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H Ü NER SDOR FF
HÜNER SDOR FF R A R E BOOK S
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Cheltenham GL50 2LX
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Images reproduced in this catalogue are not to scale
Cover image adapted from item 195
Frontispiece image item 1; title image item 70
Image at back item 36
HÜNERSDORFF: CATALOGUE 24
CATALOGUE 24
a selection of
Antiquarian Books, Manuscripts, Drawings & Photographs
H Ü NER SDOR FF
Cheltenham
An African slave in colonial Peru
1 (Peru) Alarcón, Pedro de. Carta de Venta (sale contract)
Manuscript in ink on paper. 2 pages of closely written text
penned in brown ink in a fine chancery hand. Small folio.
Los Reyes (Lima), 12 March 1550. Signed at end. In excellent original condition. £2500
An early Spanish colonial document legalizing the sale of a twenty year
old negro slave, Pedro de Canova, to one Diego de Herrera, constable in
the Royal Audiencia (alguacil menor) of Peru, for the price of 225 pesos
de oro (gold pesos). Signed at the end by Martín de Alarcón, capitan
conquistador, the owner and vendor of the slave. Alarcón hailed from
Trujillo in Estremadura, a poor southwestern province of Spain, birthplace of many of the great conquistadores: the Pizarro brothers, Pedro
de Almagro, Francisco de Orellana,Vasco Nuñes de Balboa and Hernan
Cortès all sought fame and fortune in the ‘Indies’. Alarcón is known to
have joined the armada sent to Panama by Gonzalo Pizarro in 1546 to
intercept the imperial delegate Pedro de La Gasca; he later resided in
Cuzco - cf: Vicente Navarro del Castillo, La epopeya de la raza Extremeña
en India: conquistadores, evangelizadores y colonizadores (Mérida 1978). African slaves were increasingly imported during the early colonial period to
replace the indigenous Indian labour force that had largely vanished as a
result of disease brought in by the Spaniards and the harsh labour conditions imposed by them. Slaves served as construction workers, soldiers,
body guards and personal retainers.
A rare survival of a slave trade document of this period.
Trade prohibited
2 Albert & Isabel Archdukes of the Spanish Netherlands
(1600-1633). Ordinantie ende Placcaet Van De Eertshertogen,
Inhoudende diversche poincten by hunne Hoocheden geordineert
ende gheresolveert, tot meerder verclaringhe ende onderhoudinghe van hunne interdictie, ende verboden van alle coopmanshandel met hunne Vyanden ende Rebellen, ende de verclaringe
daer naer gheuvolcht. Brussels, Rutger Velpius, 1600. 4to.
[8]p. Title in roman letter with crowned archiducal woodcut arms between female shield bearers upholding the
chain of the order of the Golden Fleece. Text printed in
fraktur type. Ornamental woodcut at end. Unbound as issued; margins untrimmed. £450
An early ordinance issued by the joint rulers of the Spanish Netherlands,
Archduke Albert and his wife Archduchess Isabel, popularly known as
‘the Archdukes’, forbidding trade between the rebels in the Southern
Netherlands and the Dutch United Provinces in the North. The main
commodities mentioned are fish, butter and cheese. The civil unrest was
in support of the war being waged by the Dutch against King Philip IV
of Spain.
Not listed in Goldsmith or Kress catalogues.
3 Alcedo, Antonio de. Diccionario geográfico-histórico de las
Indias occidentales ó America: es á saber: de los reynos del Perú,
Nueva España, Tierra Firme, Chile, y Nuevo Reyno de Granada.
Con la descripción de sus provincias, naciones, ciudades, villas,
pueblos, rios, montes... Madrid, Benito Cano, Manuel Gonzales & Blas Roman, 1786-1789. 5 volumes in 8vo. I: [2]
+ xiv + 791 + [1 blank]p; II: [2]f + 636p; III: [2]f + 496 +
7 + [1 blank]p; IV: [1]f + 609 + [1 blank]p; V: [2]f + 461
+ [3] + 186p. Near-contemporary Spanish marbled sheep;
backstrips gilt with title labels; lightly rubbed.
£4850
First edition of this great encyclopaedia of the geography, history and
culture of late colonial Spanish America. Volume I includes 2 subscribers’ lists totalling 10 pages; volume 3 contains at the end ‘Resumen de
los reynos y provincias en que está dividida la América Española’ (7f ), a
summary of the administrative structure of Spanish America’; the last
part of volume 5, ‘Vocabulario de las voces provinciales de la America’
(186p), is a dictionary of words used in Spanish America including geographical terms and names of plants, birds and other animals peculiar to
the region. The compiler was colonel of a Spanish regiment of guards
and a royal academician. An English translation by G. A. Thompson
was published 1812-1815. 2 early collectors’ stamps in blank margins of
half-titles and titles, volume 4 without half-title; generally an attractive,
fresh set from the collection of Enrique Fitte with bookplate inside front
covers.
Leclerc 22; Palau 6029; Sabin 682.
4 Alciati, Andrea. Duello dello eccellentissimo, e clarissimo
giurisconsulto M.Andrea Alciato fatto di Latino Italiano a commune utilitˆ. Tre consigli appresso della materia medesima
uno de’l detto Alciato, gl’altri de lo eccellentissimo e clarissimo giurisconsulto M.Mariano Socino. Con due tavole,
l’una contenente i capi de’ duello de l’Alciato. L’altra copiosamente contenente tutte le materie de’il duello, e de
li co[n]sigli. Venice, Comin de Trino di Monferrato, 1552.
8vo. 96 + [7] f. Without last blank. Italic letter. Vellum.
£650
Learned treatise on the niceties of duelling by the Milanese lawyer Andrea Alciati (1492-1550) who was quick to exploit the wide interest created by Castiglione’s ‘Courtier’, publishing a number of books on related
subjects. The book also treats military law and the ordinance of chivalry.
Alciati is best known for his emblem books which became a great fashion. Early ownership signature partially erased by an old hand; inside
front cover the manuscript presentation entry: ‘Ad uso d Giaco: Alfonso
Ru: Institutore dell Accademica de gli sfortunati de Bergamo’. From the
collection of the noted Italian-Argentine bibliophile Mario Pedro Arata
with his signature and name stamp inside front cover.
Cockle 871 (note); Index Aureliensis 102.983; Levi & Gelli 106; Thimm 5.
5 Aleman, Mateo. Vida y hechos del Picaro Guzman de Alfarache. Antwerp, widow of H. Verdussen, 1736. 2 volumes
in 8vo. I: [8]f including engraved title+ 299p + [2]f; II: [8]f
+ 396p + [2]f. Half calf; rebacked. £550
The tale of Guzman, the ingenious rogue, is the prototype of the picaresque novel which is Aleman’s main claim to fame. The story enjoyed
instant success when its first part appeared in 1599. The work was pirated and even spuriously continued because of the great demand for
it. The genuine second part was first published in 1605. Translations
into French, Italian, German, Portuguese, English, Dutch, and Latin followed, but Aleman was deprived of its financial benefits. Ironically he
had paved the way for Cervantes’s Don Quijote, also published in 1605
which resulted in a sharp decline of the sale of Guzman. The present
edition is a re-issue of the first Verdussen edition without the plates. Two
margins strengthened, otherwise a good set.
Palau 6709; Peeters-Fontainas 36.
6 André, Edouard. Traité général de la composition des parcs
et jardins. Paris, G. Masson, 1879. 4to. viii + 888p. With
9 chromolithograph plates (1 double-page) from designs
by the author and 520 wood-engravings in text. Original
cloth, gilt title on spine and front cover; lightly worn.
£450
The magnum opus of one of the great landscape architects of the latter
half of the 19th century, and first professor of the faculty at the Ecole
d’Horticulture de Versailles. From 1860 André had been instrumental
as a horticulturist and garden designer under Baron Haussmann and
Adolphe Alphand; the work is dedicated to the latter. He was one of
the first in his profession to travel widely, and received commissions in
Europe (including England - Sefton Park, Liverpool), North and South
America and Russia. It was André who pioneered the culture of exotic plants for the Paris parks, that had so impressed William Robinson
during his stay in 1867. The work is an extensive treatise on the art and
practice of garden design illustrated by diagrams, and examples from all
over the world. The attractive chromolithographs include the author’s
plans for Sefton Park, Parc de la Chassagne on the Côte d’Or and Parc
de la Motte-Farchat on the Loire. A well preserved copy, some very light
marginal foxing.
8 Arata, Giulio U. L’architettura arabo-normano e il rinascimento in Sicilia. Milan, Bestetti e Tumminelli, 1914. Large
folio. [2] + xii + 30 + [2]p. with photographic title page,
red lettering, and 120 plates, most photographic, and including 3 chromolithographs of mosaic tiling, numerous
photographic illustrations and plans in introductory text.
Publisher’s cloth with ties, title on cover, the contents loose
as issued. £450
A magnificent volume with fine contemporary photographs. The Arab
legacy is paramount in the architecture of the great cathedrals, palaces
and pavilions of Palermo and Monreale, though smaller towns are also
represented. The photographs are particularly striking for the dimension
of vista they embrace (the whole exterior arcaded apse of Monreale,
close up; three sides of the cloister garden of S.Giovanni degli eremiti).
Two plates illustrate La Ziza, the exquisite 12th century garden pavilion
in the former royal park with fine mosaics, ‘chadar’ (water stair) and
canals. The scenes evoke the unspoilt charm that enticed 19th and early
20th century travelers to Sicily. Corrado Ricci has supplied the preface.
Generally well preserved, occasional toning in margin edges.
Early travels to the River Plate region
7 Angelis, Pedro de (editor) Coleccion de obras y documentos
relativos a la historia antigua y moderna de las provincias del
Rio de la Plata, ilustrados con notas y disertaciones. Buenos
Aires, Imprenta del Estado, 1836-1837. 6 volumes in folio.
Quarter sheep, marbled boards. £4500
First edition of the most comprehensive collection of early travel accounts relating to the River Plate region, the principal work of Pedro
de Angelis (1784-1859), Neapolitan scholar, educator, and journalist,
who came to Argentina in 1827 at the invitation of the liberal reforming
President Bernardino Rivadavia. (He founded the Colegio Argentino and
edited three influential journals: La Gaceta Mercantil, Archivo Americano &
Espiritu de la Prensa del Mundo).
Angelis was able to draw on original source material from his unique
collection of books and manuscripts on the subject, unequalled at the
time, and his impressive edition was printed under the auspices and at
the expense of the Buenos Aires government. His staunch support of the
dictatorship of General Rosas is reflected in the long dedication at the
beginning of volume I. All sections are separate entities with their own
title-pages. A general index with details of the 68 parts is contained at the
end of the last volume. Volumes 5 & 6 with traces of waterstaining, occasional slight imperfections in margins, but generally a well preserved,
complete set with the contemporary ownership signatures ‘Manuel A.
de Aguirre’ and ‘Manuel Hermengildo de Aguirre’ on front fly leaves: a
distinguished provenance, as the lawyer, economist and successful entrepreneur Aguirre (1763-1843), played a pivotal role in the post-independence development of Argentina. He served as Minister of Finance to first
president, Bernardino Rivadavia, and later to dictator Manuel de Rosas;
as Chairman of the National Bank he concluded a controversial deal
with Baring Brothers. This work was not seen by either Palau (12491:
‘Coleccion preciosa’) or Sabin (1537: ‘most important collection’) judging by their faulty and defective entries. (Collation available on request).
