Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell - 1949

New York:: Viking Press,, 1938.. First Printing of the First US Edition. A Near Fine copy with the usual age darkening to the cloth binding in a Very Good plus unclipped dust jacket with gentle wear to the extremities, a tiny chip missing near the head of the spine and a glue bleed through running along the fold of the rear panel. Otherwise a respectable copy of this collection of classic Steinbeck short stories that includes The Chrysanthemums, The White Quail, Flight, The Snake, Breakfast, The Raid, The Harness, The Vigilante, Johnny Bear, The Murder, St. Katy The Virgin, the Complete Red Pony, The Leader of the People. There were only 8000 copies of this title published in the First Edition.

Good+ hardcover. Text in Dutch. Contemporary vellum over boards; blind stamped central strapwork lozenge on each cover; raised bands on spine; 3 engraved title pages; woodcut decorative drop-cap initials and head and tail pieces; 686 numbered woodcuts by van Sichem. The vellum is in Very Good condition with some scuffing/light soiling; small splits at cover joints, head and tail but vellum remains supple; tightly bound; generally bright and clean interior with woodcuts ranging from Good to Fine condition; one leaf (3C6) has 2 cm abraded hole that doesn't affect text on recto but slightly affects woodcut on verso; leaf 3C7 has 2 small areas of text effacement (2 cm each). The work is complete but has numerous pagination errors and some signature errors. Pagination: Title Page 1, 2-598,Title Page 2, 600-722, Title Page 3 ,723-800. Collation: A-V8 2A-2V8 3A-3H8. 8vo, 19 x 13 cm. Cf, STCN #ppn 842875999; OCLC #1008001235.

CELINE, Louis-Ferdinand (1894-1961)
Autograph letter signed "LFCéline" to his friends Descaves
Copenhagen, 7th July [1947], (c/o Mikkelsen), 2 pages in-folio
"France does not deserve its writers"
Moving letter from Céline looking back with despair on his eighteen months in prison


"Chers amis, Voici bien longtemps que nous sommes demeurés sans nouvelles. De notre côté une légère amélioration au point de vue légal grâce à la visite que Mikkelsen a faite à Paris à Naud et à d'autres amis. La Butte a donné à fond ! s'est donné à fond en ma faveur. L'impression a été admirable ! Je ne suis plus le damné total, la pourriture absolue. On commence à se rendre compte que l'on m'a bien martyrisé injustement alors que tant d'autres… s'en tirent glorieusement et fructueusement. Lucette heureusement a repris forme et santé. Je ne suis pas brillant. Je traîne. J'ai refait de la pellagre et une crise de rhumatisme abominable en dépit de la chaleur. La cellule, les hivers en cellule… Read More

First Edition. New. One of 150 Numbered copies of the Special Issue. Copy No. 38, signed by the Editor and the Printer.Printed on Magnani Mouldmade 130g deckle-edged paper. Royal quarto. Bound in full black calfskin over boards, gilt-stamped on front cover and spine. Presented in a black cloth-covered slipcase with a companion volume of introductory essays hardbound in grey paper over boards. Dublin, Houyhnhnm Press. 2010.The first critically emended and completely reset edition of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake since its original publication in 1939. Edited by Danis Rose and John O'Hanlon, designed by Martino Mardersteig, set in the Dante Val typeface, and printed offset and bound by Stamperia Valdonega, Verona for Houyhnhnm Press, Dublin. This First Edition was limited to a Special Issue consisting of 26 Lettered, 150 Numbered and 24 Hors Commerce copies printed on Magnani Mould made paper and hardbound in black calfskin; and a Trade Issue of 800 copies printed on Arcoprint and hardbound in black… Read More

Roma: Generoso Salomone, 1760. Hardcover. Very good +. 12mo, 2 parts in one volume, 418pp., plus eighteen folding plates, four of which are signed in plate by Piranesi. A very nice unrestored copy in a contemporary full vellum binding, with no repairs or sophistications; very good or better. Vellum evenly soiled, inked title to spine still bold, crisp, tight, and clean, with an old amrginal dampstain at the base of the gutter, affecting many pages, but not approaching any text. The folding plates are in excellent condition. Two stately bookplates on the front endpapers. A charming guidebook to Rome, which went through many editions. Chronologically, this is the second of several editions to include engravings by Piranesi. The book appears infrequently in commerce, but when it does, it is often lacking at least one plate; this copy is complete.

All text in French/langue francaise. Two items: Work by Toulet with copper plate engravings by David and separate portfolio of same engravings; both items with coordinated covers with original glassine dust jackets. 1st) Salmon color paper over thin card covers, black and red titles on front cover; black titles on spine; engraved print title page; 2-color text on title page and throughout; 16 engraved plates (13 full page - incl title page, tissue-guarded; 3 half page); wove paper, presumably 'old Japan' (vieux japon) paper. 2nd) White thin card cover, red titles on front cover; 16 prints enclosed: title page engraving (without text), 12 full page and 3 half page - printed 1 per page, 1 side only, showing intaglio platemarks; tissue-guarded (2 lacking); no text apart from front cover. Item 1 (book) is limited print 225 of which 25 are on old Japan paper and 200 are on Arches; this copy is No. 2. No indication of print numbers in item 2 (portfolio). Item 1: 4to, 148 pp, see, OCLC #64762731. Item 2:… Read More

Vol I: 799p, 31 pl. [i]; Vol. II: 799p, 60 pl. Pp 594-600 tear into text without loss; Vol III: 806p, 20pl.; Vol IV. 793p, 26 pl.; Vol V: 807p, 24 pl.; Vol VI: 794p, 22 pl.; Vol VII: 797p, 38 pl. Neatsfoot oil stained pages,; Vol VIII: 800p, 18 pl.; Vol IX: 800p, 31 pl. lacking plate 260; Vol X: 788p, 22 pl.; Vol XI:814p, 19 pl. Several neatsfoot oil stained pages, plate 299 bound in Vol XII on page 78; Vol XII: 799p, 35 pl.; Vol XIII: 799p, 32 pl.Deep neatsfoot oil stains to fore edge, ; Vol XIV: 797p, 16 pl.Initial and last pages with neatsfoot oil stains ; Vol XV: 799p, 41 pl. Several pages detached but present; plates 433-434 bound in Vol XVI; Vol XVI: 799p, 12 pl.; Vol XVII: 827p, 37 pl.Several pages detached but present,; Vol XVIII: 945p, 59 pl. 486 placed at end. Despite internal oddities, a handsome set in the original sturdy calf. Sabin 22555

Berlin: Chovevei Hashira Ha'ivrit, 1923. SPECIAL limited and Numbered Edition . Original Vellum. Fine. 8vo. Joseph Budko. Text in Hebrew. Complete Set of four volumes: Vol. 1: "Shirim" (Poems), Vol. 2: "Seforim Divrei Sifrut" (Literature), Vol. 3: "Targum Mekutzar shel Don Kishot, Ish Lamansha le-Miguel de Cervantes" (Shortened translation of Don Quichotte, Man of La Mancha by Miguel Cervantes). Vol. 4: "Targum Wilhelm Tell le-Friedrich Schiller" (Translation of Wilhelm Tell by Friedrich Schiller). Volumes 1 and 2 are original works by Bialik in Hebrew, volumes 3 and 4 are Bialik's translations . FIRST EDITION ( of which the regular edition of 3000 copies was published in green cloth binding). With book decoration and 19 original wood cuts by Joseph Budko and an etching-portrait of Bialik by Max Liebermann This work was published in the year of Bialik's 50th birthday, during the very few years Bialik spent in Berlin between 1921- 1924 after… Read More

PROUST, Jeanne WEIL (1849-1905)
[5th December 1904], original period film print.
Round photography (15,9 cm diameter), mounted on thick paper frame in the photographer's name.
Tiny spot on lower margin of the mounting, small stain
Stamp on verso from collection [Suzy] Mante-Proust collection
One of Jeanne Weil Proust's last portraits, less than a year before her death


This portrait was taken on December 5th 1904. At this time, aged 56 years old, Proust's mother has been a widow for a year. The translation of his son's The Bible of Amiens was published that same year. She died of nephritis a year later, on September 26, 1905. Nadar did process her portrait, and removed the shadows and various flaws on her face.
Michel Schneider notes that the narrator's mother in the Search is obviously inspired by the mother of the author himself. Jeanne Proust was born Jeanne Weil in 1849 from a Jewish family of the enlightened bourgeoisie. Much has been said about the intellectual complicity that united her with… Read More

Paris: Denys Ianot, [Janot], 1540. First Edition. Transl. from Spanish by "le Seigneur des Essarts", Nicolas de Herberay. (1540)-1542, 3 parts in 1 vol. 150; (4), 86; (3), 94 leaves., repeated woodcut printer's mark on 2 title-pages, 43 (some repeated) woodcut illustrations within borders. 65 historiated/ decorated initials (including Janot's white alphabet with thistle especially designed for the Amadis), 18th century calf with gilt spine and two contrasting leather labels. folio. - First part lacks the first two preliminary leaves (incl. title) So begins at aiii); Remaining prelims one leaf with tear in text and one leaf lacks upper outer blank corner; first part partly wormholed in lower margin; title-page. to second part some soiling and old owner's entries; title-page. to third part slightly. dust stained; lower corner of final three leaves of third part restored and small inkstain in outer margin; All three parts occasionally. finger soiled / stained; engraved heraldic bookplate of Ham Court… Read More