PATH OF LIFE : RABBI JUDAH LOEW BEN BEZALEL 1525-1609. Large, beautifully produced, fully illustrated CATALOGUE for the Exhibition of the same name that took place at the PRAGUE CASTLE, Czech Republic, in 2009. The exhibition was conceived by Alexandr Putik, who also edited this deluxe catalog. English edition, translated from the Czech.

Contains numerous essays on Rabbi Judah Loew Ben Bezalel by Jewish scholars.

Hardcover Book, no dustjacket as issued, 9x11.5 inches (22x29 cm), 520 pages. ILLUSTRATED with hundreds of color and b&w photographs.

Published by Jewish Museum in Prague / Academia, Prague, Czech Republic, 2009. ISBN 10: 8020017755; ISBN 13: 978-8020017758.

FINE condition, still in much of its original shrink-wrap (some has started peeling off), a lovely unread copy, tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked. Photos of the open book are from my personal copy.

From the Publisher:

******The 7th of September 2009 was the 400th anniversary of the death of Judah Loew ben Bezalel, known both as the Maharal and Rabbi Loew. This exquisite book was published by the Jewish Museum in Prague and the Academia Publishing House for a prestigious exhibition of the same name at Prague Castle. It features a substantial selection of the exhibited items from the museum's collections and from numerous other Czech and foreign cultural institutions. However, it is more than a mere catalogue for the exhibition, as it PROVIDES INSIGHTS into the AUTHENTIC LEGACY of the MAHARAL, WHICH FOR THE MOST PART HAS UNTIL NOW REMAINED CONCEALED.

About Judah Loew ben Bezalel (from Wikipedia):

******Judah Loew ben Bezalel, b.1512-1526 d.1609, also called Rabbi Loew (aka Löw, Loewe, Löwe or Levai), widely known to scholars of Judaism as the Maharal of Prague or simply The Maharal, was an important Talmudic scholar, Jewish mystic, and philosopher who, for most of his life, served as the leading rabbi in the cities of Mikulov in Moravia and Prague in Bohemia.

Within the world of Torah and Talmudic scholarship, Loew is known for his works on Jewish philosophy and Jewish mysticism and his work Gur Aryeh al HaTorah, a supercommentary on Rashi's Torah commentary. He is also the subject of a 19th century legend that he created the Golem of Prague, an animate being fashioned from clay.

Maharal's numerous philosophical works have become cornerstones of Jewish thought. His writings tried to make the ideas of the Kabbalah (which he held to be the most deeply true of all the Torah) understandable to the average educated reader, by presenting them in a rigorously philosophical form, couched in terms accessible to the public. He felt that only the greatest of Torah scholars are able to perceive the full intent of the Kabbalistic works in their complex entirety, but much could be comprehended by the general reader if presented in a rational and philosophic form. His main kabbalistic influences appear to have been the Zohar, Sefer Yetzirah, and traditions of the Chassidei Ashkenaz.

Miharal was in favor of scientific research, but believed the Talmudic, Midrashic, and Aggadic teachings refer to matters far beyond the sphere of natural science.

The Maharal is the subject of the legend about the creation of a golem, a creature made out of clay to defend the Jews of the Prague Ghetto from antisemitic attacks. He is said to have used mystical powers based on esoteric knowledge of how God created Adam.

Rabbi Loew is buried at the Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague in Josefov, where his grave and tombstone can still be visited.******

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Manuscript Document Signed (or marked) by eight parties, addressed "Right Worshipful," comprising depositions in several different notarial hands. Concerns two parcels of land adjoining Harsfold Manor, "Willms the freehold" and "Willms the copyhold", apparently involved in some sort of dispute.

Folio, single-sheet folded to make four pages, writing on the front page and one of the inner pages.

ENGLAND: No date, but circa 1600.

GOOD condition, folds from where the document was once folded to a small size, some small tears and holes to the spine fold and some of the folds but holding together well, some wear to the edges, light soiling, overall amazingly solid and bright with writing that is bold and clear. Note that this early English handwriting is difficult to read.

MAI 68 - Archive of JOURNALS and HANDBILLS PUBLISHED DURING the MAY-JUNE FRENCH STUDENT-WORKER REVOLUTION that Changed French Society forever.

