Henry Holland’s Travels in the Ionian Islands, 1815, ticks lots of boxes. A doctor, he was travelling in Greece shortly before the War of Independence and met Ali Pasha. What makes this copy special for me is that it comes from the renowned Stoke Rochford library of the antiquary, Christopher Turnor. Copies from this library are usually in superb condition and this copy is no exception. It is beautifully bound and is a feast for the eye.

One of the scarcer books in the catalogue is An authentick and faithful history of that arch-pyrate Tulagee Angria, 1756. It tells us of the capture of Toolaji Angria, the leader of the pirates operating off the Indian coast, who had attacked East India Company (EIC) vessels for over 50 years. The British naturally saw him as a scourge but to Indian eyes it was otherwise, for he stood up to the might of the EIC who often acted little better than pirates themselves.