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1769W2619Williamsburg Virginia: Printed by W. Rind A. Purdie and J. Dixon 1769. 4 577 1 pages. First and only printing of this important colonial Williamsburg imprint. Late in 1767 the General Assembly authorized a third "revisal" of Virginia laws which meant a compilation of all acts passed since the 1752 "revisal" together with all laws passed prior to 1752 that were still in effect. Ordinarily the contract for printing the book would have been awarded to the official public printer William Rind but Rind's financial straits caused the General Assembly to award the contract to Rind's financially stable competitors the Williamsburg printing company of Alexander Purdie and John Dixon . Perhaps to spare Rind public embarrassment it was decided to advertise the project as a joint venture; thus the names of Rind Purdie and Dixon are listed as printers on the title page. ASSOCIATION COPY: On the title page is the 1784 signature of Alexander Breckinridge 1752-1801 a Virginia surveyor veteran of the Revolution and participant of the 1787 convention on Kentucky statehood. On a blank page in the rear of the book is a form for a legal deed that is written in Breckinridge's hand. In the twentieth century book was sympathetically rebound in full leather with remnants of original leather and original leather title patch laid down. Professional rice paper repairs to margins of many pages; the repairs affect very little text. First Edition Thus. Hardcover. Very Good-. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. Book. Printed by W. Rind, A. Purdie, and J. Dixon Hardcover
1726ST15736cLondon: Printed for Tho. Woodward by William Bowyer 1726. FIRST EDITION. One of 1000 copies according to Bowyer's ledgers per ESTC. 360 x 222 mm. 14 x 8 3/4". 12 p.l. 456 i.e. 452 pp. 4L2v is numbered 316-320. <br/> Contemporary calf covers with gilt roll frame oblique floral cornerpieces rebacked in olive-brown calf raised bands flanked by scrolling gilt rolls panels with decorative gilt centerpiece red morocco label marbled endpapers and edges neat repairs to head edge and to corners. With engraved frontispiece five small engravings in the text and two engraved plates of plants. Front pastedown with armorial bookplate of Charles Gresley; pp. 286 288-290 with contemporary ink annotations to folded fore margins. Henrey 945; ESTC T146573. ◆Boards with a number of small abrasions but the restored binding sound and perfectly agreeable; isolated faint dust-soiling to head margins other trivial imperfections but the text in very fine condition especially clean crisp and bright and with ample margins.<br/> <br/> Very fresh and bright internally especially for a book expected to incur use in an unprotected context this practical and comprehensive work would have been an indispensable resource for any 18th century husbandman interested in raising livestock and cultivating trees vegetables and fruit. Although the frontispiece depicts the stately Richmond home of the Prince of Wales with its manicured grounds and rows of neatly spaced trees the contents are just as useful to the everyman including "Husbandman Grazier Planter Gardener and Florist." John Laurence 1668-1752 was a fellow at Cambridge before becoming rector of Yelvertoft Northamptonshire where he developed a passion for horticulture while renewing a dilapidated garden there DNB tells us he was especially skilled at growing pears. Laurence wrote three books on the pleasures of gardening while living in Yelvertoft; he later moved to Bishopwearmouth Durham where he wrote the present work--his last and according to Henrey "most ambitious literary project." The author explains how to improve and maintain the land in book I with advice on planting crops and raising different kinds of livestock from cattle to silkworms. He even devotes a few chapters to using land for mines and quarries revealing the "hidden Treasures which lie couched in Nature's Bowels." Book II is devoted to forest and timber trees and books III-V offer a catalogue of fruit trees vegetables and decorative plants to grow in the Fruit Garden Kitchen Garden and Flower-Garden respectively. This is a pleasurable book to leaf through being wonderfully clean throughout and accessible to the modern reader with familiar plants that might be growing in one's backyard today. Printed for Tho. Woodward [by William Bowyer] unknown
1739ST12883Leyden: Johann Arnold Langerak 1739. First Edition in Latin. 540 x 380 mm. 21 1/4 x 15". 70 leaves of text.Translated by William Dundass. <br/> Original red quarter vellum over marbled boards raised bands UNTRIMMED EDGES. Engraved printer's device on title large decorative initials and tailpieces EXTRA ENGRAVED TITLE AND 114 STRIKING PLATES OF ANATOMICAL FIGURES three folding. Wellcome II 401; Heirs of Hippocrates 468; Choulant-Frank pp. 252-3; Russell 213. ◆Vellum on spine rather worn with three one-and-one-half-inch pieces broken away revealing structure underneath paper boards quite chafed other minor problems externally but an entirely solid unrestored binding. A couple of plates with short closed marginal tears one folding plate with one-inch closed tear into image no loss untrimmed edges a little browned and brittle with isolated small chips occasional minor foxing or insignificant stains three plates lightly browned but still AN UNUSUALLY ATTRACTIVE COPY INTERNALLY with the broadest of margins with especially clean and fresh leaves and with rich impressions of the plates.<br/> <br/> With plates of notable visual impressiveness this was the finest anatomy book in England during the first half of the 18th century; it also was largely a plagiarism borrowing most of its engraved content from a work by the Dutch physician Govert Bidloo published in 1685. Bidloo's work was the first large-scale anatomical atlas to appear after Vesalius' epoch-making "De Humani Corporis Fabrica" and the plates which are highly praised by Norman and Garrison-Morton are characterized by startlingly detailed life-size depictions of the human body both adult and infant with figures flayed to reveal muscles opened to show organs and unfleshed to exhibit bones. According to Choulant-Frank Bidloo's publishers sold 300 impressions of these plates to Cowper probably to recoup some of their money after disappointing sales. Cowper took Bidloo's original 105 plates added nine of his own and produced an English translation of the original Latin text to accompany them. Discussing the original plates produced by Gerard de Lairesse 1641-1711 Norman says that the figures are displayed "in an emotional almost tender manner contrasting the raw dissected parts with the full soft surfaces of uncut flesh placing flayed bound figures in ordinary nightclothes or bedding setting ordinary household objects such as books jars or cabinets in the same scene as cut-up torsos or limbs. His illustrations brought the qualities of Dutch still-life painting into anatomical illustration and gave a new darker spiritual expression to the significance of the act of dissection." When Cowper's version of the atlas first appeared as "The Anatomy of Humane Bodies" in London in 1698 there was also a 1737 Leyden printing in English before our more scholarly Latin edition Bidloo complained to the Royal Society and accused Cowper of plagiarism and fraud resulting in much acrimony and heated pamphleteering between the two physicians. Notwithstanding this scandal Cowper's achievements and discoveries--including the pair of glands that bear his name--were considerable and his text improved significantly upon the original work. Unfortunately as the DNB notes "the notoriety of this case has served to obscure a true appreciation of Cowper and of his many original contributions to anatomical illustration." The atlases of Bidloo and Cowper appear on the market regularly but at 540 x 380 mm. the present copy is distinguished by its size which is significantly larger than what is typically seen with this edition--we have not been able to trace a copy larger than ours from marketplace or institutional records. Johann Arnold Langerak unknown
