Fold the Corner Books

Card. Condition: Near Fine. 8vo., pale yellow stapled wraps, lettered in black; priced £2.50; US $5 to the lower cover; pp. 16; light vertical creasing to covers; a couple of small brown spots to the centrefold; near-fine. A nice copy of the Herbert Read Memorial Lecture from 6th February 1990, read on his behalf by Harold Pinter at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Written while Rushdie was still in hiding after the issue of the Fatwa following The Satanic Verses, Rushdie concludes "Wherever in the world the little room of literature has been closed, sooner or later the walls have come tumbling down.".…

hardcover. VAN SANDWYK, Charles; Wolfram SADOWSKI [Trans.] Als die Vogel das Paradies Suchten Munich: Middelhauve Verlag, 1998 8vo., laminated red boards lettered in various shades of green with image showing birds carrying fruit to the upper cover; lettered in green to spine and lower cover; bright green endpapers; [unpaginated]; containing numerous illustrations by Van Sandwyk; near-fine, just some light bumping to edges of boards.  First German edition thus. The book was originally published in English in 1992 by SummerWild Productions, Vancouver under the title 'Parade to Paradise. A Poem.'.…

Condition: Near Fine. Single sheet (20 x 25cm), with printed resolution to recto only, signed by Forbes-Robertson in black ink to the lower right hand corner, together with his position ('Chairman') and dated on 7th January 1909 alongside his Bedford Square address to the lower left; a couple of spots along the centre fold, else fine. [together with]An additional clipped note (20 x 3cm) with the same manuscript footer dated from the same day, likely clipped from another letter; with 'Mr J. Forbes-Robinson' / Actresses' Franchise League' written to the verso in a different hand. Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson was an English actor and manager famed for his distinguished Shakespeare performances, particularly in 'Hamlet' during the Edwardian period. Alongside this, he served as a chairman of the Actresses- Franchise League, supporting women's suffrage. The Actresses' Franchise League held its historic, foundational public meeting at the Criterion Restaurant in London on December 17th 1908. A key resolution passed that day established that the league would remain strictly neutral on suffrage tactics, welcoming all women in the theatrical profession regardless of militancy. Here, the resolution states "That this meeting of professional women call upon the Government immediately to extend the franchise to women; that women claim the franchise as a necessary protection for the workers under modern industrial conditions, and maintain that by their labour they have earned the right to this defence; That copies of the Resolution be sent to Members of the Government.". Manuscript: TLS. Material: Paper. 2 leaves. 2 pages. signed by author.…

ASH, Russell and Brian LAKEFrog Raising for Pleasure and Profit and other Bizarre BooksLondon: Macmillan, 19858vo., publisher's red boards, lettered in gilt to spine with publisher's device to foot; together in the neatly-clipped dustwrapper; pp. [x], 180, [ii]; black and white images and photographs throughout; pages evenly toned, a touch bumped to spine tips; otherwise near-fine in near-fine wrapper, just lightly sunned at the backstrip and with a couple of spots to the lower flap. First edition, signed by both authors to the ffep.A fabulous compendium of all things silly and peculiar in the way of real book titles and authors. Examples include A Three-Foot Stool, Advanced Mathematics by Boring and Boring, and The Benefit of Farting Explain'd by Don Fartinhando Puffindorst [Pseud. Jonathan Swift].…

SAUNDERS, George. Lincoln in the Bardo.London: Bloomsbury, 20178vo., white publisher's cloth, lettered in metallic green to spine with publisher's device to foot; marble-effect endpapers; in the original unclipped dustwrapper (£18.99) designed by Greg Heinimann; pp. [xiii], 4-341, [xvii]; near-fine, some light dents and compression to edges of boards; jacket a tad creased. First edition, seventh impression, signed and dated by the author to the title page in the year of publication, along with 'XOX' and a doodle in red felt pen. An experimental novel, revolving around Abraham Lincoln's son William, and set in the 'Bardo' - an intermediary space between life and death. The work won the Booker Prize in 2017, with many publications later ranking it one of the best novels of its decade. …

