Rare books from JimsOldBooks

London: George Routledge & Sons. Ltd., 1880. Some minor wear to the spine ends and corners of red cloth-covered boards, but gilt titles on spine and front board are still bright, as are black illustrations of groups of sporting equipment. No publication date given, but ''New edition'' on title page, probably around 1880s or so. Some foxing to page edges and to outer pages, 1 page torn to top corner where an uncut page had been opened, the torn-away corner still being attached to opposite page. Some other small tears to a couple of pages,1 page with piece missing. Couple of tissue guards a little creased and torn. Tears to a couple on pages on outer edge. 291pp plus 1p adverts, 16 full-page colour drawings, all with tissue-guards.. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. Illus. by Alken, Henry. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.

London: Baldwin, Craddock & Joy, 1822. This is the eleventh edition, revised, corrected and rearranged. Original (or at least old) brown leather spine and corners with original red title label on spine. Boards have new marbled paper on, also new endpapers have been fitted. A previous owner's name and date ()ctober 12th 1849) on rev of frontispiece, some foxing to outer pages and a few other brown markings to the inner pages, but otherwise a good tight copy of this two-hundred year old fishing book. Covers fresh water angling in England, the types of fish caught, fishing rods, bait and flies - real or artificial., forecasting the weather with and without the use of a barometer, and the laws regarding fishing at the time. Also contains "The Complete Troller, or the Art of Trolling; with Descriptions of all the Instruments, Tackle and Materials Requisite for a Gentleman Troller, and Directions how to use them" by Robert Nobbs which deals with catching Pike. 255pp plus 2 page… Read More

Strasbourg: Karl J Trubner, 1908. No dustwrapper. Ex library copy which has been re-bound in dark blue boards with gilt titles on spine and with new endpapers. Two small labels at bottom of spine, card pocket and ink stamp inside front board, another label and ink stamps on f/ep and another stamp on what would have been the original title page. Otherwise a good clean tight copy of this German language book (full title is "Die Melodien der Troubadours, Nach dem gesamten handschriftlichen Material zum erstenmal bearbeitet und herausgegeben, nebst einer Untersuchung uber die Entwickelung der Notenschrift (bis um 1250) und das rhythmisch-metrische Prinzip der mittelalterlich") dealing with the music and songs of the Mediaeval Troubadours. 202pp.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Good/No Jacket. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Ex-Library.

London: Macmillan & Co Ltd, 1939. No dustwrapper, minor wear to spine ends, corners and lower edge of red cloth-covered boards, gilt titles on spine are rubbed but still clear, a previous owner's name on f/ep. Otherwise a good clean tight copy of this hard-cover book, a novel set among English Methodists in the early 1900s and a sequel to the author's ''Introducing the Arnisons''. Not a common book. 339pp. First Edition. Hard Cover. Good/No Jacket. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall.

Florence: Origines: Studi e Materiali Pubblicati a cura dell'Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protoistoria, 1996. A very good clean tight copy in similar dustwrapper of this hard-cover book. Originally published in Italian in 1980 as ''Le pitture preistoriche della grotta di Porto Badisco''. Deals with the neolithic cave paintings at Porto Badisco, to the south of Otranto in the heel of Italy, which were first discovered in 1970. 180pp plus 128pp (some folding) of b&w plates (and a few in colour). Please note: this is a heavy book, weighing over 2kg, so extra postage would be required.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.

Lagos, Nigeria: Department of Culture, 1987. Some wear to outer edges of cover, but no creasing to the spine of this soft-cover book. A ''Nigeria Magazine'' publication, this book deals with the use of masks in traditional drama of the Igbo (formerly Ibo) people of southern Nigeria. 164pp, 33 b&w illustrations.. Paperback. Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2011. No dustwrapper (as issued), slight bumping to spine ends and corners, otherwise a good clean tight copy of this hard-cover book. Contains twenty-six pieces by various authors on aspects of archaeology on sites wholly or partly underwater, including areas whish were dry land in the mesolithic period. Mostly deals with sites in northern Europe, but also with north America and the eastern Mediterranean areas. 338pp, colour and b&w illustration and diagrams throughout.. Hard Cover. Good/No Jacket. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.

Jerusalem: The Israel Museum, 2003. English language edition. Very slight creasing to top edge of dustwrapper and some scratching to back panel of same. Original owner's gift message (blacked out) takes up most of f/ep, but otherwise a good clean tight copy of this hard-cover book. Issued to accompany the exhibition of the same name held at the Spertus Gallery in 2003-04, deals with the Temple at Jerusalem, and with the ''Temple Scroll'' which was one of the Dead Sea Scrolls. 167pp, illustrated throughout, mostly in colour.. Hard Cover. Very Good/Good. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.

New York: Columbia University Press, 1941. Slipcase is quite worn, with the lower side being missing, the top part of inner (closed) side torn, and wear to the corners of the outer (open) side. The book itself has minor bumping to spine ends and corners, an old price in pencil on f/ep (66 rupees 8 annas which would have equated to £4 8/8 at the time), but otherwise a good clean tight copy of this hard-cover book. Looks at the hand- and arm-gestures (hasta prana and samyita) used in classical Indian dance and their meaning. The author, originally from Texas and called Russell Meriwether Hughes, studied dance in India in the 1930s. 100pp, over 200 b&w illustrations showing the different gestures. Also includes a small leaflet for a performance of Indian dance, no date but would be just post WW2.. Hard Cover. Good/Fair. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.

London: Blackie & Son Ltd, 1911. No dustwrapper, some fading to the spine of red cloth-covered decorated boards but gilt titles thereon are still bright. Some shelf-wear to spine ends and corners, and old water staining to back cover, otherwise a good clean tight copy of this hard-cover book. A biography of G A Henty, the popular Victorian author of adventure stories for boys, by an author of similar tales. This was Manville Fenn's final book. Originally published in 1907, this is a ''New Edition'' from 1911. 370pp, 2 b&w illustrations, many of them previously appearing in Henty's novels.. Hard Cover. Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co (1933) Ltd., 1942. Original (not facsimile) dustwrapper has a 3 inch tear to the top right-hand corner of front panel and a smaller, 2 inch one at the top end of spine, and some smaller tears and creasing to the edges of dustwrapper. Minor bumping to spine ends and corners of blue boards, an old price (16 rupees which would have been 21/4 sterling, or just over a guinea, so quite expensive back then) in pencil at top corner of f/ep and original (or a slightly later) owner's gift message dated August 1946 on same page. Otherwise a good clean tight copy in not so good dustwrapper of this not-very-common hard-cover book. Deals with big-game hunting (tiger mostly, but also leopard, rhino and other animals) in Nepal in the 1930s, based around hunting trips by the hereditary Prime Minister and ruler of Nepal Juddha Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana. 174pp, 12 colour and 31 b&w plates, 2 folding maps.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Good/Fair. 8vo - over 7¾" -… Read More

London: Methuen & Co Ltd, 1906. Third and Cheaper Edition, published by Methuen in May 1906. No dustwrapper, wear to edges of boards, spine strip has a four-inch split to the lower left-hand side, top half-inch above the title panel is mostly gone. Top corner of f/ep has been cut out (probably had a previous owner's name on), binding split inside back cover and at half-title, folding map of Lhasa and b&w plate at p331 is loose but still present, last (blank) page also loose but still present, a tear to one of the folds of the map inside back cover. But otherwise a not too bad copy, with all the maps and plates present, of this hard-cover book. Originally published in March 1905, the book describes Tibet, including Gyatse, Lhasa and the Tsangpo Valley, which the author visited while accompanying the British Expedition to Tibet as Cultural Consultant. Please Note: this is a heavy book, packaged weight would be about 1500g, so extra postage would be required from buyers outside the UK.… Read More

London: Abstract Sounds Books Ltd, 2010. No dustwrapper (as issued), the tiniest bit of scuffing to spine ends and corners of cover, otherwise a very good clean tight copy of this hard-cover book. Based originally on a previously unpublished interview with Phil Lynott by Dave Thompson in 1980, also includes interviews with original band member Eric Bell and with the band's first manager Terry O'Neill; as well as a track-by-track analysis of all the tracks on the Thin Lizzy albums. Includes four half-hour DVDs containing film and audio interviews with band members including all the original members (Phil Lynott, Eric Bell, Brian Robertson, Snowy White and John Sykes). as well as with producers, management, album sleeve designers, music journalists and with Philomena Lynott (Phil's mother). Not many copies around. 164pp including 12pp colour illustrations, . Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.

London: Robert Hale, 1978. Creasing and a couple of small tears to the edges of unclipped dustwrapper, the back panel of which is a bit grubby, minor bumping to spine ends and corners of black boards, some minor yellowing to the pages, and the book does smell a bit of being shut away in a cupboard or similar, but otherwise a not too bad tight copy of this hard-cover book. Part of the publisher's "Hale Science Fiction" series, the story deals with the discovery of a fossilised dinosaur in a clay pit in Bedfordshire. The creature is found with eggs which are all picked up except for one, which hatches out in the countryside and the resulting lizard-man type creature (hence the title) then proceeds to terrorise the area. The first novel by the author, a dentist in Bedford who wrote a few others back in the 1970s, one of which, "Child of Vodyanoi", was adapted by the BBC as "The Nightmare Man" in 1981. Signed and inscribed by the author on f/ep "For .... Kind… Read More

Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons Ltd, 1932. Creasing and tears to the edges of dustwrapper, also the bottom half-inch of dustwrapper is missing at the bottom of the spine and the back panel. Minor bumping to spine ends of orange cloth-covered boards, some old damp-marking also, but the black titles on spine and front board are all still clear. The seventh of the author's novels featuring the character F Mandell Essington, who originally appeared in "The Lunatic at Large" in 1899, though in this one Essington is supposed to have written the story. 311pp.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Good/Fair. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall.