Firsts: London's Rare Book Fair 2022

First edition, 2 volumes, first title in first issue state with blank street sign to vignette of upper board. Large 8vo, all edges gilt, both volumes illustrated throughout by Sidney Paget. Publisher's light blue and dark blue cloth gilt respectively. Spines very lightly rolled, gilt to spines perhaps a little rubbed BUT a distinctly superior set of the definitional volumes of Holmseian short stories.

Second edition; 2 vols, folio, (67.1 x 51.2 cm); engraved author portrait, 86 hand-coloured engraved plates, 2 plain engraved folding plates, 3 further plates loosely inserted in volume 2 (comprising duplicates of author portrait, 'Pinus Lambertiana', and 'Araucaria Imbricata'), scattered spotting, transfer from illustrations onto facing leaves, both folding plates creased with closed tears at folds; contemporary red half morocco over marbled boards, leaves uncut, extremities rubbed.

First edition, 4to (26.7 x 21.2 cm). 28 pp. including title, dedication, preface, table description of the plates and half-title, cliv pp., half-title, 640 pp. including appendix, index and errata page, with 23 engraved plates, some folding, including 13 aquatints coloured by hand engraved by Edward Finden after Lavrov, a folding plan of Moscow by Mutlow and 2 wood engraved illustrations in text, bookplate and shelf label to upper pastedown; contemporary half calf over marbled boards, spine in six parts with gilt ruled raised bands, morocco label to second, corners bumped, slight wear to covers, internally very fresh, an excellent example.

First edition, 4to (36 x 30 cm); [1], 27 pp., 12 hand-coloured aquatint plates including frontispiece, all numbered and captioned, original publisher's label pasted in at rear, untrimmed pages; contemporary half dark green morocco gilt, light green boards, spine gilt lettered and decorated in compartments, raised bands; slightly worn at edges, faded to brown, a fine example.

First edition; folio (30.5 x 19.5 cm); text in Latin, woodcut title device and large woodcut arms on verso, one folding plate, 87 woodcuts in text of which 4 are full-page, decorative woodcut initials and head- and tail-pieces, title page trimmed, partially restored and washed (possibly from another copy), scattered light foxing; later calf with unidentified gilt armorial device to covers, gilt lettering to spine, short split to spine, extremities slightly rubbed, otherwise an overall very good copy; [xvii], 240, [2](blank)pp.

First edition, second issue. 8vo, xxxviii, 648 pp., 4 coloured plates, 7 illustrations in text, 2 maps, occasional light spotting, original brick red cloth gilt, neat repairs to extremities and inner hinges, a very good copy.

First English editions, folio (42 x 27 cm) I. Title-page printed in red and black, portrait frontispiece of John Ogilby signed by P. Lilly, additional engraved title-page by Hollar, double-page engraved map and 19 engraved plates (of which one double-page, 121 engravings in thetext, of which 14 signed by Hollar, plate at page 40 with short margins, occasional light toning, occasional dusty margin, new endpapers.

II. Letterpress title-page printed in red and black, additional engraved title-page, double-page engraved map, 38 plates in full-page of which 32 double-page, 57 engravings in the text, plate at page 44 with short margin and repair to lower margin not affecting image, occasional light toning, new endpapers.

Together 2 volumes, contemporary mottled calf, neatly rebacked, spines richly gilt, a very handsome set.

First edition, folio (30.5 x 23 cm); 8pp., chromolithographed throughout after Mitrokhin with three full page; original printed wrappers, slight soiling to lower of upper cover but otherwise a fine copy.

Folio, (40.5 x 29 cm); text in English and French, title and spine dated 1766 but actually 1794 (1794 watermarked paper), additional hand-coloured decorative title, hand-coloured engraved frontispiece, 44 hand-coloured engraved plates, scattered light foxing (not affecting plates), occasional light marginal dust-staining (not affecting illustrations), ex libris to front free endpaper; contemporary red half morocco over marbled boards, spine gilt in compartments, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, corners slightly rubbed, an excellent copy; iv, 145, [iv, index]pp.

First edition thus, one of 2 copies on Imperial vellum numbered xx, from a total edition of 22, Prokosch's own copy with his signed bookplate, also signed by him on the colophon; 12mo; original hand-coloured illustration by Frederic Prokosch signed by him in pencil and mounted as frontispiece; original patterned brick red and gilt wrappers, gilt label to upper cover, with Prokosch's manuscript 'Bibliographical Note' on blue paper, preserved in blue marbled folding case and quarter morocco slipcase. A fine example.