Item 9
Tricks of a Roman Courtesan
9 Aretino, Pietro. Coloquio de las Damas; Agora nuevamente
corregido y emendado, traduzido por el beneficiado Fernan Xuarez vezino y natural de Sevilla. [Seville]1607. 12mo. 141
+[1blank]p. Early 19th century green morocco with elaborate gilt borders (by F.Koehler); edges gilt; later gilt supralibros of Isidoro Fernandez in centre covers. £2250
A rare Spanish translation of the Ragionamenti, or Whores’ Dialogues,
rendered from the Italian by the Seville theologian Fernan Xuarez, who
selected the notorious third ‘day’ of the first part, where Lucrecia, a Roman courtesan, relates her experience and describes the tricks she used
to become famous. As the Spanish Inquisition had immediately proscribed the 1547 and 1548 versions, the present impression was published
anonymously to avoid prosecution. In his extensive prologue the translator points to the moral of the transitory nature of earthly pleasures, and
explains that the purpose of his contribution to ‘profane’ literature is to
reveal to blind youth the abyss which lies ahead of them if they choose
the downward path. Three 22-line verses have been added at the end of
this printing.
A fine copy bound for Charles Nodier (1780-1844), French romantic
writer and bibliophile, by F.Koehler, one of the best period craftsmen,
and Nodier’s favourite binder. With bookplates of Charles Nodier, I.F.
J.Charle de Tyberchamps, Isidore Fernandez, etc.
Top edges lightly shaved. Palau 16000 (listing this copy); Salva 1708; Heredia 2702 (the great rarity of all Spanish editions is stressed.
C.Ramsden, French bookbinders,p113; see also: P.Culot, Reliures et reliures
décorées en France a l’époque romantique (Bruxelles 1995).
10 Argentina. Martir o Libre. Num. 1. Domingo 29 de Marzo
de 1812. [Buenos Aires, Imprenta de Niños Expósitos, 1812]
8vo. 8 pages. Wrappers. £300
Number One of an early Argentine Independence weekly newspaper
printed at the Foundlings’ Press, which terminated on 25th May 1812
with a total of nine numbers issued. The editor, Monteagudo, was an enthusiastic supporter of the Independence movement, calling for a complete break with Spain. This first issue contains references to a mediation
attempt by the British government between Spain and her American colonies. A light waterstain in top margins, otherwise clean.
Furlong IV, no 12867, pp421-22; Palau 156409 records a facsimile reprint.
Brussels & Ghent botanic gardens
11 Baltet, Charles. L’horticulture en Belgique, son enseignement ses institutions, son organisation officielle. Paris, Victor
Massin et fils, MDCCCLXX (1865). 4to. [2] + 184 p. With 7
partly coloured lithograph plates. Contemporary marbled
boards, morocco spine with gilt title, a little rubbed at corners. £485
A survey of contemporary Belgian horticulture, amongst the most advanced in its methods at the time. There are detailed descriptions of
the two important schools of Vilvorde and Gendbrugge with their curricula, information on horticultural societies and and their work both
in Belgium and abroad, also notes on botanic gardens and horticultural
journals. The fine lithographs show how the schools and botanic gardens are laid out. There is a view and plan of the botanic gardens at
Brussels and Ghent and a delightful illustration of the huge Ambroise
Verschaffelt nursery with gardeners at work and visitors selecting plants.
The Ghent area saw a ‘spectacular expansion of horticulture’ during the
nineteenth century, and it became a world centre for the cultivation of
the camellia and the azalea’ (Oxford Companion to Gardens’, 1986, p49).
Charles Baltet was a distinguished French horticulturist from Troyes.
Contemporary brown ink signature on endpaper. A handsome volume
with wide margins, scarcely visible small waterstain at edge of one or
two early leaves.
Author’s signed presentation copy
12 B[eroald]o B[ianchi[n]i, N[atal]is von. Auflösung des
wichtigen Problems, die Percussions-Schlösser auch in der Armee
einzuführen. Vienna: Carl Gerold, 1837. 8vo. [24] p + 1
partially hand-coloured lithographed folding plate with
7 illustrations by C. Paulizza, dated 1837. Original green
publisher’s boards, edges gilt; lightly rubbed in places. £350
A memoir by the director of the Imperial handgun factory at Vienna
explaining various technical problems with percussion locks which had
to be solved before they could be adopted by the Austrian army.
General von Beroaldo Bianchini (1779-1854) , inventor and designer,
made numerous improvements in gunnery, and wrote a standard service
manual on the subject for the Austrian army published in 1829.
A fresh copy with author’s presentation to G. Fontana with his autograph inscription ‘G. Fontana Dono del Generale Beroaldo’ in top margin of inside front cover.
Anthology on the female breast
13 (Curiosa) Blanco, Gerardo (pseudonym for Peratoner,
Amancio). El seno de las mujeres. Obra rarísima y en estremo
curiosa, única en su género, y que contiene … todo cuanto se ha
dicho antaño y ogaño, en elogio de los pechos de la mujer … y
finalmente, los medios mas seguros, para su completa conservacion; y mantenimiento de su hermosura. Barcelona, José Miret,
1878. 8vo. 227p + [5]f including index and publisher’s advertisements. Half cloth. £250
An anthology of mostly French and Spanish literary comments on the
female breast. The author discusses moral aspects of allowing public exposure and the legitimacy of women permitting their lovers to touch
their breasts. Chapter VI is a comparative study of the finest breasts
among European nations with digressions on nunneries and negresses. Chapter VIII discusses false breasts, whereas chapter X describes the
pleasures of lactation quoting a case history of a wet-nurse. The publisher’s advertisements are of similar works by the author, whom Palau
identifies as Amancio Peratoner, a prolific writer on erotic aspects of
social history, without listing the present work.
Seminal artillery handbook
14 Blondel [François]. L’Art de jetter les bombes. Paris, François Le Cointe for the author & Nicolas Langlois, 1683. 4to.
Engraved title + [4]f + 445p + [9]f including errata leaf. Title with vignette of a bomb about to explode with descriptive legend, over 130 diagrams and textual engravings (22
full-page), 10 tables (4 full-page), attractive vignette at each
of the four chapter headings, ornamental floral tail-pieces
throughout. Contemporary marbled calf; backstrip gilt;
lightly restored.
£1850
The rare first edition of this seminal artillery handbook based on Galilei’s doctrine of a trajectory as a parabola, and the earliest application of
this theory to military science. Arranged in four parts, the book begins
with a general discussion of the theories advocated by Galilei, Tartaglia,
Ufano, Collado, Rivaut de Flurance, Siemienowski, Elrich and Cassini.
The second part describes a number of instruments and sinus tables to
facilitate the task of the bombardier. The third part is devoted to tra-
jectory theory, and the final section addresses practical problems in the
application of these theories. Blondel, an architect and military engineer,
was quartermaster general, inspector of public works in Paris, and tutor
to the Dauphin. He also taught mathematics at the French Academy of
Sciences. His manuscript was presented to Louis XIV in 1675, but publication was delayed for eight years for fear it might profit the enemy. It
served as the basic text for the newly formed French Bombardier Company, and was often re-printed and translated. The fine engraved illustrations are by Jean-Baptiste Broebes, engraver and architect, a pupil of Jean
Marot (cf.Thieme-Becker V: 44); the frontispiece and 2 plates are signed
by him. A tall, well preserved copy; edges of tailend blank margins of last
quire with isolated light waterstain.
An 18th century manuscript note in blank title margin states that this
book was donated by brigadier Filippi to the Capuchin library at Racconiggi in 1775.
Jähns 1240-1242; Riling 180; Spaulding & Karpinski 187; Goldsmith
(1203) lists an 1685 imprint as the earliest edition held by the British Library; Kiely, Surveying Instruments, 113; Lipperheide (Ra3) lists 1699 edition giving date of first edition in error as 1689.
Illustrated guide to Strassburg Minster
15 Boehm, François Joseph. Description nouvelle de la Cathedrale de Strasbourg et de sa fameuse Tour. Strasbourg, Simon Kürsner, 1743. 12mo. [8] + 133 + [7]p. Title in red
& black. With 10 engraved illustrations (lettered A-K), of
which 4 are folding by A. Dannegger and 2 tables in text,
ornate decorative tail-pieces, printer’s ornaments and initial capitals throughout. Contemporary vellum boards.
£485
An attractive early 18th century illustrated guide to the Strassburg Minster, one of the wonders of medieval gothic architecture, compiled from
various German sources. The plates show the ground plan, an overall
view, the ornate portal, treasures of the cathedral and its famous astronomical clock. There is a 5-page appreciation of Johann Mentelin
(f.1458-78), the first Strassburg printer,buried in the minster. (Mentelin
issued the 49-line Latin Bible in 1460, and the first Bible printed in German in 1466). Goethe first saw the Minster in 1770 as a university student
and was so overwhelmed by its architectural splendour that he dedicated
a monograph to the cathedral and its architect Erwin von Steinbach in
1773, which became a source of inspiration for Gothic revivalism.(Von
deutscher Baukunst). The cathedral tower was the highest building in the
world until the 2nd half of the 19th century. A very good copy.
Early 18th century handbook on opthalmology
16 Boerhaave, Herman. Praelectiones publicae de morbis
oculorum ... addita est Dissertatio anatomica de tunica oculi choroidea. Joannis Sigismundus Leincker. Venice, Antonio
Bortoli, 1752. Small 8vo. 240 + xvi + 87p. With 2 folding
plates at end. Contemporary mottled calf; backstrip gilt.
£550
Boerhaave’s only work on ophthalmology, here in the second enlarged
Venetian edition. This influential textbook, based on a series of public
lectures given in 1708, includes information on the lacrymal ducts and
glands, the retina and cornea, amaurosis, ophthalmia, conjunctivitis,
night blindness, myopia, presbyopia and hallucinations. It was particularly important in disseminating the new ideas on the nature and location of cataracts as propounded by Brisseau (1631-1717) and Maître Jean
(1650-1730), ideas which were supported by Boerhaave’s own observations. Two chapters describe the use of opthalmological instruments,
and the 22 engraved figures show the workings of the eye in defective
vision and in corrected sight. Also contained in this edition is an addional
dissertation on the choroid membrane by Johann Siegmund Leincker
(1724-1788). As well as a detailed description of the nature and function
of the membrane, the dissertation includes much general information
on the blood vessels, ducts, glands and nerves of the eyeball and on several eye conditions. Intermittant browning owing to poor paper quality,
otherwise a sound copy.
Blake, p55. Leincker only Wellcome III, p 483. This edition not in Osler,
Waller.
Author’s signed presentation copy to an Argentine novelist
With 4 additional short stories
17 Borges, Jorge Luis. Historia universal de la infamia. Buenos Aires, Editorial Tor, 1935. Small 4to. 139 + [5]p. Publisher’s wrappers; front cover with author and title imprint
in black and blue within blue line border; partly uncut.
£4500
18 Borges, Jorge Luis. El Aleph (Segunda Edicion). Buenos
Aires, Editorial Losada, S.A., 1952. 8vo. 157 + [1 blank]p
+ [1]f index.Title in red and black. Publishers wrappers;
frontcover with pictorial design and with title in red. £650
First edition of Borges’ first published work of fiction. It marks the beginning of his quest for a new genre to be known as ‘magic realism’. The
distorted stories about known figures of notoriety were originally serialized in the coloured supplement of the weekly paper Critica. Borges falsified the tales of others, describing his stories as ‘pointedly picturesque
narrative exercises’. With source and content indexes at end. Author’s
presentation copy with signed autograph dedication in ink on recto of
flyleaf: ‘Para Raquel Adler, cordialmente Georgie’. An interesting literary association copy: the Argentine poetess Mar’a Raquel Adler (born
1901), was an early friend of Borges who was known to intimates and
family as ‘Georgie’, an anglicisation of ‘Jorge’. Adler’s published works
include Revelación (1922), Místicas (1923), Cánticos de Raquel (1925), La
Divina Tortura (1927), De Israel a Criollo (1933), Pan bajado del cielo (1934),
Buenos Aires, ciudad y poesía (1936), Sonetas de Dios (1937), Canción del
hombre y la ola (1938), Nuestra Señora de Luján (1938), El Libro de los siete
sellos (1940), Llave del cielo (1943), and Veneración (1950). Wrappers with
minimal traces of wear only, some light foxing at beginning and end,
otherwise a very good copy, partially uncut and unopened.
Becco 25; Helft pp42, 151, 156, 159, 163, 166, 176, 192.
Enlarged second edition of this collection of inventive short stories
about the author’s home city Buenos Aires, which represent the very
best of Borges the writer. The four additional contributions are : ““Abenjacán el Bojarí”, “Muerto en laberinto”, “Los dos reyes y los dos laberintos”; “La espera”; and “El hombre en el umbral”. In very good condition;
minimal signs of wear only. Becco 38.
First Latin translations of two major works : (1) The Origine of Formes and
Qualities, According to the Corpuscular Philosophy, Illustrated by Considerations and Experiments, (first published Oxford 1666), a treatise on elemental comprehension which, according to Fulton, prepared the ground for
Newton’s researches into white light. Some of Boyle’s ideas were later
used for kinetic theories of gases; and: (2) Of the Reconcileableness of Specific Medicines to the Corpuscular Philosophy. To which is annexed a Discourse
about the Advantages of the Use of Simple Medicines (first published London,
1685), the very popular medical remedies. Some light foxing owing to
the quality of the paper, a light waterstain in right margin of latter part
of volume, otherwise sound and clean.
Cinti 147. Poggendorff I, 240. Riccardi I, 159. Roberts & Trent, Bibliotheca Mechanica, pp39-40.
21 Brand, Cha[rle]s. Journal of a voyage to Peru: a passage
across the cordillera of the Andes, in the winter of 1827, performed on foot in the snow; and a journey across the pampas.
8vo. xvii + [1 blank] + [2]f + 346p. With 4 uncoloured aquatint plates, one serving as frontispiece plate (included in
pagination of preliminaries), engraved by C. Rosenberg after drawings by the author. Contemporary calf, spine gilt;
joints restored. £585
Aragonese Naples
19 Borja, Francisco de. Napoles recuperada por el Rey Don
Alonso; Poema Heroico. Antwerp, Plantin-Moretus, 1658.
4to. xxiv + 398 + [2] p. Roman letter. Some ornamental
woodcuts and vignettes in text. Printer’s device on title.
Half calf, gilt. £500
An epic poem in twelve cantos. ‘Naples Recovered’ describes the mid15th century conquest of Naples by Alfonso V of Aragon, an ancestor of
the author. The work was first published in Zaragossa in 1651. Francisco
de Borja y Esquilache (1582-1658), a distinguished civil servant, enjoyed
some reputation as a writer of lyrical poetry. During his term as Viceroy
of Peru (1615-21), he founded the University of San Marcos and fostered
trade and industries. Some light foxing in places, otherwise a well preserved crisp copy.
Heredia 54444; Peeters-Fontainas 139. Salvá 596.
20 Boyle, Robert. Origo formarum et qualitatum iuxta philosophiam corpuscularem consderationibus & experimentis
illustrata. Bound with: De specificorum remediorum cum corpusculari philosophia concordia. Cui accessit Dissertatio de varia simplicium medicamentorum utilitate et usu. Geneva, S. de
Tournes, 1687. 2 works in one volume. Small 4to. I: [16]
f + 147p. Printer’s device on title; II: [4]f + 64p. Printer’s
mark on title. Contemporary vellum. £550
First edition. A British naval officer’s evocative account of a stormy winter crossing of the Andes he made by mule and on foot in 1827. Brand
travelled to Peru via Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and Buenos Aires. His
journal comments on the Rio’s slave market (pp12-15), the botanical
gardens and social life (including a detailed description of the imperial
family), Pampa Indians, ladies of Santiago de Chile and Lima, a bullfight
at Mendoza, the black washerwomen of Buenos Aires, South American
houses, etc. He also visited the Juan Fernández islands. The appendix
comprises detailed climatic observations and critical reports of Andean posthouses. Two of the plates represent an ascent and a descent in
the snow, the others show coach travellers with relays of horses racing
through the pampas, and a lady of Lima in her walking dress. A German
translation appeared in the same year. Occasional light traces of waterstaining in inner top edges of margins, otherwise internally a clean copy
with a few signs of usage only.
Abbey 724; Borba de Moraes 119; Hill 362; Palau 34445; Sabin 7388.
A collection of medical doctoral theses
presented at Buenos Aires University
22 Buenos Aires. Universidad Nacional. Facultad de Medicina. Tesis. Buenos Aires, 1854-1881. 5 volumes in 8vo.
851p; 965p; 911p; 1193p; 999p. With 26 plates (3 folding).
Contemporary half-calf, gilt; lightly worn.
£650
A collection of 62 doctoral theses presented in the Medical Faculty of
the University of Buenos Aires, many with autograph presentation inscription by the author to Dr Fernando Sotuyo, later a director of the
National Hospital inaugurated in 1889. The period covered by the collection coincides with the devastating cholera and yellow fever epidemics
of the late 1860ies and early 1870ies caused by massive immigration and
the after effects of the Paraguayan War with Brazil.
Subjects include: the diseases of Buenos Aires, clinical surgery, yellow
fever (in 1871 Buenos Aires was swept by an epidemic which killed some
twenty thousand people), external aneurism, ophthalmology, urology,
hospital hygiene, puerperal fever, asthma, premature birth, indigestion,
gangrene in foundlings, prison hygiene, venereal disease, cremation, homoeopathy, hiccup, and the climate of the northern province of Jujuy.
A good set.
Item 22
Signed hand-painted carved Gauchesco Binding
Royal prizes for Art & Architecture
23 Campo, Estanislao del. Impresiones del gaucho Anastasio
el Pollo en la representación de esta opera. Ilustraciones de Eleodoro F.Marenco. Buenos Aires, Peuser 1943. 4to. Lx + [6]
+ 111 + [1] + 29 + [1 blank] p + [16]f. Title in red and black
with embossed vignette of gaucho; 6 coloured illustrations
and 74 charming vignettes of gaucho scenes by Eleodoro
E.Marenco. Preserved in a rustic binding of native woods
with ornamental bamboo border, signed by R.E.Barbano;
front cover decorated with large traced and hand-painted
figure of a gaucho in centre, and with author’s name and
title carved in top and tailend. £650
24 Carlos III (1759-1788) King of Spain. Distribucion de los
Premios concedidos por el Rey nuestro Señor a los Discipulos de
las Nobles Artes, hecha por la Real Academia de San Fernando
en la Junta Pública de 5 de Julio de 1772. Madrid, Joaquin Ibarra [1772]. 4to. [2]f + 88p. Contemporary Spanish mottled
calf; backstrip gilt; edges gilt; hinges worn. £550
Limited de luxe edition of the main work by the gauchesco poet (first
published in 1866) with a comparative commentary on previous editions
by Amado Alonso and fine illustrations in previous editions by Marenco.
This edition is based on the original manuscript held in the collection of
Martiniano Legizamón which is reproduced in facsimile on on 27 pages
followed by the facsimile of the 1866 edition on 14 pages at the end.
Estanislao de Campo (1834-80), is considered one of the three poets that
most profoundly expressed the spirit of the country and the people of
Argentina (the others being Hilario Ascasubi and José Hernández).
Tri-annual report of the proceedings of the Royal Academy of Arts of
San Fernando as from 12th July 1769, beautifully printed by Joaquin Ibarra. The volume comprises an historical account of the Academy established in 1752 by King Fernando VI, recent appointments of honorary
members, and details of the prize-giving to Academy pupils on 5th July
1772. Gold and silver medals were awarded to participants in a set competition for the execution of paintings, sculpture, architecture, and the
engraving of prints and of medals. The tasks to be completed in the
various disciplines are described, and the names, ages, and localities of
the prize-winners are listed. The final section (pp65-88) consists of a catalogue of all existing members of the academy, which operates today as
‘Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando’. A fresh copy from the
libraries of Domenico Marchese di Salsa and John William Ward 1st Earl
of Dudley (1781-1833) with their respective engraved armorial bookplates on front pastedown. The Salsa library was sold by a descendant
directly to Viscount Dudley.
Free trade regulations for Spanish America
25 Carlos III, King of Spain (1759-88). Reglamento y aranceles reales para el comercio libre de España a Indias de 12. de
octubre de 1778. Madrid, Pedro Marin [1778]. Folio. [2] +
19 + [1] + 262p. Engraved frontispiece with royal arms of
Spain. Near-contemporary marbled sheep; gilt.
£950
New Spanish trade concessions to the American colonies and the Philippines removing restrictions on commerce between them and the mother
country. The trade was still to be exclusively confined to Spaniards and
Spanish shipping however, and the tariff was based entirely on the principle of protection to native industry, and of furthering the sale of Spanish goods in preference to all others. Article 5 names the official trading
ports in Spanish America; article 18 stipulates punishments for illegal
importation of foreign goods; articles 48-50 grant especially favourable
conditions to Louisiana in order to increase her population relating to
imports of Spanish and foreign goods and to her export fur trade; article
51 rules the commerce with the Philippines; coffee tariffs are listed on
pp85 and 185. The royal decree on lowering duties on the minting of
gold in Spanish America and its importation into Spain is contained on
pp257-262. Blank tail corners of first leaves lightly waterstained, an insignificant stain in last quire, otherwise a fresh, clean copy.
Goldsmiths’ 11717; Hünersdorff, Coffee: a bibliography, p. 1400; Kress
S.4922; Palau 255843; Sabin 68890.
Maritime Insurance
27 Carlos IV King of Spain (1788-1808). Real Cedula de
S.M. y Señores del Consejo, por la qual se manda llevar á efecto
el establecimiento en la Ciudad de Cadiz de una Compañia de
Seguros Marítimos con el nombre de la Reyna Maria Luisa, baxo
las reglas y condiciones contenidas en el Plan inserto. Seville,
Joseph Velez Bracho, 1800. Folio. [1]f + 11+ [1]p of printed
text + 2 blank leaves with ink manuscript receipt, dated
and signed by two officials. Royal arms with crown and
insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece on title. Stamp
with royal seal on first and last pages of text and at top of
recto of last leaf preceding manuscript notes. £350
Royal decree establishing a company of maritime insurance in the City
of Cadiz under the name of ‘Queen Maria Luisa’, given at Aranjuez, 21st
February 1800. The company rules are set out in 21 printed articles. The
text is followed by the Carta-Orden with official instruction for printing
dated 18th March 1800. The last of the two otherwise blank leaves at
the end contains a manuscript in ink dated 21st April 1800 drawn up by
a notary public confirming receipt of the royal order with signatures of
two officials. Palau 250525.
Re-planting native American species in Spain
26 Carlos III, King of Spain (1759-88). Por Real orden de
14 de Marzo del corriente año me previene el Exmo. Señor D.
José de Galvez Secretario de Estado, y del Despacho Universal
de Indias, lo siguiente. ‘Con la idea de ir propaganda en estos
reynos todos los arboles, y plantas utiles de nuestras Indias, há
destinado el Rey varios parages de las Provincias de España en
que se siembren, y trasplanten quantos vengan de esos dominios… como tambien las plantas medicinales…’ Lima, September 1783. Small folio. [2] leaves with 2 ½ pages of printed
text (water-marked with bull in centre page). Wrappers.
£550
Royal decree of 14th March 1783, re-issued in the viceroyalty of Peru,
ordering that any plant native to the Indies which might be usefully
re-planted in any of the Spanish provinces, including also medicinal
plants, should be taken to Spain in the form of seeds, seedlings or small
trees and should be transported in wooden boxes with good soil in warships, or trading vessels sailing to Spanish ports; the plants should be sent
together with exact instructions as to their properties and conditions for
growing, times of seeding and planting, and all care taken to prevent
loss. Royal officials are to report on any special plants in their administrative district which might be suitable for this purpose. The decree
was implemented by José de Gálves (1720-87), minister for the Indies,
who introduced profound economic and political changes whilst Visitor
General of New Spain (Mexico 1765-72).
Medina, Lima 1552.
Rules for the Spanish navy
28 Carlos IV King of Spain (1788-1808). Ordenanzas generales de la armada naval... Sobre la governacion militar y
marinera de la armada en general, y uso de sus fuerzas en
la mar. Madrid, widow of Joaquin Ibarra & Royal Press,
1793. 2 vols in folio. [3]f + pp3-518 + 50p; [2]f + pp3-574 +
liv p. Each volume with 3 allegorical vignettes engraved by
F[ernando] Selma after A[ntonio] Carnicero. Contemporary mottled sheep; morocco title labels on spines; rubbed;
ends of spines and corners restored. £1850
The code of laws ruling the Spanish navy promulgated 8 March 1793,
signed by the royal secretary Don Antonio Valdés for King Charles IV.
Volume I deals with command structure, ranks and offices: ship surgeon
(pp377-386), pilot, armourer, carpenter, shipwright, sailing master, signaller, diver, and master-gunner; there are sections on naval artillery,
flags and signals, salutes and military honours on board; volume II treats
marine infantry and discipline on board, quartering, military service,
keeping the watch, battle drill, harbour policing, accounts, distribution
of food, pay, and servants. Chapter 7 (pp518-73) is entirely devoted to
the disciplines and economies governing voyages to the Spanish West
and East Indies: warships are to protect commercial vessels; no private
trading is permitted to sailors on pain of dismissal; officers are granted
additional expense allowances (4 months for voyages to the River Plate,
3 months for those to North America); paragraphs 98 & 99 (pp554-55) refer to prevailing jurisdiction in the ports of Havana, Cartagena, Buenos
Aires, Lima, Montevideo and El Callao. Each volume has an appendix
containing a glossary of marginal references and a subject index. According to Navarrete, the editor is the distinguished naval commander,
Josef de Mazarredo Salazar, a native of Bilbao, and author of Rudimen-
tos de táctica naval (1776). A fine impression from the Ibarra press; each
volume is adorned by three allegorical vignettes designed by Antonio
Carnicero (1748-1814), one of the foremost contemporary Spanish artists: title composition with Neptune upholding the arms of Spain and
naval tackle; head-piece of dedication showing Athena pointing to the
Spanish fleet, and a cul-de-lampe with ancre motifs, flags and the royal
standard. Volume I with one small neat repair in blank margins of first
leaves; pp189-196 foxed, a few occasional light traces of usage, otherwise
a well preserved, tall set; occasional contemporary notes in blank margins of volume I.
Barcelona Maritime Museum: Exposición Nacional del Libro del Mar (Barcelona 1943), no 3146; Palau 170842 & 202627 (‘bella edición’).
29 Caro, Annibale. Apologia de gli academici di Bianchi di
Roma, contra M. Lodovico Castelvetro da Modena. Parma,
Seth Viotto, November 1558. Small 4to. 268p + [8]f. Roman & italic. Differing printer’s woodcut devices on title
and at end. Initials and ornaments. Old vellum. £650
First edition. A treatise on the evolution of Italian literature during the
16th century and the main source for one of the famous literary quarrels
of the Renaissance. It contains the author’s reply to Lodovico Castelvetro’s criticism of one of his poems, which is also printed here. Caro (150766) emerged victorious by denouncing Castelvetro as the translator of
Melanchthon for which he was excommunicated and imprisoned. This
is the first issue of the first edition distinguished by an unusual woodcut
printer’s device on the title showing the wheel-lock of a gun with a key
for winding it; the last leaf shows a unicorn device.
Adams C-739; Index Aureliensis 132.465; Gamba 276; Weinberg p277;
Tiraboschi VII, 1152ff.
Model for Letter of Exchange for Frankfurt Easter Bookfair
30 Carpzov, August Benedict (praeses) & Conrad Lübben (respondent). B.C.D.Disputatio Juridica de Cambiis, Von
Wechseln quam permissu magnifici jurisconsultorum Lipsiensium Collegii praeside Dn.Augusto Benedicto Carpzovio, J.U.D. &
Panect. P.P. Facultatis Juridice Assessore ... ad diem XVIII.
Januarii Anno MDCLXXVII. Hora locoque solito. Leipzig,
Andreas Martin Schedius, 1717. 4to. [18]f. Ornamental
head-piece at beginning of text. Wrappers. £250
An inaugural dissertation on the laws on letters of exchange presented
at the legal faculty in Leipzig University on 18th January 1677. The presiding professor, August Benedict Carpzov (1644-1708) was a member of
a distinguished family of Saxon lawyers. Paragraph 47 contains a model
for drafting a letter of exchange in German for use at the Frankfurt Easter Book Fair. Leipzig had an old tradition as a trade city.
Inspired by Jorge Luis Borges
31 (Colombo Press) Carriego, Evaristo. La canción del
barrio. [Buenos Aires, Francisco A. Colombo, 1933]. Small
portfolio containing a suite of 15 engraved plates in the
dry point technique. Illustrated front wrapper serving as
title-page. £950
One of 90 copies printed on soft paper. Edited by Viau and Zona. Enrique Fernández Chelo designed and engraved the dry point plates and
made the impression from the hand-press of the Escuela Superior de
Bellas Artes de la Nación. Evaristo Carriego reflects the colourful street
life of the bohemian parts of Buenos Aires in the early 20th century.
(pp669-699), of biographical detail (pp701-871), and a linguistic glossary
(pp873-877). The maps at the end represent Australia, the Amazon River
and its tributaries, the Antilles and Gulf of Mexico, and the Straits of
Magellan. Occasional isolated toning, folds of maps neatly repaired in
places without loss, otherwise in good condition.
Leclerc 2688; Palau 46394 (‘sumptuous publication’; with faulty collation
of plates).
The teaching of gynaecology in the late Renaissance
33 Castro, Rodrigo de. De universa muliebrium morborum
medicina, novo & antehac ... nemine tentato ordine opus
absolutissimum; et Studiosis omnibus utile, Medicis
vero pernecessarium... Quarta editio auctior et emendatior. Hamburg, Zacharias Hertel, 1662. 2 parts in 1 volume.4to. [8]f + 226p text + [22]f index; (2)f + 1 folding
table + 524p + [22]f. First title in red & black with allegorical engraving. Contemporary vellum over boards.
£950
Evaristo, a minor popular poet and a great conversationalist, had made
a great impression on the young Jorge Luis Borges, whose family lived
in the same part of Buenos Aires. Borges’ life of Carriego (published in
1930) in which he recalls his childhood memories, inspired the present
series. Francisco A. Colombo (1868-1953) was a self-taught craftsman of
great talent. He began as a modest printer who made his own paper in
the rural town of San Antonio de Areco; by the late 1920s he was already
the most accomplished printer in South America producing books of
considerable quality.
32 (Historical autograph letters) Cartas de Indias. Publicadas la primera vez el Ministerio de Fomento. Madrid, Manuel G. Hernandez, 1877. Folio. [3]f including half-title,
title & dedication leaf + 10 [numbered vii-xvi] + 877 +
[1 blank]p + [1] + 67 leaves with facsimiles of 29 letters
+ [1]f + 22 numbered plates + [1] plate + [1 + 1 blank
+ 2]f + 4 maps (3 folding in colour) + [10]p. Contemporary calf, gilt, top edges gilt; worn; preserved in slipcase.
£465
First publication of this selection of outstanding historical autograph
letters relating to Spanish America held in the Spanish national archives.
The contents are transliterated, followed by excellent facsimile reproductions of the originals, many showing the writer’s seal. The selection
begins with letters by Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Bartolomé de las Casas (Apostle of the Indies), and Bernal Díaz del Castillo (Cortés’ chronicler). The remainder are by viceroys, Mexican Indian chiefs, and clerics and lawyers serving in the Americas (one in the
Philippines), writing to Spanish royalty or high government officials. 22
numbered plates reproduce autograph signatures and seals in the same
context; an unnumbered plate contains an illustration from a manuscript showing a Peruvian town and system of mineshafts for storing
Inca treasure. The volume comprises sections with geographical notes
Enlarged and corrected fourth edition of this influential work on gynaecology by the Portuguese Jewish physician Rodrigo de Castro (15461627) who fled from the Inquisition to become one of the earliest Jewish
settlers in Hamburg. Friedenwald (Jewish Luminaries in Medical History,
pp 54-56) calls him “one of the foremost physicians in establishing gynaecology in the Renaissance period”. The first part of this extensive
work treats female anatomy, conception, obstetrics and breast-milk; the
second part, describing female diseases, has a section on those of pregnant women. Lightly browned throughout owing to poor paper quality
but a crisp, sound copy in its original state of preservation.
Krivatsy 2289; Wellcome II, p 312; See Hirsch I, 681.
Austro-Hungarian & Polish military triumphs over Turks
34 Caxa de Leruela, Miguel. Restauración de la abundancia
de España, o prestantísimo, único, y fácil reparo de su carestía
general. Madrid, 1732. 4to. [4]f + 247 + [1 blank]p + [4]
f. Title within typographical border. Contemporary half
sheep, marbled boards; worn. £485
Third edition of this classic work on Spanish economic history. Originally published in Naples in 1631, where the author was a tax official in the
Spanish kingdom of the Two Sicilies, its relevance to 18th century Spain
is nevertheless attested by two editions published in 1731 and 1732. The
author examines the reasons for the economic decline of Spain, deploring in particular the decline of livestock and especially of sheep which
had previously formed an important part of the national wealth, bringing immense revenues to the state. In the author’s opinion, renewed promotion of the raising of livestock would quickly restore Spain to her former wealth and abundance. The present copy is one of those mentioned
by Palau as having 4 preliminary and 4 supplementary leaves, the latter
dealing with the conservation of the so-called ‘Trasumantes’, flocks of
sheep famous for their fine wool. Top margins lightly shaved, otherwise
a good copy with a contemporary ownership entry on title.
Kress 4003; see Palau 50650.
35 [Chiarello, Giovanni Battista]. Historia degl’avenimenti
dell’armi imperiali contro a’ribelli, et Ottomani, confederationi,
e trattati seguiti fràs le potenze di Cesare, Polonia, Venetia, e
Moscovia, Negotiati, & Aleanze del Conte Tekely con la Porta
Ottomana. Accampamenti, guerre, assedij, piazze, e conquiste
di cittá, e provincie. battaglie, rotte, e vittorie variamente successe nelle quatrro campagne degl’anni 1683.1684.1685.1686.
Venice, Steffano Curti, 1687. 4to. [12]f + 577 (misnumbered 575) pages of text + [6]f index. Title with engraved
vignette with crowned initials, [1] engraved folding map of
Hungary, [6] engraved folding plates depicting sieges. Ornamental woodcut head- and tail-pieces and initials. Limp
publisher’s boards. £950
First edition. A Venetian account of the imperial offensive against the
Turks and their allies following the unsuccessful Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683 which led to the reconquest of Hungary and the capture of
Buda in 1686. Venice had joined the Austro-Polish coalition in 1684 as
part of the ‘Holy League’ against the Turks subsidized by Pope Innocent XI. The four campaigns in Hungary are illustrated in a general map;
the plates represent the sieges of Vienna, Strigau, Neuhaeussel, Cassau,
Buda, and Essek. The dedication is to Maximilian Emmanuel Elector of
Bavaria. The work was reprinted in 1688 at the same press - see Appóny
1345. Occasional light traces of toning, generally an excellent, fresh copy
in its original state.
Chinese Art Deco period carpet designs
36 Chinese Art Deco carpet designs. Workshop pattern
book with twenty one original hand-painted gouache
designs mounted on rectos of laid-paper album leaves
representing a variety of samples with specifications for
producing a range of qualities of woollen rug in 2 sizes;
designs measuring from 220 x 192mm to 266 x 197mm; 220
x 220mm. Shanghai, c. 1920.
£6500
Large 4to. Overall size : 450 x 350 mm. Contemporary olive green cloth
over stiff boards; decorative floral endpapers; yellow printed binder’s
ticket (Nanyang Printing Co, Book-Binder and Stationary, 435 Kiukiang
Road, Shanghai) pasted inside top corner of frontcover.
The blank margin of each design incorporates the colour palette used;
top margin of each design page with a pasted contemporary paper slip
giving a typed code-word to explain the knot, or line count of each individual sample,and the sizes of the rugs available for production : 9 x 12
feet & 8 x 10 feet; a typed note pasted inside frontcover provides a key
for 7 of the code words and their quality specifications (the code words
refer to qualities ranging from a ‘120 line Wool Rug’ to a ’60 line Wool
Rug’ , each type decreasing in density of knots by 10 ‘lines’, the number
of lines of knots per foot determining the line count); the blank margins
of 5 designs (nos 4, 12, 14, 15, 20) have brief pencil (1 in pen) instructions
in American-English with finishing details; blank margins of 3 pages
(nos 3, 4, 7) bear a blind-stamp of the anonymous artist’s emblem with
an elephant motif.
Chinese wool industries responded to western demand during the
economic boom of the 1920s by producing high quality carpets in the
fashionable colours and patterns of the Art Deco period. Western
entrepreneurs and designers, recognizing the advantage of cheap labour, combined traditional Chinese motifs with new and bolder colour
combinations. The most successful foreigners involved in this process
were two Americans, Helen Fette, a former Methodist missionary, who
formed a partnership with the Chinese rug manufacturer Li Meng Shu in
the Peking area in 1921, and Walter Nichols, a wool grader, who founded
a carpet workshop in Tientsin in 1924, and was to establish factories all
over China. Chinese Art Deco rugs represent the ‘Golden Age’ of Shanghai, then known as the ‘Paris of the East’.
The patterns in the present album appear to have been painted by a
commercial artist working in a Shanghai carpet factory under American
direction catering for western consumer tastes. The carefully executed
designs, based on the traditional medallion type, are richly ornamented
with exquisite floral and chinoiserie motifs in vibrant colours evocative
of the exuberance of Art Deco : traditional light blues have changed to
darker shades, yellows and ivories are replaced by more dynamic purples, fuchsias, green, ochre and gold. Both designs and colouring are
well preserved; blank corners of album leaves lightly waterstained, a few
minor traces of usage, otherwise in remarkably good condition for a
working manual of this kind. See illustrations on following pages and at back
(Reduced)
The lost gardens of the Villa di Marocco
37 Clarici, Paolo Bartolomeo. Istoria e coltura delle piante
che sono pe’l fiore piú ragguardevoli, e piú distinte per ornare
un giardino in tutto il tempo dell’anno; con un copioso trattato
degli agrumi. Opera postuma consacrata ... sua Eccelenza il Sig.
Gerardo Sagredo. Venice, Andrea Poletti, 1726. 4to. [34] +
761 + [2] + [1 blank]p. Title in red and black. Engraved vignette on title-page signed FZ, portrait frontispiece of the
author signed F. Zucchi, and large engraved folding plan
of the Villa Marocco and its garden (510 x 740mm) also by
Zucchi (after Giovanni Filippini). Wood-engraved capitals,
several large ornamental end-pieces (6 on otherwise blank
pages). Original paste boards ‘a la rustica’.
£2500
An important source for the documentation of flowers and the flower
garden in the early 18th century. Clarici (1664-1725) was both scholar
and practical horticulturist; his list of sources runs to 175 works, ranging
from the classical authors to the most recent authorities, including botanists, pre-eminently, but also travellers, historians, architects, poets and
writers on taste. His systematic work first provides an overall description
of the garden of his patron, Gerardo Sagrado, Procurator of St Mark’s,
at Villa Marocco, 10 miles from Venice, which he laid out.. The book is
then divided into 4 parts, the first covering the garden layout and respon-
sibilities of the gardener; the 2nd the various skills required in cultivating plants in sections of the ornamental garden; the 3rd, and major part
(pp119- 152) subdivided into several chapters, describes individual plants
(flowers, herbs, shrubs and spice trees) grouped according to their flower
structure - there are numerous lists of contemporarily grown plants here
with reference to their citation (if known) in earlier works. The 4th part
is concerned with citrus fruits, and the cedar tree. The author’s observations and notes are specially valuable in that he was up-to-date on the
latest experiments in botanic and private gardens in Italy, and he knew
well the day to day progress of the gardens round Padua where enthusiasm had been generated due to its famous botanic garden (founded in
1545) which continued to receive exotic plants from around the world
for acclimatisation. Thus Clarici’s work also provides a useful record of
new species introduced; his perceptive knowledge additionally enabled
him to clarify plants described by earlier authorities, such as Mattioli and
Ferrari, with contemporarily listed ones, and establish the fact that many
exotic species had existed in Europe long before they were assumed to
have done so. The book was posthumously published a year after its author’s death by his nephew Domenico Clarici. Tailend blank margin of
title finger-stained, a few minor repairs, otherwise a good copy.
Pritzel 1728; not in Hunt. See Georgina Masson, Italian Gardens, 1966,
pp238-241 & ‘Italian Flower Collectors’ Gardens in Seventeenth Century
Italy’ in The Italian Garden (ed. David Coffin), Dumbarton Oaks, 1972,
p64, where the above work is described as unexplored and invaluable ‘for
the wealth of information about the flowers grown in Italy’; further that
‘Clarici’s book is remarkably scientific for the period, and his excellent
bibliography a reminder of the fact that since the 16th century this world
of flowers and gardens had been completely international’. See also Lionel Puppi, ‘The Villa Garden of the Veneto’, in the same volume; and
Claudia Lazzaro, The Italian Renaissance Garden, 1990.
The first anatomical atlas illustrated in lithography
38 Cloquet, Jules Germain. Manuel d’Anatomie Descriptive
du Corps Humain, représentée en planches lithographiée. Paris,
H. Fournier, 1825. 4 volumes in 4to. Vol.1 (text): 536p; vol.1
(plates): 6)p + 168 lithographed plates; vol. 2 (text) 567 + [1
blank)]p; vol. 2 (plates) with 172 lithographed plates (numbered 169-340). Contemporary quarter calf; red morocco
title labels; worn. £1200
A manual of descriptive anatomy consisting of 340 lithographed illustrative plates described in detail in 2 separate volumes. The author was
a much respected French physician specializing in anatomy and surgery
whose works in general show insight and original observation. Inventor
of numerous ingenious surgical Instruments, Cloquet was particularly skilled in the preparation of anatomical models in wax. This work
first appeared in folio 1821-1831). The present corrected quarto edition
has additional plates depicting the anatomy of the tissues, microscopic
anatomy and the mechanics of muscle and bone. Some foxing, as usual,
because of poor paper quality, otherwise a sound set.
Cushing C269; Garrison Morton 409 (folio edition ); Weber, History
of Lithography (1966), 51ff; Wellcome II, p 360 (another edition of the
same year from the same press).
39 Cocchi, Antonio. Graecorum chirurgici libri. Sorani unus
de fracturarum signis. Oribasii duo, de fractiset de luxatis, e
collectione Nicetae ab antiquissimo et optimo codice Florentino
descripti, conversi atque editi ... Florence, Imperial Press, 1754.
Folio. xix + 173p. Roman, Greek & italic letter. Title in red
& black. With 1 full-page engraving. Near contemporary
half sheep, gilt. £650
First editions of two Greek classics on fractures and dislocations. The
treatise on skeletal anatomy by Soranus of Ephesus (2nd century AD)
represents the only surviving work by him and appears here for the first
time in a modern edition; the studies by the medical encyclopaedist Oribasios (4th century AD) were compiled from earlier sources. The editor, Antonio Cocchi, a distinguished Italian physician, philologist and
antiquarian, professor of anatomy at Florence, worked from a Greek
codex in the Medici Library. The engraved plate shows facsimiles of 3
specimens from the Greek codex used by the editor. With contemporary
engraved heraldic bookplate of ‘Corn. Henr. A. Roy’ (Cornelius Hendrik de Roy), personal physician to Louis Napoleon King of Holland.
Sarton I, p 283. Wellcome II, p 363.
40 Cock, Henrique. Relacion del viaje hecho por Felipe II, en
1585, Zaragoza, Barcelona y Valencia ... publicada de real órden
por Alfredo Morel-Fatio y Antonio Rodriguez Villa. Madrid, Aribau & Co., 1876. 8vo. xvii + [1 blank] + 314p. Title in red
& black with vignette of Spanish royal arms. Contemporary half calf.
£350
First Edition. Published from a manuscript preserved in the Bibliothèque
Nationale, of this official record of Philip II’s journey to Aragon, Cataluña and Valencia to celebrate the wedding of his daughter Catalina to
the Duke of Savoy. These annals, compiled by a Flemish archer serving
in the royal horse guard, are remarkable for containing detailed observations of economic and social interest unusual for that time in addition to
the accounts of festivities, tournaments, and lists of participants in these
events. The author describes the production of moorish style ceramics
with metallic reflexes, an ingenious procedure which was later all but
forgotten, the exploitation of the saltmines near Zarago a, the customs
of the different classes in contemporary Spain, and the character peculiar to the Aragonese, Catalans and Valencians.
Heredia 7181. Palau 55885.
Pre-Linnean work on useful plants
41 Colius, Jacob. Syntagma herbarum encomiasticum, earum utilitatem & dignitatem declarans... Abrahamo Ortelio
...quondam inscriptum. Editio Secunda. [Leiden] Plantin- Rapheleng, 1614. Small 4to. 61 + [1 blank + 1]p. Roman &
italic letter. Small woodcut printer’s device on title and 3
woodcut initials. Boards.
£450
A scholarly treatise in praise of useful plants by the Antwerp poet Jacob
Cool (1563-1628), called Ortelianus, as the nephew of the Antwerp map
maker Abraham Ortelius to whom this work is dedicated. Among the
practical uses of plants discussed are the manufacture of clothing and
of furniture, the construction of houses and ships, and the prevention
and cure of disease with roots, seeds, fruits, leaves and flowers. Aesthetically, plants are a delight to all five senses through the beautiful colours
of flowers, the smell of cinnamon, the taste of mustard, figs and wine,
the sound of the wind in the reeds and the cool shade of the plane tree.
Throughout the history of religion plants have been symbolic, including
the palm, lily and fig in Christianity, and amongst the planets the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo is Spica, the ear of corn. The work
was first published in 1606 (by Haestens, Leiden).
BMC C-139; Pritzel 1788; not in Wellcome Library catalogue.
Earliest Spanish treatise on chest diseases
42 Corbella y Fondebila,, Antonio. Tratado de las enfermedades mas principales, agudas y crónicas del pecho. Madrid, Widow of Hilario Santos, 1795. 8vo. [8])f+ 359 + [1]p. Contemporary sheep, gilt.
£650
First edition of a pioneer Spanish treatise on chest complaints including
chapters on hoarseness, coughing, catarrh, asthma and pneumonia. Also
included are descriptions of the lungs, trachea, pleura, heart and other
organs of the thoracic cavity. The dedication is to the royal physician
Don Francisco Martinez Sobral. This work ante-dates R.T.H.Laennec’s
discoveries on lung and heart diseases published in 1819.
‘Probably the first Spanish monograph on specifically thoracic diseases and one of the first in world medical literature’ ( J.Sauret Valet: Don
Antonio Corbella y Fondebila’s Treatise on Chest Diseases (Barcelona 2003).
The Catalan author studied at the Royal College of Naval Surgeons
at Cadiz, and served as assistant royal physician in the viceroyalty of the
River Plate. His dissertation on medicine and surgery was published in
1794.
A very nice copy with contemporary manuscript entry of its first
owner, Don Joseph Angel Gonzales, physician to the Spanish king at his
palace of San Ildefonso, on verso of title.
Blake, p99. Palau 61746. Not in Wellcome.
Family histories of Aragonese Naples
43 Corona, Silvio. Successi tragici et amorosi occorsi in Napoli, — altro ve ... Napolitani, incominciando dalli R Aragonesi. Composti da Silvio Corona d’Alfonso I R di Napoli con
la nuova aggiunta compossta del Dr G.T. ... dalli re Aragonesi
[Southern Italy, first quarter of 19th century] 4to. Manuscript on paper written in a neat large italic hand, brown
ink, generally 20 to 27 lines to a page, the headings of each
chapter written in bold capitals. [12]f including 8 f blank,
1p inscription, 1p title, 2f index + 479p (numbered) + [1]p +
[4]f blank. Contemporary vellum, gilt; neatly rebacked. £350
The manuscript relates over forty tales of adventure connected with the
Aragon family. The kingdom of Aragon incorporated Naples after its
conquest by Alfonso V the Magnanimous in 1442, until its division into
three provinces in 1833; following the War of the Spanish Succession
(1701-14) however it had lost its independent parliament and administrative institutions. The present manuscript elevates the lives of both
male and female family members narrating the affairs and often violent
intrigues which marked out their fortunes, often involving other leading
families in Italy (Farnese, Sforza, Brancaccio etc). A note at the beginning signed by George Hornby reads ‘I bought this book at Naples in the
year 1833. It came out of the Library of the late Cavaliere Leonardo Tocco, the brother of the Duchess Santo Teodoro’. The year coincides with
the demise of the kingdom of Aragon. Inscription and shelf mark inside
front cover, of the Tanner (?) Library, armorial bookplate with coronet,
bird of prey perched over a swaddled baby, and motto ‘sans charger’.
Generally well preserved, occasional light foxing, mostly marginal.
44 Crisp, Sir Frank. Mediaeval gardens. London, John Lane,
The Bodley Head, 1924. 2 vol. 4to. xiv + [1] + [1 blank]p,
225 plates; xiv + [1] + [1 blank)p, 314 plates. Original decorative gilt publisher’s cloth, gilt title on cover and spine, top
edge gilt.
£500
First edition, limited to 1000 copies, of the classic reference work on the
subject. The plates are taken from illuminated manuscripts, paintings,
and engravings from early books; illustrations from the i6th and 17th
centuries are included to show the development of features characteristic of the Middle Ages. A very well preserved copy.
45 Curbo Semmedo, João. Secretos Medicos, y Chirurgicos.
Traducidos de lengua vulgar portuguesa en castellana por el
Doct.D.Thomas Cortijo Herraiz. Con un breve diccionario Lusitanico Castellano. Madrid, Juan de Zuñiga, 1735. Small 4to.
[8]f + 136p. Contemporary calf, spine gilt; worn. £650
First Spanish translation in its second edition (first 1731) of this collection of 573 medical remedies. Curvo Semmedo (1635-1719) was the first
Portuguese physician to employ quinine in his cures. He was highly respected in medical circles and served as physician to the King of Portugal. Some of his remedies contain as active components medicinal plants
of Mexican origin, suggesting he also consulted American sources - see
F.Guerra, Historia de la Materia Medica Hispano-Americana y Filipina en la
Epoca Colonial (Madrid, 1973), no 87 (note). With contemporary ownership entry inside front cover; ink scribbles on front flyleaf; tear neatly
repaired in pp 81-82.
Blake, p106. Heredia 4438. Palau 66386 (note).
46 Dalmedico, Angelo. Canti del popolo Veneziano per la prima volta raccolti ed illustrate opera che puo continuarsi & quella
dei canti populari Toscani, Corsi, Illirici e Greci di N.Tommaseo. Seconda edizione. Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1857.
8vo. 220p + [1]f errata. 19th century half vellum, marbled
boards.
£265
Collection of popular Venetian songs, enlarged in this second edition
with traditional songs from Tuscany, Corsica, Istria and Greece.Occasional light traces of foxing.
47 Davila, Pelegrino. Avviso neceßario ad un Prencipe nel prepararsi a qualche impresa di Guerra. Manuscript in ink on paper.
[Italy, 17th century]. 4to. Title + 35p + [2 blank] leaves. Old
sprinkled boards.
£2500
An apparently unpublished essay on 16th century warfare . We were not
able to identify its author who may have used a pseudonym, and appears
to have served under Henry of Lorraine, Duc de Guise (1550-88).
A Prince is advised on how to wage war or engage in battle, either
when attacking a foe or defending his own state, often illustrated by historical example. The Prince is encouraged to take into account how the
land lies (on both sides), whether to join forces with his neighbours (if reliable) or not, the quality of the commanders and soldiers he recruits, as
well as arms, ammunition, resources (funds) and friends (allies). Soldiers
are divided into 4 categories: subjects, a mixture of these with mercenar-
Martial advice for a Macchiavellian Prince: a manuscript from the Canonici library, Venice
ies, mercenaries only, and auxiliaries. The Prince is advised to surround
himself preferably with trustworthy subjects, or else he will never be
safe. Alternately he should opt for a mixture of his own men and a small
number of mercenaries in order not to be overcome by the latter. He
lists his priorities: veterans are better than newcomers, own men better
than mixed with mercenaries, mixed better than only mercenaries, and
mercenaries better than auxiliaries. Other aspects to consider are: the
quality of the soldiers, both cavalry and infantry, and their armaments.
Comparisons should be drawn with enemy forces (types of weaponry,
ammunition, supplies, funds etc). War should be fought on enemy soil,
not on home ground. If the Prince is not in a position to attack, and has
to defend, requisites are a good commander, fortifications in general,
artillery, and provisions. If subjects are loyal but not warlike, foreigners should be recruited but led by wise, experienced captains who can
keep one eye on their companions and the other on the enemy to make
sure they are not making common cause. All possible efforts must be
made to thwart the advancing enemy by laying waste to the land, destroying windmills, and poison the waters, but if defenders are few in
numbers, it is wiser to retreat to a fortress, abandoning those areas difficult to guard. Suitable militia is of the utmost importance. The author
compares the cavalry and infantry who may be of mixed nationalities,
differently armed, and with diverse aptitudes. He examines the type of
protective armour and the weapons they carry: lances, pistols, swords,
pikes, halberds, muskets, arquebuses, as well as horses suitable to carry
armed soldiers. He considers the type of cavalry which can rout enemy
positions. Many believe that the lance may be a hindrance rather than a
help, but the Duc de Guise praised it in most circumstances, as it does
more harm to the enemy than a pistol shot; there follows an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of lances and pistols. Union
of hearts and minds is important and men must not be separated from
their commanders. The infantry use pikes, muskets and arquebuses: of
these three, the author thinks that the latter are best if the men are led by
experienced captains who know how to handle the arms with dexterity.
Military tactics of the experienced commander are all important. The
Prince who wishes to wage war must carefully consider all the options
suggested. If he has good men, led by good generals, and can provide
his army with the necesssary supplies, then he has every chance of being
victorious.
A fresh copy with small circular engraved armorial bookplate of the
Reverend Walter Sneyd (1809-88) of Denton House, Cuddleston, outstanding 19th century English collector of medieval manuscripts, who
bought the remaining 829 manuscripts from the library of the Jesuit
antiquarian Matteo Luigi Canonici (1727-1805) in Italy in 1835 (the major part had been acquired by the Bodleian Library in 1817). Most of
the Canonici manuscripts came from two 18th century Venetian libraries. The Sneyd collection was dispersed at a three day sale by Sotheby,
Wilkinson & Hodge in December 1903. For Canonici cf. A.N.L. Munby,
Connoisseurs and Medieval Miniatures 1750 - 1850 (Oxford 1972) pp. 109112; Sommervogel II, Col. 688.
48 De Ricci, Seymour. French Signed Bindings in the Mortimer L. Schiff Collection. With: British and Miscellaneous Signed
Bindings in the Mortimer L. Schiff Collection. New York
(privately printed) 1935. 4 volumes. Large 4to. Over 300
fine reproductions of bindings. Original cloth, spines gilt.
£1850
The most comprehensive collection of French 18th and 19th century
signed bindings assembled by an individual collector. Each binding is
described in detail pointing out the special characteristics of the binder,
and all but a few of the larger volumes are illustrated full-size. Doublures
and inner dentelles have also been reproduced, as have all binders’ tickets
and stamps, these in facsimile. The section on British and Miscellaneous
signed bindings is similarly meticulously treated, the British bookbindings are mainly from the 18th and early 19th centuries. The catalogue
was published by Seymour De Ricci after the death of Mortimer Leo
Schiff (1877-1932). ‘Schiff had entrusted the formation of his library’ to
the ‘polymath’ De Ricci, and the work has since ‘become a standard reference work’ (Breslauer). A good set.
How to maintain good health
49 Deodati, Alexandre. Valetudinarium seu observationum,
curationum & consiliorum medicinalium satura. Leiden, Joh.
Elzevier, 1660. 12mo. [16] + 402 + [2]p. Printer’s device
on title. Typographical ornaments. Straight-grained blue
morocco, gilt (by Thouvenin). £550
The only edition of these observations on the maintenance of good
health based on clinical reports and case studies with details of cures
and medicinal descriptions. Alexandre Deodati (1598-1676), physician
to King Henri IV, and medical officer to the ‘Chambre de la SantŽ’ in
Geneva, was descended from Italian protestants from Lucca. A fine, untrimmed copy elegantly bound by Joseph Thouvenin, one of the most
innovative 19th century French binders, and favoured by Charles Nodier.
Krivatsy 3108. Osler 2440. Wellcome II, 450; Willems, Les Elzevier (1880),
861.
50 (Rouen) Descamps, B. Catalogue raisonné des tableaux
exposés au Musée de Rouen. Rouen, Fs. Marie, 1830. 8vo.
(2) + (i)-iv + (5) + 163p. Contemporary morocco-backed
marbled boards, gilt spine with title and coronet motifs in
bands. £ 350
302 numbered paintings described in the Rouen museum. Brief biographies of the artists are given, the pictures are described in fuller detail,
often with critical comments by the author, sometimes remarking that
he has witnessed such a scene. History paintings, landscapes, seascapes,
portraits, still lifes and interiors are included. The volume is dedicated to
the Marquis de Martainville, Mayor of Rouen. The museum is housed in
the Hotel de Ville, and was founded in 1801.The author was Curator of
the museum from 1809 to 1832. Descamps’ father ( J.-B. Descamps) had
founded a free school of design at Rouen.
A classic on obstetrics
51 Deventer, Hendrik van. Observations importantes sur
le manuel des accouchemens. (Transl. Jacques-Jean Bruhier d’Ablaincourt). Paris, Guillaume Chevalier, 1739. 4to.
xxxix + 429 (of 431) + (1)pp + errata leaf. With 40 numbered engraved figures on 37 plates (1 folding). Contemporary sheep, backstrip gilt; joints and ends of spine neatly
restored.
