Gray Esq William (3 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No date. 212pp. Decorated red cloth boards with title to paper label on spine. Yellow eps. Illustrated with fifty splendid steel engravings with small pale damp stain to bottom 4cm of the first two. 1cm square contemporary ownership stamp to first blank and title page. Minor wear and soiling to cloth and very minor sporadic foxing throughout. All in all a very good solid, clean copy. 0.

Hard Cover. Condition: Very Good Plus. First Edition Thus. Hard cover, 8vo. (measuring 5 x 7¾ inches) in a fine Arts and Crafts style re-binding, signed "Hatchards, 187 Piccadilly" on front turn-in. Full brown crushed morocco with gilt decoration to both boards, featuring a design of twining foliage, hearts shot through with arrows and gilt rule. The spine has six raised bands with title, date of publication and repeat of heart and foliage design within ruled boxes. Top edge is gilt. The endpapers have a watercolor effect, an attractive engraved and monogrammed bookplate, as well as additional gilt foliage sprays appearing on the turn-ins. CONDITION: Very Good Plus, or better. Minor wear to outer joints, (more so to the front). Very minor foxing appears on a few pages. One minor closed tear to the fore-edge of p.10. Offset from turn-ins to endpapers. Collation: (6), (vii), 329, (5) pp. The author, SIR PHILIP SIDNEY, KNIGHT (1554-1586), is perhaps best known as an Elizabethan poet, whose love sonnets have been compared favorably to those by Shakespeare. He was also a gifted scholar of languages, which helped him immeasurably in his diplomatic postings in his early twenties. Sidney famously advised Queen Elizabeth I against marriage to the Count of Anjou, warning her that a man, and a Catholic at that, would diminish her power as a Protestant monarch. This letter, as well as others, are also included in the contents Overall, this is a very handsome book about a remarkably gifted author, diplomat and soldier who accomplished so much in a brief career. Watson Vol. 1, 1047. Book.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. No Jacket. Bowen, Emanuel (maps) (illustrator). 1st Edition. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. 1764-1767. No edition listed, no known editions earlier than 1764. Date of index volume is obviously false as the last volume of did not appear until 1767. Original calf boards with outer edges dentelle, new calf spines with new spine labels and gilt detailing. Red speckled edges. Numerous hand coloured engraved folding maps in colour and B&W plates. xvi, 551 pp., [9] plates (4 fold-outs), [3] folding maps; 563 pp., [3] plates (1 fold-out), [2] folding maps; 531 pp., [2] plates (1 fold-out); [1] folding map; 567 pp., [1] folding map; 496 pp.; 512 pp.; 525 pp.; 493 pp.; 462 pp., [2] folding maps; 476 pp. [1] folding map; 501 pp.; 633 pp.; [~244 pp. unpaged index volume]. General wear to boards and edges. Some staining to edges of text blocks. General damp staining and foxing to interior commensurate with age. A few printing errors to page numbers. Occasional small perforations to pages, mostly in top margins. Sporadic paper repairs to pages and maps. A remarkable and rare complete set, beautifully revived by a professional binder. An exceedingly fine set for any collector or scholar. William Guthrie [1708-1770] made his reputation in London as a political writer, and he wrote several works on many topics, including those covering the history of England (History of England from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to 1688, 1744; Complete List of the English Peerage, ) and Scotland (A General History of Scotland, 1767-8). Guthrie is more than once referred to by Johnson in terms of some respect. [Chambers's Eminent Scotsmen; Boswell's Life of Johnson] Emanuel Bowen [1694?-1767] was a Welsh map engraver who became Royal Mapmaker to both King George II of Great Britain and Louis XV of France. His maps were noted for their high level of detail and decoration. Ten of his maps adorn and enhance this set.