Somerset House Books

Member of ANZAAB - Australia

Somerset House Books operates from retail premises in Willoughby, Sydney.

Our shop called Love Vintage Books, caters for all subject and genre interests. However we tend to concentrate on transport, military history, art, architecture and photography as well as all aspects of Australiana. We have a section devoted to childrens' collectable books including, classics, favourite novels, annuals and novelty books.

We aim at making our shop a restful oasis for all readers and collectors by keeping it as interesting, enjoyable and welcoming as possible.

Highlights
Midstream - My later Life by Helen Keller (Signed)
$975
Hodder & Stoughton. London. 1929. 8vo, XXI, 347pp. Hardcover, blue cloth, price-clipped dustwrapper and internally in excellent condition. Autobiography by the American born scholar and social reformer who overcame blindness and deafness to learn to read and who in later life became a reformer for a wide range of causes. This has been signed in block lettering and in pencil by Helen Keller on the front free endpaper.
The Home Of The Blizzard (2 volumes) by Douglas Mawson
$2650
Being the Story of the Australian Antarctic Expedition 1911-1914. William Heinemann London 1915 (Ist Edition) Thick 8vo. Vol 1 349pp, Vol II 338pp.Hardcover, original dark blue cloth with embossed gilt title and silver illustration on front board, title on spine has now faded but is still legible with slight shelf wear; unevenly cut pages. Text is in very good condition with some light tanning. The three folding maps housed in the rear pocket in the second volume are in good order. Throughout there are maps, charts and sketches with captioned tissue guards for Frank Hurley's photographs.
How I Found Livingstone: Travels, Adventures and Discoveries in Central Africa Including Four Months Residence With Dr Livingstone by Henry Morton Stanley.
$2750
Sampson Low, Marston, Low and Searle. London 1872. 8vo, XVII, 629pp + appendix. Spine rebacked with the majority of the original spine included; brown cloth, spine stamped, gilt and black decorations to front, gilt spine titles with gilt on author's name a littleworn; new endpapers, interior in very good condition for age. Portrait frontis, a tipped in albumen photograph with tissue guard; three folding maps (one has a closed tear), other maps in text; black and white engraved plates and other illustrations.
Those Were The Days by A.A.Milne (signed)
$950
Methuen- London 1929 (Ist Edition). 8vo 884pp. Hardcover slightly marked dust wrapper, in very good condition overall. This is a collection of stories and essays and is a signed limited edition of 250 copies of which this is numbered 249, printed on India paper
Kiss Kiss by Roald Dahl and For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming
$485
Dahl - Michael Joseph London 1960 (Ist Edition) 8vo, 255pp. Hardcover with price-clipped dustwrapper and minor shelfwear with text in very good condition with a small biro marking on fixed front endpaper. First edition of short stories by the unequalled Roald Dahl. ($285) Fleming - Jonathan Cape London 1960 (Ist Edition) 8vo. Hardcover, price-clipped dustwrapper from a later edition, slightly marked, text in very good condition with small initials on free front endpaper ($485)
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
$3900
Macdonald Purnell Randburg - South Africa 1994 (Ist Edition 7th Impression) 8vo, XI, 630pp. Hardcover, original cloth, the dustwrapper has trivial nicks at the head, text in fine condition, Signed by Mandela in black felt tip pen on the half title page. The date signed is now known as Nelson Mandela International Day. Mandela signed this on his 77th birthday.
Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambesi and its Tributaries and of the Discovery of the Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa 1858-1864.
$775
Harper and Brothers Publishers NewYork 1866 (Ist US Edition) 8vo, 638pp + 6 adverts. Professionally rebound in half green morocco, twin coloured labels, gilt, raised bands and marbled boards, new endpapers, minor spotting in text which otherwise is in excellent condition.
Elioth Gruner with essay by Norman Lindsay
$550
The Shepherd Press Sydney 1947 Roy4to. Hardcover, in dark blue morocco, a little worn at head and tail of spine, gilt vignette on front cover, decorative gilt edge around inside of cover, edges uncut, interior in excellent condition. A deluxe edition of 200 copies of which this is numbered 164, 24 coloured reproduction tipped in plates, 8 tipped in plates of drypoints.