BAKER, MICHELLE & TROPIANO, STEPHEN:
Queer Facts - The Greatest Gay & Lesbian Trivia Book Ever. . .

Imprint: LONDON.ARCANE/SANCTUARY PUBLISHING LIMITED,2004.
Edition: UK,12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE+/FINE+.No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright, crisp,clean,glossy laminated,pink photographic illustrated dw/dj,with b/w lettering; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Pages coloured pink and top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered, publisher's original plain white cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/ backstrip and immaculate plain maroon endpapers. UK,12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,5-230pp [paginated] includes a foreword by Graham Norton,profuse trivia,facts etc.,plus [unpaginated] half-title+ title pages and 2pp blanks at the rear. Homosexuality has gone mainstream on both sides of the Atlantic in recent years - 'civil partnerships' and gay marriage continue to grab headlines,while our television screens have brought us successes like V Graham Norton,Queer As Folk,Will & Grace and the US hit The L Word. In 'Queer Facts',Michelle Baker and Stephen Tropiano collect tidbits,statistics and anecdotes from across the entire spectrum of gay culture,from film and fashion to literature, politics and history. Who was the first openly gay politician elected to office? The first lesbian soap character? What's the most successful gay novel of all time? And just why did the Village People think it was 'fun to stay at the YMCA'? 'Queer Facts' answers these questions and more - with inimitable style! Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.

Stock number: rja581115. ISBN: 1860746969.

£ 7.50 (approx. $US 9.76 )

BAKER**, TOM:
THE BOY WHO KICKED PIGS. ** [Illustrated by David Roberts. **]

Imprint: LONDON.FABER & FABER,1999.
Edition: UK,slim,small 8vo HB, no dw/dj,as issued,illustrated,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , No dw/dj,as issued.
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,8vo HB,no dw/dj,as issued,illustrated,1st edn. [Complete number line 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1.] FINE-. No owner inscrptn and no price removal from rear board.Black and purple pictorial decorated paper-covered boards with author's capitalised,white-lettered name and title to upper board and spine/backstrip and immaculate plain white endpapers.Negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners - no nicks,tears or splits present.Top edges with hint of toning and some minimal,sporadic foxing spots,fore-edge brighter and clearer but with much less spotting; contents bright, tight,clean,solid and sound - virtually pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips - appears unread other than my own collation.UK,slim,small 8vo HB,no dw/dj,as issued,illustrated,1st edn,3- 123pp [paginated] with profuse [each alternate page] b/w line illustrations by David Roberts throughout the text; plus [unpaginated] a potted biography of author,a b/w line illustrated title page,a b/w line illustrated title separator page with a b/w line illustration to its verso. Robert Caligari is a thoroughly evil thirteen-year-old who gets his kicks from kicking pigs. After a humiliating episode with a bacon butty (sandwich),Robert realizes just how much he loathes the human race - and his revenge is truly terrible. This subversive horror-fantasy from Tom Baker (ex-monk,ex-sailor,and the ultimate Dr Who) is outrageous and funny. Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard US AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja1164724. ISBN: 057119771X.

£ 12.00 (approx. $US 15.62 )

BAKER**, W. HOWARD:
THE EIGHTH SEXTON BLAKE OMNIBUS: THE FUGITIVE and FIRE OVER INDIA.

Imprint: LONDON.HOWARD BAKER PUBLISHERS LIMITED,1970.
Edition: UK,12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn thus.
Binding: Hardback , Minus dw/dj.

UK,12mo HB minus dw/dj,1st edn thus.[This issue,first published in 1970,in this Howard Baker edition/format by Howard Baker Publishers Limited,London by arrangement with Fleetway Publications. 'Fire Over India' was originally published in 1960 as 'The Angry Night' - it was revised and republished in 1966 in this it's present form.After Fleetway ceased publishing the Sexton Blake Library series at the end of its fourth volume in 1963, Blake editor William Howard Baker licensed the character from the IPC Magazines Ltd. company and published a fifth volume independently,via Mayflower-Dell Books, that ran until 1968.He then published a final series of four Sexton Blake novels, using his Howard Baker Books imprint,in 1969.Two complete novels in each omnibus.] VG+.No owner inscrptn.Bright,crisp,clean, sharp-cornered, publisher's original dark blue cloth boards/covers with bright, crisp,blocked gilt letters and publisher's device to spine/backstrip; with negligible shelf-wear,bumping,creasing - no nicks or tears present.Board's top,front edge with small dent,clean,plain white endpapers with both hinges solid and sound without any splits,tears or cracking.Top edges very lightly toned with faint,miniscule dust-soiling flecks,fore-edges bright and clean but with some minimal foxing/ spotting; contents bright, tight,clean, solid and sound - no intentional dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - though an accidental,uniform,lower corner crease(s) to pp243-250 - else appears unread apart from my own collation.UK,12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn thus,7-267pp [paginated] includes Books ONE + TWO ['THE FUGITIVE' and 'FIRE OVER INDIA'] - 2 novels,with 18 and 22 chapters respectively,plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,and individual title separator pages. Sexton Blake,the detective,has been featured in many British comic strips, novels and dramatic productions since 1893.His adventures were featured in a wide variety of publications,in an assortment of many languages,from 1893 - 1978.In all,there are more than 4,000+ stories by some 200 different authors. Sexton Blake also featured in many movies, radio serials,and a 1960s ITV television series - see my book IDs' rja899829 to rja900220 consecutively,for some examples. The first Sexton Blake story was 'The Missing Millionaire' by Harry Blyth writing as Hal Meredeth.It was published in the story paper 'The Halfpenny Marvel', No.6,on 20 December 1893. A veritable and successful rival to the likes of Sherlock Holmes,The Saint,Ellery Queen and Nero Wolfe in the detective fiction genre. Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja900320. ISBN: No ISBN.

£ 10.00 (approx. $US 13.01 )

BAKER**, DENYS VAL:
THE WHITE ROCK.

Imprint: LONDON.SYLVAN PRESS,1945.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.VG+/VG+.Dw/dj slightly chipped/rubbed extremities/edges with about bottom half of spine/backstrip of dw/dj missing.Very small loss to top of spine/backstrip.Author's debut novel. Scarce copy, title to find - more so with dw/dj. Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight and the value of this item, for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja821. ISBN: No ISBN.

£ 50.00 (approx. $US 65.07 )

BAKER, C. JANE:
A Vision of DARTMOOR: Paintings by F.J. Widgery 1861-1942.

