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Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression, map endpapers, illustrations, frontispiece and 3 colour plates, small ownership inscription on front free endpapers, original cloth, boards lightly bowed, small strip of fading to extremities, otherwise excellent, dust-jacket, some chips and nicks to extremities, light patch of spotting to upper panel, light spotting to flaps and fore-edge, [Hammond A3a], 8vo, 1937 [but 1938]. *** Rare in jacket.The second impression was the first version of the book to be illustrated in colour: the first impression had two plates only, both of which were uncoloured. A total of 2,300 copies were printed, and some 400 held at the binder's London warehouse were destroyed during the Blitz in November 1940. 

Byroniana.- Battaglia (Alessandro) Sopra il Risorgimento della Grecia, first edition, errata slip at end with 2 ms addenda, broken, contemporary roan-backed boards, spine ends worn, uncut, 8vo, J. Booth, 1827.*** The dedication of this rare work, published in London, is to Lady Byron and Ada Byron (later Lovelace). Provenance: Nottingham Public Library (ink stamp to title verso and small embossed stamp to title); acquired from Alan G. Thomas, bookseller, with his cataloguing slip loosely inserted, dated May 1958 and the book priced at 30/-; Sir Francis Boileau from Lord Nugent's Library (pencil note on front pastedown and referred to in Thomas' note).

Book of Hours, Use of Poitiers, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum, 107 leaves (plus modern vellum endleaves at front and back), wanting two bifolia from the sixth quire, collation: i12, ii-v8, vi4 (wanting 4 leaves with end of Sext and much of Nones in Hours of Virgin), vii-xii8, xiii7 (last leaf a cancelled blank), xiv4, written in single column of 17 lines of a rounded lettre bâtarde, one to 4-line initials in gold on pink and blue grounds, line-fillers in same, major text sections opening with a coloured initial enclosing a floral spray on gold grounds and borders of foliage and acanthus leaf sprays on three sides, two full-page miniatures (opening Hours of the Virgin and Seven Penitential Psalms) in arch-topped frames within borders of woody branches and coloured acanthus leaves, the second with a bird in the border, pilgrim’s badge glued to modern front flyleaf (no marks from this in the volume and so most probably a modern addition), marks to last leaves showing the volume once had a single clasp, flaking from both miniatures, first leaf quite scuffed, numerous leaves becoming transparent, water damage, cockling and small spots and stains throughout, overall fair condition, bound in padded red velvet over wooden boards, leaves 98 x 76mm., [France (probably north-west, perhaps Rennes or vicinity)], [second half of the fifteenth century]. *** Text: Calendar; Passion readings; Obsecro te; the Hours of the Virgin, with Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, (Nones is missing), Vespers, Compline; the Seven Penitential Psalms, followed by a Litany of Saints and prayers; and the Office of the Dead; ending with additional prayers in French and Latin in two fifteenth-century hands.Provenance: (1) Written and decorated for a patron probably from the vicinity of Rennes: the style of the hand and decoration is rustic, the use of volume is that of nearby Poitiers, and the Calendar includes the rare local saint, Moderamnus (bishop of Rennes, d. c. 390) on 16 May. The presence of St. Theobald of Provins (d. 1066) on 1 July, whose cult centred on Provins, Sens and Auxerre to the south-east of Paris, might also suggest some form of connection to that region as well. (2) Sold in public auction by Swann Galleries of New York, 1 April 1993, lot 106, for $5500. (3) Sold by Edition Deluxe Rare Books on ebay, 18 September 2013, for $22,000.

English ownership.- Annotated.- Terentius Afer (Publius) Comedie: cum famatissimorum oratorum commentis, collation: a-v8 x4 y8, title printed in red and black and woodcut vignette of Badius presenting book to dedicatee within composite woodcut border of portraits of religious figures, a few woodcut illustrations in text, woodcut decorative initials, woodcut printer's device to final verso, extensive early ink marginalia (in English and Latin), glosses, pen trials and underlining in more than one hand, small piece from blank upper corner of title, d1 short tear within text without loss at upper inner corner, i5 small hole within text with loss, a little marginal worming at start, water-stained, some spotting and staining (including ink), lightly browned, contemporary English blind-stamped panelled calf, spine in compartments and with modern red morocco label and gilt date), covers with arabesque centre-pieces, joints splitting, but holding firm, backstrip with original piece crudely reattached at head and lifting, corners worn, rubbed, 4to in 8s (244 x 162mm.), [Lyon], [Jean de La Place & Martin Boillon], [8 April, 1520].  *** A rare edition of Terence's comedies; here with extensive evidence of early English study. Provenance: Edward Euleston (17th century ink inscription to title); Hugh Haxley (17th century signed ink inscription to outer margin of s8v); Johnstone (later engraved armorial bookplate to front pastedown). Literature: Adams T315. 

Blake (William).- Young (Edward) The Complaint, and the Consolation; or, Night Thoughts, 4 engraved part-titles and 39 illustrations by William Blake after his own designs around letterpress text, with letterpress 'Explanation' leaf tipped into blank leaf following title (usually missing), also with 1874 prospectus for reproduction set of the original watercolours with specimen leaf bound at end, light offsetting from plates as usual, one or two small stains and occasional marginal soiling, stain to foot of p.viii, very slightly trimmed occasionally just shaving plate, small gilt-stamped roan bookplate of Sinclair Hamilton and book-label of William T.Moore Blake collection, later half red morocco, by Rivière, spine gilt in compartments with six raised bands, g.e., a little rubbed, corners slightly worn, [Bentley 515; Ray 3], large 4to (c.415 x 325mm.), R. Noble for R. Edwards, 1797.*** A good copy of this ambitious work, with both the rare explanation leaf and the very rare 1874 prospectus by James Bain soliciting subscriptions for a projected set of reproductions of the original watercolours (never issued). Blake had been commissioned by Edwards to illustrate Young's popular work and produced 537 watercolours. As a trial these first four sections or "Nights" were published with 43 engravings by Blake but it presumably did not sell well and no further engravings were made.Sinclair Hamilton (1884-1978), book-collector and author of Early American Book Illustrators and Wood Engravers, 1670-1870, 2 vol., Princeton, 1958-68. He donated his collection to Princeton University Library.

Imaginary voyage to the moon.- Cyrano de Bergerac (Savinien de) Histoire Comique. Contenant les Estats & Empires de la Lune, title with large woodcut floral ornament, woodcut notation in text, head-pieces and decorative initials, foxing, occasional staining, lightly browned, contemporary mottled calf, gilt spine in compartments with fleur-de-lis decoration and a light brown leather label, minor worming to spine ends, lower joint starting, but holding firm, rubbed, 12mo, Lyon, Christophle Fourmy, 1662.  *** The Camille Aboussouan copy of a rare edition of this early work of science fiction. The work was inspired by Francis Godwin's The Man in the Moon, 1638 (translated into French in 1648). In Cyrano's lunar world the currency is verse, books are a type of audio book and come in richly decorated boxes, and after death cannibalism is offered as an option along with burial or cremation.Provenance: Camille Aboussouan (1919-2013), French-speaking Lebanese lawyer, diplomat, writer, translator, and bibliophile, sold at his sale Sotheby's, 17th & 18th June, 1993, lot 581 (bookplate). 

Farriery & household.- Montague (Peregrine) The Family Pocket-book: or, Fountain of true and useful knowledge. Containing the Farrier's Guide; or, the horse dissected..., first edition, a few woodcut illustrations, including ‘A Summer-House in the Chinese Taste’, woodcut head- and tail-pieces and decorative initials, final f. blank, without frontispiece (see note), D2 narrow piece from lower margin, affecting catchword, spotted / foxed and stained, browned (as often, but still a solid copy), 20th century blind-stamped calf, spine in compartments and with ?earlier double light brown leather labels, corners little worn, rubbed, [Maclean p.102 (erroneously dating it to c.1768); British Bee Books 105], 8vo, Printed by Henry Coote, and sold by George Paul, Bookseller near Gray’s-Inn-gate, Holborn, [c.1760].  *** Rare at auction (we can trace only two copies since 2005, one with a frontispiece and one without). With much on the horse, and including the breeding of game-cocks, the kitchen garden, cooking, pickling, preserving, bees, growing a tea tree, and printing on silk. Opinion seems to differ as to whether a frontispiece is called for in this first edition. Provenance: Cooks Books, T & M. McKirdy (small book label to foot of rear inner cover and their catalogue entry for a copy of the work loosely inserted (without a frontispiece)).  

Dickens (Charles) The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, first edition in the original monthly parts, 20 parts in 19, early issues, engraved portrait of Dickens by Finden after Maclise and 39 etched plates by H.K. Browne ("Phiz"), "latter" for "letter" on p.160 of part 5 (first state), those plates in first two parts without imprints, plate 29 with the uncommon short title, loosely inserted in part 4 is an original coloured pencil drawing by Browne, heightened in crayon, of the illustration "Newman Noggs Leaves the Ladies in the Empty House", lacking the inserted advertisements in part 1, the Mechi catalogue and most of the "Advertiser" in part 2, the scarce Amesbury advertisement in part 3, the Medical Casket in part 16, and the Valentine Vox advertisements in part 19/20, 4 of 5 specimen seals removed from rare "Hill's Wafers" advertisement in part 19/20, all other advertisements present, some browning to plates as usual, a few leaves loose, original blue-green printed wrappers, one spine neatly rebacked, some others slightly worn, preserved in two modern custom chemises and handsome crimson morocco slip-cases with pull-off tops, ends slightly bumped, 8vo, Chapman and Hall, 1838-9. *** Dickens' third novel as it originally appeared in serial form. ""Dickens was under pressure all through 1838 with the [...] double monthly tasks [...] of Oliver [Twist] and Nickleby." His biographer John Forster said later that he never knew him work so much after dinner or such late hours. There was extra urgency because he had promised to complete Oliver for publication in book form [...] months before the series publication was to end" (Tomalin). Provenance: Anderson Galleries, Sale of the Library of Mr Edwin W. Coggeshall of New York, 25th April 1916, lot 99.

