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In-folio, two volumes. Later vellum over pasteboards with handwritten title on spine, slightly stained. Leaves [70], pp.583; pp. 772, ll.[6]. Roman, italic and Greek character. With a full-page woodcut portrait of Mattioli, 3 printer's devices and over 900 three-quarter-page figures (cm. 22x16) engraved in wood in the text, depicting plants, herbs, animals, insects and distillation procedures, of which two are colored by contemporary hand. Edit16 CNCE 35759 - Nissen BBI 1395 - Pritzel 5985 - Adams D 675 - Hunt 145.
In-folio, pp. [8], xxvi, [4], 152, con numerosi caratteri cinesi xilografati nel testo, e una grande tavola pieghevole; con l’aggiunta di una seconda carta T1 (pagg. 71-72) con una coppia di caratteri cinesi corretti al recto, rilegata dopo l'errata a p. 140; due vecchi timbri al titolo; leggermente imbrunito, leggermente più imbrunito alle ultime carte; ottimo esemplare in vitello screziato francese coevo, dorso dorato; lievi abrasioni ai piatti; parte inferiore del dorso un po' usurata. RARA PRIMA EDIZIONE DI UNA DELLE PRINCIPALI OPERE SULLA LINGUA CINESE DEL PIONIERE STUDIOSO ORIENTALE FRANCESE E SECONDA GRAMMATICA SULLA LINGUA DA PUBBLICARE IN EUROPA. 'Fourmont è stato uno dei primi studiosi occidentali a tentare di comprendere il più accuratamente possibile il sistema dei dizionari cinesi e il pensiero che una volta che uno studioso avesse compreso i vari sistemi, sarebbe stato in grado di lavorare da solo. In effetti, a quel tempo gli europei non avevano altro modo per imparare il cinese se non consultare i dizionari e lavorare dal noto all'ignoto. Sfortunatamente, i dizionari di Fourmont non furono mai stampati, e non si trovano nemmeno in forma manoscritta, ad eccezione di un dizionario storico e geografico... 'Le Meditationes possono essere considerate un manuale da usare insieme ai dizionari che Fourmont intendeva pubblicare, ed è solo nella prospettiva di questo progetto più ampio che si può giudicare la sua parola. L'assenza dei dizionari spiega perché è difficile usare il libro di testo. Abel Rémusat, nel diciannovesimo secolo, avrebbe qualificato questo lavoro come accademico ma oscuro, e i suoi avversari sostenevano che Fourmont avesse scritto qualcosa di non veramente utile.' Fourmont attribuiva così tanta importanza alla lettura dei dizionari da criticare la grammatica cinese di Prémare, la Notitia Linguae Sinicae, ricevuta alla Bibliothèque du Roi il 12 maggio 1730, perché non insegnava al lettore come identificare i caratteri o come usare i dizionari cinesi. Era sbalordito dal fatto che un'autorità in cinese come Prémare non prestasse attenzione alle radici cinesi nella sua grammatica e non poté perdonare l'omissione. D'altra parte, secondo Lundbaek, la Notitia Linguae Sinicae di padre de Prémare era troppo avanzata per essere compresa da uno studioso relativamente inesperto. In effetti, padre de Prémare aveva una conoscenza della pedagogia della lingua cinese migliore di Fourmont. La sua opera è composta da frasi scelte dai Classici, che lo studente doveva imparare per familiarizzare con i personaggi e il loro uso. Inoltre, Prémare, per quanto riguarda l'ideologia, era molto più attratto dal metodo di classificazione radicale esposto da Mei Yingzuo. Ogni studioso proiettava la propria preoccupazione nella lingua straniera, e ognuno aveva la sua mistica. “Tuttavia, la familiarità con le radici aiuta a comprendere il significato dei caratteri, e un metodo di classificazione per l'enorme numero di caratteri è considerato di grande utilità. In tal senso Fourmont promuoveva un mezzo pratico di accesso al cinese per il lettore europeo» (Cécile Leung, Etienne Fourmont. (1683-1745), Oriental and Chinese Languages in Eighteenth Century France, pp. 203-204). Fourmont divenne professore di arabo al Collège de France nel 1715. Nel 1713 fu eletto membro dell'Accademia delle iscrizioni, nel 1738 membro della Royal Society di Londra e nel 1742 membro di quella di Berlino. Morì a Parigi l'8 dicembre 1745. In-folio, pp. [8], xxvi, [4], 152, with numerous Chinese characters in woodcut in the text, and one large folding table; an additional cancel of leaf T1 (pages 71-72) with a couple of Chinese characters corrected on recto, bound in after the errata on p. 140; two old stamps to title; a little light browning, slightly heavier to the last leaves; a very good copy in contemporary French mottled calf, spine gilt; minor abrasions to covers; tail of spine a little worn. SCARCE FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF THE MAJOR WORKS ON THE CHINESE LANGUAGE BY THE PIONEERING FRENCH ORIENTAL SCHOLAR, AND THE SECOND GRAMMAR ON THE LANGUAGE TO BE PUBLISHED IN EUROPE. ‘Fourmont was one of the first Western scholars to attempt to understand as accurately as possible the system of Chinese dictionaries, and the thought that once a scholar understood the various systems, he would be able to work by himself. In fact, there was no other way for Europeans to learn Chinese at this time besides consulting the dictionaries and working from the known to the unknown. Unfortunately, Fourmont’s dictionaries were never printed, and are not even to be found in manuscript form, except of a historical and geographical dictionary … ‘The Meditationes can be considered a handbook to be used in conjunction with the dictionaries that Fourmont intended to publish, and it is only in the perspective of this larger project that his word can be judged. The absence of the dictionaries explains why it is difficult to use the text-book. Abel Rémusat would, in the nineteenth century, qualify this work as scholarly but obscure, and his adversaries contended that Fourmont wrote something not really useful. ‘ Fourmont placed so much importance on reading dictionaries that he criticized Prémare’s Chinese grammar, the Notitia Linguae Sinicae, which was received at the Bibliothèque du Roi on May 12, 1730, on the ground that it did not teach the reader how to identify characters or how to use Chinese dictionaries. He was shocked that such an authority on Chinese as Prémare did not pay attention to Chinese radicals in his grammar, and could not forgive the omission. On the other hand, according to Lundbaek, Father de Prémare’s Notitia Linguae Sinicae was far too advanced for the relatively young scholar to understand. As a matter of fact, Father de Prémare had a better grasp of Chinese language pedagogy than Fourmont. His work is made up of sentences chosen from the Classics, which the student was supposed to learn in order to familiarize himself with the characters and their usage. Moreover, Prémare, as far as ideology was concerned, was much more attracted to the method of radical classification as set out by Mei Yingzuo. Each scholar was projecting his own preoccupation into the foreign language, and each had his own mystique. ‘Nevertheless, familiarity with the radicals helps to understand the meaning of the characters, and a method of classification for the enormous number of characters is considered to be of greatest utility. To that extent Fourmont was promoting a practical means of access to Chinese for the European reader’ (Cécile Leung, Etienne Fourmont. (1683-1745), Oriental and Chinese Languages in Eighteenth Century France, pp. 203-204). Fourmont became professor of Arabic in the Collège de France in 1715. In 1713 he was elected a member of the Academy of Inscriptions, in 1738 a member of the Royal Society of London, and in 1742 a member of that of Berlin. He died at Paris on 8 December 1745.