£550
Second French edition of this landmark in the history of obstetrics, first
published in Dutch in 1701. The work contains many original observations amongst which the principle of obliquity of the uterus, the internal examination of the cervix and the distinction between real and false
contractions are particularly important. Deventer stressed that the pelvis
did not yield during parturition and noted the effects of pelvic or spinal abnormalities on labour. He also specifies the qualities required in a
midwife, who should be neither too young nor too old, nor too fat, lazy
or dull-witted. The figures show many natural and unnatural positions
of presentation as well as a birthing stool and surgical instruments. The
translator, a French physician, made minor adjustments to several of the
plates in order to clarify them. Deventer (1651- 1724) greatly advanced
contemporary knowledge of the pelvis and the mechanism of labour,
laying the foundations of modern obstetrics. A good copy without the
second title which was never bound in.
Blake, p 118. Waller 2422.Wellcome II, p 460.
Art guide to 18th century Paris
Jokes and funny stories told by an Italian humanist
52 (Dezallier d’Argenville, A.N.) Voyage pittoresque de
Paris, ou description de tout ce qu’il y a de plus beau dans cette
grande ville, en peinture, sculpture & architecture. Paris chez
de Bure père, 1770. 8vo. x + [2] + 483 + [4]. Hand-coloured engraved frontispiece by J. Robert, 7 engraved plates
(3 folding) by Tilliard, Coupeau and St. Fessard, after
Moreau, Choffurt J. de Favanne and A. St. Aubin, 2 woodcut vignettes by Papillon, decorative head- and tail-pieces.
Contemporary calf.
£350
55 Domenico, Lodovico. Facetie motti et burle di diversi signori,
con una nuova aggiunta di motti, raccolti de M. Tomaso Porcacchi.
Venice, Paolo Ugolino, 1599. 8vo. [16] f + 424p. Italic. Printer’s
mark on title. Old vellum.
£450
One of the most useful and definitive guides to Paris in the 18th century.
The first edition was published in 1749 and the work was meticulously updated; the above is the fifth edition. Divided into 20 chapters according to quartier, the author describes the architecture, monuments,
gardens, paintings and sculpture in each area. Two indexes list places
mentioned, and the names of architects, painters and sculptors. A very
good copy with only a few tiny spots.
See also Michael Dennis, Court & Garden. From the French Hotel to the City
of of Modern Architecture, 1986.
Signed by the author
53 [Diaz, José Domingo]. Recuerdos sobre la rebelion de Caracas. Madrid, Leon Amarita, 1829. 8vo. 407 + [1 blank] p.
Vignette on title. With author’s autograph signature at end
of text. Contemporary sprinkled sheep; spine gilt with
morocco title label.
£1600
A day-to-day eye-witness account of the early stages of the Venezuelan
revolution by a royalist officer who condemns the actions of his former
colleagues and friends. He is especially critical of Simón Bolívar (17831830), hero of South American independence, and leading spirit of the
rising which began at Caracas in 1810 and developed into a protracted
merciless war of extermination. The book is valued for containing authentic documentation of the events described and for its observations
of Bolívar. Díaz had been controller of statistics, and later inspector general of hostels for the province of Caracas under the Spanish colonial
administration. Rare.
Leclerc 1465; Palau 72159; Sabin 19967 (unseen).
54 D’Israeli, Isaac. Curiosities of Literature. London, J. Murray, 1792-93. 2 volumes. 8vo. I: xi + [1] + [4] + 531 + [13]p
+ [1p errata]. II: [2] + iii + [1p errata] + [2] + 557 + [1] +
[14]p, with folding plate (facsimile of Pope’s handwriting).
Later half vellum on marbled boards, gilt backstrip with
title and volume labels.
£350
Of the collections of literary and historical anecdotes written by D’Israeli (1766-1848), father of Benjamin Disraeli, the present is considered his
best. It is the second edition published immediately following the first
(1791-3). Contemporary signature of Thos. Castle on both titles. A crisp
copy, a few early leaves lightly foxed.
ESTC.n002979 (but apparently in error cites vol. I only).
A collection of facetious stories and jokes by one of the few poligrafi
who did not quarrel with Pietro Aretino. It contains an anecdote about
him on page 236. This edition is greatly augmented by Tommaso Porcacchi, a fellow humorist. He describes Anton Francesco Doni in an
amusing story to illustrate his wit on pp405-407. Domenico (1515-64)
was a prolific translator and commentator of the classics. A wormhole
running through first 5ff, otherwise a good copy with an old collector’s
stamp on title.
Brunet II, 800 (note). Not listed by Gamba. Adams lists no copies in
Cambridge Libraries.
Flora of Nepal
56 Don, David. Prodromus florae nepalensis, sive enumeratio
vegetabilium, quae in itinere per Nepaliam proprie dictam et regiones conterminas, Ann. 1802-3. Detexit atque legit D.D. Franciscus Hamilton, (olim Buchanan) MD ... Accedunt plantae ...
D. Wallich nuperius missae. Secundum methodi naturalis normam disposuit atque descripsit David Don. London, J. Gale,
1825. 8vo. xii + 256p. Contemporary half calf, spine gilt.
£450
Rare catalogue of plants based on collections made by the influential
botanist directors of the Calcutta Botanic Garden, Francis Hamilton and
Nathanial Wallich. The specimens were sent to the botanist collector,
Aylmer Bourke Lambert (1761-1842) who employed David Don, librarian of the Linnaean Society (and brother of George Don), to catalogue
and describe the plants. Lambert left an ‘important herbarium and library’ after his death, many of his accessions still preserved in the British
Museum. Old ownership stamp of Aug. Baumann, ‘Horticulteur, Bollwiller (Haut-Rhin)’, neat inscription at title margin. Well preserved with
occasional traces of toning.
Desmond p211, noting that David Don ‘Edited and wrote much of both
series of R. Sweet’s British Flower Garden from c.1830’. Pritzel 2364. Stafleu & Cowan 1497; see also vol II, p35 (Hamilton), p735 (Lambert) & vol
VII, p38 (Wallich).
A Cosenzan philosopher in Swiss exile
57 Doni, Agostino. De natura hominis libri duo. Basel,
Froben, 1581. Small 4to. 121 [misnumb. 123] + 1 blank
leaf. Initials. Printer’s device on title. Limp vellum.
£1850
First edition of the only known work by the Calabrian Renaissance physician and philosopher Agostino Doni, in which he attacks the classic
philosophy of nature and man to replace it with his own concept “in
naturalibus agendum naturaliter”. The book was published in Basel, a
city known for its supposed liberty of spirit, where the author had arrived
in 1579 as a refugee, branded a heretic by the Italian Inquisition. Doni was
a critic of Bernardino Telesio (1509-88), his celebrated fellow Calabrian,
whose own De rerum natura was published in 1586; both authors were
natives of Cosenza. Doni’s iatrochemical system was denigrated by
Francis Bacon as ‘pastoral philosophy’. Bacon considered him a pupil
of Telesio (cf De dignitate et augmentis scientiarum IV,3). The author later
continued his travels to Geneva and Cracow to promote Italian naturalist thinking, dedicating his book to Stephen Bathory, King of Poland.
See: Luigi de Franco, L’eretico Agostinio Doni medico e filosofo consentino del
’500 ( Cosenza 1973). A very good copy.
Adams D-839. Durling 1196.
58 Donovan, Edward. The Natural History of British Insects; explaining them in their several states, with the periods
of their transformations, their food, oeconomy, &c. London,
printed for the author and for F. & C. Rivington, 17921795. 4 volumes (of 16). 8vo. I: 80 + 181p. II: 96 + [8] p.
III: [2]+ 98 + [8] p. VI: 96 + [6]p. With 144 numbered
engraved plates, mostly handcoloured. Contemporary
marbled calf, gilt, rebacked in the style of the period.
£950
The foremost entomological work of the time. Many of the species recorded are first described and illustrated here.The coloured plates show
butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and beetles, the uncoloured plates microscopic organisms. Edward Donovan (1768-1837) collected natural history specimens; he wrote and illustrated his own works. A good set; some
light toning and foxing ; one page repaired without loss.
59 Du Laurens, André. Opera Anatomica. In quibus historia singularum partium, primum accurate describitur. Editio altera, ab innumeris mendis ... Frankfurt, Peter Fischer,
1595. 8vo. [12]f + 736p + [20]f. Old vellum; repaired.
£550
An influential anatomical handbook which was studied by Harvey. Several chapters deal with teeth and dental care, others with catarrh, gout,
ophthalmology, prognosis, classical medicine, deformities, leprosy and
venereal disease
André du Laurens (1558-1609), physician to Henry IV of France, occupied the Chair of Medicine at Montpellier in 1586. His anatomical plates
were based on Vesalius. He was an early writer to take an interest in the
effects of agiing. Some light foxing but a good copy with an ownership
signature on title.
Cushing D321. Durling 1310. Adams D-1071 lists another edition of the
same year.
60 Duchesne, A.N. Sur la formation des jardins. (and: ) Lalos,
J. De la composition des parcs et jardins pittoresques. Ouvrage
utile et instructif pour les propriétaires et les amateurs. Paris,
Lottin de Saint-Germain, 1817. [4] + viii + 2l9p. With 4
engraved plates (3 folding) by Reville. 2 works bound into
1 volume 8vo. Contemporary calf-backed boards, label on
spine. £650
First editions of both works. The first by the botanist, Antoine Nicolas
Duchesne, was the last original theoretical work published before the
picturesque garden was generally accepted in France. Published a year
before J.-M. Morel’s classic Théorie des jardins, Duchesne ‘carefully and
impartially balanced the merits and demerits of the regular and natural
genres of gardening. He considered ‘uniformity and irregularity’ could
both be combined in the garden (irregularity though being the style
Chinois). He disapproved of too many ‘ruines artificielles’ as detracting from the appreciation of the ‘antique’; he took up the ferme orné
and ‘his description ... marks a stage in the transition between the older
traditional type and modern hamlet’; the change can be created by ‘the
addition of some kind of ornamental planting ... and composition of
interesting perspective views’ (see Dora Wiebenson, below).
The second work by the architect Lalos, written after the Revolution and
the disappearance of many fine estates, is particularly interesting for the
renewed discussion on garden art and description of some 23 parks and
gardens which the author laid out himself or participated in designing.
Among these are La Motte (Savoie) and Liverdy (Seine et Marne). Both
works are primary bibliographical sources in Dora Wiebenson’s study
quoted above. Generally in very good crisp condition, slight wear to
edge of half-title in first work.
Wiebenson, pp78-9. See Susan B. Taylor-Leduc, ‘Louis XVI’s public gardens: the replantation of Versailles in the eighteenth century in Journal
of Garden History, vol 14, no 2, pp67-91. Duchesne’s ideas are cited in the
attempt to relieve the ‘boredom’ now felt for Versailles; though he preferred the ‘natural gardening style’ he was in favour of ‘retention of the
formal style at royal palaces’. Drawing on 17th century aesthetic theory,
he saw ‘orderliness’ and ‘human reason’ mirrored in the genre régulier; further, it was ‘utilitarian’ in that ‘straight allées were efficient and
they allowed a circulation of air and the benefit of full sunshine’. Among
Duchesne’s suggestions was a change of aspect for the allées and bosquets by replanting them with a variety of trees, and ‘the introduction
of new species’ (pp84-5).
Forty landscaped gardens laid out by a Belgian architect
61 Duvillers, François Joseph. Les parcs et jardins crées et
executés par F. Duvillers. La première partie. Paris, privately
printed for the author, 1871. Folio. [8] +80p. With 40 engraved plates. Publisher’s cloth-backed printed boards.