ZAFON, Carlos Ruiz The Angel's Game London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2009 Large 8vo., navy-blue boards lettered and lined in metallic red to backstrip, with publisher's device to foot; together in the unclipped pictorial dustwrapper (£18.99 to front flap) designed by 'GHOST'; decorative endpapers showing marble statues; pp. [viii], 3-453, [v]; with each 'act' featuring a black and white photograph page; the book near-fine, with light bumping to spine tips and mild toning to the edges of the text block; the wrapper similarly near-fine, just a touch scuffed at edges with evidence of a circular sticker to the front panel having now been removed. First UK edition, printed in Spain the previous year and here appearing in a translation by Lucia Graves (the daughter of Robert Graves). One of the books in Zafon's 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books' series, which are designed to be read in any order. One of this bookseller's favourite books, the novels seamlessly blend mystery, romance and gothic horror on the streets of Barcelona.…

Linson. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. first edition. 8vo., publisher's bright red linson boards, lettered in gilt to spine; together in the vibrant yellow, pink and black Gollancz dustwrapper (neatly clipped); pp. [v], 6-192; a very good, bright copy, with a hint of offsetting to the endleaves and light spotting to the outer edges of the text block; the wrapper similarly bright and near-fine, with just a hint of darkening to the spine and folds. First edition. The fifth published novel by Amis, featuring the particularly disagreeable character of Roger Michelden. David Lodge, in a 2002 article for The Guardian, referred to it as a "devastating and prophetic self-portrait" featuring a "rude, arrogant, snobbish, lecherous, treacherous, greedy and totally selfish" protagonist. A particularly bright example.…

Cloth. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. first edition. 8vo., publisher's blue cloth, backstrip lettered and decorated in silver with publisher's device to foot; together in the unclipped dustwrapper (9s. 6d. net to front flap), designed by Nichols; pp. [iv], 5-240; a very good copy, with some light sunning, rubbing and pushing to spine tips; a couple of small spots internally, but for the most part clean; the wrapper sunned at backstrip and darkened to folds, with some overall light rubbing to edges and some nicks and chips, the largest affecting head of spine, though not touching the lettering. First edition. The author's debut novel, which follows the protagonist, Winter, as he sets off on a journey for a missing colleague in the desert Sultanate of Rusuka. Newby would go on to win the first ever Booker Prize in 1969.…

Condition: Near Fine. Clipped manuscript note, 19 x 10cm approx.; three lines of writing followed by 'Yours very truly / Joseph King' and dated below 29 March 1912; clipped from a larger letter. Joseph King was a Labour politician, journalist and social reformer who served as an MP for North Somerset between 1910 and 1918. A progressive campaigner, he supported women's suffrage and international peace movements. The letter retains the last paragraph of a letter to an unknown recipient and reads "Was it not a scene on the Division being announced last night? "Save us from our friends" may well be on the lips of convinced suffragists". On 28th March 1912, the UK House of Commons debated and defeated the Conciliation Bill (Parliamentary Franchise Women Bill), which would have granted limited voting rights to women. The bill was rejected by a division of 222 votes to 208, resulting in a hostile majority of 14. Manuscript: TLS. Material: Paper. 1 leaves. 1 pages. signed by author.…

Condition: Near Fine. Clipped signature (11 x 10cm approx), inscribed by Gonne and dated below in a different hand 'Captain C. M. Gonne, late R.A., 29 March 1909. A supporter of the militant suffragettes' to one side; to the other, the remnants of a letter by Gonne are visible, which appear to describe the events of an imprisoned member of the suffrage movement, including ". & her screams wer heard / incessantly up to 8pm by / a suffragette friend of mine / who was confined in a / neighbouring cell. / From Superintendent Wells / & from the papers I learn / that a deputation is desirous / to be received by Mr. Asquith…" Captain Charles Masterman Gonne was a British Army officer of the Royal Artillery, horseman and author. A prominent supporter of women's suffrag, he was active in the Actresses' Franchise League and he was the husband of actress and suffragist Mabel Tuke. Tuke was arrested on several occasions for her militant activity, but it is unclear to whom the passage refers to. Manuscript: ALS. Material: Paper. 1 leaves. 2 pages. signed by author.…

FAULKS, Sebastian. The Seventh Son.London: Hutchinson Heinemann, 2023. 8vo., cream publisher's boards lettered in gilt to spine; unclipped photographic dust jacket (£22.00), blue endpapers; pp. [x], 3-356, [iv]; fine. First edition, signed by the author in black felt pen to the title page. Laid in loosely is a flyer from the Hatchards Christmas Customer Evening, where the book was signed. A thought-provoking work and Sunday Times Bestseller, from the writer of Birdsong.…

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 8vo., laminated red boards lettered in various shades of green with image showing birds carrying fruit to the upper cover; lettered in green to spine and lower cover; bright green endpapers; [unpaginated]; containing numerous illustrations by Van Sandwyk; near-fine, just some light bumping to edges of boards. First German edition thus. The book was originally published in English in 1992 by SummerWild Productions, Vancouver under the title 'Parade to Paradise. A Poem.'. Charles VAN SANDWYK (illustrator). …

Publisher's boards. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. first edition. 8vo., black boards lettered in white to spine; decoratively spray-painted black and white edges and colourful printed endpapers; in the matching unclipped dustwrapper (£18.99 to front flap) designed by Suzanne Dean and illustrated by Noma Bar; pp. [vii], viii-xi, [iv], 4-208, [iv]; essentially a fine, unread copy in the like wrapper, with Waterstones sticker to the front panel and a previous seller's barcode to the lower. First UK edition, with full number line 1-10. This the Waterstones exclusive edition, with the sprayed edges. Originally published in Japan in 2015. A collection of essays on creativity, as well as Murakami's background as a writer, and the role of the novelist in modern society.  A fascinating insight into the writer's creative process.…

Condition: Very Good. A late-Victorian handmade Valentine's card, comprised of a lace paper border over a handwritten and painted message; measuring 8 x 12cm approx; mounted, sometime, onto a page from a scrap album (13.5 x 22.5cm) with decoratively embossed border; a little fraying and browning, with a couple of onlaid devices now either missing or partially missing; a lovely survival. Lace paper valentines were popular during the late 19th century as handmade tokens of love and affection. With the advent of the Penny Post system in 1840, the commercialisation of Valentine's Day began to boom. This example reads: "On love. The Heart of Fanny Kind and true, Will ever fondly beat for you". Type: Valentine's Card. Material: Paper. …

Condition: Near Fine. ASH, Russell and Brian LAKE Frog Raising for Pleasure and Profit and other Bizarre Books London: Macmillan, 1985 8vo., publisher's red boards, lettered in gilt to spine with publisher's device to foot; together in the neatly-clipped dustwrapper; pp. [x], 180, [ii]; black and white images and photographs throughout; pages evenly toned, a touch bumped to spine tips; otherwise near-fine in near-fine wrapper, just lightly sunned at the backstrip and with a couple of spots to the lower flap. First edition, signed by both authors to the ffep. A fabulous compendium of all things silly and peculiar in the way of real book titles and authors. Examples include A Three-Foot Stool, Advanced Mathematics by Boring and Boring, and The Benefit of Farting Explain'd by Don Fartinhando Puffindorst [Pseud. Jonathan Swift].…

Condition: Near Fine. SAUNDERS, George. Lincoln in the Bardo. London: Bloomsbury, 2017 8vo., white publisher's cloth, lettered in metallic green to spine with publisher's device to foot; marble-effect endpapers; in the original unclipped dustwrapper (PS18.99) designed by Greg Heinimann; pp. [xiii], 4-341, [xvii]; near-fine, some light dents and compression to edges of boards; jacket a tad creased. First edition, seventh impression, signed and dated by the author to the title page in the year of publication, along with 'XOX' and a doodle in red felt pen . An experimental novel, revolving around Abraham Lincoln's son William, and set in the 'Bardo' - an intermediary space between life and death. The work won the Booker Prize in 2017, with many publications later ranking it one of the best novels of its decade. …

