Rare books from Roger Middleton

London, Tinsley Brothers, 1867.. FIRST EDITION 1867, 3 volumes, complete set in original publisher's cloth. 8vo, approximately 188 x 122 mm, 7¼ x 4¾ inches, pages: (i)-iv, 1-298, (2 - imprint leaf); (i)-iv, 1-269, (2 - blank); (i)-iv, 1-263, (1). Bound in the original publisher's green cloth, ornate blind design on covers, gilt lettering and gilt decoration to spines, original yellow endpapers, all uncracked. Books leaning slightly, spine gilt very slightly worn on all 3, gilt at top of spine on Volume I mostly worn off, not affecting title, head and tail of spines slightly worn with minute nicks to cloth, spine cloth on Volume I slightly vertically concave, hinges lightly rubbed, corners slightly bumped and slightly worn, some tips just showing board, small blind stamp of original bookseller on front endpaper of Volume I, neat early signature (Kempthorne) on front endpaper in each volume, a few pages protruding very slightly from text block, some of these lightly browned at edges, Volume I: title… Read More

London, E. Tyler for John Crook, and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Ship in S. Pauls Church-yard, 1655.. TITLE CONTINUED: Wherein all the particular Provinces are accurately described, as also the Dispositions, Manners, Learning, Lawes, Militia, Government, and Religion of the People. Together with the Traffick and Commodities of that Country. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION 1655, IN TWO PARTS, EX LIBRARY COPY. 4to, approximately 280 x 180 mm, 11 x 7 inches, portrait frontispiece, large folding map, costume plate, portrait frontispiece before the title page of Bellum followed by a map, all engraved, pages: [10], 1-308, plus 2 pages of adverts, rebound in full modern calf, gilt lettered label with gilt rules and date to spine, gilt design to upper cover, blind decoration to both covers, marbled endpapers. Blind stamp to frontispiece hardly visible, round ink stamp to the blank side of both title pages and 1 in an outer margin not affecting text, pale withdrawn stamp under the round stamp on verso… Read More

London, printed by G. M. for John Bellamy, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the three golden Lions in Cornehill neare the Royall Exchange, 1644.. Title continued: Composed by that able and experienced sea-man Sr Henry Manwayring, Knight: and by him presented to the late Duke of Buckingham, the then Lord High Admirall of England. I have perused this book, and find it so universally necessary for all sorts of men, that I conceive it very fit to be at this time imprinted for the good of the Republicke. Septemb. 20. John Booker. FIRST EDITION 1644.. Probably issued as a pamphlet as there are stabholes in the inner margins. Slim small 4to, approximately 190 x 145 mm, 7½ x 5½ inches, head- and tailpiece, pages: [8], 1-118, [10] - index, rebound in modern full calf, gilt title and date to spine, small gilt ship to upper cover, marbled endpapers, edges of margins untrimmed and ragged and pages vary slightly in size. Occasional small rust or ink spot, pale age-browning throughout, title page… Read More

Paris, J. Badius Ascenius, 1517.. SECOND EDITION 1517, edited by Ivo Cavellatus. Latin text, small 4to, approximately 190 x 135 mm, 7½ x 5¼ inches, leaves: [8], 1-101, plus last blank leaf, numbered on rectos only. Printer's woodcut device on title page: vignette of printing shop, depicting the operation of a hand-press by 3 printers. The block has a double-line border. On the press itself is the imprint 'Prelu[m] Asce[n]sianu[m]', and below the press are the initials and printer's mark of J. Badius. Name of printer from title statement; date of publication from colophon: Io. Badius Ascensius lectori sa. ... Ex aedibus nostris iteru[m] ad Idus Septe[m]b. anni. MDXVII. Signatures: AA8, A-M8, N6 [N6 blank]. Woodcut coat of arms held by angel on signature AA8v. Woodcut floral and foliate crible initials, side-notes, index at the front. Old calf, red title label with gilt lettering and gilt decoration to spine between raised bands, new endpapers. Binding rubbed and scuffed, hinges just beginning to… Read More

London, printed for L. Hawes and Co. and S. Crowder in Pater-Noster-Row, and R. Ware and Co. on Ludgate-Hill, 1763.. Title continued: By which the meanest Capacity may perform the Whole ART without a Teacher. Together with the Use of all the Instruments belonging thereto. To Which Is Now Added, Abundance of New and Rare Inventions the like never before in Print, but much desired by many. Written by H. DEAN. HOCUS POCUS EARLY EDITION. The sixth edition, 1763. 12mo, approximately 145 x 80 mm, 5¾ x 3½ inches, woodcut frontispiece, 33 pages with woodcuts of various sizes, some of the images vary slightly from the later editions, pages: 2 leaves, 5 [6], 7-132, including frontispiece and title page, rebound in half modern black leather over marbled boards, marbled endpapers, large bookplate of Walter B. Graham. "Walter B. Graham (1923-2018) was a printer and semi-professional magician performing comedy magic for over seven decades". Frontispiece tipped onto the front endpaper, probably by the binder, with… Read More

London, printed for Henry Herringman and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the Anchor in the lower walk of the New Exchange, 1656.. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION 1656, translation by Francis Beale of Gioachino Greco: Trattato del nobilissimo giuoco degli scacchi. 12mo, approximately 145 x 90 mm, 5½ x 3½ inches, engraved portrait of King Charles as frontispiece and a woodcut text illustration of a chess board on page 14, pages: [18], 1-120, followed by 1 leaf, advert to recto and Errata on verso, a poem on A5 recto and verso, signed E. Revet. Bound in modern polished half calf, pale cream boards, gilt lettering and rules to spine, new cream endpapers. Lacks first blank endpaper (which is counted in the collation), but final one is present, the first blank in this copy has horizontal chain lines not vertical as the rest of the book, neat narrow strengthening repairs to some inner margins including title page and 1 outer margin, using archival tape, mostly hard to see, probably done when rebound,… Read More

London, published by Longman Brown Green and Longman Paternoster Row; and J. Jones 111 Jermyn Street, 1848.. FIRST EDITION 1848, edited by FREDERIC TOLFREY. Small 8vo, approximately 165 x 100 mm, 6½ x 4 inches, lithograph frontispiece and title page, 8 hand coloured plates of flies with tissue guards, pages: xxiv, 1-240 last page blank, origInal publisher's cloth, gilt title, decoration and date to spine, blind decoration to covers, original yellow endpapers. Binding rebacked preserving original spine and lightly rubbed, new cloth slighty visible at head and tail of spine, corners slightly worn, inner paper hinges cracked, binding sound, old ink name to first pastedown and first free endpaper, previous owner's light pencil notes to margins and plates, easily erased if of no interest, pale age-browning to plates, frontispiece has pale blue colouring to water, tiny pale stain to lower edge of blank side of lithograph title page, a few lower corner tips at the beginning have small shallow turning… Read More

Hammersmith: Printed by William Morris at the Kelmscott Press, circa 1893.. KELMSCOTT BIFOLIUM circa 1893 (i.e. pair of conjugate leaves). Proof sheet of the opening page from the KELMSCOTT CHAUCER. This proof page was typeset in 1893 in a very small number and distributed to William Morris's friends. It contains a variant type setting of the text, eventually rejected by Morris. Bifolium pages approximately 415 x 285 mm, 16¼ x 11¼ inches, [1]-2 and [15]-[16] comprising 2 illustrated pages and 2 text pages, printed in Chaucer type with side-notes in red, 2 wood-engraved illustrations designed by Edward Burne-Jones, wood-engraved borders and one very large initial plus 5 large and 7 smaller initials by William Morris, folio Proof of one of the most famous pages in printing history, with variations in the typesetting from the final version. A shallow crease due to folding the sheets to house in a another Kelmscott book, a little pale foxing, mostly to margins, edges slightly dusty, otherwise very good… Read More

London, printed for the author by D.N. Shury No. 7 Berwick Street Soho, 1801.. THIRD EDITION, BUT SECOND EDITION OF THE COLLECTED WORKS. 3 WORKS ISSUED TOGETHER, THE OTHER TWO: FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON THE VARIOLÆ VACCINÆ. -- A CONTINUATION OF FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS RELATIVE TO THE VARIOLÆ VACCINÆ, OR COW POX. 1801. 4to, approximately 285 x 225 mm, 11¼ x 9 inches, 4 hand-coloured engraved plates with tissue guards designed by William Skelton and hand-coloured by W. Cuff, pages: vii, [1], 1-182, half-titles and title pages to first and third parts, half-title only to second part as issued. Most pages watermarked "1800*", Bb4 is a blank, the Errata in the second edition now corrected, rebacked keeping original paper covered boards, pages untrimmed, with original endpapers. Binding worn, especially at edges of covers, covers stained and rubbed with loss to paper, corners worn, 2 with small repair to tips, upper hinge of spine cracked, but covers still holding firmly, small worm track to inner margins… Read More

[London], Printed for Nathaniel Brook at the Angel in Cornhill, 1655.. TITLE CONTINUED: By the most experienced persons of our times, many whereof they were honoured with her own practice, when she pleased to descend to these more private recreations. Never before published. Transcribed from the true copies of her Majesties own receipt books, by W. M. one of her late servants. FIRST EDITION IN 3 PARTS, ALL 3 TITLE PAGES DATED 1655: THE QUEENS CABINET OPENED, THE PEARL of PRACTISE, A QUEENS DELIGHT and THE COMPLEAT COOK. Small book, 12mo, approximately 145 x 80 mm, 5¾ x 3 inches, engraved frontispiece portrait of Henrietta Maria signed W Faithorne and laid down on paper, pages: The Queens Cabinet Opened and Queens Delight, [12] including frontispiece, 1-192, [2] title page to Queens Delight, 195-296 followed by [4] - blank pages, [22] - index followed by advert leaf; misnumbering to a few pages of Queens Delight affecting first number of 8 pages, nothing missing; THE COMPLEAT COOK, title page, 3-123,… Read More

Venice, Grazioso Percacino, 1570.. FIRST EDITION, 1570. Folio, approximately 405 x 275 mm, 16 x 10¾ inches, engraved title with large architectural border including standing figures of the dedicatee, the Emperor Maximilan II, 4 Virtues and 4 Sciences, 39 engravings in Book 2, mainly plans for fortresses, 19 double page, 18 are numbered and 1 of a measuring instrument is not, plus 8 full page engraved plates and 12 large engravings in the text, 1 double page, historiated initials, pages: (64), 406, blank leaf at *4 present, lacking final blank, tables in the preliminary pages misbound so that a-c6 follows d6, e4, nothing is missing, bound in modern full blind panelled decorated calf, raised bands, blind rules and blind motif in compartments to spine, gilt lettered morocco label, new cream endpapers. Title page slightly soiled, spotted and dusty, small blind oval library stamp in upper margin, repeated at the top of most illustrations, some small wormholes to prelims, mainly to lower margin, a couple… Read More

No publisher, date or printer, (1830).. NO TITLE, PUBLISHING DETAILS or CAPTIONS UNDERNEATH the PLATES, AN UNUSUAL TALL EXAMPLE, circa 1830, approximately 215 x 130 mm, 8½ x 5 inches, 112 hand coloured wood engraved plates, 7 subjects, each with 16 illustrations, plus 16 blank pages as required, fore-edges stepped and notched as issued, full soft leather sheepskin on card, LACKS INSTRUCTION SLIP (probably many slips are missing, once the conjurer had mastered the trick he wanted to keep it secret). Binding rubbed, spine worn with some loss, hinges cracked, but still holding, pale age-browning throughout, small closed tear repaired to outer edge of first blank leaf, inner paper hinges cracked, stitching slightly loose in places, no loose pages, occasional small pale brown spot to blank margins, edges and a few corners of plates slightly dusty, small nicks to a few edges, a well used copy. The changes are: Harlequin; dancing girl with garland; prancing black American with paddle steam ship in… Read More

London, printed for Simon Miller at the Starre in St Pauls Church-yard, 1659.. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION 1659, small book, 12mo, approximately 130 x 80 mm, 5¼ x 3 inches, pages: [12], 1-51, [7] - lacks last blank leaf, collates as ESTC R10803. Bound in full calf, rebacked using original spine, marbled endpapers. Slight rubbing to hinges, tips of corners worn with board just showing, top margin slightly trimmed affecting running title on 9 pages, pale browning to title page and following page, tiny rust hole to second page of adverts, pages 17-19 have neat old ink name against the experiment, otherwise a very good copy. A student of Aristotle, Roger Bacon was one of the earliest European proponents of experimental research. His writings are also notable for including descriptions of vehicles, flying machines, diving bell etc. See: A Catalogue of Printed Books in the Wellcome Library, Volume 2, page 83. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.

London, printed by T[homas]. S[nodham]. for John Browne, and are to be sould at his shop in Saint Dunstanes Church-yard, 1613.. TITLE CONTINUED: Together with the art of planting, grafting, and gardening after our latest and rarest fashion. A worke never written before by any author: and now newly compiled for the benefit of this kingdome. By G.M. 1613. Two volumes. FIRST VOLUME: Title page, Dedication leaf and Epistle leaf, A Former Art of the English Husbandman followed by the First and Second parts of the English Husbandman. Small 4to, 180 x 140 mm, 7¼ x 5½ inches, 39 woodcut illustrations in the text of varying sizes, 1 image showing the first architectural model with explanation, of a plain country man's house to appear in print, headpieces and decorative initials, pages: [76], 1-132, ink numbers omitted on pages 4, 5, 8, signatures: [par.]², A-I4, ²B-R4, ²S². Bound in contemporary limp vellum with binding cord in inner margins, ink title to spine, large engraved bookplate of the… Read More

London, John Bysh, 52 Paternoster Row, (1820).. Circa 1820, FIRST AND ONLY EDITION, 32mo, approximately 66 x 42 mm, 2½ x 1¾ inches, engraved frontispiece and 31 plates all nicely HANDCOLOURED, in 2 parts, the second entitled: The Juvenile Testament, or History of the Life of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, adapted to the capacity of children, pages: vi, 7-144 & 71, [1], publisher's notice on final unnumbered page, bound in the original publisher's black roan, single ruled gilt border to covers, gilt rules and 1 word title to spine. Minute scrape to lower cover, tiny rub to tail of spine, no inscriptions, 1 colour plate reinserted by pasting inner margin to inner margin of facing page (see image "Going to Jerusalem"). A very good complete copy of a rare miniature juvenile bible. Illustrations: The Creation -- Serpent tempting Eve -- Tower of Babel -- Joseph sold by his brothers -- Jacob and family's journey to Egypt -- Pharoah &c. drowned in the Red Sea -- Moses receiving the tables -- A cloud… Read More