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A Voyage Round the World, In the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV. - George Anson, Richard Walter

1748 - Printed for the Author, London - First Edition
A finely bound ‘Royal Paper’ copy of this beautifully illustrated work which ‘has long occupied a distinguished position as a masterpiece of descriptive travel’ (Hill), and ‘a model of what such literature should be’ (Cox).

Containing forty-two copper-engraved maps, charts, views, and coastal profiles, all but one folding, including views of Brazilian harbours and cities, Acapulco, Tenian, Port St. Julian, Magellan’s Straits, the Bay of Manila, Saipan, Lama, Lantau, Chinese junks, and others, and large folding maps of South America, the Philippines, and the Pacific Ocean, as well as a twelve-page subscriber list, and the two-page instructions to the binder.

England, at war with Spain in 1739, equipped eight ships under the command of George Anson to harass the Spaniards on the western coast of South America for the purpose of cutting off Spanish supplies of wealth from the Pacific area. Seven ships were lost and of 900 men 600 perished. As usual, scurvy took an appalling toll.

The Spanish fleet sent to oppose the British ran into storms; provisions ran out and many ships were wrecked. Thus the primary objective of the expedition was not attained. Anson, however, continued taking prizes off the Pacific coast during 1741-42, and in June 1743, near the Philippines, he captured the Spanish galleon
Nostra Seigniora de Cabadonga and its treasure of £400,000 sterling, which allowed Anson and the surviving members of his crew to reach England much the richer. 
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Price HK$ 59,000



The Commentaries of Caesar, Translated into English. To which is prefixed a Discourse Concerning the Roman Art of War - Caius Julius Caesar, William Duncan

1753 - J. &, London - First Edition
The magnificent folio edition of Cæsar's Commentaries, translated and with preliminary matter by William Duncan, with a superb array of 86 copper-engraved plates including six maps, most double-page.

These include the scarce fold-out "Bull" plate (
The Ursus or Buffalo) and The Battle with Elephants. Together with numerous finely engraved battle plans, depictions of the various peoples conquered by Cæsar (Picts, Druids, Gauls, Germans, etc.), maps of the regions occupied, etc.

This is thought by many as the finest edition of Caesar's commentaries in English.
 
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Price HK$ 98,000



War Speeches - Including: Into Battle, The Unrelenting Struggle, The End of the Beginning, Onwards to Victory, The Dawn of Liberation, Victory, and Secret Session Speeches - Sir Winston Spencer Churchill

1941 to 1946 - Cassell and Company, London - First Editions
Seven finely bound first edition volumes of the monumental orations from Britain's war leader, compiled by Randolph S. Churchill and Charles Eade. Illustrated with half tone plates mostly from photographs.

'
Into Battle' contains the most memorable Churchill speeches of the war, from 'Blood Toil Tears and Sweat' to his heroic homecoming at Harrow School; 'Unrelenting Struggle' covers the period from Nov.'40 through Pearl Harbour and the 'some chicken, some neck' speech in Ottawa, Dec.'41; 'End of the Beginning' chronicles the turning point of the war, following victories at Alamein and Stalingrad and the North Africa landings; 'Onwards' features speeches delivered prior to the invasion of Europe on 6 June '44; 'Liberation' continues the 'hopeful' nature of the 1944 speeches, whilst 'Victory' provides us with the final, triumphant war speeches. Six 'secret' speeches concludes the series. 
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Price HK$ 24,000



Flash for Freedom! - George MacDonald Fraser

1971 - Barrie &, London - First Edition
First edition of the third volume of the Flashman Papers - in which a game of cards leads Flashman from the jungle death-house of Dahomey to the slave state of Mississippi .

When Flashman was inveigled into a game of pontoon with Disraeli and Lord George Bentinck, he was making an unconscious choice about his own future - would it lie in the House of Commons or the West African slave trade? Was there, for that matter, very much difference?

