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Superb Anthony Trollope Sale

Superb Anthony Trollope Sale

In his own time, Trollope’s novels were as popular with the common reader as they were admired by George Eliot, Henry James, George Bernard Shaw and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Today, he is probably the most widely read and loved nineteenth century English Novelists after Dickens and Jane Austen.

A series of books set in the imaginary English county of Barsetshire remains his best loved and most famous work, but he also wrote convincing novels of political life as well as studies that show great psychological penetration. One of his greatest strengths was a steady, consistent vision of the social structures of Victorian England, which he re-created in his books with unusual solidity.

Starting in 1989 The Folio Society began publishing the first complete edition of Trollope’s novels and continued at the rate of several per year until all 47 novels had been published.

This superb uniformly bound complete collection is generally available on my website together with the edition that was later produced by the Folio Society for the Trollope Society.

View now The Complete Folio Society Anthony Trollope Novels

View now The Trollope Society Novels

For a limited period, I have reduced the price of all my stock of individual novels to the amazing price of £9.99 which when you consider that the postage alone, which by the way is included in the price, in most cases costs me £5.50 is a real bargain.

View now Castle Richmond

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The Craft of Raymond Chandler

Crafting and Recrafting the Creations of Raymond Chandler

If you suspect that you may be on the verge of a midlife crisis, having reached your forties and still not really found what you want to do with your life (or perhaps being overwhelmed with a feeling that you haven’t yet reached your full potential) then you can take heart from the story of Raymond Chandler. Chandler was working as an company executive until the Great Depression struck America and he found himself without a job: it was only at that point, and at the age of 44, that he made the decision to become a detective fiction writer instead. His fame now is testament to the fact that that career was, of course, an incredible success.

Raymond Chandler was famed for his direct and sparse prose, with many of his contemporary critics struggling to see his great works as important literature. However that is exactly what they are: Incredibly important works that were incredibly well written, and it is only as time progresses that the magnitude of his contributions are to be fully understood. The influence that Chandler’s works had on American popular literature really shouldn’t be underestimated, nor should the fact that without his contribution, it is unlikely that the genre of hard boiled detective drama would even exist.

The Craft of Writing

Despite starting his career writing what he himself believed to be ‘trash fiction’ in order to make a quick buck, Chandler was truly devoted to the craft of writing, and to honing that craft in order to become the best writer he could possibly be. Chandler worked hard at crafting and recrafting his work. His brutal and simplistic prose was no doubt the result of his meticulous reediting process, as he himself once wrote: “A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled. I always regard the first draft as raw material. What seems to be alive in it is what belongs in the story.” Writing didn’t always come naturally to him, and when he found that he was suffering from writer’s block Chandler turned to drink, believing that it helped to cure his writers block and become a better writer: of course, this was far from true.

Whilst he was committed to crafting his works, Chandler didn’t write in a conventional way: there was never a draft, a plan, or even a plot line to follow, he simply started writing letting the characters and stories evolve themselves on the page. This risky writing strategy only worked so well because of Chandlers sheer determination to create, the write, to succeed. When pitching to an audience, Chandler came into his own: he made his creation process seem so effortless. His private letters reveal though that this was far from the case: that everything he crafted mattered to him deeply and he fought hard, within himself, to create.

The Art of Drinking

Whilst he was committed to recrafting his works, Chandler found that he was unable to recraft himself. Unfortunately, like many of the nation’s greatest writers, Chandler’s life was not untinged by tragedy and by trials and tribulations: namely, the author’s rampant alcoholism. With the support of friends, Chandler spent many years in and out of professional health facilities in order to receive treatment and rehabilitation for his alcoholism, however, although he had periods of sobriety, it was an illness that the writer never overcame. When his beloved wife died in 1954, Chandler was truly heartbroken, and it was at this point that his rampant alcoholism reached the point of no return. He began to really suffer with the clinical depression that had tinged much of his adult life, and in 1955 even attempted suicide, although this was seen as an obvious cry for help rather than a genuine attempt to end his life (given that he had called the police before the attempt so that they would be able to find him in time). Although he continued to keep writing throughout this difficult period of alcoholism, the works Chandler was producing at this time were markedly substandard when compared to his earlier novels. Chandler ultimately succumbed to illness (no doubt induced by his alcohol addiction) and died in 1959. In his best loved works however, Chandler lives on.

This article is by courtesy of Helen Salter

Browse all my books at Hcbooksonline

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World Acclaimed Artist John A Blakey’s First Story Book

An Exquisitely Illustrated Tale

Lundravar The Dragon

by John A Blakey

John Blakey is one of the world’s great watercolour artists, superbly demonstrated in this his first exquisitely illustrated story. A superb fable, this is an epic story of Good and Evil. There are two further books forthcoming in this series.

A tale of a lost little dragon who hatches from his egg many centuries after all of the dragons have been vanquished from the world.
Lundravar the dragon is a charming tale of a journey of discovery, of love and hate, joy and disappointment and of being lost and being found.
His adventures bring him into contact with wonderful characters, who help him discover his true self and the terrible truth of his past.
Alone as the first and last of the great fire-dragons, he has to face a heart-breaking decision: should he remain alone for ever, or give up his powers and resign himself to mortality and happiness?
A truly wonderful fairy tale for children and adults alike.
This beautiful book is now available in three glorious editions;

Publisher Wee Hills, Cootehill, County Cavan, Ireland; 2008

Publisher Harvest Moon, Killeshandra, Ireland; 2010


Publisher Harvest Moon, Killeshandra, Ireland; 2009
The superb exclusive Special Edition. Each volume contains over 100 exquisite full colour illustrations and is printed on fine quality paper. It is beautifully hand-bound in rich Italian leather and decorated with polished turquoise set in silver and tooled and edged in gold. Each copy is certificated by the publishers (strictly 650 worldwide) and signed and numbered by the artist and author, John Blakey.

 

Why not Browse my Full Catalogue?

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Pick of The Week September 17th 2012 – Robert Burns Collection

Pick of The Week Commencing September 17th 2012

Superb Robert Burns Collection

Listed this week a superb Robert Burns Collection

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) (also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland’s favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, Robden of Solway Firth, the Bard of Ayrshire and in Scotland as The Bard). was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a “light” Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt.

Titles listed are;

Robert Burns And Dumfries Philip Sulley Dumfries 1896

2 Volumes The Life Of Robert Burns Lockhart Young Limited Edition 1914

4 Volumes The Poetry Of Robert Burns Henley Henderson Jack 1896

4 Volumes The Life And Works Of Robert Burns Wallace Chambers 1896

6 Volumes The Works Of Robert Burns Paterson 1877

6 Volumes The Works Of Robert Burns James Thin 1895

A Manual Of Religious Belief William Burnes Burns Mckie Limited 1875

Bibliography Of Robert Burns McKie Limited Edition 1881

Why not Browse my Poetry Catalogue?

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Pick of The Week Commencing September 3rd 2012

Pick of The Week Commencing September 3rd 2012

The Pears Centenary Edition of Dickens’ Christmas Books c1889

The Pears Centenary Edition of Dickens’ Christmas Books

Complete 5 Volume Set. All five volumes are tight, bright and firm in their bindings, with high contrast printing on bright glossy white paper, and charming b&w illustrations by Charles Green R.I. (1840–1898), and L. Rossi. All have illustrated front paste-downs (for Pears soap Established 1789, By Appointment to Their Majesties). All volumes have a second, unmarked, illustrated title page on glossy paper and three pages of Pears adverts at the rear. A very good set of a very attractive edition.

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Pick of The Week Commencing August 6th 2012

Pick of The Week Commencing August 6th 2012

Superb Dickens Collection Being Listed This Week

Purchased a superb collection of Dickens’ books this week, which will be listed over the next 10 days

Dickens’s England Michael and Mollie Hardwick BCA 1976

Charles Dickens A Pictorial Biography Priestley Thames & Hudson 1961

The Days Of Dickens Arthur Hayward Routledge c1920

The Dickens Souvenir 1912 Daily Telegraph Chapman Hall 1912

Dickens Land Nicklin Haslehust Blackie 1911

The Pageant Of Dickens Walter Crotch Chapman Hall 1915

Life of Dickens Frank T Marzials Walter Scott 1887

More books from this excellent collection being listed this week!

View All My Dickens Books at at www.hcbooksonline.com/Dickens Books

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Pick of The Week Jul 30th 2012

Pick of The Week July 30th 2012

4 Superb Collections Listed This Week

– 12 Volumes Sir Winston Churchill Official Biography Easton Press c1997 SOLD

The definitive biography – Martin Gilbert collaborated with Randolph Churchill on the first two volumes, then went on to write the rest of this Official Biography on his own, over a period of nearly 25 years. It is the highest tribute to the twentieth century’s greatest statesman.

