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D & E Lake Ltd.

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D & E Lake Ltd.

From rare to new and everything in between, we are Toronto's largest family owned & operated rare bookstore.

Beyond books, we sell antique maps & prints, art, etchings, engravings, posters, stamps & coins, custom picture framing & more.

06/15/2026

Today we celebrate the birthday in 1809 of French-Canadian historian François-Xavier Garneau.

GARNEAU, François-Xavier [1809-1866]. Histoire Du Canada DepuisSaDécouverteJusqu'à Nos Jours.TroisièmeÉdition R***e Et Corrigée. 3 Volumes.8vo. pp. xxii, 371; 457; 373.with half-titles. A nice set in contemporary roan, all edges gilt (marginal dampstains to endleaves in Vols. I-II). Quebec: P. Lamoureux, 1859. $750

Third Revised and Enlarged Edition of a "French-Canadian classic" by the “greatest French-Canadian author of the nineteenth century”,a vibrant response to Lord Durham’scategorization of French Canadians as a people “without history and without a literature”."In writing the history of the colony, Garneau looked beyond the civil, military, and religious leaders to base his work on the men and women who had pioneered and developed the country; in so doing he provided inspiration and themes for a generation of poets, novelists, folklorists, and writers of memoirs." (Story) The centenary of the book’s publication was marked by impressive celebrations in Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec, and Garneau has been honoured by the naming after him of numerousschools, streets, parks, &c. The François-Xavier Garneau Medal is the highest award given by the Canadian Historical Association and is given once every five years for an outstanding Canadian contribution to historical research.
TPL 2455.Dionne I 362n.Gagnon I p. 198.Sabin 26675. Story p. 309. cfLande 261.

06/09/2026

Today marks the anniversary of the death in 1870 of English novelist Charles Dickens.

DICKENS, Charles [1812-1870].
The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby. With Illustrations By Phiz.
London: Chapman And Hall, 1839.
8vo. pp. xvi, 624. with half-title. engraved frontis. portrait by Finden after Maclise & 39 etched plates by Hablot Knight Browne. A fine copy in full modern red morocco by Bayntun, gilt spine, portrait of Dickens in gilt on upper cover & signature in gilt on rear cover, gilt inside dentelles, all edges gilt (hint of foxing to a few plates). First Edition in Book Form. This copy with correct reading 'sister' on p. 123 and first 4 plates in second state. Podeschi A41. Smith I 5. Sadleir I 105. NCBEL III 793.
$2000

06/06/2026

MACDONALD, Sir John Alexander [1815-1891] [First Prime Minister of Canada (1867-73 & 1878-90)]. Autograph Letter, Signed, on 'Crown Law Department, Upper Canada' crested stationery, dated 'Office of Minister of Justice', Ottawa, Feb. 3rd, 1868, to G.H.Ryland, Registrar, Montreal. 4to. pp. 1 with integral blank. (horizontal & vertical folds). with initialed free-franked cover. Ottawa: 1868. $3,500

Reading: "I beg leave to state that in my opinion you, as Registrar of Montreal, are an officer of the Local Government, and that by such Local Government your securities are to be approved." Over the course of many years MacDonald supported George Herman Ryland, Registrar of Montreal and former Clerk of the Executive Council for the Province of Lower Canada, in his efforts to obtain financial compensation from the government. Ryland's claim was based on a promise made to him by Lord Sydenham, the first Governor-General of the United Province of Canada (1841). At the time of this letter Macdonald held the portfolio of Minister of Justice and was in the second year of his first term as Prime Minister.

Macdonald, the dominant figure of Confederation, became the First Prime Minister of Canada in 1867, serving to 1873 and again from 1878 to 1891 (he was forced to resign in 1873 over the Pacific Railway Scandal). During his administration Canada acquired the vast territory of Rupert's Land from the Hudson's Bay Company for the equivalent of 1.5 million dollars in 1869-70. The territory encompassed the whole of the Hudson's Bay watershed, what is now northern Labrador and Quebec, northern and western Ontario, all of Manitoba, most of Saskatchewan, south and central Alberta, and parts of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the northwestern United States. Following the Riel Rebellion, the newly created province of Manitoba became part of Confederation along with the North West Territories. British Columbia joined in 1871. The North West Mounted Police was created to establish law and order in the frontier lands. The Macdonald administration was challenged by two western insurrections, the Red River Rebellion of 1869-70 and the North-West Rebellion of 1885, both led by Louis Riel. The treatment and ex*****on of Riel for treason divided the country along religious, linguistic and racial grounds. Macdonald's government also implemented a 'National Policy' of high tariffs that would protect the small Canadian firms from American competition and completed the Intercolonial and the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railways which were so essential to Canada's nationhood.

06/01/2026

This day in 1967 marks the death of Canadian artist Alexandra Luke.