(1) NINE ISSUES of ACTION - The French Resistance Newspaper created during the STUDENT-WORKER REVOLUTIONARY STRIKES that for a period shut down the French Economy and Government. Newspapers, mostly single-fold broadsheets to make 4 pages, folded in half horizontally as issued, unfolded front page measures 14.5x21 inches (37x53 cm). Seven of the issues were published in June 1968 and two in July 1968. The ACTION newspaper was published from May 1968 to June 1969. It is the issues that were published in May and June 1968, during the Student-Worker strikes and actions, that are the most difficult to find.

(2) TEN FLYERS / HANDBILLS calling on STUDENTS and WORKERS to take part in the REVOLUTIONARY STRIKES. Single sheets, Most 8x10 inches (20x25.5 cm). Six were printed in May 1968, one in April 1968, one in June 1968, and two are undated.

(3) SERVIR LE PEUPLE. "SPÉCIAL 1er MAI / 32 PAGES / Sommaire en page 3". Published on MAY 1, 1968 - the beginning of the Student and Worker Revolutionary Protests and Strikes in France. Newspaper, folded in half horizontally as issued, 11x16.5 inches (28x42 cm) unfolded. This special edition on MAI 68, published on May 1, 1968, is an important artifact of the 1968 French upheaval.

(4) TWO ISSUES of L'ENRAGÉ published in June 1968. L'Enragé was a satirical journal founded by Jean-Jacques Pauvert and produced in France during the May-June 68 events. Eight pages, printed on newsprint paper, 9x12 inches (23x30.5 cm

FAIR to GOOD CONDITION: All the issues and handbills have edgewear including chips and closed tears, folds, creases, toning, some holes at the folds, etc.; but all are complete and holding together.

The lasting social impact of what became known as MAI 68 was substantial, recent political events to the contrary!

MAI 68 - About the MAY 1968 FRENCH STUDENT & WORKER REVOLUTION (from Wikipedia):

******Beginning in May 1968, a period of civil unrest occurred throughout France, lasting seven weeks and punctuated by demonstrations, general strikes, and the occupation of universities and factories. At the height of events, which have since become known as May 68 (French: Mai 68), the economy of France came to a halt. The protests reached a point that made political leaders fear civil war or revolution; the national government briefly ceased to function after President Charles de Gaulle secretly fled France to West Germany on the 29th.

The unrest began with a series of far-left student occupation protests against capitalism, consumerism, American imperialism and traditional institutions. Heavy police repression of the protesters led France's trade union confederations to call for sympathy strikes, which spread far more quickly than expected to involve 11 million workers, more than 22% of France's population at the time. The movement was characterized by spontaneous and decentralized wildcat disposition. It was the largest general strike ever attempted in France, and the first nationwide wildcat general strike.

The events of May 1968 had a lasting impact and continue to influence French society. The period is considered a cultural, social and moral turning point in the nation's history.******

About ACTION Newspaper (from Wikipedia / translated by Google):

******ACTION was an activist newspaper created at the beginning of May 68. The first issue, released on May 7, 1968, launched a call for a "GENERAL STRIKE AND PERMANENT INSURRECTION". The strikes and insurrections that followed in May and June 1968 shook France to its core.******

The HISTORY of the RISE, PROGRESS and ACCOMPLISHMENT of the ABOLITION of the AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE by the BRITISH PARLIAMENT. By Thomas Clarkson, abridged by Evan Lewis.

WILMINGTON [Delaware]: Printed by R. Porter, 1816. One volume abridged edition, first thus. Originally published in a two volume unabridged edition in Philadelphia in 1808.

Hardcovers, professionally rebound in brown cloth covered boards with gilt titling to the spine, 4.5x7 inches, 348 pages.

FAIR Condition: The modern covers and endpapers are in fine condition. Internally, there is an early previous owner's signature on the title page (William Edmondson), the pages are toned/browned and have shorelining here and there, and some of the latter pages have edge chips (not affecting text). Overall, the pages are showing their age but are nonetheless complete, legible, and attractively rebound.

1479 DAYS: THE SIEGE OF UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO : A Documentary Overview of Events 1992-1995. Written by scholars of the University of Sarajevo, and edited by Professor Faruk Caklovica, President of the University of Sarajevo.

