Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Boswell, James. The Life Of Samuel Johnson. Volume The Third. Talboys And Wheeler, 1826.
Price: US$19.19 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Volume 3 only. Maroon cloth covers. Label missing to spine. Fading and marks to covers. Tear to head of spine. 395pp. Some foxing to pages.
Seller: M and M Books, Barkway, HERTS, United Kingdom
Price: US$23.14 + shipping
Description: Poor copy with wear, tear and dust-dulling as with age. Text remains clear and without blemish. Provenance; from the library of Katharine W. Munroe with the owner's bookplate. Physical description; volume IV (only): 428 pages. Subjects; Johnson, Samuel (1709-1784). Reynolds, Joshua Sir (1723-1792) artist. Genres; Biographies - England - 1822. Biography. Illustrated. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books Ltd., Galway, Ireland
James Boswell. The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.. Talboys and Wheeler, and William Pickering, 1826.
Price: US$25.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Volume IV, only of four. Extremities rubbed, but still a nice solid copy. Owner name
Seller: 221Books, Westlake Village, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$35.20 + shipping
Description: Poor copy with wear, tear and dust-dulling as with age. Text remains clear and without blemish. Provenance; from the library of Katharine W. Munroe with the owner's bookplate. Physical description; volume IV (only): 428 pages. Subjects; Johnson, Samuel (1709-1784). Reynolds, Joshua Sir (1723-1792) artist. Genres; Biographies - England - 1822. Biography. Illustrated. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$82.66 + shipping
Description: Poor copies with wear, tear and dust-dulling as with age. Text remains clear and without blemish. Physical description; volumes 2 & 3. Subjects; Johnson, Samuel (1709-1784). Reynolds, Joshua Sir (1723-1792) artist. Genres; Biographies - England - 1822. Biography. Illustrated. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books Ltd., Galway, Ireland
Price: US$100.00 + shipping
Description: Poor copies with wear, tear and dust-dulling as with age. Text remains clear and without blemish. Physical description; volumes 2 & 3. Subjects; Johnson, Samuel (1709-1784). Reynolds, Joshua Sir (1723-1792) artist. Genres; Biographies - England - 1822. Biography. Illustrated. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$109.08 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Hardback. Condition: Very Good. Originally printed in 1826, but likely rebound in leather later. Patterned trim on edge of textblock. Binding mostly loose, with some tanning and foxing on pages, but otherwise completely legible. All have stickers on pastedown with previous owner's mark, reading "Stephen Sheldon". Also a sticker on front free endpaper reading "P. Philips.". Vol I. (393 pp.) includes a dedication to Sir Joshua Reynolds, an advertisement to the first edition and to the second edition, a "chronological catalogue of the prose works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.", a prefatory notice, a postscript, and a fold-out 'facsimile' of one of Samuel Johnson's letters. Vol II. (416 pp.) has some significant tanning and chipping on the spine, likely due to sunning. Vol III. (395 pp.) includes a fold-out 'facsimile' of Samuel Johnson's handwriting. Vol IV. (428 pp.) includes an index at the end. Vol V. (459 pp.) is "the Journal of a tour to the Hedbrides, with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. by James Boswell, Esq.", as well as a dedication to Edmond Malone, Esq. and an advertisement to the third edition at the beignning, and an index at the end. All Proceeds to Amnesty International.
Seller: Amnesty Bookshop, Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Price: US$128.33 + shipping
Description: hardback, large 8vo, lacks first free endpaper, owner's bookplate on endpaper, edges browned and scattered foxing, bindings sound, blue pebbled cloth, rebacked with green cloth, gilt titles on pasted-on labels; Good condition
Seller: BRIMSTONES, Lewes, United Kingdom
Price: US$319.42 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: light brown full calf bindings; SIGNED by book binder Andrew Grieve of Edinburgh; lettering in gilt on red and black labels on spines with tooling also in gilt on spines; top edges gilt; spines square; hinges tight; marbled end papers; double borders ruled in gilt on front and back covers; all gilt is bright; light occasional spotting to preliminary leaves but not to text pages; 394, 416, 395 and 426 pages respectively; handsome set.
Seller: Reeve & Clarke Books (ABAC / ILAB), South River, ON, Canada
Boswell, James. The Life of Samuel Johnson. Published by William Pickering, London, Oxford, 1826.
