Rare books from Forest Books

Printed for S. Baker and G. Leigh, 1768. First edition, [4],viii,257,[1]pp., with half-title and engraved frontispiece, cont. half calf, marbled paper boards, hinges slightly cracked, head and foot of spine worn with some light worming to raised bands, marbled paper on lower board peeling, but overall internally a clean and bright copy. Of the first work Hill notes "This account of John Byron's circumnavigation is usually ascribed to midshipman Charles Clerke, who later sailed on all three of Captain Cook's voyages...". Of the second work, Byron was midshipeman aboard the Wager when it was wrecked off the Chilean coast, and he provides a vivid account of the privations endured by the survivors. The author's grandson Lord Byron drew upon the Narrative as a source for his epic poem 'Don Juan'. Hill, 311 & 232.

Liverpool: Printed by M. Galway & Co. 1814. First (only?) edition, 12, [1, list of instruments with prices], [1, blank]pp., recent paper wrappers. John Dicas was a scientific instrument maker, active in Liverpool, between 1774 and 1797. He was succeeded by his daughters Mary and Ann, who continued to operate the business until some time after 1837 when it was then taken over by Joseph Long. In 1780 John Dicas was awarded UK patent 1,259 for "constructing hydrometers with sliding-rules to ascertain spirit strength". (Hopp, 'Slide Rules. Their History, Models, and Makers'. 1999). A printed thirteen-line "Caution" on verso of the title-page warns against instruments on sale in London and Dublin stamped "Dicas" which are not of of her [Mary Arstall] manufacture. Not traced in Copac or OCLC.

London: Printed for G. Kearsley, 1789. Second edition, 12mo, xxxv, [1, blank], 133, [11, index]pp., with half-title, engraved frontispiece and nine additional full-page engravings showing two boxers fighting (perhaps Dan Mendoza and Richard Humphries), demonstrating the various boxing techniques taught in the text, some light off-setting, a few pages have been trimmed up to the text, especially at the fore-edge, but with no loss, early paper endpapers, nicely bound in full calf, hand sewn headbands, hand tooled edges, hand lettered spine. The author of this guide indicates he seeks to appeal specifically to the gentleman wanting to protect himself from 'the insolence so peculiar to the manners of the lower order of people in this country.' But he has special advice for professional practitioners of the pugilistic art, with hints for preparing for a scheduled fight which include taking 'a pint of best red wine mulled, with a tablespoonful of brandy' on the morning itself. This manual… Read More

London: William Smith, 1848. First edition, 4to, xii, 215, [1]pp., with half-title, 42 hand-coloured lithographed plates, marbled endpapers, green half crushed morocco gilt by Zaehnsdorf, spine tooled with floral decorations within raised bands, corners lightly rubbed otherwise a fine copy. An exceptionally clean copy of this work by one of the most popular and successful female botanical illustrators. Provenance: Bookplate of Mrs. L. Bartlett to front paste-down. Nissen BBI 1236.

Whitby: Printed by T. Webster, Sold by the Author; and W. Tesseyman, Bookseller, York. 1794. First edition, large folio (520 x 355 mm), [32]pp., with a list of subscribers, and an initial leaf stating "Entered at stationers' Hall", 11 engraved plates (some lightly offset), each with explanatory leaf, with an original watercolour sketch for a heating device loosely inserted, occasional lightly foxing, orig. quarter calf, marbled boards, a very nice copy in original condition. Little is known of James Shaw, other than he was head gardener at Mulgrave Caslte, North Yorkshire, and this appears to be his only published work. He dedicates the book to his Patron and employee the Right Honourable Henry, Lord Mulgrave and states in his advertisement "Gardening at this period, is an object of general pursuit, from its useful and admirable effects. The most elegant and superior branch of it, is that of forcing fruit, which are natives of warmer climates; and the perfection of them, in some… Read More