Chess.- Damiano de Odemeira. Libro da imparare giochare a scachi, collation: A-H8 64 numbered ff., roman letter, text in Italian and Spanish, large woodcut of two chess players on title and numerous woodcut diagrams in text, fore-margin of title trimmed close with loss of a hyphen and just shaving border of woodcut, 18th century French pale brown calf, spine gilt, edges gilt, slightly rubbed, head and foot of spine slightly chipped, joints partly cracked but firm, 8vo (140 x 91mm.), Rome, [c.1524].*** Extremely rare early edition of the first book to deal with the complete game and the first to give directions for playing without seeing the board.First printed in 1512, this is the second of several undated editions (1520–1540) described in detail by Dr A.van der Linde, Geschichte des Schachspiels, Berlin 1874, vol. I pp. 337–47. The woodcut on the title is the one used in Antonio Blado’s 1524 edition.Little is known about the author, a Portuguese apothecary, but his compilation is the first Italian work on modern chess and includes variations of Petrov’s defence, the gambit now called after him, the Giuoco Piano, and the Queen’s Gambit Accepted. Of particular interest are some of his pieces of advice: don’t play aimlessly, don’t play too fast; when you have a good move look for a better one; and use the ‘king’s leap’ (i.e. castling) for protection. Damiano is also the first to state that the board should be placed so that the lower right square is white. The section headed ‘Artede giocare alla mente’, beginning on H5 of this edition, is an explanation of how to play blindfold.Provenance: ‘De Truchis’(?) (16th century ownership inscription at foot of title and on final leaf); ‘Di Giulio . . .’, (obliterated seventeenth-century inscription on final leaf); Rev. George Innes (1759–1842, Master of Warwick School for half a century from 1792, with his bookplate); J. W. Rimington-Wilson (ownership inscription on back of front free endpaper and with his notes on recto and verso of front flyleaf). Sale, Sotheby's, 28 February 1928, lot 314, to Quaritch; Bernard Quaritch Catalogue 428 (1929), no. 387 (‘a good copy, the text is not cut into in any way’).Literature: Sander no. 2295 (citing this copy, classifying it as the fifth edition, and dating it after 1524); Van der Linde I p. 341; Palau records two or three editions (nos. 68221 and note, and 68223) but without sufficient detail to distinguish between them; A. Chicco, ‘Le edizioni italiane del Libro di Damiano’, L’Esopo 22 (June 1984), pp. 46–58. Library Hub records copies of undated editions which may or may not be the present edition (Bodleian and British Library). OCLC records six copies only: Braunschweig, Cleveland, Library of Congress, Princeton, UCLA, and State Library of Victoria. 

Collection of Jaguar XK8 and XJ220 brochures and books - To include two original Jaguar XK8 brochures and 1997 price list for Jaguar & Daimler range detailing options Jaguar XK8, The Complete Story by Graham Robson hardback book, Jaguar & Park Sheet The XJ220 Project Rare original brochure, CAR Magazine Jaguar X1220 original road test August 1992, Classic & Sportscar Magazine Jaguar X1220 original road test versus Ferrari F40 & Bugatti EB110 June 2007, As well as a brass Leaping Jaguar mascot Walking Cane, 90cm (8). Please note this lot has the standard Ewbank's standard buyers premium payable on top of the hammer price and not the reduced rate for cars and motorbikes.

2000 Range Rover P38 2.5 DSE Diesel Automatic. Registration number: W52 LRH.148,180 miles from new.Finished in Blenheim silver with privacy glass. Full grey leather interior. Dual zone climate control. Central locking. Heated seats. Trip computer system. 18inch mondial alloy wheels with excellent tyres all round.Extensive recent mechanical overhaul including, replacement water pump, glow plugs, full service, replacement battery, coil spring conversion, brand new headlining and a hevac and dash display replacement. Stamped service history with service receipts including old MOT's. Book pack and manuals. MOT until the 3rd of May 2024.This P38 is not to be mistaken with your usual tatty workhorse example making this a rare opportunity to acquire an appreciating modern classic Range Rover.It looks and drives well. Being a great useable modern classic be enjoyed rain or shire.To satisfy your knowledge of the vehicles condition please come down to our viewing days as follows before the auction day on the 28th of March.Saturday 16th March: 10am - 2pm, Monday 18th of March: 9am - 5pm, Tuesday 19th of March: 9am-7pm. Wednesday 20th of March: 9am-5pm, Thursday 21st of March: 9am-5pm, Friday 22nd of March: 9am-5pm, Monday 25th of March: 9am - 5pm, Tuesday 26th of March: 9am-5pm, Wednesday 27th of March: 9am-5pm, Morning of the Auction on Thursday 28th of March.Please note that buyers premium is 10% plus VAT (total 12% inc VAT) on all cars and motorbikes, subject to a minimum of £150 plus VAT.

Demas Nwoko (Nigerian, born 1935)Terracotta Figure terracotta 46 x 21 x 14cm (18 1/8 x 8 1/4 x 5 1/2in).Footnotes:ProvenanceAcquired direcly from the artist;The collection of Jean Kennedy;A private collection.LiteratureJean Kennedy, New Currents, Ancient Rivers: Contemporary African Artists in a Generation of Change, (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press), p. 55. (illustrated).Ulli Beier, Contemporary Art in Africa, (London: Frederick A Praeger, 1968), p. 43. (illustrated).With a core focus on the human condition, Nwoko is explorative in his mediums and expressive in his depiction of figurative works. An artist that informs his work with his heritage as well as present day societal experiences and conveyed with architectural, aesthetic and historical understandings, the present work is a remarkably rare and synthesised example of the artist's theoretical and physical forms of expression. As the first contemporary Nigerian artist to produce highly artistically expressive baked clay works, the present lot holds a monumental role in the history of contemporary African Art.According to the inscription accompanying the illustration of the present work in Kennedy's book New Currents, Ancient Rivers, Terracotta Figure was completed between the years 1967 and 1968. However, a very similar work is labelled in The Zaria Art Society, A New Consciousness as 'Senegalese Woman' completed in 1965. More conspicuously a female figure, the latter rendition seems to be more gender specific, whilst the present lot possesses a more seemingly androgynous and ambiguous character alluding to a character of a more metaphysical nature.Designing and building his own studios enabled him to have a 'facility for pursuing painting, carving, and casting, and making terra-cotta sculptures'. (Jean Kennedy, New Currents, Ancient Rivers: Contemporary African Artists in a Generation of Change, (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press), p. 55.). Redirecting his focus from painting to wooden sculpture from 1963, Nwoko would then move on to working with clays in 1964. This was the same clay used in the production of traditional pottery of Southern Nigeria. Terracotta too began to be a medium that Nwoko incorporated into his artistic production given its historical use in depicting figures of Nok and Ife inspiration. The process of creating terracotta sculptures such as the present lot is an intrinsically detailed process and one that Nwoko himself had to devise and ultimately concluded in constructing a blend of a necessary high temperature pottery kiln and the open firing of pottery traditionally used in Nigeria. The result was a teak lined and brick truncated cone below the earth which was then enclosed within a brick igloo, enabling isolation and control of the temperature. A wall of teak logs was further constructed down the centre of the cone to be ignited, and the various sculptures arranged in the centre of the cone at varying levels would then be gradually baked following this combustion.Informed by the Nok terracotta heads from 300 BC, the present work is informed by the the ancient sculptural work of his heritage, that being the works of Ile-Ife. 'Nwoko's artistic response to the Nok classical form can be best described as formal extrapolation, in the sense that he worked with stock elements, extending their possibilities, adding new ones.' (Chika Okeke-Agulu, 'Nationalism and the Rhetoric of Modernism in Nigeria: The Art of Uche Okeke and Demas Nwoko, 1960-1968', Vol. 39, No. 1, African Arts, (UCA James S. Coleman African Studies Centre, 2006), p. 34.) In keeping with the Natural Synthesis methodology formulated under the Zaria Art Society that Nwoko was a part of during his years as a student, the present work displays a modern translation inspired by the heritage of the artist. 'Nok formal tropes such as large, outsized heads; tubular, as if nonvertebral, body parts; and perforated pupils.' (Chika Okeke-Agulu, 'Nationalism and the Rhetoric of Modernism in Nigeria: The Art of Uche Okeke and Demas Nwoko, 1960-1968', Vol. 39, No. 1, African Arts, (UCA James S. Coleman African Studies Centre, 2006), p. 34.)Indeed, incorporating heritage, culture and society is a consistent thematic use executed by Nwoko in his work. This principle has been instilled in the artist's practice since his formal education and participation in the pivotal Zaria Art Society during his time studying at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology from 1959-1961. The groups significance lies in its insistence on developing a new art based on Nigerian and African traditional aesthetics, forms and processes, but with a modernist sensibility similar to that of the European avant-garde. This idea, theorised by his friend, Professor Uche-Okeke, as Natural Synthesis defined Nwoko's work as a painter, teacher, theatre director, designer, architect, and here as a sculptor.BibliographyPaul Chike Dike & Pat Oyelola, The Zaria Art Society, A New Consciousness, (Lagos: Publication of the National Gallery of Art, 1998), pp. 103- 10.Chika Okeke-Agulu, 'Nationalism and the Rhetoric of Modernism in Nigeria: The Art of Uche Okeke and Demas Nwoko, 1960-1968', Vol. 39, No. 1, African Arts, (UCA James S. Coleman African Studies Centre, 2006)This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Atkinson (A.) A Set of Four. Poet, Miser, Virtuoso, Hypochondriac, 4 hand-coloured softground etchings with aquatint by Edward Orme after Atkinson, some light marginal toning and very light creasing, but a good set generally, original printed wrappers, spine repaired, upper wrapper with title within decorative border, lower wrapper torn with loss, upper wrapper extremities frayed, light creasing, preserved in custom folding chemise and drop-back box, [Abbey, Life 257; Bobins 832], folio, G.S. Tregear, 1824 [watermarked 1823]. *** Rare and charming series "From the imprint it is evident that these plates appeared first in 1819, but whether in the same form or whether they were part of a larger book is not clear" - Abbey.

Könitzer (Georg) Gewerbe-Festzug zur Feier des funfzig jahrigen Jubilaums der Vereinigung der Stadt Hof mit der Krone Bayern am 30. Juni 1860, 8 hand-coloured lithographed plates by A. Heinrich and E. Bauer after Könitzer, loose as issued in original printed wrappers, repaired tears to extremities, patch of staining to upper cover, preserved in custom drop-back box, [Bobins 1238; not in Colas], large folio, Leipzig, Gisecke & Devrient, 1860. *** Rare fête book recording the procession held on 30th June 1860 to commemorate the union of the town of Hof with the Kingdom of Bavaria. King Ludwig I commissioned Könitzer, a local artist, to commemorate the event.