Price: US$350.00 + shipping
Description: Oxford English Classics. Printed by Talboys and Wheeler, Oxford. Engraved frontispieces after Joshua Reynolds. 4 vols. 8vo. Bound in half green contemporary pebbled morocco and green cloth, single gilt border on flat spine, t.e.g. Very good set Engraved frontispieces after Joshua Reynolds. 4 vols. 8vo Oxford English Classics. Printed by Talboys and Wheeler, Oxford.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$385.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: 4 vol. 8vo. [5], vi-xix, [2], 2-394, [2]; [5], 4-416; [5], 2-395, [1]; [7], vi-xi, [2], 2-428 pp. Full contemporary calf (tree calf on volumes three and four), the spines have been rebacked in period style, twin gilt borders on each board, spines in six compartments with two morocco labels (one red and one black), gilt lettering and decorations on the spine; all edges marbled. Marbled endpapers and pastedowns. Volumes one and two illustrated with a frontispiece, volume three with the folding "Round Robin" facsimile plate, volume four with a folding plate, a facsimile of Dr. Johnson's letter. Bookseller's ticket of Hugh Hopkins in Glasgow in each volume. Kelly 1826.2. Keynes 54. Pottle 90. Edited by Francis Pearson Walesby. A beautifully produced edition of the landmark biography and history of the man of letters. The boards quite rubbed and worn, especially volumes one and two, a few gutters with tape ghosts.
Seller: Evening Star Books, ABAA/ILAB, Madison, WI, U.S.A.
James Boswell. The Life of Samuel Johnson. Talboys and Wheeler; William Pickering, Oxford, 1826.
Price: US$449.14 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: The Pickering edition of Boswell's famous biography of Samuel Johnson. With an engraved frontispiece of Boswell to the second volume, and a folding facsimile to the third volume. Part of the Oxford English Classics series. This edition was noted by Keynes as being one of the Pickering impressions that has, 'Special merit'. It is regarded as an important stage in the development of the modern genre of biography; many have claimed it as the greatest biography written in English. While Boswell's personal acquaintance with his subject only began in 1763, when Johnson was 54 years old, Boswell covered the entirety of Johnson's life by means of additional research. The biography takes many critical liberties with Johnson's life, as Boswell makes various changes to Johnson's quotations and even censors many comments. Regardless of these actions, modern biographers have found Boswell's biography as an important source of information on Johnson and his times. Complete in four volumes. Collated, missing one facsimile. In calf bindings. Spine labels have been replaced. Externally, sound, though with some rubbing and bumping. Four joints are cracked. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright, and generally clean, though with some instances of foxing. Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Price: US$485.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: [Fine Binding]. Four volumes, complete. Full brown morocco, raised bands, gilt titles and decorative gilt compartments, elaborate gilt boarder tooling to front and rear boards, inner dentelles and edges, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, (8.75 x 5.5 inches). Each volume SIGNED BINDING by MacMillan & Co., Cambridge. 394, 416, 395 and 428 pages with Index; illustrated by frontis portrait of Boswell by Sir Joshua Reynold in vol. I and folding frontispieces to vols III and IV with facsimiles of Johnson's handwriting. Bookplates of R.Y. Pickering designed by noted artist David Young Cameron on front pastedowns of all volumes; Robert Young Pickering was a British Industrialist and book collector; the etched bookplates are in themselves collectable. Bookseller ticket of the venerable San Fransico dealer John Howell on lower rear free endpaper of each volume. A fine, handsomely bound set with a wonderful collector's association. Prelims with some light typical foxing, text is clean and tight Size: Octavo
Seller: Books & Bidders Antiquarian Booksellers, Cleveland, OH, U.S.A.
BOSWELL, JAMES. Life of Johnson. William Pickering, London, 1826.
Price: US$800.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Four volume set with custom full leather binding with Coat-of-Arms of Arthur M. Brown on covers. Pickering began a series in 1825 with Talboys known as Oxford English Classics, 44 volumes in all. This is an early example from that series. Very Good.
Seller: First Place Books - ABAA, ILAB, Walkersville, MD, U.S.A.
Price: US$7699.59 + shipping
Description: Pickering's Oxford English Classics edition, large paper issues, of Johnson's complete works paired with Boswell's biography, respectively one of 75 and one of 50 sets. This edition of the Works was superintended by Francis Pearson Walesby (1798-1858), professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford. Initially intended as a nine volume series, it was expanded with two supplementary volumes containing Johnson's debates. This set also comprises Boswell's Life of Johnson, edited by F. P. Walesby of Wadham College, in four volumes. Courtney & Smith p. 166; Keynes, Pickering Checklist, p. 54 and 74. 15 volumes, large octavo (246 x 150 mm). Contemporary dark blue morocco, spines with gilt tooled raised bands, elaborate floral decoration and lettering in compartments, covers panelled in gilt, floral gilt roll to board edges and turn-ins, marbled endpapers, edges gilt and marbled. Engraved portrait frontispiece to vol. I of the Works and vol. I of Boswell's Life, two engraved folding plates. Spines slightly faded, short superficial splits to inner hinges of a few volumes, but entirely sound, a little foxing to endpapers and occasionally to contents, but generally bright and clean. A lovely set.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom