Modern Literature
A tale of an island
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1927.
First edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket.
Constance Antonina "Nina" Boyle (1865-1943) was a militant suffragette (a leader of the Women's Freedom League, imprisoned three times), a journalist, a pioneer of women police (she co-founded the Women Police Volunteers with Margaret Damer Dawson in 1914), and, most strikingly, the first woman to attempt to stand for election to the UK Parliament, submitting a nomination at the 1918 Keighley by-election and so opening the way for women candidates. A contemporary Times Literary Supplement reviewer noted the feminism The Rights of Mallaroche carried over from her suffragette days (she had by the 1920s moved politically rightward).
Weird & Supernatural
in the beliefs of mankind
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1933.
First UK edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket.
A sober scholarly survey of afterlife beliefs across the world's cultures and religions - heaven and hell, reincarnation, the immortal soul - drawing on religious texts, philosophy and history.
![J.R.R. Tolkien, [The Lord of the Rings], 3 vols, fifth/seventh/fifth impressions respectively, 1956-59.](https://lycanthiabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/88134-300x300.jpg)
![Alternative view of Tolkien (J.R.R.) [The Lord of the Rings]](https://lycanthiabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/88134_2-300x300.jpg)
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1956-59.
3 vol., first editions, fifth/seventh/fifth impression respectively. Large 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jackets.
A solid set of early impressions of Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece.
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1929.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original purple cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 12s6d.
Müller-Freienfels was a prominent social critic and philosopher whose work combined philosophy, psychology, and the social sciences, emphasising the role of unconscious and symbolic forces in shaping culture. His ideas on the "collective soul" and national psychology resonated with the intellectual climate of 1930s Germany and, while his precise influence on official Nazi doctrine is difficult to measure, his thought aligned in part with contemporary nationalist currents. He joined the Nazi Party in 1933, later distanced himself, and by 1942 was declared "inactive" and placed on the Index of prohibited authors.His legacy became the subject of post-war controversy. In 1948, following the publication of his letter in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Dr Alfred Einstein publicly accused him of having been a "leading Nazi aesthetician," prompting a sharp exchange that illustrates the fraught reassessment of German intellectuals after 1945.
Non-Fiction
Being the Book of the Federation of Progressive Societies and Individuals
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1934.
First edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 7s6d.
Essays articulating the aims of interwar progressive movements: pacifism, rationalism, sexual reform, socialism and internationalist co-operation. Contributors include Olaf Stapledon, Francis Meynell and H.G. Wells.
Children's Books
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1957.
First edition, second impression. 8vo. Original pictorial cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.
Tolkien's whimsical medieval fable about a reluctant hero, Farmer Giles, who must confront a troublesome dragon with wit and cunning rather than traditional bravery. Baynes' illustrations were significant in fantasy fiction of the period, as she would go on to become best known for her work on C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, contributing a visual style that became iconic in mid-20th century fantasy literature.
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1956.
First edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 16s.
Compelling insight into the Kuwait of today, or at least of the 1950s, by a woman writer.
Non-Fiction
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1932.
First UK edition. 8vo. Original grey cloth. Dust-jacket, priced 8s6d.
The Count was a member of the ancient Sforza dynasty, descendant from a branch of the Dukes of Milan, and related to the Pallavicini family as well as other Italian families such as the Medici and Orsini.
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1962.
First edition. 8vo. Original patterned wrappers.
An excellent insight into food and diets in Nigeria, written by the then Inspector of Education (Home Economics). Uncommon.
Modern Literature
London, George Allen & Unwin, 1924.
First English edition. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket.
...a most delightful picture of the 'interior' of a well-to-do Amsterdam printer-publisher's house (jacket blurb). A nice example of a 1920s dust-jacket, by the British painter, illustrator and linocut artist Dorothy Burroughes.