Shanghai: C. Fink, Deutsche Druckerei und Verlagsanstalt, 1902-1906. Exceedingly scarce consecutive and nearly-complete run of the noteworthy and pioneering German illustrated monthly magazine, produced by Carl Fink, one of the foremost journalists and publishers in China who is regarded as the most important German in China during the period. The lot consists of the first three volumes; within these 11 of the 12 issues are present and complete. Edited and published by Carl Fink, at the German printing and publishing house in Shanghai. 8vo. Volumes 1 to 3, nearly complete with the exception of only one quarterly issue. Altogether 1219 pages of text with profuse illustration, plus title pages, frontispieces, additional photographic plates. Features some zincograph photos, and some coloured and gilted artistic frontis illustrations. All ads are present in the first seven issues. All text is in German. The seven earlies issues in original boards, illustrated paper over cloth, titled in German to recto, Chinese symbol to verso. A lovely circa mid-century binding houses five issues, one of which is a duplicate of the issues in original binding, this volume half calf over marbled boards, spine tooled and titled in gilt. Minor wear to boards, otherwise in very good condition, most pleasing with several issues in original binding, crisp and clean internally, exceedingly scarce to find so many consecutive numbers. Sets this complete are not found even in libraries.
First and only edition, small folio (305 x 190 mm), [12], xix, [1], 705, [1]pp., woodcut title page vignette in Arabic, woodcut head- and tail-pieces, several leaves folding, a couple of minor repairs to inner margin of title, recent half calf to style, marbled boards, spine tooled in gilt, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, a handsome copy with text clean and fresh. This volume 'forms a complete treatise in itself, since the it exhausts the Science of Arabic Inflexion'?Preface. All published, the intended second volume of Arabic "syntax" never made it to print.
Manuscript record of the unexpected arrival of the British HMS Mariner led by Commander Charles Mitchell Mathison in Japan, in 1849, with interest in making surveys around Edo (Tokyo), four years prior to Commodore Perry's arrival, and during Japan's period of isolation (Sakoku) during which most foreigners were prohibited entry in to the country and locals prohibited exit; containing also a description of Japanese castaway Otokichi who was on the British vessel, disguised as a Chinese to evade capital punishment, who later assisted Admiral James Stirling in establishing the 1854 Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty. Text is in Japanese. 8vo. 44 pages in manuscript, plus title page, on 23 unpaginated double leaves. Traditional karitoji binding ("semi-bound" meaning title page and contents without a book cover) string-stitched at spine, fukurotoji style ("bound-pocket" with folded leafs bound into spine), and opening from left to right. Complete in a single volume, measuring approximately 24 x 17 cm. A scant few ink marks to rear leaf margin, indication of some burrowing, unobtrusive to legibility, otherwise in very good condition, beautifully preserved, clean and bright, an exceedingly scarce work. Certainly an assertive manoeuvre, for the British to show up unannounced in the harbour of Edo, Japan was in the state of Sakoku ("locked country"), the isolationist foreign policy of the Tokugawa shogunate under which relations and trade between Japan and other countries were severely limited, and nearly all foreign nationals were barred from entering Japan, while common Japanese people were kept from leaving the country. The long-standing policy had been in place for over two centuries, since 1603, and would last a few more years after the departure of HMS Mariner. It was Commodore Perry in 1853, and his equally brazen arrival with his American Black Ships, that would force the opening of Japan to American trade through a series of treaties called the Convention of Kanagawa, ultimately ending the island's declaration of Sakoku, and facilitating other trade relations with Western nations. On 14 October, 1854, the first limited Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty was signed by Admiral Sir James Stirling and representatives of the Tokugawa shogunate (Bakufu). Yamamoto Otokichi (1818-1867), who was onboard HMS Mariner disguised as a Chinese interpreter during the ship's attempted entry in Japan, later played an instrumental role in establishing this treaty, providing Stirling with intel on language and culture during the negotiations. On 26 August 1858, the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed by the Scotsman Lord Elgin and representatives of the Tokugawa shogunate for Japan, after the Harris Treaty was concluded. Britain obtained extraterritorial rights on Japanese with the British Supreme Court for China and Japan, in Shanghai. A British iron paddle schooner named Enpiroru was presented to the Tokugawa administration by Bruce as a present for the Emperor from Queen Victoria. A scarce compilation of records from the Japanese perspective on a pre-Perry interaction between Bakufu authorities and a British ship, with references to Otokichi. This manuscript collates four Japanese reports of the British ship the HMS Mariner, which arrived in Japan from Shanghai in May of 1849 to make a topographical survey of the area around Edo (modern-day Tokyo), led by Commander Charles Mitchell Mathison, who had entered the Royal Navy on 5 August 1819. The event marks a very early British appearance at Japan, also pre-dating by four years the imposing arrival of Commodore Perry and his American Black ships also intent on making surveys. The first record briefly describes the layout of the Mariner and the aim of its visit to Japan. It also mentions the considerable Japanese language abilities of the Chinese interpreter on board who explained things in a way that is easy to understand, he in fact being the Japanese castaway Yamamoto Otokichi (1818-1867). The second section records foreign ship sightings from daimyo with guardhouses on the Miura Peninsula. [daimto were the most powerful landholding magnates holding the largest sections of land] The third report describes the meeting of Commander Mathison and the Bakufu intendant Egawa Tarozaemon (1801-1855), a dispute over a map of Japan, and Japanese observations of the ship and the crew. The last report is a copy of Isenokami Abe's (Masahiro Abe: 1819-1857) message to the bugyo (magistrates) and metsuke (censors/inspectors) in which, with HMS Mariner in mind, he expresses concern about the increase in the number of foreign ship arrivals in recent years and the abandoning of the Edict to Repel Foreign Ships. Abe notes that if the edict is enforced again, while there is no illegality on the part of the foreign ships, a dispute could arise, thus cautioning the noble families on the coast to prepare defenses. [Only a few years after the arrival of HMS Mariner, Isenokami would play a major role in the signing of the Convention of Kanagawa, as a result of pressure from the Perry Expedition.]
