CAMPBELL, DONALD.: A Narrative of the Extraordinary Adventures, and Sufferings by Shipwreck & imprisonment, of Donald Campbell, ... with the singular humours of his tartar guide, Hassan Artaz; ... in an overland journey to India.

London : printed for Vernor and Hood, 1798.

Small 12mo, pp xi, [1], 276, with an engraved frontispiece, bound in slightly later half calf, spine gilt with black label, early inscription to head of title page, slightly rubbed but a neat attractive copy.

THIRD EDITION; first issued in 1796 this is an abridged version of Campbell's letters to his son, originally published in two quarto volumes, but here cast into continuous narrative form, thus providing a cheep popular text, a story of remarkable adventure, shipwreck, imprisonment and survival in the east, as encountered by Campbell and compatriots on a voyage to India. £125.00 ref 31578.

CHESTER. PROUT, JOHN SKINNER.: Antiquities of Chester.

London, Ackermann/ Chester Boult & Catherall, [1839].

Folio, comprising pictorial title page, dedication leaf, and 20 large views of Chester antiquities, including frontispiece, tinted lithographs by Hullmandel after J S Prout, bound in original purple cloth, titled in gilt and decorated in blind to upper board, quarter roan leather spine, all edges gilt, a little rubbed but sound and bright, title page and last plate lightly foxed at margins, else a clean copy internally,

FIRST EDITION ; advances in lithography had enabled these large scale topographical plates to be widely produced across the nation, the mediaeval antiquities of Chester being obvious subjects for delineation. John Skinner Prout [1805-1806] was not as famous as his uncle Samuel, and spent part of his working life in Australia before returning to England. His brilliantly executed Chester views are an early work, produced in his 30's and dedicated to the Marquis of Westminster; they remain Gothically inspired romantic depictions of the period, including many charming compositions with figures. £145.00 ref 31565.

DIBDIN, THOMAS FROGNALL.: A Bibliographical Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany.

London, printed for the author, by W. Bulmer and W. Nicol, Shakespeare Press, 1821.

3 volumes, large 8vo [approaching quarto], with title page vignettes and 83 plates including 5 double-page, 4 in sepia or colour, plus 64 smaller india paper illustrations mounted in the text, numerous other text illustrations, untrimmed in contemporary half tan morocco, spines with simple gilt paneled border design, the upper joint of volume one broken and internally repaired, bindings a little rubbed and mildly discoloured in small patched to spines, joints slightly worn in places, internally with occasional foxing to some plates as usual but generally clean and tight, a good set.

FIRST EDITION of a monumental Continental travelogue of suitably bibliographical if not Biblical proportions. It's cost was mounted on the back of considerable patronage and financial support. Dibdin, doyen of amateur bibliography in the late Georgian period, was the one to achieve here what could only be achieved through extensive financial outlay from the English nobility. He should, perhaps, be congratulated [though he not often is] for perseverance in harnessing this support. The 1000 copies printed could hardly have produced any commercial benefit for anyone save possibly the printer, and in retrospect the achievement appears more entertaining than useful. It cannot be dismissed as mere extravagance, however, and the second edition, produced in 1829, is a mere adumbration of the original. On a bibliographical note, Lowndes states that the portrait of Diana of Poitiers in volume 2 [page 478] was produced in only 50 copies before the plate was destroyed; this copy has, of course, the plate as do more than fifty others... £350.00 ref 31596.

ENGLISH REFORMATION ANTIQUITIES.: Memoirs of the Antiquities of Great-Brittain, relating to the Reformation, &c. Containing, the first institution of the order of the Grey-Friers, with the life of St. Francis...

London : Printed and sold by H. Tracy, at the Three Bibles on London-Bridge, 1723.

