Books

1st Edition James Bond, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, by Ian Fleming. Part of The ‘Blofeld’ Sequence. The Most Infamous Villain In The James Bond Canon. Written By Fleming at ‘Goldeneye’ Whilst Sean Connery Was Filming His First Bond, “Dr. No” Nearby

Part of another small collection of James Bond First Editions that just arrived

1st Edition, 1st impression. Published by London: Jonathan Cape. 1963 original cover. (1963) On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the tenth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 1 April 1963. The initial and secondary print runs sold out, with over 60,000 books sold in the first month. Fleming wrote the book in Jamaica whilst the first film in the Eon Productions series of films, Dr. No, was being filmed nearby.
With a delightful hand written birthday dedication dated April 1963, the same month this Ist edition, first impression was published, with its original Richard Chopping designed dust cover.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the second book in what is known as the "Blofeld trilogy", which begins with Thunderball and concluded with You Only Live Twice. The story centres on Bond's ongoing search to find Ernst Stavro Blofeld after the Thunderball incident; through contact with the College of Arms in London Bond finds Blofeld based in Switzerland. After meeting him and discovering his latest plans, Bond attacks the centre where he is based, although Blofeld escapes in the confusion. Bond meets and falls in love with Contessa Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo during the story. The pair marry at the end of the story but Blofeld kills Bond's wife, hours after the ceremony.

Fleming made a number of revelations about Bond's character within the book, including showing an emotional side that was not present in the previous stories. In common with Fleming's other Bond stories, he used the names and places of people he knew or had heard of and Blofeld's research station on Piz Gloria was based on Schloss Mittersill, which the Nazis had turned into a research establishment examining the Asiatic races.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service received broadly good reviews in the British and American press. The novel was adapted to run as a three-part story in Playboy in 1963 and then as a daily comic strip in the Daily Express newspaper in 1964–1965. In 1969 the novel was adapted as the sixth film in the Eon Productions James Bond film series and was the only film to star George Lazenby as Bond. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was written in Jamaica at Fleming's Goldeneye estate in January and February 1962, whilst the first Bond film, Dr. No was being filmed nearby. The first draft of the novel was 196 pages long and called The Belles of Hell. Fleming later changed the title after being told of a nineteenth-century sailing novel called On Her Majesty's Secret Service, seen by Fleming's friend Nicholas Henderson in Portobello Road Market.

As with his previous novels, Fleming used events from his past as elements in his novel. Whilst at Kitzbühel in the 1930s, Fleming's car, a Standard Tourer, had been struck by a train at a level crossing and he had been dragged fifty yards down the track. From that time on he had associated trains with death, which led to their use as a plot device not just in The Man with the Golden Gun, but also in Diamonds Are Forever and From Russia, with Love.
To demonstrate just how much all things original Bond are appreciated in the world of collectors, the Walther pistol used by Connery in the poster of From Russia With Love, in 1963, and also drawn in the man With The Golden Gun is in fact just an air pistol. A .177 (4.5mm) Walther 'LP MOD.53' Air Pistol, Serial No. 054159. That pseudo pistol was sold by Christies in 2010, with an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000, but for an incredible £277,000. {We dropped out of the bidding at a mere £22,000} Incredible in that it was never used in any film, it was just an air pistol, not a real automatic, and only ever used in promotional posters. It was 'said' to have been used by accident in fact as they couldn't find a correct Walther.
A full set of 1st edition Ian Fleming's 14 James Bond novels published by Jonathan Cape between 1953-1966 could now cost in the region of £90,000. plus
Comprising of:
Casino Royale,
Live and Let Die,
Moonraker,
Diamonds are Forever,
From Russia with Love,
Dr No,
Goldfinger,
For Your Eyes Only,
Thunderball,
The Spy Who Loved Me,
On Her Majesty's Secret Service,
You Only Live Twice,
The Man with the Golden Gun
and
Octopussy and the Living Daylights {two storys in one volume}.


The dust jacket has a few small tears, but overall a jolly nice volume.

Out of interest, our last example of this super Ist edition James Bond, in around the same condition, we sold as a gift for an American megastar, who is now, apparently, the most famous and biggest selling movie actor in the world.

For those that have interest in World War II clandestine operations, we have acquired a small unique collection or original German badges personally collected by a former 30 AU commando, during clandestine raids, serving in Lt Commander Ian Flemings, so-called, “Red Indians”, of 30 assault commando.
Each superb iconic piece of history is for sale separately. Naturally, each piece comes with our usual certificate of authenticity, just as we have issued for all our pieces since after the war.

The partners of The Lanes Armoury have, for many decades, a very special interest in the clandestine forces of World War II, thus, offered and sold over the decades since the war, some of the most incredible artifacts of former SOE and OSS secret equipment and weaponry that you could ever find.