Registration No: GGW 867N Frame No: 762C 413897 Engine No: 762M 413954 CC: 125 MOT: ExemptOriginal all over including paint Full known history and only 1 owner from newBritish registered from new on 1st October 1974V5C present for use on UK roads We use the word rare quite a lot at the H & H Vintage Scooter Auction because that is what we specialise in. However, the word cannot be over emphasised here. The question is when is a 125 Super not a 125 Super? After a call from the client we expect a large bodied Italian made machine with 8 inch wheels and not that exciting. The specimen we are presented with is the ultra rare SU66 only imported into the UK in small numbers from Spain to alleviate a temporary supply problem caused by industrial action in Italy. Motovespa from Ciudad, near Madrid had been manufacturing Vespas under license since 1956 broadly manufacturing models in line with the Italian ranges using many Italian parts and the same paint codes. The SU66 125 Super with the prefix 762 was most similar to the Italian Primavera 125 but with notable differences. The scooter had a large glove box on the inside of the leg shields and a striking spare wheel assembly around the rear light. The exhaust tailpipe also came out of the opposite side to the Italian Primavera. The UK imported versions were the only models that had a Veglia Bressel MPH speedometer. They were also made famous as the Texaco 'Tourist pilot'.Here we present an astonishing original example. It was bought for our client by his father as a surprise gift brand new from Mike Duffy Motorcycles of Sidcup Road, Eltham. The scooter was intended to help him get to college although it was used rather seldomly and has only amassed a total of 3911 miles in its life. The original old blue type log book confirms it was bought brand new and first registered on 1st October 1974. It was last used in 1977 by our client and according to him it has followed him ever since always garage stored and unused.All over the scooter we can see complete originality and the paint has no touch ups anywhere that we could see. There are no holes cut for crash bars. The engine is unmodified, the seat is the original. Full original keys are present. This exceptional Vespa is still on its original tyres. No effort was made to start the scooter at the time of consignment. This is a very rare opportunity to buy, quite possibly the best original SU66 that we or you will see for a very long time, in this condition. For more information, please contact: Paul Diamond info@vintagescooters.co.uk 07768 313001

Registration No: PFK 248R Frame No: VSE1T 0032587 Engine No: VSE1M 0032850 CC: 200 MOT: ExemptOriginal sales receiptOriginal all over including paint in rare Azzuro China colourFull known history and only 2 owners from newBritish registered from new on 22nd October 1976V5C present for use on UK roadsThe Vespa Rally 200 made between 1972 and 1979 is much sought after by collectors due to its excellent and powerful performance coupled with attractive lines. Just over 41700 were produced. The Rally also known as the Queen of Vespas was a large performance step up from the earlier models of the 1960s. The 180 versions were well-received for their performance and appearance. The 200 was similar to the Rally 180 but with a larger capacity cylinder capable of producing over 10hp and crankcase modifications were made necessary to accommodate that. There was also a new FEMSA electronic unit and the Rally 200 was produced in a range of vibrant colours in tune with the fashions of the 1970s.Here we present a remarkably original example. The original old blue-type logbook confirms it was bought brand new by a Mr Robert Ross of Dudley from Joseph Devey and Co. (Motorcycle Agents) of Wolverhampton and the original sales receipt shows the price paid was the sum of £395.81. It is the extremely rare 30th anniversary model of which it is said only 400 were produced in the Azzuro China colour. Our vendor purchased it from the first owner in 2013 and has never used it (the V5C is showing 3 previous users because our vendor put the scooter into his father-in-law's name and then back to himself, although neither of them actually used the scooter). The mileage is showing 8,284 miles and this is believed to be genuine. We can see from the MOT test in 1979 the mileage at 8,150 miles. It is believed to have been stored away soon after 1979 and not used since. The original logbook, guarantee and service book are present as is the original user manual in English.All over the scooter we can see originality and the paint has no touch-ups anywhere that we could see. There are no holes cut for crash bars. The engine is unmodified, the seat is the original. The Femsatronic ignition is the original 6v. We noted that the wheel rims and tyres are new as is the horn and stand feet rubbers, but that was all. The original VARTA battery outer casing has been re-used with a smaller modern battery inserted inside. Everything else is as it was when purchased. It also comes with the original tool bag and tools (not photographed) and full original keys, of course. Remarkably despite being laid up since 1979 the scooter starts and rides. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire one of the best original Rally 200s to come onto the market for some considerable time. For more information, please contact: Paul Diamond info@vintagescooters.co.uk 07768 313001

A MALACCA WOOD AND BRASS LIBRARY LONG ARM EARLY 19TH CENTURY Fitted with hand-forged iron levers operating brass pincers 90.5cm long Due to its favoured robust and lightweight properties, Malacca wood was a popular material in the manufacture of walking sticks and riding crops in the late 18th and 19th century. Most examples of library long arm are made of bamboo, mahogany or pine, and it is rare and unusual to find an example that utilises Malacca wood. For a closely related example of 'book grabber' see Christie's, Interiors (5987), 20th July 2010, Lot 312 (£1,000). Condition Report: Marks, knocks, scratches and abrasions commensurate with age and use. The lever functions well and as intended, with good grip strength. Some tarnishing and patination to metal elements. Pleasing patination and colour to the Malacca wood, with some surface marks to the shaft (see images). Please see all additional images as a visual reference to condition.Condition Report Disclaimer

Y&nbspA FINE AND RARE PAIR OF GEORGE III SATINWOOD COMMODES PROBABLY BY SEDDON, SONS & SHACKLETON, CIRCA 1790 Each cross-banded overall in Amaranth, the breakfront D-shaped tops above a panelled frieze fitted with a drawer, above oval-panelled doors decorated with a group apple picking and the other of a shepherdess, enclosing a shelf, on taper-hermed supports, the gilt brass handles original each 83cm high, 81cm wide, 35.5cm deep Provenance: Acquired from Jeremy Ltd, London, April 1978 Thence sold at Christie's, London, Important English Furniture, The Collection of The Late W.N, Rumball Esq., 28th Nov 2002, Lot 65 (£50,190) These exceptional commodes, veneered in beautifully figured West Indian Satinwood, have indented and rounded columnar corners, in the French manner introduced to the Prince of Wales' Carlton House mansion in the 1780s, and illustrated in Thomas Sheraton's, The Cabinet and Upholsterer's Drawing Book, 1793. In his Appendix (plate IV) discussing pier tables 'for ornaments under a glass', he notes 'they are generally made very light, and the style of finishing them is rich and elegant. Sometimes the tops are solid marble, but most commonly veneered in rich satin, or other valuable woods, with a cross-band on the outside'. A satinwood and painted cabinet with similar French corners and taper-hermed legs, has been attributed to Messrs. Seddon, Sons & Shackleton (C. Gilbert, 'Seddon, Sons & Shackleton', Furniture History, 1997, fig. 27). The engravings on the offered lot depict attractive scenes of rural life, such as featured in the paintings of James Ward, R.A. ( 1769-1859).  Condition Report: Both with the marks, knocks, scratches and abrasions commensurate with age and use. The expected old chips and splits. Both in generally good order overall.Some minor old veneer repairs - see images Four keys present and operate all locks. Lock to one door is an old replacement. Some old but later strips of table to cracks across backboards. Painted roundels with the expected wear and fading. There are some possible areas of old re-touching to paint. Please refer to additional images for visual reference to condition.  Condition Report Disclaimer

° ° Needlework Specimens. Instructions on Needle-Work and Knitting, as Derived from the Practice of the National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church, in the Sanctuary, Westminster, 2nd edition, 8vo, original blind-stamped brown cloth, upper cover gilt lettered, with 9 mounted specimens of handiwork (complete), Roake and Varty et al, London, 1838 Exceedingly rare: Copac lists only three copies of the second edition (V & A, University College London and the National Trust).The book commences by detailing how the girls were taught the principles of the Madras system, following Dr. Bell's Manual of Instructions (1827). Daily sessions involved the children seated on benches arranged on three sides of a square, supervised by assistant teachers, engaging in needlework or knitting based on their skill levels. Each girl possessed a numbered bag to store her handiwork. The concluding page features a price list for various completed tasks, emphasizing that payment is accepted only in ready money, with the Mistress authorised to collect the amounts.The chapters cover diverse skills such as 'Hemming,' 'Sewing and Felling,' 'Stitching,' 'Gathering,' 'Button-Holes,' 'Shirt-Making,' 'Whipping-Frills, &c.,' 'Herring-Bone,' 'Darning,' 'Marking,' and 'Knitting.' The showcased miniature specimens exhibit incredibly fine stitches, consisting of a blue printed cotton pinafore, a linen shift-sleeve, a fine lawn infant's shirt, a fine cotton gentleman's shirt, a frilled and tucked baby's bonnet, a long woollen under-garment with silk trim, a darning sampler, a cross-stitch alphabet sampler in red thread, and a cream worsted stocking, (9).

Very smart 20v RR in a rare factory colour, Lago Blue Metallic, with just two former family keepers and an excellent service history. Introduced in August 1989, the RR was the final development of Audi's legendary Quattro Powered by its turbocharged 2.2-litre 20-valve DOHC five-cylinder engine, producing around 220bhp, coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission and the legendary Quattro four-wheel drive system This example was purchased in March 1990 from Philip Mist Ltd, the Audi and Volkswagen dealership in Sutton Coldfield Finished in the extremely rare factory colour of Lago Blue Metallic over the original Platinum Grey/Quattro script interior It stayed in the family until it was passed to their mechanic in 2022 and is now showing two previous keepers (husband and wife)Supplied with its original Bill of Sale and purchase order, original handbooks and stamped service book (35 stamps) in leather pouch, a folder full of history, tool kit and spare wheel along with both sets of keysWith just 295 right-hand drive 20V (RR) models built, and only a fraction of these in Lago Blue, this does look rather special Registration number, G888 HOL, will remain with the carWill be presented to auction with a fresh MOTSpecification Make: AUDI Model: QUATTRO Year: 1990 Chassis Number: WAUZZZ85ZLA000567 Registration Number: G888 HOL Transmission: Manual Engine Number: RR001536 Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Odometer Reading: 138196 Miles Make: RHDClick here for more details, condition report and images