Condition: Fine. FAULKS, Sebastian. The Seventh Son. London: Hutchinson Heinemann, 2023. 8vo., cream publisher's boards lettered in gilt to spine; unclipped photographic dust jacket (PS22.00), blue endpapers; pp. [x], 3-356, [iv]; fine. First edition, signed by the author in black felt pen to the title page. Laid in loosely is a flyer from the Hatchards Christmas Customer Evening, where the book was signed. A thought-provoking work and Sunday Times Bestseller, from the writer of Birdsong .…

Condition: Near Fine. ZAFON, Carlos Ruiz The Angel's Game London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2009 Large 8vo., navy-blue boards lettered and lined in metallic red to backstrip, with publisher's device to foot; together in the unclipped pictorial dustwrapper (PS18.99 to front flap) designed by 'GHOST'; decorative endpapers showing marble statues; pp. [viii], 3-453, [v]; with each 'act' featuring a black and white photograph page; the book near-fine, with light bumping to spine tips and mild toning to the edges of the text block; the wrapper similarly near-fine, just a touch scuffed at edges with evidence of a circular sticker to the front panel having now been removed. First UK edition , printed in Spain the previous year and here appearing in a translation by Lucia Graves (the daughter of Robert Graves). One of the books in Zafon's 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books' series, which are designed to be read in any order. One of this bookseller's favourite books, the novels seamlessly blend mystery, romance and gothic horror on the streets of Barcelona. …

Publisher's boards. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Book Club Edition. 8vo., dark blue boards lettered in black to spine; vibrant dustwrapper designed by Cuthill depicting Dr Shatterhand and Irma Bunt patrolling their 'Garden of Death'; pp. [xii], 13-184; a very good copy with a couple of bumps, lightly foxed to edges and offset to endpapers; the wrapper good to very good, the front panel remaining vibrant but the others with some browning and spotting, lightly rubbed and nicked to edges. First Foyles Book Club edition, printed in a run of 70,000 copies. The final installment in Fleming's 'Blofeld Trilogy', in which the author used much of his war-time experience to describe intelligence-gathering operations, code-breaking, ciphers and cryptography alongside his recent experiences in Japan. Printed in the same year as the first.…

Cloth. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. first edition. Large 8vo., pale green cloth lettered in blue to spine; together in the highly decorative, unclipped pictorial dustwrapper by Ley Kenyon; pp. [viii], 9-238, [ii]; peppered with wonderful black and white illustrations by Sabine Baur; a very good copy, light splaying to the boards, some brown marks to spine with a little nibbling to foot; light spotting to the outer edges of the text block, just encroaching onto prelims; faint offsetting to ffeps; the wrapper also very good, with toning to lower panel, spine and folds, and some light spotting to the same; a little nicked and chipped at spine ends and ends of folds, but the upper panel retaining much of its colour. First edition, and the debut work by the British naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell, which chronicles his travels into British Cameroon to capture and bring back animals as weird and wonderful as the Angwantibo, the Black-legged Mongoose, and the 'living fossil' the Potomagale.…

Publisher's boards. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. first edition. 8vo., navy blue publisher's boards, elaborately decorated and lettered in gilt to both covers and spine; all edges stained bright blue; decorative 'marbled paper' endpapers with integrated Ex Libris to ffep (remaining blank); together in the matching unclipped pictorial dustwrapper (£12.99 to front flap) designed by Michael Alcaino; pp. [xi], 4-438, [ii]; the book very lightly bumped at spine tips, with ever-so-slight edgewear to the upper and lower edges of text block; near-fine in like dustwrapper, with just a hint of creasing to the edges. First edition. This copy signed by the author in black felt pen to the decorative title page. A wonderfully compelling and dark novel, and the author's debut following a series of plays and books for young adults. At its centre, the novel stems around one key concept; the idea that by binding your deepest secrets, painful memories or treacherous acts into book form, they can be instantly forgotten. When the protagonist Emmett Farmer is sent to become an apprentice to a master binder, he makes a chilling discovery; that one of the books already has his name on it. Shortlisted for the Waterstones book of the year, one Goodreads reviewer writes "If I could bind my memories into a book, I would start with the time I spent reading this". signed by author.…