An interest that was likely formed as the current partner‘s father was an RAF bodyguard of Barnes Wallis, one of the greatest top-secret ‘boffins’ to have ever lived, the brains behind the dam-busters and so many other intriguing inventions for the RAF.
Also, the partner’s mother was a dear friend of former agent 365 of the Belgian Resistance, Countess Anita Vulliamy, who remarkably survived capture and torture by the Gestapo in WW2, and relocated to Hove after the war, and Mark, the elder partner, knew quite well a very famous spy, but for the ‘other side’, of Joe Stalin’s KGB, the ‘Cambridge Five Spy Ring’ recruiter. Of course it wasn’t until she had died that it was revealed to the public she was indeed one of the infamous World War II traitors and communist spy. Edith Tudor-Harte lived only a few hundred yards from the The Lanes Armoury gallery.  read more

Code: 26283

One of The Most Famous 20th Century Writers in The World. James Bond Ist Edition "You Only Live Twice" Ist Issue, Fleming, Ian Published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1964. Basis for the James Bond Movie, Sean Connery & Karin Dor As Bond-Girl Helga Brandt

Our latest addition to our small Ian Fleming 1st Edition collection.
Jonathan Cape, London, 1964. the 2nd Bond book. Black Cloth with Japanese kanji . Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition:Good. First Edition. A first edition/first Impression.
A first edition, first impression (stating 'First Published 1964' versus the second state 'March 1964') of Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice, here in highly collectible condition. With the original dustjacket designed by Richard Chopping, It is the last novel by Fleming to be published in his lifetime, with subsequent works (Man with The Golden Gun and Octopussy) being published posthumously. First edition, first impression (stating 'First Published 1964' versus the second state 'March 1964'), correctly priced at 16s.net. Original black cloth boards with the spine lettered in silver, with title in Japanese on front board in gilt. Internally fresh Original dustjacket by Richard Chopping with the pink presenting beautifully mild toning to the jacket spine. A near-fine example. Published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1964.

Ian Fleming was probably one of the most interesting Englishman of the 20th century. 90% of the world would believe that is because solely of his contribution to the literary world of his eponymous icon, James Bond. Also, for his other well known and famous literary masterpiece, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

However, long before the escapades described of Mr Bond, he was indeed a WW2 master spymaster himself, creating some of the most clandestine groups of special forces the world has ever known, but it is hardly, in fact, known around the world at all.
His clandestine force, called 30 commando or X force, Aka the Red Indians, contained some of the bravest and most resourceful men to have fought in World War II. In fact all of them versions of James Bond himself and his connection to so many other clandestine operations, such as The Dieppe Raid, and some still secret today, is not frequently known by all of the admirers of his post war craft. His clandestine force was actually referred to in one of his early books, and he subtly described them, as Bonds affinity to playing like Red Indians.

The Metaphorical Meaning in the novel, Casino Royale is when the villain, Le Chiffre, mocks James Bond by telling him he is "playing Red Indians". He implies that Bond is acting like a naive child who thinks the world is simple, mistakenly believing it is easy to tell black and white, or absolute good and evil, apart. The real-life inspiration outside of the narrative, is that the term refers to the previously described 30 Assault Unit (30 AU). This was a real-life commando unit formed by Ian Fleming during World War II, made up of specialist intelligence troops tasked with infiltrating enemy lines and securing documents. Fleming originated the idea for this group and personally nicknamed his commandos his "Red Indians

Throughout a jolly nice copy. "When Ernst Stavro Blofeld blasted into eternity the girl whom James Bond had married only hours before, the heart, the zest for life, went out of Bond" (from the dust-jacket). Basis for the James Bond movie with Sean Connery and Karin Dor as Bond-Girl Helga Brandt. This film is the first Bond movie to deviate from the source material. Other than the Japanese setting, and several characters, the two stories are very different. A first edition/first Impression (stating "first Published 1964" versus the second state "March 1964")
You Only Live Twice
Cinema poster showing Sean Connery as James Bond fly his monocoptor over the villains lair.
British cinema poster for You Only Live Twice.

The movie was Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Produced by Albert R. Broccoli
Harry Saltzman

Distributed by United Artists
Release date
12 June 1967 (London, premiere)
You Only Live Twice is a 1967 British spy film and the fifth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name. It is the first James Bond film to discard most of Fleming's plot, using only a few characters and locations from the book as the background for an entirely new story.

In the film, Bond is dispatched to Japan after American and Soviet manned spacecraft disappear mysteriously in orbit. With each nation blaming the other amidst the Cold War, Bond travels secretly to a remote Japanese island to find the perpetrators and comes face to face with Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE. The film reveals the appearance of Blofeld, who was previously a partially unseen character. SPECTRE is working for the government of an unnamed Asian power, implied to be the People's Republic of China, to provoke war between the superpowers.

During the filming in Japan, it was announced that Sean Connery would retire from the role of Bond, but after a hiatus, he returned in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and later 1983's non-Eon Bond film Never Say Never Again. You Only Live Twice is the first Bond film to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, who later directed the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me and the 1979 film Moonraker, both starring Roger Moore.

You Only Live Twice was a great success, receiving positive reviews and grossing over $111 million in worldwide box office.

For those that have interest in World War II clandestine operations, we have acquired a small unique collection or original German badges personally collected by a former 30 AU commando, during clandestine raids, serving in Lt Commander Ian Flemings, so-called, “Red Indians”, of 30 assault commando.
Each superb iconic piece of history is for sale separately. Naturally, each piece comes with our usual certificate of authenticity, just as we have issued for all our pieces since after the war.

