Triggs, Hugo Inigo. The Art of Garden Design in Italy.
1st. Ed. Pub. Longmans. 1906 pp.xii, 134 with 128 b/w. plates, both photographic and illustration (collated and complete). Elephant folio. Hardback. Spotting to the borders of around half of the plates (in several instances encroaching a little onto the plate itself) and their assoc. text leaves, o/w. contents fine. Original decorated and lettered cloth binding in vg. condition showing some shelf rubbing and light wear to extremities.
In this work the reader is transported to the gardens of Italy at the turn of the 20th Century through a combination of absorbing text, charming garden plans and folio sized, wonderfully atmospheric and, detailed photographs. H. Inigo Triggs books influenced the Italian mode of the Arts and Crafts style in England and in 1926 he entered a partnership with the architect William Unsworth.
£150.00 [ref: 67893]

view all images for this item

Tucker, A.G.C. Ornithologia Danmoniensis: Or, An History of the Habits and Economy of Devonshire Birds. Volume I - Part II.
1st. Ed. Pub. T. Cadell and W. Davies, Strand. 1809 pp.xli-lxxxviii, with 3 plates in two states (hand-coloured and uncoloured). 4to. Text uncut. This copy also comes with an additional 3 uncoloured plates not usually present. In original wrapper. Rare.
This was the first English attempt at compiling a local avifauna. Two of the planned 24 parts were published. The fine plates feature illustrations of The Green Woodpecker, The Young Hen Harrier and The Yellow Wagtail.
£650.00 [ref: 54747]

view all images for this item

Van Pelt Lechner, A.A. Oologia Neerlandica. Eggs of Birds Breeding in the Netherlands.
1st. Ed. Pub. Martinus Nijhoff. 1910-13 Two volumes depicting 667 birds eggs over 191 individually mounted, chromolithograph and heliotype plates. Tissue guards. Collated and complete. Crown 4to. TEG. English text. Bound in half-morocco leather over marbled boards; raised bands, spines richly decorated and lettered in gilt. Spines show a little uniform sunning. Very minor spotting, o/w. contents clean and in fine condition. Boards near fine condition. A very handsome set of this very scarce and highly regarded work. Prov: Francois Haverschmidt (1906-1987), the world renowned Dutch ornithologist - his ownership inscription dated September 1926 on front free endpapers.
‘A work on the eggs of the birds of Holland, of unusual merits...(it) was issued in an edition of 250 copies, 100 of which were printed in English [the rest in Dutch] (Zimmer II, 651). The work was very well received. A review in the American Ornithologists Union journal ‘The Auk’ (Apr. 1914), said upon the release of the last four parts, ‘The unusually high standard of both plates and letter press is fully maintained and the work will take its place as one of the noteworthy publications dealing with birds’ eggs - an example of what can be done in scientific oological investigation’.
£3,500.00 [ref: 54707]

view all images for this item

Veitch, James H. Hortus Veitchii. A History of the rise and progress of the Nurseries of Messrs. James Veitch and Sons, together with an account of the Botanical Collectors and Hybridists employed by them and a list of the most remarkable of their introductions.
1st. Ed. Pub. James Veitch and Sons Ltd. 1906 pp.542 with 50 plates of photographs and illus. 4to. Hardback. TEG. Early signaure to half-title. Ffep. neatly removed. Internal hinges a little tender - text block still sound. A couple of sections a little clumsily opened and a small number unopened. Rubbed out drawings to verso of two plates, occ. spotting o/w. contents fine. Original red cloth binding with gilt lettering in vg. plus condition.
A most fascinating work. Hortus Veitchii begins with a biographical introduction to the Veitch family and their interests. Around a fifth of the work is dedicated to accounts of 27 of the leading plant collectors and hybridists whom the Veitch’s employed, including William Lobb, Thomas Lobb and E.H. Wilson. The book then focusses on the vast number of plants these men brought back and worked on; not just by listing them, but through an enticing mixture of detailed background text and photographs.
£150.00 [ref: 67862]

