The Opera Companion: A Guide For The Casual Opera-Goer by George Martin

The Opera Companion: A Guide For The Casual Opera-Goer by George Martin hits the £1 shelf in my shop.

MacMillan & Co., 1962, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Drawings;

From the cover: "This is a book about opera completely different in presentation and treatment from the usual handbook, and one which answers almost every vexing question likely to assail all but the most expert opera-goers, and answers them with accuracy, brevity and wit. For the complete novice it is a fascinating introduction to the art of opera, and for the more knowledgeable reader an invaluable source of information of every kind.

The first section is devoted to such general topics as the function and evolution of operatic overtures, the different kinds of voices and the way in which singers are trained, the role of the castrati, the part played by the orchestra, the use of ballet in opera, the function of the claque and the history of opera as a form of public entertainment. Then follows a glossary of operatic terms and miscellaneous information designed to be read for enjoyment as well as information. The second half of the book contains synopses of forty-seven operas by eighteen composers, and brief accounts of twenty-six contemporary operas by nineteen composers : statistics of the repertoires of the world's major opera houses complete the book, together with a catalogue of operas mentioned in the book and a quick guide to basic operatic Italian.

George Martin, a director of the Metropolitan Opera Guild of New York, has spent three years in preparing this new look at opera, and the result is a volume that provides the reader with a wealth of information that will deepen and illumine his enjoyment of the art."

Good — in Good Dust Wrapper. Edges of the dust wrapper somewhat frayed, a little faded and soiled. Gently bruised at the head, tail and corners of the binding. Bookplate to the pastedown. Pages lightly age-tanned.

Red boards with Gilt on Black Title Plate titling to the Spine.
[XV] 751 pages. Index. 9½" x 6¼".

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The Carved Cartoon: A Picture of the Past by Austin Clare [Wilhelmina Martha James]

The Carved Cartoon: A Picture of the Past by Austin Clare [Wilhelmina Martha James] hits the £1 shelf in my shop.

Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, Undated, Hardback.

Illustrated by way of: Vignettes; Frontispiece;

Good. Heavily bruised at the head, tail and corners of the boards with a little fraying to the spine ends. Leans. Shaken and slightly fragile now. Pages lightly age-tanned with scattered spotting.

Grey Decorative boards with Gilt titling to the Spine & Upper Board.
[XVI] 304 [8] pages. 7½" x 5".

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The Story Of Archaeology In Britain by Ronald Jessup

The Story Of Archaeology In Britain by Ronald Jessup hits the £1 shelf in my shop.

Michael Joseph, 1964, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs;

From the cover: "Of the making of books about archaeology there is no end, and on balance it is a good thing that it should be so. In all its wide variety the story of Britain's past is part of our national heritage to be enjoyed by young and old, the seriously interested and the generally interested alike.

Since all archaeology depends in the first instance upon discovery, a large part of this book is concerned with the eventful story of discovery in Britain and the background and personalities against which it is set. There is discovery, too, in our own approach to the past, and for this reason there are very frequent references to publications which can be used with confidence to direct and inform further study.

There are chapters on Discovery by Chance, Discovery by Purpose — that is by field work and excavation — Discovery from the Air, upon which so much modern research depends, and on Discovery and Science and Discovery and Dating. There is a brief account of discoveries of Fossil Man in Britain, and a full account of the way in which discovery is published and communicated to the world at large. A chapter is devoted to False Antiquities and some of the entertaining stories of the characters who were responsible, and another to Four Pioneers of archaeological discovery in Britain. There follows a summary account of some recent discoveries of interest and importance, and the book ends with a section called Seeing for Yourself, which is a short guide to archaeology out-of-doors, and a useful bibliography."

Good — in Good Dust Wrapper. Unlaminated dust wrapper a little edgeworn and faded. Gently bruised at the head, tail and corners of the binding. Previous owners' inscription to the first blank and pastedown. Pages lightly age-tanned.

Brown boards with Gilt titling to the Spine.
214 pages. Index. 8¾" x 5¾".

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A Dictionary of Modern English Usage by H. W. [Henry Watson] Fowler

A Dictionary of Modern English Usage by H. W. [Henry Watson] Fowler hits the £1 shelf in my shop.

Oxford University Press, 1974, Hardback in Slip Case.

7th printing, 2nd (revised by Sir Ernest Gowers) edition. [First Published: 1926]

Very Good — in Very Good Slip Case.

Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine.
[XX] 725 pages. 7½" x 5".

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Mozart: A Life by Maynard Solomon

Mozart: A Life by Maynard Solomon hits the £1 shelf in my shop.

Hutchinson, 1995, Paperback.

First in this, paperback, edition. Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Musical scores;

From the cover: "This biography goes to the root of Mozart's creativity and finds that the composer's heart, energy and genius lie in the rejection by his family, his patrons and his city."

Very Good. Upper wrapper is creased at the foot otherwise a very well presented copy.

[XVI] 640 pages. Index. Bibliography. Trade Paperback (9¼" x 6").

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A Concise History of Ireland by Máire & Conor Cruise O'Brien

A Concise History of Ireland by Máire & Conor Cruise O'Brien hits the £1 shelf in my shop.

Thames & Hudson, 1991, Paperback.

A Later Printing. Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Facsimiles; Black & White Drawings;

From the cover: "There is a tragic inevitability about Irish history which this book brings out with clarity, impartiality and compassion. From the first Protestant settlements in Elizabethan times to the barricades of the Bogside it has been, for the most part, a story of 'hatred answering hatred,' as Lady Gregory wrote, 'death answering to death through the generations like clerks at the mass'. In Yeats' striking phrase, four bells are heard, 'four deep, tragic notes in Irish history'. The first was the Catholic revolt in Elizabeth's reign, which ended with the Protestant settlement of Ulster. The second was the battle of the Boyne, when William of Orange defeated Catholic James II and put the seal on the Protestant Ascendancy. The third toll of the bell was the impact of the French Revolution on Ireland, and the fourth the fall from power of Charles Stewart Parnell, leader of the Land League, when a disillusioned and embittered Ireland turned from parliamentary politics, and the chain of events started which led to partition, the solution that solved nothing. In this revised edition of a book which has been widely read and praised, the authors survey Irish history to the present day and finish by looking forward to the end of the century."

Very Good. Previous owners' inscription to the reverse of the upper wrapper.

192 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9" x 6¾".

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Old Furniture and Woodwork: An Introductory Historical Survey by Donald N. Smith

Old Furniture and Woodwork: An Introductory Historical Survey by Donald N. Smith hits the £1 shelf in my shop.

B. T. Batsford, 1949, Hardback in dust wrapper.

3rd edition. [First Published: 1947] Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Diagrams;

Good — in Good Dust Wrapper. Gently bruised at the spine ends and corners with commensurate wear to the dust wrapper. Unlaminated dust wrapper a little edgeworn and faded with a little loss at the spine ends and corners. Pages lightly age-tanned.

Brown boards with Gilt titling to the Spine.
68 pages. Index. 8¾" x 5½".

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