp. With an engraved frontispiece to each volume, and 230 illustrations including 17 woodcuts and 6 engraved plates by Blake, and four other designs by Blake engraved by others. Original full rose sheep, backstrips lettered in gilt, slight wear to joints, vol. 1 invisibly repaired. A very fine set internally perfect. Enclosed in a modern protective box. § Presentation copy inscribed by Thornton to his daughter. A very fine copy of a scarce work in any condition as it was issued for use in schools; the impressions of the woodcuts in this copy are the richest I have ever seen. Blake contributed 17 woodcuts to this volume (as well as 10 other plates, of which he engraved six) which were not well received; nor were they well treated by the publisher who cut down the blocks and printed them poorly. Only a few proofs before they were trimmed are now extant. These blocks have remained amongst the most… Read More

1801. London: printed by T. Bensley for Cadell & Davies, etc., [1801-]1813-1815. 3 parts in one volume, huge folio, 23 x 17 1/4 inches 3 additional color-printed and hand-finished engraved vol. titles, engraved dedication, 7 engraved part titles, 6 of which color-printed and finished by hand, 4 engraved leaves of lists of plates color-printed and with hand-finished vignettes, 111 engraved plates, of which 99 finely hand-colored or partially hand-colored, 12 either plain or printed in monochrome colour, 37 double-page or folding; 10 pp. of letterpress text at the end. Contemporary russia, rebacked, gilt supralibros unidentified, board corners and edges worn in places. The Lysons family copy, later the Jeudwine copy with his bookplate. § Lysons's own copy, inscribed by his brother after his death to his son, with two autograph letters; a magnificent copy of "Lysons's splendid work". (Lowndes). "Only 200 copies of the whole Work have been printed off, and most of the Plates cancelled; not with the… Read More

8182. London: March 8, 1825 [i.e. London: John Linnell, 1874]. Large folio, title-page and 21 plates printed on India paper. Mounted on large sheets as issued, enclosed in a blue morocco box (slightly worn) lettered in gilt. Bookplate of Robert Pirie. § A very good set of the posthumous edition printed from the original plates (with the word "proof" removed) for Linnell by Holdgate Brothers. The India paper set is the best printing of these famous plates which comprise Blake's major single achievement as a printmaker after the illuminated books. Illustrations of the Book of Job was Blake's last completed prophetic book: the text, a series of biblical quotations, is above and below each image. "It was produced while Blake was still working on Jerusalem, his most obscure book; yet the illustrations are Blake's most lucid; and they are the supreme example of his reading the Bible in its spiritual sense" (S. Foster Damon, A Blake Dictionary, p. 217). "The modest size of the central panels does not… Read More

1821. London: 1821. 2 vols., small 8vo, xii (-vii/viii), 12, xxiv (-i/iv), 214 pp; [I], [215]-592 pp. With an engraved frontispiece to each volume, and 230 illustrations including 17 woodcuts and 6 engraved plates by Blake, and four other designs by Blake engraved by others. Retrospective early 19th century full calf, red labels, by Court Benson. § A very good copy of a scarce work in any condition as it was issued for use in schools. Blake contributed 17 woodcuts to this volume (as well as 10 other plates, of which he engraved six) which were not well received; nor were they well treated by the publisher who cut down the blocks and printed them poorly. Only a few proofs before they were trimmed are now extant. These blocks have remained amongst the most influential woodcuts in the history of British art and their influence can be seen from Calvert and Palmer all the way up to the present day. The blocks were saved by Linnell and were printed not long after Blake's death as separate impressions… Read More

1861. London: Chapman & Hall, 1861. 3 vols. 8vo, (iv), 344; (ii), 351, (1); (ii), 344 pp. Three quarter morocco, green cloth sides, marbled edges and endpapers, backstrips with raised bands, ruled in gilt, with red and green title labels. Backstrips and board edges a little worn and scuffed, contents near fine with only very occasional spotting. A unusually bright set internally with the armorial bookplates of Jonathan Latimer Collens and small ticket of the renowned Chaucer's Head bookshop in each volume. § First edition, first issue in book form, with no edition statements on the title page. An unusually fine copy with all the necessary points in Clarendon Appendix D and all points noted by Smith save for the two which he noted appeared only in Sadleir's copy. Bound without terminal adverts to vol. III; Smith states that not all copies were issued with adverts. Smith I, 14.

