Search Results: Authors starting with V from Rare Illustrated Books

New York: McLoughlin Bros, 1885. American imprint of an old favourite. American reissue of the Alphabet of Animals from series titled Aunt Louisa's London Toy Books published by Warne in London. However, the format of this American edition is a little smaller, with different lithographic printing of the original images, and reset letterpress. Large octavo, bound in the original colour pictorial wrappers, six fully chromolithographed leaves, wrappers rubbed, good copy overall.

Paris: J. Hetzel, 1868. A large-format edition with dramatic illustrations by Edward Riou who collaborated with Jules Verne for six of his novels. This racing tale of adventure is set against the backdrop of Pacific exploration and discovery. Much of the action takes place in Australia, especially Victoria. There are adventures with the locals, bushrangers, and explorers (including a version of the death of Burke). A continent where the animals are strange: "...où les quadrupeds ont des becs, comme l'échidne et l'ornithrhynque, et ont oblige les naturalistes a créer specialement pour eux la genre monothrèmes; ou le kangouroo bondit sur ses pattes inégales; ou les moutons ont des têtes de porc; où les renards voltigent d'arbre en arbre; où les cygnes sont noirs...oh contrée bizarre, illogique, s'il en fut jamais, terre paradoxale et formée contre nature...Australie, sorte de parodie des lois universelles, où de défi plutôt, jeté à la face du reste du monde" [p.300] ["...where the… Read More

Toledo, Ohio, U.S.A.: The De Vilbiss Company, 1928. A stylish catalog of art deco perfume bottles in gift boxes so compelling as to put most twentieth century modernist architecture to shame: "excellent value, as your price list will corfirm". Quarto, bound in gilt-embossed decorated wrappers with yapp edges, 20 pp, 304 mm x 230 mm, colour illustrations, edgewear to wrappers otherwise a fine copy.

Stuttgart: Ehlingen bei Stuttgart, 1898. Second Edition. Dr. von Ahles [1829 -1900] was a German professor in botany at Suttgart's Technical University from 1866 to 1896 when he became Rector of the University, retiring in 1899. Title translates as "Commonly distributed edible and noxious fungi with some microscopic enlargements and explanatory text for school and home use." Octavo, bound in illustrated teal gilt stamped boards, 215 mm x 150 mm, all edges red, forty chromolithographic plates, six in-text illustrations, typeset in Blackletter Fraktur. mild scuff to edges and spine, faint offset toning to text, all plates clear and bright,

Zurich and Leipzig: Orell Fussli Verlag, 1930. Sixty three full-page photographs taken in China. A fascinating and enchanting work. Slim octavo, original half cloth pictorial boards, 63 photographic plates in duo tone, 63pp, edges a little rubbed otherwise fine.