Seven Pillars
of Wisdom
T.E. Lawrence - 1935 - Jonathan Cape, London.
Limited edition 68 of 700 copies. One-quarter bound in publisher’s pigskin leather over brown. Top edges in gilt. Illustrated with 3 manuscript copies and 47 plates including four in colour and 4 folding maps. 3rd Edition (first 2 editions being very small run for subscribers only). Housed in custom made clamshell box.
Winston Churchill stated that this book "ranks with the greatest books ever written in the European Language".
A magnificent book, fabulous condition in an appropriate binding. With gilt lettering on spine and crossed swords motif on front boards. Beautifully illustrated together with pull-out maps. Lawrence published and financed this immensely ambitious project himself and the first subscription of 170 copies at 30 guineas each (a considerable sum at the time) came nowhere near paying off Lawrence's costs.
The illustrators were the best British artists of the day: Wadsworth, Roberts, Nash, Blair Hughes-Stanton, Augustus John, Sargent, Dobson, William Nicholson and others. Lawrence himself designed and supervised the text, with the help of the printer, Pike, and as the production took much longer than expected, the costs rose to such an extent that only by issuing the abridgement "Revolt in the Desert" was Lawrence able to pay off the mounting debts.
Book Condition – Near Fine. Case fine.- HK$23,000.- Terms & Conditions
T.E. Lawrence - 1935 - Jonathan Cape, London.
Limited edition 68 of 700 copies. One-quarter bound in publisher’s pigskin leather over brown. Top edges in gilt. Illustrated with 3 manuscript copies and 47 plates including four in colour and 4 folding maps. 3rd Edition (first 2 editions being very small run for subscribers only). Housed in custom made clamshell box.
Winston Churchill stated that this book "ranks with the greatest books ever written in the European Language".
A magnificent book, fabulous condition in an appropriate binding. With gilt lettering on spine and crossed swords motif on front boards. Beautifully illustrated together with pull-out maps. Lawrence published and financed this immensely ambitious project himself and the first subscription of 170 copies at 30 guineas each (a considerable sum at the time) came nowhere near paying off Lawrence's costs.
The illustrators were the best British artists of the day: Wadsworth, Roberts, Nash, Blair Hughes-Stanton, Augustus John, Sargent, Dobson, William Nicholson and others. Lawrence himself designed and supervised the text, with the help of the printer, Pike, and as the production took much longer than expected, the costs rose to such an extent that only by issuing the abridgement "Revolt in the Desert" was Lawrence able to pay off the mounting debts.
Book Condition – Near Fine. Case fine.- HK$23,000.- Terms & Conditions
South.
The Story of Shackleton’s Last Expedition
1914-1917
Sir Ernest Shackleton - 1919 - William Heinemann, London. First Edition, first impression.
A classic account of leadership. Shackleton embarked in 1914 on the Endurance to make the first traverse of the Antarctic continent; a journey of some 1800 miles from sea to sea. But 1915 turned into an unusually icy year in Antarctica; after drifting trapped in the ice for nine months, the Endurance was crushed in the ice on October 27. Shackleton now showed his supreme qualities of leadership. With five companions he made a voyage of 800 miles in a 22-foot boat through some of the stormiest seas in the world, crossed the unknown lofty interior of South Georgia, and reached a Norwegian whaling station on the north coast. After three attempts. Shackleton succeeded (30 August 1916) in rescuing the rest of the Endurance party and bringing them to South America (DNB). All members of the Endurance party survived. A fate not similarly shared by Scott in his attempt to reach the pole a short while later.
With 86 full page plates, many classic photographs existing only due to the stubbornness of Hurley, Shackleton’s photographer in refusing to leave the plates behind to conserve energy and food.The first edition is notorious for it’s poor quality of paper and binding and so copies in this condition are difficult to find.
Book Condition –Near Fine. Minor edge wear, 1” crack at top of front hinge, paper browned at edges, small diagonal tear to map. Bright boards with clear silver lettering. - HK$45,000.- Terms & Conditions
Sir Ernest Shackleton - 1919 - William Heinemann, London. First Edition, first impression.
A classic account of leadership. Shackleton embarked in 1914 on the Endurance to make the first traverse of the Antarctic continent; a journey of some 1800 miles from sea to sea. But 1915 turned into an unusually icy year in Antarctica; after drifting trapped in the ice for nine months, the Endurance was crushed in the ice on October 27. Shackleton now showed his supreme qualities of leadership. With five companions he made a voyage of 800 miles in a 22-foot boat through some of the stormiest seas in the world, crossed the unknown lofty interior of South Georgia, and reached a Norwegian whaling station on the north coast. After three attempts. Shackleton succeeded (30 August 1916) in rescuing the rest of the Endurance party and bringing them to South America (DNB). All members of the Endurance party survived. A fate not similarly shared by Scott in his attempt to reach the pole a short while later.