12mo, pp [2],xii,139,[5], with a frontispiece of St Francis and 4 plates depicting multiple images, title page in red and black, bound in contemporary plain polished sheep, sometime plainly rebacked in basic style, a couple of leaves misbound but complete, inner joint repaired, rear endpaper removed, else internally clean and crisp,

FIRST EDITION ; a curious compilation on the history of the Reformation, giving a short popular account, entirely anti-Catholic biased,, of the dissolution of the monasteries, Like most text cheaply produced for the pocket and aimed at popular consumption, this is a scarce work. £250.00 ref 30917.

LONDON - HACKNEY. AND STEPNEY.: Customs and Privileges of the Manors of Stepney and Hackney in the county of Middlesex. Viz. Of tenants neglect, admission, &c. amercements, annoyances, appearance at two courts yearly...

[London] : In the Savoy: printed by E. and R. Nutt, and R. Gosling, (Assigns of Edward Sayer, Esq;) for J. Mozrall ,1736.

12mo, pp [4],128, bound in contemporary calf, neatly rebacked in calf with raised bands and no label, internally with title page a bit browned, especially and edges, and with some penmarks, else a sound copy;

FIRST EDITION THUS. essentially a reprinting of the 17th century act upholding copyholder's rights in Stepney and Hackney, and with, at the end, a list of the original copyholders [i.e. tenants]. £125.00 ref 30937.

NICHOLSON, WILLIAM - JAMES RALPH [JOHN BRITTON'S COPY].: A Critical Review of the Public Buildings, Statues, and Ornaments, In and about London and Westminister. Originally written by - Ralph, architect, and now reprinted with very large additions.

London : Printed for John Wallis, at Yorick's Head, Ludgate-Street, 1783.

12mo, pp xxxi,[1],209,[6, index], bound in contemporary calf, sometime plainly rebacked, worn at corners, internally sound and clean,

FIRST EDITION, JOHN BRITON'S COPY , with his signature to the head of the title page; a uniquely conceived guide book to London based upon a critical review of its contemporary architecture, pseudonymous but now known to be the work of the London scientist and inventor William Nicholson. It was written, say's Nicholson's son, at the behest of the publisher and friend Joseph Johnson; in 1735 James Ralph published this same title in a short work of 119 pages, and though usually attributed to James, it may be the work of a contemporary architect named Benjamin Ralph. Judging from the title page as given above Nicholson was not sure which Ralph he was dealing with, but, as he explains in his 'Advertisment' at the front ' 'The original author of this work was not one of the pilfering fraternity ' [i.e. compilers of guide books], He goes on to explain it is republished with additions doubling the size, the original text being enclosed in inverted commas. Describing the original as a work of 'genius, attended by delicacy of taste and liveliness of wit' he claims that unlike other guide book authors 'He has been careful to visit every place, or thing, treated of.' Such a scientifically accurate approach would no-doubt have appealed immensely to Nicholson's younger contemporary John Britton [1771-1857] whose copy this was. Briton as an architectural historian was mainly interested in ancient monuments and their preservation outside of London, but he also produced some London studies in his long and productive life. Whether Britton ever met Nicholson or even knew this book was by him is impossible to know, but it is possible that Britton would have contributed to Nicholson's British Encyclopaedia or his Journal. £350.00 ref 30943.

RUTLEDGE, JEAN JACQUES.: The Englishman's Fortnight in Paris; or, the art of ruining himself there in a few days. By an observer. Translated from the French.

London : printed for T. Durham and G. Kearsley, 1777.

8vo, pp 2],x,,222,[2, adverts], bound in contemporary marbled boards, the spine sometime replaced, title page lightly browned, first page of text chipped to one corner with loss of a couple of letters only, else quite clean internally, a good copy,

FIRST OCTAVO EDITION ; the title and format, at first sight, might be taken as a typical Kearsley lowlife sensation novella such as the 'London Spy' provided at this period, but its known authorship claims it as an actual depiction of low life in the pre Revolution Paris of the 1770's, Despite this, the fictional ambiance remains, as an English lord and his entourage sink lower and lower into the depths of a corruptly decadent city. It is understandable why it should be suppressed in France and much read in England, with a smaller duodecimo edition also issued, probably at a cheaper price. Rutledge, who died in 1794, was actually of English extraction though his Jacobite forebears exiled in France, and worked as both translator and author up to and during the Revolution. He would eventually fall foul of the authorities and died in obscurity; he remains, however, an interesting, if minor, Continental literary figure, largely remembered for the present work. £250.00 ref 31554.