The partners of The Lanes Armoury have, for many decades, a very special interest in the clandestine forces of World War II, thus, offered and sold over the decades since the war, some of the most incredible artifacts of former SOE and OSS secret equipment and weaponry that you could ever find.

An interest that was likely formed as the current partner‘s father was an RAF bodyguard of Barnes Wallis, one of the greatest top-secret ‘boffins’ to have ever lived, the brains behind the dam-busters and so many other intriguing inventions for the RAF.
Also, the partner’s mother was a dear friend of former agent 365 of the Belgian Resistance, Countess Anita Vulliamy, who remarkably survived capture and torture by the Gestapo in WW2, and relocated to Hove after the war, and Mark, the elder partner, knew quite well a very famous spy, but for the ‘other side’, of Joe Stalin’s KGB, the ‘Cambridge Five Spy Ring’ recruiter. Of course it wasn’t until she had died that it was revealed to the public she was indeed one of the infamous World War II traitors and communist spy. Edith Tudor-Harte lived only a few hundred yards from the The Lanes Armoury gallery.  read more

Code: 26281

A Superb Leather Bound Volume of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's, - The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Leather Bound, Ist "Longmans' Colonial Library" Edition, Published In 1894

It has all the classic Sydney Paget illustrations, including this famous one of "The Death of Sherlock Holmes."

The Longmans, Green & Co. Colonial Library edition of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, typically published in 1894, is a scarce and highly collectible variation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic second collection. It is highly sought after by collectors of antique literature and Arthur Conan Doyle editions

Longmans, Green & Co. released this as part of their Colonial Library series in 1894.
Unlike the larger 1893 Newnes quarto edition, the Longmans release is a standard crown octavo format.
These vintage printings typically include the original, iconic illustrations by Sidney Paget.

The first version of the stories were published in Strand Magazine 1892-93, once bound in a single volume they generally featured standard publisher's cloth or paper-wrapped boards (such as pale green decorated cloth) rather than bespoke leather.

True leather-bound deluxe copies, from 1894 and beyond, such as this one, are almost always custom, bespoke bindings or rebound versions from private collectors or museum collections.

"The Adventure of Silver Blaze"
"The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" – not in the first British edition, thus, not is this 1894 bound volume
"The Adventure of the Yellow Face"
"The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk"
"The Adventure of the Gloria Scott"
"The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual"
"The Adventure of the Reigate Squire"
"The Adventure of the Crooked Man"
"The Adventure of the Resident Patient"
"The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter"
"The Adventure of the Naval Treaty"
"The Adventure of the Final Problem"

The first London edition of the Memoirs in 1894 did not include "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box", although all twelve stories had appeared in the Strand Magazine. The first U.S. edition included the story, but it was very quickly replaced with a revised edition that omitted it. The reasoning behind the suppression is unclear. In Britain the story was apparently removed at Doyle's request as it included adultery and so was unsuitable for younger readers. This may have also been the cause for the rapid removal of the story from the U.S. edition, and some sources state that the publishers believed the story was too scandalous for the American public.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes features illustrations by Sidney Paget throughout. An iconic work authored by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, it is a collection of 12 stories originally appearing in The Strand Magazine from 1892-1893. Late 1893 saw its first appearance in book form, printed with a 1894 date. Doyle intended to kill off Sherlock Holmes in the final story, 'The Final Problem'; but, reader demand prompted the author to produce a novel sequel, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', and the character's 'return' in the equally successful 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes'. This edition of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes provides an essential piece of literary history and a unique glimpse into the Victorian era, complete with Paget's classic illustrations throughout. Enjoy the iconic stories of Holmes and Watson as they were originally intended, in their original form and with the illustrations that made them so popular.  read more

Code: 26259

Rare Ist Edition Of 'The Hunting of the Snark', Publication Date 29 March 1876, Subtitled An Agony, in Eight Fits By Lewis Carroll. Ist Impression. With * Supposed Error; 'Baker' instead Of 'Butcher' Page 83 Line 6

The Hunting of the Snark, subtitled An Agony, in Eight Fits, is a poem by the English writer Lewis Carroll. It is typically categorised as a nonsense poem.
Written between 1874 and 1876, it borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight portmanteau words from Carroll's earlier poem "Jabberwocky" in his children's novel Through the Looking-Glass (1871).
First Edition. First Impression, with "Baker" instead of "Butcher" on p.83, line 6. Octavo (18.75cm); publisher's original buff cloth, with titling and decorations stamped in black on spine and covers; all edges gilt; surface losses to the spine; contents nice. A well-preserved copy of Carroll's wildly popular nonsense poem, drawing language and characters from his earlier poem "Jabberwocky." "A comic narrative in verse in which ten would-be heroes go in quest of the legendary Snark, the difficulties of finding it compounded by the possibility that it might turn out to be a Boojum" (Barron, Fantasy Literature 2-24). Williams 31.

Macmillan published The Hunting of the Snark in the United Kingdom at the end of March 1876, with nine illustrations by Henry Holiday. It had mixed reviews from reviewers, who found it strange. The first printing of the poem consisted of 10,000 copies. There were two reprints by the conclusion of the year; in total, the poem was reprinted 17 times between 1876 and 1908. The poem also has been adapted for musicals, movies, opera, plays, and music.

The narrative follows a crew of ten trying to hunt the Snark, a creature which may turn out to be a highly dangerous Boojum. The only crew member to find the Snark quietly vanishes, leading the narrator to explain that the Snark was a Boojum after all.

Carroll dedicated the poem to young Gertrude Chataway, whom he met in the English seaside town Sandown on the Isle of Wight in 1875. Included with many copies of the first edition of the poem was Carroll's religious tract, An Easter Greeting to Every Child Who Loves "Alice".

Various meanings in the poem have been proposed, among them existential angst, an allegory for tuberculosis, and a mockery of the Tichborne case.

While Carroll denied knowing the meaning behind the poem, he agreed in an 1897 reply to a reader's letter with an interpretation of the poem as an allegory for the pursuit of happiness.
Henry Holiday, the illustrator of the poem, considered the poem a "tragedy"

This Ist edition of Hunting of The Snark, valued at £200,000, became the central theme of an entire film episode of 'Lewis' from the cannon of works based around Inspector Morse the now world famous Oxford detective. His sergeant, Lewis, had his own Oxford based series after he was promoted to Inspector following the death of his dear friend, mentor and senior colleague of the Thames valley Police.

The Soul of Genius.
DI Lewis and DS Hathaway investigate the murder of Murray Hawes, an Oxford professor whose body was found in a shallow grave in the woods. Dawes lived in a spartan apartment but had recently made an expensive purchase: an edition of Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark, annotated by the author himself, for £200,000. In fact, their investigation shows that he was fanatical on the subject of the snark and was determined to solve Carroll's intricate riddle. Where he got the money is one line of inquiry but it's clear that he and his brother, the Rev. Connor Hawes, were in dangerous competition, something they had been doing since childhood. Making life more difficult for the police is Michelle Marber whose son was found dead several years ago. Although the coroner ruled death by misadventure, she is convinced that he was killed by Dr. Alex Falconer who had some type of connection with Hawes. Falconer, a medical research scientist, denies any knowledge of Hawes. Several suspect ts have lied to the police and the motivation of one of them leads the police the to killer.

*Please note, although it is often recorded that ‘Baker for Butcher’ is a 1st Edition first impression printing error, it is supposedly a myth, and there are no actual copies that do have Butcher.

This is yet another example of the numerous myths and legends that seem to surround this famed poem. Maybe it should be re-titled ‘The Hunting Of The Myth’ as it’s easier to find the myths than the likely true meaning of Dodgson’s iconic work.  read more

Code: 26256

Beautiful Antique Volume,The Timeless Classic, Lewis Carroll, 'Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.' Original 1928 Printing Deluxe Sangorski & Sutcliffe Binding. From The Library of Mina Bowater, Ex Libris Book-Plate by Malcolm Appleby

Lewis Carroll, - Charles Lutwidge Dodgson,

"A Joy To Recieve, Yet An Even Greater Joy To Give"

M.H.

Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Illustrated by Sir John Tenniel. illustrated with 16 colour plates.
Printed by Macmillan, 1928.

Bound by Sangorski & Sutcliffe in red half morocco over marbled boards and endpapers, spine with raised bands, gilt in compartments,

Bookplate to front endpaper “Mina Bowater” Designed by gun engraver Malcolm Appleby.
Malcolm Appleby turned his Silver Trust commission towards a more peaceful end: the pieces are lavishly engraved. From his workshop, in a converted railway station near Aberdeen, he said, ‘I like to keep my eye on the outside world.’ But he is a far from detached observer; his engravings contain opinions. Appleby trained at four art schools, including the Royal College of Art. His unique bespoke bookplate designs could be commissioned for serious collectors from Malcolm Appleby at a cost of around £2,000.

Sangorski & Sutcliffe is a firm of bookbinders established in London in 1901. It is considered to be one of the most important bookbinding companies of the 20th century, famous for its luxurious jeweled bindings that used real gold and precious stones in their book covers.

Sangorski's elder brother, Alberto Sangorski (1862–1932), worked for the firm. He became an accomplished calligrapher and illuminator, working for Rivière from 1910.

They quickly revived the art of jewelled bookbindings, decorating their sumptuous multi-colour leather book bindings with gold inlay and precious and semi-precious jewels. They were commissioned to create a most luxurious binding of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the front cover of which was adorned with three golden peacocks with jewelled tails and surrounded by heavily tooled and gilded vines, that was sent on the ill-fated RMS Titanic in 1912. The book, known as the Great Omar, sank with the ship and has not been recovered. Shortly afterwards, in July 1912, Sangorski drowned at Selsey Bill on the south coast of England.

Sutcliffe continued the firm, which became recognised as one of the leading bookbinders in London. The bindery moved to Poland Street, and managed to survive through the First World War, the Great Depression, the Second World War, and post-war austerity. In this period, it undertook work for the Ashendene Press, Golden Cockerel Press and the J. & E. Bumpus bookshop. It also created miniature books for Queen Mary's Dolls' House.