1804. London: Cadell & Davies, 1804. 4to, xx, 394pp., [2pp. adverts], 9 engraved plates and maps, 7 folding, plate list on p.394. One folding plate backed with modern paper. Some browning and foxing but not offensive, generally a very good complete copy in contemporary calf rebacked, lettered in gilt, a very good copy with the bookplate of Abel Smith of Woodhall Park. § One of the centrepieces of a Pacific voyage collection First edition of this famous Pacific rarity and one of the centrepieces of a Pacific voyage collection: Broughton's account of his lengthy Pacific voyage is filled with descriptions of the Northwest Coast, Hawaii and New South Wales. It is a difficult book to find: the Kroepelien collection, for example, had only the German and French versions of the work while Lada-Mocarski describes it as 'Extremely rare... the information contained in it is of prime importance'. In 1795 Broughton was despatched in Bligh's old ship Providence to rendezvous with Vancouver on the Northwest… Read More

1824. London: I. Poole, [1824]. Small 8vo, xxiv, 372pp. With an engraved frontispiece, 4 full-page engravings including one by Blake, 8 hand-colored botanical plates, 8 plates of engraved music, a calendar with an engraved title-page and 6 plates, and 12 blank leaves titled "Album 1825" recorded by Keynes but not noted in other copies we have had. Publisher's original full brown calf, central panels on both covers blind-stamped within a richly gilt border, backstrip with four raised bands, gilt-decorated, lettered REMEMBER ME, slightly scuffed and small black splotch (ink?) on lower cover, occasional small spots on plates as usual, a very good copy of a de luxe issue binding on the first of three editions of the book. § First edition, first issue of the book (no state variance in the plate), with a very early pencil inscription from one woman to another (illegible) repeated on the next leaf. One of the rarest of all of the plates designed and engraved by Blake. There was a reissue dated 1826 as… Read More

1929. Bristol: Douglas Cleverdon, 1929. 4to, (xii), 49, (5) pp. With an extra suite of the engravings on Japon, wood-engraved self-portrait and 103 plates, a few printed in red or red and black, additional plates loose as issued in pocket at end. Original de luxe binding of quarter vellum. A very good copy. Bookplate of R.L. Langdon-Down. § Limited to 80 de luxe copies signed by Gill with the extra suite on Japon of all the plates printed from the original blocks, from a total edition of 490. The de luxe copy of a scarce title - the first collection of Gill's work, including his magnificent illustrations for several Golden Cockerel Press books as well as designs for the St. Dominic's Press and many other ephemeral pieces, all printed from the original blocks. Evan Gill 17.

1802. Madrid: Imprenta Real, 1802. 2 vols., 8vo text [16], CLXVIII (i.e. 168), 185 pages; folded letterpress table between pp. 168-169, and errata leaf (p. 185) at end: and the accompanying Atlas, small folio, [4] pages (letterpress title-page and "Explicacion" table of contents, 17 fine engraved plates comprising 9 maps (4 folding) and 8 illustrations (2 folding) of scenes of the Pacific Northwest and its native inhabitants. Original speckled calf, excellent copies but for blue ownership stamps on title-page of the atlas. § The Spanish in Nootka. A work of great rarity, one of the scarcest of Pacific voyages and an important account of this expedition, the last great Spanish exploration of the Northwest coast of America. The atlas volume contains a series of plates of Nootka of great ethnographic importance including two remarkable large folding aquatints, atmospheric depictions of Nootka and its people, one of them the famous quite riotous scene of the festival given by the powerful chief… Read More

1763. Cambridge: Printed by John Baskerville, Printer to the University, 1763. Royal folio, 573 unnumbered leaves. A2, 1, B-13D2, *a-*e2, *f1. English binding of contemporary full blue-green morocco, covers with elaborate gilt border, backstrip richly gilt with red morocco lettering pieces stamped in gilt "HOLY BIBLE" and at the foot "BASKERVILLE", gilt edges, marbled endpapers. Inevitable slight signs of wear on such a huge book but in all a very good unrestored copy, internally flawless. § First edition, of Baskerville's masterwork in a magnificent contemporary English binding. Third issue of the subscribers' list as usual. "John Baskerville was a monumental figure in the history of English bookbinding and printing, with contemporary accounts of his work ethic revealing a man deeply engaged in virtually every aspect of book production. Yet for most of his life and indeed for many decades afterwards he was decried as a mere amateur. Still other sources show an individual with highly… Read More

1827. [London: William Blake, 1827]. Printed in black ink on thick card. Very finely printed, in good condition though trimmed very close to the image at the left and right edges, once pasted down and thus with traces of mounting on the verso and pencil notes from an earlier collector (c. 1950?), image and plate mark exactly as per Essick 1DD. § Blake's last engraving, executed for one of his closest friends. "Blake inscribed the plate, lower right, with his name and age, "A Æ 70." He may have sensed that 1827 could well be the last year of his life, but took pride in being capable of pursuing his art and craft to the end. Blake was in fact 69 when he died; perhaps he inscribed "70" on the Cumberland card in anticipation of working on it until he turned that age. At least when considered in retrospect, this most unusual inscription contributes to the elegiac and prophetic iconography of the design." The images invoke one of Blake's greatest themes-the relationships between time and eternity.… Read More