Imprint: LONDON.VICTOR GOLLANCZ,1988.
Edition: UK,landscape 8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,landscape 8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn. FINE/FINE.No owner inscrptn and no price- clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,watercolour pictorial artwork by F.J. Widgery,illustrated dw/dj panels,with black+red lettering to front panel,white lettering to spine/backstrip with minimal sunning/fading; with negligible shelf-wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight, clean,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,publisher's original plain brown cloth boards with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate green+white sketch illustrated endpapers.UK,landscape 8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,8-128pp [paginated] includes 3 chapters (intro and Dartmoor and it's artists and it's writers),a potted biography of artist,section of artists watercolour plates with accompanying text,a bibliography and acknowledgements, plus [unpaginated] half-title page with a b/w sketch to its reverse,title page, contents list/table with subject/painter's b/w portrait frntis to its reverse and section/chapter separator pages. Introduction by C. Jane Baker Curator of Fine Art Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter. Enigmatic Dartmoor,with its proud tors and brooding marshes,has always evoked the best from artists and writers - and none more so than F.J. Widgery,one of the finest of Devonian painters. In 1896 Widgery was commissioned to illustrate the 3rd edition of Samuel Rowe's best-selling 'A Perambulation of Dartmoor'. All 22 of his superb watercolours are reproduced here in this new book,along with many of his line drawings and sketches of Dartmoor scenery. The illustrations are accompanied by selections from many of the writings about Dartmoor that were familiar to,and much loved by Widgery,as well as by a lengthy Introduction setting Widgery's work in its historical context and tracing and assessing the history of painted depictions of the Moor. 'A Vision of Dartmoor' is much more than a celebration of one of our most noted national parks.It is also an exploration of one man's obsession with an area of outstanding beauty and mystery. Since April 2013,again in March 2015,and in this year too,the UK Post Office has altered it's Pricing in Proportion template,altering it's prices,weight allowances,dimensions and lowered it's qualifying compensation rates too! So,please contact seller,because of the weight/value of this item for correct, insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja710017. ISBN: 057504294X.

£ 22.00 (approx. $US 28.63 )

BAKER**, TOM:
WHO ON EARTH IS TOM BAKER? - An Autobiography.** [Author SIGNED copy.**]

Imprint: LONDON.HARPER COLLINS,1997.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,author SIGNED,illustrated,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Author's signature - without dedication.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,author SIGNED,illustrated,1st edn. FINE/FINE. No owner inscrptn but author's neat,ink handwritten signature - without dedication - to title page,and no price-clip to dw/dj.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,author SIGNED,1st edn,268pp,b/w photographs and index. Tom Baker was born an Irish Catholic in Liverpool in 1934.Growing up,surrounded by innumerable relatives in a poor but spirited community,he quickly developed a penchant for lying,a passion for football and a suspicion of priests.After time at school spent failing to find a vocation, and eager to achieve approbation anyway he could,Baker became a monk and spent much time smelling of carbolic soap and avoiding making eye contact with others. Before long he came to the horrifying realization that what he wanted more than anything else was to break all the commandments one by one - a life of charity was clearly not for him.What could he do but become an actor? With ambitions to take on the great roles,he soon discovered that acting mainly involved being out of work,becoming practised at auditioning for inappropiate parts,and drinking.But from a struggling start he went on to appearances at the National Theatre,to work with Pasolini and, finally to star as the ultimate Doctor Who. WHO ON EARTH IS TOM BAKER? is a richly coloured,startingly wild black comedy.Tom Baker is the kind of man who could drink the old off-the wagon Anthony Hopkins under the table and now spends much of his leisure time mowing the grass around his own grave-stone in the local churchyard. His memoirs,full of anarchic humour, surreal,ribald and revealing anecdotes,will stand comparison with those of Spike Milligan, Peter Ustinov and David Niven. Please contact seller,because of this item's value,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stock(s') shipping quotes are adjusted for any refunds AFTER receipt of order and BEFORE the despatch of the order,especially if the item is offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: US Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja856. ISBN: 0002558343.

£ 65.00 (approx. $US 84.59 )

BAKEWELL, JOAN & DRUMMOND, JOHN:
A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE. [A co-author (JB) SIGNED copy.]

Imprint: LONDON.WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON 1977.
Edition: UK,slim Qrto HB+dw/dj,co-author SIGNED,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Author's signature - without dedication.

UK,slim Qrto HB+dw/dj,co-author SIGNED,1st edn.FINE+/VG.No owner inscrptn,but co-author Joan Bakewell's neat, handwritten,blue ink underlined,signature - without dedication - to centre of half- title-page,but a price-clipped dw/dj. Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,colour +b/w scenic photographic illustrated dw/dj and white lettering; with some minimal shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners.Clear sellophane taped,internally+ externally reinforced,repaired and therefore protected,top+bottom edges+ corners of dw/dj.Miniscule nicks with miniscule loss to lower edges and corners; top edges and corners have 3 slightly larger tears but again with some minimal loss.Both internal,inner flaps of dw/dj have slight,accidental(?),diagonal creases to top+bottom corners of each.Described, hard,but fairly and honestly not as bad as it reads or appears.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean, solid and sound - near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - unread? Bright,crisp,clean, sharp-cornered,publisher's original,plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp, stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip and near immaculate plain white endpapers. UK,slim Qrto HB+dw/dj,with co-author (Joan Bakewell) SIGNED,1st edn,128pp [unpaginated] includes Joan Bakewell SIGNED half-title page,title page and the three contributor's (Bakewell,Drummond and Lawson) collaborative introduction, comprising an anthology of graveyard, vault,crypt,gravestone etc.,epitaphs - illustrated with profuse b/w photographs by Andrew Lawson throughout the text and the book. 'A Fine and Private Place' is a personal anthology of epitaphs and inscriptions, selected primarily for the beauty of their language,expression or appearance.Ranging over five hundred years,from the 14th to the 19th centuries,they recall,sometimes poignantly,often with humour or irony,the largely forgotten or unknown people they commemorate. Though almost entirely overlooked today, the epitaph was one of the most familiar and idiosyncratic of literary forms.Our ancestors wrote and spoke of death with a confidence which came of close acquaintance.In doing so they also provide an unconscious commentary on religious attitudes and social aspirations. This collection of outstanding examples, though by no means exhaustive,is the result of long-standing enthusiasm on the part of the authors.In it they seek to recapture the curious charm of country churchyards,before atmospheric pollution eats away the stones,or the statelier splendours of city churches,before vandalism ensures that their doors are kept locked.This book is a reminder of traditions which,like those they commemorate,are no longer with us. Joan Bakewell was born in Stockport, educated there and at Newnham College, Cambridge.She has been a broadcaster since the mid-1960's,a journalist and writer since 1970. Since April 2013,again in March 2015,and in this year too,the UK Post Office has altered it's Pricing in Proportion template,altering its prices,weight allowances,dimensions and lowered its qualifying compensation rates too! So,please contact seller,because of the value of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja482414. ISBN: 0297774328.

£ 16.00 (approx. $US 20.82 )

BALDING**, CLARE:
Walking Home - My Family and Other Rambles. [Author SIGNED copy.]