Attractive UK-supplied split-screen camper with a rare Canterbury Pitt conversion that has been sympathetically restored in the past. UK-supplied, this Type 2 (T1c) was first registered in 1964, and has been enjoyed by just four previous keepersFinished in the lovely combination of Pearl White over Mouse Grey, the T1c benefits from a larger rear door and single side doorOne of the less well known companies carrying out Type 2 conversions was Canterbury Pitt, run by Peter Pitt, which offered a range of conversions and pop-up roofsPurchased as a partially completed project in 2009, it was finished to a high standard between 2009 and 2011Now powered by a replacement 1,600cc air-cooled flat-four Volkswagen engine coupled with a rebuilt 'Freeway Flyer' gearboxThe van appears to have been slightly lowered and features light grey seat trim, cabin trim and a wooden storage unit with original hob along with VDO dials and a period-style realistic radio with Kenwood amplifierThe history file is remarkable and includes handwritten notes, photographic evidence of the restoration, spreadsheets of work, previous invoices, MOT Certificates, tax discs and a service book with stamps dating back to the 1960s along with a copy of the original logbookWe invite and encourage your viewing of this delightful 'splitty' in order to appreciate the quality and originality on offerSpecification Make: VOLKSWAGEN Model: TYPE 2 Year: 1964 Chassis Number: 1315363 Registration Number: BFX 116B Transmission: Manual Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Odometer Reading: 81688 Miles Make: RHDClick here for more details, condition report and images

**Please note this lot now has a fresh MOT.** On offer from a private Collection, this superbly presented B3 Cabrio is finished in Scarab Green Metallic (BMW Individual) with an enhanced E46 interior in soft beige Nappa leather.  With just 130 convertibles built, the BMW E46-based Alpina is a rare car here in the UKIt's powered by a 3.3-litre inline-six producing 276bhp and 246lb/ft of torque, which is sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed Switch-Tronic automatic transmission with wheel shift buttonsThis fabulous example is #118, confirmed by a plaque on the dashboard, and is presented in Scarab Green Metallic from the 'BMW Individual' range of finishesE46 BMWs were noted for their well designed interiors and Alpina enhance this with a range of very soft leathersThis lovely example has formed part of a small Collection recently but is now seldom usedIt's supplied with its original book pack and service history and, pleasingly, the registration B3 SNY will remain with the carThis is a rare modern classic, attractively guided, and may turn out to be a very sensible investmentSpecificationMake: BMWModel: ALPINA B3Year: 2001Chassis Number: WAPB333R01WE46118Registration Number: B3 SNYTransmission: AutoEngine Number: 14810Drive Side: Right-hand DriveOdometer Reading: 79800 MilesMake: RHDInterior Colour: Beige LeatherClick here for more details, condition report and images

A rather special Series 3 XJ6 4.2 in Rhodium Silver with rare Pennine Tweed interior, only 50,239 miles indicated, 22 service stamps and just one registered keeper from new.  Ordered new at Dutton Forshaw Jaguar and delivered on 01/08/1986 to its first and only registered ownerFinished in Rhodium Silver with rare Pennine Tweed cloth seatingOptioned with rear headrests, Jaguar mud flaps and an electric aerial Only 50,239 miles indicated. Large history portfolioGood service history with 22 stamps (Both Jaguar dealers and marque specialists)MOT until 29/10/2024 issued with No Advisories. Spare keys and original book pack Specification Make: JAGUAR Model: XJ6 4.2 Year: 1986 Chassis Number: SAJJAALP3CC455005 Registration Number: D500 AVN Transmission: Auto Engine Number: 8L211359H Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Odometer Reading: 50239 Miles Make: RHD Interior Colour: Penine TweedClick here for more details, condition report and images

A superb example of the 'final edition' XJS built to celebrate Jaguar's 60 years of sports car prowess. The Celebration was the final iteration of Jaguar's XJ-S (later XJS). Its unique specification included chromed rear view mirrors and headlight surrounds, Aerosport diamond-cut alloy wheels, steering wheel with wood sections top and bottom, a black handbrake lever with full leather cover, a leaping Jaguar embossed into the leather in the upper part of the seat backs, and contrasting piping around the seats and boot coverPowered by the naturally-aspirated, AJ16 4-litre straight-six, delivering 238bhp to the rear wheels through a 4-speed ZF automatic gearboxFinished in Sapphire Blue with Oatmeal leather piped in Charcoal, this example has clearly been pampered and is in superb conditionComplete with its original book pack, current V5C, MOT Certificates and its current MOT valid until February 2025 and issued with 'No Advisories'Accompanied by main-dealer service history and will be serviced as required prior to the sale in MarchA comparatively rare and desirable 'final edition' XJ-S that is becoming increasingly sought after within Jaguar circlesSpecification Make: JAGUAR Model: XJS 4.0 Year: 1995 Chassis Number: SAJJNAED3EJ222780 Registration Number: N469 RHH Transmission: Automatic Engine Number: 9LPFRB137701 Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Make: RHD Interior Colour: OatmealClick here for more details, condition report and images

Delightfully standard, this rare, non-sunroof 1.6 GTI is on offer from seven years of caring ownership. Very smart, 1.6-litre Phase 2 GTi (post-July 1990) finished in Cherry RedWell kept interior in black/red ‘Quartet’ velour cloth with black leather87,290 miles indicated, seven-year current ownership and four former keepersA rare non-sunroof car described by our vendor as completely standard with no modificationsRecently recommissioned with all service items replacedSupplied with its original stamped service book, original document pouch and relevant booklets including one for the Clarion tape deck   Specification Make: PEUGEOT Model: 205 GTI Year: 1990 Chassis Number: VF320CB6223985937 Registration Number: H181 GAN Transmission: Manual Engine Number: 1CT4S000513 Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Odometer Reading: 87290 Miles Make: RHD Interior Colour: Black/Red Quartet VelourClick here for more details, condition report and images

Bruno Sacco's deft touch with the second-generation S-Class Coupé still draws admiring glances today. Registered in 1982, this 500SEC (C126) is reported to be the first on UK roads, #2,106 off the production line, with the majority not appearing until 1983-4Powered by a 4,973cc fuel-injected V8 producing 261bhp with a 4-speed automatic box, power-assisted steering, ABS brakes, cruise control and 16'' staggered penta alloysFinished in Astral Silver Metallic with AMG-influenced bodywork over a blue Recaro leather interior with wood inlaysThe original specification includes electric windows, air conditioning, cruise control, and electric front seats. Fitted with the extremely rare AMG-optioned original Clarion G80 stereo systemTreated to a full restoration three years ago at ERB Motors in Portsmouth including a bare-metal respray, engine and gearbox rebuild, and new suspension, although the priority was to keep as close as possible to the original factory specificationSupplied with original handbooks, stamped service book, invoices for restoration and photographs, tool kit and the registration, 500 EXS, will remain with the carThese beautiful coupés are becoming collectable now and values continue to firmSpecification Make: MERCEDES BENZ Model: 500 SEC Year: 1982 Chassis Number: 12604422002106 Registration Number: 500 EXS Transmission: Automatic Engine Number: 11796322010546 Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Odometer Reading: 106000 Miles Make: RHDClick here for more details, condition report and images

**Please note this car will have a fresh MOT prior to sale.** Alpina's take on BMW's E36 Cabriolet, an M3 for those that are just a touch more discerning. Supplied new for the UK in Alpina Blue 2, this lovely Alpina B3 3.2 Cabrio is number 80/130 manufacturedVery well specified from new with trademark Alpina enhancements to the interior and of course Alpina engine performance upgradesWith the six-cylinder increased to 3.2-litres, it produced a very healthy 265bhpFitted with the 'Switch-tronic' gearbox allowing steering wheel changes or an automatic modeThis example has covered 90,000 miles with its three owners supported by its original service book, handbook and a quantity of past MOTsIt's also supplied with a rare factory hardtop and a full set of Alpina graphicsSpecificationMake: BMWModel: 3 SERIESYear: 1999Chassis Number: WAPB332R09YE40080Registration Number: L55 SPHTransmission: AutomaticEngine Number: 13145 Drive Side: Right-hand DriveOdometer Reading: 90000 MilesMake: RHDClick here for more details, condition report and images

Rare Italian sports saloon with low mileage and good history, offered without reserve This Alfa Romeo 159 is a rare, driver-focused Italian sports saloon, boasting low mileage and a good history from newPowered by a turbocharged, 1,742cc, four-cylinder, 16v petrol engine generating a healthy 200bhp and 236lb/ft fed to the front wheels through a 6-speed gearbox and offering 7.7 seconds to 62mph and a top speed of 147mphFinished in Rosso Alfa with 19" multi-spoke alloys and red callipers. Excellent Goodyears all roundClassic Alfa black leather interior with heated front seats embroidered with a red Alfa logoFactory options include rear parking sensors, climate control, cruise control and automatic headlightsSupplied with original handbooks, service book including 11 service stamps up to 2022 at 36,630 miles which included beltsMOT until December 2024 ('No Advisories') spare wheel, tool kit and both keysThe Cherished Registration, TH06 RED, will remain on the vehicleSpecification Make: ALFA ROMEO Model: 159 Year: 2009 Chassis Number: ZAR93900007258588 Registration Number: TH06 RED Transmission: Manual Engine Number: 6328380 Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Odometer Reading: 41044 Miles Make: RHD Interior Colour: BlackClick here for more details, condition report and images

A rare Injection Special, one driver from new and just over 32,000 miles. In 1982, Ford dropped the Capri's 3-litre V6 in favour of the all-new 2.8-litre injection Cologne V6, with a power output of 160bhp and a top speed of 130mphFor the 1984 model year, the Capri Injection Special was introduced, featuring half-leather Recaro seats, 7-spoke RS wheels, colour-coded front grille and headlights, 5-speed gearbox and a limited-slip differentialFrom long term ownership, this example was our vendor's company car before he bought it personally. Now showing 32,481 miles from newFinished in Signal Black with half-leather Recaro seats with strobe pattern centre and matching door cards. It still retains many original features including the cassette player and analogue clockFactory equipment includes a steel sunroof, electric aerial, manual windows, the Ford ESRT 32PS stereo cassette player, leather-trimmed steering wheel, and power steeringSupplied with original book packs, service book and history, previous MOT's and 12 months MOTSpecification Make: FORD Model: CAPRI Year: 1987 Chassis Number: WF0CXXGAFCGR67630 Registration Number: D828 PWG Transmission: Manual Engine Number: GR67630 Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Odometer Reading: 32481 Miles Make: RHDClick here for more details, condition report and images

