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ONLINE SHOWCASE
Explore a small selection of our antiquarian books, including scarce titles, first editions, and quality bindings. This is only a fraction of our in store collection, so come visit us in person to discover more.
We also update this page with more books (and sometimes comics!), so check back regularly to see what we have to offer!
We are a traditional bookshop and do not sell any of our books directly through the website, but if you are interested in any of these items, then please get in touch (via phone or sales@mainlybooks.co.uk) or visit us in our shop.
Mainly Comics!
Welcome to our comic collection, which we have imaginatively named Mainly Comics! We sell comics from the Silver to Modern age, from Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, First, and many other publishers. Our collection also includes graphic novels, manga, and magazines. If you’re a fan of horror comics, then we have hundreds starting from the 1970s from Warren publishers, including Eerie, Creepy, Vampirella, and more. Horror pulps also make up our horror section, including a select
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The first book in the beloved Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is not only a landmark in children’s literature, but in many people’s childhoods as well. The edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe that we are selling is a ninth impression, published in 1966 by Geoffrey Bles – the same publishers to release the first edition, first impression in 1950. As with the first impression, our reprinted edition of this book is also illustrated b
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
In 1887, in Mrs Beeton’s Christmas Annual, the world was introduced to Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson for the first time. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was reprinted many times in subsequent years – including a 1901 edition, which we have for sale in our shop. This edition was published by Ward, Lock and Co. and contains over forty black and white illustrations by George Hutchinson scattered throughout the pages, bringing the adventures of the fictional det
Flowers of the Field (with original scarce dust jacket)
Flowers of the Field is the perfect compendium of wild flowers and other flora, with hundreds of revised descriptions accompanied by detailed illustrations. This edition of Flowers of the Field is the fourteenth impression of Rev. C.A. Johns’ original work, fully revised and edited by Clarence Elliott, and published by George Routledge and Sons, Limited. Scattered throughout the pages are 245 woodcut drawings and 96 coloured, full-page illustrations by E.N Gwatin, enriching a
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Illustrated by Arthur Rackham
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is one of William Shakespeare’s comedy plays, but it’s also a romantic and magical story. The playbook that we are selling comes with detailed and intricate illustrations by Arthur Rackham, which pair wonderfully with the play’s dream-like narrative. Published in 1908 by William Heinemann, this book has forty colour plates by Rackham, with numerous black and white illustrations adorning the pages. You can’t go a few pages without seeing a drawing o
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Illustrated by Edward McKnight Kauffer
Robinson Crusoe is often credited as being one of the first novels in the English language. The edition that we have on sale was published in 1929, over 200 years after the first edition, yet this book is still very special... This edition of Robinson Crusoe is illustrated by Edward McKnight Kauffer. Included are eight full-page and hand-coloured illustrations, painted using layers of stencils in a process called pochoir, resulting in richly coloured and textured piece of art
SOLD! The British Sea Anemones and Corals, by Philip Henry Gosse
EDIT: This book has now been sold, but we have hundreds of other natural history books available in our shop. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or queries. This book from our Natural History collection is on a very unique subject… The British Sea Anemones and Corals endeavours to provide a precise and ordered history and description of the various corals and sea anemone found around Britain. It was written by Philip Henry Gosse, and published by
Shakespeare's Works in 4 Volumes - Nonesuch Press
If you are looking for a stylish, vintage set of all of Shakespeare’s plays and poetry – in a modest four-volumes – then look no further! This set of Shakespeare’s works, published by Nonesuch Press in 1953, is a great to display on a shelf or dip into whenever you're in the mood. The text and order of the works inside replicate the first folio publication of Shakespeare’s plays, and included in this edition are additional notes in the margins. As these books were published i
The Works of Charles I (with 'Eikon Basilike')
The official title of this book is: ‘Reliquiae Sacrae Carolinae, or The Works of that Great Monarch and Glorious Martyr King Charles the I.’ This edition was published in 1651 in the Hague and printed by Samuell Browne. Included as part of Charles I’s works are his: speeches, declarations, papers about Church-Government, prayers, letters and correspondence, and messages for peace, just to name a few! (There is a full contents page which lists everything included.) But that’s
Lloyd's Natural History - Monkeys: A Hand-Book to the Primates, in 2 volumes
The complete Lloyd’s Natural History set is diverse in its analysis of butterflies, moths, birds and mammals – but these two select volumes look uniquely at the world of monkeys! This two-volume set, written by Henry O. Forbes, was published by Edward Lloyd, Limited, with the first book published in 1896 and the second in 1987. R. Bowdler Sharpe was the series editor for these books, and included in both volumes is a preface written by him. The official title of the set is A
British Fungi, by George Massee
This copy of British Fungi is a different edition to the other British Fungi book that we also have for sale in our shop. While this book doesn’t come with its dust jacket, it is still in good condition and has all of its original illustrations and plates. For those who are interested in the kinds of fungi that live in UK, and how to find them, this book is for you. The author, George Masse, described that the ‘primary object of this book is to enable the reader to determine
British Fungi, by George Massee (with original dust jacket - scarce!)