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a novel published in December 1871 by Lewis Carroll, the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a mathematics lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford.
It is the sequel to his Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), in which many of the characters were anthropomorphic playing cards. In this second novel the theme is chess. As in the earlier book, the central figure, Alice, enters a fantastical world, this time by climbing through a large looking-glass (a mirror)n 1 into a world that she can see beyond it. There she finds that, just as in a reflection, things are reversed, including logic (for example, running helps one remain stationary, walking away from something brings one towards it, chessmen are alive and nursery-rhyme characters are real).

Among the characters Alice meets are the severe Red Queen, the gentle and flustered White Queen, the quarrelsome twins Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the rude and opinionated Humpty Dumpty, and the kindly but impractical White Knight. Eventually, as in the earlier book, after a succession of strange adventures, Alice wakes and realises she has been dreaming. As in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the original illustrations are by John Tenniel.

The book contains several verse passages, including "Jabberwocky", "The Walrus and the Carpenter" and the White Knight's ballad, "A-sitting on a Gate". Like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the book introduces phrases that have become common currency, including "jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day", "sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast", "un-birthday presents", "portmanteau words" and "as large as life and twice as natural".

Through the Looking Glass has been adapted for the stage and the screen and translated into many languages.  read more

Code: 26257

A Super Rare & Important Historical Volume, Superbly Bound in Vellum, of :The Voiages and Travels of John Struys through Italy, Greece, Muscovy, Tartary, Media, Persia, East-India, Japan, and other Countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia Published in 1684

The Voiages and Travels of John Struys through Italy, Greece, Muscovy, Tartary, Media, Persia, East-India, Japan, and other Countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia:

Containing Remarks and Observations Upon the Manners, Religion, Polities, Customs and Laws of the Inhabitants; and a Description of Their Several Cities, Towns, Forts, and Places of Strength: Together with an Account of the Authors Many Dangers by Shipwreck, Robbery, Slavery, Hunger, Torture, and the Like. And Two Narratives of the Taking of Astracan by the Cossacks, Sent from Captain D.
Done Out of Dutch, by Johh sic Morrison.
STRUYS, Jan Janszoon.

Struys, John
Published by London Abel Swalle, 1684

The Voiages and Travels of John Struys is one of the most wide-ranging European travel accounts of the 17th century, covering vast territories from Moscow to Persia, Java to Japan. Despite its adventurous and sometimes exaggerated tone, it remains a vital historical source, particularly in English-language accounts of Japan—a country that had already sealed itself off from most of the Western world. Its mix of personal survival, cultural documentation, and geopolitical observation makes it an invaluable record of early modern global encounters.

The Voiages and Travels of John Struys is a remarkable early modern travel narrative that recounts the extraordinary journeys of Jan Janszoon Struys, a Dutch sailor and adventurer, across Europe, Africa, and Asia. First published in Dutch in 1676 and translated into English in 1684, this work is the youngest book featured in this exhibit. Despite its later publication date, it is a vital piece of English-language history, particularly for its rare account of Japan, a country that had largely closed itself off from external influences by this period.

Struys’ narrative is not merely a travelogue but an account of survival, exploration, and cultural observation. His voyages took him through Italy, Greece, Muscovy, Tartary, Persia, the East Indies, and Japan, offering one of the most extensive European travel accounts of the 17th century. Along the way, he endured shipwreck, robbery, slavery, hunger, and torture, making his work as much a tale of personal hardship as it is an ethnographic and geographic record.

What It Is & How It Was Made
Struys’ account was compiled from firsthand experiences during his time as a sailor, mercenary, and trader between 1647 and 1673. The book, originally published in Dutch, was later translated into English by John Morrison and printed in London in 1684.

The Voiages and Travels was aimed at European readers with an interest in foreign lands, including merchants, scholars, and naval officers. The English translation broadened its audience, offering one of the few widely available accounts of Japan in English, a language that had very few records of the country due to Japan’s self-imposed isolation under the Tokugawa shogunate.

Because Struys' travels coincided with a period of intensifying European colonial and commercial activity, his book was widely read in England and the Netherlands, influencing European perceptions of Russia, Persia, and Japan.

Struys’ Voiages and Travels provides, One of the earliest English-language accounts of Japan, detailing customs, governance, and daily life at a time when the country had restricted European contact to a single Dutch trading post at Dejima.
Descriptions of major cities and regions, including Moscow, Astrakhan, Isfahan, Java, and Edo (Tokyo), offering rare glimpses into political and military structures.
Ethnographic observations, noting the manners, clothing, and religions of people across Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and the Indian Ocean world.
Accounts of extreme hardship, including Struys’ capture and enslavement by Tartars, his forced service in Russian campaigns, and his survival of multiple shipwrecks and battles.
His descriptions—while sometimes exaggerated—provide a rare firsthand record of areas that few Europeans of his time had visited.

Struys’ narrative is a blend of fact and dramatic storytelling. As was common in early travel writing, he sometimes sensationalizes events or relies on secondhand reports. However, many of his descriptions—particularly of Japan and Persia—are consistent with other historical records, lending credibility to key portions of his account. One such recounting is of a wealthy man, with many wives, declared one wife an adultress, so, with the authorities permission, he had her tied naked to a cross, and flayed her alive, for all his other wives to witness, with her resultant screams being beyond previous experience, and then her body nailed to a wall for all in the town to see. A point of interest, the observant may notice, in the opening page copperplate engraving, the title of the book is within a cartouche of the flayed skin of the most unfortunate wife.

Japan’s Isolation & the Rarity of English Accounts
By the time Struys reached Japan, the country had severely restricted foreign contact, limiting trade and diplomacy to Dutch merchants at Nagasaki’s Dejima island. This makes Struys’ observations exceptionally rare in English-language sources, offering one of the only 17th-century English records of Japan before the country reopened to the West in the 19th century.

This most rare original volume is now only usually to be seen in the libraries of the great Universities of Great Britain, Canada and America, and naturally, The British Library. It is truly an amazing read.

This stunningly vellum rebound volume has a single copper plate first page illustration.  read more

Code: 26255

Superbly Bound, Leather & Tooled "Quattrocento" Style, In Gilt. A Richly Bound Special Parisien Reprint of 1971, of Dante Alighieri’s 14th Century 'La Divine Comédie',{ Divina Commedia } Purgatoire {Purgatory, Purgatorio}. Illustrations by Botticelli

Dante Alighieri’s 'Purgatory' from his masterpiece 'La Divine Comédie'. The perfect read while waiting to clear customs at Charles De Gaulle Airport. Hopefully, you may even get through the queue before the end

A bilingual French-Italian edition of Dante Alighieri’s La Divine Comédie, published by the Parisian publisher Jean de Bonnot in 1971. It features Sandro Botticelli's legendary illustrations and bound in "Quattrocento" style, richly gold decorated full leather.

Parallel Italian and French translations (by André Pératé, with the Italian text established by Marina Zorzi Kolasinski de Kojen) Contains reproductions of Sandro Botticelli's celebrated lead and silver-point drawings. Features publisher's full tawny or marbled leather (plein cuir), with gold tooling in the "Quattrocento" style on the spines and covers, gilt top edges, and an attached ribbon bookmark.

Dante Alighieri's Epic Poem written between 1308 and 1321, this narrative poem is considered the cornerstone of Italian literature and a masterpiece of Western civilization.

It follows Dante himself (guided by the Roman poet Virgil, and later his muse Beatrice) through the three realms of the afterlife:
Inferno (Hell),
Purgatorio (Purgatory),
and Paradiso (Paradise).

The poem features 100 cantos in total and is known for its intricate numerical and symbolic structures, deeply intertwined with medieval European philosophy, theology, and politics

It has heavily shaped modern perceptions of the Christian afterlife and inspired generations of artists, sculptors, and writers.

The Divine Comedy { Divina Commedia } is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed c. 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of Western literature. The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the medieval worldview as it existed in the Western Church by the 14th century. It helped establish the Tuscan language, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language.

The poem explores the condition of the soul following death and portrays a vision of divine justice, in which individuals receive appropriate punishment or reward based on their actions. It describes Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Allegorically, the poem represents the soul's journey towards God, beginning with the recognition and rejection of sin (Inferno), followed by the penitent Christian life (Purgatorio), which is then followed by the soul's ascent to God (Paradiso). Dante draws on medieval Catholic theology and philosophy, especially Thomistic philosophy derived from the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas.  read more

Code: 26109

'The Beasts of Tarzan', First Edition, By Edgar Rice Burroughs -A.L.Burt & Co, New York, 1916. With Illustrations by J. Allen St. John, Bound In Full Green Morocco Leather, With Gold Tooling by Sangorski & Sutcliffe for Asprey of Bond St.London

Edgar Rice Burroughs - The Beasts of Tarzan, w/ Illustrations by J. Allen St. John, first edition, A.L.Burt & Co, New York, 1916, rebound in full green morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. Overall in excellent condition.

Only the second one we have seen of this fine example in 10 years.

The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs is a must-read for all literature and fiction enthusiasts. This original 1916 first edition hardcover book is a collector's item with special attributes that make it unique. It takes readers on a thrilling adventure with the iconic character Tarzan in North America, filled with action and suspense. The publisher A L Burt has done a fantastic job printing this book in English, and it's a great addition to any collection.

The story begins a year after the conclusion of the previous book, Tarzan (Lord Greystoke) and Jane have had a son, whom they have named Jack. Tarzan has spent much time building an estate home on the Waziri lands in Uziri, Africa, but has returned to his ancestral estate in London for the rainy season.

Tarzan's adversaries from the previous novel, Nikolas Rokoff and Alexis Paulvitch, escape prison and kidnap the Greystoke heir. Their trap is elaborate and insidious, leading both Tarzan and Jane to be kidnapped as well. Rokoff exiles Tarzan on a jungle island, informing him that Jack will be left with a cannibal tribe to be raised as one of their own, while Jane's fate is to be left to his imagination.

Using his jungle skill and primal intelligence, Tarzan wins the help of Sheeta, the vicious panther, a tribe of great apes led by the intelligent Akut, and a native warrior, Mugambi. With their aid, Tarzan reaches the mainland and begins a lengthy pursuit to find Jane (who is actively engineering her own extrication) and Jack.

Sangorski & Sutcliffe is a firm of bookbinders established in London in 1901. It is considered to be one of the most important bookbinding companies of the 20th century, famous for its luxurious jeweled bindings that used real gold and precious stones in their book covers.