One of the more rare and desirable Daimlers, being a Short Wheel Base example with a Manual Overdrive gearbox. To be offered with No Reserve. A genuine one-owner matching number example used sparingly for 'Sunday Best'Finished in silver with a deep red hideDesirable short wheelbase model with a manual overdrive gearbox and superbly original throughout even down to its period-correct Pirelli Cinturato tyresJust seen the light of day after a period in storage of some 26 yearsComplete with original book pack, document wallet and tool kitIdeal for recommissioning to be used as is or the perfect candidate for a full restorationPlease note engine is free and does turnPlease note that due to the extended period of storage, a current V5C has not been located therefore an application for a replacement by the buyer will be requiredSpecification Make: DAIMLER Model: SOVERIGN 4.2 Year: 1974 Chassis Number: 2M2376DN Registration Number: THO 8M Transmission: Manual Overdrive Engine Number: TBA Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Odometer Reading: 57427 Miles Make: RHD Interior Colour: Deep Red HideClick here for more details, condition report and images

This well-cared for late model 180bhp SE would make an excellent entry into the world of these distinctive 1980s Lotus coupés. Launched in 1982, the Lotus Excel was a development of the earlier Eclat and shared the same well-proven 2.2-litre, DOHC, 160bhp slant-four offering 0 to 60 in 7.1 seconds and 135mphWell built thanks to a joint venture with Toyota, the Excel shared its 5-speed gearbox, drive-train, VDO instruments and electrics plus various other items with the bomb-proof Toyota SupraThis 1988 'SE' (180bhp) presents very well in Calypso Red with a beige leather interiorThe previous owner was a Lotus collector who totally recommissioned the car after a period in storage including new belts and a carburettor rebuildOur vendor continued to develop the car, sorting the electric windows and mirrors, sourcing replacement Hella front fog lights, new rear light assemblies and refreshed the front bumper paintworkIt's recently benefited from a mini-service, new plugs and leads and a replacement batteryThis lovely SE comes with its original handbooks and stamped service book with 13 stamps in it, a vehicle maintenance log, the very rare factory service notes folder, many old invoices and two keysSpecification Make: LOTUS Model: EXCEL SE Year: 1988 Chassis Number: SCC089912JHD12687 Registration Number: F357 OHV Transmission: Manual Engine Number: DN912880725146 Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Odometer Reading: 90000 Miles Make: RHD Interior Colour: Oatmeal LeatherClick here for more details, condition report and images

With less than 31,500 miles from new, this final production year Sierra XR4x4 has the largest engine of them all and offers a rare opportunity to join the 'Performance Sierra Club' for a sensible investment. Initially registered on 12/01/1993 to the first of four former keepers and in a private Collection for the last decadeThis facelifted last year of production, Sierra MkII XR4x4 was fitted with the 2.9-litre V6 engine mated to an all-wheel drivetrainThe service book and MOT records confirm the car's mileage of some 31,500 (at time of cataloguing)Often overshadowed by its RS-badged, four-door sibling in period, the XR4x4 now offers considerable value in today’s marketWith just 500 miles covered over the last decade and freshly serviced, this low-mileage performance Ford is the ideal entry level modern classicSpecification Make: FORD Model: SIERRA Year: 1993 Chassis Number: WF0AXXGBBANG31445 Registration Number: K288 MTC Transmission: Manual Engine Number: NG31445 Drive Side: Right-hand Drive Odometer Reading: 31500 Miles Make: RHD Interior Colour: Grey ClothClick here for more details, condition report and images

A rare Shell-Mex Ltd. 1924 book illustrated by Bateman 'Mr _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Goes Motoring', produced by J. Weiner Ltd.

ROBERT BURNS (1759-1796), ‘Stewart’s Edition of Burns’ Poems, including a number of Original Pieces not hitherto published’, Thomas Stewart, Glasgow, 1802 A rare early edition of Burns’ poetry, including an appendix consisting of correspondence with Clarinda. Calf, with strengthened spine, including engravings. Another copy of this book can be found in The Dick Institute: Accession number BU_C.0031

Viktorianische Buch- und Briefwaage, um 1880DeGrave & Co, London. Für das englische General Post Office (GPO), ganz aus Messing, dreiteilige Leiterwaage, 1 Oz, 2 Oz und 3 Oz, auf massivem Holzsockel, 40,5 x 14,5 cm, komplett mit 4 quadratischen Messinggewichten, sehr selten. Start Price: EUR 800 Zustand: (3/2)Victorian Book and Letter Scale, c. 1880DeGrave & Co, London. For the English General Post Office (GPO), all brass, three-tier ladder scale, 1 oz, 2 oz and 3 oz, on solid wood base, 16 x 5 ¾ in., complete with 4 unusual square brass weights, very rare. Start Price: EUR 800 Condition: (3/2)

WW2 Donald Cheney DFC 617 Dambuster sqn signed Attack on E-Boat Pens Rotterdam 1945 RAF cover 2010. Rare numbered 1 of 19 on reverse. Has info card on the raid and career details. 39 missions Don served in the R.C.A.F. during WWII and was assigned to R.A.F. Bomber Command 617 (Dambusters) Squadron, as a Lancaster pilot. At the end of his second tour of duty, Don's plane was shot down over Douarnenez (Bretagne), France, on August 5, 1944. Three members of his crew were killed. Risking their own lives, Don was rescued from the sea by local fishermen led by Corentin Buisson and was then hidden in the home of the local head of the French resistance, Aristide Québriac, during which time he was deemed by the R.A.F. as missing in action and presumed dead. Don was one of the last, if not the last, surviving Canadian life members of the Royal Air Forces Escaping Society. His remarkable escape from his Lancaster, Dark Victor, and his valiant attempt to save the lives of his wireless operator and other crew members before saving himself are well documented in the book The Dam Busters by Paul Brickhill. Good condition. All autographs come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £5.99, EU from £7.99, Rest of World from £9.99

A Lorna Bailey Rare Working Prototype 'Highfield' Tall Conical Jug, available for two months only (May and June 2004) and illustrated on page 44 of the New Millenium book, 22cm high.

A Lorna Bailey Rare Working Prototype 'Highfield' Four Legged Jug, available for two months only (May and June 2004) and illustrated on page 44 of the New Millenium book, 29cm high.

dating: 1890 provenance: France, 'LES ANCIENNES ARMEES FRANCAISES - EXPOSITION RETROSPECTIVE MILITAIRE DU MINISTERE DE LA GUERRE EN 1890'. Two-volume work. 'H.LAUNETTE ET C.ie EDITEURS - G. BOUDET, SUCCESSEUR 197 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 197 1890'. First book: 218 numbered pages plus 4 index pages. Second book: 426 pages plus 4 index pages. Both volumes with numerous photographs within the text (!) of antique arms and armour and paintings, plus several full-page plates with engravings. Precious work which traces the history of arms, hoplology and French military history from the Middle Ages to Louis XIV (first volume) and from the Grande Armée to the Second Empire (second volume). In both volumes the pages are well-preserved, almost completely free of yellowing, with some staining at the edges especially in the first volume. Gold-cut upper spine. The original covers with some signs of use and time, with red leather spine and gilt imprints. Ex-libris Comte Gaston de Thannberg. Rare and interesting work. height 36 cm.

dating: last quarter of the 16th Century provenance: North Italy, Wooden base with an engraved boiled-leather body. The neck decorated with a mask in the centre between floral motifs and with a roped frame. The lower part is very protruding, with nine pronounced ribs, each one roped. The rim decorated with bronze star-shaped rivets. Cylindrical. leather fuse. On the back two iron suspension rings. Very rare. This powderflask is photographed and described on the book 'Repertorio Storico degli Archibugiari Italiani' (B. Barbiroli), Clueb 2012, on page. 501, dated circa 1570.See also a similar flask in Charles Buttin's collection, illustrated on panel XIII no. 498. height 20.5 cm.

dating: 1860-70 provenance: Papal States, Body covered with black cloth, with silvered-thread effects and withe metal badge; with leather sweat-band inside and remains of blue silk cap (heavy signs of use). This rare cap is illustrated in Piero Crociani's book 'L'ultimo esercito Pontificio', Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito, Rome 2020, on page 125. height 11 cm.

Champagnac (J.B.J.) Les Images, ou Scènes Morales... pour servir à l'Instruction et à l'Amusement des Enfans qui sont bien Sages, additional engraved title and 23 plates by Martinet, all hand-coloured, contemporary ink ownership inscription to front free endpaper, some light foxing and spotting, morocco-backed boards, slightly rubbed, oblong small folio, Paris, Alexis Eymery, 1826.*** A rare and charming moral book aimed at children, with finely coloured scenes of families amidst French landscapes and interiors. Only one previous appearance at auction at Sotheby's, 1968. 

London.- Judge (Fred) Camera Pictures of London at Night, first edition, 24 fine photogravure plates and 2ff. introductory text, original cloth, slightly soiled, oblong 4to, London & Hastings, Judges' Ltd., Sun Engraving Co. Ltd, 1924.*** A very good copy of a surprisingly rare book, with no auction records. The "great charm of these photographs lies in their pictorial rendering of the gradations of light. Mr Judge is at all times a stickler for nuance, but here he has been fortified with abundance of silhouette and contrast." (from a review in The British Journal of Photography, March 1924).

John Pouncey. Dorsetshire Photographically Illustrated, 4 parts bound in 2 volumes, first edition, 79 photolithographic plates, including one double-page, tissue guards, 2pp. of advertisements at the end of each volume, original publisher's cloth, oblong folio, London: Bland and Long, 1857 RARE. The first English book illustrated with photolithography.Some browning and spotting to plates, but especially to tissue guards, evidence of light staining to title, cloth somewhat worn and faded, extremities chipped.