New York City, Frankfurt, Stockholm, etc., 1961-1966. Substantial archive of documents concerning the publication and production of several notable literary works and theatrical plays by Peter Ulrich Weiss, including correspondence, draft agreements, contracts signed with leading publishers and producers, as well as some programmes and peer reviews, being the working files of his New York agent, Joan Daves. Together with 3 LP record box sets of the first and complete Broadway original cast music recording for the Marat/Sade play. Octavo and Folio documents and letters, ranging in size and number of pages, some signed in the original. Most are in English; some are in German; the lot neatly contained in four ring binders. The vast majority of the documents date to the 1960s, with a scant few being later including a letter regarding a special television production in 1979 with NBC. Occasional wear to extremities, otherwise in very good condition, beautifully preserved, clean and bright. A generous and comprehensive archive chronicling the work and partnership of a leading literary agent in the rise of German-American publishing, and one of her notable German writers. Provenance: From the desk of Weiss' literary agent for the US, Joan Daves. Joan Daves (1919-1997) was a leading literary agent with her own agency in New York, whose client list boasts six Nobel Prize winners including Martin Luther King, Jr. Daves had a profound effect on the very existence of German literature in America. Born Liselotte Davidson in Berlin, she escaped Nazi Germany by fleeing to Paris and England before emigrating to the United States in 1940. Her agency, established in 1948, handled the original works of several American authors. She handled Martin Luther King, Jr.'s literary property from 1957 until her death. Of great emphasis with her firm was the representation of several major German publishers, such as Suhrkamp, Piper, S. Fischer Verlag and others. It was the prime time of German writers such as Peter Weiss, Uwe Johnson, Max Frisch, Heinar Kipphardt, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, and Hermann Hesse. In the mid-1960s, communication with German publishers was quite different from today. A shipment of galleys was prepared with a 'by sea mail' label. When the New York Times printed the date and time the next ship would leave the harbor, delivery of the parcels of documents to that specific ship was requested. Peter Ulrich Weiss (1916-1982) was a German author, playwright, and experimental filmmaker, who gained celebrity fame on Broadway in the 1960s. He is particularly known for his plays "Marat/Sade" of 1963/65 which is largely represented in the present archive and which was enormously successful, for "The Investigation" of 1965, and for his later novel "The Aesthetics of Resistance" (1971-81). In the 1960s Weiss also embraced and promoted politically controversial groups, standing for revolutionary Cuba, standing against US intervention in Vietnam, and joining Sweden's eurocommunist party. Manuscript
[20], 644 pages. Index. Twenty-six black and white photographic plates. Leather binding. "Comprising a history of Egypt, with a comprehensive and authentic account of the antiquity of masonry resulting from many years of personal investigation and exhaustive research in India, Persia, Syria and the Valley of the Nile." - title page. After first receiving the Light in India, the author was moved to "investigate, to the fullest extent, the meaning and purport of the numerous hieroglyphic inscriptions, symbols and characters found upon the ancient tombs and temples, so that the Masonic Fraternity might understand, appreciate and apply the teachings of the hierophants and sages of bygone days." - Preface. Chapters: Alexandria - the Antiquity of Masonry; Ruined Temples - Masonry and Masonic Symbols; Ancient Cities - Soirian Myth - Karma; the Nile - Origin of the Name Free Mason - Scottish Rite Philosophy; Ancient Mysteries - Scottish Rite philosophy; Suez Canal - The Druses, Their Manners and Customs; Agriculture - Irrigation - Lotus - Papyrus; The Supreme Architect of the Universe; Mosques - Tombs - Massacre of Mamelukes - Heliopolis; Esoteric Teaching of the Scottish Rite - Brain and Thought; Pyramids - Sphinx - Tombs; Solomon - Death of Hiram - Cross - Swastica; Mummification - Transmigration - Re-incarnation; Sixteen Saviours - Lost Knowledge; The Golden Fleece - Roman Eagle - Masonic Apron - What it Teaches; Pyramids of Sakkarah - Lisht - Medum - The Fayum - Labyrinth; Sun Worship - Zodiac - Masonic Allegories; A Voyage up the Nile - Description of Tombs and Temples - Pro Doric Columns; Ineffable degrees - Thoughts on Ecclesiastes - I.N.R.I. - Voyaging up the Nile - examining Tombs and Temples - Paintings - Sculptures; Masonic teachings - Hindu beggar - Roman Catholicism; Thebes - Colossi - Der-El-Bahari - Luxor - Karnak; Ceremonies - Initiation - Blue Lodge - Transmigration - Mystery Language; The Gawazee - exploring Temples and tombs - Philae and its ruins - Nubia; Jewish Traditions and customs - Cable tow - Ceremonies of ancient Initiation - book of the Law; Circumsision - upon what the Ancient Craftsmen were obligated - the lost word. All edges gilt. Protected frontis portrait of author. Ornately embossed boards. Raised bands to spine. Partially rubbed gilt lettering and decoration upon back strip. Marbled endpapers. Hinges intact internally, open or opening externally. Front board partially detached. Somewhat above-average wear to boards. Unmarked. A worthy original copy of this monumental work. 12" x 9.5" x 2.5". 11 pounds. Book
2 Vols., small folio (305 x 190 mm), xxxiii, [3], 49-458; [4], 582, [2]pp., text in English and Persian, occasional marginal pencil notes, title page and terminal leaf to both volumes browned, staining to inner upper corner of leaves to start and end of volume two, later vellum-backed marbled boards, title in manuscript to spines. One of the most extensive Persian grammars written in English. "Matthew Lumsden (1777?1835), orientalist, was fifth son of John Lumsden of Cushnie, Aberdeenshire, and a cousin of Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden (1821?1896), army general. After education at King's College, Aberdeen, he went to India as assistant professor of Persian and Arabic in the College of Fort William, and in 1808 succeeded to the professorship. In 1812 he was appointed secretary to the Calcutta Madrasa, and superintended various translations of English works into Persian then in progress. From 1814 until 1817 he had charge of the East India Company's press at Calcutta, and in 1818 he became secretary to the stationery committee."?(Oxford DNB). Provenance: John L. Platts? signature in pencil to title page.