Imprint: LONDON.VIKING/PENGUIN,2014.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Author SIGNED - without dedication.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn.[Complete number line 001.] FINE+/FINE+.No owner inscrptn,but author's neat black ink signature - without dedication - to foot of title page and no price-clip to dw/dj. Bright,crisp,clean,matt,subject's portrait colour photographic illustrated dw/dj,with b/w and blue lettering; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present - virtually as new.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean - near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean, sharp-cornered,publisher's original,plain dark blue cloth bds with bright,crisp, white ink printed letters to spine/ backstrip and b/w illustrated eps - rear free endpaper has an angled,vertical diagonal fold - unsure if accidental or part of production design? UK,8vo HB+dw/ dj,SIGNED,1st edn,1-291pp [paginated] includes a pre-amble,6 Wayfarer'e Walks comprising of 2,3,3,3,2,1 chapters respectively,16pp colour photographs in 2 blocks of 8pp apiece,between pp118/9 and pp166/7,5 b/w maps interspersed throughout the text and the book,b/w illustration chapter headpieces,scattered b/w illus within text borders,acknowledgements,plus [unpaginated] half-title page,SIGNED title page,dedication,b/w illus vignetted epigram,double-page contents list/table with maps list/table to recto of last page of contents list/table,and text permissions as last page. Clare Balding never had time to walk,or to discover Britain.She was too busy rushing on to the next adventure,jumping the next fence. Then,in 1999,Clare took a call out of the blue from a radio producer looking for a presenter for a new series."Do you walk?" she asked. "Well,I walk the dog . . ." Clare replied.That series is still going strong - and Clare's caught the walking bug. Since then she's covered fifteen hundred miles of footpaths from the Pennine Way to the South-West Coast Path.She's tackled apocalyptic thunderstorms,struggled with blisters and a twisted ankle,and seduced fans of 'erotic radio' by getting changed in a bus stop.She's walked with historians,geologists,twitchers,botanists and poets,who've told her things thy thought they would never reveal. Now she wants her family to share some of that pleasure.She and her brother Andrew are determined to conquer the Wayfarer's Walk,a route that runs past their family stables in Kingsclere.What could possibly go wrong? This is a story of paths and people,of discovering the glories of Britain and Ireland,and of (mis)adventures with the family.Along the way there are charming diversions and life-chnging rambles, including her take on the 2012 Olympics. And,finally,this is Clare's story of walking home. Since April 2013,again in March 2015,and in this year too,the UK Post Office has altered it's Pricing in Proportion template,altering its prices,weight allowances,dimensions and lowered its qualifying compensation rates too! So,please contact seller,because of the value of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja597216. ISBN: 9780670921478.

£ 25.00 (approx. $US 32.54 )

BALDWIN, RONALD A:
THE GILLINGHAM CHRONICLES. [Author SIGNED copy.]

Imprint: UK.ROCHESTER,KENT.BAGGINS BOOK BAZAAR/BRUCE AUBRY,1998.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Author' signature - without dedication - but dated 4 April,1998.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,ltd.,1st edn. [Stated Limited first edition run of only 500 books worldwide,but without numerical notation.As a SIGNED copy,probably much scarcer than the majority of the 500 issued unsigned.] FINE/FINE. No owner inscrptn,but author's neat,handwritten blue/black ink signature - without dedication - but dated: 4 April,1998 to half-title-page; and no price-clip to dw/dj - lack of publisher's printed price.Bright,crisp,clean,matt, contemporary,historical b/w photographic illustrated dw/dj with gilt+black lettering; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.The majority of any creasing is to top edges of dw/dj.Top+fore-edges bright and generally clean; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - virtually pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - possibly unread? Publisher's bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered, original,plain dark maroon cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate b/w illustrated endpapers (1 brass rubbing illus+3 contemporary historical maps).UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,author SIGNED, ltd.,1st edn,vii-xiipp+1-402pp [paginated] includes Acknowledgements,a Preface,an Introduction,20 chapters,32pp contemporary, historical b/w illus+photographs (40 in total) in one block,between pp210/11,8 Appendices,a Glossary,a Bibliography and an Index.Plus [unpaginated]; author SIGEND+dated half-title page,title page,separate Contents and Illustraions lists/tables. The first complete history of the town of Gillingham in Kent. Beginning,as a schoolboy the author asked questions about Gillingham's history,and spent most of his life seeking the answers to those questions.Through the exploitation of local and national archives and libraries,through the interviewing of the town's senior citizens,and through the detailed exploration of Gillingham's geographical setting and the exploration of every street and avenue,the author has found more of the answers than has any other local author. Please contact seller,because of the weight/value of this item,for correct [insured,or uninsured at own risk] shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stock(s') shipping quotes are adjusted for any refunds AFTER receipt of order and BEFORE the despatch of the order,especially if the item is offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: US Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja482914. ISBN: 190162501X.

£ 35.00 (approx. $US 45.55 )

BALKWILL, RICHARD & WOOD, A. J:
MILTON'S MYSTERY - USE YOUR MAGIC DECODER TO SEARCH FOR A HIDDEN TREASURE.

Imprint: UK.SURREY.TEMPLAR PUB.,CO.,1996.
Edition: UK,Qrto HB,no dw/dj(as issued?),1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , No dw/dj,as issued.
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,Qrto HB,no dw/dj,as issued,1st edn. NFINE.No owner inscrptn.Pictorial colour decorated card boards with circular magnifying glass cut-out to upper bd revealing a cat's pawprint on front free endpaper.Minimal shelf-wear to edges,but slightly bumped top,upper corner and a red ink X to top corner ffe.Contents bright, tight and clean.Qrto,32pp [unpaginated] includes opened 6pp solution to rear,a detachable cardboard magnifying glass,with creases to handle,in paper holder to front inner board,and colour illustrations by Helen Ward. Milton the Cat needs to find a hidden treasure,but before he can start his search he needs to know what the treasure is! You can help him by solving the seven riddles or puzzles that you'll come across in the following pages.The answer to each one is an object that you will find somewhere in the accompanying picture.Once you've found it (and remember there may be more than one),look at it through your magic magnifying glass and part of a hidden message will be revealed.You also need to find a key in each picture in order to discover seven hidden numbers. When you've gathered all the words and numbers together,see if you can work out what they are trying to tell you.The answer will lead you back through the book to search for Milton's secret treasure with the help of your magic glass.On the way,if you look at the pictures carefully, you will come across all sorts of other hidden signs.Remember, anything marked with the sign of a fish is a red herring, put there to catch you out.Look instead for the sign of the cat's paw - it's there to help you solve the final mystery! And if you get really stuck,just open the seal at the back of the book and all the answers will be revealed. Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight of this item for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja1658. ISBN: 1898784582.

£ 7.99 (approx. $US 10.40 )

BALL**, ALAN and various contributors:
ALAN BALL'S INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL ANNUAL No.2. [1970.]