Charles Dickens. A contemporary group of 38 volumes, comprising the majority of his works in book form, principally first editions, bound in uniform green full morocco, spines tooled gilt in compartments, the upper covers with tooled initials ‘C. H. T. W.’, all edges gilt, 8vo, 1836–1870RARE. Nineteenth century collections of Charles Dickens are becoming increasingly scarce to the market. The present lot contains early minor works, such as Sunday Under Three Heads (1836) and sought-after major works, such as Great Expectations (1861). The lot comprises:Sunday Under Three Heads… by Timothy Sparks, half-title, 3 engraved plates, original wrappers bound in, London: Chapman and Hall, 1836; The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, without half-title, engraved frontispiece and additional title, 41 engraved plates, many corresponding to the first state, EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED, with an additional 32 engraved plates by Thomas Onwhyn, London: Chapman and Hall, 1837; Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi… edited by ‘Boz’, 2 volumes, half-titles, engraved portrait frontispiece and 12 engraved plates, ‘The Last Song’ without border, London: Richard Bentley, 1838; Sketches of Young Gentlemen, 6 engraved plates, original wrappers bound in, London: Chapman and Hall, 1838; Sketches of Young Couples, 6 engraved plates, original wrappers bound in, London: Chapman and Hall, 1840; Oliver Twist; or The Parish Boy’s Progress… by ‘Boz’, 3 volumes, half-titles, 3 engraved frontispieces and 21 engraved plates, including the final ‘Fireside’ plate, with ‘arter’ on page 318, ‘XXVIX’ on page 155, and ‘mattrass’ on page 182, London: Chapman and Hall, 1838; The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, without half-title, engraved portrait frontispiece with the imprint of Chapman and Hall, 39 engraved plates, EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED, with an additional 24 character study plates published by Robert Tyas, ‘visiter’ on page 123, ‘conducter’ on page 342, and ‘Grogswig’ on page 618, London: Chapman and Hall, 1839; Master Humphrey’s Clock, 3 volumes, 3 engraved frontispieces, illustrations in text, ‘deessed’ on page 128, ‘intructions’ on page 128, and ‘Thirty-Fiftth’ on page 133, London: Bradbury and Evans, 1840–41; Barnaby Rudge, London: Chapman and Hall, 1841; American Notes for General Circulation, 2 volumes, without half-titles, with ‘xvi’ on final page of contents in volume 1, London: Chapman and Hall, 1842; The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, half-title, engraved frontispiece and additional title, 38 engraved plates, ‘thresh-hold’ on page 587, London: Chapman and Hall, 1844; Pictures from Italy, half-title, ‘canvass’ on page 112, London: Bradbury and Evans, 1846; The Adventures of Oliver Twist, third edition, half-title, London: Bradbury and Evans, 1846; Dombey and Son, engraved frontispiece and additional title, 37 of 38 engraved plates, lacking ‘A Visitor of Distinction’, but with 4 additional portraits, ‘amiliar’ on page 70, ‘Capatain’ on page 324, and ‘if’ present on page 426, London: Bradbury and Evans, 1848; The Personal History of David Copperfield, without half-title, engraved frontispiece and additional title, 38 engraved plates, ‘recal’ on page 16, ‘screwed’ on page 132, ‘coroboration’ on page 387, London: Bradbury and Evans, 1850; Bleak House, half-title, engraved frontispiece and additional title, 38 engraved plates, ‘elgble’ on page 19, ‘chair’ on page 209, ‘homeards’ on page 605, London: Bradbury and Evans, 1853; Hard Times, half-title, ‘her,’ on page 60, ‘hese’ on page 108, London: Bradbury and Evans, 1854; A Child’s History of England, 3 volumes, later edition, 3 frontispieces by F. W. Topham, London: Bradbury and Evans, 1854–1855; Little Dorrit, engraved frontispiece and additional title, 38 engraved plates, ‘chimnies’ on page 342, ‘diceing’ on page 360, ‘B2’ on page 371, London: Bradbury and Evans, 1857; The Story of Little Dombey, half-title, original wrappers bound in, London: Bradbury and Evans, 1858; A Tale of Two Cities, engraved frontispiece and additional title, 14 engraved plates, ‘Stryver’ on page ix, ‘affetcionately’ on page 134, ‘113’ on page 213, London: Chapman and Hall, 1859; The Uncommercial Traveller, half-title, ‘s de’ on page 20, ‘themselve’ on page 176, London: Chapman and Hall, 1861; Great Expectations, 3 volumes, vol. 1, ‘recal’ on page 84, no period after ‘other’ on page 311, vol. 2, ‘their’ on page 162, ‘recal’ on page 350, vol. 3, ‘raving’ on page 37, ‘led’ on page 150, ‘skackled’ on page 262, London: Chapman and Hall, 1861; Our Mutual Friend, 2 volumes bound as one, without half-titles, 2 engraved frontispieces, 38 engraved plates, vol. 1, ‘Dont’ on page 276, vol. 2, ‘pricipal’ on page 115, London: Chapman and Hall, 1865; The Poor Traveller: Boots at the Holly-Tree Inn: and Mrs Gamp, original wrappers bound in, London: Chapman and Hall, 1869; The Mystery of Edwin Drood, engraved additional title and portrait frontispiece, 12 plates, ‘tower’ on page 1, ‘sentiment’ on page 131, London: Chapman and Hall, 1870.Also included in this lot is Edward Caswell, Sketches of Young Ladies, 6 engraved plates, original wrappers bound in, 8vo, London: Chapman and Hall, 1843; James Cook, Bibliography of the Writings of Charles Dickens, 1879.ConditionLight browning and spotting, but particularly to the plates, as usual, a few volumes with rust-marks or rare minor tears to leaves, Little Dorrit with one plate loose, morocco with extremities rubbed.

ROWLING (J.K.)Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, FIRST STATE UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY, SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR 'to my dear old friend Catriona with many thanks. J.K. Rowling' on the dedication leaf, [ONE OF 50 COPIES], sequence of numbers 10 through to 1 and author's name as 'Joanne Rowling' on the verso of the title-page, '? Dedication' printed on dedication leaf, publisher's purple and white wrappers (some fading and a few light abrasions) [Errington AA4(a)], 8vo, Bloomsbury, [1999]Footnotes:VERY RARE INSCRIBED AND SIGNED COPY OF THE FIRST STATE OF THE UNCORRECTED PROOF OF THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN. The bibliography notes that only approximately 50 copies of this first state of the proof were printed. A second issue, in green and white wrappers, followed with slightly altered text in a print run of approximately 250 copies. We have been unable to trace any other signed and inscribed copies of this book. The warmth of this inscription reflects the fact that Rowling and the recipient had known each other from almost the beginning of the Harry Potter journey. Catriona was the children's book buyer for a famous book shop in Edinburgh, advocating the merits of Rowling's first book from the moment she read the uncorrected proof copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997, and met Rowling on several occasions when she visited the shop, first to write in the café, later to sign books or attend events that Catriona helped to organise. Errington notes in the bibliography that these initial 50 copies were 'released to a very select readership, with the publisher expecting to issue the text in a later state to a greater number of readers'. That Catriona was one of these 'select' readers, and that Rowling signed it for her, suggests that her opinion was greatly valued. Provenance: Catriona, the vendor, who from 1995-2000 was the children's book buyer at a famous large Edinburgh book shop. This copy was signed by Rowling at the shop, shortly after publication.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

WIGAN (ELEAZAR)Practical Arithmetick. An Introduction to ye Whole Art... Adorn'd with a Great Variety of Flourishes Perform'd by Command of Hand... to be interleav'd for ye more speedy fitting of youth for Merchandize or Trade, engraved portrait by J. Sturt after I. Closterman dated 1695, 61 engraved calligraphic leaves after Sturt, including title and dedication, some soiling, first few leaves a little damp-stained and softened at edges with slight loss, contemporary panelled sheep, worn around edges with some loss, joints cracking [cf. ESTC R18813, variant issue; cf. Heal, English Writing Masters, p.163], small folio, Sold by ye author, [1696]Footnotes:EXTREMELY SCARCE ARITHMETIC AND PENMANSHIP MANUAL - ONE OF ONLY TWO KNOWN COPIES OF THIS ISSUE.There are two issues of this rare work, ours and the Harvard copy being the only ones traced with the imprint simply reading 'Sold by ye author'; no copies giving this imprint have been found in auction records. The other issue bears the imprint 'sold by I. Lenthall Stationer att the Talbott against St. Dunstans Church in fleet Street'; of this several copies are recorded in institutions and in auction records.Although John Sturt was the leading calligrapher of the time, little seems to be known of Eleazar Wigan. Over twenty years earlier Edward Croker had dedicated his morality and writing manual (Croker's morals, 1675) 'to my Honoured Friend Mr. Eleazar Wigan That Famous Writing-Master; Living at the Hand and Pen on Great Tower-Hill', but as Mark Noble wrote in 1806 (A Biographical History of England, vol. 1, p.310), 'the only publication of Wigan's now known is his 'Practical Arithmetic', in which are given the titles and principal rules for common arithmetic, adorned with flourishes 'by command of hand'... The book was dedicated to the rev. Samuel Hoadly, master of a boarding-school at Hackney, father of bishop Hoadly, who had the education of two of his sons'.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

DICKENS (CHARLES)The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, FIRST EDITION IN BOOK FORM, VERY EARLY ISSUE, 43 etched plates (including frontispiece and additional title) by R. Seymour, R.W. Buss and 'Phiz', with half-title and Directions to the Binder leaf, plates with the usual foxing, mostly in margins but heavy and affecting image in some cases, modern red calf gilt, spine with decorative tooling and lettering in gilt, 8vo (212 x 127mm.), Chapman & Hall, 1837Footnotes:AN EXCEPTIONAL COPY OF 'PICKWICK' IN BOOK FORM: WITH ALL THE EARLY ISSUE TEXT POINTS, ALL THE KEY PLATES IN THE FIRST STATE, AND ONE OF 'THE RAREST OF ALL PICKWICK PLATES'.Text:Rather remarkably, this copy has every first issue point noted by Hatton & Cleaver, with the exception of the impossibly rare early page variant ('only twice has it come under writer's notice', Hatton & Cleaver, p.56), being page 261 with the signature mark N2 rather than the correct X2 as in our copy. Plates:The present copy has the vast majority of the plates in the first state recorded by either Johannsen, Miller & Strange or Hatton & Cleaver (or all three), including the Seymour plates, and also has the two Buss plates. A few of the plates are Hatton & Cleaver's 'second plate', but according to Johannsen at least two of these are not genuine second plates but simply have the page number burnished out.Copies with the first plate ('Mr. Pickwick addressing the Club') in the first state are particularly scarce, John F. Dexter suggesting that of the first issue of 400 copies of part 1, 'I very much doubt whether more than 50 impressions in first state were obtained from the first set of steels' (Johannsen, p.2). Also present here is the extremely scarce Plate 14, one of two incorrectly paginated (as 169): 'In point of rarity, however, none exceed the two plates as originally etched for Part 6. To quote again the words of J.F. Dexter, 'they are the greatest rarity known to me in this book'' (Hatton & Cleaver, p.22). Plate 15 has the correct page number (154).List of plates with Johannsen and Hatton & Cleaver references:1. Mr Pickwick Addresses the Club: Plate A, First state, signature faint but visible.2. The Pugnacious Cabman: Plate A, First state, signature legible. 3. The Sagacious Dog: Plate A, the gun with hammer and trigger and no break in the barrel. Johannsen, Miller & Strange and J. Christian Bay all disagree with Hatton & Cleaver's assertion that the first state has the break in the gun.4. Dr. Slammer's Defiance of Jingle: Plate A, First state.5-7: All Plate A, First state.8-9: The two Buss plates.10. The Breakdown: Plate A, First state (the 'NE' in 'NEMO' just visible under magnification).11. The First Appearance of Mr. Samuel Weller: Plate A1 (cane showing a break), First state, with 'NEMO' signature.12. Mrs. Bardell Faints in Mr Pickwick's Arms: Plate A2 (faces slightly retouched), First state.13. The Election at Eatonswill: Plate A1 (staff faintly etched), First state.14. Mrs. Leo Hunter's Fancy-Dress Dejeune: Plate A (with incorrect page number 169, making it 'the rarest of all Pickwick plates'), First state.15. The Unexpected Breaking-Up of the Seminary for Young Ladies: Plate A (correctly paginated 169), First state.16-21. All Plate A.22. Christmas Eve at M. Wardle's: Plate A, First plate.23. The Goblin and the Sexton: Plate B1 (knot in place of a face in tree trunk), First plate.24. Mr. Pickwick Slides: Plate A, First state.25. The First Interview with Mr. Sergeant Snubbin: Plate B1 (no roll of paper), Second plate.26. The Valentine: Plate A2 (with number burnished out), Second plate, first state. This and all following plates have no etched page number.27. The Trial: Plate B1, Second plate, first state.28. The Card Room at Bath: Plate A, First plate.29. Mr Winkle's situation when the door blew to: Plate B1, Second plate..30. Conviviality at Bob Sawyer's: Plate A, First plate.31. Mr Pickwick Sits for his Portrait: Plate B1, Second plate.32. The Warden's Room: Plate A, First plate.33. Discovery of Jingle in the Fleet: Plate A, First plate.34. The Red-nosed Man Discourseth: Plate B1, Second plate.35. Mrs Bardell Encounters Mr. Pickwick in the Prison: Plate A, First plate.36. Mr Winkle Returns under Extraordinary Circumstances: Plate A, First plate.37. The Ghostly Passengers in the Ghost of a Mail: Plate B1, Second plate.38. Mr. Bob Sawyer's Mode of Travelling: Plate A, First plate.39. The Rival Editors: Plate A, First plate.40. Mary and the Fat Boy: Plate A, First plate.41. Mr. Weller and His Friends Drinking to Mr. Pell: Plate A, First plate.42. Frontispiece: Plate A, First plate.43. Etched title: Plate A: First plate.References:Albert Johannsen, Phiz Illustrations from the Novels of Charles Dickens, 1956; Thomas Hatton & Arthur. H. Cleaver, A Bibliography of the Periodical Works of Charles Dickens,, 1933; W. Miller & E.H. Strange, A Centenary Bibliography of the Pickwick Papers, 1936; J. Christian Bay, ('The Pickwick Papers', in Amateur Book Collector I, December 1950, pp.7-8).This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

NAPOLEON'S LIBRARY ON ST HELENA[MIRABEAU (HONORE GABRIELE RIQUETTI)] Histoire secrète de la Cour de Berlin, ou correspondance d'un voyageur françois, depuis le 5 juillet 1776 jusqu'au 19 janvier 1787. Ouvrage posthume, 2 vol., NAPOLEON BONAPARTE'S COPY, with his imperial eagle stamp on titles, ownership signature 'Teo. Leigh' and inscription reading 'This work belonged to Napoleon Buonaparte and was in his Library at St. Helena', half-titles, contemporary mottled calf gilt, hinges starting, spine faded, light wear, 8vo (195 x 125mm.), [1789]Footnotes:A BOOK FROM NAPOLEON'S LIBRARY AT LONGWOOD HOUSE ON ST HELENA.After the death of Napoleon the majority of his Longwood library was divided by the executors amongst Napoleon's heirs and friends. The remainder were removed from St Helena by order of the British Government and sold to Martin Bossange, an important French bookseller in London. His rare 1823 catalogue, published as A catalogue of the library of the late Emperor Napoleon, which were removed from the Island of St. Helena, by order of His Majesty's Government, and which were purchased by Martin Bossange, and Co. Foreign Booksellers, offered for sale 228 unpriced books. After almost half of the lots failed to find a buyer, Bossange quickly consigned them to Sotheby's, their sale taking place on Wednesday 23 July 1823. Provenance: Napoleon Bonaparte, St Helena Library, brown imperial eagle ink ownership stamp; Theo[dosia] Leigh Toft (c.1743-1808), signature on half-titles and bookplate; R.G. Leychester (1763-1835, MP for Shaftesbury) of Toft Hall, Knutsford, Cheshire, inscription dated 1850.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

ROSSETTI (CHRISTINA)The Poetical Works... With Memoir and Notes &c. by William Michael Rossetti, EDITOR'S PRESENTATION COPY, with an autograph note 'Presented to Miss Lisa Wilson 'my Fior-di-lisa' of Christina's little poem with affectionate regard by W.M. Rossetti Jan. 1904' on paper headed '3 St. Edmund's Terrace...' pasted on front free endpaper, chemise made from embroidered fabric, Macmillan, 1904; For Remembrance. Daily Selections from the Poems of Christina Rossetti. Compiled by Frances Maclean. With a Preface by Lisa Wilson, EDITOR'S PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed to Lisa Wilson (who wrote the preface) 'Lisa from Frances. Dec. 5 1913' above 2-line poetry quotation, annotated by Wilson in margins with the names and dates of friends (i.e. 'Christina 1894' beside the poem for 29 December), Winchester, Warren & Son, and London, Simpkin & Co., [1913]; Sing-Song. A Nursery Rhyme Book... illustrations by Arthur Hughes, inscribed by Lisa Wilson 'Christina Maude Evelyn Corkran with her Godmother's love, Feb 24th 1903', Macmillan, 1893; Speaking Likenesses... with Pictures Thereof by Arthur Hughes, FIRST EDITION, Lisa Wilson's copy inscribed 'Lisa from Jessie, Christmas 1883' on front free endpaper, spine soiled, Macmillan, 1874--ROSSETTI (DANTE GABRIEL) Ballads, PRESENTATION COPY FROM W.M. ROSSETTI, inscribed 'To Miss Lisa Wilson with best regards W.M. Rossetti, Novr. 1899', Ellis & Elvey, 1899--Of the Imitation of Christ... New Edition, PRESENTATION COPY FROM CHRISTINA TO WILLIAM MICHAEL ROSSETTI, inscribed in William's hand 'W.M. Rossetti from Christina 1890' inside upper cover, 3 CUT SIGNATURES OF CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, a 2-page note probably by Maria Rossetti and photograph of her loosely inserted, lacks front free endpaper, contemporary half calf, rubbed, Oxford, J.H. Parker, 1845--WILSON (LISA) Verses, FIRST EDITION, AUTHOR'S PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed 'Maude Corkran from Lisa Wilson with her love, Oct. 12. 1900', sprig of leaves loosely inserted (resulting in light off-setting to 2 pages), Bliss, Sands & Co., 1896--BELL (MACKENZIE) Christina Rossetti. A Biographical and Critical Study, FIRST EDITION, presentation copy with note 'To Miss Lisa Wilson with the good wishes of her friend Mackenzie Bell, Jan 1898' pasted onto the half-title, FLOWERS FROM THE WREATH PLACED ON CHRISTINA'S COFFIN loosely inserted within paper wallet folder inscribed by Lisa Wilson 'Flowers & leaves from the wreath which was laid on my beloved Christina's coffin, and buried with her - Jan 2 1892 - Highgate', a postcard from Mary Rossetti to Lisa Wilson (29 December 1930), a 4-page programme for a dedication service for the Memorial of Christina Rossetti held at Christ Church, Woburn Square on 1 November 1898, and a couple of other items loosely inserted, 2 small pencil annotations by Wilson, Hurst and Blackett, 1898--SANDARS (MARY F.) The Life of Christina Rossetti, FIRST EDITION, AUTHOR'S PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed 'To Miss Lisa Wilson with many thanks for her kind help from Mary F. Sanders, Oct. 10 1930' on the half-title, 3 autograph letters signed by the author to Wilson (12 pages, dated between August to September 1930, discussing the book) loosely inserted, APPROXIMATELY 25 PENCIL ANNOTATIONS AND CORRECTIONS BY LISA WILSON in the margins, Hutchinson, 1930, 8vo; and 13 others, biographies and reference works about Christina Rossetti, including the 4-volume Letters, works inscribed by Jan Marsh and Diane D'Amico, and 3 with the ownership inscription of Lisa Wilson (22)Footnotes:'SHE WOULD NOT HEAR OF FATE!': A group of books by, about and associated with Christina Rossetti belonging to Lisa Wilson, her closest friend in later years, and as her brother William Michael Rossetti notes in one of the volumes, 'the Fior-de-Lisa of Christina's little poem'. Two books are inscribed by William Michael, another has 3 cut signatures by Christina loosely inserted, whilst a third has dried flowers taken from the wreath laid upon her coffin. Christina Rossetti died on 29 December 1894 and Lisa was one of only a handful of guests accompanying the burial party on a snowy day at Highgate Cemetery on 2 January 1895, following a ceremony during which two hymns by Christina were sung. Also between the pages of this book can be found an order of service for Rossetti's memorial service on 1 November 1898. The editor of Rossetti's letters notes that in the last years of her life she was more aware of her growing fame and even joked to her brother William Michael that an annotated copy of Sing-Song would one day be 'priceless', warning him not to disperse her library without looking carefully for inscriptions (Antony H. Harrison, ed., The Letters of Christina Rossetti, Vol. 4: 1887-1894, 2004, xii). Lisa Wilson was consulted by Christina's early biographers, including Mackenzie Bell and Mary F. Sanders, in whose book Lisa has made some 25 revealing comments, such as 'Horrid', 'But she believe in the infinite mercy of God', 'I am sure she never thought this', and 'She would not hear of Fate!'. To Sanders' statement that Lisa was her 'most intimate friend to whom she poured out all her thoughts', Lisa responds tartly 'her thoughts were only poured out to her God'. As Lisa and Christina's correspondence was destroyed, these notes form a rare insight into their relationship. Provenance: Mary Louisa 'Lisa' Wilson (1850-1934, poet, artist and friend of Christina Rossetti); her god-daughter Christina Maude Evelyn Corkran (1903-1979); thence by descent.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