Published by the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, second edition, 2010

Hardcover Book, no dustjacket as issued, 8.5x12 inches, 211 pages. Illustrated throughout with color and b&w photographs, drawings and reproductions of documents.

During the Serbs war against the Bosniaks, the University of Sarajevo found itself torn in two. The Serb nationals who were part of the University either left or joined the Serbian aggressors, while the Bosniaks stayed to fight and to try to keep the University operating. The siege of the University of Sarajevo lasted 1479 days.

VERY GOOD condition, cover corner tips are bumped, otherwise tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked. A solid, nice, very presentable copy.

About the SIEGE of the UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO (from the Internet sources):

******About half the professors, lecturers and employees of the University of Sarajevo turned their backs on the University at the beginning of the Bosnian war in April 1992. Most of them had Serb nationality. Many fled the city to save themselves and their families, but a considerable number joined the Serb besiegers and supported the siege. This is the sobering conclusion of the book "1479 days - Siege of University of Sarajevo", which was prepared by scholars of the University and presented to the public in the Bosnian capital. In spite of the constant shelling, in spite of the snipers, in spite of hunger and cold, training and teaching were maintained by the professors and students who stayed at the risk of their lives.******

LA BRETAGNE A` L'E?PREUVE, by Alain LE GRAND and Alain LE BERRE. Published by Edition Daoulan, Bannalec, France, 1992. ISBN 2950656501.

FRENCH BOOK on the battles in BRITTANY for the liberation of France in WWII. A comprehensive work. Softcovers, 6.5x9.5 inches (17x23.5 cm), 607 pages. A comprehensive work. Interspersed with b&w photographs.

WARMLY INSCRIBED by the AUTHOR Alain Le Berre on the entire half-title page. The inscription is in French (photograph supplied). My limited French translates it as:

"Paris, 11.18.1994 / General EARNEST was one of the liberators of Brittany in August 1944. It is a great honor and greatly satisfying to be able to give his daughter and grand-daughter a copy of "La Bretagne à l'Épreuve", in remembrance also of our meeting in Audierne on 20 September 1994. // A. Le Berre // Equally in honor of the GI's who died for the liberation of Brittany and France."

VERY GOOD condition, the covers have some shelf wear and rubs, internally tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked.

The inscription makes this book worth holding close to the heart.

ITALIAN MANUSCRIPT Accounts Book kept by LUCIDO SPARAPANI. Handwritten Italian text. Dates appear to be from 1669 to the 1680s. Possibly Trento, Italy.

Contains 156 leaves completely filled with handwritten text. The leaves are hand numbered in two sections 1-71 and 1-85, with some blank leaves between the sections. Contemporary plain pasteboard covers, three cord binding, 5x7.5 inches (13x19 cm).

The names I was able to identify include: Giuseppe Brunelli, Felice Vergelli, Andrea Pittore, Francesco Benigni, Giovanni Cortini; but there are more.

Condition: Surprisingly GOOD condition, the pages are firm and well bound. The handwriting is sharp and clear but the small calligraphy and the iron in the ink makes it rather difficult to read (especially if, like me, you don't read Italian). The covers have wear and a piece missing at the bottom of the pine. A wonderful, very presentable copy.

My research shows that the SPARAPANI family was a renowned family of nobility from the Trento province of Italy. The family held a number of noble titles. The family was apparently affluent, socially connected, and produced many notaries.

I found that LUCIDO SPARAPANI wrote a book about Saint Vittorino in 1701 titled:

"Notizia compendiosa della vita di S. Vittorino confessore, descritta dal conte Lucido Sparapani da Camerino nell'anno 1701. A cui furono aggiunti il panegirico composto per il sudetto santo, la narrazione della traslazione del suo corpo, e molti componimenti poetici..."

(Compendium of the life of St. Vittorino confessor, described by Count Lucido Sparapani from Camerino in the year 1701. To which were added the panegyric composed for the aforementioned saint, the narration of the translation of his body, and many poems.)

Because of the difficulty I have with Italian and the handwriting, there are likely errors in my description. Please correct me when you find them.

SWISS COSTUMES, by Ernst Laur and Kurt Wirth. A book filled with Traditional FASHIONS of SWITZERLAND.

ZURICH: Verlag Silva-Bilderdienst, 1954. First edition.

