Rare books
Have an older book or manuscript from before 1800 that you would like to sell on consignment or by direct purchase? Please contact Morgan at 530-354-4440.
You must be able to establish provenance, please.
The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. as it is acted at the theatre in Lincoln’s Inn-Fields, by His Majesty’s Servants
by Congreve, William
Condition: Very good
London: J. Tonson, 1697. Second Edition. Boards. Very good. A very good second edition of Mr. Congreve’s famous work.Blue three quarter cloth over maroon and blue marbled boards. Appears to be missing the first free endpaper, otherwise complete and collated. Pencilled marginalia and previous owner’s bookplate on front pastedown. Soft paper. Toning to pages and pastedowns. Scarce. 6 /2 x 8 3/4 inches tall, octavo. The Mourning Bride is a tragedy written by British playwright William Congreve. It premiered in 1697 at Betterton’s Co., Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The play centres on Zara, a queen held captive by Manuel, King of Granada, and a web of love and deception which results in the mistaken murder of Manuel who is in disguise, and Zara’s also mistaken suicide in response.There are two very widely known quotations in the play; from the opening to the play:Music has charms to soothe a savage breast,The word “breast” is often misquoted as “beast” and “has” sometimes appears as “hath”.Also often repeated is a quotation of Zara in Act III, Scene VIII:Heav’n has no rage, like love to hatred turn’d, Nor hell a fury, like a woman scorn’d. This is usually paraphrased as “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” — Wikipedia
$700.00
Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In fifteen books. A new translation. By several hands. Adorn’d with cuts / Ovid’s Metamorphoses made English. By several hands [15 books in two seperate volumes, complete]
by Ovid; George Sewell; J. Philips; John Hughes; Mr. Chute; Mr. Dart; Mr. [Alexander] Pope; Mr. Theobald; Capt. Morrice
Condition: Very good
London: A. Bettesworth and W. Taylor in Pater-Noster-Row, E. Curll in Fleet-Street, and J. Browne without Temple-Bar, 1717. First Edition. Full leather. Very good. Scarce. A very good first edition of this version —- there were competing editors in 1717 — complete and collated in two volumes. This work released after Dryden’s Ovid translations. Sewell’s translations went on to sell in three editions total. Title page on Volume I is loose and reads, “Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In fifteen books. A new translation. By several hands. Adorn’d with cuts.” Consistent with the worldcat entry for this set, the titlepage to vol. II reads: “Ovid’s Metamorphoses made English. By several hands. .,” and J. Browne’s name is spelled “Brown.” Blind and gilt tooled leather boards. Four raised bands. Original paper labels on spines. Joints shallowly cracked on volume I and starting on volume II. Minor loss to spine on volume II. With woodcut bookplate of Glanville Wynkoop Smith on front pastedown of both volumes. One signature on volume II has pulled away from endband and is a bit proud. Text in English is crisp and clear. Marginalia present, including a beautiful short [original??] melody neatly pencilled on rear pastedown. Toning to pastedowns and free endpapers. Marvelous woodcuts throughout. Unpaginated. 3 3/4 x 6 inches tall, 32mo. From the personal library of artist, architect, musician, author, journalist, poet, naturalist and historian Glanville Wynkoop Smith, author of Many a Green Isle (1941) and The adventures of Sir Ignatius Tippitolio, better known to the world as Tippy, proprietor of Tippitolio’s grand imperial hotel Oriella (1945)
$1100.00
Uncommon Works 