77
77 HAWKING, Stephen W. A Brief History of Time. London: Bantam Press, 1988 a masterpiece of scientific popularization First UK edition, published simultaneously with the US edition on 1 April 1988. One of the most important scientific works of the second half of the 20th century, A Brief History of Time details for a general readership the origin and eventual fate of the universe. Octavo. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt. With dust jacket. Illustrations and diagrams throughout. Loosely inserted is a press cutting of a review of this work. Slight lean to spine, ends gently bumped, contents clean. A near-fine, sharp copy in like jacket, price-clipped, minor creasing to extremities, a bright example. £1,750 [156847]
73 75
75
76
75 HARDY, Joseph. A Picturesque and Descriptive Tour in the Mountains of the High Pyrenees. London: R. Ackermann, 1825 illustrated with some of the finest aquatints ever produced First edition of this scarce and finely illustrated work, the hand-coloured plates “among the most beautiful to be found in aquatint engraving ... The ground is exceedingly fine, and there is no line whatever. The colouring is most delicate, and all the twenty-four illustrations are exquisite” (Prideaux, p. 229). The book proved to be “a great success” and a French translation followed (Thorold, p. 64). Joseph Hardy was living in Bordeaux when he undertook this five-day voyage through Cauterets, Saint-Sauveur, Gavarnie, and Barèges. Besides the sights, Hardy also describes his encounters with the locals, and calls on the French government to provide relief for the Cagots, a persecuted
form the original text was, of course, restored, and Hardy was able to ‘piece the trunk and limbs of the novel together, as originally written’” (Purdy). Published in the week of 29 November 1891 in an edition of 1,000 copies, Tess proved an immediate success and a second issue of 500 copies was published in February the following year. The elegant design of the title-page layout, one of the first examples of the 1890s art nouveau book, was the work of Charles Ricketts. 3 volumes, octavo (188 × 125 mm). Fine mid–20th-century blue half morocco by Bayntun, spines lettered in gilt in compartments, raised bands tooled in gilt, compartments ruled in gilt with central devices, blue cloth sides, top edges gilt, others untrimmed, marbled endpapers. Bound without the final blank in vol. II, and the initial and final blanks in vol. III. Spines faintly toned, negligible rubbing to edges, sporadic marginal foxing and scuffing; a near-fine set. ¶ Purdy, pp. 67–78; Sadleir 1114; Webb pp. 24–26; Wolff 2993. £4,000 [155234]
long-cherished abhorrence of association which the mountaineers entertain towards them” (p. 69). Thorold remarks that “the first 30 miles of his journey up the Garonne were covered by steamboat, less romantic than downright modern. And entertaining, too, for the machinery on these boats was English, as was the engineer”. Octavo (218 × 130 mm). Remboîtage of contemporary red straight-grain morocco, spine with low raised bands, compartments gilt panelled and filled with foliate tools, covers with gilt and blind decorative borders enclosing a large central blind block incorporating a lyre and architectural elements. Map frontispiece with renewed tissue guard, 24 hand-coloured captioned aquatint plates after the author, mounted on cream paper stock. Red morocco book label of American philanthropist and book collector Doris Louise Benz (1907–1984). Remboîtage incorporating new twin black labels, addition of date at foot of spine, edges gilded, and marbled endpapers renewed; title page professionally cleaned; both this, the map, and final leaf with discreet paper repairs; old faded signature on title page, map closely trimmed at fore edge with loss to border rules. A very good copy, the plates fresh and bright. ¶ Abbey 210; Tooley 245; not in Neate. Sarah Treverbian Prideaux, Aquatint Engraving: A Chapter in the History
minority. “I am aware that they have difficulties almost insurmountable in the prejudices and
of Book Illustration , 1909; Peter Thorold, The British in France: Visitors and Residents since the Revolution , 2008. £2,250 [155830] 76 HARDY, Thomas. Tess of the d’Urbervilles. London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., 1891 a beautiful set First edition in book form, first issue with the requisite points, here in an attractive binding by Bayntun. Hardy’s best known novel was originally serialized in the Graphic from July to December 1891, with two episodes – the seduction of Tess by Alec d’Urberville and the baptism and death of Tess’s baby – removed by the editor. “This temporary dismemberment of the novel necessitated changes in plot, such as the introduction of a mock marriage and the omission of the encounter with the painter of texts, and there were numerous scattered bowdlerizations and omissions. When the novel was published in book
75
44
45
DECEMBER 2022
All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator