A Collection of Mock Valentines
London, circa 1830. Half leather and marbled paper over boards (5” x 7.5”); 5 raised bands comprising 6 compartments with gilt-stamped lettering and fleur-de-lis; unpaginated (approx. pp. 100), with twenty-four hand colored illustrations. A curious collection, seemingly culled from three rather scarce sources: “The New London Fashionable Gentleman’s Valentine Writer” and “Richardson’s New Fashionable Lady’s Valentine Writer; or, Cupid’s Festival of Love,” both published in Derby by Thomas Richardson and Son, and “Collection of Mock Valentines” from an unknown publisher – all published circa 1830-1840.

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A Transvestite Love Story, from the library of Mme.de Pompadour.

Choisy, Francois Timoleon, abbe de. (1664-1724). Histoire de Madame la Comtesse des Barres. A Madame la Marquise de Lambert. Bruxelles: Chez Francois Foppens, 1736. 12mo. 19th-century fine dark-blue crushed morocco by Trautz-Bauzonnet of Paris. Near Fine.
First Edition. Splendid association copy with the most elite of 18th century French women. This book was at once in the famed collection of rococo femme savant and marquise Madame de Pompadour (1721-1764). Choisy, although a prominent French cleric, diplomat, and writer of works on church history and memoirs, is perhaps best known as a cross-dresser. (#kfk380) $2,750.00 Click here for complete description and pictures

(Beauharnais, Hortense de). Romances mises en musique par S(a).M(ajeste).L(a).R(eine).H(ollande). [n. p.: n. p., circa 1810]. Oblong octavo. Contemporary dark green morocco, gilt spine, front cover with gilt supra-libros of Hortense de Beauharnais in centre, both covers elaborately gilt with harps and Napoleonic eagles as cornerpieces, gilt inner dentelles. Engraved title with aquatint crowned coat of arms, handcoloured stipple-engraved portrait of Hortense De Beauharnais by Isabey, engraved by Monsaldi, 12 aquatints by Müller and Firinger, 12 engraved plates with musical scores engraved by Richomme. First blanks replaced; some foxing throughout.

Composed by the Queen of Holland, Hortense de Beauharnais. Her own copy! $17,500 More Pictures and full description

[Golden Cockerel Press]. Lucas, F.L. (Translator) & Mark Severin (Illustrator). The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite. A New Translation... [London]: Golden Cockerel Press, 1948. First edition. Small folio, pp.35, [1], engraved border and vignette on title and twelve other attractive engravings. Original quarter black morocco and sienna buckram by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, gilt vignette to front cover, near fine.
One of 750 copies printed. (#kfk309) $275.00

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Twain, Mark. Extracts from Adam's Diary [with] Eve's Diary. New York and London: Harper and Brothers, 1904 [and] 1906. First editions. Together two volumes, octavo. Original red pictorial cloth, decorated in white and green. Very good or better copies of both titles, nice to find together. Adam's diary is faded on the spine.
First editions of both titles. A highly underrated work by Twain. (#kfk57) $950.00

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Lamb, Charles; Lang, Andrew (Intro.). Beauty and the Beast. London: Field & Tuer, The Leadenhall Press / New York: Scribner & Welford, [1887]. Blue calf with red spine labels by Riviere. With 8 plates and musical score. Very good. (#kfk383) $350

Beauty and The Beast