Selected Titles and Recent Acquisitions

P. G. Wodehouse, Louder and Funnier

First Edition 1932, First Printing book in a later issue dust jacket. Original yellow cloth, 286 printed pages. Some dust soiling to the cloth, foxing to the fore edge and first and last two pages, no inscriptions. The dust jacket is green and printed in black, which McIlvaine lists as being issued in December 1932. It is quite browned to the spine and has small chips to the corners and spine ends with a strip of brown paper to the reverse at the top of the spine.

£400.00

Wonderful original pencil sketches by Arthur Rackham. This was purchased from the Chris Beetles Gallery in the 1990s and is in their mount and has their reference number, H0250 written in pencil. The sketches are on paper which measures approximately 14 x 22 cms (5.5 x 8.5 inches). Not dated, circa 1890s to early 1900s. Rackham has written some notes, but they are quite hard to read. One looks like "Long sleeves" and another looks like it says "Shawl", but I can't make out another line that might read "thin Barnett", "Miss Barnett" or perhaps "Miss Bennett". My brother has been in contact with The Chris Beetles Gallery over this sketch and one question he put to them was if they thought these sketches were for Mrs Bennet from Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice", because it certainly looks like how you would picture her, but they said that they did not think so. It remains a mystery what these sketches were intended for, but with a bit of research it might be possible to find out.

£500.00

P. G. Wodehouse, A Gentleman of Leisure

First Edition, First Printing 1910, published by Alston Rivers. Original blue cloth, gilt titled to front and spine, 347 printed pages complete with 3 pages of adverts at the rear. Condition: Rubbed and bumped to the corners and spine ends, the boards are also quite rubbed, 1.5 cm closed tear to the bottom of the front free end paper, a few pages creased to the top corner, light brown stain (tea?) to pages 312/313 (shown in the last photo), light dent towards the bottom of the first few pages, no inscriptions.

£650.00

Arnold Bennett, Sacred and Profane Love, a Novel in Three Episodes

Rare First Edition 1905, published by Chatto & Windus. Original blue cloth, gilt titled to spine, 299 printed pages with 8 pages of adverts followed by a further 32 pages of adverts dated June 1905 to the rear. Rubbed to the corners and spine ends, previous owners name and date neatly written to the front pastedown, book-sellers small embossed stamp to the front free end paper, a few pages creased to the corner, scattered foxing to the pages.

£100.00

Arnold Bennett, Whom God Hath Joined

Rare First Edition 1906, published by David Nutt. Original red cloth, 419 printed pages complete with 12 pages of adverts at the rear. Bumped to the corners and spine ends, frayed to the top of the spine, faded to the spine, tidy contents with no inscriptions

£100.00

Arnold Bennett, The Gates of Wrath

Rare First Edition, First Printing 1903, published by Chatto & Windus. Original pictorial red cloth, 248 printed pages complete with 32 pages of adverts at the rear dated Sept. 1902. Quite bumped to the spine ends and faded to the spine, book-sellers' embossed stamp to the top corner of the front free end paper, scattered foxing, no inscriptions.

£175.00

Original Gouache Painting By Fred T. Jane for Max Pemberton's "The Iron Pirate". Signed to the lower right. Used for page 124, but also for the front cover of the Six Penny edition. Fred T. Jane was an author and illustrator, best known for "Jane's Fighting Ships". Painted on card, nicely mounted with beautiful penmanship writing the title to the lower border. The mount measures approximately 19 x 26.5 cms. Foxing to the mount, otherwise tidy.

£200.00

P. G. Wodehouse and Herbert Westbrook, The Globe, By The Way Book

Facsimile Edition, First Thus 1985, published by James H. Heineman and Sceptre Press, limited to 500, this book being number 219. Original card covers, 144 printed pages complete with illustrations and adverts. The book is faded to the spine and slightly to the covers.

£100.00

Walter Dexter and J. W. T. Ley, The Origin of Pickwick

Rare First Edition, First Printing 1936, published by Chapman and Hall. Original red cloth, 159 printed pages complete with illustrations. Some foxing to the fore edge and end papers, gift inscription to the front free end paper. The dust jacket is slightly worn to the corners and spine ends, otherwise tidy.

£100.00

Dorothy L. Sayers, The Recipe Book of the Mustard Club

First Edition 1926. Original pictorial card covers, 32 printed pages complete with illustrations. Rusted staples, rubbed to the spine and corners, some creasing to covers and pages.