Imprint: LONDON.PELHAM BOOKS LTD.,1970.
Edition: UK,slim Qrto HB,minus dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , Minus dw/dj.
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,slim Qrto HB,minus dw/dj,1st edn.VG+.No owner inscrptn but price-clip to front free endpaper, whilst printed price still in situ on rear board.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered, glossy,paper-covered boards with subject colour sports action photographic front board and b/w lettering,white spine/backstrip with faded red but bright black lettering,rear panel with white background with red+black lettering of precised contents; with negligible shelf-wear,bumping, creasing to edges and corners – no major nicks, tears or splits present.Front board with a smattering of scoring,rear board virtually unaffected,near immaculate plain white sets of endpapers.Top+fore-edges though slightly aged/ toned are without foxing or spotting; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound – virtually pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners – sunread,apart from my own collation.UK,slim Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn,7-120pp [paginated] includes an introduction by Ken Stanley,3 articles by Alan Ball,plus numerous other contributors amongst whom: Bobby Charlton, George Best,Peter Bonetti,Alun Evans,Billy Bremner,Jimmy Smith,Denis Law,Jim Lane,Alan Mullery,Alex Stepney,Danny Williams,Joe Royal etc,profuse b/w contemporary biographical photographs interspersed throughout the text and an Alan Ball football quiz with answers; plus [unpaginated] clean half-title with Alan Ball b/w photographic frntis to its reverse,clean title page,clean contents list/table with another Alan Ball b/w sports photograph to its reverse. The 2nd Annual in the series - see the previous and following book IDs' rja985122 and rja985322 respectively,for other annuals in this series. Visually the exterior appearance is acceptable for a book of it's age,and even internally,the book is in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation.It is only the front cover's faults described that prevent a higher grading overall. Alan Ball is among the most dedicated young footballers of our time.By instinct,ability and single-minded determination he has joined the select band of world-class players.Here he enlists a team of contributors who discuss the many aspects of the World Game. In this,his 2nd Soccer Annual,he has much to say himself and has also enlisted contributions from Bonetti,Best Wilson,B. Charlton,Denis Law, Alun Evans,and Joe Royle amongst others. Soccer is the sport of the 20thC in Britain.The sport of science,of glamour,of knife-edge judgement and split second reaction. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch, especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja985222. ISBN: No ISBN.

£ 20.00 (approx. $US 26.03 )

BALL,PAMELA:
JACK THE RIPPER: A PSYCHIC INVESTIGATION - THE COMPELLING PARANORMAL SEARCH FOR THE KILLER'S TRUE IDENTITY.

Imprint: LONDON.ARCTURUS PUBLISHING LTD.,1998 - for INDEX.
Edition: UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn.NFINE/NFINE.No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj. Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated colour illustrated dw/dj - design repeated to laminated bds - with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges or corners - no nicks or tears present.Top+fore-edges slightly aged/toned but otherwise unblemished; contents bright,tight and near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners.Glossy,laminated bds with immaculate,plain white eps.UK,Qrto HB +dw/dj,1st edn,7-197pp[paginated] includes half-title+title pages,contents list, author preface,11 chapters/sections,32pp of contemporary b/w illus+photographs in 2 blocks of 16pp apiece,between pp36/7 and pp134/35 respectively,appendices(13 astrological charts),a bibliography and an index. 'Jack the Ripper - A Psychic Investigation' is different from all the other books on the 'first serial killer' by giving a completely new dimension to the insights into the main characters of the drama.Using her psychic skills the author is able to revisit the scenes of the 'horrible murders' which took place in the autumn of 1888 and to make contact with the people and events at the centre of the nightmare.Piecing together key facts from research over the years by other Jack the Ripper investigators and adding them to her own often startling conclusions,Pamela Ball has created a fascinating record of her voyage into the unknown.Each murder was an event in its own right,and yet it seems that each was also a part of a web of intrigue,poverty and deception.The process of investigation itself is an unfolding adventure that draws us ever nearer to the solution of a riddle that has perplexed and transfixed the world for over a century - who was Jack the Ripper? Please contact seller,because of the weight and value of this item,for correct, insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja25257. ISBN: 1900032139.

£ 12.00 (approx. $US 15.62 )

BALL, MICHAEL:
THE EMPIRE. [Author SIGNED copy.]

Imprint: LONDON.ZAFFRE/an imprint of Bonnier Books UK,2022.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,author SIGNED,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Author SIGNED.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,author SIGNED,1st edn. FINE+/FINE+. No owner inscrptn but author's handwritten,bold,black felt-tip pen ink inscrptn thus 'Love Michael (?) x' to a tipped-in (?) special title page between the half-title and title page,and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright, crisp,clean,wrap-around matt background of colour pictorial illustration,with part-glossy, embossed,overlaid colour figures to front of dw/dj by Michael Crampton,with author's capitalised,embossed,bright,crisp,gilt-lettered name,capitalised,glossy,embossed white-lettered title,other white-lettered strapline and critic's white+sandy colour lettered review; spine/backstrip with similarly coloured+lettered author+title as the front's and publisher's capitalised,white-lettered name initial Z to foot of same,rear panel with continuation of front's illustration and critics' (3) white+ sandy colour lettered reviews.Negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners – no nicks,tears or splits present.Top+fore-edges bright crisp and clean without blemish or foxing/spotting; contents bright, tight,clean,solid and sound – no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips – appears unread, apart from my own collation.Publisher's bright,crisp and clean/unblemished,sharp-cornered,original plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt capitalised lettering and ticket illustration to spine/backstrip,and immaculate two colour, repetitive design illustrated endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,2-390pp [paginated] includes Overtures and Beginners,Acts I-III,Finale and Curtain Call comprising 11,13,10, 4 chapters and [6 Months Later],Acknowledgements; plus [unpaginated] half-title page,author SIGNED title page,title page,3pp Characters list/table, a dedication,and to the rear,Reader's Letters with author's facsimile signature,b/w illustrated advertisement for book as an Audiobook read by BALL or as a download,an advert for forthcoming book in 2023,separator page for More from the Author, Exclusive to this edition, 5pp article From Stage to Page and facsimile signature again,and as last pages,4pp blanks.                                       Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional and particularly internally,is also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation.It really is still an exceptional, exemplary example for its cleanliness,brightness and lack of detracting faults and particularly as a SIGNED item and author fiction debut of a promised forthcoming series/saga.         The first in a series set in the world of theatre by the master of musical theatre. Welcome to The Empire Theatre. 'It's the jewel of the north,The Empire. Lord Lassiter bought it for his second wife, Lady Lillian and she supervised every detail of the restoration.There's not a finer theatre in the country'. But The Empire is not just a theatre.From music hall to vaudeville,from revue to grand musical spectacular,it holds a special place in the nation's heart.For its audience,for its actors and singers,for the stagehands,the front-of-house staff,for its backers and its debtors - and above all for its owners - it truly is a palace of dreams.And for young Jack Treadwell,struggling to adapt to civilian life after the horrors of the trenches, it's a lifeline.                                        Looking for work,he arrives at The Empire,it's owned by the family of his former commanding officer, Edmund Lassiter so he hopes to be given a chance. But as Jack soon discovers,it is not just the actors who are donning a disguise.With whispers of a cover-up,a scandal and sibling rivalry,tensions rise, along with the curtain. For there is treachery at the heart of The Empire and a dark secret waiting in the wings. Can Jack discover the truth before it is too late,and the theatre that means so much to them all goes dark?Following the lives,loves and scandals of the Lassiter and Treadwell families, from the aftermath of the Great War and the Roaring Twenties to the dark days of the Second World War and the Blitz,Michael Ball's debut fiction series charts the story of the high notes and the low notes of British musical theatre in all its glamour,greasepaint and glory. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!          N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE.    ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja1141524. ISBN: 9781804180549.

£ 25.00 (approx. $US 32.54 )

BALL, MIA:
THE WORSHIPUL COMPANY OF BREWERS - A Short History.

