Illustrated Works

Ten Droll Tales – Honere de Balzac – Illustrated by Jean de Bosschere – First 1926

The best rendition of Balzac’s hilarious and modestly erotic work. A very collectable item. Carries the distinguished bookplate of bibliophile Lancelot Goodenough Hayter (1882-1946) whose family can be traced back to the 16th Century – Hayter is a corruption of a German word meaning “Entertainer”.

A fine production published by John Lane the Bodley Head as a limited edition in 1926. Large octavo, xx, 221 pages, bound in original orange cloth covered boards, lavish gilt decoration, numbered 918 of a limited 1,000 copies. With the originally designer dust jacket; very much a rarity, albeit with the odd chip. Very good condition, decorated boards clean, internally very good a super copy.

Longer title explains more … Ten droll Tales. Being the story of the Fair Imperia, the Venial Sin, the Merrie Diversions of the Christian Majesty King Louis the Eleventh, together with certain other Quaint and Piquant Histories making up the First Decade of the Droll Tales of the Master Honore de Balzac rendered faithfully into English by J. Lewis May, with an Introduction by Andre Maurois and Illustrations by Jean De Bosschere.

And, it’s the remarkable, decadent, illustrations by Jean de Bosschere that really make the book as well as his design for the book binding itself. Sixteen full page coloured illustrations – in his usual striking palette; and further line drawings in keeping with the overall theme

Droll and rather titillating – Beautiful Bosschere illustrations – Rare Dust Jacket

$180.00

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The Charge of the Light Brigade – Alfred Lord Tennyson

The most unusual and dramatic presentation of this high energy poem about the “Charge of the Light Brigade” against the Russian Batteries at Balaclava on 25th October 1854. It didn’t go well.

Landscape presentation with this unusual London Evening Star cover.

Published by Golden Press New York in collaboration with Paul Hamlyn in London in 1964. Unpaginated but twenty plus pages of verse strikingly illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen probably America’s best ever illustrators of book for young people … this one with a much more adult tone .. a work of art really.

Tennyson and his “Charge” best presentation

$40.00

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Murder Off Miami – A New Era in Crime fiction – Dennis Wheatley

Originally published in 1936 – this is a faithful 1980’s reproduction of this extraordinary work by Dennis Wheatley – murder planned by J.G. Links.

The most sinister death of multi-millionaire soap powder king Bolitho Blane on board the luxury yacht Golden Gull off Miami looks suspicious. Has he committed suicide or is foul play involved?

Here we have all the clues laid out in front of us in the form of a the law enforcement case file, the complexity and ingenuity of it all is a surprise in itself – it is guaranteed to leave you scratching your head until the end –

Showing bit of age – still a better than good copy – intact in every respect.

Nothing on google will assist you in working this one out – the sealed section is unbroken – do not break until you are absolutely exhausted.

$60.00

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Murder Off Miami A New Era in Crime fiction – Dennis Wheatley

A Voyager favourite .. super intriguing.

Originally published in 1936 – this is a faithful 1979 re-issue of this unique work by Dennis Wheatley.

The most sinister death of multi-millionaire soap powder king Bolitho Blane on board the luxury yacht Golden Gull off Miami looks suspicious. Has he committed suicide or is foul play involved?

Here we have all the clues laid out in front of us in the form of a the law enforcement case file – it is guaranteed to leave you scratching your head until the end – nothing on google will assist you in working this one out.

A “sealed section” reveals the solution – do not peek until you are absolutely exhausted.

$80.00

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Sete – Images of Provence – Seven Poems by Count Potocki of Montalk; Five Drawings by Marjorie Jackson- Pownall – Limited Numbered Eccentric Private Press

A scarce work by the rather odd Count Potocki of Montalk. Number sixty five of 120 copies set by hand by Count Potocki of Montalk, [which] have been printed by hand and foot by him.

Produced in the aforementioned style at The Melissa Press, Villa Vigoni, Chemin de St Martin, Draguignan, Var France – the authors home – 1972.

Printed on Fabriano watermarked paper – we are told in the introduction that “we went to Italy expressly to buy the art paper on which to print Marjorie Jackson-Pownall’s charming drawings, with their unambiguous clarity” ….

Large octavo, 18 pages, bound quarter green cloth over papered [wallpaper?] boards – a fine copy.

Copyright and limitation page, title, charming rather haphazard introduction, the poems and drawings – hints of risqué … see below authors background – artwork neat.

The Count was born in New Zealand in 1903. He is generally described as a poet, polemicist and pretender to the Polish throne – he did genuinely have connections. In 1926 he deserted his wife and child for Europe and the arts. First, to England where he developed his extreme right-wing views knew Mosley but, appears to have been more interested in Mosley’s wife. Moved to Draguignan in southern France after WWII mixed with fellow arty folks in the region and printed several unusual private press items. Backtrack – in England in the 1930’s he was sent to prison for attempting to publish what was then regarded as obscene literature – “the Lament of Sir John Penis” along with translations of Rabelais and Verlaine. He was supported in court by Leonard and Virgina Woolf. Aldous Huxley later arranged bail for another skirmish with the law and funded the purchase of Potocki’s first printing press.

Potocki was a truly odd one – often went about dressed in what he thought was medieval garb – tights, satin pyjamas all wrapped up in velvet curtains etc.

The eccentric Count Potocki of Montalk – a unique item

$120.00

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Australian Private Press: The Dying Stockman – A Ballad … with Notes by Hugh Anderson and Lino Cuts by Ronald Edwards – No 1 of The Black Bull Chapbooks from The Ram’s Skull Press – Signed Limited No 50 of 75.

This is quite a story. Ron Edwards would eventually be given an OAM for his lifetime of work preserving Australian bush heritage. The Rams Skull Press still exists and is run by Ron’s son out of the Brisbane Valley. Ron himself moved from Ferntree, Victoria to equally beautiful Kuranda behind Cairns before he packed his bags.

This first of firsts printed in hand set Baskerville on Tudor Antique paper by R.G. Edwards at the sign of the Rams Skull Press … Lording Street, Lower Ferntree Fully, Victoria … limitation .. February, 1954.

Comprising music score, illustrated with woodcuts, hand sewn with leather ties, preserved inside original goatskin covers. A few insect nibbles to goatskin, otherwise all in excellent condition.

The verses are The Dying Stockman; Rosin the Beau; The Tarpaulin Jack and The Dying Digger … a bit of dying but they seemed to have had a good life and needed few possessions.

Scarce wondrous Australian bush verses printed on a flat bed everything by hand – dressed in goat skin.

$190.00

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Ten Droll Tales – Honere de Balzac – Illustrated by Jean de Bosschere – First 1926

The Charge of the Light Brigade – Alfred Lord Tennyson

Murder Off Miami – A New Era in Crime fiction – Dennis Wheatley

Murder Off Miami A New Era in Crime fiction – Dennis Wheatley

Sete – Images of Provence – Seven Poems by Count Potocki of Montalk; Five Drawings by Marjorie Jackson- Pownall – Limited Numbered Eccentric Private Press

Australian Private Press: The Dying Stockman – A Ballad … with Notes by Hugh Anderson and Lino Cuts by Ronald Edwards – No 1 of The Black Bull Chapbooks from The Ram’s Skull Press – Signed Limited No 50 of 75.

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