Verner, Willoughby. My Life Among The Wild Birds of Spain.
1st. Ed. Pub. John Bale, Sons & Danielsson. 1909 pp.xvi, 468 with many b/w. photos. and illus. in text and fold-out view of Bearded Vulture's nesting station on linen as published at rear. Large 8vo. Hardback. Very minor, very occasional spotting, o/w. contents fine. With the bookplate of Herbert Massey to front pastedown. With one note in pencil reference the number of eggs laid by Raven in Britain. Original decorated green cloth boards, spine more recently relaid, and very pleasingly, the original end-papers retained in tact, all in nr. fine condition. A scarce work with super provenance.
Herbert Massey (1852-1939) ‘created one of the finest private collections of birds’ eggs ever to be formed in Britain.....The quality of his collection was paramount and contained some of the rarest specimens ever assembled in one collection.....His eggs of the Limicolae were so outstanding that Frank Poynting chose to base his illustrations in his classic ‘Eggs of British Birds - Limicolae’ (1895/96) from specimens in Massey’s collection.....Herbert Massey was a remarkable oologist. Kind hearted and generous, he was not subject to outbreaks of irritability or petulance to which some of his fellow oologists were sometimes prone at meetings.’ (Cole and Trobe).
£750.00 [ref: 60808]

view all images for this item

von Lendenfeld, Robert. A Monograph of the Horny Sponges.
1st. Ed. Pub. for the Royal Society by Trubner and Co. 1889 pp.iv, 936 with 51 plates. Large 4to. Hardback. Ex. academic lib. Minor spotting, very largely confined to three plates, o/w. contents exceptionally clean and fine. More recent camel colour cloth, gilt lettered, in nr. fine condition.
An important and comprehensive work dedicated to the study of the orders Monoceratina and Hexaceratina, published on behalf of the Royal Society.
£120.00 [ref: 61980]

view all images for this item

Walden, Beryl M. & Hu, Shiu Ying. Wild Flowers of Yunnan and Central China. Identifications, names, ecological notes, descriptions, and economic uses prepared.
Ltd. Ed. Pub. B.M. Walden. 2000 pp.288 with colour illus. Folio. Fine hardback bound in quarter green leather with gilt lettering to spine and housed in matching green cloth slipcase just gently sunned to extremites o/w. fine. Limited edition of 1,000 copies, this being copy No. 603.
This book is the result of 15 years' dedicated work by botanical artist Beryl M. Walden and research botanist Hu Shiu-ying. One hundred and fifty plates contain full colour illustrations of 516 wild flowers. All are water-colour paintings of living plants. The text of the book names each plant, gives a full botanical description, explains the plant's distribution and where appropriate its economic or medicinal uses.
£200.00 [ref: 72572]

view all images for this item

Wallace, A.R. Island Life. Or the Phenomena and causes of Insular Faunas and Floras.
1st. Ed. Pub. Macmillan, London. 1880 pp.xvii, 526 with a hand-coloured map plus 2-pages of Macmillan adverts to rear. Royal 8vo. Oak tree themed bookplate of Edward C. Wallace to verso of ffep. Originally a W.H.Smith and Son’s subscription library copy, the only indication being their partly removed label to ffep. and a neat repair to the title-page. Scattered, light foxing at ends o/w. contents in fine condition. Original publisher’s green pebble cloth binding, internal hinges profesionally strengthened, with boards gently rubbed and bumped and in vg. plus condition.
The forward thinking W.H.Smith & Son’s subscription Library operated from 1860 to 1961 with the objective that ‘it embraces all the most important Works of History, Biography, Travel, Fiction, Poetry, Science and Theology, as well as the leading magazines and reviews’. It is highly likely that following its publication in 1880 this copy went straight into the subscription service.
£375.00 [ref: 42943]

view all images for this item

Wallace, Alfred Russel. Darwinism. An Exposition of the Theory of Natural Selection with Some of its Applications.
1st. Ed. Pub. Macmillan. 1889 pp.xvi, 494 with portrait photographic frontis. of Wallace plus 37 text illus., colour fold-out map plus 2-pages of Publisher’s adverts. 8vo. Hardback. Prov : With the charmingly illustrated bookplate of John Fowles (1926 - 2005), author of ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman, to ffep. Further charming bookplate to front pastedown and a signature to verso of ffep. With the minor exception of some spotting to the frontispiece’s tissue guard the contents are exceptionally clean and fine. Original green cloth binding, lettered in gilt to spine, in nr. fine condition.
A most pleasing copy of Wallace’s work in support of Darwinism with some very interesting provenance.
£1,200.00 [ref: 70715]

Walton, I. & Cotton, C. The Complete Angler; or, Contemplative Man’s Recreation: Being a Discourse on Rivers, Fish-ponds, Fish, and Fishing.
2nd. Bagster. Ed. Pub. R. Watts. 1815 pp.514 with portrait frontis., plates and illus. 8vo. Hardback. Some scattered foxing to contents, small label removed from verso of frontis., o/w. contents fine. More recently rebound in green cloth boards, with original spine-title relaid, in fine condition.
£175.00 [ref: 42105]

view all images for this item