English History

An Essay on the Ancient and Modern Use of Armories; Shewing Their Origin, Definition, and Division of them into their several Species. The Method of Composing them, and Marshalling many Coats together in one Shield. Alexander Nisbet – First Edition 1718 – Nice Item

Title continues … Illustrated by many Examples and Sculptures of the Armorial Ensigns of Noble Families in this and other Nations … To which is added, An Index explaining the Terms of Blazon made use of in this Essay.

First Edition and scarce. Printed by William Adams Jnr for James MackEuen (to be sold at his shop), Edinburgh 1718.

Small quarto, 224 pages preceded by introductions and subscribers list. With seven folding plates of multiple images of arms, and the aforementioned Index of Terms. Contains a detailed account of the reigns of British Royalty and the origins of their arms. Bound in original full calf in very good condition. Internally, very light browning and signs of old worming long gone. The quality and the condition of the copper engraved plates is something special.

Scottish historian Alexander Nisbet’s works on heraldry are considered the best on the subject.

Nisbet the Authority and an early First Edition of his “Essay on Heraldry”

$290.00

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Map of Northumberland – John Speed / Pieter van den Keere – 1627

A delightful and quite rare map of Northumberland … the origin of Voyager.

Pieter van den Keere (1571-1646) engraved a series of miniature English County maps based on the original surveys of Christopher Saxton. First published by Willem Janzoon Blaeu in 1617 they were Anglicised by the great cartographer John Speed and published by George Humble in 1627. They are often referred to as “Miniature Speeds”.

Printed area 12.3cm by 8.6cm good plate mark. This example has a shallow lower margin and a little age … altogether still a very good example of a rare near 400 year old map.

The map stretches to Carlisle and beyond in Cumberland. The county border is clearly shown as a dotted line and at this time Berwick – Upon – Tweed (Barwick) is clearly in England. Holy Island, the Farnes and Coquet Island feature in their olde names. The Cheviot and Simonside Hills are shown and numerous of the Northumberland Norman Castles feature. Interestingly, Cartington has been mis-engraved and a little “t” has been inserted above … a distinctive feature of this engraving that pins its provenance down quite nicely. Voyager used to play among the ruins of Cartington as a young fellow.

Special map of Northumberland a delight for expatriate Northumbrians and all.

$160.00

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Historic Sail – The Glory of the Sailing Ship from the 13th to the 19th Century – Wheatley

A massive production principally by Joseph Wheatley as this is a most visual work … text by Stephen Howarth.

Squarish folio, 33cm by 32cm, 206 pages, published by specialist Greenhill Books, London in 2000.

With 91 colour plates of historic vessels with accompanying text page. A quality production and a very good copy. Probably too big for an overseas purchase (and our scanner) .. please enquire though.

Presented in chronological order with the Danish 13thC Cog and then the Cinque Ports Cog and Venetian Merchantman. Along the way we have Carricks and Caravels before the 16thC Galleys and the Flemish Warships. Some specifics … the Revenge and the San Martin and the Golden Lion. The Armada vessels and the Dutch and the mighty Sovereign of the Seas. Gun ships and the first yachts … HMB Endeavour an to finish a Scottish Tea Clipper.

At the time of publication Joseph Wheatley was part of the crew on the replica Endeavour … half your luck … one of the images is that magnificent converted collier.

A special book for grown up Boys who like the Sea.

$50.00

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Cromwell – English Civil War – Sarcastic Notices of the Long Parliament – Editor J.C. Hotten [1863 re 1660]

Title continues … A List of the Members that Held Places, both Civil and Military … with the Sums of Money and Lands which they Divided among Themselves.

A Victorian facsimile, published 1863, of a nigh impossible to get 17th Century account.

A first of type. Bound in original salmon cloth covered boards, very clean copy internally, a small dint to the board front edge and sun effect to lower rear board … despite that a very good copy. Very clean internally printed on top class paper for the esteemed Chiswick Press.

Small quarto, 49 pages plus adverts of interest regarding other classic references.

The original accounts were titled “Mystery of the Good Old Cause’ of 1660, a satire on the Long Parliamentarians ‘self denying’ act, essentially a biographical catalogue of Parliamentarian collaborators. The Editor remarks … “Only a very few copies of the present work have been reprinted”.

Having carried out research at Voyager, we cannot sensibly estimate the print run, but can say that few copies exist anywhere. We are also intrigued by the family names that seem to have benefited from the goings on … many still seem to be at the top of the money pile today.

For those not informed the Long Parliament was … well long … 1640-1660. It followed the Short Parliament, which last three weeks in the aforesaid 1640. That in turn followed 11 years without a Parliament, Changing times.

The reality of English 17th Century – Greed but with Control … super record of goings on among the well healed of the day

$190.00

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The Compleat Plattmaker – Edited by Thrower – Six Distinguished Contributors

Essays on Chart, Map, an Globe Making in England in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.

First edition published by the University of California Press in 1978.

Edited by Norman Thrower who was the Clark Library Professor, 1972-1973. A collection of six scholarly essays by leading authorities, including Helen Wallis the Map Librarian at the British Library.

Octavo, 241 pages nicely illustrated with some images rarely seen because of the focus of the essays. Very good condition.

Content comprises … Geographie is Better than Divinitie – the Dyas of Samuel Pepys; Manuscript and Printed Sea Charts of 17thC London; Mapping the English Colonies in North America; John Seller and the Chart Trade in 17thC England; English Cartography 1650-1750; Edmond Halley and Thematic Geo-cartography.

Special publication worth it for Pepys alone and Moxon’s pocket globe!

$40.00

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Antique Map of the British Isles (Veteris et Novae Britanniae) – Philipp Cluver – c1690’s

An original copper engraved map by Philipp Cluver (also known as Cluverius). This fine map comes from his great work “Introductions in Universam Geographicam”.

Surprising detail such as Hadrian’s Wall and further north Antonine’s Wall which is misplaced and should be further north again. The exaggerated scale of the lochs and lakes of Scotland and Ireland is typical of these early maps.

Inset map of the Orkney Islands, a figurative title cartouche featuring Britannia, compass rose and mileage cartouche with cherubs adds to the decorative style. A truly lovely early map

Very strong impression on chained paper, folded as published, some age as expected. A very good example. Size 36cm by 26cm excellent for. framing.

Price unframed $140.00

$140.00

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An Essay on the Ancient and Modern Use of Armories; Shewing Their Origin, Definition, and Division of them into their several Species. The Method of Composing them, and Marshalling many Coats together in one Shield. Alexander Nisbet – First Edition 1718 – Nice Item

Map of Northumberland – John Speed / Pieter van den Keere – 1627

Historic Sail – The Glory of the Sailing Ship from the 13th to the 19th Century – Wheatley

Cromwell – English Civil War – Sarcastic Notices of the Long Parliament – Editor J.C. Hotten [1863 re 1660]

The Compleat Plattmaker – Edited by Thrower – Six Distinguished Contributors

Antique Map of the British Isles (Veteris et Novae Britanniae) – Philipp Cluver – c1690’s

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