hardcover. MATTHEUS, Antonius. I.V.D. Notae in IV Libros Institutionum Juris Imper. Justiniani. Amsterdam: Johannes Janssen, Jnr, 1657 12mo. (131 x 75mm.). Engraved title preceding typeset title and engraved armorial frontis. Marginal staining to a couple of leaves in quire B, not affecting text, a little browning and very occasional minor inkstaining, small unobtrusive glue spot to gutter of engraved title, upper hinge split at top. Contemporary vellum over paper boards, a little bowed, bumped and scuffed, some staining to covers, headpiece partially detached but holding. A GOOD COPY. Provenance: 19th century inkstamp of Marie ?Loimer to upper pastedown, 20thC inkstamp of Baron Yvan del Marmol to same.  Second edition, following the first in 1600, of this commentary on the Justinian civil code.…

VAN SANDWYK, Charles Six Bookplates, Four Bookmarks, & One Lovely Poem Vancouver: Charles van Sandwyk Fine Arts, [2014]  Small 8vo., gold sewn wraps, with onlaid paper label printed in black, red, green and brown; unpaginated [pp. iv]; with poem and two images of a dragon in full colour printed on pale blue-grey paper; envelope pasted to inside front cover containing the bookmarks and bookplates; fine. First edition, signed by van Sandwyk in black ink to p. [i]. The poem 'Long ago in Bangalore', describes a fearful dragon who one day comes ashore to promote the joys of reading to the folk of Bangalore, and dispel boredom by picking up books instead. The final image shows the dragon reading a tome entitled 'Playing with Fire'. First printed in a limited edition by the Black Stone Press for the Alcuin Society's General Meeting on June 9th 2014, also included here are the six blank bookplates and five bookmarks (instead of the four stated), which show reproductions of images including wise owls, anthropomorphised trees, and a rather befuddled-looking lion.…

Publisher's boards. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Book Club Edition. 8vo., pale blue publisher's boards, spine lettered in black; dustwrapper designed by Cuthill showing Bond escaping from Piz Gloria; pp. [viii], 9-255, [i]; very good with a few marks and scratches; spotting to edges; staple marks to paste-downs; the wrapper good to very good, spotted and a little soiled with some light nicks to spine tips; tape marks to verso.  First Foyles Book Club edition, published in the same year as the first. Here, Fleming reintroduced Blofeld and SPECTRE, and sets much of the action in the snowy mountains, having been inspired in part by a recent trip to Engadine near St Moritz. …

Publisher's boards. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. first edition. 8vo., publisher's aqua-green boards, lettered in black to spine with publisher's device to foot; decorative black and white endpapers; in the vibrant pictorial dustwrapper (unclipped, $2.00 to front flap), all designed by Alex Schomburg; pp. [vi], vii-xiii, [i], 209, [i]; the book very good, some darkening to the backstrip and pushing to head and foot; early ownership inscription to the half title; the good to very good dustwrapper a little sunned to backstrip, with darkening and rubbing to folds and a small stain to the lower panel; nicks, chips and short closed tears particularly affecting the ends of spine and folds; the front panel remaining vibrant, and completely unrestored internally. First edition. A wonderful work of science fiction from the 1950s, which takes as its focus a group of Earthmen who are sent to the planet of Poseida in order to prevent a catastrophic war from erupting between them and the octopus-like beings which reside there. One of the 37 works in the Winston Science Fiction series, which ran from 1952 to 1960, and helped to launch the career of many writers including among them Arthur C. Clarke.…

Publisher's boards. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Book Club Edition. 8vo., blue boards lettered in black to spine; striking pictorial dustwrapper by Cuthill showing Viv running through a snowy landscape; pp. [viii], 9-189, [iii]; the book very good, a few marks to boards, lightly spotted to edges, some tape marks to paste-downs; the wrapper also very good, retaining much of its colour, with overall shelf wear and dustiness, some nicking/chipping, and tape marks mostly apparent to the verso. First Foyles Book Club edition, the eighth in the series, with the lowest print run of all of the editions since Diamonds are Forever. The shortest and most sexually explicit of the Bond novels, told from the perspective of Vivienne Michel, a fictional character but credited as Fleming's 'co-writer'.  Published in the same year as the first. …