SIGNED, INSCRIBED and DATED on the front pastedown by the AUTHOR, ERNST LAUR. The inscription is in German and is dated 1954, the year this book was published.

ILLUSTRATED with 60 Tipped-In COLOR PLATES showing a wide array of TRADITIONAL COSTUMES.

Hardcover Book in Dustjacket, 8.5x12 inches (21x29.5 cm), 129 pages. TEXT in GERMAN.

Condition: GOOD book, the covers have a bit of foxing to the upper margin and are lightly soiled; internally the pages are age toned, as normal; all the plates are bright, sharp and lovely; the inscription is bright and clear. In a FAIR dustjacket that has wear and tears to the edges, spine ends and corners, all of which have been repaired and reinforced with clear tape on the blank backside and, to a lesser extent, the frontside.

A solid, complete, presentable copy with its 60 lovely plates. Unique and special with the author's 1954 SIGNATURE and INSCRIPTION.

A book full of inspiration for that fashion designer in your life and/or soul.

SIXTY-TWO (62) ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT INDENTURES relating to the PORTOBELLO ESTATE / PORTOBELLO ROAD AREA in NOTTING HILL, LONDON, accompanied with 62 HAND DRAWN COLOR PLAT MAPS, a CONVEYANCE and LEASE SCHEDULES. ALL are SIGNED by various notable individuals. These important real estate transactions took place in 1868 and 1869. Bound in hard covers.

The main SELLER of the properties was CHARLES HENRY BLAKE and the main BUYERS were THE FREEHOLD SECURITIES COMPANY LIMITED, JOHN PARSON, and THE LAND AND HOUSE INVESTMENT SOCIETY. Sixty-one of the 62 indentures were transactions where C. H. Blake was the seller. Other individuals named in the indentures and conveyance include HENRY BESSEMER, Henry Hyde, William Honeywood, William Burchell the Younger, and other wealthy, movers and shakers of the day. Frank Richardson, Solicitor for both The Freehold Securities Company and The Land And House Investment Society, signed many of the indentures as a witness.

The indentures and conveyance are bound in a book that was presumably made to hold them. Hardcovers, textured cloth covered boards with leather spine and corners, five raised spine bands, gilt title "PORTOBELLO ESTATE" on the front cover, 10x15 inches (25x38 cm), 147 pages (74 leaves). The indentures are all printed on watermarked laid paper.

The first item is a long manuscript CONVEYANCE titled: "PORTOBELLO ESTATE In the parish of Saint Mary Abbott Kensington in the County of Middlesex - Copy of the CONVEYANCE of the above property to HENRY BESSEMER ESQUIRE and of the LEASES for which said property is subject". The INDENTURE that is part of the Conveyance is dated the 16th day of December 1869. It is 21 pages long and includes a FULL PAGE HAND COLORED PLAT MAP showing the properties on Golbourne (Golborne) Road between Portobello Road and Wornington Road, and a LEASE SCHEDULE that fully describes each parcel. Numerous signatures at the end of the Indenture / Conveyance.

The subsequent 61 INDENTURES are between CHARLES HENRY BLAKE of Stanley Crescent, Notting Hill, in the County of Middlesex, and either JOHN PARSON, or THE FREEHOLD SECURITIES COMPANY LIMITED, or THE LAND AND HOUSE INVESTMENT SOCIETY. Nineteen are dated in 1868, the others in 1869.

Each Indenture has a hand drawn plat map of the property in question, all presumably part of the Portobello Estate. Most of the indentures are 2 pages long, some longer.

Condition: The covers have some old water staining / shorelining, scrapes, rubs, and general wear; the gilt title "Portobello Estate" is rubbed; else the covers are solid and doing their job well. The front and rear endpapers are recent. The bound in indentures have gray and brown stains, substantial on many of the pages, present on all the pages. Perhaps these are ink blotter stains, or offsetting from where these indentures were originally stored, or simply caused by unstable ink and colors, I do not know. The good news is that the manuscript writing is FULLY VISIBLE AND LEGIBLE beneath all the stains. The first two leaves have a 2x2.5 inch (5x7 cm) area of tearing, mostly in the blank spine gutter area but affecting some text words. The tears could be archivally repaired. The first two leaves, and a couple other pages, have a pea size hole that affects some letters. There is 1/2 inch (1 cm) of worming to the bottom blank margin of the last 3 leaves. The last leaf has a quarter (the U.S. coin) size hole in its center affecting some words. This last leaf is blank on the verso, so the affected words are only on the recto.

