Rare books from Foster Books - Stephen Foster, ABA, ILAB, PBFA

London: Constable & Co. Ltd 1913. Large 4to.Limited Edition. 290 pp. Top edge gilt, others uncut. Limited to 100 copies, of which this is number 12. Signed by W. Heath Robinson. Recently handsomely rebound in a richly gilt-illustrated red morocco at the Chelsea Bindery, with ornamental gilt stamping on front, raised gilt bands on spine, gilt line along edges and dentelling on the endpapers. Wonderful illustrations: 94 in black and white, and 16 in full colour. Gorgeous. . Near Fine. Full Morocco. Limited Edition. 1913.

Rome: Ant. Salamanca et Antonio Lafrery 1560. 4to. First Italian edition. (34), 154 leaves (i.e. 308 pp) pp. Early full vellum. Rebacked in full vellum with brown leather title label. In a green cloth portfolio and in green cloth slipcase with gilt lettering to spine. Hinges partially split but binding firm. Stain to upper corner at gutter affecting numerous leaves. Small ex libris label to front pastedown of Leo S. Olschki, antiquarian bookseller, of Florence. Engraved title page. With 42 full-page finely engraved anatomical plates. The copperplate engravings are some of the finest engraved anatomical figures ever produced. Text in Italian. . Very Good. Full Vellum. 1560.

London: James Wyld, Geographer to Her Majesty N.d. [c. 1850's]. Map. Seven original folding maps (on eight sheets) dissected and mounted on linen. Undated but c. 1850's. Marbled paper covers and printed paper title label to each map. All in contemporary cloth slipcase with paper title label to spine. Minor rubbing to slipcase. All maps very clean with no spotting. Delicate hand-colouring. Linen fresh. Various sizes measuring : 60cm x 76cm; 59cm x 74cm; 60cm x 88cm; 61cm x 88cm; 66cm x 100cm; 67cm x 100cm and 101cm x 111cm. James Wyld (1812-1887) was a prolific publisher of maps and guides with many notable successes in his career. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1839 and was later appointed Geographer to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. . Near Fine. 1850.

Moscou: N.p. [Ancelin et le Grand] 1801. Small Folio. (2), + [46] plates, 72 pp. Small folio measuring 23cm x 33.5cm. Contemporary half maroon morocco over paper-covered boards . Wear to spine with burn marks and boards rubbed & worn. Internally all maps in very good and clean condition. Kiev bookseller's label to front pastedown 'Chez Lenoir Libraire.' 72-page gazetteer at rear. Engraved double-page title. Large folding general map which has a small split to the cental fold, and forty-five double-page engraved regional maps. Plates complete. Hand-colouring. Printed on blue paper. All within decorative borders by Desnos. OCLC records just three copies of this edition; BNF, BNUS Strasbourg, & SBB-PK Berlin. The 1795 edition is at Oxford, NYPL, Leiden, Munich, BNF and ULB Darmstadt. Very scarce, I've been unable to find a copy of either edition selling through the book auction records. . Good. Original Boards. 1801.

London: Hodgson & Graves, Printsellers to the King 1837. FolioIllustrated. Large folio measuring 38cm x 56cm. Recent dark green half morocco over original gilt-lettered dark green moire cloth. Gilt lettering to spine. New endpapers. Wear to board edges. Spotting & staining to all plates, primarily to edges but affecting some engraved areas. Tinted title-page engraving. Engraved dedication & plate leaf. Twenty-five full-page tinted lithographic engravings. Publisher's leaf at rear. Binding is in very good condition, with plates in good condition due to the foxing. This is a heavy item and may require additional postage if being shipped outside of Europe. . Good. Half Morocco. 1837.

London: Chapman and Hall 1859. 8vo.Illustrated. ix, 254 pp., First Edition, First Issue. Bound by Bumpus in half red morocco with blue marbled boards, with all edges gilt and marbled endpapers. Binding firm with some minor scattered spotting but generally bright. Illustrated in black and white by H. K. Browne with the usual darkening and offseting to some of the plates. A First Issue of the First Edition with p.213 misnumbered p.113. . Near Fine. Half Morocco. First Edition, First Issue. 1859.

London: Printed for the Author 1823-40. 8vo.Illustrated. 8 Volumes. Green morocco binding with gilt decorated spine and gilt turn ins. All edges gilt with marbled endpapers. Sunning to the spines with wear to the joints and slight marks to the boards. Bindings firm. Spotting to the endpapers but otherwise internally clean and bright. Complete with 770 hand coloured engravings with occasional minor offsetting. . Very Good. Gilt-decorated Morocco. 1823.

London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. 1956 / 1957 / 1957. 8vo. Complete in 3 volumes. 423, 352 & 416 pp. folding maps at the rear of each volume. 5th, 3rd and 5th impressions of the first edition. Bound in recent full red morocco with marbled endpapers. Five raised bands to spine and gilt-lettered titles. All edges gilt. Folding maps at the rear of each volume. A few minor marks and signs of reading here and there, but a lovely early set. . Near Fine. Full Morocco. 5th Impression. 1956.

Lyon: Par J. de Tournes 1559. 4to. (xviii), 462, (32); (xii), 314, (6) pp., Contemporary brown full calf binding, with gilt lettered spine, coat of arms of book collector Claude Gouffier to the front board and all edges gilt. Some surface damage and marks to the boards. Splits along the spine joints with some loss to the ends and corners. Binding firm. Some rippling to the leaves with water damage to the edges of the leaves. Generally internally clean with slight staining to the rear tail edge from pages 301 to the endpaper. Marks in ink to the title page. Contains 2 volumes in 1 published in 1559, the remaining volumes 3 & 4 were published in 1561. The Coat of arms to the front board depicts the heraldic device of Claude Gouffier, 1510-1570, comte de Maulevrier and Marquis de Boisy. A member of the Royal Court Gouffier was knighted in 1533 and rose to the office of Grand Equerry of France by 1546. Throughout life Gouffier became a prominent patron of the arts and book collector. Examples of his… Read More

London: Methuen and Co. 1908. 8vo. First Edition. Frontis., [viii.], 302 pp., blank, printer's details on verso. Original blue/green gilt lettered and elaborately decorated cloth; top edge gilt, others uncut. Frontispiece by Graham Robertson. Some rubbing to the edges, bumping to base of spine, a little foxing to the prelims and endpapers, faint ink owner's name to front pastedown, but otherwise internally clean - a very good, characterful copy. . Very Good. Decorative Cloth. First Edition. 1908.

London: Macmillan andCo. 1862. Small 8vo.Illustrated. First Edition. vii, 192, 16 pp. Blue cloth with gilt decor to boards and lettering to spine. Slight slant fade to spine, minimal light rub marks to boards and edges. Minor spots within and a couple of instances of delicate binding inside. With frontispiece and decorated title page. Ink name to verso of ffep., dated 1862, as well as two neat ink copyings-out of Rossetti's poems 'Bird or Beast' and Marian's song, both dated 1866, from The Prince's Progress and Other Poems published in June that year. A very good copy of a First Edition of an important book. . Very Good. Cloth. First Edition. 1977.

London: Secker & Warburg 1945. 8vo. 92 pp., Recently rebound in beautiful full dark green morocco with gilt lettering and lines. Top edge gilt. Small stain to the final leaf and faint water staining to the tail, not affecting the text. Otherwise internally clean with no ownership marks. . Very Good. Full Morocco. First Edition. 1945.

London: Cassell and Company, Limited 1941 - 1946. 8vo. First Editions. 7 volumes. 1941 to 1946. Bound in a recent full scarlet morocco with raised bands, gilt lettering, borders and devices to spines; all edges gilt. All in fine condition. Into Battle is the first issue which misses the 3rd September 1939 speech (the first day of Britain's war). Photographic plates. Collection of Churchill's speeches made throughout the Second World War. . Near Fine. Full Morocco. First Editions. 1941.

London: Geoffrey Bles 1950. 8vo. First Edition. 173 pp. Full navy blue morocco with silver lampost illustration to front board, and raised bands, gilt lettering and borders to spine in a blue slipcase; maroon endpapers, all edges gilt. Beautifully bound by the Chelsea Bindery. Minor smudge marks to slipcase. Internally and externally fine, clean and bright. Colour frontispiece and numerous black & white illustrations by Pauline Baynes. The first volume published by Lewis in his Narnia series. An incredibly handsome first edition copy of this all-time classic. . Fine. Full Morocco. First Edition. 1950.

London: Thames and Hudson 1994. Square 4to.Limited Edition. Signed numbered limited edition. 192 pp. Pictorial soft cover, in a navy slipcase with a title label to the front board. No. 126 of 200 copies, with a loose signed 'red print' - an intaglio print, produced from one carborundum plate in two colours and hand-painted with rouge helios Sennelier tempera. Slipcase has some scratches and a couple of minor markings to the boards. Binding is in fine condition. 050027782 . Fine. Softcover. Signed Limited Edition. 1994.