1793ST20586Lugduni Batavorum Leyden: S. & J. Luchtmans 1793 1827 1835. FIRST EDITION A COMPLETE SET. 525 x 350 mm. 20 3/4 x 14". Four volumes. <br/> First two volumes in contemporary cat's paw calf volumes III and IV in contemporary flamed calf raised bands spines gilt in compartments with central fleuron one red and one black morocco label. WITH 206 ENGRAVED ANATOMICAL PLATES all with guards. Front pastedowns with bookplate of Harvard Medical School Library; library shelf markings in white at bottom of spines; bookseller's ticket of Schönhof & Mueller Foreign Books Boston. Bibliotheca Walleriana 8549; Choulant pp. 312-13; Larousse XIX vol. 14 p. 171. Lucas L. Boer Peter L. J. Boek Andries J. van Dam and Roelof-Jan Oostra "History and highlights of the teratological collection in the Museum Anatomicum of Leiden University The Netherlands " American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A Volume 176 no. 3 2018 pp. 618-37.<br /> Shallow chips across the tail of first two volumes covers variably abraded one noticeably so corners somewhat worn partially with boards showing through vague additional signs of wear but the bindings solid and retaining much of their original appeal; plates in first two volumes with faint overall browning either because of paper stock or because of contact with guards a handful of trivial tears but all in all an extremely pleasing set the plates in volume IV very clean and bright and the plates elsewhere and the wide-margined text clean and fresh throughout.<br/> <br/> This is an extremely scarce complete set of a very substantially proportioned anatomical work with more than 200 striking giant folio engravings that emphasize birth defects and that range from clinically cheerless to heartbreaking. A physician and professor of anatomy at Leyden Eduard Sandifort 1742-1814 was commissioned by the University and the city council to publish this account of the school's anatomical collections with a focus on pathological anatomy including especially congenital abnormalities. After the publication of the first two volumes in 1793 the third and fourth were issued following Sandifort's death by his son Gerard 1779-1848 who followed in his father's professorial footsteps in Leyden. The first second and fourth volume are illustrated with copperplate engravings which Larousse tell us make this book "one of the most beautiful works of this genre" though "beautiful" needs to be understood here to mean "convincing" or "compelling" rather than aesthetically appealing. The first volume concludes with nine full-size depictions of skulls; the illustrations in the second and fourth are of a more affecting nature consisting of malformed bodies and body parts damaged or destroyed by disease and birth defects. The engravings of the conjoined twins in these volumes are especially powerful--consisting of poignant even haunting images showing undeserving victims of pronounced congenital defects though some are softened with a touch of the fanciful in their presentation. The thoroughness and accuracy of the work is so great that it remains of scholarly value even today. A recent study by Dutch curators and anatomical scholars Lucas L. Boer Peter L. J. Boek Andries J. van Dam and Roelof-Jan Oostra used "Museum Anatomicum" as a guide to identify and re-diagnose the University's historic teratological collections noting that "many historically made diagnoses could not be improved upon after re-diagnosing the specimens with contemporary dysmorphological knowledge actually confirming that these old collectors were perhaps the first dysmorphologists and can be seen as true pioneers in the field of teratology." Although single volumes and incomplete sets of this work come on the market with some regularity we have been able to trace only five complete sets at auction since 1872. And ours especially fresh and wide-margined in pleasing contemporary calf is a particularly attractive specimen. S. & J. Luchtmans unknown
1772ST17890aBirminghamiae: Typis Johannis Baskerville 1772. 300 x 240 mm. 11 3/4 x 9 1/4". 1 p.l. 364 pp. <br/> ELEGANT CONTEMPORARY RED MOROCCO GILT covers with French fillet border and intricate frame of volutes and floral tools raised bands spine compartments with central lozenge radiating lancets from each corner surrounded with small flowers and leaves oblique leafy branch at each corner gilt lettering turn-ins with floral roll marbled endpapers all edges gilt. Front pastedown with armorial bookplate of V. H. Wilmot Esq.; front free endpaper with armorial Glenconner bookplate. Gaskell 46. Lower corner of front board with scarcely noticeable small patch of lost patina and gilt from insect activity just a hint of wear to joints and extremities but still A VERY FINE CONTEMPORARY COPY virtually perfect internally--very clean and fresh with generous margins and in a refined binding with no significant signs of use.<br/> <br/> This is typographically a lovely printing as well as a distinguished edition of Terence in a very handsome contemporary binding. The second century B.C. playwright Terence is believed to have been a native of North Africa enslaved during the Punic Wars. Brought to Rome and given his freedom he joined the cultivated circle of Scipio the Younger. His six extant plays the ancestors of drawing room and modern situation comedies feature crusty fathers rebellious sons and smart aleck slaves whose machinations solve the playwright's intricate complications of plot. The plays were popular throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and still retain their appeal. Dibdin notes that this edition is "printed in the usually beautiful style of the impressions of ancient classical authors" issued by Baskerville. That series known as the Baskerville Quarto Latin Classics began with the first book to be issued by his press: the renowned Virgil praised by Renouard Gaskell Dibdin and other critics for its beauty. In a sheet dated 1760 which Baskerville issued appended to a specimen of his folio Bible the printer discusses his proposed "Baskerville Classics": "Many gentlemen" he says "have wished to see a sett of the Classicks . . . in the Manner Letter and Paper of the 'Virgil' already published" and he vows to print the same with the poetical classics first. These volumes says Reed would "suffice had Baskerville printed nothing else to distinguish him as the first typographer of his time." The beautiful typography the luxurious paper looking and feeling much like vellum and the spacious design combine to give the reader a particularly gratifying feeling of strength and serenity. The stately binding though similar to the French style of the period was likely done in England for 18th century owner V. H. Wilmot. Our copy was later in the collection of Edward Priaulx Tennant 1st Baron Glenconner 1859-1920. Typis Johannis Baskerville unknown
1710ST19567-052Cantabrigiae Cambridge: Cornelius Crownfield 1710. THE DEDICATION COPY ONE OF 150 ON LARGE PAPER per Mackenzie. 248 x 192 mm. 9 3/4 x 7 1/2". 4 p.l. xxiv 532 2 318 283-304 pp. 84 leaves.Edited by Rev. Joseph Wasse. <br/> FINE CONTEMPORARY RED MOROCCO GILT covers panelled with gilt fillets accented with fleuron acorn and scallop tools raised bands spine compartments densely gilt with similar tools red morocco label marbled endpapers all edges gilt probably with some very facile repairs to top and bottom of joints and spine. Front pastedown with the armorial bookplate of the dedicatee Henry Grey Duke of Kent dated 1713 and with the armorial ex-libris of Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes Marquess of Crewe; front free endpaper with engraved armorial bookplate of Thomas Philip Earl de Grey see below for all. Dibdin II 385; Mackenzie "The Cambridge University Press 1696-1712" I 273-76. ◆Front joint with thin crack at head and tail covers with darkish splotches obvious but somehow not overly offending with antique morocco like this other very minor signs of use but the binding still extremely pleasing as a grand specimen for an important dedicatee. A MOST ATTRACTIVE COPY INTERNALLY especially clean and fresh with only negligible imperfections.<br/> <br/> This is the stately dedication copy of Wasse's monumental edition of Sallust in its original handsome unrestored binding. Described by Dibdin as "an excellent edition . . . the merits of which have long been acknowledged by the literary world" our version was prepared by Wasse after consulting nearly 80 manuscripts including "some very ancient editions." A huge undertaking it spent five years in the press. Oxford Antiquary Thomas Hearne mentioned it in his "Remarks" amazed that "Mr. Wasse . . . has so swell'd his Salust sic . . . with Notes" that "his Index will be upwards of 20 sheets"; in fact the Index consumes 84 leaves 21 quires. The text of the present volume contains the only two extant historical works of Sallust 86-34 B.C. which are his history of the conspiracy of Catiline against the senate in the year Cicero was consul and his history of the Roman war against the Numidian Algerian chieftain Jugurtha brought to its conclusion by the great soldier and populist politician Marius. As a stylist Sallust has enjoyed great fame for his artistic and epigrammatic speeches with their vividly delineated characters. A fellow of Queen's College Cambridge Joseph Wasse 1672-1738 served as chaplain to the Marquess later Duke of Kent Henry Grey 1671-1740 to whom he dedicated this work. The handsome binding is of very high quality and is decorated in the Cambridge style by an unknown binder of that city. Grey was a courtier who held a number of prominent positions: under Queen Anne he served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household and Knight of the Garter and as one of the Lords Justices Regents of the Realm upon her death; under George I he was Lord of the Bedchamber Lord Steward of the Household and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. Our volume was passed down in his family through the line of his granddaughter Jemima Campbell Marchioness Grey to Thomas Philip de Grey 2nd Earl de Grey 1781-1859 an amateur architect who rebuilt the family seat Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. He became the first president of the Royal Institute of British Architects. It was later in the 24000-volume library of the politician Robert Crewe-Milnes 1858-1945 Marquess of Crewe. Cornelius Crownfield unknown
1768ST19422Nuremberg: Johann Andrea Endterischen 1768. 460 x 295 mm. 18 1/4 x 11 1/2". 17 p.l. 11 48 2 2 3-8 3 9-190 2 191-740 pp.; 512 pp.; 2 2 3-190 2 191-480 18 pp. Three parts bound in one volume. <br/> STRIKING CONTEMPORARY SMOOTH CALF LAVISHLY GILT in the entrelac style covers with frame and compartments formed by gilt-ruled strapwork and filled with floral designs and lace-like ornaments of massed volutes and small tools raised bands spine compartments with central bouquet of pomegranate and flowers with massed floral tools on either side gilt lettering brass clasps featuring images of King David and St. Paul gilt-tooled turn-ins marbled endpapers all edges gilt and gauffered with pomegranates and flowers older repair to front joint alongside top compartment. Extra engraved title page woodcut headpieces and historiated initials 47 engraved plates comprised of: copperplate portraits of Luther and 11 Electors; 11 section titles each with 11 vignettes; nine full-page engraved depictions of Moses the Prophets and the Evangelists; seven full-page plates engraved with 12 vignettes six double-page maps and two double-page engravings. Front pastedown with ornate heart-shaped bookplate of Adam Melchior Dæumer dated 1784. ◆Two-inch crack to head of rear joint a bit of rubbing to joints and extremities a handful of quite minor dark spots to boards isolated trivial smudges or stains internally other insignificant imperfections but still a fine specimen--THE CONTENTS EXCEPTIONALLY CLEAN BRIGHT AND FRESH and the remarkable binding entirely solid and bright with gilt.<br/> <br/> This is an especially pleasing copy of the last and most extensive edition of the very popular and sumptuously illustrated Weimar Electors' Bible offered here in an impressive contemporary binding. Known as the "Kurfürstenbibel" because of its portraits of the Electoral Princes called "Kurfürsten" in German it was originally prepared for Ernst I Duke of Saxe-Gotha and Altenburg as a celebration of Martin Luther's Bible translation. Editions were issued by the Endters one of the prominent German printing families beginning in 1641. In addition to portraits of Luther and the Protestant princes of Germany the present edition contains the maps views and illustrated half-titles by Jacob van Sandrart and others first used in the edition of 1686. Our copy contains four maps and views not found in other copies of this edition showing the eastern Mediterranean and Palestine as well as both a map and a view of Jerusalem. The size of our volume puts a great strain on the binding which has nevertheless stood the test of time remarkably well. The overall decoration is exuberant the delicate gauffering lovely and the original straps remarkably well preserved. Johann Andrea Endterischen unknown
1743ST20461-4Paris: Chez Grange 1743. 136 x 85 mm. 5 5/8 x 3 1/4". 6 p.l. 592 8 pp. <br/> VERY PRETTY CONTEMPORARY PARISIAN BROWN MOROCCO GILT AND INLAID BY THE "ATELIER À LA TULIPE" covers with floral frame accented with heart tool pierced by two arrows a large pomegranate of gilt-tooled inlaid dark red morocco at center four inlaid red morocco tulips at each corner raised bands spine compartments with small gilt botanical tool at center two of these on inlaid tan morocco lozenges tan morocco label marbled endpapers all edges gilt. Text in French and Latin in parallel columns. Front pastedown with ex-libris of Jean Fürstenberg; verso of front free endpaper with early ink inscription: "Bibl. Schol." With a handwritten note once tipped onto the final page of daily prayers with handwritten Latin prayers in a contemporary hand. For the binding: Foot "Henry Davis Gift" III 179 Davis 561; Michon "Les Reliures Mosaiquées du XVIIIe siècle" pp. 51-2 and no. 223. Corners a little rubbed front free endpaper creased one leaf with old thin marginal glue stain from once tipped-in manuscript prayers that are now laid in one lower corner torn away costing a few letters at the ends of seven lines on each side other minor defects from devoted use but an excellent specimen nevertheless the text generally clean and with nothing approaching a major defect and the unsophisticated binding very well preserved.<br/> <br/> This prayer book in French and Latin comes in a charming binding by a workshop Michon dubbed "Atelier à la tulipe" after the distinctive three-petalled flower that appears on the covers here. Foot records a 1752 edition of "Heures Nouvelles" in a binding nearly identical to ours: a large central pomegranate on the covers with a tulip in each corner a delicate gilt frame and a spine in six compartments with a gilt flower or fruit at center in two cases as here on inlaid citron morocco. According to Michon the "tulipe" workshop active from 1740 to 1785 was closer in style to Derome than to Padeloup though it had its own distinctive style one which emphasized harmonious mosaic designs. The pomegranate that dominates the boards is a Catholic symbol of the Passion of Christ and is often featured in Renaissance paintings of the Madonna and Child. This symbolism was no doubt meaningful to the early owner given the signs here of devoted use: in addition to text neatly marked with "" signs at the places where one should make the sign of the cross this person also tipped in a leaf with seven neatly written short prayers in Latin for protection and purification to be said while one is washing getting dressed and preparing for the day ahead. Even dedicated use could not dim the beauty of our binding which attracted the eye of collector and connoisseur Jean or Hans Fürstenberg 1890-1982 a discriminating bibliophile of refined taste who assembled one of the great collections of the 20th century especially rich in fine and historic bookbindings and noted for its outstanding condition. Although not common bindings from this atelier nevertheless appear at auction from time to time invariably in small format like the present book and generally commanding significant sums of money as a typical example and good comparable a 1761 "Heures Royales" of precisely the same size and basic decoration as ours sold in 2017 at Alde for €2375. Chez Grange unknown
1772ST18628bBirminghamiae: Typis Joannis Baskerville 1772. First Baskerville Edition. 310 x 260 mm. 11 7/8 x 9 3/4". 1 p.l. 200 221-372 pp. but complete. <br/> SUPERB CONTEMPORARY RED MOROCCO LAVISHLY GILT IN THE STYLE OF DEROME covers with wide dentelle frame composed of botanical elements and many small tools raised bands spines gilt in compartments with central floral sprig surrounded by acorns flowers stars and dots volute cornerpieces green morocco labels gilt turn-ins marbled endpapers all edges gilt. Front pastedowns with engraved bookplate of P. Dupont and with morocco heraldic book label. Gaskell 44. ◆A breath of rubbing to extremities title page a little browned final page a bit foxed other trivial imperfections but AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE COPY internally clean smooth and bright and in a sparkling binding.<br/> <br/> This is the impressive quarto edition of a trio of great Roman love poets in a premier binding befitting the elegant printing. In a sheet dated 1760 which Baskerville issued appended to a specimen of his folio Bible the printer discusses his proposed "Baskerville Classics": "Many gentlemen" he says "have wished to see a sett of the Classicks . . . in the Manner Letter and Paper of the 'Virgil' already published" and he vows to print the same with the poetical classics first. The present items are from what turned out to be seven Baskerville quarto printings of the classics mostly done late in the printer's career but according to Reed bearing "the marks of unabated genius." These volumes says Reed would "suffice had Baskerville printed nothing else to distinguish him as the first typographer of his time." In the present works the stately typography the luxurious paper textured but feeling rather like vellum and the spacious design combine to give the reader a particularly gratifying feeling of strength and serenity. The extraordinarily smooth surface of our leaves provides a tactile experience not available from any other 18th century printer Bodoni included. The beautiful binding here is unsigned but is clearly the product of a first-rate workshop; while it is not uncommon to see a volume from the Baskerville quartos in a decorative contemporary binding the present one would have a place in the front row of any assemblage. Typis Joannis Baskerville unknown
1797ST15599London: Printed for T. Longman B. Law F. & C. Rivington R. Baldwin G. & T. Wilkie and J. Walker 1797. 21st Edition. 150 x 93 mm. 5 7/8 x 3 5/8". viii 123 1 ads pp. <br/> Contemporary brown burlap flat spine. With allegorical vignette on title page and 25 half-page woodcuts illustrating items from the vocabulary lists. Pastedowns with traces of book label removal. ◆Spine slightly cocked short split to cloth on rear joint a little fraying at ends of spine but the insubstantial binding surprisingly solid. Two small stains to each pastedown where labels removed title page lightly browned leaves a shade less than bright due to paper quality other minor imperfections but an excellent copy internally clean and fresh with comfortable margins. All in all remarkably well preserved.<br/> <br/> First issued around 1711 this is the best-selling work of James Greenwood 1683-1737 an influential grammarian and a proponent of women's education. Arranged into 33 chapters the book divides vocabulary lists by topic beginning with "things" and proceeding through minerals plants animals humans and diseases to everyday items affairs of church and state the law the military and finally to the various parts of speech from verbs to conjunctions. Widely used the work was revised and reprinted until at least 1828. At about the time this work was originally issued Greenwood had founded a school in Essex where he accepted girls as well as boys as pupils; he was later recruited to serve as assistant headmaster at St. Paul's School in London. This volume is of particular interest because of its rarely seen utilitarian period binding. We would have expected it to have been worn to shreds long ago but against the odds it has withstood hard use by young pupils remarkably well and it gives us a glimpse of an important element of the English schoolroom at the turn of the 19th century. Printed for T. Longman, B. Law, F. & C. Rivington, R. Baldwin, G. & T. Wilkie, and J. Walker unknown
1775ST17825Paris: Joseph-Gérard Barbou rue Mathurins 1775. 163 x 96 mm. 6 3/8 x 3 3/4". Seven volumes. Edited by J. N. Lallemand; preface by Jean Baptiste Louis Crévier. <br/> EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE CONTEMPORARY GREEN ARMORIAL MOROCCO perhaps by Derome covers with triple gilt rule border central gilt coat of arms of the Blanche family featuring a seated fox with one paw raised above it a row of three five-pointed stars smooth spine divided into compartments containing a gilt lyre surrounded by stars and dots floral sprigs at corners volume number within a laurel wreath gilt lettering marbled endpapers all edges gilt. With printer's two-swans device on title pages volume I with frontispiece portrait engraved by L. J. Cathelin after J. C. Philips. With pencilled note on front flyleaf attributing the binding to Derome. Brunet III 1108 "Edition estimée"; Dibdin II 171. For the binding: Olivier Pl. 2279. ◆Spines slightly and uniformly sunned very light shelf wear to bindings occasional faint foxing in volume IV but A SUPERB SET almost entirely absent of any signs of use.<br/> <br/> This is a fine-paper copy in a binding both charming and handsome of what Dibdin deems "a truly beautiful and accurate edition" of Livy's Roman history. Brunet called it an "esteemed edition" and notes that fine paper copies like the present set sold for twice what regular copies cost. First printed by Sweynheym and Pannartz in 1469 the "Histories" of Titius Livius Patavani 59 B.C. - 17 A.D. follow the rise of Rome from the founding of the city through its triumphs in the Punic Wars and up through the reign of the author's contemporary emperor Augustus. His account is notable for its emphasis on the glorious triumphs and accounts of heroism of the Romans stemming in his eyes from their virtue; his history is intended not just to inform but also to elevate the reader. The present edition according to Dibdin builds on the fine editions edited by Crevier and Drakenborch incorporating their useful notes and additions. It was beautifully printed by Joseph-Gérard Barbou 1723-90 scion of a family that had begun printing in Lyon in 1529 moving to Paris in 1540. Joseph apparently specialized in Latin classics producing editions of Cicero Lucretius Pliny Caesar and Martial among others. The fine binding here does not have Derome's ticket but is well executed enough to make the attribution written in at front plausible. There were no fewer than 18 members of the Derome family not to mention workshop associates who made their livings as binders in Paris from the middle of the 17th century until the first quarter of the 19th. Our binding is tasteful--perfect for a scholarly edition of a classic--and conceivably the work of one of the Deromes or of an extremely competent associate. Olivier attributes our armorial stamp to the 18th century Blanche family of Burgundy and he finds it on a copy of Barbou's 1771 Sallust in the library of Madame la Comtesse de Cossé. The "country house" condition of the present set suggests an aristocratic owner more concerned with owning fine books than with reading them. [Joseph-Gérard] Barbou, rue Mathurins unknown
1786ST20133London: Excudebant A. Rivington & J. Marshall: Impensis J. F. & C. Rivington T. Longman & T. Cadell 1786. 175 x 105 mm. 7 x 4 1/4". 368 pp. 1 leaf ads. <br/> Contemporary brown "school cloth" rough linen raised bands. Front flyleaf with owner inscription of John Cutler dated Sept 21 1789 four lines of Latin doggerel threatening anyone who steals the book with hanging and two large copperplate trials of Cutler's signature. ESTC N63834. Not in Darlow & Moule. A little fraying at top and bottom of joints light foxing and toning throughout due to paper quality a couple of small ink stains but a surprisingly appealing copy the text extremely clean and the unsophisticated makeshift binding--remarkably--with no significant wear.<br/> <br/> This is an almost startling survival: an 18th century New Testament in Greek in its original utilitarian binding preserved in condition far better than what could be anticipated given the audience of generally uncareful pupils for which it was intended. Considering the usual depredations of school children the rough school cloth should have been worn to shreds long ago but against the odds it has fortuitously escaped hard use and now gives us a glimpse of an important element of the English schoolroom very close to its original condition. One particularly delightful aspect of our copy is the flamboyant declaration of ownership by a pupil called John Cutter who inked his name no fewer than four times in different styles and with calligraphic flourishes across the flyleaf. Cutter's neatly penned book curse threating any would-be thieves with hanging may have helped to preserve the book as it now exists. In fact there are few signs of use by any owner rightful or unlawful. The leaves are free from any markings and the insubstantial binding appears to have rarely left the shelf. Excudebant A. Rivington & J. Marshall: Impensis J. F. & C. Rivington, T. Longman, & T. Cadell unknown