For those who are interested in the kinds of fungi that live in the UK, and how to find them, this book is for you. The author, George Masse, described that the ‘primary object of this book is to enable the reader to determine the names of our indigenous mushrooms, toadstools, etc.’ – and with fantastic depth and detailed plates, that is exactly what this book does. British Fungi was published in the early 20th century by George Routledge and Sons, Limited. This edition conta
The Works of Jane Austen in 5 Volumes - Georgian Edition
Any set of Jane Austen’s work is a delight to have; this set in particular is a wonderful collection of all of Austen’s novels (that were published during and after her lifetime), as well some of her unfinished works. This set was published in 1927 by Eveleigh Nash & Grayson Limited, and is their ‘Georgian Edition’. Each volume has an introduction by John Bailey, giving a brief insight into each of Austen’s works. The five volumes in this set include all of Austen’s novels (S
Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales, Illustrated by Edmund Dulac
Delve into the world of Edmund Dulac’s magical and dream-like illustrations in this fairy tale book... Published by Hodder and Stoughton (c.1910), this book contains four classic fairy tales: Sleeping Beauty, Blue Beard, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. These stories have been translated from the Old French and retold by Arthur Quiller-Couch. However, the stand-out feature of this book is the thirty, full-page colour illustrations by Edmund Dulac that accompany these pere
Flowering Plants of Great Britain, by Anne Pratt - in 3 volumes
Anne Pratt’s Flowering Plants of Great Britain is the primary work when looking for detailed, intelligible descriptions of thousands of flowers from across England, Scotland and Wales, accompanied by colourful and intricate illustrations. The set of Pratt’s work that we are selling comes in three volumes, all filled with hundreds of full-page, colour plates of elaborate drawings of flowers from Great Britain. The books are filled with succinct yet accurate descriptions of tho
Shakespeare's Works in Vellum - 12 Volumes
Shakespeare’s stories and works have been told and published in thousands of different ways over the years, but this particular set is very special. This twelve-volume set of Shakespeare’s works was published in 1882 by Keagan Paul, Trench & Co. and is bound in vellum. The white vellum binding (which is untanned leather), with the red and black titling, means this quality and luxurious set will stand-out proudly on any shelf. Included in these twelve volumes are all of Shakes
Morte D'Arthur by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Illustrated by Alberto Sangorski
With its beige, unembellished dust jacket, this illustrated edition of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Morte D’Arthur is very unassuming from the outside. However, the inside bursts with colour and gold of Alberto Sangorski’s fabulous illustrations, brining to life this version of the classic British myth. This illustrated edition of the poem Morte D’Arthur by Tennyson was published in 1912 by Chatto and Windus. The page design was produced by the Graphic Engraving Company, to (as the
The Tempest, by William Shakespeare - Illustrated by Paul Woodroffe
The Tempest was one of the later plays written by William Shakespeare: the play is thought to have been written in 1610 or 1611, but wasn’t published until 1623, after Shakespeare’s death. The book that we have on sale is an illustrated version of The Tempest, published in 1908 by Chapman and Hall. Included are seventeen full-page, colour illustrations by Paul Woodroffe and multiple other black and white drawings amongst the text. There is also accompanying music by Joseph Mo
SOLD! You Only Live Twice, by Ian Fleming - First Edition Bond Book
EDIT: This book has been sold, but we have lots of other first edition books available in our shop and on our online showcase. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Behind the beloved Bond film series, that spans around sixty years and includes over twenty-five films, is a book series of equal intrigue and drama. Ian Fleming wrote fourteen books in the James Bond series, with You Only Live Twice being the twelfth instalment. The film adaptation of Y
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Signed First Edition
By 2000, the year that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published, J.K. Rowling’s series about the boy-wizard Harry Potter was already a major global success. Children and adults alike were eagerly expecting each new instalment, clamouring to buy any first edition they could get their hands on. Luckily, we have also acquired a first edition hardback of The Goblet of Fire, published in 2000 by Bloomsbury, Rowling’s UK publisher. Not only that, but this is a signed first
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