Name: The New All-British Motor-Car, C. S. Rolls & Co. — 1st Edition (January 1905 First State)
Brand: Broadhursts Books
SKU: RR_1905
Price: 3000.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

The New All-British Motor-Car, C. S. Rolls & Co. — 1st Edition (January 1905 First State)

£3,000.00

The New All-British Motor-Car, C. S. Rolls & Co. — 1st Edition (January 1905 First State)

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£3,000.00

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A cornerstone document from the dawn of British luxury motoring, issued in January 1905 just over a year before the formal incorporation of Rolls-Royce Limited. Preserved in Near Fine, unrestored condition inside an early collector's envelope, this rare priced first-state catalogue details the 15 H.P. and 20 H.P. Rolls-Royce motor-cars, complete with portraits of Charles S. Rolls and Claude Johnson.

Publication: London, C. S. Rolls & Co., January 1905

Formatting: 12mo, original staple-bound printed paper wrappers, pp. [12], with vintage manuscript-titled paper envelope.

Condition Report: Near Fine. Housed carefully inside an early protective paper envelope inscribed "Rolls Royce Book.", this fragile Edwardian pamphlet survives in remarkably crisp, flat, and unrestored condition. The original cream wove wrappers remain bright and structurally sound with sharp corners and vivid red-and-black lettering, showing only gentle, even age-toning, a light mark to the lower front margin, and a minute 3mm nick at the foot of the spine fold. Internally, the leaves are fresh, clean, and completely free of foxing or repairs. As is natural for untouched early twentieth-century wire bindings, the original centre-fold staples have oxidised with age, leaving localised rust marks at the gutter, though the binding remains entirely secure and all text and illustrations are crisp and bright throughout.

Catalogue Note

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE & FIRST-STATE RARITY:

Issued more than a year prior to the formal incorporation of Rolls-Royce Limited, this foundational promotional brochure captures the exact moment The Hon. Charles S. Rolls and Claude Johnson pivoted from importing Continental Panhard motor-cars to marketing Henry Royce's newly engineered British vehicles under the hyphenated Rolls-Royce name. Crucially, this example is explicitly dated "January, 1905." on the inside front wrapper whilst retaining the printed retail prices for both featured models and their coachwork options. This represents an exceptionally scarce, transitional "first state" printing that predates the standard copies issued for the Olympia Motor Exhibition in February 1905.

CONTENTS & SPECIFICATIONS:

The twelve pages provide a comprehensive overview of the nascent marque's operations and early engineering. It opens with a full company directory listing the Head Offices & Show-rooms at 14 & 15 Conduit Street, the Branch Office at 28 Brook Street, the Repair Shops at Lillie Hall, Fulham, and the Manchester Works of Messrs. Royce, Ltd., followed by half-tone portrait photographs of The Honourable Charles S. Rolls, M.A. and Claude Johnson offering personal interviews to prospective clients.

Subsequent pages detail the scientific construction of the chassis at the Manchester factory, the 15,000-mile testing programme, the silence of the engine and direct drive, the inclusive kit of tools, spare parts, and brass lamps, and the full Terms of Business and three-month guarantee (with cheques payable to "C. S. Rolls and Co." and crossed "Barclay and Co., Ltd.").

The final spread features half-tone profile illustrations, specifications, and printed Barker coachwork prices for the three-cylinder 15 H.P. "R-R" Landaulet ("The Ideal lady's carriage for use in town and country") and the four-cylinder 20 H.P. "R-R" Phaeton de Luxe (£650 with side-entrance Tonneau; £695 as illustrated; £60 extra for an extended Brougham Top).

TYPOGRAPHICAL AUTHENTICATION:

This booklet exhibits all the physical hallmarks of authentic 1905 letterpress production, accompanied by its vintage buff storage envelope. Close inspection reveals the crisp physical bite of metal type into the wove paper, pronounced ink squash along the margins of the red and black letterforms, and genuine mechanical artifacts from the live press run, including faint ink offsetting beneath the headers and minor type wear to the "r" in "carburation" on page 6, alongside an authentic, period-correct coarse half-tone dot matrix for the motor-car and portrait illustrations.

Book Condition: Near Fine

Book Authors: C. S. Rolls & Co.

Book Publisher: C. S. Rolls & Co.

Book Language: English

Narrative Type: Antiquarian

Genre: History

Book edition: First Edition

Signed: No

Book Pages: 12

Book Publication Year: 1905

Book Publication Date:

Book Binding: Staple-bound paper wrappers

Illustrator: N/A

Book Series: N/A

Country/region of manufacture: London, United Kingdom

Book Dimensions:

Book Condition Guide

We stock thousands of books in a wide range of conditions. To make things clear and to help you know exactly what to expect, Please refer to these condition categories to understand the condition of the book you will receive.

Condition	Description
New	A brand-new, unread and professionally handled book. Carefully preserved from publication to purchase, these books are offered in the best attainable condition. This grade applies to recently published titles that have not entered long-term storage.
As New	The book is in pristine, original condition as if just published. No signs of use or handling. The dust jacket (if present) is equally flawless. This grade applies to any book that has remained untouched in storage for years.
Fine	The book is close to As New. It remains bright and attractive, but could show minor imperfections to the boards and/or dust jacket (if present). Its pages are typically clean and unmarked.
Near Fine	The book has a number of small flaws, i.e. slight rubbing to the edges, or tiny chips or creases to the dust jacket (if present). Its pages may have faint marks, or creases that are barely perceptible — nothing that detracts from their overall condition.
Very Good	The book maintains its structural integrity, and has no major flaws such as tears to its binding or pages. It may, however, show signs of careful use, handling, or storage — small marks and creases, light foxing. Its dust jacket (if present) remains fully intact, but small tears may be present.
Good	A book that remains intact and readable with complete text pages, but shows moderate signs of wear and use to both the book and dust jacket (if present). It may have noticeable creases, nicks, or stains, and the spine likely shows fading, bumping, and rubbing. There could be writing, underlining, and other marks on some pages, though the majority will be clean and tidy.
Fair	A book with significant wear or damage. The text pages will be complete, but there may be heavy underlining, highlighting and staining throughout, and the book’s endpapers, half-title, and copyright pages could be damaged or missing. The binding could be loose, and the dust jacket (if present) may have notable scuffs or tears. These copies are usually of interest for content, signature(s) or scarcity.
Poor	A heavily worn book whose value lies in its complete and legible text. A poor book will have substantial defects — loose joints or hinges, detached covers, loose and/or missing pages, and could be heavily soiled. A poor book is also known as a reading copy, and although compromised, can hold historical or bibliographic significance.

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