1781ST13831Venice: Giovanni Gatti 1781. 214 x 147 mm. 8 1/2 x 5 3/4". Four volumes. <br/> Attractive contemporary limp paper boards patterned with yellow red and black inks paper manuscript labels on spines deckle edges. With four folding engraved plates at the end of volume IV. Pastedown of volume I with a small square of paper with some inscrutable pencil notations glued down. Bolton p. 646; Cole 893; Partington III pp. 80-90. ◆Edges just a touch bumped a few pages with some very light foxing one page with a small hole affecting a word or two of text plates a little browned along the fold and one plate partially torn along the fold but still A SUPERB COPY exceptionally fresh and clean inside and out.<br/> <br/> Offered here in very pleasing contemporary paper boards this is the first combined edition in Italian of two of Macquer's most popular works: "Élémens de chymie-théorique" 1749 and "Élémens de chymie-pratique" 1751. Coherently written in a straightforward manner primarily with the classroom in mind Macquer himself was a highly respected teacher these works became instantly successful as university-level textbooks. Partington tells us that they replaced Lemery's rather outdated "Cours de Chymie" as the favored text for teaching and they were eventually translated into English German Russian and Italian. Macquer 1718-84 made a few modest chemical discoveries but his chief contributions to the science were his applications of chemistry in particular to the porcelain industry and most importantly his writing. In addition to the present work he also penned "the first dictionary of chemistry in the modern sense" according to Partington. Given that Macquer's works were often destined for the hands of students our copy is a fortunate survival indeed not to mention enormously charming with its original deckle edges clean contents and vibrant pattern. This edition also appears to be quite rare. OCLC locates only 10 copies worldwide with just one in the US Huntington and one in the UK Wellcome. Giovanni Gatti unknown
1788ST20889Paris: Chez l'Auteur 1788 1788. FIRST EDITION. 565 x 400 mm. 22 1/4 x 15 3/4". 50 leaves. Two separately published works bound in one. <br/> Modern retrospective calf-backed tan paste paper boards smooth spine profusely gilt with a repeating pattern of grape vines red morocco label lettered in gilt vellum tips. ENGRAVED THROUGHOUT WITH A TOTAL OF 48 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATED PLATES each accompanied by either one or two plates of engraved text. SHEETS UNCUT AND UNFOLDED the first work printed only on the recto; the second with three sheets printed on both sides. Reed and Dematté China on Paper 20 21; Cohen-de Ricci 479. Edges and lower corners slightly worn but the binding with only just minor signs of use; free endpaper in front and back with vertical crease one sheet with an early marginal repair isolated inconsequential faint spotting but still AN EXTREMELY FINE COPY the wide-margined sheets exceptionally fresh and bright and with strong impressions of the engravings.<br/> <br/> This pair of lavishly illustrated fully engraved works produced by a talented French engraver after earlier Chinese artworks are here presented in an enormous volume made up of uncut and unfolded sheets. According to Benzit Parisian engraver and print seller Isidore Stanislas Henri Helman 1743 - ca. 1809 "stands out among the engravers of the end of the 18th century" and his skill is evident in the two works bound together here. The first is a pictorial history of the Chinese emperors from the earliest mythical rulers to the Northern Song dynasty 960-1126. It is based on the Dijian Tushuo composed in 1573 to educate the Ming-dynasty Wanli Emperor 1563-1620 who had ascended to the throne at the age of nine. In accordance with its didactic aims it presents the very best and worst of imperial behavior and the original handwritten album was published as a block-printed book to great popularity. Two centuries later the Qing-dynasty Qianlong Emperor 1711-99 commissioned a Western-style edition of the famous work which was executed by two French artists the Jesuit painter Jean-Denis Attiret and the engraver Charles-Nicolas Cochin II. The enterprising Helman was able to see the Attiret-Cochin book in the collection of French statesman Henri Léonard Jean Baptiste Bertin 1720-92 and having had great success with a previous reproduction of a Chinese work Conquêtes de l'Empereur de la Chine ca. 1783 he created the present reproduction. The second work the life of Confucius was also reproduced from plates in Bertin's collection. The source material in this case was the biography of Confucius assembled by the Jesuit Joseph-Marie Amiot 1718-93 as part of his informational series on China meant to educate missionaries. Amiot was a correspondent of Bertin and had sent him the biography and accompanying album of drawings which were based on the Shenji tu Illustrated Traces of the Sage a popular Confucian work throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties. Helman selected 24 scenes from each creating books that balance serene scenes of mountainous landscapes and temples with dramatic fight scenes and dragons. The quality of the engravings is excellent with delicate linework creating faint wisps of smoke and subtle shadows. These two works apparently both published in 1788 were released in several formats. The format here with the engravings laid out on the recto of large uncut sheets appears at auction very infrequently: we have been able to trace only two copies of both works in this format since 2004 and neither in such fine condition as the present example. Chez l'Auteur unknown
1793ST20474Paris: Defer de Maisonneuve 1793. First Edition with these Illustrations. 350 x 262 mm. 13 3/4 x 10 1/4". 125 pp. <br/> VERY PRETTY 19TH CENTURY CRIMSON MOROCCO ELEGANTLY GILT covers framed with floral tools raised bands spine panels filled with rows of flower-and-lozenge roll gilt lettering gilt turn-ins top edges gilt. FOUR FINE STIPPLE-ENGRAVED PLATES by Colibert and Cazenave after Monsiau PRINTED IN COLORS. A Large Paper Copy. Cohen-de Ricci 400; Furstenberg 122; Lewine p. 188; Maggs 1930 Catalogue of French Illustrated Books 84; Ray p. 145. Occasional minor foxing the margins of one plate foxed a bit more otherwise a fine copy clean and fresh internally with immense margins the plates with pleasing colors and the unworn binding bright with gilt.<br/> <br/> This is an especially tall copy of Florian's pastoral romance in imitation of Cervantes one of the grander French books to be printed in colors when the vogue for such productions took hold during the last years of the 18th century. Ours is one of six such books all printed after 1786 that Ray singles out for praise as "handsome and imposing volumes." A noted painter of both classical and modern subjects Monsiau 1754-1837 was also an illustrator whose "abundant and interesting work in this line" is underrated even though it has the merits of being simple natural lively and piquant. Ray Monsiau's obscurity says Ray may be owing to the fact that he most often worked as a secondary collaborator on major illustrated works; the present book is one of the few he did on his own and it is among his best. Publisher Defer de Maisonneuve did not originate the technique of stipple engraving on copper plates but he did perfect the process which allowed for gradual tonal changes in hues and intensities of color rather than the "stained glass" effect of separately printed patches of color. Given the turmoil of the period when this book was published it is quite likely that it did not have an especially decorative original binding and may have remained in publisher's boards as was often the case. Happily a later owner supplied a period-appropriate binding here that matches the opulence of the contents. While our copy has the engraver's name just visible beneath the plates perhaps disqualifying them as the "avant la lettre" versions used in the Large Paper Copies per Cohen-de Ricci the size of the margins here and the quality of the paper certainly argue for that designation. Defer de Maisonneuve unknown
1714ST20995Naples: Bernardo-Michele Raillard 1714. 343 x 223 mm. 13 1/2 x 8 3/4". 6 p.l. CCLXIX 15 pp. <br/> IMPOSING CONTEMPORARY BROWN MOROCCO EXUBERANTLY GILT covers with painted and gilt frames of floral rolls central panel with elaborate volute cornerpieces large central lozenge formed by myriad leafy gilt vines enclosing a coat of arms containing a three-turreted castle topped by a crown held up by two putti raised bands spine compartments framed by floral roll painted and gilt daisy centerpiece tulip cornerpieces all edges gilt. The Academy's engraved device on title page and 75 ENGRAVED PLATES of scientific instruments and experiments. DSB 9:3; Dibner Herald of Science 82 first edition. Joints with modern wear one short crack at top of rear joint head of spine a bit wormed corners and extremities somewhat rubbed gilt a bit rubbed in spots difficult to tell if some of the decoration is dark because painted or is now missing gilt a couple of leaves slightly browned in the text bed occasional minor foxing more pronounced on a couple of quires other trivial imperfections but an excellent copy--quite clean and fresh internally--in a solid binding still bright with gilt.<br/> <br/> Given its binding and provenance this is a uniquely desirable copy of a significant scientific work: our stately Neapolitan edition of the "Essays on Natural Experiments" is offered here in very animated morocco bearing the arms of the man who paid for its printing and to whom the book is dedicated. That remarkable patron Caesare Michelangelo d'Avalos Marquis of Pescara and Vasto prince of Isernia and Francavilla 1667-1729 was a true Renaissance man who took Machiavelli's "The Prince" as inspiration. He was both a wily political conspirator and a generous patron of the arts and sciences. His palace at Vasto was renowned for the beauty of its furnishings for its splendid art gallery and for its impressive library overseen by the humanist scholar Alessandro Berti. The present volume was a worthy addition to that library with its glowing dedication and its regal binding extravagantly gilt but so tastefully composed that it never crosses the line into ostentatious. <br /> First printed in 1666 "Essays" was produced by the Accademia del Cimento the most significant expression of post-Galilean scientific progress in Italy. Founded in 1657 as the first organization formed for the sole purpose of making scientific experiments the Accademia occupies a singular position in the history of the development of science. Prince Leopold of Tuscany the last exceptional member of the Medici family and his brother Ferdinand who followed the Medici family tradition of patronizing the arts and sciences provided the support free-thinking direction and financial patronage for the Academy. A well-equipped laboratory and an apparently inexhaustible supply of apparatus and materials helped to make the work of the 10 scientists associated with the Academy more sustained and broader in scope than anything that had come before it. W. E. K. Middleton "The Experimenters" According to Thorndike among many other subjects the experiments described here "were concerned with air pressure and freezing; or they aimed to prove that water was incapable of compression and that there was no such thing as lightness or positive levity. Some experiments were magnetic and others electric the latter being chiefly performed with amber. Other subjects investigated were the change of colors in fluids the motion of sound and projectiles." Although no author is given by name the title page of the 1666 first edition indicated that this account was written by the secretary to the academy Lorenzo Magalotti 1637-1712. A pupil of Viviani and a friend of Boyle Magalotti was celebrated for his highly finished colorful almost dramatic descriptions of experiments. DSB notes "He has the distinction . . . of having written the best scientific prose in Italian after that of Galileo.". Bernardo-Michele Raillard unknown
176028380France 1760. 1 vols. ca. 10 1/2 x 16 inches unfolded. Broadside. Folded some discoloration and marginal spotting else very good. 1 vols. ca. 10 1/2 x 16 inches unfolded. An unaccomplished form giving pertinent information including name son of native of jurisdiction of province of age that size is in the area of 5 feet hair eyes and that not and legs are well-made and the salary promised. unknown
1780ST17950Caprées i.e. Nancy: Chez Sabellus 1780 1784. FIRST EDITIONS FIRST PRINTINGS 11 lines on title page and long "s" in text with these Illustrations. 256 x 190 mm. 10 x 7 1/2". Two volumes. <br/> BEAUTIFUL 19TH CENTURY RED MOROCCO GILT IN THE ROCOCO STYLE BY CUZIN stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-ins covers with a gilt-ruled border featuring rocaille motifs at the sides and a floral spray at each corner elaborate inner frame of strapwork interwoven with scrolling acanthus drawer-handle tools flower garlands and several special tools including satyrs mountain goats insects and large vases of flowers raised bands compartments with gilt lettering or a central floral sprig surrounded by a frame of leaves and flowers turn-ins with intricate gilt lace roll-tooling all edges gilt. WITH A TOTAL OF 102 EROTIC PLATES by Denon each volume with a frontispiece and 50 plates plus an engraved title in volume II. Front pastedowns with ex-libris of Léon Gambetta. Cohen-de Ricci 474-75. ◆Light offsetting from illustrations paper in both volumes perhaps lightly pressed but not washed FIRST VOLUME with the faint stain from a ribbon marker now gone one plate slightly toned and with two very small repairs to margin otherwise IN FINE CONDITION; paper in volume II slightly toned and with occasional small spots and light stains but still excellent. None of this significant because THE GLORIOUS BINDINGS LUSTROUS AND UNWORN.<br/> <br/> Despite their scholarly titles which promise scenes from the private lives of the 12 Caesars and secrets from an ancient Roman cult these are among the most famous erotic books of the 18th century. In the first volume the 12 Roman emperors from Julius Caesar to Domitian are depicted engaged in a panoply of intimate acts beginning with Julius Caesar's liaison with King Nicomedes IV of Bithynia which led his enemies to dub him "Queen of Bithynia." We see what Caesar's heir Augustus was willing to do in order to succeed his great-uncle and his later sexual excesses as emperor including incest. Antony and Cleopatra are relatively demure compared to the orgies of Caligula Nero and Claudius' wife Messalina. The "Secret Cult of Roman Women" examined in the companion work is devoted to the fertility god Priapus and his phallic symbols with guest appearances by assorted satyrs nymphs and Bacchantes. The images are white-on-black to resemble sculptured wall medallions and claim to be based on ancient carvings; however Cohen-de Ricci informs us that while the text is evidence of d'Hancarville's erudition the illustrations are entirely the result of his libertine imagination. Art historian Pierre-François Hugues Baron d'Hancarville 1719-1805 established himself in the world of antiquarians when he helped William Hamilton acquire the impressive Porcinari collection of Etruscan Greek and Roman antiquities that would subsequently be purchased by the British Museum. He then supervised the production of four sumptuous volumes of engravings documenting the collection. He seems to have undertaken the present work for his own amusement. A later issue of the second title facetiously attributed publication to the Imprimerie de Vatican the Church had of course put it on the Index of Prohibited Books. According to Cohen-de Ricci this is the first and most desirable printing identifiable by 11 rather than 10 lines of text on the title page of the first work and by the use of the f-like "long s" in both volumes. The especially splendid bindings by Francisque Cuzin 1836-90 nod to the Rococo bindings of the 18th century and to the risqué subject matter with satyrs cavorting about the elegant frame. Cuzin opened his Paris workshop in 1855 and soon made his name among bibliophiles of that city with his exquisite bindings establishing what was called the "Cuzin style." Devauchelle says that this style was copied by Cuzin's colleagues but was never equalled. Cuzin was not a gilder but employed some of the best in the trade to execute his graceful designs among them Marius Michel père Wampflug Maillard and Cuzin's eventual successor Émile Mercier. Our copy was once in the library of the distinguished French statesman Léon Gambetta 1838-82 one of the founders of the Third Republic who served as president of the Chamber of Deputies. Chez Sabellus unknown