Imprint: LONDON.HUTCHINSON BENHAM LTD.,1977.
Edition: UK,slim 8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,slim 8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/NFINE.No owner inscrptn,but price-clipped dw/dj. Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated watercolour pictorial upper wrap and b/w photographic rear wrap; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners.3 small closed tears along top edges,one tiny nick towards foot of spine/ backstrip on rear,lower edge - else complete.Top edge bright and clean,fore-edge generally clean with some minimal grubbing (thumbed?); contents bright,tight and near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners.Bright,clean and unblemished, publisher's original,brown cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt Company livery+motto decorated upper bd and lettering to spine/backstrip and b/w illustrated endpapers.UK,slim 8vo HB+dw/dj, 1st edn,8-143pp [paginated] includes foreword by Christopher John Mytton Downes; Master,1975-6,9 chapters,4 colour plates,37 contemporary b/w plates/illus/photographs throughout the text and the book,notes, Clerks to the Brewers' Company,Masters of same,a bibliography and an index; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages, contents+illus lists/tables. 'They drink a high and mighty liquor, different from that of any nation, made of barley and water.This drink is not so subtle in its effects as wine,but it is warming,even more nourishing,and leaves space enough for the performance of many actions before the spirits are quite vanquished.' Thus Julius Caesar on the ale of the ancient Britons.The Anglo-Saxons in their turn brought the beer-hall and a prototype of the pub;the monastries introduce the first organized ale production; and in time of civil strife the Church extended the brewers her protection. The social and economic importance of the brewers of ale,and later beer,was early on made manifest in the formation of a religious brewers' fraternity.This soon amalgamated with the early brewers; trade gild which was formally confirmed in 1319 by grant of Royal Charter,eventually to be incorporated as the Worshipful Company of Brewers,fourteenth in order of precedence among London's Livery Companies. Remarkably enough,the Brewers' Company continues to fulfil its original aims in ways which reflect the changing times. Drawing largely on its account rolls, minutes and scrapbooks,Mia Ball has chronicled the Company's fortunes from its inception until the present day.This fascinating account reflects the wide sweep of the history of the City of London,taking us through the development of autonomous City government and the struggles for power within that government.It covers the Livery Companies' heyday in the 16thC, the Civil War and the Great Fire of the 17thC,which contributed to the Companies' decline in the 18thC - brought about largely by the growth of the great capitalist enterprises - and the modus vivendi reached in the 19thC,with concentration on the administration of charities and trade questions in accordance with the social and moral concerns of the time. The particular,too,is touched upon and 'The Worshipful Company of Brewers' is a mine of information on British drinking habits and anecdotes concerning figures as legendary as Dick Whittington and as venerated as St Thomas a Becket.The end product is a valuable and lively contribution to the social and economic history of the capital's ancient Livery Companies. Please contact seller,because of the weight of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch, especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.

Stock number: rja31498. ISBN: 0091278503.

£ 12.50 (approx. $US 16.27 )

BALLANTYNE, IAIN:
HMS RODNEY: SLAYER OF THE BISMARCK AND D-DAY SAVIOUR. [Author SIGNED copy.]

Imprint: UK.BARNSLEY,S.YORKS.PEN & SWORD MARITIME,2012.
Edition: UK,8vo wraps,SIGNED,softback reprint format.
Binding: Hardback , No dw/dj,as issued,s/back edn.
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,8vo wraps,author SIGNED publisher's bookplate pasted in,softback in a reprinted format.[First published as Hardback in 2008,by Pen & Sword.This edn reprinted in this format by Pen & Sword Maritime,an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd.,in 2012 - so 1st thus.] FINE+.No owner inscrptn,but author's signature - without dedication or other inscrptn - to pasted-in publisher's bookplate,no dw/dj,as issued. Bright,crisp,clean,sepia+colour photographic illustrated upper wrap with b/w lettering,colour painting with white lettering to rear wrap; with negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight and pristine -no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - and no reading creases to spine/backstrip, therefore,an unread copy.UK,8vo wraps,author SIGNED softback reprint (1st thus),viii-xvpp+2- 304pp [paginated] includes foreword (by a former serving ship's crew member),Acknowledgements, author Introduction,21 chapters+Epilogue,a few b/w illus/diagrams/maps etc,throughout the text and the book,16pp contemporary b/w photographs in one block,between pp144/5,Appendices (6 - includes 2 Bismarck Action battle maps),a Bibliography,Sources,and an Index.Plus [unpaginated] author SIGNED bookplated half-title page,title page,and a Contents list/table. The Royal Navy battleship HMS Rodney was one of the most famous warships of the Second World War and remains a legend in the pantheon of naval history.In May 1941 HMS Rodney turned Bismarck, the pride of Hitler's navy,into twisted metal, then participated in hard-fought Malta convoys and later supported the D-Day landings. Rodney's vital role,via formidable naval gunfire support,in breaking the morale of German troops during the battle for Normandy,is outlined here.Through the eyewitness accounts of her sailors and marines we discover what it was like to live and fight in a battleship at war.We learn of the many famous fighting admirals who served in,or commanded,Rodney,including Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham and Admiral Sir John Tovey.The stories of previous British warships to carry the name Rodney,dating back to the 1750's,are covered too,including the vessel that took on the batteries at Sevastopol during the Crimean War.In addition to a fresh perspective on Bismarck's destruction,the author seeks to present new insights into the inter-war mutiny that saw Rodney dubbed 'the Red Ship' and a bomb hit in 1940 that nearly destroyed her. There is even an account of how a group of HMS Rodney's sailors took part in a trailblazing British commando raid.It all makes for a thrilling,epic account of naval warfare. Pease contact seller,because of the lighter weight and the value of this item,for correct [insured,or uninsured at own risk] shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stock(s') shipping quotes are adjusted for any refunds AFTER receipt of order and BEFORE the despatch of the order,especially if the item is offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: US Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja457313. ISBN: 9781848848702.

£ 25.00 (approx. $US 32.54 )

BALLANTYNE**, R[obert] M[ichael]:
THE DOG CRUSOE.

Imprint: LONDON.DENT/DUTTON,1966.
Edition: UK,Demy 8vo HB,no dw/dj,1st edn thus.
Binding: Decorative cloth bds., Minus dw/dj.

UK,Demy 8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn thus.(One of the later titles (No.70.), published in this Children's Illustrated Classic series for older children/readers, first by DENT and now,later by DENT/DUTTON,and all illustrated by famous artists.Bound in Sundour cloth with special designs for the binding,end-papers and jackets by ALEXANDER H. WILLIAMSON.)NFINE/VG+.No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj. Bright,clean beige+brown illustrated patterned cloth boards with light grey ink,stamped letters to upper bd+spine/ backstrip,bd's design repeated to eps. Negligible shelf-wear to edges, minisculely bumped corners,spine/ backstrip clean with miniscule bumping with reciprocal creasing to head+foot of same.Top+fore-edges bright and clean, contents bright,tight and clean with no dog-ear creases to any pages' corners.A solid,sound copy,considering the book's age.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn thus,v-viipp+1 -246pp [paginated] +half-title page,b/w vignetted title page,colour frntis, contents+illustrations lists/tables,27 chapters,4 colour illustrations and 16 b/w line illustrations throughout the text and book - all called for and all by Victor Ambrus.See also the six previous sequential alpha-numeric book ID's back to rja27437 for other titles from this publisher's series. Please contact seller,because of the weight and value of this item,for correct, insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja27497. ISBN: No ISBN.

£ 15.00 (approx. $US 19.52 )

BALLARD,ROBERT D. with DUNMORE,SPENCER:
EXPLORING THE LUSITANIA - Probing the Mysteries of the Sinking That Changed History.

Imprint: LONDON.WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON,1995.
Edition: UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket

UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/NFINE.No owner inscrptn,no price-clip to dw/dj.Glossy, laminated, colour+sepia photographic illustrated dw/dj,with negligible shelf-wear to edges, corners of spine/backstrip with minimal creasing to same.Miniscule bumping with reciprocal creasing and rubbing to corners and head of spine/backstrip - no other nicks or tears present.Top+ fore-edges bright and clean, contents bright, tight and clean. Clean, green paper-covered bds with bright, stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain green eps.Qrto,12-227pp includes colour pictorial illustrated half-title page, colour photographic title-page, contents list, 10 chapters including an epilogue, profuse b/w+sepia contemporary photographs, paintings by Ken Marschall, and diagrams, chronology, end matter, photograph+illustrations credits, biblio and an index. Avenge the Lusitania! was the slogan emblazoned on British recruiting posters during the second year of the Great War.In May of 1915, a German torpedo sank the sleek liner Lusitania with the loss of 1,195 civilian lives.The sinking turned world opinion against Germany, and the deaths of 123 American passengers was the first step in bringing the Unites States into WWI.But almost from the moment the torpedo was fired, controversy has surrounded the Lusitania.Why did she sink so quickly? Why was there a second explosion? Had the liner been carrying munitions for the British? Did Winston Churchill, then First Sea Lord, allow the sinking in the hope that it might draw America into the war? Rumours of conspiracies and cover-ups surround the liner, and eighty years later(then 1995) she is still a ship of mystery. In August of 1993, Dr Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the Titanic and the Bismarck, led an expedition to the wreck of the Lusitania, off the coast of Ireland, in search of answers.Using a small submarine and remotely controlled camera vehicles, Ballard and his team studied the wreck like a team of underwater detectives trying to solve a murder mystery.Their high-quality underwater images of the shattered wreck can now shed light on the cause of the sinking that sent it to the bottom in minutes. Ballard's conclusions are authoritative and provide a fascinating, definitive account of what happened on that fateful May afternoon eighty years ago.Exploring the Lusitania is also a glorious illustrated history of one of the proudest examples of the age when liners ruled the sea lanes, featuring Ballard's excellent underwater photography paired with high-quality archival material in fascinating "then and now" spreads.And paintings by the noted marine artist Ken Marschall, who accompanied Ballard on his expedition and was able to paint the Lusitania first-hand from a submarine, capture the lost liner in all her shattered poignancy. Please contact seller,because of the weight/value of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja25997. ISBN: 0297813145.

£ 25.00 (approx. $US 32.54 )

BALLARD**, J[ames] G[raham]:
Miracles of Life: Shanghai to Shepperton - An Autobiography.**

Imprint: LONDON.FOURTH ESTATE,2008.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,2nd imp.[Number line 2.] FINE+/FINE+.No owner inscrptn,no price-clip (£14.99) to dw/dj.Bright,crisp, clean,matt,contemporary,subject's autobiographical b/w photographic illustrated dw/dj,with 4 colour (grey,blue, yellow and red) lettering; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Spine/ backstrip inevitably but very lightly(?) sunned/faded and scoring+indentation free. Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - virtually pristine - no dog- ear reading creases to any pages' corners - appears unread,apart from my own collation.Bright, crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,publisher's original,plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked yellow ink letters to spine/backstrip,a gold+white striped headband,and facsimile newspaper newsprint (Warfare in Shanghai,Aug 13th,1937) illustrated endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,2nd imp,vii-viiipp+3-278pp [paginated] includes Pts 1+2 comprising 10 and 13 chapters respectively,contemporary b/w subject-related autobiographical photographs interspersed throughout the text and the book.Plus [unpaginated]half-title+title pages,dedication,Pts separator pages and 2pp blanks at rear. For almost half a century,J. G. Ballard has been one of this country's (Britain) most important writers.In this revelatory autobiography,bookended by time spent in Shanghai - the city of his childhood and internment in a WWII prison camp,and setting of his novel 'Empire of the Sun' - he charts the course of his remarkable life. Beginning with his early childhood spent exploring the vibrant surroundings of 'that magical place','Miracles of Life' takes us from the deprivations and unexpected freedoms of Lunghua Camp to his arrival in a Britain physically and psychologically crippled by war.He recounts his first attempts at fiction while stationed in a frozen airbase in Canada,his part in the social and artistic revolutions of the 60's and his life as a single father after the premature death of his wife. In prose of characteristic precision and wit,Ballard recalls the experiences that would fundamentally shape his writing, while simultaneously providing an striking analysis of the fragmented post-war Britain that lies behind so many of his novels. 'Miracles of Life' is a captivating account of the extraordinary life of an extraordinary writer. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch, especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.

Stock number: rja530915. ISBN: 9780007270729.

£ 10.00 (approx. $US 13.01 )

BALLARD**, J[ames] Graham]:
THE DAY OF CREATION.

Imprint: LONDON.GOLLANCZ,1987.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.VG++/VG++.No owner inscrptn,but price-clip to dw/dj.Bright, crisp,clean,glossy laminated,colour pictorial wrap-around artwork,by Paul Wright,illustrated dw/dj with black+gilt lettering; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Head of spine/backstrip of dw/dj minisculely bumped with reciprocal creasing and some inevitable but light and superficial scoring+ indentation to both panels of dw/dj,with majority of other creasing along it's top edges.Top edges lightly aged/toned and with some minimal dust-soiling spotting, fore-edges brighter and cleaner and much less affected with some minimal,sporadic foxing/spotting; contents bright,tight, clean,solid and sound - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - would appear to be unread.Bright,crisp,generally clean - though there is some light bleeding to internal,rear,lower corner of dw/dj,from concommitant corner of the rear bd,which has at sometime been exposed to moisture,sharp-cornered,publisher's original,plain black cloth bds with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip and near immaculate plain white eps - rear fep excepted,having some minimal foxing/spotting to it's vertical edge.Described hard,but fairly and honestly - nowhere as bad as it reads or sounds.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,5-254pp [paginated] includes contents list/table, 35 chapters,plus [unpaginated] half-title+ title pages,and 2pp blanks at rear. The parched,diseased,impoverished terrain of central Africa,somewhere near the borders of Chad and Sudan,is the locale of Ballard's new novel (then 1987). Doctor Mallory arrives to run a WHO clinic in the small town of Port-la-Nouvelle,but within six months the surges and counter surges of guerilla and paramilitary activity in this forgotten and lawless zone have left him without patients,and he devotes himself instead to the problem of bringing water to the region,dreaming of a third Nile which will bring the Sahara into flower. Then an apparent miracle occurs.In front of Mallory's eyes a tractor extending the local airstrip shifts a huge tree bole,and water bubbles to the surface: first a trickle,but soon a powerful flood.Within days more water has flowed from inland, and a sizable river seems to be forming. There may be a simple explanation - seismic activity in the mountains two hundred miles away has shifted the water table - but to the obsessed Mallory the river is in some way his creation,to be owned by him,to be named after him,and to be explored. . . . On his journey to the source of the River Mallory,the doctor becomes the focus of a strange gaggle of people: Noon, the mysteriously silent adolescent girl, formerly a child recruit to the guerilla army; Professor Sanger,documentary film maker,hoping to revive his faded reputation with despatches from this forgotten and unglamorous corner of Africa with the help of his Indian assistant,Mr Pal; Nora Warrender,widow of a Rhodesian veterinary surgeon,the remains of whose menagerie flourish exotically amid the riverine fertility; and Captain Kagwa and General HArare,leaders of rival "armies" - in reality little more than undernourished and -equipped bandit groups - each dreaming of conquest and secession, wealth and fame. . . . Please contact seller,because of the weight and the value of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja512815. ISBN: 0575041528.

