Rare books from Thorn Books

n.p.: Mossman, 1870. Very good. Single sheet, folded to approx. 3-1/2 by 5-1/2 inches, pierced in a lace pattern in the center and at the edges, and embossed with flowers and leaves. In the center is a young girl holding a circlet above her head, affixed to the card only by her foot, which is standing on a group of clouds, also attached only in sections, to give a three-dimensional effect. Beneath is a scroll reading, "If I lose you, I am lost". The scroll, girl and clouds are entirely hand-painted; flowers and leaves are hand-colored. With 'Mossman' lightly blind-embossed at the rear of the page. There is a tiny break in the fragile border paper lacework, image slightly dusty, else in very good condition and unused. Scarce.

London: J. M. Dent, 1893. First edition. Wraps. Very good. Aubrey Beardelsy. Twelve original parts in green wrappers. Parts 1-8 and 10-12 are the "Superior Issue" of 300 copies on Dutch handmade paper (this set unnumbered). Part 9 is from the "regular issue" and is slightly smaller in size. Full page and double page illustrations, rubricated initials, borders and in-text decorations by Aubrey Beardsley in his first major commission. This set is uncut and largely unopened. There is some offsetting from the illustrations to the facing pages, as usual. Part 9 lacks a tiny piece form the spine and has had a nearly invisible repair to the upper wrapper; the wrappers show light soil, rubbing and aging else this is a very good set.

New York: John W. Eggers; The Winthrop Press, 1917. Softcover. Fine. 14 Thornton Burgess Miniature Books in their original box. The books are approximately 2 3/16 by 2 7/8 inches, stapled wraps, all with a cover illustration in color and other color illustrations in text. Each book has 12 pages including the covers.The first set of 6 books are c. 1914, printed by the Winthrop Press and comprise the following titles: Danny Meadow-Mouse Learns Something; A Glad Time Made a Sad Time; Jack Frost Helps Paddy the Beaver; Mr. Toad and Danny Meadow-Mouse Take a Walk; Old Mr. Toad Gets His Stomach Full; Striped Chipmunk's Secret Joke. The second set of 8 titles, printed by Eggars, comprise: Busy Folks and Sleepy Folks; Four Little Mice at School and Play; An Important Meeting at the Smiling Pool; Johnny Chuck Loses His Temper; Paddy the Beaver Gives Warning; Peter Rabbit Introduces His Big Cousin; Peter Rabbit Learns From Striped Chipmunk; Striped Chipmunk Has a Secret. Jack Frost has one untrimmed page edge… Read More

New York: Garden City Publishing Company, 1941. First edition, first printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Thin 4to. Illustrated in color and black and white throughout. Publisher's cloth spine, pictorial boards, pictorial endpapers. Based on a story from Kenneth Grahame's 'Dream Days'. There are light traces of wear to the spine and to the corners, a neat inscription from 1944 on the half title, else this is a near fine copy. The dustwrapper is not clipped. It is soiled; it is chipped at the spine tips with a closed tear tear on the spine and another along the top margin, else it is in very good condition. (The Brodart protective sleeve has been colored to match the yellow of the wrapper to give a nice appearance without damage to the wrapper.) Scarce Disney item, and more so in dustwrapper.

London: G. G. Harrap & Co, 1913. Limited edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Illustrated by Williy Pogany. 4to. Illustrated throughout in both black and white and color by Pogany. This copy bound in the somewhat scarce publisher's brown leather, spine intricately gilt and with the title and illustration on the upper board, as in the more common vellum and morocco bindings. Illustrated endpapers. Top edge gilt. Light wear to the inner hinges else this is a fine copy with only a trace of sunning to the spine. One of 525 copies signed by Pogany, of which this is number 272. Lohengrin comes to us courtesy of Wolfram von Eschenbach, where is is described as the son of Sir Perceval (Parzifal). When Parzifal becomes the Grail King, Lohengrin becomes the Grail Knight, and his twin inherits Parzifal's secular lands. .

Auburn: Derby and Miller, et al., 1853. Good. Hardcover. Early edition. 8vo. xvi,(17)-336pp. 4pp. publisher's ads inserted between the front endpapers. Eighth thousand. Original green cloth, spine lettered in gilt, boards embossed in blind. Yellow coated endpapers. Illustrated with seven full page illustrations, including the frontispiece of the author. Significantly foxed, as usual. Binding faded and worn at edges and corners, spine gilt worn, but still a presentable copy. Housed in a new, leather backed custom clamshell case. Apparently the copy of A. A> PHipps of Smithfield, NY. There are contemporary ink notations in the front: "This to A. Alton Phipps", then, "A. A. Phipps Book". In the rear, in what might be a different hand, is "A. A. Phips Smithfield." A farmer and a professional violinist, Northup had been a landowner in New York. In 1841, he went to Washington, D.C.; there he was drugged, kidnapped, and sold as a slave. He was held as a slave for 12 years in the Red River region of… Read More

London: J. M. Dent, 1927. Limited edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Illustrated by Aubrey Beardelsy. 4to. One of 1600 copies, the third edition of Malory with Beardsley's illustrations. Black cloth, the spine and boards intricately gilt with the iconic Beardsley water-lily illustrations. This edition contains more material and ten more drawings than the first edition. Trace of rubbing on the upper board and light wear along the bottom, else a near fine copy. Bookplate of F. W. Rogers. .