1806. London: J, Johnson, 1806. 2 vols. 4to, xviii, 423, (4, index and plate list); iv, 419 ( 6, index and plate list) pp, with 40 hand-coloured plates in both vol I and vol II as called for plus hand-coloured title page to vol I and coloured vignette to both volumes. 16 of the plates and the two title page vignettes are by Blake. Contemporary diamond calf with gilt rules and decoration, including to spine, with general light wear, the front cover of vol I rehinged; internally good, some offsetting and spotting to reverse of a few plates, occasional mild foxing to margins, but generally a good clean copy. § Second edition, revised and enlarged, very scarce colored. Stedman's account of the slave rebellion in Dutch Guiana, 1772-1777, with 40 hand-colored plates, 16 by William Blake. A best-seller in its day and translated many times, Stedman's narrative was an important resource for the abolitionist movement across Europe, even though Stedman himself was not straightforwardly anti-slavery.… Read More

1849. London: Bradbury & Evans, Whitefriars, [May, 1849 - November 1850]. 8vo, 20 monthly parts in 19 as issued, 32, [1]-32, 4; 12, 33-64, 12; 12, 65-96, 4; 8 97-128; 4, 129-160; 8, 161-192, 8; 8, 193-224, 8; [14], 225-256; 12, 257-288, [22]; 12, 289-320, 8; 8, 321-352; 8, 353-384, 2, 8; 8, 385-416; 8, 417-448; 4, 2, 449-480, [8]; 4, 481-512; 4, 513-544, [2]; 8, [2], 545-576, 8, [1]; 16, 577-624, xiv, [1 errata], 8, 4, 8, 40 engraved plates including frontispiece and title vignette. Original blue printed wrappers with trade advertisements to inner sides as well as outside back wrappers, uncut, with a variety of ads on teal, pink and white paper bound-in. Housed in a blue morocco pull-off case with raised bands, gilt titling, and additional blue cloth portfolio with flaps. Some backstrips and hinges mended, edges slightly rubbed and chipped occasionally, minor foxing to plates, overall remarkably good condition for such an ephemeral publication; very good. § First edition in the original parts of… Read More

2020. Whittington, UK: Nomad Letterpress and The Society of Wood Engravers, 2020. Folio, 325 x 250 mm, 100 pp., printed on Zerkall mould-made paper using Monotype Perpetua (Series 239) cast by Neil Winter at the Whittington Press in an addition of 340 copies. Numerous illustrations in black and white throughout. § § One of 30 copies numbered I-XXX with an extra suite of plates, this is copy XX, in a magnificent design binding by Dominic Riley. Published in 2020 to mark the Centenary of the Society of Wood Engravers. A year on press, this book links past with present, and provides a fitting tribute to the skills of the engravers and the part played by the Society in the history of wood engraving. For 2020 Vision, Nigel Hamway asked nineteen engravers to choose a major artistic influence, write an introduction, and create a new engraving which sits side-by-side in the book with an engraving or illustration by their 'inspirer'. This places the engravings of twentieth century greats - John… Read More

1859. London: Chapman & Hall, MDCCCLIX (1859). 8vo, [ix], [1]-254, 16 etched plates including frontis and title vignette. Full olive green fine-diaper cloth, entirely stamped in blind with a three line border which encloses a rectangular frame within which is is an ornament of leaves and stems in each corner and a chain-like design with each link enclosing a four-leafed flower. Housed in a green cloth slip-case. The head and tail of the backstrip are very slightly bumped with some sun toning; minor scattered foxing mostly near plates and some off-setting; a good clean copy in a beautifully preserved original cloth binding. § First edition in the rare secondary green cloth binding. Two of the eight internal flaws identified by Smith as necessary for the first issue have been corrected: "l" and "f" are printed on p.116 and 213 is numbered correctly. Of the latter point Eckel observes "The absence of this error does not invalidate a first edition but it fixes the priority of printing" and Smith… Read More

1797. London: R. Noble, 1797. Large 4to, viii, [1], 95, [2] pp. with 43 full-page engravings by Blake after his own designs surrounding the letterpress text. "Explanation" leaf bound in at the back. Half brown morocco, backstrip gilt, gilt top, by Riviere; a very large copy measuring 16 1/2 x 13 inches thus preserving almost all the imprints. A near fine copy with very occasional toning and offsetting; binding lightly worn. § First edition with Blake's illustrations, complete with the leaf of "Explanations." Essick and LaBelle explain in their commentary how Blake, virtually in a frenzy, completed 537 watercolor designs when he was commissioned by the publisher Edwards to illustrate Young's masterpiece. Edwards issued only the first four "Nights" (or sections) and had Blake etch and engrave 43 plates to test the market. The response must have been poor since no further engravings were requested of Blake and Edwards ceased business shortly thereafter. Ironically, today the poet Young, once… Read More

1939. New York: Viking, 1939. 8vo, 619 pp. Original beige cloth with pictorial decoration in brown, unclipped dust-jacket. A fine copy in a near fine dust-jacket, unusually bright with only a few touches of abrasion and a hint of shelfwear to the ends of the folds. § First edition, with the price and 'First Edition' statement on the inside flap of the dust-jacket. A beautiful copy of Steinbeck's greatest book, which won him the Pulitzer Prize and figured largely in his later receiving the Nobel Prize. The screen version was one of those rare occasions when a great book became a great film, winning two Oscars. Payne and Goldstone A12a.