£ 20.00 (approx. $US 26.03 )

BALLARD**, ROBERT with ARCHBOLD**, RICK:
THE DISCOVERY OF THE BISMARCK.**

Imprint: LONDON.HODDER & STOUGHTON/MADISON PRESS BOOK,1990.
Edition: UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/NFINE.No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj. Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,colour photographic illustrated dw/dj; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Head+foot of spine/backstrip minisculely bumped with reciprocal creasing.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight and near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners.Bright,clean,unblemished, publisher's original,dark blue cloth boards with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to upper bd+spine/backstrip,a headband and clean blue+white illustrated eps.UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn,8-231pp [paginated] includes an introduction by Ludovic Kennedy,12 chapters includes prologue+epilogue,profuse illustrations (400+) throughout the text and the book comprising full-colour maps,charts and diagrams,foldouts,appendix and an index. "Titanic team finds Bismarck" ran the headlines on June 14,1989,announcing Robert Ballard's discovery of Hitler's greatest battleship.Using the same underwater camera vehicle that had discovered the wreck of the Titanic in 1985, Ballard and his team photographed the Bismarck sitting proudly upright three miles below the surface of the Atlantic off the coast of France. It had taken two years,two separate expeditions,and a painstaking survey of over 100 square miles of seafloor before the legendary German warship was finally spotted.Ballard's remote-controlled cameras captured the scene with brilliant,clear images for all time.Standing on the side of an underwater mountain,surrounded by an enormous landslide that occurred almost fifty years ago when the 50,000 ton battleship collided with the ocean bottom,the Bismarck's huge guns point eerily upward and giant swastikas still defiantly emblazon her bow and stern decks. The story of the Bismarck is one of the most compelling sea sagas of WWII.In May 1941,a shell fired from this sleek new German ship struck the battle-cruiser HMS Hood and within minutes the pride of the British navy was utterly destroyed. An enraged Winston Churchill gave the memorable command to "sink the Bismarck!" - mobilising the British navy into the greatest sea chase of the war.'The Discovery of the Bismarck' recreates the unforgettable story of this great sea battle with historic photographs and the words of the men who fought it.Ballard then gives a dramatic first-hand account of the high-tech hunt for the Bismarck that culminated in its thrilling rediscovery - forty-eight years after it was sent to the bottom.With over 400 illustrations this book has all the pictorial richness that helped make Robert Ballard's previous book,'The Discovery of the Titanic',an international bestseller. Fascinating "then and now" features pair photographs of the Bismarck in 1989 with accurate pictures from 1941; two spectacular full-page foldouts show the Nazi warship in all her fearsome glory and as she looks today (then 1990).Full-colour maps,charts and diagrams throughout plus a host of specially commissioned paintings recreate a remarkable chapter in the history of WWII and illuminate the fascinating world of modern deep-sea exploration. Please contact seller,because of the weight of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

Stock number: rja28878. ISBN: 0340529768.

£ 20.00 (approx. $US 26.03 )

BALLARD**, J[ames] G[raham]:
THE KINDNESS OF WOMEN.

Imprint: LONDON.HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS,1991.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn. FINE/NFINE. Neat, black ink gift presentation inscrptn with contemporary date (1/10/91) to ffe,price-clipped dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,colour pictorial illustrated dw/dj with both b/w,red+ gilt edged lettering respectively; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Majority of any creasing is to top edges and head of spine/backstrip of dw/dj.Top edges silghtly aged/toned with slight dust-soiling and ubiquitous spotting,fore-edges also lightly aged/toned but brighter and crisper without spotting; contents bright,tight,clean - virtually pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - unread? Publisher's bright,crisp,clean,sharp -cornered,original plain red cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/backstrip and near immaculate plain white endpapers - aforementioned inscrptn excepted. UK,8vo HB +dw/dj,1st edn,9-286pp [paginated] includes Pts I-III comprising 17 chapters; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,a Contents list/table and Pts separator pages. J. G. Ballard's 'Empire of the Sun' is already established as one of the most important and popular novels of the postwar years: winner of literary prizes,a bestseller in many countries, and filmed by Steven Spielberg. Ballard's compelling account of a boy's life in Japanese-occupied wartime Shanghai,based on his own experiences,touched an enduring chord with millions of readers. 'The Kindness of Women' is so rich a work that it defies easy summary. It is a true novel of ideas: a portrait of the postwar world,wide-ranging in its settings and its concerns,and consistently inventive and penetrating in its insights. It is also the warmest and most passionate novel Ballard has ever written: a graphically honest but often surprisingly tender story.And, as before,Ballard - by putting himself in the centre of his own fiction - creates a remarkable and unflinchingly honest hybrid of autobiography and novel,truthful in its self-portrayal, fictional in its other characters and incidents. Please contact seller,because of the value of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stock(s') shipping quotes are adjusted for any refunds AFTER receipt of order and BEFORE the despatch of the order,especially if the item is offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: US Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja504614. ISBN: 0002237717.

£ 20.00 (approx. $US 26.03 )

BALLINGER**, W. A and McNEILLY**, W:
THE NINTH SEXTON BLAKE OMNIBUS: I,THE HANGMAN and THE MUCKRAKERS.

