antiquarian bookseller - Peter Harrington

Peter Harrington Antiquarian Bookseller
FINE AQUATINTS OF GREECE
IN CONTEMPORARY RED
MOROCCO
249.DODWELL, Edward.
Views in Greece, from drawings …
London, Rodwell and Martin, 1821 [32989] £32,500
Folio (51 × 35 cm). Contemporary straight-grain red
morocco, sides with wide outer decorative borders in gilt
enclosing blind roll and a two-line gilt panel with elaborate
scroll cornerpieces, skilfully rebacked to style, wavy roll in
gilt to inner dentelles, drab brown endpapers, gilt edges. 30
coloured aquatints mounted on card in imitation of drawings,
mounts tinted in grey on upper surface, with guards, this
copy (as often) without the title slips to back of mounts. Text
in English and French. Armorial bookplates of Stowe and
Edmund Austen Willett. Some marks to sides, a little minor
restoration to extremities, a few trivial blemishes to the text
leaves, an excellent copy.
FIRST EDITION of one of the most spectacular aquatint
travel books of its era, with good quality plates and
excellent colouring; those engraved and coloured by Havell
in particular are outstanding. The plates were intended
to illustrate Dodwell’s A Classical and Topographical Tour
through Greece, during the years 1801, 1805, and 1806,
two volumes, 4to, 1819, which itself was issued with
some 60 engravings by Heath, but the Views became a
separate publication issued in parts, in a portfolio, or as
bound here. Dodwell travelled in Greece and the islands
for four years; the drawings for the plates were chosen
from over 400 chosen by Dodwell and 600 by Pomardi, the
artist who accompanied him.
Abbey Travel 130; Colas 876; Prideaux, pp. 234, 334; Tooley (1954) 182.
250.DOUGLAS, Norman.
Catalogue 57: Travel Section 6: Europe, including Constantinople
126 127
Siren Land.
London, J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1911 [30865] £1250
8vo. Original green cloth, titles and decoration to upper board
in green and to spine gilt, top edge gilt. With 26 plates and
several vignettes in the text. Some occasional soiling to text,
endpapers somewhat browned, boards just a little marked
and rubbed, superficial split at the centre of the lightly faded
spine. Very good.
FIRST EDITION, First Impression. Of the 1500 copies
printed 200 were used for the American issue, and in 1919
890 were pulped. With the author’s signed presentation
inscription to the front free endpaper, “To Richard Curle
With the writer’s kind regards Norman Douglas. London
Aug. 1912”. Selected by Cyril Connolly as one of the 100 key
books in the modern movement, “[This book represents]
a new stage of intimacy in the Anglo-Italian love affair.”
An important book in its innovative use of the author’s
personal experience of his subject and the circumstances
of its composition.
Woolf A13a
251.DOUGLAS, Norman.
Capri. Materials for a description of
the island.
Florence, G. Orioli, 1930 [39678] £675
Large 8vo. Pale blue cloth spine and boards, pale blue leather
label, titles gilt, all edges untrimmed. With 23 monochrome
illustrations. Spine faded as always, mild differential fading
to boards, label just beginning to curl, tips lightly bumped, a
very good copy.
Signed Limited Edition. One of 525 copies of which this
is number 373. With the author’s signed presentation
inscription to the front free endpaper: “For Islay with love
from Norman. Capri Nov. 1948.” The photographer Islay
de Courcy Lyons, partner of the writer and film-maker
Kenneth Macpherson, with whom Douglas stayed on
Capri in his declining years
252.DOUGLAS, Norman.
Capri.
Florence, G. Orioli, 1930 [39679] £1750
Large 8vo. Original pale blue cloth, single pale blue leather label,
titles to spine gilt, all edges untrimmed. With 23 monochrome
illustrations. Some occasional light foxing, page edges
browned, spine faded and frayed as always, mild differential
fading to boards, corners bumped, a very good copy.
Large Paper Limited Edition. Printed on Binda hand-made
paper limited to 103 copies for subscribers only, names
listed. This is Douglas’s own copy with his initials stamped
at the top left corner of the front pastedown.
FINE CONTEMPORARY BLUE
MOROCCO GILT
253.DRINKWATER, John.
A History of the late Siege of
Gibraltar. With A Description and
Account of that Garrison, from the
earliest periods.
London, printed by T. Spilsbury; and sold by J. Johnson; T. and J. Egerton;
and J. Edwards, 1785 [31906] £1500
4to (268 × 210 mm). Fine contemporary blue morocco,
spine richly gilt in compartments, head and tail panels with
intersecting diagonal rolls infilled with dots, others with
central ornaments and floral sprays, red morocco label,
sides with gilt Greek key roll, gilt inner dentelles, marbled
endpapers, gilt edges. Folding engraved chart as frontispiece,
9 engraved folding charts and views. Bookplate of Philip
Hamond Esq; ownership inscription of John Winwood dated
1827 to early blank. Lightly rubbed, lower corners lightly
bumped, a few trivial spots or marks, light water-stain
affecting 2 gatherings only towards end, a very good copy in a
handsome contemporary blue morocco binding.
FIRST EDITION. Drinkwater enlisted in 1777 at the age
of fifteen, filled with indignation at the news of General
Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga. But his Manchester
regiment or, more properly, the 72nd regiment or Royal
Manchester volunteers, was not sent to America, but to
Gibraltar. “The garrison was besieged in June 1779 by a
Franco-Spanish force. Throughout the siege, which lasted
until February 1783, Drinkwater kept a careful record of
events. Thereafter the 72nd, in which he had become
a captain, was ordered home and disbanded. From his
memoranda Drinkwater compiled [the present work]
dedicated by permission to the king. It went through four
editions in four years” (ODNB).