SKRINE, HENRY.: Three Successive Tours in the North of England, and great part of Scotland. Interspersed with descriptions of the scenes they presented, and occasional observations on the state of society, and the Manners and Customs of the People. By Henry Skrine, Esq. of Warley in Somersetshire.

London : printed by W. Bulmer and Co., and sold by P. Elmsly, Strand, 1795.

4to, pp 7,[1, errata],164, xxvii, bound in contemporary half black calf, marbled sides, rebacked in plain morocco, occasional offsetting and light mainly marginal foxing, but a sound copy,

FIRST EDITION, EXTRA ILLUSTRATED COPY . It might have been regretted that the sole printing of Henry Skrine's invaluable and perceptive travelogue, detailing three tours in the north of England Scotland was never illustrated. The original owner of this copy, early in the 19th Century, has thought better of it and allowed 46 town and landscape engraved views to be mounted on 39 leaves, including one as a frontispiece. The majority are therefore full page engravings, neatly trimmed and mounted, of consistently good quality with many good city and town views which enhance Skrine's text immeasurably. Skrine has gone down as one of the most critical observers of Scottish life and customs of the late 18th Century, a period seen as one of considerable economic decline. £300.00 ref 31572.

DOUGLAS, JAMES.: Travelling Anecdotes through various parts of Europe. In Two Volumes. Vol I.

Rochester printed by T Fisher, 1782.

Volume one only [all published], 8vo, pp [2], x, 285, [1, errata], half title, 7 etched plates by the author including one folding [short split at one fold], bound in contemporary calf, leather worn at corners, sometime neatly rebacked with red label, occasional light soiling and spots and stains to text, a few leaves with tea stains, else sound,

FIRST EDITION , the rare first provincial printing of this popular illustrated travelogue, written with humour and anecdote in the style of Sterne, but very much genuine travels by the antiquary James Douglas [1753-1819], who combined an early military career in Europe with a taste for antiquity. Only the first volume of these travels was ever published, subsequent editions in London, and rather more commonly met with than this first. A competent and amusing artist, there are several examples of his etched work in this volume. A 1783 ownership on the first page of text records 'Miss Eliza C Wilder' and in another hand 'is a most bewitching creature.' £275.00 ref 30626

IRELAND INLAND NAVIGATION. PATRIOPHILUS [PSUED].: Considerations on the Act for encouraging Inland Navigation in Ireland. With some hints of a method for enforcing and executing that act. In a letter from a Country Gentleman to his Friend in the House of Commons.

Dublin, [for William Smith], 1729.

8vo, pp 74, later stiff drab wrappers, slightly chipped to spine, repaired tear to title page, else a good sound copy,

FIRST EDITION ; Goldsmiths'-Kress 06697. The development of the canal system in Ireland as a means of promoting trade had been long discussed as a private venture; 'in 1729, an Act was passed, declaring it was fit and expedient that works of great public utility, such as this, should be carried on at the expense of the nation'. The present important anonymously published tract lays out the economic argument for Government funding for enterprise of building canals within Ireland's river system. The author was perhaps at the receiving end - possible a director- of a company ruined in the economic downturn following the South Sea Bubble, to which he refers; he concludes '...there is scarce a man, who rides this day along the banks of the Liffy, and sees those ruins of our unfinished works, which are so many monuments of our miscarriage...the thing was, in its self Chymerical and impractical...' His pleas were seemingly heard...' In 1729 the House of Commons appointed the Commissioners of Inland Navigation to oversee and finance an inland waterway from the coal field at Lough Neagh to Newry. Canal construction actually began in 1731...' £125.00 ref 30841.