£95.00

Margery Allingham, Dancers in Mourning

Third Printing 1938. A Campion novel. Original black cloth, 348 printed pages. Condition: Previous owners name and date (Feb 1939) to the front free end paper, foxed to the fore edge and first and last few pages. The dust jacket is chipped to the corners and spine ends, has a large chip to the rear top inner corner and has rubbing and edge creasing.

£85.00

Beautiful original signed painting by Eileen Soper of a baby. The painting is on artists board which measures approximately 11 x 17 inches. To the lower right Soper has written her return details and her name and address are stamped to the reverse. To the lower left is a Chris Beetles Gallery reference number in pencil. Probably painted for a book or annual.

£225.00

Original gouache painting by Gordon Browne for "The Girls of Kings Royal", which was written by L. T. Meade and published by Chambers in 1913. Signed with the artists initials to the lower right. Painted on board measuring approximately 6.5 x 9.25 inches.

£125.00

Original Signed Watercolour Painting By Charles Brock for Charles Dickens' Doctor Marigold's Prescription, which was published by Foulis in 1907. The painting is on artists board which measures approximately 7.25 x 10.5. Signed and dated 1907 by the artist to the lower left.

£225.00

H. Rider Haggard, The Mahatma and The Hare

First Edition 1911, published by Longmans, Green & Co. London. Original red cloth, illustrated in black to the front, 165 printed pages complete with 12 illustrations correct as list. Comes with the original dust jacket which is correctly priced 2/6 to the spine. Condition: The spine lettering is a dull black and I can't quite tell if it was originally gilt but has now oxidised, it is quite bumped to the spine ends and has slight foxing to the fore edge and end papers, otherwise a tidy book with a tight binding and no inscriptions. The dust jacket is chipped to the corners and spine ends, is browned to the spine and has an unfaded patch over the spine price where presumably there was once a price sticker.

£195.00

Honor C. Appleton

He Was Very Smart Indeed; Original Pen and Ink illustration used for page 39 of H. C. Cradock's "Josephine is Busy". Exhibited Chris Beetles Gallery; Honor C. Appleton (1879-1951) 9th-27th May 1990, No 159 and with their label to the reverse and price and reference number written in pencil. The drawing is on stiff paper and is signed with the artists initials to the lower right corner. It has "page 39" and "Teddy bowed low" written in pencil to the lower margin and it looks like this is in the artists hand. The sheet that the drawing is on measures approximately 6.5 x 7.75 inches (16.75 x 19.5cms). Nicely mounted, framed and galzed. The frame is square measuring 12.75 x 12.75 inches (32.5 x 32.5cms). Condition: Slightly dusty and light creasing.

£500.00

Complete Set of Harry Potter books

Each book is published by Bloomsbury, London. The Philosopher's Stone is the 25th Printing, Chamber of Secrets is the 26th Printing, Prisoner of Azkaban is the 22nd Printing, the other books are all first edition, first printings and Goblet of Fire is the rarer Omnia First Printing. Some of the books have browning to the pages and slight bumping to the boards and slight creasing to the dust jacket, the Philosopher's Stone dust jacket has a 1cm closed tear to the bottom of the spine, Prisoner of Azkaban has the laminate coming away towards the front edge of the book and dust jacket. No inscriptions.

£150.00

William Le Queux, Treasure of Israel.

First Edition 1910, published by Eveleigh Nash, London. First Printing book in the rare original First Printing dust jacket. Original green cloth, gilt titled to front and spine, pictorial onlay to front, 311 printed pages. Slightly bumped to the spine ends, rear hinge paper partly split but the hinge is holding fine, previous owners name to the front free end paper, foxed to the first and last few pages. The dust jacket is chipped to the corners and spine ends and has acid-free archive tape reinforcing the folds to the reverse.

£200.00

Elsie J. Oxenham, Original Painting By Percy Tarrant

This is the original painting by Percy Tarrant that was used for the First Edition of A School Camp Fire, which was published in 1917. The painting measures 5.5 x just over 8 inches. It is in the original mount which has pencil notes to the bottom which read; Book 3, Chap 7, p.234, frontisp, Priscilla burnt her old name". The painting is tidy. The mount is creased to the corners and lightly soiled. The painting has been professionally framed and glazed with high quality non-reflective, UV-protected glass. Comes with a First Edition of the book which is in good condition.

£500.00