This lot consists of nine books by Washington Irving, author of rip Van Winkle and other wonderful titles of American literature. The first title is "Rip Van Winkle, A Legend Of The Kaatskill Mountains, Illustrated With Original Designs By Eminent Artists", published by J. B. Lippincott in Philadelphia and London, with no date on the title page, but 1863 by G. P. Putnam on the copyright page, so it appears this is a first edition thus by Lippincott. The book has a gilt cartouche on the spine with red lettering, black borders with a gilt title and beautiful gilt decorations on the front cover, brown endpapers with the bookplate of Adams Davenport Claflin on the front paste-down, inscribed "A Merry Christmas to Adams from Allie V, 1877" on the front flyleaf, an oval frontis portrait of Washington Irving, the title page, then a one-page list of Illustrations and 38 pages of text, followed by two leafs of ads (one for the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the other for Christmas Stories), and all the edges are gilt. The book measures 8 7/8 x 6 1.4 in, wide and is in very good condition: the binding is tight, the pages and text and illustrations are crisp and clean. The book was first published as a short story on 1819, and Adams Claflin (1862 - 1922) was the son of Massachusetts Governor William Claflin and a major landowner in Newtonville and major developer of the streetcar system that served Newton, and this is a beautiful copy by Lippincott. The next title is "Rip Van Winkle And The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow", in a fine binding by Bayntun, with fifty-three illustrations by George H. Bought, A.R. A . and published by Macmillan and Co. Limited on St. Martin's Street in London in 1915. the book is 3/4 bound, with five raised bands, six compartments with gilt rules, gilt titles, and gilt devices on the spine, in green morocco, with marbled boards and marbled endpapers, the half-title, an illustrated frontis, a five-page List of Illustrations, 218 pages of text, and the top edge is gilt. Bayntun was part of the noted Bayntun-Riviere bindery, which dates back to 1829 and specialized in fine bindings. The book measures 7 5/8 x 5 1.4 in. wide and has a tight binding, with clean pages and text and crisp illustrations, and a wisp of rubbing on the spine and two tips. Then a small book titled "Rip Van Winkle, Wolfert's Roost", published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in New York and London through the Knickerbocker Press, with no date on the title page, but first published in 1855 and this copy published around 1905. The book is all about the home Irving bought in 1835 from a Dutch tenant farmer named Wolfert near Tarrytown, New York, and became his home that he remodeled and renamed Sunnyside. The book has five raised bands, a gilt title on the spine, gilt-ruled borders with pale blue moire endpapers, with "January 5, 1928" inscribed on one of the blank endpapers. The book is 12 mo. and measures 5 5/8 x 4 in. wide , whit a tight binding, clean pages and text, and rubbing along the edges of the spine and very light rubbing at the tips. The next title is Bracebridge Hall, published by Macmillan & Co. in London in 1904 and illustrated by Randolph Caldecott, a British artist who greatly influenced the illustration of children's books during the nineteenth century; the Caldecott Medal was named after him and recognizes the preceding year's most distinguished American picture books for children, and the Caldecott and Newbury Medals are considered the most prestigious American awards for children's books. The book is 3/4 bound, with five raised bands, six compartments with gilt rules, gilt titles and "1904" on the spine, marbled boards and marbled endpapers, in another find binding by Bayntun. There's a pencilled note on the first blank endpaper, an illustrated frontis, the title page a one-page Preface, two pages of Contents, a six-page List of Illustrations, 284 pages of text, and all the edges are gilt. The book measures 7 5/8 x 5 1/4 in. wide, with a tight binding and clean pages and text for the most part, with occasional brown spots on the half title and title page, the Contents pages, and the last page of text, with very light rubbing near the heel and crown of the spine and very light rubbing at the tips. Overall an attractive copy of this title that was first published in 1822. Then comes Christmas in England, and the title page reads "Christmas in England, Papers From the Sketchbook Of Washington Irving, With Illustrations by Eminent Artists", with a green and red Christmas emblem and New York: G. P. Putnam: Hurd And Houghton, Riverside Press 1867 on the rest of the title page. The book has five raised bands, embossed covers, wide gilt dentelles with silk moire endpapers, it's inscribed "Kate Bruckette from H.R. Daniels, Christmas 1867" on the front blank endpaper, the copyright page is dated 1866 by G. P. Putnam, with a one-page List of Illustrations, 91 pages of text, all the edges are gilt, and it shows a little wear for its age. The book measure 9 1/4 x 6 5/8 in. wide, there's a dampstain on one moire endpaper at the rear, and wear and rubbing on the covers, the spine, the crown, and the tips, and remarkably, the binding is tight and the pages, text, and illustrations are clean, except for brown spots on pages 12 and 13. WorldCat lists this as a first edition, but we believe this is a second edition because the copyright page says "1866"; in any event, a rare title by Washington Irving, with only one listing on the rare book website we use to evaluate books, and that copy was ex-library, filled with all the library markings you don't want in a book. The next title is "Old Christmas: From The Sketch Book Of Washington Irving", published in London by Macmillan & Co. in 1901, in a fine binding by Riviere & Son for Little Brown. The book has five revised bands, six compartments with maroon and black labels and gilt titles and "1901" on the spine, with double gilt-fillet borders and polished calf covers, gilt dentelles and marbled endpapers, an illustrated frontis, the title page, a Contents page and six-page List of Illustrations designed by Caldecott, 159 pages of text followed by five pages of Notes, and all the edges are gilt, The book is in very good condition, with a tight binding and the pages, text, and illustrations are very clean. There's light rubbing along the spine and at the heel and crown, a few light scratches on the covers, and an attractive copy of this title. The title page of the next one reads "Tales of A Trafeller By Geoffrey Crayon Gentn, With Illustrations By Felix O.C. Darley, Engraved by Eminent Artists, New York, George P. Putnam, 155 Broadway. M.DCCC.L" [1850] Geoffrey Crayon was a pen name for Washington Irving. The book has five raised bands, gilt-ruled compartments with gilt titles and gilt decorations on the spine, an elaborate gilt-decorated cover with triple gilt fillets, wide gilt dentelles with blank endpapers, "Mrs A. E. Dewey" inscribed on one of the front endpapers, an illustrated frontispiece followed by a vignette tittle page, then the regular title page, one page of Illustrations, two pages of Contents, five pages "To The Reader" by Geoffrey Crayon, 456 pages of text, and all the edges are gilt. The book is 8vo. and measures 9 x 6 1/2 in.wide, with a tight binding, clean pages and text, light soiling on the rear endpapers, a smidge of a blemish on 456, a small 1/4 inch tear at the top of the spine, light wear on the crown and light rubbing at the heel and along the edge of the spine, light wear at the tips, and two tips curled in, and still an attractive copy of this early work by Irving. The story is a collection of short stories written by Irving while he was living in Europe, and the Stanley Wkillaims Bibliography from New York 1936 and 1970, page 145, notes added engravings from the 1849 edition. Followed by "Tales Of A Traveller", published in 1857 by G. P. Putnam & Co. in New York, with gilt titles on brown boards, yellow endpapers with "Jos F. Fenney, Aug 11, 58" inscribed on the front paste-down and "E. G. E. Boyce" on the title page, four pages addressed To The Reader by Geoffrey Crayon, two pages of Contents, and 258 pages of text. The book measures 6 7/8 x 4 1/2 in. wide, with a tight binding, just a couple of pages with brown spots, s small chip on the half-title faded covers, and bumps on the heel and loss at the crown. The book was first published in 1824. The last title is a limited edition of The Wild Huntsman (Hitherto Unpublished), With An Introduction By George S. Hellman, Printed Exclusively For Members Of The Bibliophile Society, Boston, MCMXXIV [1924], and the limitation page reads "This edition is limited to 455 copies, printed for members only, Boston MCMXXIV". The book has a white vellum-like spine with gilt titles and "1924" in gilt at the bottom of the spine, green boards, blank endpapers, a thirteen-page Introduction, 113 pages of text, and the top edge is gilt. It also has a four-page facsimile letter of a manuscript page sandwiched between pages 38 and 39, the book measures 9 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. wide, and is in very good condition, the binding is tight and the pages and text are clean, with light soiling on the spine and the tissue guard before the title page has creases. #7 #7024