SOME RARE BOOKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13768, 5 June 1908, Page 7

SOME RARE BOOKS.

. OH RISTCHURCH ACQUISITIONS. Mb. Howard Stkoxg, the librarian of the Cliristchiirch Public Library, recently visited Wellington to attend the sale of the library of the late Mr. C. W. Benbow, 'containing some 8000 volumes, in the course of conversation- with a member of the staff of the Press Mr. Strong said: —

"The Parliamentary Library was the only library in Wellington represented at the sale, and the Cliriatchurch Public Library was the only public one represented, except that at Rotorua. V^ " I was fortunate, in getting a number of rare, works. ' The English Regalia,' of which only 500 numbered . copies . were printed, is . one 'of these. The copy-1, got is numbered 402, and beautifully illustrated throughout. .'Old Ffronds wyih Newo Paces' is a collection of old tales and ballads, illustrated with quaint wood-cuts. This is a very old and rare Work. Then there is a volume of ' Picturesque Views of the Antiquities of England and Wales,' which contains reproductions of the great seals of England, from William the Conqueror to George 111., and English coins, from Egbert to George 111., and also of the old castles and abbeys % of England. This bears the imprint of ' Printed under inspection of Henry Boswell, 1786.' In another old. book, ' System of Universal Geography, Ancient and Modern,' published in the reign of George 111., there are some fine pictures of New Zealand war canoes and native weapons. Two other notable works are ' A Lady's Visit to Australian Gold Diggings, 1852-53,' .by Mrs. Charles Clacy, and 'Reconnoitring Voyages; Travels and Adventures in the New Colonies of South Australia,' by W. H. Leigh, 1836-7-3. A very beautiful work is ' Indigenous Flowers of Hawaiian Islands,' which contains 44 plates of flowers, hand-painted in water-colours, by Mrs: Frances Sinclair. The work is exceedingly rare, and the illustrations are very artistic. 'The Caricature History of the Georges,' by Titos. Wright, F.S.A., with a number of illustrations after Hogarth and Gilray, and 'The Public and Private History of George 111.,' by Robert Huish, illustrated by some old English thumbnail wood-cuts, are two very interesting works. Then, coming to more modem times, there are three volumes of "John Leech's Pictures of Life and Character,' from the collection of Mr. Punch, 1842-1864, with quite a wealth of illustrations. Another group of interesting books comprises an old copy of ' Memoirs of Queen Caroline,' two volumes, with a number of illustrations and wood-cuts; memorial edition of Berrick's ' British Birds,' of which 780 numbered copies were printed, the illustrations being unique; and the ' Works of Canova,' 1824. The drama is represented by five volumes of ' Modern British Drama,' published in 1811, which are very quaint in the letterpress and .illustrations. Then there is ' The British Plutarch,' 1791, in seven volumes, being the lives of British Statesmen. An interesting lot comprises 'Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century,' by John Nichols, lol2; 'History of Christian Names, and 'History of English Lotteries,' from 1569 to the present, date, with a number of. exceedingly quaint wood-cuts."