The title-page wood engraving is signed “Whitney” — possibly Elias James Whitney.

•  Publisher's brown cloth, front cover with gilt-stamped pictorial vignette in blind-stamped frame; cloth with spots of discoloration, corners and spine extremities a little rubbed. Light to moderate foxing/spotting. Charming.  (23911)

•  Wing E3513 (first ed.) On Evelyn, see: Dictionary of National Biography, XVIII, 79–83. Contemporary speckled sheep with red gilt-stamped morocco spine label; some little chipping to edges, with joints and spine lightly abraded and cracking (not disastrously). Early inscription reads "Evelyns Sculptura compiled originally the elder Faithorne." Pages unspotted for the most part, and plates in good condition save for slight offsetting to frontispiece. A pleasing book!

Single-click the image for an enlargement.

•  NSTC 2F1364 (Imprint 9). Contemporary embossed calf framed in gilt-stamped border, spine with gilt-stamped title and decorative motifs; edges and extremities rubbed, with some of the raised portions of the leather lightened. Pages with a very few instances of pencilled marginalia; plates moderately foxed, with mild foxing to leaves immediately surrounding plates. (10621)

Sold door-to-door by agents of the King-Richardson Company, this work was originally published in 1885. It appears here with an introduction by Dr. George Post.

•  Publisher's textured brown cloth, front cover and spine stamped in black and gilt; very slight rubbing to corners and spine extremities only. Front pastedown with ownership inscription; front advertising leaf with rubber-stamp scribbled over to point of obliteration and tearing the paper (though not harming text on reverse) in red. It is notable that all “bits” of the “manikin” are present!  (23363)

The author here, a member of the Order of Minims, here attempts to produce a brief and accurate life St. Paphnutius of Thebais that will "unconfuse" his biography, which had been overlain with events from the lives of two other saints named Paphnucio. He also delves into the conjunction of St. Paphnutius's life with that of St. Thais, whom he rescued.

A handsome engraving opposite the author's prologue shows St. Paphnutius in prayer, leaning on a boulder, with a book in his hands; on the boulder is the upper portion of a skull, next to which is a rough cross made out of two small tree branches. There are at least three states of the engraving! In one state the margin below the illustration is a full one and has, in all capital italics: San Paphnucio. This state is usually printed in sepia ink. In another state the lower margin has clearly been shortened by cutting away a portion of the copper, but the words "Montes de Oca grabo en M.co" are clearly visible as are the tops of the letters of a picture legend; that legend begins much further to the left than the simple "San Paphnucio" of the first-described state. In the third state the plate is almost identical to that just described, but more copper has been cut from the lower margin, leaving "Montes de Oca grabo en M.co" but totally eliminating the lettering of the legend. The states with Montes de Oca's name are usually printed in black ink. Montes de Oca was, of course, one of Mexico's greatest and most prolific engravers of the nineteenth century.

Offered here is a copy with the plate in the full-margined state, without Montes de Oca's name present, and printed in sepia ink.

•  Medina, Mexico, 10481; Garritz, Impresos novohispanos, 773. On Montes de Oca, see: Diccionario Porrúa de historia, biografía y geografía de México (5a ed.), II, 1957. Clean, crisp copy with a little light waterstaining at top of first leaves, and a good impression of the plate.

•  Sternick 496.4 (describing binding as red).   Publisher's blind-stamped green textured cloth, spines gilt extra; bindings fresh and clean. Eight vols. of 12 present. Each volume with inked ownership inscription dated 1863 on front free endpaper. Pages slightly age-toned with occasional faint offsetting from illustrations, generally clean. A beautiful set, virtually as new.  (24423)

•  NSTC C26475; Shaw & Shoemaker 4218; Gaines, Cobbett, 62c. On Forsyth, see: Dictionary of National Biography, XX, 35. On Cobbett, see: Dictionary of National Biography, XI, 142–45; Appleton, I, 669. Recent quarter walnut brown calf over marbled paper; spine with two red leather labels, gilt-lettered with a single fillet above and below; remainder of spine divided into compartments by blind rules, with gilt-stamped date at base. Pages and plates lightly age-toned, a little cockled, and lightly soiled throughout with some shallow chipping, light foxing, and waterstaining. Rubber-stamps from a now-defunct library, including one on title-page. Pencilled ownership inscription on title-page. A nicer book than the faults-list makes it sound like, to read or work with.

Click the images for enlargements.

•  Not in American Imprints (1839).   Contemporary speckled sheep, rebacked and rehinged some time ago with library brown tape; binding much worn and abraded, spine cloth with window cut to show original gilt-stamped title (covered with cellophane tape). Spine with institution's call number; front pastedown, first and last text pages, and all edges of closed book rubber-stamped. Pages foxed. (20025)

Click the interior image for an enlargement.

The binding is full blue linen stamped in gold on the spine and front cover, with additional ornamentation to both covers in deep pink. Top edges are gilt, others deckle; one leaf is left unopened.

•  Limited Editions Club, Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by The Limited Editions Club, 1929–1985, 49.   Binding as above; spine sunned and with thumbnail sized dark patch at head and foot. Some cracking along the top edges and spine of the slipcase, which is still sturdy; spine of case sunned, paper label a little soiled. Pages clean; no ownership markings or labels. A very good, clean copy.  (22313)

A special issue copy: Present here is an uncalled-for frontispiece. It is of four Capuchin martyrs, is signed by the artist Navarro, is engraved on copper, and is printed au sanguine -- the color reserved for only the most special copies of 18th-century books. This frontispiece is not called for by Medina and is not present in any of the copies reported as held in the U.S.

•  Medina, Mexico, 4991; Palau 45600; Sabin 11098; Maggs, Bibliotheca Asiatica, 611.   Full antique calf, spine gilt, leather label. Slight worming to late leaves, repaired with tape in an inoffensive fashion. Quite a good copy.  (12725)