Very Good Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928) Original wrappers. Foolscap 8vo. (18 x 13 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 112 p. On the first page, written 'copies without seals are fake', and this copy is with a seal. Slightly faded and chipped on extremities. Foxing on first pages. Uncut marginal extremities Otherwise a good copy. Exceedingly rare first edition of the first Ottoman voyage to Cape of Good Hope and first-hand travel account of the Ottoman qadi Abubakr Effendi (1814-1880) of South Africa and Mozambique, who was sent in 1862 by Sultan Abdulaziz at the British Queen Victoria's request in order to teach and assist the Muslim community of the Cape Malays. The presence of the Muslim population in South Africa dates back to the 16th century, South Africa and the Cape of Hope have become a colony of Western countries such as Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The Ottoman Empire was interested in the Far East, Javanese, and South African regions in the 16th century and then tried to establish a relationship. The direct relationship between the Ottoman Empire and South Africa in the 19th century, upon the request of the Muslim people and England, was formed through Abubakr Effendi. The Muslims in conflict with various religious issues have found the remedy by consulting a scholar from the Ottoman Empire through England. After all, Abubakr Effendi reached Cape Town in 1862 and tried to resolve the conflicts among the Muslim people. (Abubakr Effendi: An Ottoman Scholar in South Africa in the Nineteenth Century: Yilmaz, Yusuf). "Abubakr Efendi was sent to Cape Town by Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz. When chaos reigned in the Islamic society because of the imams who declared themselves as leaders in the region, Muslim leaders in Cape of Good Hope conveyed their letters to the Queen of England in 1862 declaring that they needed a religious leader. Since they had not been educated for years, they had forgotten their Java language and could not read their own books. They sent a letter to the Queen of England, informing them that help could be sought from the Ottoman court, the center of Muslim countries in the period. The issue was refused in the Parliament and the Ottoman Ambassador Musurus Pasha was offered it to the Ottoman Sultan. Abubakr Effendi's mission was to prevent Muslims in Cape of Good Hope to clash with each other and teaching them authentic Islamic knowledge free of superstition. Although Abubakr Efendi had some Arabic translators in his service, he still learned English and African languages in a short time and wrote books in order to benefit the Muslims there. On the fifteenth day he set foot on the continent, he opened a madrasah called the "Ottoman School" and enrolled three hundred students in twenty days. He traveled to Mauritius and Mozambique. He wrote his famous book 'Bayan al-Din' (a sort of catechism) in Afrikaan in Arabic letters. Then he married Rukiye Hanim, but they divorced after a while since they had to communicate by using an English and Arabic dictionary. Then he married James Cook's nephew Tahota Saban Cook. In his memoir, Ömer Lütfi wrote down all the travels of Abubakr Efendi for two years. Abubakr Efendi stayed in South Africa for 22 years and died there." (140 yillik miras: Güney Afrika'da Osmanlilar: Uçar, Ahmet). Abubakr Efendi first traveled to London and then to South Africa by a ship with his assistant Omar Lutfi. He established the first Ottoman School in Cape Town and then wrote his work Bayan Al-Din in Afrikaans with Arabic letters and distributed it to the Muslim population of South Africa. Four printed copies in OCLC: 427674106 (Three copies); 635151131 (One copy). Özege 22397. First Edition. Extremely rare.
Large manuscript watercoloured map to illustrate the village of Ashinazawa Tamayamababa and its environs (in present-day Morioka, Iwate Prefecture), showing lands used by samurai of the ruling Nanbu Clan for raising and breeding horses, also highlighting three mountains in relief by way of tipped-in folding cutouts. Place names and text is in Japanese. Signed in manuscript by a Samurai named Sakura Baba, as well as three other notable officials. Map measures approximately 135 x 82 cm. Some creasing, otherwise in very good condition, a very unique manuscript painted map from the feudal Morioka Domain. The village shown is Ashinazawa Tamayamababa, situated within 30 km from Morioka, which was then the Morioka Domain (Morioka-han), a tozama feudal domain of Edo period, under the rule of the Nanbu Clan (Nanbu-shi) of samurai whose territory spanned most of northeastern Honshu in the Tohoku region. [Today, Morioka (Morioka-shi) is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. Ashinazawa is considered part of the Morioka district.] Ashinazawa Tamayamababa is also near, only 90 km, from Kakunodate (in present-day Akita Prefecture), also a former castle town and samurai stronghold. While Kakunodate Castle no longer remains, the town is famous for its samurai tradition and its hundreds of weeping cherry trees (shidarezakura). Apart from the loss of its castle, Kakunodate remains remarkably unchanged since its founding in 1620. The town was built with two distinct areas, the samurai district and the merchant district. Once home to 80 families, the samurai district still has some of the best examples of samurai architecture in all of Japan. Among the hills and near the village, some rather expansive horse-breeding fields are drawn on the map, presumably belonging to or at least managed by the Nanbu-shi samurai who signed the document. The horses would have been used by samurai warriors for military equestrianism, including bajutsu (a distinct form of martial art), for yabusame (mounted archery), and other practices of skilled battle on horse-back. Three mountains illustrated two-dimentionally, are all stratovolcanos forming part of the Ou Mountain range in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu. They appear to be illustrating Mount Iwate - the active volcano situated only 22 km from Ashinazawa, Mount Hachimantai - the highest peak in the Ou Mountains and only 46 km from Ashinazawa, and the active stratovolcano Akita-Komagatake located some 70 km from Ashinazawa. In red paint, several roadways are delineated, one of them reaching and following the summit line of one of the mountains. At the head of one of these roads, is a drawing of a cherry blossom trees, and an inscription which likely reads 'sakura', the term for of a group of cherry blossom trees, collectively. The flow of the Kakkonda and Shizukuishi rivers into the Kitakami is traced from the hills. In the distance, on the opposite side of the mountain ranges, a larger river is drawn, depicting the wider Tama River, which would eventually lead to Lake Tazawa. The Akita-Komagatake region is exceptionally lush, with several hundred species of alpine flora and would surely be an excellent place for horses to graze. Mount Hachimantai is especially characterized with hot springs, possibly being used as a source of warm water for cleaning or healing. In general, the vast region would be superb as a horse breeding ground. Horsemanship was an important duty and respected skill of the samurai. There were two classes of Samurai, and only upper-class samurai were allowed horses, although the lower class samurai who could find a way to possess their own horse, did so, with the belief that every samurai should have the honour and the benefit. Being on horse-back aided in part to best perform archery, spearmanship, and swordsmanship in battle. Horse-mounted samurai often fought by charging their horses at their opponent, in some cases causing a collision that would unbalance or even injure the other's steed.
