(Mountaineering) Stories from Switzerland and the Tyrol by (Browne, James D. Howe - 1853

London: W. M. Thompson, 1882. Fifth Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. Walton, Elijah. The illustrations are particularly attractive to alpine enthusiasts since they include mountain backgrounds by the famous alpine artist. Very scarce. 5th edition (same contents & size as first edition but different colored binding), 335mm tall x 241mm, viii + 12 chromolithograph plates each mounted on thick stock paper (blank verso), each followed by a page of descriptive text (blank versos), each chromolithograph page is preceded by a thin blank protective page. Complete with all pages and plates. NOT ex-library, previous owner name penned to the first blank protective page (blank page before first illustrated plate). AEG, original blue cloth covers, rebacked with new navy cloth spine with gilt lettering (Walton's books almost always fall apart and need rebacking), new EPs, highly gilt decorated patterns front cover, matching patterns in blind on rear cover,… Read More

London: Akfred W. Bennett, 1866. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Good/No Jacket. Ernest Edwards. FIRST EDITION 1866. Original blue pebbled cloth, AEG, gilt lettering front cover & spine, gilt decoration of box camera and ice-axe on front cover, gilt title frame front, gilt rules spine ends, debossed triple borders front & rear covers. Diffuse grubbiness covers, rubbed spine ends and corners, no owner writing or marks on any pages, solid binding, paper cracked inside hinges but hinges strong and not broken (mess is solid and tight), some foxing in places but considerably less than what is frequently found for this book. The book measures 275mm tall x 215mm, and has 243 pages, 28 b/w photos, map. This is probably the earliest mountaineering book to use photographs as illustrations. Account of the author's excursion to Bernese Oberland with the purpose of photographing the mountains and the climbing. The group was comprised of 5 men and 4 women, plus the famous guide Christian Almer,… Read More

Westminster London: Archibald Constable and Co, 1900. First Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. vittorio sella. FIRST PRINTING of First UK Edition. Rebound in green cloth to resemble the original binding with original front cover title patch cleanly mounted in original position on front cover and original spine patches similarly mounted. Overall nice condition. Tight binding with no loose pages (the text block has been sewn into page gatherings = the stitching shows at the start/end of each gathering --> see photo). Gift inscription on front pastedown. No other former owner writing or marks in book. Based on the inscription, this book was given to Smoke Blanchard prior to his 1964 expedition to Mt St Elias, possibly by Vin Hoeman, beloved climber & mountaineering historian who perished in an avalanche on the 1969 Dhaulagiri expedition along with 6 others, though the "Love Always" seems a bit melodramatic. Smoke Blanchard's St Elias expedition was a 4-man… Read More

179 pages. Rebound in full vellum; binding tight, all pages clean, no tears, no repairs, some pencil marks. Very slight foxing here and there and delicate age-tinting. Five raised bands, title stamped in gold on red leather label.Scholar, poet, musician, literary figure and Cardinal Pietro Bembo's (1470-1547) vernacular translation of his famous history of Venice (originally in Latin).

J. Maisonneuve et Ch. Leclerc. Paris. 1889. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. (9.9 x 6.4 inches). vii, 300pp. A very good copy in a fine early leather binding of full dark green morocco. Spine with gilt ruled lines, floral design and lettering. Front board with ruled panels and floral designs, all in gilt Single gilt ruled border to the rear board and board edges. Gilt inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Armorial bookplate of noted author of books on folklore and topography, Sir George Laurence Gomme (1853 - 1916) on the front pastedown. Some offsetting to the endpapers from the leather turn-ins. A little rubbing to the extremities and the spine faded to an attractive brown but overall still a lovely copy of this scarce work in a fine quality binding. The binding is unsigned but is certainly the work of a master bookbinder.

London: W. M. Thompson, 1882. Fifth Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. Walton, Elijah. The illustrations are particularly attractive to alpine enthusiasts since they include mountain backgrounds by the famous alpine artist. Very scarce. 5th edition (same contents & size as first edition but different colored binding), 335mm tall x 241mm, viii + 12 chromolithograph plates each mounted on thick stock paper (blank verso), each followed by a page of descriptive text (blank versos), each chromolithograph page is preceded by a thin blank protective page. Complete with all pages and plates. NOT ex-library, previous owner name penned to the first blank protective page (blank page before first illustrated plate). AEG, original blue cloth covers, rebacked with new navy cloth spine with gilt lettering (Walton's books almost always fall apart and need rebacking), new EPs, highly gilt decorated patterns front cover, matching patterns in blind on rear cover,… Read More

London: Akfred W. Bennett, 1866. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Good/No Jacket. Ernest Edwards. FIRST EDITION 1866. Original blue pebbled cloth, AEG, gilt lettering front cover & spine, gilt decoration of box camera and ice-axe on front cover, gilt title frame front, gilt rules spine ends, debossed triple borders front & rear covers. Diffuse grubbiness covers, rubbed spine ends and corners, no owner writing or marks on any pages, solid binding, paper cracked inside hinges but hinges strong and not broken (mess is solid and tight), some foxing in places but considerably less than what is frequently found for this book. The book measures 275mm tall x 215mm, and has 243 pages, 28 b/w photos, map. This is probably the earliest mountaineering book to use photographs as illustrations. Account of the author's excursion to Bernese Oberland with the purpose of photographing the mountains and the climbing. The group was comprised of 5 men and 4 women, plus the famous guide Christian Almer,… Read More

Westminster London: Archibald Constable and Co, 1900. First Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. vittorio sella. FIRST PRINTING of First UK Edition. Rebound in green cloth to resemble the original binding with original front cover title patch cleanly mounted in original position on front cover and original spine patches similarly mounted. Overall nice condition. Tight binding with no loose pages (the text block has been sewn into page gatherings = the stitching shows at the start/end of each gathering --> see photo). Gift inscription on front pastedown. No other former owner writing or marks in book. Based on the inscription, this book was given to Smoke Blanchard prior to his 1964 expedition to Mt St Elias, possibly by Vin Hoeman, beloved climber & mountaineering historian who perished in an avalanche on the 1969 Dhaulagiri expedition along with 6 others, though the "Love Always" seems a bit melodramatic. Smoke Blanchard's St Elias expedition was a 4-man… Read More

179 pages. Rebound in full vellum; binding tight, all pages clean, no tears, no repairs, some pencil marks. Very slight foxing here and there and delicate age-tinting. Five raised bands, title stamped in gold on red leather label.Scholar, poet, musician, literary figure and Cardinal Pietro Bembo's (1470-1547) vernacular translation of his famous history of Venice (originally in Latin).

J. Maisonneuve et Ch. Leclerc. Paris. 1889. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. (9.9 x 6.4 inches). vii, 300pp. A very good copy in a fine early leather binding of full dark green morocco. Spine with gilt ruled lines, floral design and lettering. Front board with ruled panels and floral designs, all in gilt Single gilt ruled border to the rear board and board edges. Gilt inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Armorial bookplate of noted author of books on folklore and topography, Sir George Laurence Gomme (1853 - 1916) on the front pastedown. Some offsetting to the endpapers from the leather turn-ins. A little rubbing to the extremities and the spine faded to an attractive brown but overall still a lovely copy of this scarce work in a fine quality binding. The binding is unsigned but is certainly the work of a master bookbinder.