Pot Pourri from Pickering & Chatto, Antiquarian Booksellers

The Thames Tunnel, the first underwater tunnel in the world, was an unprecedented achievement. It was only made possible by Marc Isambard Brunel's invention of the tunnelling shield, one of the greatest innovations in civil engineering, the concept of which is still in use today for tunnelling in soft ground. Construction of the Thames Tunnel, which runs beneath the river… Read more about this item

Hand-coloured lithograph, heightened with gum arabic, consisting of 18 strips, each measuring approximately 110 x 516 mm (and extending to approximately 28 feet when joined), plus a strip of descriptive notes, and a title sheet measuring 200 x 283 mm, all mounted in the original cloth backed scrap book (573 x 400 mm), some surface wear and rubbing to extremities,… Read more about this item

4to, 10 ff; 52 monochrome illustrations of work by Mucha and 28 illustrations by other French Art Nouveau artists; in the original decorated wrappers. A very rare trade catalogue of mural panels and other graphic designs mainly by the famous Czech Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) but also including a selection of works by other French artists such as Cossard… Read more about this item

Oblong 4to, pp. [iv], 268; work printed in three columns, in French, Italian & English through; first two leaves with piece missing at head, with the loss of two letters from title; damp stain to second half of work, and some foxing in places throughout; uncut in the original publisher's wrappers, rather worn with some loss. A neatly produced letter-writer arranged… Read more about this item

Hand-coloured lithograph panorama measuring [16 x 335 cm], including a title, portrait and 30 costumes; folding out of covers measuring 172 x 115 mm.]; folding down into original red pattern paper boards [ 17.2 x 11.5 cm.], slightly worn on joints Produced as a souvenir for visitors to Rome the panorama depicts the bewildering variety of colourful costumes that were still… Read more about this item

ORIGINAL TRADE CARD. Engraved sheet [27 x 21 cm], with a view of the menagerie forming a headpiece by 'Silvester Sc. 27. Strand.' ; remains of old mount for an album on verso. An eye catching trade card ostensibly for wire work, but incorporating a view of a menagerie to entice prospective clients. 'The Pilton family were all wire-workers who produced all manner… Read more about this item

8vo, pp. viii, 159, [1] imprint; original white cloth, upper cover with gilt cartouche of emblems of art and music, spine lettered in gilt; inscribed 'The Revd. Dr Hanna with the Affectionate regards of J.N.P. Jany. 1862 "Confusions of a wasted youth"'. Known principally as an important min-Victorian painter, James Noël Paton (1821-1901) also turned his had to writing poetry in… Read more about this item

Oblong Folio [190× 260 mm.]; Title printed in red and black, 16 albumen photographs from collodion negatives [105 × 150 mm.] each mounted on card with a gilt filet border and title printed in brown; original purple cloth, the upper cover with a panel design blocked and lettered in gilt; booksellers ticket 'Croydon. Bookseller, Torquay.' A fine album of views… Read more about this item

8vo, pp. x, 206, [4] advertisements for mutual societies; some gatherings unopened and two gatherings roughly opened, slightly dusty in places; original dark green cloth upper cover lettered in gilt, slightly torn at head and foot of spine. Inscribed on front free endpaper 'Mr J. Aldridge with the Author's best esteem, May 1849.' First edition of the work which marked… Read more about this item

8vo, pp. 24; with six plates, two with facing printed descriptions, and wood-engraved illustrations; last page slightly browned; in modern wrappers. Blake alludes to the recent death from diphtheria of Princess Alice, the second daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, as something of a stimulus for his publication. He summarises in his introduction that the 'objects of this little work are… Read more about this item

Folio [36 x 24], 21 leaves of descriptive text each accompanied by an engraved circular plate; modern dark green half morocco over marbled boards. Originally appearing in the 1790's, in a periodical entitled The Temple of Taste, these engravings were collected together for publication in 1820 and again in 1825. Engraved by Taylor (a pupil of Bartolozzi), they are probably after… Read more about this item

Folio, 4pp. with docket on fourth page ("George Harrison Gent. Not stamped. Mr. Solicitor declines at present signing the Bill for this patent. S.G. Wyatt"); folded and unbound as issued, in very good state of preservation. A fascinating document which seems, however, not after all to have ended in a grant for a patent. George Harrison claims that "he is in… Read more about this item

FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. 4to, pp. [74]; with 20 handcoloured engraved plates by R. Cooper; bound in nineteenth century dark blue morocco, spine ruled and lettered in gilt, boards ruled in gilt, light rubbing to joints; with the later armorial bookplate of Newton Hall, Cambridge, on the front pastedown; a very desirable copy. A highly desirable and sumptuously produced work, with… Read more about this item

Small 8vo, pp. 36, with 12 illustrations on 6 hand-coloured engraved plates; evenly a little browned; otherwise clean and fresh in the original publisher's printed wrappers; a little spotted, spine with slit, contemporary ownership inscription at head of front wrapper. A neat work by Darton for reader's exploring the ever expanding city of London. The publisher, William Darton (1781–1854) was the eldest… Read more about this item

A three sided folding card viewer, the sides covered with black paper, with a 90 mm diameter lens, cloth hinges repaired; and eight views (listed below), each 360 × 260mm; in a custom-made cloth box. A fine example of an early nineteenth century Vue d'Optique. The views included include: [1] Ruines d'un monastery, [2] Vue de Genève, [3] Vue de Benares,… Read more about this item

FIRST EDITION. Two vols., 12mo, pp. 455, [1] blank; [iv], 383, [1] blank; parallel text in English and French; bound in contemporary, possibly original, mottled calf, spines with green labels, lettered in gilt. Scarce first edition of The Art of Correspondence, with models including Chesterfield, Laurence Sterne, Eliza Draper, Pope, Saint Simon and Colardeau, together with examples of commercial correspondence etc.,… Read more about this item

Folio, [28.3 x 18.5 cm], 12 leaves, including a blank, title and 10 illustrated and numbered; original decorated bevelled board, the covers with a decorative gilt branch and oak leaf design, upper cover with title in gilt, leaves loose due to perished gutta percha; ALs from the author mounted on front-free endpaper, dated 'Jany, 22, 1868', armorial bookplate of William… Read more about this item

12mo, pp. 12; stitched as issued in the original blue printed wrappers with woodcut on upper panel, minor chipping at head of upper wrapper, otherwise a very good copy. First edition of this rare 'Letter writer' published in the coastal town of Devonport. Examples of letters are included 'From a servant-man to his Sweetheart'; 'From a Gentleman to a widow'; 'From… Read more about this item

FIRST BRITISH EDITION. 12mo, pp. 144, 18 'Catalogue' (final page misbound after p. 144) original brown cloth, rebacked with new endpapers, the upper cover with the title enclosing an image of a 'gentleman'. Unrecorded first British edition of this etiquette book, whose subtitle could have been 'on getting ahead in society.' The anonymous American author gives in six chapters, on Character,… Read more about this item

Oblong 8vo., album measuring 20 x 15 cm, comprising lithographed title page and trompe-d'oiel prefatory leaf (in the form of a letter to Rowland Stephenson), 11 lithographed title vignettes with two further titles to the views on the facing leaves penned in manuscript, 12 lithographed views (2 of which are coloured by hand) each set within a highly decorative blind… Read more about this item