An incredible group of important historic indentures with plat maps showing the Victorian Era property sales of the PORTOBELLO ESTATE that led to the development of the fashionable PORTOBELLO ROAD / NOTTING HILL region of London that we know today.

This archive of PORTOBELLO ROAD indentures belongs in a museum, imho.

An unusual item titled WAR DIARY. Appears self-published. Bound in plain white wrappers. 318 pages printed on one side only. A week-by-week, day-by-day account of the atrocities being committed in the war in Kosovo. Reads incredibly like what is happening in Ukraine.

I believe the author to be Sefer Jashari, an Albanian. The last five pages are "Accounts From Displaced Women and Children - Internal Refugees in the Centre for Protection of Women and Children, Pristina". All those interviewed in this section were part of the Jashari family, including Sela Jashari, Sefer Jashari's wife".

"13 September 1998: Serb troops with 37 tanks and tens of lorries and other vehicles left for Dushkaje region of Giakove. Thousands of Albanians are living in the open in the region. They all fear of a Serb massacre."

"16 January 1999: Serb forces killed and massacred between 60 to 80 Albanians in the village of Recak village of Shtimje. Bodies of the majority of victims are slain. There are killed and butchered people of different ages starting from a 6 weeks baby to a 90 year old man. Among the victims are women, children and old people...some of the victims have eyes taken out..."

"9 March 1999: The 1,500 people of Ivaje village of Hani i elezit are under siege. The situation is dramatic, where not only residents, but the Refuting people from the attacked village are not able to reach out to safety while the Serb tanks and troops are pounding the village and closing in on it. OSCE KVM is called for help to step in and save the population, most of them women and children, as well as elderly. Serb forces have already torched and destroyed 100 houses of the village."

The book is SIGNED, INSCRIBED and DATED by the author on the title page: "To Ariela / Whom I happened to meet only today, but happened to know her for ages / Author / (Sefer Jashari / 07.07.2005 / Prishtine [Kosovo]".

GOOD condition, creases, some light stains, and some soiling to the covers, title page has a tear to its bottom corner, inner pages remain bright, clean, clear and unmarked.

Horrific, specific accounts of atrocities in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999. I've never seen any work like it relating to the Kosovo War and its affect on the Albanians.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS PLEASE NOTE: This book is heavy and will require additional shipping charges. After placing your order you will be notified of the additional charges and be able to accept or reject them before your payment is processed. Or you can contact us ahead of time to find out the shipping charge to your country. Thanks.

CLAUDE FAUCHET - FRENCH BISHOP who STORMED THE BASTILLE and EULOGIZED BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - HANDWRITTEN, SIGNED, WORRIED LETTER dated 1783 - HE was GUILLOTINED on HALLOWEEN in 1793

SIGNED, HANDWRITTEN LETTER from the French Bishop CLAUDE FAUCHET to a M. CHEVIN, Fils. Dated May 15, 1783. In French.

Single page letter written on a single fold sheet of laid, watermarked paper, with an address leaf and wax seal on the backside. The letter measures 8.5x12 inches (20x31.5 cm). A typed translation is provided on a sheet of paper that has browned and is a bit brittle with age (1940s?).

The letter is written to a close friend, M. Chevin, fils. It is warm and intimate. Fauchet tells that his life is beset with "thorns" and "grief", likely troubles related to the bubbling 1789 French Revolution. Though a Revolutionist himself, Fauchet was tried and guillotined by the Revolutionists in 1993. The letter begins:

"I am very touched, my dear friend, by the part you take in my trouble and for all the evidences of affection you have shown me...for some time my life has been beset with thorns and every day brings me new grief. If the consolations of friendship did not sweeten the bitterness which pours into my heart, I would consider it a great blessing to withdraw from this world and to live only with God and my conscience."

Condition: Age toning, several original folds, tear where the letter was opened not affecting text. Overall this 1783 letter remains in GOOD condition, the writing is bright and clear, the wax seal shines, the paper's watermark is visible.

RARE FRENCH REVOLUTION ERA DOCUMENT by a BISHOP who STORMED THE BASTILLE WITH the REVOLUTIONISTS and was THEN GUILLOTINED BY THEM.

About CLAUDE FAUCHET (from Wikipedia):

******Claude Fauchet (22 September 1744 - 31 October 1793) was a French bishop.

He was born at Dornes, Nièvre. He was a curate of the church of St Roch, Paris, when he was engaged as tutor to the children of the marquis of Choiseul, brother of Louis XVs minister, an appointment which proved to be the first step to fortune. He was successively grand vicar to the archbishop of Bourges, preacher to the king, and abbot of Montfort-Le Carre.

HE WAS ONE OF THE LEADERS OF THE ATTACK ON THE BASTILLE, and on 5 August 1789 he delivered an eloquent discourse by way of funeral sermon for the citizens slain on 14 July, taking as his text the words of St Paul, 'Ye have been called to liberty".

He blessed the tricolor flag for the National Guard and in September was elected to the Commune. In 1790 he wrote France's Eulogy to Benjamin Franklin (Eloge Civique De Benjamin Franklin). He retired from the Commune in October 1790. During the next winter he organized within the Palais Royal the Social Club of the Society of the Friends of Truth, presiding over crowded meetings under the self assumed title of procureur général de la vérité. Nevertheless, events were marching faster than his opinions, and the last occasion on which he carried his public with him was in a sermon preached at Notre Dame on 4 February 1791.

In July 1793 he was imprisoned on the charge of supporting the federalist movement at Caen. He was brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal on 30 October, and was guillotined on the following day, October 31 (Halloween!!!)."******

L'HISTOIRE DES GUERRES MITHRIDATIQUES VUE PAR LES MONNAIES, par François de Callatay.

(HISTORY of the MITHRIDATIC WARS as SEEN through its COINS, by Francois de Callatay.)

SIGNED, INSCRIBED and DATED by the AUTHOR on the half title page: "March 15, 2003 / To my friend Buzz Owen / With all my very best wishes / François de Callatay".

Also, laid-in is a brief handwritten letter from the author, along with its mailing envelope. "Brussels / January 14th, 2003 / To Buzz (Owen) / The most enthusiastic buyer of my Mithridatic book! With recent but true friendship! / Francois (de Callatay)". The return address on the envelope is Koninklijke Bibliotheek Van Belgie (The Royal Library of Belgium) where Francois de Callatay was head of the Cabinet des Medailles.

Published by Département d'Archéologie et d'Histoire de l'Art / Séminaire de Numismatique Marcel Hoc, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 1997. First edition.

Hardcovers, green cloth covered boards, gilt titles on the front cover and spine, gilt Pegasus on the front cover, 8.5x11 inches (21x27 cm). Pagination: xii, [2], 480, [6] pp. With 54 PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES of ANCIENT COINS depicting the era of the MITHRIDATIC WARS.

TEXT in FRENCH.

VERY GOOD condition, the upper front and bottom rear cover corners are bumped, otherwise the covers are solid with bright gilt on the front cover and spine; internally near fine, tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked. A nice, very presentable copy.

RARE, especially so SIGNED and INSCRIBED.

About the MITHRIDATIC WARS (from Wikipedia):

******The Mithridatic Wars were three conflicts fought by Rome against the Kingdom of Pontus and its allies between 88 BC and 63 BC. They are named after Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus who initiated the hostilities after annexing the Roman province of Asia into its Pontic Empire (that came to include most of Asia Minor) and committing massacres against the local Roman population known as the Asian Vespers.******

About François de Callatay (from Wikipedia):

******François de Callatay, b.1961, is a Belgian ancient historian, professor at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Sorbonne - Paris), who has written significant studies of coinage in the ancient Mediterranean world.******

INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS PLEASE NOTE: This book is heavy and will require substantial additional shipping charges. After placing your order you will be notified of the charges and be able to accept or reject them before payment is taken. Thanks!

WESTMONASTERIUM: OR THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES OF THE ABBEY CHURCH OF ST PETERS WESTMINSTER.

Two Folio Volumes. Filled with plates illustrating the funeral monuments of Westminster Abbey.

LONDON: Printed & sold by James Cole engraver in Hatton Garden... (et al) [1723-1727]. First Edition.

Hardcovers, leather covered boards, 10x16 inches (26x40 cm). Pagination:

VOLUME I: [2] blank front leaves, [1] frontispiece engraving, [1] title page, [2] Dedication, [2] Preface, [5] Coats of Arms of Subscribers, [1] engraved portrait of the author John Dart, XLII Westminster Abbey a Poem, IV List of Subscribers Names, 195 pp., [1] Errata, [1] blank leaf.

VOLUME I ILLUSTRATIONS: Frontispiece + 70 plates. Plates printed on one side only. Plus engraved headpieces, tailpieces, vignettes, and initials.

VOLUME II: [2] blank front leaves, [1] fold-open frontispiece, [1] title page, [1] subscribers names, [2] subscribers coats of arms, 146 pp., [4] Names of Persons buried in this Church, XLIV Lives of the Abbats of Westminster, 24 pp. History of St. Peter's, XVI Appendix, [1] blank rear endpaper.

VOLUME II ILLUSTRATIONS: Frontispiece + 63 Plates. Plates printed on one side only. Plus engraved headpieces, tailpieces, vignettes, and initials.

CONDITION: The pages and plates of both volumes are all present and suitable for rebinding, but the bindings are in poor condition and the books need to be rebound. The books are split into many sections, with many loose signatures, pages, etc. The front and rear boards are original and present but worn with peeling leather. The spines have split at numerous places and are in disrepair, and their leather coverings are chipping and flaking easily. The front and rear boards could be used in a rebinding with a new backing.

VOLUME I Condition of Pages and Plates: The first and last few pages have edgewear, soiling and some spotting, as do some pages here and there. The gutter edge of many pages of this volume have browned because clear tape (that browned with age) was applied to that edge to try and keep the pages bound in, some old tape still remains in many places, and there are brown tape ghosts on the blank rear endpapers. There is toning and foxing mainly to the pages facing the plates and the blank verso of the plates and to the first and last few pages, but some here and there throughout as well. Some (perhaps 1/4) of the plates have browned, and have dark areas in the margins. (Perhaps smoke damage from long ago? But no smoke smell, just the nice old paper.) A few of the plates and the pages facing them are heavily foxed. Despite the flaws to some of the plates, all the plates present, and are quite rare.

VOLUME II Condition of Pages and Plates: The pages and plates of this volume are in good condition. A few pages have some tape and/or tape browning at the left edge; there is a bit of foxing throughout but nothing significant on the pages or plates; there is no significant browning of the plates or margins; there is some offsetting, spotting, soiling, and edgewear to the first and last few pages. The fold-open frontispiece is splitting at the bottom of the fold, has some old tape repair on the backside, is toning and has some shorelining on the gutter margin. There is a pagination error following page 99, the facing blank backside of a plate is counted as a page. I have collated this book and all is present. Though many sections, signatures, and pages are loose, the volume is complete, and the plates are bright and clear.

There is a large old signature and inscription dated 1782 on a blank prelim of each volume and a very small one at the top of the title pages: "Given to me this day by my Mother / (?) Stephenson Junior / 10th April 1782".

These 300 year old books are complete including 133 plates. Despite their flaws these books are well deserving of preservation.

PLEASE NOTE: These heavy books will be expensive to ship internationally.

HISTOIRE DE PARIS ET DES PARISIENS. "Il a été réalisé sous la direction générale de ROBERT LAFFONT. (Created under the Direction of Robert Laffont.)

SIGNED on the half title page by ROBERT LAFFONT, the noted French publisher and editor. ALSO on the half title page, in a DIFFERENT HAND, is a LONG HANDWRITTEN POEM in FRENCH about PARIS, an inscription with the date "Paques 1958" (Easter 1958), and an inscription in English "With my best love to both". The long poem and inscription is signed "Marie Anne (??)". I wish I could make out the full name so I could research the inscriber, but I cannot. Maybe you can!! There is a lovely biblio bookplate on the verso of the half title page that states: "From the Library of Dorothy and Gordon Miller", possibly the two whom Marie Anne gave her love to.

Published by Editions Du Pont Royal, Paris, 1957.

Hardcover Book, no dustjacket as issued, 9.5x12 inches, 276 pages plus 15 page appendix and index at the rear.

