Raconteur in the Times Sat 5th March

A special supplement is being prepared for "Raconteur" in the Times Sat 5th March about Royal Warrant Holders - how difficult it is to be granted one, that a five year grant is exceptional and in Bibliophile's case, that we are the ONLY grantee in 2011 from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. We were interviewed by a veteran Royal reporter who seemed charmed by our idiosyncratic bookselling service and amazed that our 50-90% off books offer was permanent! Please buy a copy this weekend and read all about us...

BEWICK'S BRITISH BIRDS

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Title: BEWICK'S BRITISH BIRDS
Author: THOMAS BEWICK
Thomas Bewick was born in 1753, close to the River Tyne in Northumberland. He trained as an engraver with Ralph Beilby in Newcastle and in 1777 became Beilby's partner. In 1790 they published A General History of Quadrupeds and when this proved successful Bewick undertook to record all the birds of the British Isles. Land Birds was published in 1797 and Water Birds followed in 1804, together forming A History of British Birds. Bewick's intricate illustrations and engaging descriptions make his British Birds a treasure of natural history. His knowledge of the habits and habitats of bird species come not just from research but from a life spent immersed in the countryside, where he delighted in roaming, fishing and watching wildlife. Bewick enjoyed recognition and success during his lifetime, continuing the engraving business after his partnership with Beilby ended. His name lives on in two species of bird - Bewick's wren and Bewick's swan. Each bird is described in detail, particularly as to colours, diet and nesting habits plus his own amusing observations. 'The Kite is particularly fond of young chickens but the fury of their mother is generally sufficient to drive away the robber.' 'Jays often assemble in great numbers early in the spring and seem to hold a conference, probably for the purpose of fixing upon the districts they are to occupy. While some gabble, shout or whistle others with a raucous voice seem to command attention. The noise made on these occasions may be aptly compared to that of a distant meeting of disorderly drunken persons.' Introduction by Diana Vowles. 208 pages with over 180 delicate black and white engravings.
Published Price: £12.99
BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £6

EGYPT IN THE YEAR 1200 BCE: Book review

66282
Title: EGYPT IN THE YEAR 1200 BCE:
Author: CHARLOTTE BOOTH
Imagine what it would be like to be a traveller in a classical civilisation, to see the ancient wonders when they were new and to meet the people who lived, worked and died there. Written in the style of a modern travel guide, the book paints a vivid and thrilling picture of Egypt, the Nile Valley and, in particular, the great city of Thebes in 1200BC during the reign of the god-king Ramses Usermaatra-Setepenra. Just like in a travel guide of today there is information on visiting the pyramids when they were in a decent state of repair, where to buy a camel, and the 1200BC version of getting your hire car. There are guides to all the temples, wildlife, festivals, sports and pastimes, accommodation, eating out (and in), money issues, shopping, day-to-day life, manners and customs, acceptable behaviour and dress and crime and punishment, should you find yourself on the wrong side of the law. Also covers religion, social structure, history, politics, when the Nile floods and the best times to visit. A beautifully presented guide, a very clever way of approaching the history of one of the world's greatest civilisations. 160pp with pen and ink illus.

Published Price: £9.99
BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £4

FROM THE CAMARGUE TO THE ALPS

66524
Title: FROM THE CAMARGUE TO THE ALPS
Author: BERNARD LEVIN
Subtitled 'A Walk Across France in Hannibal's Footsteps', with passion and wit, Levin describes his travels on foot through beautiful south-eastern France. He follows in the mighty footsteps of the great Carthaginian enemy of Rome, Hannibal, who made the expedition with an army and elephants nearly two millennia before. From the Camargue via the Rhône Valley, across the Alps and into Italy during August snowstorms, Levin comments on the social and historical importance of the landscapes he passes through. This journey was made in the 1980s at a time when Levin was the most famous journalist of his day. He died in 2004 and still today his traveller's tales combine argument with a lightness of touch. Irresistible. 'The Camargue is famous for its white horses, its black bulls and its pink flamingos. I...was rewarded first by a glimpse of the horses...the herd looked not just white, but dazzling marble, gleaming like the salt-pans beneath the brilliant sun.' 245pp in paperback.

Published Price: £8.99
BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £4

TALES OF COUNTRY THE ECCENTRICS

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Title: TALES OF COUNTRY THE ECCENTRICS
Author: TOM QUINN
Tom Quinn has scoured the country in his quest to prove that the British eccentric is alive and well and living in ... well, Ashford, Telford or Denbigh. Apart from living eccentrics the author includes famous historical eccentrics, for instance the taxidermist Charles Waterton of Wakefield who created the strange stuffed hybrid the Nondescript and tamed a cayman or crocodile by riding on its back, attributing his success to the fact that he "hunted some years with Lord Darlington's foxhounds". The Gothick revival architect William Beckford, the reclusive shell-collector Sir Vauncey Harpur-Crewe of Calke Abbey and the 20th century Conservative MP Nicholas Fairbairn are other examples of eccentricity. The living eccentrics interviewed by Quinn include the gun historian Bill Curtis, Ernie James, the "last of the Fen Tigers" eking out a precarious living catching eels, harvesting reed and shooting ducks, Michael Levey of Westcott, one of a select band of lawnmower racers, and Edward Dorrell who invented sheep racing and runs a flourishing centre near Telford, where each race has nine contestants wearing a hat and number cloth, though the unexpected appearance of another farm animal may make them all run in the opposite direction. There are female eccentrics too, and Lego enthusiast Marjorie Hotston Moore recalls how during a period as a nun she would sneak out of the convent to go roller-skating. 192pp, black and white photos, watercolour illustrations.

Published Price: £18.99

BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £6

CURING HICCUPS WITH SMALL FIRES

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Title: CURING HICCUPS WITH SMALL FIRES
Author: KARL SHAW
Dr Samuel Johnson is said to have shaved off all his bodily hair just to see how long it would take to grow back. The poet Shelley once tied a cat to a kite in a thunderstorm to see if it would be electrocuted. Spencer Cavendish, Eighth Duke of Devonshire, once related an experience he had at Westminster: 'I had a horrid nightmare. I dreamed I was making a speech in the House of Lords and woke up to find I actually was.' The English aristocrat John 'Mad Jack' Mytton died a bloated, paralysed and penniless debtor in prison. His premature demise was partly due to injuries sustained while setting fire to his own nightshirt to try to cure hiccups. It worked! Here in a delightful miscellany of great British eccentrics are over 200 aristocrats, inventors, artists and just plain weirdoes. An 18th century French scholar once attributed the British talent for eccentricity to a 'mixture of fogs, beef and beer…aggravated by the tedium of an English Sunday.' Do we agree? Much fun to be had in 298pp in paperback.

Published Price: £10.99
BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £3.50

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM Book Review

66460
Title: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
Author: TRANSLATED BY DAN CROMPTON
What we have here is the world's oldest joke book, translated for laughs rather than academic perfection. Mercifully lacking in Latin footnotes, the best jokes in this collection will have you in stitches and the worst are so bad, they are funny. Our sense of humour has really changed very little over the last two millennia and our book is packed full of cheeky puns, cheesy one-liners, sexual innuendoes and an awful lot of fart gags. The jokes in this book, attributed to two 4th century wits named Hierocles and Philagrious were originally collected together under the title Philogelos (The Joker) back when the Romans were in charge of the known world. But rather than giving insight into the philosophical and existential musings of our ancient predecessors, they simply prove that back in the 4th century they found nothing funnier than a eunuch with a hernia. Hairdresser: How shall I cut your hair, sir? Client: In silence. With charming line illus. 160pp.

Published Price: £9.99

BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £5

TRAINS AND BUTTERED TOAST Book Review

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Title: TRAINS AND BUTTERED TOAST
Author: JOHN BETJEMAN
Edited by Stephen Games, this anthology is a lovely treat. These radio talks reveal John Betjeman as the extraordinary poet and genius that he was. Broadcasting in the golden age of wireless, Betjeman was a national treasure for millions of devoted listeners. Here his eccentric and whimsical and homespun radio talks are collected in book form for the first time. From trains and buttered toast to hymn-writing vicars and Regency terraces, his enthusiasms are infectious. Travel with him as he potters about at the seaside, delves into country churches and marvels at provincial cities. Rediscover, as he did, how to appreciate our discarded heritage. 'I shan't tell you where all the lovely places are' he playfully remarks, 'I want them to myself. But I'll tell you where to look.' A companion to Tennis Whites and Teacakes code 66636. 353pp in paperback.

