Search Results: Authors starting with H from Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts

New York: The Alice Harriman Company, 1911. First Edition with these plates. 304 x 237 mm. (12 x 9 3/8"). [18] leaves.Translated by Edward FitzGerald. Publisher's brown cloth, upper cover with printed illustration, smooth spine, top edge gilt, others plain. With cover illustration and 19 black & white plates by Isabel Hawxhurst Hall. SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY THE ILLUSTRATOR to her cousin, Dr. George Coopernail, on the front free endpaper. Potter 272; Paas 2474. ◆Corners and one top edge a bit bumped, small tear at tail of spine, just a whisper of offsetting internally, but these issues of no great consequence, and on the whole A FINE COPY of a book not easily kept this well preserved. This is an exceptionally pleasing copy of FitzGerald's Rubaiyat illustrated by the young artist Isabel Hawxhurst Hall, with plates reproducing her original charcoal illustrations. Deeply influenced by Elihu Vedder's images of the Rubaiyat, Hall's work features similarly ethereal figures, darkly poignant compositions,… Read More

Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1889. ONE OF 780 COPIES. (This is copy #331.). 292 x 203 mm. (11 1/2 x 8"). xxxvi, [ii], 396 pp.Edited, with notes, by Sir Walter Scott. Pleasant contemporary brownish-rose three-quarter morocco over marbled boards by Pfister (stamp-signed on verso of front free endpaper), raised bands, spine attractively gilt in compartments each filled with a spray of flowers being buzzed by a bee, gilt titling, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. With frontispiece portrait of the author and 33 etchings depicting episodes from the memoirs after Charles Delort, 12 of them full-page. A Large Paper Copy. Front pastedown with bookplate of University of Louisville Library, title page and three other leaves with library stamp or accession number. (Although there is no de-accession stamp, the library has confirmed that this work was legally removed from its collection.) ◆Leather a little dulled from preservative and slightly spotted, joints with a hint of… Read More

Kilmacolm, Scotland: Partick Press, 1992. AUTHOR'S PRESENTATION COPY. From a total edition of 300 numbered copies. 254 x 178 mm. (10 x 7"). [viii], 37, [5] pp. Original quarter yellow cloth over marbled paper boards, upper cover with printed paper label, title in gilt on spine. Title vignette, one in-text and three full-page illustrations, five tipped-in photographs, and one tipped-in folding map. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR on limitations page. Rear pocket with three pieces of facsimile printed ephemera inside a printed envelope. ◆As new, with just a breath of wear to extremities. This charming piece of fine press is a satirical history of the fictitious "Great North Bodoni Railway Company" golf club on the equally fictitious island of San Serriffe. Author and printer David Hamilton ran the Partick Press for his self-published books on golf and medicine, including a series of short letterpress works on fine paper, as here..

New York: Dodge Publishing Company, 1912. 265 x 195 mm. (10 1/4 x 8"). Title page and 52 unnumbered leaves, printed on recto only. Translated by Edward FitzGerald. EXCELLENT TEAL CRUSHED MOROCCO, GILT, BY THE HARCOURT BINDERY (stamp-signed on verso of front free endpaper), covers framed by multiple plain and dotted rules enclosing a twining grapevine, central panel with palmette and floral cornerpieces, raised bands, spine compartments densely gilt, LOVELY CITRON MOROCCO DOUBLURES, EACH with large oval medallion at center CONTAINING ONE OF THE COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS BY HANSCOM & CUMMINGS enclosed by a graceful gilt frame, corners with intricate gilt vines bearing clusters of onlaid burgundy morocco grapes, fawn-colored moiré silk endleaves, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed (joints expertly repaired). In an early (original?) blue cloth dust jacket. With 26 (of 28, two having been used for the doublures) memorably intriguing tipped-on color plates by Adelaide Hanscom and Blanche Cummings, all with… Read More

Portland, Oregon: Press-22, 1979. FIRST EDITION. ONE OF 25 COPIES. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR AND ARTIST (this an artist's proof copy, out of sequence). 394 x 292 mm. (15 1/2 x 11 1/2"). [22] leaves (16 are plates, all with tissue guards). Leaves loosely laid into a white coarse linen clamshell case, with paper label on spine and embossed figurative label on front cover. 16 HAND-PRINTED PLATES (six are woodcuts, and 10 are etched or drypoint engravings), EACH SIGNED BY THE ARTIST. Printed in red and black ◆A VIRTUALLY PRISTINE COPY. The drypoints, etchings, and woodcuts by LaVerne Krause were printed by the artist, with the assistance of Virgil Sweeden, on Rives B F K White and Newsprint gray, Arches Buff, and German Etching papers. . . . The text was hand-set in Bembo type, with Cloister initials and Granjon arabesques, by Charles Bigelow and Sara Hill, and printed at the Corvine Press. This is one of a small number of finely produced works, usually poetical, issued by John Laursen at his Press-22 in… Read More

