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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.


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


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


Children of Dune, by Frank Herbert - First Edition, 2nd Impression
Children of Dune is the third book in the Dune series, after Dune (which the 2021 and 2024 film adaptations are based on) and Dune Messiah. It is described as ‘combin[ing] the threads of ecology and adventure developed in Dune with the theme of political intrigue from Dune Messiah.’ It is an exciting conclusion for any sci-fi and Dune fan. Children of Dune was published in 1976, seven years after Dune Messiah, and the edition that we are selling in our shop is a first edition


Dune Messiah, by Frank Herbert - First Edition, 2nd Impression
Following on from the phenomenal science-fiction landmark that was Dune, Frank Herbert released the second book in the series, Dune Messiah, four years later, in 1969. The copy of Dune Messiah that we are selling in the shop is a first edition, 2nd impression published in 1969 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in America. Dune Messiah originally appeared in a shorter version in Galaxy Magazine from July to September of the same year, before it was released as a novel. Our edition is a ha


Sidelights on Relativity, by Albert Einstein - First Edition
Sidelights on Relativity is a fascinating follow-up work to Einstein’s previous (and iconic) book on the Theory of Relativity. The writings in this book are from lectures that Einstein gave in 1920 and 1921, and have been translated by G.B. Jeffery and W. Perrett. The first lecture on ‘Ether and the Theory of Relativity’ was delivered on 5th May 1920 at the University of Leyden. The second lecture was on ‘Geometry and Experience’, but the text that is in this book is an expan


The Theory of Relativity, by Albert Einstein - First English Edition
The Theory of Relativity is perhaps Einstein’s most famous work, and one of the most famous scientific works in recent history. Einstein's theories on relativity were published originally in the early 20th century in German, but the book that we have for sale is the first English edition (a translation of the German third edition) of this seminal work, translated by Robert W. Lawson. Our edition of The Theory of Relativity was published in 1920 by Methuen and Co. and the cont


The Meaning of Relativity, by Albert Einstein - First English Edition
The Meaning of Relativity is a significant book that covers the iconic theories and works of Albert Einstein on relativity. The book was first published in 1922 by Methuen and Co., and contains the content of four lectures that Einstein gave at Princeton University in May 1921. The four lectures are (in order), ‘Space and Time in Pre-Relativity Physics’, ‘The Theory of Special Relativity’, ‘The General Theory of Relativity’ and ‘The General Theory of Relativity Continued’. Th


The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned, by Anne Rice - First Edition
The Mummy by iconic horror writer, Anne Rice, is a perfect spooky book for all those who are fans of myth and mummies, or a good horror novel. Our first edition copy of The Mummy (or Ramses the Damned) was published in 1989 by Chatto and Windus. Rice had already started writing the famous ‘Vampire Chronicles’ series, with the first book, Interview with the Vampire, being adapted into a famous film in 1994. (The Vampire Lestat is the second book in the series and we have a cop


The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells - Folio Society
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells is a cornerstone of science fiction, dystopian and fin-de-siècle literature, written by one of the most prolific writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A serialised version of The War of the Worlds was released in 1897, but the following year, in 1898, William Heinemann published the complete novelised version of Wells’ end-of-the-world story. The book itself is set in the south of England, specifically in Woking, Surrey and Lon


History of Witchcraft and Salem Village, by Charles Upham
Charles Upham’s two-volume book from 1867 is a brilliant insight into the suspicion, fear and religion in 17th century America. It follows the infamous Salem Witch Trials that occurred in 1692 and 1693, where hordes of people were accused of witchcraft, and many were executed. The full title of the book is: ‘Salem Witchcraft; with An Account of Salem Village, and A History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Spirits.’ It was originally published by Wiggin and Lunt in Boston


Dune, by Frank Herbert - Collector's Edition
Dune is one of the most iconic sci-fi novels of all time, which was catapulted back into notoriety in the last few years with the critically-acclaimed films Dune: Part 1 and Dune: Part 2 (both directed by Denis Villeneuve). Our special copy of the first Dune book, by Frank Herbert, is a hardback memorial edition, bound in genuine leather. It was published in 1987 by the Easton Press, in Norwalk, Connecticut. Included in the book are multiple black and white illustrations, as
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