Published Price: £8.99

BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £4.50

KANDINSKY: Book and Prints Slipcased

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Title: KANDINSKY: Book and Prints Slipcased
Author: HELMUT FRIEDEL & A. HOBERG
With 450 illustrations of which 300 are in colour, this luxury object has been exclusively created to showcase the work of Vasily Kandinsky, the founder of abstract painting. Previously unpublished photographs along with essays by leading experts provide insight into the evolution of the artist's work throughout his career. A richly illustrated in-depth biography examines his personal life and creative development. The second slim volume in this beautifully decorated slipcase is a facsimile of Kandinsky's Kleine Welten or 'Small World', an original graphic series from 1922. Between 1910 and 1914, Vasily (Wassily) Kandinsky worked on the basics of the abstract image, leading ultimately to the development of Abstract Art. He was one of the founding fathers of Der Blaue Reiter, a teacher at the Bauhaus in Weimar, Dessau and Berlin, and the author of numerous art theory writings. This opulent luxury volume presents the artist in a whole new dimension. There are never-before-released photographs and essays which touch on Kandinsky's strong relationship to music as well as his influence in the development of 20th century art. In his own words, 'A painting should resonate and be imbued with an inner glow.' These artworks truly glow from these glossy pages on a truly heavyweight volume which weighs in at 12.9 pounds, 320pp measuring 12" x 16". The folder includes facsimile of the original graphics which were individually numbered in a bound booklet of 12 facsimile artworks measuring 11" x 14". They could be detached for framing. A rare find Bibliophile has imported from a new supplier in Germany. Thank goodness for home deliveries with such a rare heavy item! May be a very slight dent to slip case and this is reflected in our price. Bag your copy now.

Published Price: £126.00
BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £70

SYLVIA EDWARDS Book Review

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Title: SYLVIA EDWARDS:
Author: MEL GOODING & DAVID ELLIOTT
One of the world's most popular commercial artists with her bestselling designs for Unicef greetings cards, Sylvia Edwards initially found it difficult as an American woman abstract painter to establish herself on the British scene. Born in Boston, Edwards married an Iranian while still at art school and settled in Tehran, returning to Europe on the break-up of her marriage. This stunning monograph, including 187 superb colour reproductions, covers her painting as she moves from early figurative studies such as the haunting "Valley of Sils", 1972, towards the pure abstraction of such gorgeous watercolours as "Black Sun", 1990. The Iranian influence of kaleidoscopic colours and intricate patterning is very apparent in abstract work such as "Carpet Bazaar", 1995, or "Checkered Mountain", 1996, suggesting the influence of Klee, Kandinsky and Matisse. The grid pattern paradoxically liberated Edwards and the early flower studies with their intense saturated hue became the brilliantly imagined watercolour fantasias which made her international reputation. In the past ten years she has moved away from formulaic figuration and fantasy into a looser, more gestural style, finding colour forms through the organic flow of the liquid medium in works such as "Kenyan Quiet" and "Abstract in Scarlet and Yellow". In addition to the 187 reproductions, there is a signed lithographic print from an edition of 500 included with the book. 190pp, large format, 187 colour plates, signed print, exhibitions, biography.
Published Price: £55.00
BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £20

IN OUR TIME: A Companion to the Radio 4 Series Book Review

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Title: IN OUR TIME: A Companion to the Radio 4 Series
Author: MELVYN BRAGG
In an astonishing tour through the history of ideas, from philosophy, physics and history to religion, literature and biology, the editor has selected episodes which reflect the diversity of the radio series. Here we can discover the reasons for the fall of the Byzantine empire, why women were persecuted as witches in the 17th century, what really happened in the peasants' revolt and where our calendar comes from. We can also unearth the influence of great Islamic thinkers, prime numbers, Socrates and Tectonic Plates as well as finding out the shape of the origin of life. Melvyn Bragg orchestrates the ideas of leading academics in each field so that the dynamic and lively discussion from the programmes comes through vividly on the page. In fact, the book brings to life the signposts of history, the moments that significantly changed the world as we know it and the individuals and ideas that made us what we are today. A mind-broadening 595 paperback pages with b/w illustrations, afterword and list of contributors.

Published Price: £13.99

BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £6

ENGLAND'S THOUSAND BEST HOUSES Book review

66424
Title: ENGLAND'S THOUSAND BEST HOUSES
Author: SIMON JENKINS
From Bedfordshire to Yorkshire West, in alphabetical order, this volume, written by a heritage enthusiast, is organised county by county for complete ease of use. The author regards England's houses as, collectively, nothing less than one of the wonders of the world, and his lively text reflects that. The 'houses' of course include famous stately homes and palaces, such as the weird and wonderful combination of Medieval and Art Nouveau that is Eltham Palace in Kent and Raby Castle in Durham with its amazing nine towers. But they also encompass humble cottages and huts like the Labourer's Cottage and the Shipwright's Cottage, both at Buckler's Hard in Hampshire, which provide moving testimony as to how poor people lived in times gone by. This unique living record of the nation's history does not forget either the ordinary people living in quite ordinary dwellings, who later became famous, such as Jane Austen. The book features a ratings system for each house and runs to a massive 1,046 paperback pages with maps, colour plates, glossary, list of abbreviations, section on the principal periods of English domestic architecture, index of names as well as places and what are considered to be the top hundred houses.  