London: Published by J. Sowerby, Jun. 1832. First and only edition, small 4to, [8]pp., 5 fine hand-coloured plates, orig. drab wrappers with printed title label on upper cover, a very good copy in unsophisticated original condition. The engravings feature illustrations of four types of mushroom from the genus Agaricus - Campestris (the true edible mushroom), Georgii (St. George's mushroom, or, white caps), Pratensis (the true champignon) and Virosus (which closely resembles it) - all of which also appear in the third and final part of James Sowerby's "Coloured Figures of English Fungi or Mushrooms" published in 1815. James de Carle Sowerby assisted his father in several works and the appearance and composition of the illustrations of the respective mushroom types in each work are similar, though not identical. Nissen, BBI 1876; Freeman, 3503. Scarce, with Copac showing only 3 copies in the UK (BL, Oxford and Natural History Museum).

London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1822. First edition, vi, 442, [2]pp., large folding frontispiece of "a ground plan of the antient Roman Bath" (foxed and partially offset onto title), presentation inscription on upper blank margin of title "W. Godwin with the author's best regards.", original boards, uncut, rebacked.

Leeuwarden: A. Ferwerda en G. Tresling, [1758-63]. First edition, folio (330 x 210 mm), 3 parts in one, [2], 36; [4], 70; [4], 87, [5]pp., three separate title-pages within border of type ornaments, 39 engraved folding plates of fruits, all with bright contemporary hand-colouring, several related notes in ink to front free-endpaper, cont. half calf, paper covered boards (peeled away from upper cover), uncut. Johann Hermann Knoop (1700-1769), carried out much of his botanical research whilst curator of the gardens of Princess Maria Louisa in Leeuwarden. He broke new ground in the study of fruit varieties and he is regarded as the father of pomology. The first two part are devoted to the kitchen garden, the first part is illustrated with 20 splendid full-page engraved plates with hand-colouring, 12 are apples, 8 of pears, all showing several varieties, each labelled with its time of ripening, many for species now lost. The second has 19 engraved plates with contemporary hand-colouring showing… Read More

[Stoke-upon-Trent: Mintons, c. 1885.]. Folio (325 x 250 mm), [8]pp., followed 30 numbered chromolithographed plates and one further "extra sheet" with 10 mounted albumen photographs, a couple of sheets with slight fraying to blank fore-edge, loose in publisher's printed boards, worn, re-backed with tape. Minton's Ltd, was a major ceramics manufacturing company, originated with Thomas Minton (1765-1836) the founder of "Thomas Minton and Sons", who established his pottery factory in Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England, in 1793, producing earthenware. Herbert Minton began experimenting making encaustic tiles in 1828 in addition to the established Mintons pottery and china business, and produced their first catalogue of 62 designs in 1835. "The Tiles in this book are, with the exception of those shown on Sheet 16, which are printed patterns, and on the extra Sheet of Photographs, all Enamelled by a Patent process, know as "Reynold's process," which… Read More

[London: Printed by Nichols, Son, and Bentley, 1813.]. Second enlarged edition, folio (395 x 240 mm), iv, 110pp., printed in double-column, engraved portrait and 24 engraved plates on 13 sheets, recent quarter red morocco, new marbled endpapers, spine with five raised bands ruled in gilt, lettered direct in gilt in second and third compartments, a fine copy with some minor browning and offsetting from the plates. Richard Pulteney (1730-1801) was principally known as a botanist, but started out life apprenticed for seven years to an apothecary in his local town of Loughborough, Leicestershire. After which he practised as a surgeon and apothecary at Leicester; but he met with little success owing to his nonconformist convictions. He eventually secured a practice as physician at Blanford, Dorset, and occupied his leisure time with the study of botany, conchology, etc. He became a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1790 and bequeathed to them his museum and herbarium. First published in 1799 in a… Read More