ROSSETTI (CHRISTINA)Autograph poem 'On Occasion of her Book to my Fior-di-Lisa' signed ('Christina G. Rossetti'), 8 lines beginning 'The Rose is Love's own flower – And Love's no less/ The Lily's loftiness...', affixed to the flyleaf of a volume of thirteen manuscript poems dedicated to Christina Rossetti, composed, written and illustrated by her close friend Lisa Wilson, beginning 'To Christina, My Dearest Friend', and including the poems 'Consecrations', 'Of My Lady', 'Her Birthday', and 'For Love's Sake', finely decorated in watercolour throughout with flowers such as forget-me-nots, honeysuckle and blossoms, 13 leaves of watercolour paper, printed gilt floral endpapers, vellum, ruled in gilt with initials 'C.G.R.' on upper cover, 8vo (178 x 125mm.), [1892]; with a separate autograph fair copy of Rossetti's poem titled 'In honour of her Book, and still/ more of my own/ Fior-di-Lisa' signed with initials ('C.G.R.') on a bifolium, one page, 8vo (175 x 111mm.), [?1892]; and group of associated ephemera including a cabinet photograph of Lisa Wilson and two botanical watercolours signed 'Helen Rossetti' (small group)Footnotes:'TO MY FIOR-DI-LISA': A VOLUME OF ILLUSTRATED POEMS DEDICATED TO CHRISTINA ROSSETTI BY HER CLOSE FRIEND, WITH TWO COPIES OF ROSSETTI'S VERSE WRITTEN IN RESPONSE. This beautifully decorated vellum-bound volume was presented by Lisa Wilson to Christina Rossetti in 1892, soon after Rossetti's operation for breast cancer in May of that year, and bound in haste when it was thought that she had not long to live. The women had corresponded since the 1880's when Lisa Wilson '...a very invalidish girl, obliged to lie down a great deal...' (Mary F. Sanders, The Life of Christina Rossetti, London, 1930, p.254) wrote Rossetti an admiring letter. They finally met in 1885 when Christina offered to send her a copy of her new book Time Flies (see lot 118). Grasping the opportunity to meet in person, Lisa collected the book herself, thus beginning a close lifelong friendship, becoming her '...most important admirer... close friend and companion...' (Jan Marsh, Christina Rossetti, a Literary Biography, 1994, p.538). The moment is captured in her poem 'The Meeting' included here ('...let me recall the time when we first met... you came and let my hands clasp yours... Your lips, with their sweet melancholy curve and rare swift smile. Your musical low voice Thrilled through me...'). Rossetti herself was less poetic at the prospect of their meeting: 'Don't expect me to be as nice as my poems or you will be disappointed', she had written (Marsh, p.538).The collection of intense love poems, religious verses and thoughts on death has been described as '...the most public statement Wilson made of her love for Rossetti...' (Diane D'Amico, 'Lisa Wilson: 'A Friend of Christina Rossetti'', The Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies, Vol. 10, Fall 2001, p.118). D'Amico argues that the poems must, however, be read in the context of female friendship at a time when intense expressions of love between women were allowed without being interpreted as sapphic, and that they can also be seen in the concept of a spiritual friendship that brought them closer to God, with Rossetti as Lisa's spiritual guide: '...Wilson's love for Rossetti and her poetry inspired by this love are influenced by a religious faith that allowed for such a concept of friendship...' (D'Amico, p.121). After Rossetti's death, Lisa requested William Michael Rossetti return the volume, in which Christina had inscribed a short verse dedicated to her, and inserted at the front of the book. 'Fior-Di-Lisa' casts Lisa as a lily and herself as a rose, and the book is full of the symbolic language of flowers through which their friendship was communicated. The poem was published in New Poems by Christina Rossetti, edited by William Michael Rossetti in 1896.As well as requesting the return of our volume, she also burned all Christina's correspondence and, apart from publishing these poems, never commented about a friendship she considered sacred, thinking it was enough, and indeed a privilege, to be remembered merely as Rossetti's friend. All the poems inscribed here, apart from the preface 'To Christina' were included in Lisa Wilson's only published work, Verses, of 1896, in which she revealed her pseudonym Christina Grey, under which she may have published other work. Whilst their close relationship is acknowledged by biographers, and our volume consulted by them, further detail is scarce and she is depicted as a rather shadowy figure of whom little is known. Diane D'Amico has put this deficiency right in her comprehensive essay 'Lisa Wilson: 'A Friend of Christina Rossetti'', (ibid, pp.109-129), where she talks about Lisa and our volume in detail. D'Amico identifies her as Mary Louisa Wilson (1850-1934), the daughter of a solicitor from Oundle. She remained unmarried and lived with her widowed mother and brother as companion and housekeeper in Gilston Road, London. A devout Christian, she was a regular attendee at her local church, St Mary's The Boltons, and devoted much time to visiting the poor and sick. She moved to Cornwall after the death of her sisters and her good friend Maude Corkran, and spent the last years of her life in Penzance. The book was passed on to her god-daughter Christina Corkran, and has remained in the family since then.Provenance: Mary Louisa 'Lisa' Wilson (1850-1934, poet, artist and friend of Christina Rossetti); her god-daughter Christina Maude Evelyn Corkran (1903-1979); thence by descent.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

ROWLING (J.K.)Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION, INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR 'to Catriona long time since I have seen one of these!. J.K. Rowling' on the dedication leaf, with numbers 10 through to 1, and 'Joanne Rowling' on the verso of the title-page, small blue ink stain to upper margin of text block on pp.145-173, publisher's white printed wrappers with a yellow band around the middle, and lettered in black (short tear at lower upper joint, a couple of light indentations to upper cover, light handling marks) [Errington AA1(a)], 8vo, Bloomsbury, [1997]Footnotes:VERY RARE SIGNED COPY OF THE VERY FIRST APPEARANCE IN PRINT OF HARRY POTTER, for which an 'unconfirmed print-run of 200 copies is generally accepted... This is also the figure noted by Bloomsbury' (Errington). We have been unable to trace any other signed and inscribed copies of this book.The elegant inscription reflects the fact that Rowling and the recipient had known each other from almost the beginning of the Harry Potter journey. Catriona was the children's book buyer for a famous book shop in Edinburgh, advocating the merits of Rowling's first book from the moment she read this copy of the uncorrected proof copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997 when she was given it by the publisher's agent.She later met Rowling on several occasions when she visited the shop, first to write in the shop's café, later to sign books or attend events that Catriona helped organise. This copy was actually signed in 1999, at the same time Rowling signed Catriona's copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (see lot 127). The inscription captures the extraordinary changes in the author's literary journey, from the moment the proof of this, her first book, appeared in 1997 to her burgeoning success with publication in 1999 of Azkaban, from which moment 'Harry Potter' truly became the global phenomenon he has been ever since.Provenance: Catriona, the vendor, who from 1995-2000 was the children's book buyer at a famous large Edinburgh book shop. This copy was personally inscribed by Rowling during a visit to the shop in 1999, at the same time that she signed a proof copy of The Prisoner of Azkaban (see lot 126).This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

FLEMING, Ian, The James Bond novels. A complete set of 14 facsimile first editions, The First Edition Library, Shelton, Connecticut, circa 1988-93. The publishers went to very considerable trouble to duplicate the bindings, text and dust jackets of the original Jonathan Cape first editions. The book size, weight, typeface, endpapers, texture and finish of the bindings, as well as the Richard Chopping dust wrappers, were all exactly reproduced. As an example of the extraordinary detail and care taken, the jacket on Casino Royale is the first state jacket without the Sunday Times review on the front inner flap; Live and Let Die has no credit to the artist Kenneth Lewis on the front inner flap, as found on the first state jacket; Moonraker has the rare misprint 'shoo' for 'shoot' on page 10, second line from the bottom; and The Man with the Golden Gun has the rare first state variant of the golden gun on the front cover of the binding. This proved too expensive and later issues do not have this. All books are in slip cases with the front and back panels of the dust jackets reproduced on the slip cases. A fine set with no inscriptions (14) (box).

A RARE METZLER & CO. 'BIBLE' ORGAN, with manual bellow, bone keys, maker's label and oak case in the form of a large book or bible, 23 1/2" x 12" (Est. plus 24% premium inc. VAT)Condition Report: In working order, old bellow repairs, minor loss to label, old repairs to hinges.

A Firmin pattern book containing its original two hundred and sixty eight hunt buttons and eighteen rare buttons added by the book’s late ownerIn 1958 Firmins sold their eighty six civilian uniform button pattern books to collectors/dealers in the United States, at least three of these contained hunt buttons. This pattern book is one of two which have been brought back to the U.K. and represents an important source for the identification of 19th Century hunt buttons

A sample book of Hunt buttons containing samples large and small of the same hunt for field, dress, black field, lady members and hunt servants coats also fourteen cuff buttons including a rare button of The Kent & Sussex Badger Club (24)

Culpeper (Nicholas) and Riverius (Lazarus) Culpepers Large Anatomy fitted for Physick Four Books of That Learned, and Renowned Doctor, Lazarus Riverius containing Five hundred and thirteen Observations, or Histories, of Famous and Rare Cures; most of which were his own... Unto which is added A Fifth Book being Select Medical Counsels of John Fernelius, Chief Physician to the King, London: Peter Cole, 1658, 4to, full calf boards.Not collated. Clear condition issues, including severe wear to binding and guttering, with spine coming loose at the top of the guttering. The text is coming loose from the binding. Internally the volume bears extensive foxing. Inscribed in ink with previous owner's name. Lacking the engraved frontispiece.

Jennens Pattern Book, mid-19th Century, containing 'Golden Age' fancy buttons, sometimes found on Georgian hunt coats and also on the flamboyantly dressed men of the period, some rare, approximately 450 buttonsDix Noonan & Webb, Buttons from the J R Gaunt & Son Pattern Book Archive, by order of the National Army Museum, Chelsea, 28th November 2007, Lot 71

1950 The Magic Beano Book D.C.Thompson & Co Ltd Nice Bright copy, some spine wear, bottom right had corner of cover has some paper loss otherwise nice clean copy of this rare annual.

1949 The Magic Beano Book D.C.Thomson & Co Ltd. Nice clean copy of this rare Beano book, minimal spine loss, neat inscription, overall VG copy.