Published Price: £12.99

BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £6

WILLIAM AND LUCY: The Other Rossettis Book review

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Title: WILLIAM AND LUCY: The Other Rossettis
Author: ANGELA THIRLWELL
As promoter, transcriber, writer and editor, William Michael Rossetti invented our view of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Yet he is the least understood of all the Pre-Raphaelites. This biography is a dual portrait of an eminent Victorian and his artist wife Lucy Madox Brown, who was also intimately connected with the Pre-Raphaelite's circle. They married in 1874, uniting two of the most resonant family names. Their passionate and ultimately tragic relationship, described here for the first time, provides a fresh perspective on 19th century marriage and on the private lives of eminent Victorians. Sibling of Dante Gabriel and Christina Rossetti, William was one of the original 'Brothers', a bohemian, a connoisseur, biographer, historian and tax man. Lucy was the intense and intellectual daughter of Ford Madox Brown, an ambitious artist and biographer of Mary Shelley, who struggled with tuberculosis for nearly ten years. The book follows William and Lucy through their separate professional careers, marriage, continental travels and Lucy's illness and death. At the cross-over between art history, literary criticism, social history and biography, this book re-writes Pre-Raphaelite history and brings to life two fascinating people who were both of their time and ahead of it. With striking contemporary photos and art by William, Lucy and others of their circle, this is a truly heavyweight volume of 376pp, some colour plus family trees and coloured map. Yale University Press.

Published Price: £35.00
BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £15

ELIZABETH I AND MARY STUART: The Perils of Marriage Book Review

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Title: ELIZABETH I AND MARY STUART: The Perils of Marriage
Author: ANKA MUHLSTEIN
The French biographer of the 'Three Temporary Queens' here turns her attention in a new major double biography, now translated, to the turbulent relationship between Elizabeth I of England and Mary, Queen of Scots. Quite uniquely, both thrones of the British Isles were occupied by women at this time, which for the first time brought the issue of royal consorts to the fore. In the 16th century, marriage was a necessity - no marriage, no dynasty. But Elizabeth was one of few queens regnant who made the conscious choice never to marry and therefore never subordinated herself and her power to a male consort. At the same time she used the possibility of marriage as a tool to manipulate the balance of power in Europe. In contrast, her cousin Mary is seen as a slave to passion, whose marriages cost her her throne and ultimately her life. One of the most fascinating stories in British history, here is a double biography of these clever and courageous women who fought foreign wars, faced domestic plots, assassination and espionage. In the end it was the manner with which they dealt with vital dynastic question of marriage that ultimately served to shape their destinies and historical reputations. 'The poor, demented woman will not cease until they cut off her head. That will come to pass...I see no remedy for it.' - Charles IX of France on Mary Stuart. Beautifully produced 408 page hardback.

Published Price: £18.00

BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £7

CHRONICLER OF THE WINDS Book Review

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Title: CHRONICLER OF THE WINDS
Author: HENNING MANKELL
SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. The prize-winning and internationally acclaimed author is probably better known to bibliophiles as the creator of the Inspector Wallander Mysteries. Here he brings his skills to bear on a fable of the African continent. One night, José hears gunfire from the deserted theatre next door to his bakery. Nelio, a street urchin renowned throughout the city for living on his wits, has been mortally wounded. He asks to be taken to the roof to breathe the beautiful air fresh off the Indian Ocean and there, his life ebbing away, he tells his story. At the age of five, he watched helplessly as his village was burned to the ground and his people were massacred by bandits. He escaped and made his way to the coast, encountering en route bizarre characters who gave him guidance. Upon arrival in the city, he joined a rough street gang and began a very different way of life - one which was to lead to his untimely death. A moving and suspenseful 233 pages.

Published Price: £12.99

BIBLIOPHILE PRICE: £5.50

FABERGE'S EGGS Book review

 

66038   FABERGE'S EGGS: by TOBY FABER    

For many people the pinnacle of the jeweller's art has to be the Fabergé imperial eggs. These Easter gifts, which Russia's last two tsars gave to their tsarinas, have become synonymous with privilege, beauty and an almost provocative uselessness. Above all, the eggs illustrate the attitudes that would ultimately lead to the downfall of the Romanovs: their apparent indifference to the poverty that choked their country, and their preference for style over substance. This superb new account of a classic tragedy illuminates some fascinating aspects of 20th century history. The eggs' amazing journey from revolutionary Russia features a cast of characters including embattled Bolsheviks, acquisitive British royals, eccentric artefact salesmen and such famous business and society figures as Marjorie Merriweather Post and Malcolm Forbes. The author also tantalisingly suggests that some of the eggs, long thought lost, may eventually emerge. 302 pages with b/w archive and colour plates, family trees, full listing of the imperial eggs. Published price: $30.00 Bibliophile price: £12.50