KENT. GOSTLING, WILLIAM.: A Walk in and about the City of Canterbury. With many Observations not hitherto described in any other Publication.

Canterbury, Simmons and Kirkby and W Flackton, 1774.

Small 8vo, pp viii, 138 [i.e. 238], folding plan of the city sated 1774 [this with some repairs at folds], two engraved plates [one a coastal chart], 2 text woodcuts, bound in contemporary sheep, sometime neatly rebacked with raised bands and red label, corners worn, the original label loosely inserted, title page a little foxed and dusty at edges, still a good copy,

FIRST EDITION ; of the several editions of this popular work only this first may lay claim to any degree of scarcity. It remains in this original form a charming small format travelogue, this copy of special interest for the magazine cuttings pasted at the end, a lengthy review in the Gentleman's Magazine of 1777 for the second edition, Gostling himself having 'died while the book was in the press.' £85.00 ref 30554.

LIVERPOOL. GORE, J [COMPILER].: 1813. Gore's Directory of Liverpool and Its Environs. Containing an Alphabetical list of the Merchants, Traders & Principle Inhabitants...trading Vessels, Stage and Hackney Coaches.

Liverpool, J Gore, [1813].

12mo, pp [2], ii, 278 [directory], 144 [appendix of local information], bound in contemporary neat half calf, spine gilt rule and blind with black label, a few leaves with small stains, but otherwise a very nice copy,

FIRST EDITION ; Gore' Liverpool Directory appeared from 1766 onwards, and is a primary source on the city's early inhabitants as well matters pertaining to Liverpool as a major trading centre and port. Other than a few stains this is a very nice copy. £85.00 ref 30830

LONDON DIECTORY. CRITCHETT & WOODS.: The Post-Office Annual Directory for 1810 : being a list of ... merchants, traders, &c., of London, and parts adjacent ... [and] general information relating to the Post Office bound with: A New Guide to Stage Coaches ...for the year 1810.

London, T Maiden for the proprietors, sold by J Richardson [and others].

2 volumes in one [as issued], 8vo, pp [13], 6-406, [2]; [4], 140, bound in contemporary half calf, plainly rebacked without label, inner joints cracked, a few corners a little worn beginning and end else a good sound copy,

ELEVENTH EDITION OF FIRST WORK, EIGHTH EDITION OF SECOND WORK ; they were frequently bound together as here, both form the same publishers. An early example of the London Post Office Directory which gradually took over from its earlier rivals, becoming the familiar Kelly's directory from 1837 onwards. These early editions are not common. £175.00 ref 30509.

LONDON, ROBINSON, WILLIAM.: The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Tottenham High Cross...comprising an account of the manors, the church, and other miscellaneous matter: to which is added, an appendix, containing the late Henry Lord Coleraine's History...

Tottenham, G S Coventry, 'printed for the author', 1818.

8vo, pp xv, [1], 260, 52, 30, 15, [7], bound without half title, folding hand-coloured plan as frontispiece [neatly repaired at a fold], hand coloured geological map [this browned], 17 engraved plates, bound in slightly later half morocco, spine gilt ruled with raised bands, red label [this chipped but legible, occasional offsetting or browning from the plates as usual, but a good sound tight copy,

FIRST EDITION, one of the several London parochial histories prepared by Robinson at this time, and a title that is both desirable and scarce in first edition complete with the large folding plan. As stated on the title the history by Lord Coleraine is added, as well ' Rev. W. Bedwell's Brief history of Tottenham, first printed in 1631, with the annuitant poem of The tournament of Tottenham, with a glossary; selected from eminent authors and authentic documents...' £175.00 Ref 30708.