Woodblock "kawaraban" broadside illustrating the arrival of Commodore Perry's four American vessels at Uraga in 8 July 1853, featuring a prominent stylized portrait of Perry himself and one of his formidable "black ships". All text is in Japanese. Thin hand-made laid paper measuring approximately 35,5 x 27cm. Small tears at folds and margins, some professional repair to verso, otherwise in very good condition, with clear imagery. A pleasing example of an uncommon variant. A contemporary broadside to alert Japanese civilians of the arrival of Commodore Perry's formidable American vessels. News was travelling fast by word of mouth along the coast and trade routes, and also began being illustrated with the "kawaraban" - broadsides with woodblock prints - for distribution. Naturally, Edo commoners were curious to learn about the imposing vessels that suddenly appeared within sight of their city.] The Japanese named the American vessels "kurofune" (black ships) for the colour of the hulls which were covered in tar and for the black smoke from the coal-fired steam engines. four "Black Ships"
Very Good Serbo-Croatian Paperback. Roy. 8vo. (23 x 15 cm). In Aljamiado (Serbo-Croatian in Arabic letters), Arabic, and Persian with an introduction in Arabic. The third revised edition of the Waqf Directorate in Sarajevo. 104 p., 4 unnumbered b/w plates. "Ilmihal" [i.e. Catechism] recommended to all who want to know and learn Islamic ceremonies and practice. Learn how to pray, what are basic principles of the Islamic faith, what are the Islamic duties, what are the Islamic holidays, what constitutes proper Islamic behavior, and lots more. This extremely rare catechism book printed in Sarajevo in Croatian with Arabic letters (Aljamiado). This book is one of the late examples of Aljamiado literature beginning in early Andalusia and constitutes one of the rarest examples of the Ottoman book tradition. Aljamiado or Aljamía texts are manuscripts that use the Arabic script for transcribing European languages, especially Romance languages such as Mozarabic, Portuguese, Spanish or Ladino, and Bosnian with its Arebica script. According to Anwar G. Chejne, Aljamiado or Aljamía is "a corruption of the Arabic word ?ajamiyah (in this case it means foreign language) and, generally, the Arabic expression ?ajam and its derivative 'Ajamiyah are applicable to peoples whose ancestry is not of Arabian origin". During the Arab conquest of Persia, the term became a racial pejorative. In linguistic terms, the Aljamía is the use of the Arabic alphabet to transcribe a Romance language. It was used by some people in some areas of Al-Andalus as an everyday communication vehicle, while Arabic was reserved as the language of science, high culture, and religion. The systematic writing of Romance-language texts in Arabic scripts appears to have begun in the fifteenth century, and the overwhelming majority of such texts that can be dated belong to the sixteenth century. A key aljamiado text was the mufti of Segovia's compilation Suma de los principales mandamientos y devediamentos de nuestra santa ley y sunna, of 1462. In later times, Moriscos were banned from using Arabic as a religious language and wrote in Spanish on Islamic subjects. Examples are the Coplas del alhichante de Puey Monzón, narrating a Hajj, or the Poema de Yuçuf on the Biblical Joseph (written in Aragonese). Aljamiado played a very important role in preserving Islam and the Arabic language in the life of the Moriscos. After the fall of the last Muslim kingdom on the Iberian peninsula, the Moriscos (Andalusian Muslims in Granada and other parts of what was once Al-Andalus) were forced to convert to Christianity or leave the peninsula. They were forced to adopt Christian customs and traditions and to attend church services on Sundays. Nevertheless, some of the Moriscos kept their Islamic belief and traditions secretly through the usage of Aljamiado. In 1567, Philip II of Spain issued a royal decree in Spain, which forced Moriscos to abandon using Arabic on all occasions, formal and informal, speaking and writing. Using Arabic in any sense of the word would be regarded as a crime. They were given three years to learn the language of the Christian Spanish, after which they would have to get rid of all Arabic written material. Moriscos translated all prayers and the sayings of their prophet Mohammed into Aljamiado transcriptions of the Spanish language while keeping all Qur'anic verses in the original Arabic. Aljamiado scrolls were circulated amongst the Moriscos. Historians came to know about Aljamiado literature only in the early nineteenth century. Some of the Aljamiado scrolls are kept in the Spanish National Library in Madrid. The word aljamiado is sometimes used for other non-Semitic languages written in Arabic letters. For example, Bosnian and Albanian texts written in Arabic script during the Ottoman period have been referred to as aljamiado. However, many linguists prefer to limit the term to Romance languages, instead of using Arebica to refer to the use of Arabic script for Slavic languages... Not in OCLC.
True first edition copy. The first American edition, published by Harper & Brothers, issued in 1938. - Baumgarten p.94. The only children's book written by Haldane, a prominent geneticist credited with coining the term clone. Enigmatic online videographer and purported AI expert Quinn Michaels posits that this book contains vital hidden information conveyed in "spy language", most notably a transistor diagram incorporated into the illustration on page 123, despite the fact that it is commonly held that the transistor was not invented by a Bell Labs team until a decade later. For additional information on Michaels' intriguing analysis enter the title of this book plus the word 'analysis', into the most popular video website. 179 pages. Dust jacket not included. Bookplate and pencilled signature, dated 1937, of Swedish journalist and children's book critic Eva v. Zweigbergk [1906-1984] upon front endpaper. Above-average wear and fading to publisher's green cloth-covered boards. Binding intact with a modest lean. A worthy first edition copy of this fascinating work. Book
Very Good Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928) Original wrappers. Foolscap 8vo. (17 x 12 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 152 p. Roumi: 1324 = Gregorian: 1906. Taken from a volume including multiple books. Spine is restored. A very good copy. First and only edition of this early and extensively rare book including a first-hand account of the topography and descriptions of Hejaz, Mecca, and other parts of Arabian Peninsula such as Taif and Yemen by Sadiq Sherif, who was the first person to take photographs of Mecca, Medina, and the Hajj in 1880 and 1881 as well. Sadiq Sherif was the grandson of Serif Abdulmuttalib, the Emîr of Mecca. This book written by Sherif was dedicated to 'the Progress and Union Society' [i.e. Ittihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti]. The book describes the way of administration and territorial division of Hejaz after giving some information of its geography, borders, tribes and natives, mountains, rivers, crops and products, and animals of this Ottoman 'vilâyat' [i.e. province]. Sherif gives detailed information on how and when the Ottoman Empire ruled Hejaz, the location of Mecca city, its borders, physical and social geography, crops in Mecca and around, its flora, fauna, demographic structure, 'nahiyes', Kâba's construction, and its history, sacred places around, Masjid-i Haram and other masjids, cemeteries, mountains, gifts by Ottoman caliphs to Kaba, 'Taif' area, people who were 'Emîr' of Mecca from the period of Mohammad, Wahhabism and its birth, etc. At the last, Sherif gives place to his personal letter (layihâ) including 49 articles. The letter was about the reforms that Hejaz needs and it was sent to the Ottoman 'sadâret' [i.e. prime ministry]. (Source: History of geographical literature during the Ottoman Empire, Edited by Ihsanoglu). Muhammad Sadiq Sherif Bey was the first person to take photographs of Mecca, Medina, and the Hajj in 1880 and 1881. Sadiq Bey trained as a military engineer after completing his studies in Cairo and at the École Polytechnique in Paris. It is not known when, or from whom, Sadiq Bey learned to take photographs but it was most probably through one of the resident photographers in Egypt. In 1861, prompted by the need to carry out more extensive military land surveys of the area between Wajh and Medina, Sadiq Bey made his first journey to Arabia. He took a camera along with his surveying equipment and took his very first photographs of Medina. In a series of articles published in the Egyptian Military Gazette in 1877, he refers to his early photography at Medina describing the use of a 'photographia'. Sadly, however, none of the photographs from this first journey has survived. In 1880 he was appointed as the treasurer of the Mahmal, the ornate cloth to cover the Ka'ba brought each year on a special litter to Mecca. He accompanied the Mahmal to Medina and Mecca from September 1880 until January 1881. Again equipped with his camera, he succeeded in producing the series of photographs that are now considered some of the earliest known photographs of the region, those of the Ka'ba, taken under great secrecy. Sadiq Bey published various accounts of his travels in Arabia in military journals, through the Emiry Grand Press in Cairo, but the 1880/81 series of photographs appear to have been issued separately for wider distribution through the Société Khédiviale de Géographie. The society's secretary, Dr. Frederic Bonola, advertised sets of photographs for sale. In January and April 1880 Sadiq Bey gave a talk and report to the society on his earlier 1861 expedition, and on 20 May 1881 he presented a report on his recent journey to Mecca; detailed accounts were published in the society's bulletins, numbers 9/10 and 12. (Source: Christie's). Özege 11888.; Karatay, TM II: 695.; MKAHTBK, II: 991.; OCLC 248374684 / 4082352.