LUKE, Alexandra. CSPWC. CGP. OSA. The Painters Eleven. [1901-1967]. [Composition in yellow, red & green]. 18 x 11 1/2 inches. oil on masonite. signed on recto. [c1947]. $5,000

Alexandra Luke was one of two female founding members (the other was Hortense Gordon) of the Ontario-based group of abstract artists known as Painters Eleven. It wasn’t until 1945 that Luke began formal training in art, first at the Banff School of Fine Arts (1945) where Jock Macdonald supported her interest in abstract art and subsequently at the Hans Hoffman School of Art in Provincetown, Massachusetts, 1947-52. In 1952 Luke organized the first Canadian Abstract Exhibition where she met other artists who would form the ‘Painters Eleven’. Shortly before her death Luke and her husband donated their personal collection of Canadian art and provided financial assistance toward the creation of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa in 1967.
Provenance: The collection of fellow “Painters 11” artist Hortense Gordon, inscribed by Gordon on verso.

05/30/2026

On this day in 1914, the luxury liner Aquitania made its maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York.

THE SHIPBUILDER. Souvenir Number...The Cunard Quadruple-screw Atlantic Liner "Aquitania," 45,647 Gross Tons. Britain's Largest Steamship.
Newcastle-On-Tyne & London: 1914..
8vo. pp. 154. profusely illus. incl. 5 colour plates (1 tipped-in) & 5 folding plans. contemporary half roan (rubbed, cellotape repair to marginal tear in 1 folding plate). A detailed description of the building, design, and outfitting of the last and largest of the Cunard Line's three great transatlantic express liners, preceded by the Mauretania and the Lusitania, published just following the beginning of her maiden voyage on May 30, 1914. The Aquitania was designed by Cunard naval architect Leonard Peskett and built in the John Brown and Company yards in Clydebank, Scotland, where the majority of the Cunard ships were built. The grand appointment and opulence of the design of her interior earned her the nickname 'Ship Beautiful'. "The vessel was retired and scrapped in 1950 at Farslane in Scotland, thus ending an illustrious career which included steaming 3 million miles in 450 voyages. Aquitania carried 1.2 million passengers over a career that spanned nearly 36 years, making her the longest-serving Express Liner of the 20th century. "Aquitania" was the only major liner to serve in both World Wars, and was the last four-funnelled passenger ship to be scrapped. The ship's wheel and a detailed scale model of Aquitania may be seen in the Cunard exhibit at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax." (Wikipedia)
$600

05/24/2026

Today we celebrate the birthday in 1943 of First Nations artist Carl Beam.

BEAM, CARL [1943-2005] (RCA).[The Solar System].15” x 12”. mixed media on paper. signed. bearing artist seal. [c2000]. [ #47]. Framed. $1,400

Beam, an innovative conceptual artist of international stature, was the first contemporary aboriginal artist whose work was purchased by the National Gallery of Canada. His work was the subject of a major National Gallery retrospective in 2010. Born on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Beam earned a Bachelor's degree in fine art from the University of Victoria art school and later did post-graduate work at the University of Alberta and taught at Ojibway Cultural Foundation. Beam worked in a variety of media, including watercolour and coloured pencil, acrylic and graphite on plexiglass and plywood; colour Xerox and mixed media; photo-emulsion and acrylic on paper, canvas, and ceramics. He is known mainly for his unique prints which juxtapose images of the contemporary world and technology with symbols from First Nations culture and photos of historical native leaders (Chief Sitting Bull, Geronimo and others), embodying multiple layers of meaning.

05/15/2026

Today in 1919 marks the beginning of the Winnipeg General Strike.

WINNIPEG GENERAL STRIKE DEFENSE COMMITTEE. The Winnipeg General Sympathetic Strike May-June 1919…Strike – Arrests – Trials – Penitentiary. [At Head of Title: “Saving The World From Democracy”]. 8vo. pp. 276. original printed wrs. (head & foot of spine chipped, some dampstaining to lower margins). [Winnipeg]: Wallingford Press, [1919]. $200

First Edition. The defense committee was composed of delegates from the various labour organizations in Winnipeg. High unemployment rates and inflation following World War I and news of the success of the Russian Revolution led to increased labour unrest. The Winnipeg general strike, a landmark event in the history of trade unionism in Canada, was called by the Winnipeg Trades and Labour Council when negotiations broke down between management and western labour leaders in the building and metal trades over the creation of One Big Union. In a stunning display of solidarity over 30,000 workers from the public and private sectors left their jobs in support of workers' rights to collective bargaining and better wages and working conditions, bringing the city to a standstill. The federal government intervened, arresting ten leaders of the Central Strike Committee and two propagandists from One Big Union. On 'Bloody Saturday' the Royal North-West Mounted Police charged a group of strikers, injuring 30, killing 2, and arresting 94. Federal troops occupied the city streets, and on June 26 the strike was called off. Seven Winnipeg strike leaders were eventually convicted of a conspiracy to overthrow the government and sentenced to jail terms ranging from six months to two years.
Peel 4548.

05/12/2026

Today marks the birthday in 1820 of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

NIGHTINGALE, Florence [1820-1910].
Notes On Nursing: What It Is And What It Is Not.
New York: D.Appleton And Company, 1860..
12mo. pp. 140, [4]ads. A very nice copy in original blind & gilt-stamped cloth (head of spine slightly frayed, some foxing to outer leaves). First American Edition. Nightingale established her reputation as a skillful manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, where her efforts to improve sanitation, hygiene, nutrition and general living conditions resulted in a drastic reduction in the death rate among wounded soldiers. In 1860 she founded her training school for nurses, following the publication the previous year of the present work, which transformed nursing and health care and served as the standard introduction to the profession. Included here are chapters on ventilation and warming, health in houses, petty management, noise, variety (environment), nutrition, bed and bedding, light, cleanliness of rooms, personal cleanliness, chattering hopes and advices, and observing the sick. "The book was the first of its kind ever to be written. It appeared at a time when the simple rules of health were only beginning to be known, when its topics were of vital importance not only for the well-being and recovery of patients, when hospitals were riddled with infection, when nurses were still mainly regarded as ignorant, uneducated persons. The book has, inevitably, its place in the history of nursing, for it was written by the founder of modern nursing". (Joan Quixley, Intro. to the 1974 edition). cfGarrison & Morton 1612. cfBib. Osleriana 1667. cfWaller 6872.
$850

05/01/2026

Today marks the birthday in 1584 of Italian Jesuit priest and botanist Giovanni Battista Ferrari.
FERRARI, Gio[vanni] Battista [1584-1654].
De Florum Cultura Libri IV.
Rome: Stephanus Paulinus, 1633.
small 4to. pp. 5 p.l., 522, [15]index. engraved title & 46 engraved plates, all included in pagination. 2 woodcut initials. contemporary vellum (some light to moderate foxing, some plates & leaves lightly embrowned, small wormholes in spine - spine expertly relined, new endpapers). label on verso of engraved title of the Society of Jesus, Grenoble. First Edition of this beautifully illustrated work on flowers and horticulture, dedicated by the author to Francesco Barberini, Italian cardinal, founder of the celebrated Barberini Library, and librarian of the Vatican. Among the plates are seven fine allegorical engravings by J.F.Greuter, and Claude Mellan, after drawings by Pietro Berettini da Cortona, Guido Reni, and Andrea Sacchi, several showing garden designs (parterres), gardening equipment and vases, and the majority, depicting various species of flowers and floral arrangements, attributed to Anna M.Vaiani. Ferrari was in charge of the luxurious Barberini gardens on the Quirinale in Rome, and his work contains listings, descriptions, and illustrations of the many species of flowers cultivated there including rare exotics: Egyptian papyrus, tulips, irises, peonies, tamarind, passion flowers, jasmines, large 'Canadian' strawberries, tuberose, amaryllis, belladona, lilies, roses, &c. The work is also of interest for the information it provides on Italian seventeenth-century taste and method in flower arrangements, on the origin of the Roman custom, which still exists, of making mosaics of flowers for Church festivals, on the fashion for crystallizing flowers in sugar, on the method of distilling essences, which were used as scents and as flavourings for refreshments, and on garden design of the period. Ferrari discusses Francesco Caetani's method of arranging flowers to create the effect of a coloured carpet at different seasons of the year (the plan on p. 217 shows Caetani's famous garden near Cisterna), provides illustrations of specimen designs for parterres, and advises following Caetani's method of keeping carefully drawn-up lists of all bulbs and other plants growing in them. (See Masson, Italian Gardens, London: 1966, pp. 182-84)Hunt I 222. Nissen BBI 620. Pritzel 2877.

04/24/2026

Today we commemorate the death in 1731 of British author Daniel Defoe.

[DEFOE, Daniel] [1660-1731].
The Life And Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.
London: Printed for John Stockdale, 1790..
2 Volumes. 8vo. pp. xii, 389; iii-v, [1], 366, [4], [371]-456. engraved portrait of Defoe by C.Medland, 2 engraved titles & 14 engraved plates by Medland after designs by Thomas Stothard (incl. 2 frontis.). contemporary tree calf, rebacked & tooled in gilt (corners worn, some foxing to some of the plates, some offsetting). First Edition of Defoe's popular and influential novel to contain the celebrated Thomas Stothard engravings and the life of Defoe by George Chalmers. At the end of Volume II, pp. 441-456, is a list of Defoe's writings. "the first well-illustrated edition of Defoe's classic story." (Ray) Defoe's book, which is often credited as marking the beginning of realistic fiction as a literary genre, follows the the adventures of a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical desert island near the coasts of Venezuela and Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers before being rescued. "Before the end of 1719, the book had already run through four editions, and it has gone on to become one of the most widely published books in history, spawning so many imitations, not only in literature but also in film, television, and radio, that its name is used to define a genre, the Robinsonade... By the end of the nineteenth century, no book in the history of Western literature had more editions, spin-offs, and translations (even into languages such as Inuktitut, Coptic, and Maltese) than Robinson Crusoe, with more than 700 such alternative versions, including children's versions with pictures and no text." (Wikipedia) Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England From 1790 to 1914, 18. cfPrinting and the Mind of Man 180.
$1750

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