Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions’ September Bibliophile Sale
The impressive selection of books on offer at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions’ 11th September Bibliophile sale include a superb compendium of Masterpieces of Industrial Art & Sculpture by John Burley Waring, the first American Edition, second state of Darwin's Origin of Species and William Curtis’s Flora Londinensis.
As always, the sale will feature a broad selection of interests from Art & Architecture, Natural History, English Literature, Travel, Sport and Pastimes, Militaria, Wine and Winemaking.
The travel and topographical sections include a number of interesting items such as John Auldjo’s Narrative of an Ascent to the Summit of Mont Blanc (1828) [Lot 31, est. £800 - 1,200], prospective buyers also have an opportunity to purchase Josias Simler's Vallesiae et Alpium descriptio (1633); this work also contains the first mention of crampons to be used by climbers, and there are sections on keeping warm and on snow blindness [Lot 37, est. £400 - 600].
Of the science lots, highlights include the first American Edition, second state of Darwin's Origin of Species (1860) [Lot 88, est. £1,000 - 1,200] and a first edition of Torricelli’s twelve unpublished lectures, Lezioni Accademiche (1715), delivered to the Accademia della Crusca, the Studio Fiorentino, and the Academy of Drawing. The lectures relate mainly to physics, and include discussions on impact, wind and military architecture. Bonaventuri's preface contains a biography of Torricelli and an excellent overview of his work [Lot 105, est. £600 - 800].
Of worthy mention in the Natural history section is William Curtis' Flora Londinesi featuring 216 finely hand-coloured engraved plates by Sydenham Edwards, William Kilburn and James Sowerby [Lot 109, est. £1,000 - 1,500].
Lots 130 to 176 form a particularly impressive collection of wine and wine-making books. Opening the section is Observations Historical, Critical, and Medical, on the Wines of the Ancients (1775) by Edward Barry [Lot 130, est. £350 - 400]. The improved 3rd English Edition of Bordeaux and its Wines Classed by Order of Merit (1899) by Charles and Edouard Cocks [Lot 139, est. £900 - 1,000] and André Simon's - History of the Champagne Trade in England (1905) [Lot 157, est. £900 - 1,000] are both of note.
In the Arts & Architecture section is John Burley Waring’s Masterpieces of Industrial Art & Sculpture (1863), a superb 3 volume compendium of over 1000 objects that were presented at the International Exhibition 1862 [Lot 213, est. £400 - 600], as well as a number of large lots containing photobooks.
In English literature, Moryson's Itinerary (Containing his Ten Yeeres Travell) (1617) is a particularly impressive and much esteemed work [Lot 259, est. £1,500 - 2,000]. Also in English Literature is Plutarch, The Lives of Noble Grecians and Romains (1631) as translated by Sir Thomas Knight [Lot 260, est. £400 - 600].
Lots 272-285 cover militaria and of particular note is German Tanks in the Desert, North Africa, 1942 (1942) - Geoff Hunt [Lot 282, est. £400 - 600] and Battleship (1997) - Ray Hutchins [lot 285, est. £250 - 350].
The Bibliophile Sale will be held in the Bloomsbury Auctions’ Surrey saleroom in Baverstock House, Godalming at 11.00am on Thursday 11th September 2014. To view the catalogue online and for additional images of the lots, please visit www.bloomsburyauctions.com.