1786ST19671Paris: Chez l'Auteur Veuve Hérissant et Barrois l'aîne 1786-93. First Edition with these Illustrations. 485 x 340 mm. 19 x 13 1/2". Three volumes. <br/> ELEGANT RED STRAIGHT-GRAIN MOROCCO BY BOZERIAN signed in gilt on front free endpaper covers framed by gilt fillets double raised bands separated by a strip of black morocco tooled with gilt chain spine gilt in compartments with a rose or a musical instrument at center turn-ins with gilt arches roll Culot 18 green endpapers all edges gilt. 147 FINE ILLUSTRATIONS AFTER DESIGNS BY JEAN-JACQUES-FRANÇOIS LE BARBIER: three engraved title pages four vignettes 66 tailpieces and 74 leaves of plates including frontispiece portrait of Gessner engraved by Alix Baquoy Dambrun de Longueil et al. ALL IN FIRST STATE those in volumes I and III with original tissue guards. A Large Paper Copy. Cohen-de Ricci 433; Ray 39. For the binding: Culot "Jean Claude Bozerian" roulette #18. ◆Just a hint of rubbing to upper joint of first volume small indent to front cover of volume II occasional mostly marginal mild foxing more frequent in volume II but QUITE A FINE SET clean and fresh internally with beautiful impressions of the engravings and enormous margins in lustrous bindings with few signs of wear.<br/> <br/> This is a sumptuous set approaching 20 inches tall that epitomizes the best in 18th century French book arts: a Large Paper Copy of a book that in Ray's opinion "represents one of the happiest of all collaborations between artist and writer"--all of this in a graceful binding by the preeminent Paris atelier of the day. Gessner 1730-88 was a painter and poet from Zurich who hoped to renew the ancient genre of the eclogue. In his imagined neoclassical world all the shepherdesses are beautiful virtuous and sensitive and the shepherds are always honest and respectful. This struck a chord with illustrator Jean-Jacques-François Le Barbier 1738-1826 who wrote in the dedication "the charm of Gessner's poems filled my imagination and transported it to the happy centuries of the world's innocence." It also inspired him to collaborate with Gessner on this present work. Le Barbier 1738-1826 was one of the first great French neoclassical illustrators and this work is both an important early success in that style and in Ray's words the "most sustained and accomplished series of illustrations" by the artist. Most of Le Barbier's designs for this work are set in the classical world--the exception being "Le Mort d'Abel" based on the story of Cain and Abel in the Bible. There are nymphs fauns and other fantastical creatures mingling with humans in bucolic settings. While Le Barbier illustrates many love scenes they are romantic and wistful rather than passionate; he was a master of nudes but those depicted here seem innocent rather than erotic. As Ray says "Le Barbier's emphasis is on simplicity and naturalness. We are in a different world from the witty gallantry and sophisticated sentiment of the rococo pastoral illustrations." The engravings are characterized by the clarifying use of softly radiant light and by a restrained animation and the book as a whole is "a work of harmonious distinction which admirably realizes the ideals of its author and illustrator." Ray The elegant binding by Bozerian is notable for its refinement and it continues the motif of noble simplicity set by author and illustrator. Jean-Claude Bozerian 1762-1840 was the elder of the Bozerian brothers François is referred to as "le jeune" and was active in Paris from 1795 to about 1810. He began his career in Lyon as an apprentice bookseller printer and bookbinder eventually deciding to focus on the latter craft. Marriage to the widow of binder Pierre Boulier allowed him to establish a binding workshop in Paris where he was joined by his brother. His bindings were soon much in demand by French bibliophiles who appreciated their superior materials tasteful design and flawless execution. A rich man by age 50 he decided to retire and enjoy his leisure turning his business over to his nephew Lefebvre. Gessner's "Oeuvres" typically appears in quarto; Large Paper Copies like this one are very rare especially with all of the plates in first state which according to Cohen-de Ricci is recognizable by the lack of numbering to the plates and their appearance on bluish paper. It would seem next to impossible to imagine a book with margins as wide as are seen here. Chez l'Auteur, V[eu]ve Hérissant et Barrois, l'aîne unknown
1795ST20614Venice: Giuseppe Orlandelli 1795. Fourth Edition. 180 x 114 mm. 7 x 4 5/8". 154 pp 1 leaf. <br/> Pedestrian 19th century half vellum over pink marbled paper boards smooth spine with old ink lettering. WITH 16 ENGRAVED PLATES SHOWING MAGIC TRICKS and numerous diagrams in the text. Tomash & Williams A56; Riccardi I 15. Marbled paper a little chafed title washed first and last leaf a bit soiled and with repairs at inner and outer margins but no text affected half a dozen other leaves with minor repairs or mounted isolated small smudges or corner creases but still an acceptable copy of a book expected to be found in poor shape--the text clean the impression of the engravings crisp and the binding solid.<br/> <br/> This is a pleasing copy of a rather scarce collection of mathematical puzzles magic tricks and illusions abounding with illustrations and diagrams. Our author Bolognese architect and engineer Giuseppe Antonio Alberti 1712-68 had a varied career which is reflected in his literary output: his publications discuss civil engineering pyrotechnics mathematics and factories among other topics. Described by Tomash and Williams as "the type of book that mischievous uncles like to own" the present work begins with a study of amusing and unusual arithmetic equations and puzzles before discussing magic tricks and illusions including card tricks dice games and even complex stage illusions involving specialized equipment. These are illustrated with a series of delightful copper engravings with labelled mechanisms sometimes operated by lively little figures or disembodied hands with ruffled sleeves. "Giuochi" was first published in Bologna in 1747 and remained in print for a further 20 years after the present edition. Because this is the kind of book that would have been subjected to uncareful use early editions are difficult to find in the attractive condition seen here. Giuseppe Orlandelli unknown
