Maggs Bros. Rare Books & Manuscripts

A particularly beautiful highlight from our New York Book Fair list: tinyurl.com/MaggsNY18 🌸🐛🦋🐛🌸 "Dr Latham's copy" of “The Aurelian, or Natural History of English Insects; namely Moths and Butterflies. Together with the Plants on which they feed” by Moses Harris. Second edition. Large paper copy. 44 hand-coloured plates. London, 1778 🦋 “One of the most outstanding authors of entomological literature during the eighteenth century” (Lisney). Harris’ distinguished work is almost entirely drawn from life. The plates are some of the finest to have been produced. This copy was owned by Dr John Latham, who is considered the grandfather of Australian ornithology.

Looking to the stars on May the 4th: “Magnetic Variation and Star Maps”. ✨⭐️✨ Set of 6 colour chromolithographed circular maps (four celestial and two terrestrial), published by Colonel Sir Henry James, [London] 1861.

The beautiful 1894 edition of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", with illustrations and binding designed by Hugh Thomson. 💛 The 1894 edition of Pride and Prejudice is rightly praised for its illustrations by Hugh Thomson, described as ‘Fey, anachronistic, and self-consciously escapist’ by Simon Cooke, but it is the iconic binding design by the same artist which really draws the eye. The stunning peacock stamped in gilt on the upper board reflects both the themes of wealth and display with which the novel is preoccupied, but it also suggests themes of courtship and the excesses of vanity which underlie the novel; ’Thomson’s design is extravagant, excessive, self-indulgent, and, in a calculated sense of the term, pointless beyond its ornamentalism: the very qualities that characterize the lives of Austen’s personae and are summed up in his luxurious image.’ This edition is also important for including in its introduction by George Saintsbury the first use of the term ’Janeite’ to describe devotees of Austen’s work.

Books going on shelves in our Early department for the first time.

First edition of “A Narrative of the Briton’s Voyage, to Pitcairn’s Island; including an interesting sketch of the state of the Brazils and of Spanish South America” by Lieut J. Shillibeer (1817). The rare first edition, with etchings made by the author.

“Fairy Tales and Legends by Hans Andersen. Illustrated by Rex Whistler” (1935).

🗺 Map of London from 1818. 🗺 "A Topographical Map of the Country Twenty Miles round London, planned from a scale of two miles to an inch..", William Faden Jnr. (1818). Scarce map of the environs of London to a distance of twenty miles from Charing Cross, the map marking the distances along the road by the mile stones, at a scale of half-an-inch to one statute mile. The map extends from Welwyn, Stapleford and Chelsing, south to Dorking and Edenbridge, and from Windsor in the west east to East Tilbury. William Faden was one of the greatest English mapmakers and publishers of his day, this recognised by his appointment as Geographer to the King. From his shop at Charing Cross, he retailed all manner of maps, large and small, including an extensive range of maps relating to London and the Home Counties. The map is interesting as marking the ‘Garret La Railway’, extending from Wandsworth towards Merstham, properly the Surrey Iron Railway, the first commercial railway in the United Kingdom, opened in 1803, a fixed-rail line, with the carriages drawn by horses. This printing of the map, with the date in the imprint advanced to January 1st 1818, is the first to show Waterloo Bridge (although it is not named). Other additions include the ‘Croydon Canal’, which links Croydon and Deptford, where it joins the ’Gr. Surry Canal’, which extends from near Camberwell to the docks at Rotherhithe.

✨ "Don’t you know that everybody’s got a Fairyland of their own?"✨ “Mary Poppins” by P. L. Travers (1934). First edition, in the scarce dust jacket. Illustrated by Mary Shepard. ☂️

Beautiful watercolours of Madagascar 🎨 Album by Henri Letrillard: 68 original photographs & 19 watercolours, signed with initials or full name. Oblong 4to. 1895 -1902. 🎨 A well-executed album compiled and drawn by Henri Letrillard, a French officer serving in Madagascar, transformed by the 19 watercolours in his hand, which are made with wit and vigour and vividly illuminate the domestic life of the military administration of the island. The years 1896 to 1904 saw a series of insurrections led against the French military and other foreign influences. The French, using their experience in Indo-China used the counter-insurgency “oil-spot” principle, where secure bases were established, from which a ring of stability would spread. Letrillard appears to have served in two such settlements, Madirovalo and Namorako, both some way inland from the north-west coast. Both Madirovalo and Namorako had defended bases, with lookout towers, surrounded by wooden ramparts and drawbridges. These stockades are shown several times in his watercolours but not in the photographs, nor in any other photographs we have seen before of Madagascar. The photographs capture scenes of daily life showing both settlers and natives, views of Diego Suarez, Vohemar, Nossi Bè [sic], Antananarivo and Mahajunga (sometimes spelt here Majunga), and one photograph of Djibouti. One large photograph is of a firing squad “le peloton d’éxecution” at Majunga: the victim is not in the frame, but the event is well attended by onlookers. The caption records the officer in charge of the firing squad was later killed by the enemy in Lampasika. The album concludes with numerous shots of French soldiers at camp including an exceptional photograph of soldiers on a hunting trip, posing very theatrically in front of their tent.

Happy World Book Day from Maggs Bros. 📚 A photo of one of our rooms at 50 Berkeley Square, taken many years ago.

Spotted in a corner of the Maggs Warehouse: a good place to sit and read, undisturbed.

💌 "Constancy" 💌 19th century Valentine card (18cm x 11.5cm). 💐

🎄 Maggs Christmas sneak peak! 🎄 46 Curzon Street is looking like a nineteenth-century Christmas dream. Do come and visit us if you find yourself in Mayfair this festive season!

Happy Caturday everyone! This little feline illustration is one of Richard Bentley’s “ingenious” designs for Thomas Gray’s poems (1765). 😻

In the warehouse today looking for Christmas offerings. 📚🎄

The Company School album (1795-1820). A truly remarkable album containing various sets of architectural, festival, botanical and individual studies painted by Bengal artists for European patrons at the beginning of the 19th century. Paralleling in style and quality the Wellesley Album and Hyde Collection in the British Library, this extensive album of watercolour miniatures gives a beautifully vivid representation of all areas of life in India under Company rule.

Circus poster, c.1798. 🎪 The broadside advertises an evening performance in Hull by the famous equestrian, wire-dancer, juggler, bird imitator and strongman, Peter Ducrow (1765-1815). Ducrow was born in Bruges and known as the “Flemish Hercules” for his strongman prowess. This performance features the “Infant Hercules”, Ducrow’s five year old son, Andrew, who would go on to be even more famous than his father. The broadside notes that the troop are recently returned from a performance in Lisbon where the young Andrew is supposed to have made his debut performance. With two woodcut illustrations at the head of the sheet showing balancing men and tumblers with a barrel of fire. Also included on the bill is a shadow theatre performance “Ombres Chinoises”, a play called “Rural Courtship”, and a number of songs including “The Sailor’s Journal” and “Katty Flanigan”. 🎪🎪🎪