Leyden: Johann Maire, 1639. Third Edition. 198 x 145 mm. (7 1/2 x 5 3/4"). 2 p.l., 84, [2] leaves, 267 pp. (bound out of order but complete). VERY FINE CONTEMPORARY CALF, covers with double gilt fillet border, raised bands, spine compartments with floral lozenge at center (neat older repairs to joints). With two engraved plates showing veins in the arm. Two-inch repair to title page (not affecting text), perhaps to remove prior owner inscription. Keynes 3; Heirs of Hippocrates 417; Grolier Medicine 27 (1st ed.); NLM/Krivatsy 5329; Norman 1006 (1st ed.); Parkinson and Lumb 1147; PMM 127 (1st ed.); Waller 4089; Wellcome I, 3070. ◆A little spotting to boards, extremities a bit rubbed, two gatherings somewhat browned, occasional minor foxing, but AN OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY COPY, clean and fresh inside and out, THE PLATES ESPECIALLY BRIGHT, AND WITH RICH IMPRESSIONS. This is a remarkably attractive copy of the third (but second complete) edition of one of the most important medical books ever… Read More

London: William Pickering, various dates [see below]. 165 x 102 mm. (6 1/2 x 4"). 11 volumes representing seven different poets.. VERY FINE ORIGINAL DARK GREEN MOROCCO BY HAYDAY (stamp-signed on front pastedowns), covers with triple blind-ruled border, raised bands, gilt spine titling, all edges gilt. Except for the Falconer volume, each work with an engraved frontispiece portrait of the author. Half title present in each volume, anchor device on title in each. Keynes, pp. 37-38. ◆Trivial wear to some joints and extremities, spines just very slightly faded toward olive green, a few volumes with minor marks to covers or spine, most frontispieces lightly offset onto titles, but GENERALLY IN SUPERB CONDITION, the bindings still with their original brightness, and with virtually no signs of use internally. In 1828 Pickering began to use the familiar anchor and dolphin device employed by the Aldus family of Venetian printers in the 16th century, and he had the same purpose behind his work as did his… Read More

London: printed by T[homas]. S[nodham]. for Iohn Stepneth, and are to be sold at his shop at the west-end of Paules Church, 1612. FIRST EDITION. 205 x 155 mm. (8 x 6"). 18 p.l., 611, [1] pp. (601-08 misnumbered 561-68), [8] leaves. New unlettered limp vellum by Courtland Benson in imitation of the original binding. STC 1896; ESTC S124314. ◆Half a dozen gatherings a little browned, occasional mild foxing or small rust spots, additional trivial imperfections, otherwise an excellent copy, clean and very fresh, in a pleasing new binding. This conversation manual by an Italian teacher based in London offers an intriguing glimpse into the lives and concerns of the wealthier classes in 17th century Europe. An early effort to teach language through dialogue, the book is part cultural history, part guide to better health, and it is clear evidence of the importance of the study of Italian in Elizabethan and Jacobean England. The seven dialogues cover subjects from health to travel to servants, with Italian… Read More

London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1845. 242 x 170 mm. (9 5/8 x 6 5/8"). vi, [ii] (plate list), 280 pp.Edited by the Countess of Blessington. Attractive contemporary dark brown pebble-grain morocco, covers with thick and thin gilt rule border, central gilt mandorla, raised bands, gilt titling, gilt-rolled turn-ins, pale yellow endpapers, all edges gilt. Extra engraved title page with vignette, and 12 engraved portraits of society beauties, with original tissue guards. ◆A breath of rubbing to extremities, a touch of light marginal foxing to half the plates, otherwise A FINE COPY, clean and fresh with wide margins in a virtually unworn binding. Heath's Book of Beauty was published from 1832--when it became an immediate bestseller--to 1847. As seen here, its portraits of aristocratic women provide a window into mid-century Victorian culture, particularly its understanding of beauty, fashion, and class. From a family of respected English engravers, author Charles Heath (1785-1848) was… Read More

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1961. FIRST EDITION, First Printing. 220 x 150 mm. (8 5/8 x 5 3/4"). 443 pp. Publisher's blue cloth, white lettering on smooth spine. In the original illustrated dust jacket. Housed in a modern red morocco-backed clamshell box. Title page SIGNED BY HELLER in ink. ◆A pristine volume in a bright, pleasing dust jacket. (The jacket with one-inch tear to fold at front joint neatly repaired on verso, one other quite small closed tear to top of front panel, front cover lightly chafed, slight fraying at spine ends and minor wrinkling at bottom of back panel.). This is an excellent signed copy of Heller's modern classic on the absurdity of war, often hailed as one of the most important novels of the 20th century. Based on Heller's own first-hand experiences as a member of the U.S. Air Force in WWII, the story revolves around bombardier Captain John Yossarian and his desperate efforts to keep himself alive by avoiding bombing runs. As noted by Britannica, "The 'catch' in… Read More