DUGMORE, Major A. Radclyffe Two Boys in Beaver-Land. Of the Canadian Woods, the animals that live there & more particularly the Beaver… London: Hodder and Stoughton, [c.1920] 8vo., olive-green cloth, prettily blocked in black, yellow and brown with text and beaver illustrations to upper cover and spine; pp. [vi], 3-245, [v]; with title page in black and red; frontis showing a bull moose startling two boys, and numerous other charming illustrations in black throughout; text contained inside black borders; endpapers a little browned and offset; boards a tad pushed and rubbed to edges and tips; a very good to near fine example. First UK edition of this charming tale reintroducing characters who first appeared in Dugmore's 'Adventures in Beaver Stream Camp', where they were similarly lost in Newfoundland. The plot follows Jack Sylvester and Charlie Mason as they explore the Canadian wilderness, and is designed as "a story for Boys, both young & old & for Girls, who are interested in the lives & habits of the wild creatures & in the wonders of the open air, Life among the sweet scented firs & placid lakes & where the sparkling rivers bid us come away from the restless cities…"Scarce in this condition.…

VAN SANDWYK, Charles Yours Truly Vancouver: The Fairy Press, [2021]Small 8vo., yellowy-green sewn card wraps with onlaid paper label showing an illustration of a nest with sails and paintbrushes; decorative borders in copper and brown; [unpaginated], bound gatefold at the centre portion, with three pages of calligraphic text, frontis self portrait and a further four full-colour illustrations, two within a smaller tipped-in booklet entitled 'The Child Within'; fine, as issued. First edition, signed by van Sandwyk to the inside front cover. The book was issued in four variant colours.  A wonderful, concise biography of Charles van Sandwyk, compiled by Kenneth Budd and Elaine Jones using the author's own papers. It describes stories of van Sandwyk's early life creating clay animals on the banks of African Rivers, his education in Canada, his experiences in a remote abode in Fiji, and what he has learned from his inner child. Many of his friends and colleagues are depicted in animalistic form in a charming illustration to the gatefold. "Life is very short; life is fleeting; but life is grand".…

Condition: Near Fine. A letter fragment, 11.5 x 9.5 at widest edge, with 'Faithfully yours,' typed and the manuscript signature of Mary E. Gawthorpe written in blue ink beneath; annotated 'Miss Gawthorpe. / Women's Social and Political Union. / 24 January 1909' beneath; clipped from the original full letter. A scarce signature belonging to the suffragette, socialist, trade unionist and editor, who was described by Rebecca West as "a merry militant saint" and by Syvlia Pankhurst as a 'heroine'. Gawthorpe was responsible for establishing a WSPU presence in Leicester, and was imprisoned on several occasions for her political activities. She was also badly beaten and suffered serious internal injuries after heckling Winston Churchill in 1909, the same year this note was penned. Manuscript: TLS. Material: Paper. 1 leaves. 1 pages. signed by author.…

EVANS, Nicholas The Horse Whisperer London: Bantam Press, 1995 8vo., maroon publisher's boards, lettered in gilt to spine with publisher's device to foot; together in the unclipped photographic dustwrapper (£14.99 to front flap) with a photograph of Montana by Jeff Foott; pp. [xii], 13-348, [iv]; a near-fine copy, spine ends lightly pushed and some faint spotting to the rear endpapers; in the near-fine wrapper just a touch sunned to spine with some light creasing to the head. First edition of Evans' debut novel, this copy inscribed by him to the title page: "To Glenys / with best wishes / Nicholas Evans". Released to great international acclaim, 'The Horse Whisperer' was developed into a 1998 film starring Robert Redford and Scarlet Johansson, and centres around Grace and her horse Pilgrim, who suffer a traumatic accident and enlist the help of Tom Booker in order to repair their lives. Evans later wrote that the character was inspired by real-life horse whisperer Buck Brannaman, stating that "his skill, understanding and his gentle, loving heart have parted the clouds for countless troubled creatures. Buck is the Zen master of the horse world."A lovely copy.…