Lot 818

"Art & Architecture In France 1500-1700" by Anthony Blunt 1953 HC French Architecture & Art In Slipcase & DJ

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Lot 818
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"Art & Architecture In France 1500-1700" by Anthony Blunt 1953 HC French Architecture & Art In Slipcase & DJ
"Art & Architecture In France 1500-1700" by Anthony Blunt 1953 HC French Architecture & Art In Slipcase & DJ
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"Art & Architecture In France 1500-1700" by Anthony Blunt 1953 HC French Architecture & Art In Slipcase & DJ

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Estimate: $50 - $100

Starting Bid: $20

(0 Bids)
by The Book Barn
August 13, 2026 5:00 PM EDT
Timed Auction
353 Indian Village Road
Shapliegh, ME, US 07076

VINTAGE 1953 Illustrated Hardcover History Of French Architecture & Art In Slipcase & In Dust Jacket. "Art and Architecture in France 1500 to 1700: The Pelican History of Art by Anthony Blunt; edited by Nikolaus Pevsner. HARDCOVER 1953 Penguin Books "Pelican History Of Art: Series 1st Edition 2nd Printing. Nice Collectible hardcover copy In Dust Jacket. Exactly as shown in listing scan(s).

"Written by Anthony Blunt, former Keeper of the Queens Pictures and the 5th man in the famous communist spy ring in the British government, run by Kim Philby of the Pre & Post WWII Cambridge spy ring. Anthony Blunt was a Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures for the royal art collection. He served as an MI5 member and supplied secret information to the KGB, while also providing warnings to fellow agents of certain counterintelligence that could potentially endanger them. In 1964, MI5 received information from the Americans pointing to Blunt's espionage; the two had known each other at Cambridge some thirty years before and when Blunt tried to recruite an American CIA agent as a spy. Blunt was interrogated by MI5 and confessed in exchange for immunity from prosecution. As he was—by 1964—without access to classified information, he had secretly been granted immunity, in exchange for revealing everything he knew. Peter Wright, one of Blunt's interrogators, describes in his book "Spycatcher" how Blunt was evasive and only made admissions grudgingly, when confronted with the undeniable. By 1979, Blunt was publicly accused of being a Soviet agent & in November 1979, Prime Minister Thacher admitted to the House of Commons that Blunt had confessed to being a Soviet spy fifteen years previously. The term "Five" began to be used in 1961, when KGB defector Golitsyn named Maclean and Burgess as part of a "Ring of Five", with Philby a "probable" third, alongside two other agents whom he did not know. At the time of Golitsyn's defection, Philby had already been accused in the press and was living in Beirut, Lebanon, a country with no extradition agreement with Britain. Select members of MI5 and MI6 already knew Philby to be a spy from Venona project decryptions. Golitsyn also provided other information, such as the claim that Harold Wilson (then Prime Minister) was a KGB agent. Golitsyn's reliability remains a controversial subject and as such, there is little certainty of the number of agents he assigned to the Cambridge spy ring. To add to the confusion, when Blunt finally confessed, he named several other people as having been recruited by him. Blunt wrote his memoirs but insisted they not be released until 25 years after his death. They were made public in 2009. The manuscript indicated that he regretted having passed information to the Soviets because of the way it eventually affected his life, that he believed that the government would never reveal his treachery and that he had dismissed suicide as "cowardly". Many felt that his "regret" was shallow, and that he found an "unwillingness to acknowledge the evil he had served in spying for Stalin". Anthony Blunt, a controversial man though acknowledged art expert, presents major artists and their principal works chronologically, provides an overview of the main projects of the period, and of the artistic personalities behind them, and clearly sets the historical context. Index makes further research easier."

Profusely Illustrated with 192 paged of photos at the rear. Internally tight & unmarked. Exterior Binding: all lettering/decoration bright. Slipcase is PRESENT though worn. Edge wear/short closed tears to SELDOM PRESENT $12.50 unclipped DJ. NO REMAINDER MARK; NOT X-LIBRARY. ALL ITEMS ARE GUARANTEED TO BE ACCURATELY DESCRIBED, NOT DEFECTIVE, & GENUINE.

PLEASE NOTE: We do all our own shipping. We will combine shipping on multiple items, where possible to save the wining bidder on shipping costs. Shipping will be added to winning bidder's invoice for item(s) won. Media Mail postage from USPS will be used for shipping in the United States for those items allowed. Lowest alternative cost shipping will be billed for items not allowed by USPS to be shipped by Media Mail. Foreign winning bidders will pay postage based on their countries small/medium/large Flat Rate box postage rates & weight of the package. Other types of postage are available at added expense at the bidders request. You also agree to pay any applicable taxes and/or customs/import duties. A Tracking Number will be provided to buyer. Insurance is mandatory on packages over $100 USD and will be added to postage charges when applicable.

  • Condition: Very Good Condition

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We do all our own shipping. Shipping will be added to winning bidder's invoice for item(s) won. Media Mail postage from USPS will be used for shipping in the United States for those items allowed. Lowest alternative cost shipping will be billed for items not allowed by USPS to be shipped by Media Mail. Foreign winning bidders will pay postage based on their countries small/medium/large Flat Rate box postage rates & weight of the package. Other types of postage are available at added expense at the bidders request. You also agree to pay any applicable taxes and/or customs/import duties. A Tracking Number will be provided to buyer. Insurance is mandatory on packages over $100 USD and will be added to postage charges when applicable.

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