France, 23 October 1556. 305 x 205 mm. (12 x 8"). Single column, 29 lines in a lovely cursive hand. SIGNED BY HENRI II AND JEAN DU THIER (Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs) in bottom margin. Verso addressed to the recipient, with additional notes in a different contemporary hand. ◆Paper gently toned, edges slightly worn and with a couple small chips, light creases from folding (as expected), verso with a little soiling, but in unusually fine condition, the paper clean and crisp and generally in an excellent state of preservation. This letter draws us into the middle of the Italian Wars (also known as the Habsburg-Valois Wars), the complicated political and religious struggles and switching alliances among France, Spain, and Italy that lasted for 65 years, beginning at the end of the 15th century. The present message from Henri II to Raymond de Fourquevaux informs the king's diplomat-general of plans to help defend the Papal States against the recent Spanish invasion under the Duke of Alba.… Read More

Edinburgh: William Paterson, 1865. First Printing of this Edition. 203 x 127 mm. (8 x 5"). lx, 331 pp.Edited, with a biography of the author, by David Laing. Pleasant recent retrospective plum-colored quarter morocco, marbled sides, raised bands, brown morocco label. With one black and white facsimile. Title page with pencilled note, "From the Library of J. B. Thayer." ◆Text with isolated trivial imperfections only, otherwise A FINE COPY, especially fresh, clean, and bright internally, and in a new binding. This is a sparkling copy in a very pleasant new binding of the first complete collection of the works of Robert Henryson (1424?-1506), Scottish poet and schoolmaster, whose strict morality was tempered with compassion for human weakness and a sly sense of humor. His most famous work is "The Testament of Cresseid," an account of the later sufferings of the faithless heroine of Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde." Day calls this "psychologically penetrating" work the "greatest 15th-century poem,… Read More

[Saint Paul]: The Hermetic Press, 2019. COPY "G" OF 26 LETTERED COPIES on 125 gsm Stardream paper (and five copies on 110 gsm Plike paper). 245 x 143 mm. (9 3/4 x 5 5/8"). [20] leaves. Original card covers wrapped in a shiny orange chemise, upper wrapper with title printed in dark orange. Printed in color throughout. ◆In mint condition. An alchemy of typography, color, words, and design, this is an impeccably printed work that plays on the word "allotropes"--a term used in chemistry that refers to the different states a particular element may take (such as graphite and diamond for carbon). As we admire the vibrant color combinations juxtaposed with shifting letter forms, the printer also invites us to consider the science and experimentation inherent to this work, using diagrams, chemical notations, and images that look as if they were taken from under a microscope to provoke our imaginations. The shimmering paper on which the text is printed here and especially the glistening orange cover make a… Read More

London: Typis Jac. Bettenham, 1742. 210 x 132 mm. (8 3/8 x 5 1/4"). 15, [1], 319, [13] pp.Latin translation by J. Curtenius. Edited by R. W. [i.e., Richard Warren]; notes by Charles Ashton. REFINED RED MOROCCO, GILT, BY DEROME LE JEUNE (his ticket on verso of front flyleaf), cover with French fillet border, smooth spine elegantly gilt in compartments separated by multiple rules, each compartment with diagonal dotted lines creating a lozenge at center containing a bird on an elaborate perch, volute cornerpieces, gilt lettering, densely gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Verso of front free endpaper with morocco bookplate of Michel Wittock and book label of "C. L."; title page with ink stamp of E. Boisgelin. Schweiger, p. 148; Lowndes II, 1066; Brunet III, 155; Graesse III, 272. ◆A little browning to blank flyleaves, but AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE COPY, with clean, fresh, smooth text in a nearly pristine binding. From a distinguished library, this is a respected edition of a commentary by… Read More

Ferrara: Laurentius de Rubeis, de Valentia, 1497. 301 x 216 mm. (11 7/8 x 8 1/2"). Double column, 48 lines and headline in roman type. Attractively matted. Paragraph marks hand-inked in red, three six-line white-vine woodcut initials and THREE COLUMN-WIDTH (50 x 75 mm.) WOODCUT SCENES SHOWING NUNS GATHERING FOR MORNING PRAYER, LISTENING TO A SERMON, AND KNEELING BEFORE A CRUCIFIX. Two thin remnants of mounting tape to one edge. Goff H-178; BMC VI, 614; ISTC ih00178000. ◆A little wrinkling to head and tail edge, but A FINE LEAF, clean fresh, and bright. .