New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1928. First edition, first printing. Hardcover. Near fine/Very good. 8vo., 238pp. Yellow cloth printed in red. Plain endpapers. Erosion of the glazed cloth in the outer hinge gutters and the bottom edge, else a near fine copy. The dustwrapper is price-clipped. It is rough along the edges, with a short closed marginal tear at the bottom spine fold, and rubbed at the folds. It is still ion very good, presentable condition. Scarce edition of the author's masterpiece, an experimental version of the Grail story, regarded as her most significant contribution to English modernism. Picus finds a chalice in a wwell which he identifies as the Holy Grail and fishes it out with a spear. Later it is considered en early Mass chalice and then an early Celtic chalice. A 'Lost Generation" novel. .

London: Printed for Henry Harriman, 1656. First edition. Hardcover. Very good. 12mo. (14),120,(2). Plate of chessboard present. Contemporary sheep, blind rules on the boards. Light dampstain across the top, the leather cracked and rubbed, especially at the spine, lacking the preliminary blank and the portrait of the King, else a very good copy. Makes one wonder if the portrait of Charles II was deliberately destroyed. A translation by Francis Beale of Trattato del Nobilissimo Giuco degli Scacchi by Giachino Greco and consists of 94 chess gambits. Contains the first documented use of 'castle' as a chess verb, according to the OED. ESTC R23418; Wing G1810. .

London: J. M. Dent & Sons Limited, 1927. Limited edition. Hardcover. Fine. Thin 4to. One of 300 copies on handmade paper, this is copy No, 76. Leather spine, gilt; vellum boards,the upper board tooled in gilt with Beardsley's iconic water lily design. A publisher's note is followed by a note on the designs by R. A. Walker, and note on Aubrey Beardsley by Aymer Vallance. The eleven omitted designs are followed by a reproduction of the Merlin illustration as well as a sketch for an unused cover design and the cover design used for the issued parts. Thus there are 14 designs in all. This is a near fine copy with only a trace of soil, a few tiny pinholes in the hinges, and some yawning of the boards. and free of the foxing that dogs this title. Scarce thus. The illustrations have offset to the facing pages as usual. Gaines, A14 c.1.b.

Los Angeles, CA: U. S. Engineer Office, 1946. Wraps. Good. Oblong folio. 37 black and white maps and charts showing sections of the propsed and existing sections of the highway through Guatemala to Panama. This is the plate volume only, no text. Printed paper wraps bound with rivets. The item has been folded once vertically with wear and loss to the covers. The maps have age toning but are mostly in very good condition, the vertical crease being more a bend on the maps than a crease. The size is 10 by 15 inches; some maps are larger and are folded at the right edges to fit. Only a good copy, but very scarce.

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1912. First edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Colonial Issue. 8vo. Red textured cloth, the spine titles in gilt,. and the upper board in white with a gilt vignetter of Professor Challenger. Spine very lightly sunned, white printing rubbed at edges, else this is a new fine copy. Bookplate on the front pasatedown. Green A37b. .

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1921. First Dunton edition. Hardcover. Very good. 8vo. 336pp plus 5 pp. of publisher's ads. Black cloth, gilt spine and upper board and with a full color paste-on to the upper board. First printing of the Dunton illustrated edition with the proper codes on the copyright page. Frontispiece and eleven full page color plates by Dunton. Spine gilt darkened, light wear to the corners but a very good copy and rare in first Dunton printing. .

London: J. Bowyer, et al., 1718. First edition in English. Hardcover. Fine. 8vo. (ii),cxi,(xvii),401,(lv)pp. In a lovely contemporary binding of sprinkled panelled,calf. The spine is in six compartments, gilt, red morocco lettering label, gilt. The errata page is present in the rear. The List of Subscribers is present (including Isaac Newton). Spine tips neatly restored, hole to title page with loss of a few letters, pp. xlv/xlvi with small chip and small chip at head slightly affecting letters, otherwise contents fresh and binding in very good condition. Geoffrey's Historia dates from the 12th century and purports to be a history of Britain from its first settlement by Brutus to the death of Cadwallader in the 7th century. In contains one of the earliest developed narratives of King Arthur and dwells on Merlin and his prophecies. Originally written in Latin, this is the first translation into English, made by Aaron Thompson, who provides a lengthy preface giving his views on the authenticity of… Read More

Dublin: Hodges and Smith, 1851. First edition. Seven volumes, large 4tos. Contemporary half green morocco, green sand grain green cloth boards, marbled endpapers in a non-pareil pattern, all edges gilt, ribbon markers. Light wear to the bindings at the edges and hinges, else this is a very good set. With the bookplates of John Eacott Manahan and the arnmorial plate of H. L. A. The Annals are printed in the original Irish with English translation on the facing pages by O'DOnovan. This is Part II of the Annals of the Four Masters, in Irish, with O'Donovan's English translation on facing pages, and copious footnotes. O'Donovan published the second half of the Annals in 1848, which covered the years 1172 to 1616. After the unexpected success of this publication, O'Donovan went back to the manuscript of the Annals and edited the remainder, covering the years AM 2242 to AD 1171, publishing this part in 1851. New title and final pages were supplied to buyers of the 1848 set, and binders were instructed… Read More