1717ST20754Lyon: Chez Anisson et Posuel 1717. Second Edition. 197 x 125 mm. 7 3/4 x 5". Three volumes. <br/> Pleasing contemporary half calf over paper boards painted to resemble tree calf smooth spines with gilt rules and two citron morocco labels. Attractive woodcut head- and tailpieces throughout WITH 153 ENGRAVED PLATES depicting the scenery flora fauna dress and architecture of locations described. Contemporary ink ownership inscription of De St. George on title page. Brunet V 903; Graesse VII 180. Corners slightly bumped and rubbed joints with just a hint of flaking but the period bindings solid and still extremely attractive survivals. Internally with a handful of quires faintly browned other trivial defects BUT AN UNUSUALLY WELL-PRESERVED SET inside and out.<br/> <br/> This lively narrative of travel at the turn of the 18th century includes a wealth of illustrations and a pleasing period bindings. A professor at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris Joseph Pitton de Tournefort 1656-1708 developed a system of botanical classification that became the standard method until it was superseded by Linnaeus in 1753. He made numerous collecting trips throughout his career; the present work is the record of his most significant voyage through Greece Turkey and along the Black Sea to Armenia and Georgia. The expedition which took place between 1700-02 had been proposed by the Comte du Pontchartrain then Secretary of State in 1699 as both a botanical and commercial endeavor. Tournefort's observations include a wealth of botanical detail but are also a rich source of information about the landscapes and peoples he encountered. He was accompanied on this voyage by German botanist Andreas Gundelsheimer and by the painter Claude Aubriet ca. 1665-1742 who had collaborated with Tournefort on his previous work "Eléments de Botanique." The work of Aubriet a botanical illustrator at the Jardin des Plantes was long appreciated by botanists and laypeople alike for its beauty and accuracy. The detailed depictions of plants here are accompanied by illustrated maps and engravings depicting zoological specimens archaeological sites and the costumes and cultures of the areas visited. The account was published posthumously in 1717 first in Paris and then shortly afterward in the present Lyon edition. The bindings here were never meant to be showy but they have come down to us in a remarkable state of preservation given their pedestrian construction and expected use. Chez Anisson et Posuel unknown
1792ST20535-05Paris: L'imprimerie de Valade fils aîné 1792. 210 x 130 mm. 8 1/4 x 5 1/4". xviii 3 22- 152 pp. Translated by J. Goy. <br/> Publisher's blue paper wrapper flat spine with paper label hand-lettered in ink edges untrimmed three quires UNOPENED. With 14 folding engraved plates. First section with an attractive woodcut headpiece of a pastoral landscape; floral woodcut tailpieces throughout. VD18 11592109 first edition. Front joint cracked joints and spine with apparent chipping first quire thinking about detaching but the volume still intact and retaining much of its fragile antique appeal. The text clean and fresh with the plates being crisp and well preserved.<br/> <br/> In its original paper wrappers this is an exceptionally well-preserved copy of a scarce work on stoves heating and saving wood first printed in Quedlinburg in 1790. Our author Johann Heinrich Sachtleben writes in the introduction that he composed this book on efficient and economical heating in response to increasing wood prices throughout Europe. The 14 engraved plates done in imitation of those in the German edition are particularly appealing. The technical depictions of chimneys and cooking apparatuses are joined by illustrations of stylish heating stoves with artistic decorative elements. This is quite a rare book: OCLC finds no copies in American institutions. And we have been unable to trace any copies of this French edition at auction and only two copies of the German edition. Our copy is distinguished by the state of preservation of its original wrappers assembled by the publisher as a temporary binding using unmatching endleaves repurposed from other volumes never intended to have lasted as the book's binding for well over two centuries. L'imprimerie de Valade, fils aîné unknown
178043258Carlsruhe: im Verlag der Schmiederischen Buchhandlung 1780. No Date 1780s. Period laquered boards with leather spine label. 12mo. XXIV 278; 283 pages. In German. Title translates as “Writings.†Includes 2 different title vignettes 1 on each title page.<br> <br> Goedeke IV 1 488 6. Meyer 108; Dorn 105-107; Holzmann/Bohatta Deutsches Anomymen-Lexikon IV no. 1559. <br> <br> Early printing of Mendelssohn’s second work in which he "began his formulation of a new psychological theory that stressed the autonomy of aesthetics logic and ethics relative to each other." Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions p. 710. <br> <br> Contents:<br> <br> Vol. 1. Vorrede. <br> I. Ueber die Empfindungen.<br> II. Gespräche; <br> <br> Vol. 2. I. Rhapsodie oder Zusätze zu den Briefen über die Empfindungen. <br> II. Ueber die Hauptgrundsätze der schönen Künste und Wissenschaften. <br> III. Ueber das Erhabene und Naive in den schönen Wissenschaften. <br> IV. Ueber die Wahrscheinlichkeit. <br> <br> Also includes bibliographical references.<br> <br> Included within these is a series of writings on aesthetics which influenced Lessing and Schiller with Lessing noting“We have to thank him Mendelssohn for the true theory of mixed sensations.â€<br> <br> Moses Mendelssohn Moses of Dessau; 1729–1786 was a philosopher of the German Enlightenment in the pre-Kantian period early Maskil and a renowned Jewish figure in the 18th century. Mendelssohn was fluent in German and Hebrew and learned Latin Greek English French and Italian. His early teachers were young broadly educated Jews and he met the writer and dramatist G.E. Lessing 1754 and a deep and lifelong friendship developed between them. Throughout his life he worked as a merchant while carrying out his literary activities and widespread correspondence in his free time. In 1754 Mendelssohn began to publish – at first with the assistance of Lessing – philosophical writings and later also literary reviews. <br> He also started a few literary projects for example the short-lived periodical Kohelet Musar in order to enrich and change Jewish culture and took part in the early Haskalah. In 1763 he was awarded the first prize of the Prussian Royal Academy of Sciences for his work Abhandlung über die Evidenz in metaphysischen Wissenschaften "Treatise on Evidence in Metaphysical Knowledge". However when the academy elected him as a member in 1771 King Frederick II refused to ratify its decision. <br> <br> In 1769 he became embroiled in a dispute on the Jewish religion and from then on he confined most of his literary activity to the sphere of Judaism. His most notable and enduring works in this area included the translation into German and commentary on the Pentateuch Sefer Netivot ha-Shalom "Book of the Paths of Peace" 1780–83 and his Jerusalem: oder Ueber religiöse Macht und Judenthum "Jerusalem or On Religious Power and Judaism" 1783 this work the first polemical defense of Judaism in the German language and one of the pioneering works of modern Jewish philosophy. <br> <br> An active intermediary on behalf of his own people in difficult times and a participant in their struggle for equal rights he was at the same time a forceful defender of the Enlightenment against the opposition to it which gained strength toward the end of his life. In the midst of a literary battle against one of the leading figures of the counter-Enlightenment he died in 1786 EJ. <br> <br> SUBJECTS: Philosophy -- Early works to 1800. Philosophie -- Ouvrages avant 1800. Philosophy. OCLC: 1352546328. <br> <br> Light wear to original boards more so at spine but solid and attractive light spotting as expected About Very Good- Condition an attractive 18th Century copy. B KH-10-31. Carlsruhe: im Verlag der Schmiederischen Buchhandlung unknown
179911699<p>Printed for and sold by A. Taylor & W. Meyler. Bath. 1799. A fine and bright example of this rare map. 17.3 x 17.2 inches. Hand coloured. Paper watermarked 1797. Loosely folded into four but with no damage to the creases or edges. A remarkable survivor in such nice condition. Loosely housed in a modern marbled paper covered drop top box. ---- William Smith created his first geological map around Bath in 1799 widely regarded as the beginning of modern geological mapping and this was the map he used.</p> Printed for and sold by A. Taylor & W. Meyler. Bath. 1799
17789147London: Printed for T. Payne at the Mews-Gate 1778. First Tyrwhitt edition. 5 volumes 8vos 310 318 320 336 and 290pp. Contemporary tree calf red spine labels with gilt lettering. Spines dry toned and with a few cracks and chipping at caps. Joints rubbed upper joint in vol 1 cracked but holding. Few contemporary shelving numbers on front pastedowns contemporary inscription to verso of title in vol 1 "Calf leat. Mr. Hodgson." Overall a very good sound set. <br /> <br /> Beautiful 18th century Chaucer which was hailed at the time as the best-edited English classic that had appeared. Tyrwhitt consulted dozens of manuscript versions of Chaucer to put this together in 4 volumes and added a glossary as the 5th volume 3 years later. This set in an untouched period tree calf binding and scarce thus. . Printed for T. Payne at the Mews-Gate unknown