Imprint: LONDON.HOWARD BAKER PRESS LTD.,1972.
Edition: UK,12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn thus.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn thus.[This issue,first published in 1972 in this Howard Baker edition/format by Howard Baker Press Ltd.,London by arrangement with Fleetway Publications.This is the first time ever in book form.After Fleetway ceased publishing the Sexton Blake Library series at the end of its fourth volume in 1963, Blake editor William Howard Baker licensed the character from the IPC Magazines Ltd. company and published a fifth volume independently,via Mayflower-Dell Books, that ran until 1968.He then published a final series of four Sexton Blake novels, using his Howard Baker Books imprint,in 1969.Two complete novels in each omnibus.] FINE/FINE. No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,matt, yellow background with red+black lettering design dw/dj; with negligible shelf-wear, bumping,creasing - no nicks or tears present.Top +fore-edges bright and clean without any dust-soiling,foxing or spotting or other blemishes; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - appears unread apart from my own collation. Publisher's bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered, original pale duck-egg blue cloth boards/covers with bright,crisp,blocked black ink letters and publisher's device to spine/backstrip, immaculate plain white endpapers with both hinges solid and sound without any splits,tears or cracking.UK,12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn thus, includes Books ONE + TWO [I,THE HANGMAN and THE MUCKRAKERS] with 7-139pp [paginated] with 17 chapters,and 7-142pp [paginated] with 21 chapters respectively; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,and individual title separator pages.See also my book ID rja900520 for another example of this same title in the same format. Sexton Blake,the detective,has been featured in many British comic strips,novels and dramatic productions since 1893.His adventures were featured in a wide variety of publications,in an assortment of languages,from 1893-1978.In all, there are more than 4,000+ stories by some 200 different authors.Sexton Blake also featured in many movies,radio serials,and a 1960s,(UK) ITV television series - see my book IDs'rja899829 to rja900220 for some examples. The first Sexton Blake story was 'The Missing Millionaire' by Harry Blyth writing as Hal Meredeth.It was published in the story paper 'The Halfpenny Marvel', No.6,on 20 December 1893.A veritable and successful rival to the likes of Sherlock Holmes,The Saint,Ellery Queen and Nero Wolfe in the detective fiction genre. Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight and the value of this item,for correct,insured (where necessary) shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stock(s') shipping quotes are adjusted for any refunds AFTER receipt of order and BEFORE the despatch of the order,especially if the item is offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: US Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja900420. ISBN: 0703000195.

£ 30.00 (approx. $US 39.04 )

BALLINGER, ADAM:
THE QUIET SOLDIER.

Imprint: LONDON.CHAPMANS PUBLISHERS LTD.,1992.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn. FINE/FINE. No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright, crisp,clean,glossy laminated,colour pictorial artwork by Tim Pearce,illustrated dw/dj; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present - though some light scoring/indents to upper wrap.Top+ fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright, tight and near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - an unread copy? Publisher's bright,crisp,clean,original plain burgundy cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked silver gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate,plain white endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,2-236pp [paginated] includes 29 chapters/sections; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,a dedication,a Contents list/table and 4pp blanks to rear. 'The Quiet Soldier' is a searching and, often,very funny account of the boys who'd like to do our dirty work.Less than ten in a hundred applicants are accepted by the Special Air Service,and yet in the era of the smart bomb and chemical warhead Adam Ballinger began to doubt whether a man in the regiment could explain,even to himself,why he was there.The quiet soldier wins by staying in the shadows,Ballinger imagined.Only later did he realize that so does the IRA. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard US AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja31488. ISBN: 1855926067.

£ 15.00 (approx. $US 19.52 )

BALSTON, THOMAS:
WOOD-ENGRAVING IN MODERN ENGLISH BOOKS: The Catalogue of an Exhibition arranged by Thomas Balston [October 1949 November].

Imprint: UK.CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS,1949.
Edition: UK,slim,small 8vo wraps catalogue,1st edn.
Binding: Wraps - Catalogue., No dw/dj - Wraps as issued.
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,slim,small 8vo wraps catalogue,1st edn. [Printed in Great Britain at the University Press Oxford by Charles Batey,printer to the University.Catalogue published for The National Book League.] VG+. No owner inscrptn and no price-removal from front cover.Publisher's sharp-cornered pink paper covers with a printed grey,leaf-design decorated bordered panel with black lettering within,to front cover,plain spine and plain rear cover.The decorative border is reduced from an engraving by Eric Ravilious on the title page of 'Twelfth Night' (1932). Front cover's spine area and bottom edges somewhat slightly dust-flecked and dulled,one tiny closed nick to same's bottom edge too,a 1cm split at foot of spine's rear facing vertical edge - no other nicks,tears or splits present.A small fluid splash near top front edge and light scattered grubbing to rear cover but still remains particularly well-preserved overall - especially internally.Top+fore-edges inevitably aged/toned; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any page' corner tips,appears unread apart from my own collation.UK,slim,small 8vo wraps catalogue,1st edn,7-48pp [paginated] includes an introduction,catalogue,a select bibliography,indices of engravers,publishers and printers respectively; plus [unpaginated] an Eric Ravilious (from 'The Writings of Gilbert White of Selborne',1938) b/w vignetted title page,contents list/table with Plates (15) list/table to its reverse,compiler's Acknowledgements with a b/w Vivien Gribble engraving (from 'Sixe Idillia',1922) to lower edge and a contributors list/table to its reverse,and after the last paginated page,a block of 15pp of assorted engravers' b/w illustrations. These engravers include: Douglas Percy Bliss, John Farleigh, Robert Gibbings, Eric Gill, Joan Hassall, Gertrude Hermes, Blair Hughes-Stanton, David Jones, Agnes Miller-Parker, Paul Nash, Gwendolen Raverat, Eric Ravilious, Reynolds Stone, Clifford Webb and Ehtelbert White. A b/w illustrated catalogue of publishers, printers and engravers whose illustrations accompanied an exhibition which illustrated the origins and history of the revival of original wood-engraving in English books since the beginning of the twentieth century. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard US AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja967221. ISBN: No ISBN.

£ 30.00 (approx. $US 39.04 )

BANKS**, GORDON:
Banksy: My Autobiography.

Imprint: LONDON.MICHAEL JOSEPH,2002.
Edition: UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Binding: Hardback , With Dust Jacket
Inscription: Not SIGNED.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.[Complete number line 1.] FINE+/FINE+.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,matt,subject/ author biographical colour photographic illustrated dw/dj panels with white,orange and red lettering; with negligible shelf-wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Publisher's bright,crisp,clean, sharp-cornered,original plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/ backstrip and immaculate b/w sports action photographic illustrated endpapers.UK,8vo HB+ dw/dj,1st edn,xpp+2-270pp [paginated] includes 18 chapters and career record,32pp of contemporary auto+biographical b/w+colour photographs in 4 blocks of 8pp apiece,between pp50/1,pp114/5,pp146/7 and pp210/11 respectively and an index; plus [unpaginated] half-title+ title pages,a dedication,contents list/table with illustrations list+picture credits to its reverse,acknowledgements,note to Les Scott (assisted in writing the book)and 4pp blanks at the rear. For ten years Banks was not only England's Number One,but was acknowledged to be the best keeper in the world - perhaps the best there has ever been. It wasn't always like this.Banks left school to become a coalman's mate,lugging heavy sacks around his native Sheffield.And his early amateur football didn't suggest his day job was going to change soon - he was released from his second club after conceding fifteen goals in two games. But only a few years later,Banks was England's first-choice goalkeeper,winning the World Cup in 1966 and making the 'Save of the Centuy' against Pele in 1970. It was all cut brutally short.Returning home from the Stoke City ground in 1972, his car crashed into a van and he lost his right eye. Banks struggled to come back,but the standards he'd set himself seemed cruelly out of reach. It shouldn't have been possible,but Banks did fight back,confounding medical opinion to lay in the American league alongside other legeneds such as Pele,George Best and Franz Beckenbauer. 'banksy' is about more than just football: it's the story of a man who represents all that was admirable about the game in an era before cynicism and money tainted it - when football was a reflection of values and standards that we may never see again.It's the story of a genuine English hero - a stirring,vivid insider's account of the England team's finest years by the player who proved indispensable: Banks of England. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

Stock number: rja708417. ISBN: 0718145828.

£ 22.00 (approx. $US 28.63 )