London: Printed for R. Faulder, 1792. First edition, 8vo (203 x 125 mm), [4], vii, [1 errata], 152p., with half-title, engraved frontispiece, some light spotting, cont. calf, re-backed, corners re-newed, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, ruled in gilt. George Montagu (1753–1815), English army officer and naturalist. In 1770 he joined the army as an Ensign in the 15th Regiment of Foot and In December 1775 George was promoted to the rank of Captain on the same day that the regiment was ordered to America. He resigned his commission as a Captain in 1777, but eventually rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Wiltshire Militia. This, his first publication, is little known and is rare, he is better known for his pioneering two-volume Ornithological Dictionary; or Alphabetical Synopsis of British Birds of 1802, which for the first time accurately defined the status of Britain's birds. He is remembered today for species such as the Montagu's harrier, named for him. ESTC locating 3… Read More

London: Printed for Ben. Griffin, and are to sold by Sam. Keble, 1690. First edition,12mo (170 x 100 mm), [4], 214, 18pp., frontispiece portrait of the author engraved by Robert White, title printed in red and black within ruled lines, following Sig. L4 is a large folding sheet of accounts, the present copy has the usual manuscript corrections to pages 11, 33, 39, 40, 42, 57, 70, 90, 92, 103, 120, 138 & 142 which if not by Pepys himself were likely carried out under his direction, cont. speckled calf, boards rubbed with decorative blind border-rule, calf reback with original label laid-down, re-cornered, some slight edge-browning and light age soiling but still a good copy. First edition of the variant issue with Griffin-Keble imprint. This was the only book written by Pepys to be published in his lifetime, and forms a defence of his administration of the Navy from 1679 until his dismissal from office following the Revolution in 1688. "Upon this he lavished a great deal of thought and… Read More

London: Printed for E. Midwinter, 1726. First edition, 12mo (149 x 90 mm), xii, 296, [4]pp., 4 engraved plates, upper and lower margins cut close affecting several page numerals or catchwords, paper flaw to leaf Y4 causing slight tear, nineteenth-century half calf, marbled boards, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt. First published in 1707 under the title 'The Art of War' with a new edition appearing in 1711 followed by this third printing. Part I is by the Sieur de Birac, parts II-III by M. de Lamont, part IV by the Chevalier de la Valière. Provenance: Bookplate of the Royal Artillery Institution, Woolwich.

London: [Published for the Author], 1753. First edition, large folio (570 x 380 mm), [6], 50pp., printed in thick paper, the text is followed by 59 etched and engraved plates, the first plate consists of three coppers, forming together a panoramic view of the ruins (sometimes found pasted together and folded), 3 full-page etched and engraved reproductions of inscriptions with letterpress on the verso, some occasional spotting and age-toning but in general a good clean copy, professionally rebound to the highest standard in a period binding of full calf, Greek-key gilt roll border to both boards, gilt hatching to edges, spine divided into ten compartments, the second with a red leather lettering-piece, other superbly tooled in gilt, all edges uncut, a very handsome tall paper copy. Robert Wood (1717?-1771), traveller, author and politician, born at Riverstown Castle near Trim, Co. Meath, Ireland. In the year 1751 he made the tour of Greece, Egypt, and Palestine, in company with James Dawkins and… Read More

London: The British Library, 2011. 2 Vols., folio (450 x 360 mm), introduction volume: 31pp., orig. printed wrappers, facimile volume: 822 pages of coloured facsimiles, orig. cloth, spine slightly creased, slip-case, the facsimile is an enormous and extremely heavy book. Codex Sinaiticus is one of the world's most remarkable books. Written in Greek in the fourth century, it is the oldest surviving complete New Testament, and one of the two oldest manuscripts of the whole Bible. No other early manuscript of the Christian Bible has been so extensively corrected, and the significance of the Codex Sinaiticus for the reconstruction of the Christian Bible's original text, the history of the Bible and the history of western book making is immense. This magnificent printed facsimile reunites the text, now divided between the British Library, the National Library of Russia, St Catherine's Monastery, Mt Sinai and Leipzig University Library.