Hardcovers in good condition. Thirty - four volumes. Texts in Spanish. Facsimile editions of the original first editions, published to mark the sesquicentennial celebration of the death of Simon Bolivar. Some jackets are lightly marked, scored, edge worn and nicked. One centimetre tear on rear upper edge of volume 14 jacket. Light bumps, marks and waterstains on some boards and hardcover spines. Text is partially faded on some spines. Minor marks on a few page blocks. Light creases and bumps on some pages. Five centimetre tear and overhanging edge on page 359 of volume 17. Light marks on early pages of volume 18. Minor stain on BEP of volume 28. Texts remain clear throughout. Bindings remain intact. HCW Used
Very Good French Original handsome leather bindings. Demy 8vo. (22 x 14 cm). In French and Ottoman script. 4 volumes set: ([vi], [2], 784, 125 p., [vi], 1372 p.; [xxx], [2], 1097 p., [vi], 1320 p.). Slight foxing on pages, faded on boards, otherwise a very good set. Ex-libris of Izzet Gündag Kayaoglu. First edition of the complete set of this early dictionary from French to Turkish and from Turkish to French, published in Paris, in London Oriental Translations Committee Printer. Bianchi visited Istanbul at the beginning of the 19th century and prepared dictionary and phrasebooks in Turkish after he had returned to his country. One of his most significant works occurs to be this dictionary. What makes this dictionary noteworthy among other his works is the fact that Turkish words are written together in both Arabic and Latin characters. Turkish words with Arabic letters are written as to stereotyped pronunciation in the work. Therefore, they do not indicate the changes in the language. Bianchi reflects the pronunciation of writing in Turkish letters with Latin characters; and thus, the differences between spelling and pronunciation are highlighted. Thomas-Xavier de Bianchi (1783-1864), born in Paris on June 25, 1783, was the younger brother of the Austrian Field Marshal de Bianchi, Duke of Casalanza. He studied at the Central School of the department of Seine-et-Marne and followed, in Paris, oriental language courses at the College de France and at the Imperial Library under Sylvestre de Sacy. In 1807, he was appointed a pupil at the French school of young people of language in Constantinople, then directed by the scholar Ducaurroy and completed his improvement in Arabic, Persian and Turkish. Sent to Izmir in 1811, he was second there, and then the first dragoman of the Consulate General, and was noted for his dedication during the plague epidemic of 1812. In 1816, he was appointed assistant to the King's secretary-interpreters in Paris and was in charge to accompany the Persian envoy to Louis XVIII in 1819. In 1829, he was sent on a mission to the last day of Algiers, Hussein-pasha. The following year, France intervened in Algeria. He was appointed secretary-interpreter in the title and served as professor of Turkish at the School of Oriental Languages until 1842. After his retirement, he devoted himself to lexicographical and bibliographical work. He was an officer of the Legion of Honor, decorated with the Nichan-Iftikhar, as a member of the Imperial Academy of Constantinople. Tout exemplaire de ce Dictionnaire qui ne serait pas revetu de la signature de l'un des auteurs et editeurs sera repute contrefaçon, et poursuivi cmme tel, en vertu de la loi du 19 juillet 1793. [i.e. Any copy of this Dictionary which does not bear the signature of one of the authors and publishers will be deemed to be counterfeit, and prosecuted as such, under the law of July 19, 1793].
Hardcover in acceptable condition. No jacket. Text in German. Fold-out frontispiece. Boards are marked and lightly scored. Leading corners, edges and spine are bumped and worn. Front leading edge is split in places. Cover on spine sides and ends is chipped. Three centimetre tear on spine head. Pages are lightly marked and tanned. Binding is slightly exposed on pastedown hinges and throughout pages, but remains intact. Contents are clear throughout. HCW Used
Historically significant and exceedingly scarce nineteenth century Japanese treatise on sericulture (the making of silk), by the man who remembered as "the father of modern sericulture and silkworm rearing methods", describing and illustrating his then revolutionary methods for better nurturing of the silk worms from which the fine thread is harvested, and ultimately producing higher quality silk, the inventions having become the standard for the industry and still employed today, produced in woodblock print. 8vo. 3 volumes, 278 pages combined, plus publisher's details to yellow frontis leaf in first volume. The complete text, illustrated with 10 pages of wood printed illustrations, two of which are fully hand coloured, and two being partially hand coloured. Traditional karitoji binding ("semi-bound" meaning title page and contents without a book cover) string-stitched at spine, fukurotoji style ("bound-pocket" with folded leafs bound into spine), and opening from left to right. Black paper covers, with title label to front, the first volume with a red ink stamp to publisher's detail leaf. All text is in Japanese. Together the volumes measure approximately 14,5 x 22 x 3 cm. Minor wear to boards, otherwise very good and original condition, internally bright, a pleasing historic work dealing with silk production in Japan. Tajima Yahei (1822-1898) was an influential silk farmer in the early Meiji period, whose legacy is that of a tremendously prosperous impact on the sericulture industry of Japan, with his development of a ventilation theory and method which proved to be highly successful and subsequently laid the foundations for modern sericultural production, and the most efficient design of a sericulture space. He had a small laboratory where he researched silkworm hybridization and silkworm diseases with the aid of a microscope, which was unusual in Japan at the time. Yahei's experiments in creating an ideal sericulture space led to his invention of a new sericulture theory and technique, the seiryo-iku. He concluded that sericulture is best carried out in a space with efficient cross ventilation, which includes a roof system and openings on four walls. He perfected these procedures at his own home, the farmhouse known as 'omoya' built in 1863, referred to today as the Tajima Yahei Sericulture Farm (Tajima Yahei kyu-taku), which is located in the Sakaishima neighborhood of the city of Isesaki, in the southern part of Gunma Prefecture. Silkworm growers travelled from far and wide to observe and learn the techniques and processes developed and implemented on this revolutionary farm. Yahei was also involved in exporting silkworm eggs and earned large profits from it. Yahei's techniques later became a foundation for the secchu-iku theorized by Takayama Chogoro, founder of Takayama-sha Sericulture School, which acted as a training centre and formal education institution for sericulture. Yahei also became one of the leading figures who developed the village of Shimamura through his achievement in sericulture. Born in 1822 as Tajima Kuniyasu and Yahei (the second), throughout his childhood, he travelled to advanced sericulture areas with his father in order to gain skills and experience in silkworm breeding, production and sales. Yahei's silkworm farm is one of the earliest examples of architecture specifically designed to improve sericulture.