[Strassburg: Printer of the "Antichristus" (Heinrich Eggestein?), not after 1482]. First or Second Edition in German. 285 x 200 mm. (11 1/4 x 7 7/8"). Single column, 34 line in gothic type. Attractively matted. WITH A HALF-PAGE WOODCUT (85 x 132 mm.) OF A SCENE FROM THE LIFE OF HILARION. Goff H-216; BMC I, 168; ISTC ih00216000. ◆Faint marginal smudge, but A FINE LEAF, clean, fresh, and bright, with ample margins, of a very rare early issue of the German translation of the "Lives of the Desert Fathers." .

Amsterdam: Pierre Humbert, 1714. FIRST EDITION. 290 x 220 mm. (11 1/2 x 8 3/4"). Two volumes.. Excellent contemporary calf, raised bands, spine lavishly gilt in compartments with unusual architectural centerpiece, intricate scrolling cornerpieces with lancet accents, two red morocco labels, marbled endpapers. Title pages with engraved vignette of the council, dedication page with engraved royal arms of Frederick William of Prussia, decorative engraved initials, and 19 ENGRAVED PORTRAITS BY BERNARD PICART. A Large Paper Copy. Front pastedowns with private library shelf label of Bessinge. Title pages of both volumes with signature of Charles Richard Tronchin. Brunet III, 976. ◆Volume II with half-inch split at head of front joint and small patch of lost patina (from insect activity) on front board, joints and extremities of both volumes a little rubbed, boards with light chafing or faint scratches, isolated mild browning or other trivial imperfections but still AN EXTREMELY APPEALING SET--entirely… Read More

Paris: Chez Claude Barbin, 1693-94. FIRST EDITION. 248 x 191 mm. (9 3/4 x 7 1/2"). Three volumes.. SPLENDID AND UNUSUAL EARLY 19TH CENTURY MARBLED CALF, SUMPTUOUSLY GILT, WITH RED MOROCCO SPINES, covers with gilt borders of two decorative rules and an elegant undulating floral vine, flat straight-grain morocco spines very handsomely gilt in compartments with pointillé ground and central circlet from which radiate four lilies and four leaves on twining stems, turn-ins gilt with plain and decorative rolls, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. With engraved head- and tailpieces and eight engraved portraits. Verso of front free endpaper with armorial bookplate of Baron de Mackau (see below); title page with ink ownership inscription (of Alexander Paul Ludwig Goupy?) in a contemporary hand. Brunet II, 822; Graesse II, 428; Lowndes I, 1374. ◆Isolated gatherings with variable browning (a small handful rather browned), one leaf in first volume with inexpert early repair of four-inch tear (letters of four… Read More

Chicago: Department of Rehabilitation, Disabled American Veterans of the World War, 1930-31. The Unknown Soldier Edition, prepared for "National Patrons of Honor." (This is copy #604, "especially prepared for Mrs. Eli K. Robinson."). 229 x 156 mm. (9 x 6 1/8"). 10 volumes.. REMARKABLY FINE PUBLISHER'S DELUXE BLACK PEBBLE-GRAIN MOROCCO, ORNATELY GILT, front covers with decorative gilt-rule border enclosing elaborate floral rococo-style frame, the frame around a central medallion featuring a knight's plumed helmet; raised bands, gilt compartments elegantly decorated with volutes and small floral tools, gilt titling, gilt turn-ins with curling floral rolls, sky blue pictorial endpapers, all edges gilt. With more than 2,000 illustrations, including more than 200 maps and charts; 53 images in color. ◆Perhaps a trivial imperfection somewhere, but essentially IN AS-NEW CONDITION, AN AMAZINGLY WELL-PRESERVED SET, virtually as it was delivered to its original owner. These profusely illustrated volumes… Read More

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1874. 238 x 152 mm. (9 3/8 x 6"). Four volumes.. VERY PRETTY DECORATIVE CONTEMPORARY HALF CALF, raised bands, spines handsomely gilt in double-ruled compartments with scrolling cornerpieces and intricate central lozenge, one red and one green morocco label on each spine, marbled boards, edges, and endpapers. With frontispiece portraits and one folding map. ◆Very small area of slight discoloration at head of one spine, a vague hint of chafing to paper sides, otherwise A FINE SET with only very minor imperfections, the decorative bindings showing little wear, and the text remarkably smooth, fresh, and clean. This is the second work on the Netherlands by American diplomat and historian John Lothrop Motley (1814-77), following the considerable success of his "Rise of the Dutch Republic." In his "United Netherlands," Motley examines the struggle pitting England and the Netherlands against Spain, including a look at the rise and fall of the Spanish Armada. This work, which… Read More