Sangorski & Sutcliffe was established by Francis Sangorski (1875–1912) and George Sutcliffe (1878–1943). They had met in 1896 at a bookbinding evening class taught by Douglas Cockerell at the London County Council's Central School of Arts and Crafts.

In 1898, Sangorski and Sutcliffe each won one of the ten annual craft scholarship awards, giving them £20 a year for three years to continue their training as apprentice bookbinders. They were employed at Cockerell's own bindery, and began to teach bookbinding at Camberwell College of Art. They were laid off in 1901 after a coal strike caused an economic slump, and they decided to set up on their own in a rented attic in Bloomsbury, starting on 1 October 1901. They soon moved to Vernon Place, and then, in 1905, to Southampton Row.

Sangorski's elder brother, Alberto Sangorski (1862–1932),1 worked for the firm. He became an accomplished calligrapher and illuminator, working for Rivière from 1910.

They quickly revived the art of jewelled bookbindings, decorating their sumptuous multi-colour leather book bindings with gold inlay and precious and semi-precious jewels. They were commissioned to create a most luxurious binding of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the front cover of which was adorned with three golden peacocks with jewelled tails and surrounded by heavily tooled and gilded vines, that was sent on the ill-fated RMS Titanic in 1912. The book, known as the Great Omar, sank with the ship and has not been recovered. Shortly afterwards, Sangorski drowned.

Sutcliffe continued the firm, which became recognised as one of the leading bookbinders in London. The bindery moved to Poland Street, and managed to survive through the First World War, the Great Depression, the Second World War, and post-war austerity. It also created miniature books for Queen Mary's Dolls' House.  read more

Code: 25632

English Translation of Mein Kampf by A. Hitler, My Struggle. Published by Hurst and Blackett. 1938, The Year Hitler Was Named Time Magazine's "Man of the Year"

First library edition, October 1938. Published in London by Hurst and Blackett. With author's photograph and publication autograph signature, and a further publication signature to the Author's Forward.

Very good condition for age, usual yellowing to pages.

Hurst and Blackett.
In October 1933, just nine months after Hitler rose to power in Germany, started to publish, in English, Hitler's infamous biographical book, Mein Kampf. Probably the most famous biography in publishing history.

Hitler began dictation of the book while imprisoned for what he considered to be "political crimes" following his failed Putsch in Munich in November 1923. Although Hitler received many visitors initially, he soon devoted himself entirely to the book. As he continued, Hitler realised that it would have to be a two-volume work, with the first volume scheduled for release in early 1925. The governor of Landsberg noted at the time that "he hopes the book will run into many editions, thus enabling him to fulfil his financial obligations and to defray the expenses incurred at the time of his trial."

Hitler originally published his book in German in 1925. There was a little if any interest in Mein Kampf outside the country as he was an unknown Bavarian fringe candidate. When he unexpectedly vaulted to power in January 1933, European publishers rushed to obtain the contract to translate his work and publish it in other countries. Because the German Mein Kampf was so telling about the coming war and atrocities he would inflict on the French, the Soviet, and most of all the Jewish people, Adolf Hitler was hesitant to allow any translations or publishing rights in different countries. As most of you know, Hitler fought bravely during the entire four years of the Great War and he was wounded twice. During that time, as he later recounts in Mein Kampf, Hitler became convinced the French rather than the British were his true western enemies. In fact during the first three years of his chancellorship, Hitler tried repeatedly to secure a military alliance with England so they could help him destroy France, or at least stand by while Hitler obtained his sweet revenge for Germany's humiliation at the Versailles peace table. So the newly-appointed German leader authorised Mein Kampf to be translated into English and published by London's Hurst and Blackett in the spring of 1933. However, Hitler never allowed a complete translation. After an Englishman named Edgar Dugdale completed his work on the actual translation, the Nazis insisted on revising and censoring the 700 page book. Hitler employed Nazi party official Dr. Hans Thost to specifically go through and remove offending passages in Mein Kampf and to also surgically alter his original German words to make a direct appeal for his British alliance. Dr. Thost was the sole Nazi party official living in London at this time. He spent the summer of 1933 altering and removing over 400 pages from this new English translation and when he was finished, he finally allowed Hurst and Blackett to take this edition to print that September. Even though Hitler was now the leader of Germany, the British publishing house Hurst and Blackett was hesitant about printing too many copies of this book initially. 1933 was the height of the Great Depression, and books were only for the few. It wasn't until 1937 that Hurst and Blackett started cranking out a cheaper, smaller My Struggle because Europeans started to become nervous as Hitler was clearly rearming and reindustrializing Germany. Most copies were purchased by British intellectuals or those keenly interested in foreign policy. Most of those people lived in London, and quite a few of the copies of this book were destroyed in the Blitz. Indeed the Hurst and Blackett Publishing house was completely destroyed by German bombs in 1940.

The book was edited by the former Hieronymite friar, catholic priest and journalist, Bernhard Stempfle, who later died during the Night of the Long Knives.