Bound in Luxurious Leather each volume accented with 22ct gold. Each book has moiré fabric endsheets, acid-neutral paper, gilded page ends, and a permanently bound-in satin ribbon page marker. Spines are beautifully decorated with gilt and have 5 raised bands. Each volume has the unused Easton Press supplied Bookplate.

– 14 Volumes Henry Irving Works of William Shakespeare Gresham 1907

The Works of William Shakespeare edited by Sir Henry Irving, and Frank A. Marshall. The works include the Tragedies, Comedies and Histories the Sonnets and the Poems. The First Folio (1623) has been followed, except in very few instances. There is an Introduction to each play, divided into three heads; The Literary History, The Stage History Of Each Play, which is unique among the many editions of Shakespeare´s works, and Critical Remarks.

– 10 Vols Crowned Masterpieces of Eloquence The Advance of Civilisation IUS 1911

Crowned Masterpieces Of Eloquence, representing the advance of civilization, as collected in the world’s best orations, from the earliest period to the present time. Victorian Edition, complete in ten volumes, as collected in the “World’s Best Orations” .

This is an amazing reference book for anyone interested in history and the world’s most influential people.

– 4 Volumes William Ewart Gladstone and His Contemporaries Archer Gresham 1898 SOLD

Memorial edition revised and extended by Alfred Thomas Story – in 4 volumes. This fascinating biographical account of William Ewart Gladstone’s life, explores his seventy years of social and political progress.

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Pick of The Week Mar 26th 2012 – Some Great Collections

Pick of The Week Mar 26th 2012 – Great Collections

History of the English Speaking Peoples 23 Volumes 1971

10 Volume Complete Henry James Heron Collection c1970

13 Volume Complete John Steinbeck Collection Heron c1965

18 Volumes Selected Works of Thomas Hardy Heron c1970

24 Volumes Waverley Novels Walter Scott Heron c1969

16 Volumes Imperial Edition Charles Dickens Works Gresham 1904

18 Volumes Complete The Charles Dickens Library Educational Book Co c1912 VG

 

18 Volumes Charles Dickens Daily News Memorial Edition c1870

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Pick of The Week Nov 7th 2011 – 19th Century Catholic Family Bible

Pick of The Week Nov 7th 2011

– Mid 19th Century Catholic Family Bible with Stations of the Cross 1865

The Holy Bible; translated from the Latin Vulgate; diligently compared with the Hebrew, Greek, and other editions in divers languages. The Old Testament, first published by The English College, at Douay, A.D. 1609; and The New Testament, first published by The English College, at Rheims, A.D. 1582. With annotations, references, historical and chronological index, &c. the whole revised and diligently compared with the Latin Vulgate. Published with the approbation of His Grace The Most Rev. Dr. Cullen, Lord Archbishop of Dublin, Primate of Ireland, Delegate of The Apostolic See etc. Contains both the Old and New Testaments. No entries on any of the Family Pages.

Superbly Illustrated, Full Page Full Colour Illustrated Title Page, OT has 6 Full Page Colour Illustrations and 5 Full Page Sepia Illustrations, NT has 5 Full Page Colour Illustrations, 5 Full Page Sepia Illustrations, and 3 Full Page B/W Illustrations, and 14 Full Page Full Colour Stations of the Cross and hundreds of in text b/w illustrations.

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Pick of The Week Oct 17th 2011 – Early Shakespeare Collection by Tonson

Pick of The Week Oct 17th 2011

– Early Shakespeare Collection Published by Tonson circa 1734

A superb early part collection of the Tonson edition of The Works of William Shakespeare.

The binding is a Nineteenth Century Half Leather Binding and all Five Volumes are Uniformly Bound.

This collection consists of many of Shakespeare’s much loved plays and also includes the following which at the time were attributed to Shakespeare but have since been questioned;

Life of Shakespeare by Mr Rowe
The London Prodigal 1734
The Life and Death of Thomas Lord Cromwell 1734
The History of Sir John Oldcastle, The Good Lord Cobham 1734
The Puritan or the Widow of Watling-Street 1734
The Tragedy of Locrine, The Eldest Son of King Brutus 1734
A Yorkshire Tragedy 1735