FAIR condition: The front spine fold is split but holding, the spine covering is sunned and tearing but present, the cover corners are bumped and worn through, nonetheless the covers are doing their job and the front and rear panels are bright and clean; internally, the front spine fold is cracked, the text block is a bit shaky, otherwise the inner pages are tight, bright, clean and clear. A solid, complete copy with worn covers.

The SIGNATURE of ROBERT LAFFONT and the Long HANDWRITTEN POEM about PARIS by a French Woman makes this copy UNIQUE.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS PLEASE NOTE: This book is heavy and will require substantial additional shipping charges. After placing your order you will be notified of the additional charges and be able to accept or reject them before your payment is processed. Or you can contact us ahead of time to find out the shipping charge to your country. Thanks.

THE SAILORS OF KRONSTADT.

A SHOT by SHOT, SCENE by SCENE, FILM BOOK of the 1936 RUSSIAN FILM released with the English title: The Sailors of Kronstadt. Directed by Efim Dzigan it is considered one of the masterpieces of Soviet cinema.

Published in Moscow, 1968. TEXT IN RUSSIAN.

Fully illustrated with hundreds of shots from the film, in the order of which they appear on the screen.

GOOD condition: the covers are worn along their edges, worn through at the corners, bent at the corner tips, but remain solid and the image on the front cover is clear and bright; internally, the pages are just lightly used and still tight, bright, clean and unmarked. A solid, presentable copy, with covers showing some wear.

About the Russian Film WE ARE FROM KRONSTADT (excerpt from Wikipedia and IMDb):

******In 1919, during the post revolution Russian Civil War, a naval detachment (made up of communist Reds) defends the strategic city of Petrograd from the White Russian counterrevolutionary forces. Director Yefim Dzigan had himself fought for the Bolsheviks in the fleet, so the Red sailors are the heroes of the film. The young Soviet State was besieged by enemies on all sides, and the Revolution was fighting for its life. While clearly propagandistic, the film is often quite poetic visually, not naturalistic as was prescribed by authorities at the time. The film was honored at the 1937 Paris World's Fair.

Writing for The Spectator in 1937, Graham Greene gave the film a good review, characterizing it as being "in the tradition of boys' stories, full of last charges and fights to the death, heroic sacrifices and narrow escapes, all superbly directed", and summarizing it as an "unusual mixture of poetry and heroics". Identifying moments of humour and pathos, Greene claimed that a Fordian poetic sense (i.e. not melodic arrangement, but moral composition) had thoroughly impregnated the film from the first shot to the last, and that the writing resonated with Chekhov's definition of the novelist's purpose, "life as it is: life as it ought to be".******

WAR AND THE HOLOCAUST, by ILLAN PALAT.

TEXT IN RUSSIAN, except for an 8 page section in English.

Self published, San Francisco, 2004. Printed by Anzori Printing.

Softcovers, 8.5x11 inches, 211 pages. Illustrated with some b&w photographs.

VERY GOOD condition, just lightly used, tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked.

About the author ILLAN PALAT (from the BLAVATNIK ARCHIVE website):

******Illan Palat was born on April 10, 1924, in Ukraine. When he was three, his family had their property confiscated and was forced to move to the Jewish Autonomous Oblast. They lived and worked in Birofeld, a local kolkhoz, until Palat's father learned accounting and relocated his family to Birobidzhan. Palat was drafted in October 1942, underwent infantry training, and was sent to the front. His first combat experience was in the Battle of Kursk, where he fought on the front line in a 45mm anti-tank artillery unit. The battles were brutal, and Palat's unit suffered heavy losses. There were intermittent shortages of food and water, but there was also a strong sense of camaraderie among all soldiers, regardless of their backgrounds. In late 1943, Palat was severely wounded in the leg; he was saved by another solider, who carried him off the battlefield and into a local house. After eight months of hospitalization and multiple surgeries, Palat returned to Birobidzhan on crutches. Of the forty-three young men who were drafted from Birobidzhan with him, only two would come back. After demobilization, Palat worked as a watchmaker in Birobidzhan, until doctors advised him to move to a warmer climate because of his wound. In 1947, Palat moved to Tbilisi, Georgia, where he worked in construction. In 1977, he moved to United States and lived in New York and San Francisco. In addition to working as a contractor, he wrote the books A SOLDIER FROM BIROBIDZHAN and THE WAR AND THE HOLOCAUST.******