The Victorian Country House Revised & Englarged Edition by Mark Girouard

The Victorian Country House Revised & Englarged Edition by Mark Girouard lands on the shelves of my shop.

Yale University Press, 1979, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Jacket illustration: From the cover of a book commemorating the visit of Edward, Prince of Wales, and Princess Alexandra to Cragside in August 1884. Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Facsimiles; Colour Photographs; Black & White Drawings; Illustrated endpapers and blanks; Plans;

From the cover: The great wealth of nineteenth-century Britain led to an astonishing boom in the building of country houses. These houses were generally of an enormous size and complexity, and exhibited a remarkable variety of design. Mark Girouard, author of Life in the English Country House, displays his vast knowledge and critical insight in a wide-ranging approach to this fascinating subject. He deals not only with the houses themselves but also with the architects involved, the social and economic conditions that made such massive structures possible, the cumbersome domestic organization that dictated their design, and the ingenious technological developments in plumbing, heating and construction that enhanced the comfort of country living.

The book begins with a perceptive, analytic essay in which the author describes the social climate of the Victorian era and its influence on the architecture. From this perspective, he presents an in-depth look at thirty individual houses great establishments of the aristocracy, Gothic and mediaevalist follies, grandiose fantasies of the industrial rich, and ruins of houses too eccentric to survive each in a different way epitomizing the prosperity, individuality and self-assurance of the age. The book concludes with a catalogue of all the most important houses as well as biographical notes on the major architects.

Originally published in 1971, this book has become established as a classic study of Victorian architecture. For this new edition, the author has substantially revised the text and written two new chapters. The original illustrations are augmented by thirty-three new colour plates.

Writing with his distinctive blend of scholarship, fluency and wit, Mark Girouard has achieved a lucid and engrossing mixture of architectural and social history, of interest and importance not only to serious scholars but to anyone who is curious about the attitudes and way of life of a past generation.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper. Price Clipped. Previous owners’ inscription to the head of the title page. Pages very gently age-tanned.

Red boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 467 pages. Index. 10¼” x 8″.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Furniture by Edward Joy

Furniture by Edward Joy lands on the shelves of my shop.

The Connoisseur, 1972, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Jacket illustration: Chair, carved rosewood, inlaid with engraved brass, seat covered with contemporary needlework. English; 1735-40. Illustrated by way of: Colour Photographs; Black & White Drawings;

From the cover: The development of furniture in the Western world through the centuries, from medieval times to the present day, with special emphasis on the great periods of the English and French designers and craftsmen. Hundreds of drawings and eight pages of colour photographs.

THE CONNOISSEUR ILLUSTRATED GUIDES are designed to help collectors overcome the basic problems of how to identify an object within its likely period and style, and to make a reasonable judgment on its comparative quality. Therefore the types of objects illustrated range from those that are commonly available, to those that can be seen in a museum or house open to the public.

Through the use of drawings, salient general features have been emphasised for easier recognition. The objects chosen range through the centuries and include not only those of British origin, but also many others from overseas whose design has either influenced, or been influenced by, our own products. Specially selected representative pieces are pictured in colour photographs. The illustrations combine to form a visual index showing the continuing evolution of design and the developing use of techniques and materials. Introductions and factual text give all the relevant background information, and there is a list of books for further reading and a full index.

No book can be a substitute for experience, but the aim of this series is to encourage collectors to develop more confidence in their own judgment.

In the Connoisseur Illustrated Guides series.

Very Good in Good Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper with a small scrape to the foot of the upper panel. Price Clipped. Edges of the text block lightly tanned. Previous owners’ inscription to the first blank.

Green boards with Gilt on Purple Title Plate titling to the Spine. 226 pages. Index. Bibliography. 8¾” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler

Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler lands on the shelves of my shop.

Michael Joseph, 2008, Hardback in dust wrapper.

From the cover: A potential breakthrough discovery to reverse global warming a series of unexplained sudden deaths in British Colombia a rash of international incidents between the United States and one of its closest allies that threatens to erupt into open conflict

NUMA© director Dirk Pitt and his children, Dirk Jr. and Summer, have reason to believe theres a connection here somewhere, but they also know they have very little time to find it before events escalate out of control. Their only real, clue might just be a mysterious silvery mineral traced to a long-ago expedition to find the fabled Northwest Passage. But no one survived from that doomed mission; captain and crew perished to a man and if Pitt and his colleague Al Giordino arent careful, the very same fate may await them.

Filled with the breathtaking suspense and audacious imagination that have become his hallmarks, this is a tour de force, further proof that when it comes to adventure writing, nobody beats Clive Cussler.

In the Dirk Pitt series.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Black boards with Silver titling to the Spine. 515 pages. 9½” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

London: A Social History by Roy Porter

London: A Social History by Roy Porter lands on the shelves of my shop.

Hamish Hamilton, 1994, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Jacket illustration: An anonymous view of London, 1887, in the Guildhall Library, London. Illustrated by way of: Facsimiles; Black & White Drawings; Maps;

From the cover: From Wapping to Whitehall, Soho to Surbiton, London is many things to many people. As London continues to transform itself, this fascinating and exemplary history looks at the reasons why London grew as it did and why it continues to change.

London is an extraordinary city. From a backwater in Roman times it grew continuously throughout the Middle Ages until it far outreached any other English city. By the time of the Fire of London in 1666 it was bigger than the next five cities put together. Over the next three hundred years it sucked in immigrants from all over Britain and, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Europe and the world. This huge metropolis was the hub of an empire Emporium to the world. Only since the Second World War has decline set in, with a falling population and rising unemployment.

With the exceptional wit, erudition and panache for which he is famous, Roy Porter charts not only the physical changes of the city the endless building expansion but the whole life of the city. It is all here: the remarkable things people have done for a living; the crime; the epidemics; the life of the Quality; the middle classes and the very poorest of the poor; the recreational activities, from Shakespeares theatre, fairs and pleasure gardens to the cinema and football. London: A Social History is that rare book: one of impeccable scholarship that will also give pleasure to the widest possible range of readers.

Very Good in Good Dust Wrapper. Gently faded at the spine of the dust wrapper which has a 1½” closed tear to the foot of the upper panel. Text complete, clean and tight, but the text block has a black mark to the foot which may be a remainder mark.

Green boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [XVI] 431 pages. Index. Bibliography. 10″ x 7¾”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!