From slave driver and potential slave, to a slave stealer assisted by a young Abraham Lincoln and members of the Underground Railway, our hero Flashman shows true charm, cowardice, treachery, lechery and fleetness of foot - apparently, according to Flashy his escape inspired the novel ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’.

The most entertaining way to study history ever created.
 
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Price HK$ 1,800



Lex Parliamentaria: or, a treatise of the law and custom of parliaments. Shewing their antiquity, names, kinds, and qualities. Of the three Estates; and of the Dignity and Excellency of Parliaments, their Power and Authority. Of the Election of Members of the House of Commons in general, their Privilege, Qualifications, and Duties. Of the Electors; and their Rights, Duties; and Manner of Elections. Of the Returns to Parliament; the Sheriff's and other Officers Duty therein. Of the Manner of Election of the Speaker; and of his Business and Duty. Of the Manner of passing Bills, and the Orders to be observed in the House of Commons. Of Sessions of Parliament; as also of Prorogations and Adjournments: Together with the proper Laws and Customs of Parliaments. With an appendix of a case in Parliament between Sir Francis Goodwyn and Sir John Fortescue, for the Knights Place for the County of Bucks, 1 Jac. I. - Philips George

Circa 1701 - Printed for J. Stagg, London - The Second Edition, with large additions
A very rare printing of the second and enlarged edition, first published in 1690.

This has until recently usually been attributed to George Petyt. The new attribution to the Irishman George Philips (1599?-1696) seems now to be widely accepted, however, an attribution originally claimed by both Sir James Ware (History of Irish writers, 1736) and Walter Harris, the History's editor.

Lex Parliamentaria is a comprehensive treatise on the history of the rules, customs and practices of the English Parliamentary system at about the time of the Bill of Rights which had established, inter alia, that subjects had a right to petition the King, that elections of Members of Parliament should be free, and that Parliament should sit frequently.

Philips considers the development of Parliamentary powers, the election of Members, the rights and duties of electors, elections, the passing of Bills and the management of Parliamentary business. William and Andrew Bradford published an American edition in New York in 1716.’ [John Edwards]
 
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Price HK$ 12,000



Yorkshire: Coast and Moorland Scenes - Gordon Home

1904 - A. &, London - First Edition. Number 84 of 200 of the Edition de Luxe.
A scarce example of the large (28x22cm) deluxe edition, limited to only 200 numbered copies, each signed by Gordon Home.

Yorkshire described at the beginning of the 20th Century, with over 450 pages beautifully illustrated with 32 full colour plates from paintings by Gordon Home, each with descriptive tissue guard.

Fold-out map to the rear.
 
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Price HK$ 3,000



Popular Romances of the West of England; or, The Drolls, Traditions, and Superstitions of Old Cornwall - Robert Hunt (editor)

1865 - John Camden Hotten, London - First Edition
Two finely bound volumes of these magnificent collections of Cornish fairy tales, superstitions and traditions, 117 in the first series and 220 in the second series, to be read by firelight on a cold winter evening, or actually even in the height of summer...

What makes this set unique are the additional engraved plates that have been stunningly bound in by Bayntun of Bath, originally containing two engravings by Cruikshank, this set adds another 108 relevant older engravings (18 of which are hand-coloured) and two maps (one of which is hand-coloured).
 
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Price HK$ 11,000



The English Lakes (In the neighbourhood of Keswick and Penrith) - Nelson

1868 - T. Nelson &, London - First Edition
12 Chromolithograph plates of the area. Original blue cloth, lettered and blocked in gilt with a colour-printed and varnished paper title in the centre panel.

Nelson's began colour printing in 1857 and `over the next two years greatly improved their use of just five inks to create extremely convincing full-colour chromolithographs.' Gascoigne discusses their `Series of views', attractive collections of souvenir prints for tourists, at some length and notes that they were frequently updated to reflect changes. He also states that Nelson launched their series of `Pictorial guide-books' in 1869 bound in paper covers.
 
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Price HK$ 1,200



 
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