From Tunis to Chislehurst

From Tunis to Chislehurst

Included in our inaugural Books & Ephemera sale, on the 17^th of September, is a fine collection of Antiquarian works, previously unseen on the auction market.

Consigned by a South-East London lady, this beautiful array of titles was originally part of the stock of a Tunis bookshop, owned by her late husband’s family, who relocated to England after WWII. Specialising in early texts, many with a French, North African or Classical Mediterranean connection, the 500 chosen tomes found their way from the dusty, desert climate of Tunisia to the leafy suburbs of London.

Of multidunious subjects- it includes a fine ‘Biblia Sacra’, printed in Lyon in 1562; a History of Etruria, printed in Florence in 1551, dedicated to the then head of the famous family, Cosimo de’ Medici; a fantastic array of Classical Roman writings, from Vitruvius to Plautus, Cicero to Martialis, all bound in vellum or gilt-tooled calf.

With many engraved plates- the  entomological works of Francisci Redi give a highly detailed, close-up insight into insect life; the incredible records of Ancient Egyptian sites and objects in Baron Denon’s 1802 folio, produced whilst accompanying Napoleon on his campaign, are invaluable and truly beautiful; the myriad other decorative and informative illustrations are both highly aesthetically pleasing and show the skills of the early printmakers at their peak.

For further details please see website for full listing.