With 86 full page plates, many classic photographs existing only due to the stubbornness of Hurley, Shackleton’s photographer in refusing to leave the plates behind to conserve energy and food.The first edition is notorious for it’s poor quality of paper and binding and so copies in this condition are difficult to find.
Book Condition –Near Fine. Minor edge wear, 1” crack at top of front hinge, paper browned at edges, small diagonal tear to map. Bright boards with clear silver lettering. - HK$45,000.- Terms & Conditions
SHELF SELECTIONS
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A
Natural and Civil History of California:
Containing an
Accurate Description of that Country, Its Soils,
Mountains, Harbours, Lakes, Rivers and Seas; Its
Animals, Vegetables, Minerals and Famous Fishery
for Pearls. The Customs of Inhabitants, Their
Religion, Government and Manner of Living before
Their Conversion to the Christian Religion by the
Missionary Jesuits. Together with Accounts of the
Several Voyages and Attempts Made for Settling
California, and Taking Actual Surveys of that
Country, Its Gulf and Coast of the South-sea.
Miguel Venegas - 1759 - Published by James Rivington & James Fletcher, London
One of the cornerstones of the study of California history, called the "First attempt at a history of California. Based, by the anonymous editor, Father Andres Marco Burriel, on Venegas 1739 MS., but incorporating information from other sources...". Cowan calls the work "the foundation of a library of Californiana." Hill notes that this, the first translation "gave the English-speaking world its earliest thorough account of the little-known areas of the west coast of North America. This work has been cited as the first book in English completely devoted to California."
First Edition in English. 2 volumes. [20], 455; [8], 387 pp. With 8 copper-engraved illustrations on four plates, "these four plates appear to have been issued with but a few copies of the work, as two is the number usually found.”; original folding copper-engraved map of California (3½" archivally repaired tear with ½" tear starting at edge). 7½x4¾, finely bound in recent full brown calf, decorative blind-stamping, spines lettered in gilt, raised bands, new end-papers; each housed in custom pebbled black cloth drop-back boxes with gilt-lettered spines and purple velvet interiors.
In all, this work represents the most extensive and scholarly study of early California, its people, geography, flora and fauna and the history of the early European settlement from Cortez to the 18th century
Condition : Foxing and slight browning to contents, both frontispiece corners a bit chipped, other mild age wear; else very good in fine leather bindings.
HK$58,000.- Terms & Conditions
Miguel Venegas - 1759 - Published by James Rivington & James Fletcher, London
One of the cornerstones of the study of California history, called the "First attempt at a history of California. Based, by the anonymous editor, Father Andres Marco Burriel, on Venegas 1739 MS., but incorporating information from other sources...". Cowan calls the work "the foundation of a library of Californiana." Hill notes that this, the first translation "gave the English-speaking world its earliest thorough account of the little-known areas of the west coast of North America. This work has been cited as the first book in English completely devoted to California."
First Edition in English. 2 volumes. [20], 455; [8], 387 pp. With 8 copper-engraved illustrations on four plates, "these four plates appear to have been issued with but a few copies of the work, as two is the number usually found.”; original folding copper-engraved map of California (3½" archivally repaired tear with ½" tear starting at edge). 7½x4¾, finely bound in recent full brown calf, decorative blind-stamping, spines lettered in gilt, raised bands, new end-papers; each housed in custom pebbled black cloth drop-back boxes with gilt-lettered spines and purple velvet interiors.
In all, this work represents the most extensive and scholarly study of early California, its people, geography, flora and fauna and the history of the early European settlement from Cortez to the 18th century
Condition : Foxing and slight browning to contents, both frontispiece corners a bit chipped, other mild age wear; else very good in fine leather bindings.
HK$58,000.- Terms & Conditions
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California from
1769 to 1909:
An Illustrated History Issued in Commemoration of
the Portola Festival.
Benjamin Shannon Allen - editor. 1910 - Privately printed, San Francisco.
Elegantly produced tribute to the Golden State, in two large format volumes, the first volume consisting of historical sketches, the second of biographies of leading Californians. Each page is separated by a glassine guard, with vignette sketch of a miner in the margins throughout. Profusely illustrated from photographs. Includes 11½x16" color silk American flag with 48 stars (approximately 100 years old), folded and laid in.
Condition: Light soiling and shelf wear; inked code on front free endpaper in each volume; else near fine.
HK$6,800.- Terms & Conditions
Benjamin Shannon Allen - editor. 1910 - Privately printed, San Francisco.
Elegantly produced tribute to the Golden State, in two large format volumes, the first volume consisting of historical sketches, the second of biographies of leading Californians. Each page is separated by a glassine guard, with vignette sketch of a miner in the margins throughout. Profusely illustrated from photographs. Includes 11½x16" color silk American flag with 48 stars (approximately 100 years old), folded and laid in.
Condition: Light soiling and shelf wear; inked code on front free endpaper in each volume; else near fine.
HK$6,800.- Terms & Conditions
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In
Darkest Africa or the Quest, Rescue and Retreat
of Emin, Governor of Equatoria.
Henry M Stanley - 1890 - Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, London.
Stanley’s famous account of his expedition to relieve Emin Pasha (Eduard Schnitzer), the beleaguered governor of equatorial Sudan, contains some of his most celebrated writing, especially his account of the tortuous 450-mile passage through the dense Ituri rain forest. Stanley’s dealings with Emin Pasha (who proved resistant to being "rescued"), his abandonment of his own rear column and his wider motives for his mission have all come under suspicion then and since, but the book remains a classic of African exploration.
This is the magnificent subscribers edition in six volumes with 165 illustratrions, folding coloured maps, 62 plates, housed in the original pictorial boards, with Stanley in a pose that is pure Victorian 'White Man in Africa'.
Condition: Front covers clean and bright, light spotting to preliminary pages, spines uniformly sunned with some rubbing to spine ends and corners. A nice set.
HK$14,000.- Terms & Conditions
Henry M Stanley - 1890 - Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, London.
Stanley’s famous account of his expedition to relieve Emin Pasha (Eduard Schnitzer), the beleaguered governor of equatorial Sudan, contains some of his most celebrated writing, especially his account of the tortuous 450-mile passage through the dense Ituri rain forest. Stanley’s dealings with Emin Pasha (who proved resistant to being "rescued"), his abandonment of his own rear column and his wider motives for his mission have all come under suspicion then and since, but the book remains a classic of African exploration.
This is the magnificent subscribers edition in six volumes with 165 illustratrions, folding coloured maps, 62 plates, housed in the original pictorial boards, with Stanley in a pose that is pure Victorian 'White Man in Africa'.
Condition: Front covers clean and bright, light spotting to preliminary pages, spines uniformly sunned with some rubbing to spine ends and corners. A nice set.
HK$14,000.- Terms & Conditions
Bligh's Voyage
to the South Sea.
WIlliam Bligh - 1792 -Printed for George Nicol, Bookseller to His Majesty, London.
Lovely, full-margined copy of the first edition of the official account of the Bounty expedition, based upon Bligh's journal but written, edited, and seen through the press by James Burney, under the supervision of Sir Joseph Banks, during Bligh's absence from London while on his second breadfruit voyage.
Most famously, on 28 April, 1789 Bligh fell victim to a mutiny aboard his ship instigated by Fletcher Christian. Bligh and 18 loyal crewmen were set adrift in the Bounty's small launch. Suffering severely from exposure and hunger, Bligh and his companions landed at Timor three months later after a journey of some 3600 miles. This feat of endurance and navigational skill is without parallel. The mutineers settled on Pitcairn Island, although some were later recaptured and three were executed. (Hill, Pacific Voyages p.27; Hill (2nd ed.) 135; Sabin 5910.)
Condition: In nearly fine condition.
HK$P.O.A. Terms & Conditions
WIlliam Bligh - 1792 -Printed for George Nicol, Bookseller to His Majesty, London.
Lovely, full-margined copy of the first edition of the official account of the Bounty expedition, based upon Bligh's journal but written, edited, and seen through the press by James Burney, under the supervision of Sir Joseph Banks, during Bligh's absence from London while on his second breadfruit voyage.
Most famously, on 28 April, 1789 Bligh fell victim to a mutiny aboard his ship instigated by Fletcher Christian. Bligh and 18 loyal crewmen were set adrift in the Bounty's small launch. Suffering severely from exposure and hunger, Bligh and his companions landed at Timor three months later after a journey of some 3600 miles. This feat of endurance and navigational skill is without parallel. The mutineers settled on Pitcairn Island, although some were later recaptured and three were executed. (Hill, Pacific Voyages p.27; Hill (2nd ed.) 135; Sabin 5910.)
Condition: In nearly fine condition.
HK$P.O.A. Terms & Conditions
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History, Travel, Exploration