Firsts London 2021

Illuminated manuscript, in Arabic, on paper, 142 leaves (plus 5 contemporary leaves at the front and an additional 3 at the end of the volume) containing the forty poems preceded by two additional du'a and also including a contemporary fihrist at the end of the volume, 260 by 165 mm.; in two or four columns, 12 lines confident scribal and angular black naskh, most leaves with contemporary catch-words, contemporary foliation (corresponding to the fihrist) in red, 48 illuminated polychrome headings and decorated banners to open each of the sections, most of these heightened in gilt or silver, ruling throughout in gilt, some contemporary marginalia and corrections, preliminary and penultimate leaves with contemporary annotations and export stamps from Iran dated 1311 AS; some faint scattered stains, occasional chips or creases to outer edges of leaves, a few early paper repairs to outer edges (not affecting main body of text), overall very bright and attractive condition; housed in fine leather-backed lacquered boards, cut-out medallions with filigree details to covers deep-set with red and gold floral devices set against a striking black background accented by gilt corner pieces and a double-ruled border, outer corners and extremities slightly chipped with fractional loss to pigment, small tear to leather along spine.

8vo (20 x 13 cm); [iv], xxiv, 262 pp., [5], biography of Krylov written by P. A. Pletnev, 25 hand-coloured full-page lithographs by Ulyanov including a frontispiece, plates on various colour paper, minor staining to text block, title foxed; original hand-coloured lithographic boards dated 1848, spine skilfully rebacked, retaining most of the original design, some wear to boards but overall good copy.

Ten parts, landscape elephant folio (39.4 x 51.7 cm), text in German and French, 60 hand-coloured lithographed plates, hand-coloured lithographed pictorial title and dedication page; hand-coloured pictorial wrappers, occasional light spotting.

First edition, 4 vols; folio (46 x 35.5 cm); 8 hand-coloured engraved titles, 4 engraved leaves of dedication, etched initials and head and tail pieces, 437 etched and engraved plates (of which 182 hand-coloured, 77 double-page or folding), last plate in Vol. III with minor worming, occasional minor spotting or offsetting, a few plates slightly shaved, text in French and English in Vols I-II, English engraved title in Vol. III with repairs to verso; handsome modern red morocco to style by Aquarius, green morocco spine labels; a fine set.

First edition, limited edition, one of 1250 on papier hollande, 5 vols, a complete set; 8vo (22 x 14.5 cm); 184 numbered colour pochoir plates with two supplementary un-numbered plates, text in French, advertisements; original blue printed wrappers laid over later boards, an excellent set.

Limited edition, one of 67 copies on Japon, this numbered 37; 8vo (21 x 17.5 cm); 325pp., 36 compositions in colour after Barbier including the printed wrappers, title-page and vignette, printed on wood by Gasperini, with an additional suite of illustrations of the same composition but in a simplified outline design, printed in red, black, grey or purple, pages cut and in various sizes, blue marbled endpapers, minor age toning but otherwise very fresh; bound in contemporary quarter crushed dark blue morocco over marbled boards with the original wrappers bound in, spine in six parts with raised bands and gilt title to second, in excellent condition.

First edition, limited edition, one of 150 copies signed by Barbier, this being number 20; folio (37 x 29 cm); illustrated half-title with colour wood-engraved design, limitation verso, title with colour wood-engraved Harlequin vignette, 12 full wood-engraved colour plates, text in French by Flament, 2 large vignettes, 22 wood-engraved colour four-line initials as well as decorative devices in the text, engraved by Schmied after Barbier, many heightened in silver and gold, final wood-engraved colour vignette, list of plates and colophon, each leaf of text surrounded by decorative frame, marbled endpapers; original pictorial wrapper bound in, contemporary vellum over boards hand-coloured with oriental floral design, signed 'houy pinxit 1929' on the lower cover, marbled chemise with brown morocco label to spine with matching slipcase, slipcase and chemise slightly worn but otherwise an excellent copy.

Limited edition, number 27 of 1,000, printed in the Riccardi fount on handmade Riccardi Paper; 4to (225 x 160 mm); frontispiece wood-engraving of Brooke, engraved pictorial title, both by Raverat; later binding for Asprey in full navy blue morocco with decorative gilt panels to both boards of onlaid grey and gilt lilies, gilt lilies to spine, foliate gilt dentelles, all edges gilt; x, 156, [2]pp.

First edition; folio (52.5 x 37 cm); twenty aquatints, comprising uncoloured frontispiece and 8 plates (one tinted sepia plate, seven hand-coloured, including 2 double-page), five with overslips (two of the five with two overslips each), and eleven vignettes (one tinted in sepia and three hand-coloured), two with overslips, occasional marks and finger-soiling to some margins, the final folding pate with neat repair to fold, modern quarter morocco over marbled boards, a very good copy.

First edition. Two vols, folio (53 x 34 cm); 145 stipple engraved plates after Jacques Barraband, printed in colours and finished by hand (with tissue guards); half-titles present, list of plates at end of each volume, uncut, two leaves of letterpress with marginal closed-tears, occasional minor foxing; contemporary French half red morocco-grain roan, spines lettered in gilt, dark slate-green pebble-grain cloth, bindings slightly rubbed; overall a very attractive copy.