The book was so successful around the world Hitler used the proceeds to fund his entire election campaign, tours and lectures. And due to its and the authors success he was named Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" in 1938. A later Time Magazine "Man of the Year" {not once, but twice} was 'Uncle' Joe Stalin, also Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini {in 1979}, and Vladimir Putin {2007}

The first 1933 Hurst and Blackett English edition can now achieve values up to £6,500

After Hitler's death, copyright of Mein Kampf, along with other Nazi assets, was given to the state government of Bavaria, which refused to allow any copying or printing of the book in Germany. In 2016, following the expiry of the copyright held by the Bavarian government, Mein Kampf was republished in Germany for the first time since 1945, which prompted public debate and divided reactions from Jewish groups. A team of scholars from the Institute of Contemporary History in Munich published a two-volume, almost 2,000-page edition annotated with about 3,500 notes. This was followed in 2021 by a nearly 900-page French edition based on the German annotated version, with about twice as much commentary as text.  read more

Code: 25039

A Most Rare Item Taken From, Hitler’s No. 2, Field Marshal Keital’s Personal Library in Berlin 1946. ‘Briefe Napoleons’ From Field Marshal Keitel's Personal Collection, From His Late Son, an SS Sturmbanfuhrer, Who Was Killed in Combat

Briefe Napoleons des Ersten : in drei Banden ; Auswahl aus der gesamten Korrespondenz des Kaisers. Napoleon the First. Selection from all the correspondence of the emperor. Published in 1910; Napoleon's correspondence from 1809 until his death in 1821. Published in 3 volumes this is volume 3. Taken in 1946 from the family library of Field Marshal Keitel, and one of two books from the library we have acquired, the first one was sold. Bearing the Ex Libris Book Label of his family and eldest son, who he lost in the war, Karl-Heinz Keitel SS-Sturmbannfuhrer of 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer, awarded the German Cross in Gold, Iron Cross 1st Class for heroism, Iron Cross IInd class, Close Combat Clasp & Wound Badge in black. Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (22 September 1882 - 16 October 1946) was the most famous German field marshal of WW2 who served as chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) for most of World War II, making him the Chief of Defence for Germany and Hitler's number two after Reichmarshall Goring. At the Allied court at Nuremberg, he was tried, sentenced to death, and hanged as a war criminal. He was the third highest-ranking German officer to be tried at Nuremberg. Karl-Heinz Keitel was born on 2 January 1914, in Wolfenbuttel, the eldest son of Wilhelm Keitel who would rise to become Chief of the OKW, the German Military High Command, during World War II. Karl-Heinz joined the Heer in 1934 and served in various cavalry units following the outbreak of war in 1939. In June 1943 he was assigned to the Kavallerie-Schule in Potsdam-Krampnitz, and served as a battalion commander, and later the regimental commander of the Kavallerie-Regiment Nord. On 5 August 1944, he transferred into the Waffen-SS and served with the 22. SS-Freiwilligen-Kavallerie-Division "Maria Theresia". On 20 October of that year, he was promoted to command SS-Freiwilligen-Kavallerie-Regiment 17 / 22.SS-Freiwilligen-Kavallerie-Division "Maria Theresia" in the area of Hungary. In November 1944, combined with the Florian Geyer division, the "Maria Theresia" was assigned to the garrison of Budapest. On 12 December he was wounded in action while defending against Red Army probing attacks into Budapest for which he was awarded the Wound Badge in Black.
In March he transferred to the 37. SS-Freiwilligen-Kavallerie-Division "Lutzow" as its commander, and led the 2000 strong remnants of the division in heavy fighting around Wiener-Neustadt as part of 6. SS-Panzer Armee. He was reportedly promoted Obersturmbannfuhrer (Lieutenant Colonel) in the closing months of the war. The book's label also bears the label of his wife Dorothee, the daughter of the Werner Eduard Fritz von Blomberg (2 September 1878 - 14 March 1946) was a German Generalfeldmarschall, Minister of War, and Commander-in-Chief of the German Armed Forces until January 1938. The marriage of Karl-Heinz and Dorothee was one of the reasons her father, Generalfeldmarschall von Blomberg, was forced to resign by Hitler in 1938 It was in order to avoid a damaging scandal caused by the Generalfeldmarschall's new wife's criminal history as a prostitute that was discovered by Himmler. It was an extraordinary discovery as both Hitler and Goring attended her wedding to Keitel. Another volume that we know of, also originally from Field Marshal Keitel's library, an 1827 first edition of Alexander Pushkin's 'The Robber Brothers' printed in Russian, was apparently given to Keitel in 1941/2, after it's liberation from another but unknown Russian Ex Libris collection during Operation Barbarossa. That volume was given, in its turn in 1945, to Marshal Zhukov, commander of the Army of the USSR, and bears his Red Star stamp, and also Keitel's military stamp. That volume may weel have bee liberated from the Keitel family home library as was this book alongside the other we are offering for sale. Napoleon Bonaparte was General of the French Revolution; the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from 11 November 1799 to 18 May 1804; then Emperor of the French (Empereur des Francais) and King of Italy under the name Napoleon I from 18 May 1804 to 6 April 1814; and briefly restored as Emperor from March 20 to June 22 of 1815. This unique piece is exactly the kind of item we are seeking and finding every day, and thus duly offer for sale in our shop and website. Unique, original pieces for the discerning collector, and items that simply cannot be found any where else. We are now the only shop in Britain that offers such pieces, every day, and have done and hopefully will continue to do so  read more

Code: 19643