Beethoven, Ludwig van

first London edition, folio (c.33.5 x 24.5cm), [2] & 22 pages, watermark date "1822", engraved throughout, priced on title, verso of title and following page blank, music beginning on p.2, title & opus number engraved at the foot of each page, disbound, lacking blank leaf at end, very faint browning, but overall a good clean copy,

A.Tyson, The Authentic English Editions of Beethoven (1963), pp.110-113; Hoboken 464; Kinsky p.320; Dorfmüller, p.341. 

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Rare: there are four copies recorded in British libraries, but we have traced only one copy outside the UK: in Vienna.  A single copy of a first issue watermarked "1821" survives in the British Library, so this is arguably a second issue, but both were published in 1823.   Beethoven sold the Sonata to Clementi through his pupil Ferdinand Ries, writing on 25 April 1823: "I promise the publisher that it will not appear anywhere else first", although in the event Schlesinger's edition was issued in Paris almost simultaneously. Clementi's editon, which Tyson regards as "the most accurate edtion of Op.111 ever to have appeared", contains Beetoven's preferred dedication to Antonie de Brentano, rather than to the Archduke Rudoph, as found with Schlesinger.