Invaluable manuscript chronology of the earliest ships entering the port of Shimoda after the implementation of the Japanese-American treaty which opened up foreign trade with the previously isolationist nation, covering two years from February 1854 to February 1856, presented in the meticulous hand of a contemporary observer who compiled firsthand information as well as his own, together with a manuscript drawing of a Dutch sea captain in naval attire, made by Kitajima Toen. Manuscript: 8vo. 30 pages plus titled cover, string-tied at center of spine with rolled up paper, opening from left to right, measuring approximately 17 x 24 cm. Text is in Japanese, with occasional annotations in red ink. Drawing: Single leaf measuring approximately 24 x 33 cm, titled and signed in manuscript, with red ink stamp. Some creasing and indication of burrowing, otherwise in very good and original condition, clean and bright internally, an invaluable log of the earliest trade activity from the onset of the Convention of Kanagawa. With precise details, the writer keeps a record of vessels from America, Russia and France, arriving at Edo Bay, beginning with the return of Commodore Perry in February 1854 for the signing of what would be the Kanagawa Treaty, and continuing for two full years, featuring descriptions of the ships including dimensions and armament, repairs and supplies procured, captains' names and crew sizes, and their activities in Shimoda. This document is not only an invaluable historical log of the first and most significant foreign vessels to interact with Japan during the formative years of the Unequal Treaties, it may have been used in the Japanese study of foreign ships for their own benefit. Immediately after bowing to the demands of the powerful Western ships and their commanders, an active assimilation of Western technological advances in warships ensued in the Japanese Navy. In 1855 Japan acquired its first steam driven warship, and in 1857 its first screw driven warship. Japanese Naval students were sent abroad to naval schools in England, France, the Netherlands, and the like. By the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1867, its navy would possess eight western-style steam warships. The first vessels mentioned in the manuscript are from Perry's daunting and expanded 'Black Ships' fleet, including the Mississippi which had been one of the original four, as well the Vandalia, the Southampton, the Powhatan, and the Supply, the latter of which joined the squadron after the actual landing on 8 March. The Russian vessels being described in 1854, include the Russian Imperial Navy flagship frigate 'Diana' commanded by Vice-Admiral Euphimy Vasil'evich Putiatin, and possibly his former flagship frigate 'Pallada' which had been performing survey missions around the Japanese coast since 1853 and whose crew was transferred to Diana upon her arrival. The crew members of the Diana are listed by name, including her Imperial Navy officers, a cook, a waiter, and an interpreter. The earliest French vessel to arrive after Commodore Perry's successful treaty implementation, was a cruiser that arrived in Shimoda in February 1855, being 'Le Lion' which also landed at the Ryukyu Islands with the French missionaries from the 'Missions Étrangères de Paris', Girard, Furet and Mermet, hoping to discuss their interests in evangilizing. Catholicism was strictly forbidden in Japan. They also landed at Naha, the main port of Okinawa, on 26 February. The cruiser was denied any official communication as a formal agreement did not exist between France and Japan. On this voyage, Father Louis Théodore Furet, an apostolic missionary, carried out instrumental observations at Nafa [Naha, Okinawa] on the Ryûkyû Islands. A set of the meteorological manuscripts by Father Furet was given to Jean Barthe, the physician onboard the French frigate 'La Sibylle', who forwarded them to the 'Académie des Sciences' in Paris and to the 'Société Météorologique de France'. Meteorological observations were also carried out by Jean Barthe from 'La Sibylle'. Although negotiations were denied, the two French warships were permitted at the port of Hakodate, in Hokkaido, and members of the crew of La Sibylle who suffered severely from dysentery and scurvy received medical aid and food in a Buddhist temple. In Spring 1855, France sent an embassy under Commander-in-Chief of the French Oriental Naval Force, Captain Nicolas Francois Guerin, commanding the French warship 'La Virginie', in order to obtain similar advantages to those of other Western powers. Guerin is known for playing the primary role on behalf of the French, in pressing for, obtaining the first negotiations, and then signing a Treaty of Amity between France and the Ryûkyû Kingdom.
Bound in Continental full vellum. The engraved title depicting the author showing a geometrical drawing to William Prince of Orange. Engraved title. (6),475 pp. and 70 double-page engraved plates. Bottom Margin of title page with old owners name clipped. This was the largest work hitherto published on fortification, and it is specially interesting for containing 29 plans of European fortresses. It was originally published in Latin the year before and a French translation appeared the same year as this German edition. (Willems, Les Elzevier No 1064). - Sotheran Second Suppl. No 20981 (French edition) - Brunet II:788. - Klaus Jordan No 911. - Sloos, Warfare and the Age of Printing, 8029
In-4°, (24cc), 344pp, 32pp, buone condizioni, legatura in pergamena, prima edizione. Esempi di idiomi grammaticali arabi, presi da varie fonti, libro pubblicato per la prima volta a Padova nel 1687. Agapito dalla Val di Fiemme era un francescano ed un professore di arabo al seminario di Padova. In-4°, (24cc), 344pp, 32pp, good condition, vellum binding, first edition. Examples of Arabic grammatical idioms collected from various sources, first published at Padua in 1687. Agapitus a Valle Flemmarum was a Franciscan and professor of Arabic at the seminary in Padua.
Very Good Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928) In aesthetic modern cloth bdg. Folio. (32 x 24 cm). First 2 volumes in Ottoman script; other 2 volumes in Turkish. 4 volumes set (3762 p.). Extremely rare. Türk lûgati. Türk dillerinin istikaki ve edebî lûgatleri. Uygur, Çagatay, Kazan, Azerî ve Garp Türkçeleriyle Koybal, Yakut, Altay, Çuvas ve Kirgiz lehçelerinin lûgatlerini ve Garp Türkçesinde kullanilan Arap ve Acem kelimelerini sevahidi ve emsaliyle havidir. 4 volumes set. Kazim, Qadri Husayn was Turkish writer and lexicographer. This is his major work which is a comprehensive Turkish dictionary in four volumes. TURKOLOGY Turkish language Uighur Chagathai Kazan Turkish / Turkic Linguistics Altai Chuvas Azerbaijani Kyrgyz Dictionary Lexicon Reference.
Lot of 6 issues of Germany's first published aviation magazine, Der Flieger, published by the founder Kurt Tucholsky during the Great War, these issues featuring flying aces such as the Red Baron Manfred von Richthofen and leading tactical pioneer of aerial formations Oswald Boelcke, and notable events taking place in the air and on the frontlines of the Great War. Octavo. Illustrated field newspapers, issues number 19, 22, 23, 34 from 1917, issue number 29 dated May 1918, and issue number 1 dated October 1918 Text is in German. Magazines vary slightly in size, the smallest measuring approximately 26 x 35 cm and the largest measuring approximately 27 x 38 cm. Some chips and small tear at extremities, otherwise in very good condition, nicely preserved. Der Flieger was published by Kurt Tucholsky (1890-1935), who became one of the most important journalists of the Weimar Republic. Der Flieger was a field newspaper, now remembered as the oldest German aviation monthly periodical. From 1915 to 1917 Tucholsky served in the artillery flying school East I in Alt-Autz. From 26 November 1916 to November 1918 he published the field newspaper Der Flieger. Tucholsky was one of the most important journalists of the Weimar Republic Early issues of Der Flieger are exceedingly scarce. The present lot features Richthofen's 75th victory described by one of the very first men with whom Richthofen shared the details only two hours after the bold action, not long before he lost his own life in combat, an account of how in 1916 Oswald Boelcke earned the award "Pour le Mérite" along with Max Immelmann, an aviator's aerial view of Verdun shortly after the great battle of 1917, and more. Richthofen's 75th victory, a most notable attack which earned him a prestigious chivalry award, is recounted by one of the very first men who heard the details firsthand from the gallant aviator himself - only a couple of hours after the incident. Flying Ace Manfred von Richthofen, the famed Red Baron, is featured in the issue of 12 May 2018 with an article titled "Wie Richthofen seinen 75. abschoß [How Richthofen Shot Down his 75th." Richthofen had died in air combat only six weeks earlier on 21 April 1918, being the highest-scoring ace of the war, eventually being credited with 80 official victories. The account is written by a Lieutenant Lampel, who had only just met the famous ace for the first time on 2 April 1918. Only a couple of hours earlier Richthofen had claimed his 75th victory, by taking the lives of 19-year-old Second Lieutenant E.D. Jones and Second Lieutenant R.F. Newton. Flying ace Oswald Boelcke is featured with a portrait sketch on the front of the October 1918 issue, which is followed by an article describing the event that earned him the prestigious award "Pour le Mérite" being the second Great War aviator to receive the honor, immediately after and on the same day as Max Immelmann. Published for German aviators and frontline fighters alike, the issues center on matters timely and relevant to those who were directly involved in the monarch's scheme for economic and political domination of central Europe and the creation of a German colonial empire.
Rudolf Diesel's retained copy of his own signed manuscript letter to Samuel Breslauer, concerning the installation of a gas engine. Text is in German. 4to. Two single leafs, 2 pages of text on onion skin paper measuring approximately 30 x 24 cm. Minor age-toning, otherwise in very good condition. In this correspondence, Diesel describes alterations being made to the design of his first prototype, making comments on the compressor, transmission, and the lighting system (ignition), among other things. The second prototype, described here, would be built by October the same year. The specific plan for this engine model is noted in the upper margin: Plan F.B.930. Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (1858-1913), needing no introduction, was a German inventor and mechanical engineer who is world-famous for having invented the Diesel engine. At the time of this letter, Diesel was diligently working on altering and perfecting his 1893 engine design. This design would later be known as the diesel engine. The first prototype Motor 150/400, had been completed 12 July 1893. Initial tests proved it to be a successful concept. By October 1895, after the first prototype had been converted into the second prototype Motor 220/400. After testing, and always seeking to improve, again it was decided that a completely new engine had to be designed from scratch. On 20 February 1896, Krupp, Maschinenfabrik Augsburg, and Diesel, decided to start the development of the new engine. The new engine was supposed to be a 250 mm bore engine with a 400 mm stroke. On 5 March 1896, Diesel filed a patent application for supercharging; on 26 March, it was decided to build the new engine with a supercharger. In order to improve the efficiency of the development process, a new design bureau was built directly into Diesel's Augsburg testing laboratory. Several young engineers worked there, including Imanuel Lauster. On 30 April 1896, after Lauster had completed the drawings, the workshop at Augsburg began making parts for the engine. The first successful Diesel engine Motor 250/400, designed by Rudolf Diesel, was officially tested in 1897 by German industrial engineer Moritz Schröter. Schröter concluded, "we are beholding a quite marketable machine that has been thoroughly designed with great attention to every single detail." At this time, several firms bought licences for building legal copies of the Motor 250/400. It is now on display at the German Technical Museum in Munich. The recipient of the correspondent is Samuel Breslauer (1870-1942), a lawyer, journalist and editor, who rose to be head of the Politics department for the Berlin newspaper "Berliner Lokal Anzeiger", a daily newspaper with one of the highest national circulations of its time. Breslauer is remembered as one of the numerous Jews who were captured and deported camp during the holocaust. Surely his public role would have made him an immediate target by the German extremist leader. In August 1942, Breslauer and his wife Bertha were taken to the Theresienstadt concentration camp where they both died, she within four days.
A rare nineteenth century Japanese tutorial on sericulture (the making of silk), including details on the silk worms from which the fine thread is harvested, produced in woodblock print. 8vo. 3 volumes, 209 pages combined, with publisher's details to red frontis leaf. The complete text, including 31 full page wood printed illustrations - the first three being beautifully hand coloured. Traditional karitoji binding ("semi-bound" meaning title page and contents without a book cover) string-stitched at spine, fukurotoji style ("bound-pocket" with folded leafs bound into spine), and opening from left to right. Yellow paper covers, titled in manuscript ink to verso. Each volume with a red ink stamp to the first text leaf. All text is in Japanese. Each volume measures approximately 15 x 22 cm. Housed together in purpose-made three-panel folding portfolio, blue cloth boards with working bone clasps, measuring approximately 16,5 x 23 x 3,5 cm. Ink blemishes to two of the illustrations, quite likely a printing mishap, minor age-toning primarily to boards, otherwise very good and original condition, a pleasing historic work dealing with silk production in Japan. Beginning with three lovely hand-coloured woodcut illustrations, the first volume describes the coveted miniscule Bombyx mori that creates the delicate strands that are used to produce the world's finest fabric. It goes on to explain the process, how to lay the eggs on a sheet of paper, the importance of harvesting mulberry leaves to feed the larvae, transferring grown silkworms to other bamboo mats to feed them, and the multiple tools needed for the job at hand. Fieldwork is the focus of the second and largest volume, which demonstrates the arduous task of planting and maintaining a mulberry plantation, which will ultimately determine the health of the silkworms and one's profitability. In the third volume, we see men gathering twigs and women loosely weaving these into safe-havens for the silkworms to settle comfortable. The cocoons are placed on round trays, and eventually the silkworm moth fly away after hatching. Various stages of preparing the thread are shown, for example stretching the silk floss hand-spinning the thread from cocoons sitting in a pan of boiling water. A merchandising scene concludes the illustrations.