£1500
An impressive record of forty private and public gardens laid out by the
author, a Belgian architect and landscape designer. They date from 1838
to 1870, and are in the landscape or ‘paysagiste’ style prevalent in France
in the mid-19th century. Formal elements continue to be evident in the
lay out of ‘potagers’ and fruit gardens, and in the use of ’avenues’ and
canals. Extensive notes on planting are provided in the text. Among institutional schemes are those for the Ecole de botanique, Paris, the botanical institution of M. Poiloup at Vaugirard and an innovative garden
with pavilions for a ‘Maison de santé des deux sexes’ in the rue de Picpus,
Paris; public gardens and parks include the Jardin de l’Etoile intended for
‘bals, concerts, fêtes publiques, de jour et de nuit’ at Passy, the main
square and public gardens in the town of Koutaïs in the Caucasus (modern Kutaisi in Georgia) and gardens with a promenade for the town of
Montélimart.
Among private patrons are Salomon de Rothschild (park at Suresnes)
and Baron d’Herlincourt (Château de Belan-sur-Ource). Noticeable during this period is the more functional organisation of land layout. A 2nd
volume was published in 1878. The dedication is to Leopold II, king of
the Belgians; some ten heads of state were subscribers. Covers with traces of staining; inside clean throughout; a small repair in margin of last
leaves.
Cf: Racine, Boursier-Mougenot & Binet, The Gardens of Provence andFrench Riviera 1987, p305 (refers to this volume only).
Scientific expedition to Patagonia in photography
62 Encina, Carlos & Edgardo Moreno. 137 photographs
by Pedro Morelli on original light paper mounts with Spanish
text captions below images. The photographs were taken in
Argentina 1882-3 and re-issued from the original plates
in c1930. The sizes of the photographs are 16.4 x 22 cm;
the sizes of the mounts are 30 x 37.5 cm (some of these
have been cut down, but in no case affecting the image or
printed legend). Images and mounts are in good condition.
£3850
The photographs cover the scientific expedition to Patagonia carried
out by Carlos Encina and Edgardo Moreno on the orders of President
Julio Roca during his desert campaign against the Patagonian Indians
(1882-3). Roca designated the area of the Rio Negro, Rio Limay, and Rio
Neuquen, up into the foothill of the Andes, which is sometimes called
the “Territorio del Triángulo”. The two engineers were accompanied
by elements of the Argentine army, and a chemist/photographer, Pedro
Morelli.
Ten of the photographs treat exclusively Indian subjects; these include
a group of Patagonian women, a baptism of Indians at Renque-curá in
Codahue in May 1883, a Patagonian Indian cemetery, Indian prisoners
of war, winter tents, and native settlements. 53 images depict military
subjects: fortresses and encampments, army life, portraits of officers and
engineers, groups of soldiers, white settlers and their houses. 16 images
contain views of the town of Patagones on the Rio Negro including interiors of schools with groups of children and staff, and river steamers.
The majority of the photographs represent grand scenic views and the
vegetation of the Andean cordillera.
On completion of the task, there was apparently no written report filed,
or it has long since disappeared, so that the only surviving record of
the expedition was a set of prints from Morelli’s glass negatives which
were bound into 2 albums. As these were seen by very few people, the
expedition was soon forgotten by historians, and whenever one the photographs surfaced, it was assumed to be from Roca’s earlier campaign.
Only 2 sets of the original prints are known to have survived from the
1880’s, one in the Roca Museum in Buenos Aires, another in a private
collection.
Julio Vezub, the author of the only book published on the expedition
(Indios y Soldados. Las fotografías de Carlos Encina y Edgardo Moreno durante
la ‘Conquista del Desierto’ (B.A. 2002), states that in 1930, the historical
service of the army became concerned that the original prints were very
scarce and might be lost, and had them photographed from the albums.
Vezub himself became acquainted with the expedition photographs
from studying a group of 150 of the 1930s copies in the Argentine army
archives. It is not known if only a selection of the original images were
copied by the army in 1930 and how many of these have survived.
63 Felibien des Avaux, Jean François. Recueil historique de
la vie et des ouvrages des plus celebres architectes. (Bound with:)
Les plans et les descriptions de deux des plus belles maisons campagne de Pline le consul, avec des remarques sur tous ses bâtimens.
London, David Mortier, 1705 & Amsterdam, Estienne Roger, 1706. 2 works in 8vo. I: [12] + 195 + [15]p, with engraved
frontispiece by I. Goerée after I. de Later, title in red and
black, decorative woodcut head- and tail-pieces and initial
capitals. II: 112 + [8]p. With 6 engraved plates (of 7), 5 folding. Contemporary vellum, with gilt monogram of owner
on cover. £350
Two works by the French classicist architect who was secretary to the
Académie d’Architecture. At the time there was considerable interest
in ideals of the ancient world, and in the second work above, Felibien
presents his reconstruction of two villas (the Laurentine and Tuscan)
that Pliny the Younger so affectionately details in his letters (2nd century AD). The text of the two letters in the original Latin with a French
translation is given, with copious notes. Three labelled plates illustrate
the layout of each, and Felibien also reproduces the great renaissance
architect, Scamozzi’s interpretation of the Laurentine villa pointing out
inaccuracies according to Pliny’s precise details. The work ends with a
short dissertation promoting the classical style over the gothic, the former ‘founded on nature’s principles’, the latter ‘opposed to nature’.
A good copy, small tear to one leaf of first work with slight loss.
See Berlin Katalog 1869.
The conquest of New Granada
64 (Colombia) Fernando VI. King of Spain (1746-59). Carta Executoria de Hidalgía confirming the arms and noble lineage of the Franco family hailing from Toledo and Valladolid.
Manuscript in ink on 11 leaves of vellum, dated at end:
Madrid, 13 October 1756. Folio. Text penned in a fine
italic hand surrounded by 2 line borders in red; full-page
heraldic painting in gold and colours serving as a frontispiece (protected by silk guard); top half of first page of
text with circular royal arms within an elaborate painted
multi-coloured cartouche of foliage and scrolls heightened
in gold; opening word in gilt lettering; one coloured calligraphic initial. Paragraph opening letters in red. At end,
signature of King of Arms with his seal, followed by confirmations, counter-signatures and another seal on final 4
pages. Contemporary sheep decorated in gilt; edges gilt.
£3850
Confirmation of arms and noble status for the descendants of Francisco
Franco who assisted in the conquest of New Granada (modern Colombia), where he landed in 1544. He was granted an encomienda at Velez
in the province of Santander, Colombia. His son Benito spent forty years
pursuing the conquest, and was one of the discoverers of the province
of Poyon (?). His estate was left to Diego Franco de Velasco who had
also distinguished himself in New Granada. This document was drawn
up at the request of one of the descendants: Francisco Franco, Romero
y Duran of the township of Valverde de Llerena. It lists his six direct
antecedents and gives a brief account of the origins and history of the
family, dating it back to the Moorish wars. The arms, representing two
lions rampant facing one-another with 2 daggers pointing from below,
are painted on a golden shield within a red border decorated with gilt
crosses surrounded by an elaborate multi-coloured border of foliage,
grotesque figures, fruit and flowers, crowned with a plumed heraldic
helmet. A well preserved illuminated Spanish manuscript of the rococo
period.
65 Fernel, Jean François. Opera medicinalia; nempe phisiologia, pathologia et terapeutica seu medendi ratio, quibus adiecimus de abditis rerum causis. Venice, Rutilio Borgominieri,
1565. 4to. [18]f + pp 13-655 (misnumb. 659) + [1 blank]p.
Roman & italic letter with some Greek. Printer’s woodcut
device on title. Historiated initials. Contemporary limp
vellum.
£950
One of the best editions of Fernel’s medical works with additional material. It contains the Pathologia which introduces the term “pathology”
in its modern sense and which Garrison calls the “first explicit treatise on
special pathology”. It also includes the Physiologiae libri septem, the first
work to deal solely with physiology and the first to call it by name. Gonorrhoea is also described here as an independent infection of the bladder
apart from the chapter on lues in which the various modes of contact
transmission (syphilis insontium) are ennumerated. Fernel (1497-1558),
physician to Henri II of France, was one of Vesalius’ teachers. He was
the first to describe many diseases such as appendicitis and endocarditis.
Durling 1462. Garrison & Morton 2271; this edition not in British Library; not in Adams, Wellcome.
Austrian infantry drill manual based on Napoleonic model
67 Franz I Emperor of Austria (1806-1835). Auszug aus dem
Exercier-Reglement für die K. K. Infanterie. Vienna, K.K.Hofund Staats-Druckerei, 1807. 2 parts in 1 volume, oblong
12mo. [6] + 155 + [1 blank]p; engraved title + 65 numbered engraved plates (6 folding) representing infantry drill
formations. Imperial crowned double-eagle device on title.
Contemporary half green morocco, gilt.
£450
Infantry drill manual for the use of Austrian army officers reflecting
changes in warfare made during the campaigns with revolutionary
France. The second part illustrates the execution of detailed movements
of troop formations indicating the precise duties of each commanding
officer. The reforms were carried out by the new commander-in-chief,
Archduke Karl(1771-1848), himself a military author, one of the most
effective of Napoleon’s opponents whom he defeated at Aspern in 1809.
With contemporary manuscript ownership entry of First Lieutenant
Nov‡k (‘Nov‡k Oberlieut’) in top corner of front flyleaf. Tailend right
blank title corners of first few text leaves with pale waterstain, otherwise
an excellent, fresh copy.
Danish trades and their guilds
68 Frederick V King of Denmark (1746-66). Kong Friderich
den Femtes Laugs=Artickler Som udi Hans Regierings Tiid ere
udgangne, med adskillige andre Forordninger, som til deels vedkomme Laugene. Copenhagen, N.C.Hopffner, 1766. Small
4to. 267 + [1 blank] pages. Fraktur type. Woodcut vignette
of royal cypher on title; ornamental woodcut at end. Contemporary sheep.
£450
Music for the French National Guard
66 (France – War songs). Chansonnier des Gardes Nationaux. Recueil de poesies, cantates et couplets, avec la musique;
suivi des notices biographiques de Louis-Philippe 1er, Roi des
Français, et du Général Lafayette. Paris, M.Duverger, 1831.
12mo. 156 + [4]p. With six lithographed plates by Engelmann including frontispiece. Musical notation in text.
Engraved title vignette, head- and tailend pieces. Old
mottled calf; spine gilt with morocco label; rebacked
£485
First edition. Collection of poetry and musical compositions relating to
the French National Guard, followed by lives of the citizen king Louis
Philippe (1773-1850) and of General Lafayette (1757-1834), first commander of the Guard. Three plates show national guard soldiers, two
depict Louis-Philippe and Lafayette respectively in National Guard uniform. Contemporary presentation inscription on title. From the collection of Henri Bachimont, French singer and composer (known as Henri Bresles 1864-1924) with his bookplate. Some light foxing.
A summary of laws relating to the Danish trades and their guilds enacted during the reign of King Frederick V (1746-66) including confirmations of earlier statutes. Individual ordinances, here reprinted with their
dates of issue, stipulate working conditions and wages, the obligations
of employers and the duties of apprentices. The forty-one trades named
include wig-makers (pp4-16, 89-90), chimney-sweeps (pp20-22), cobblers,
merchants (pp33-52), tobacco manufacturers (pp52-68), stocking-makers, a variety of smiths, clock-makers (pp80-88, 135-139), carters (pp91-,
painters, dockers, masons, factory workers, bakers, hatters, ship-builders
(pp214-230), sugar-refiners and syrop-makers (pp231-242). Tables setting
out guild regulations (pp192-193 & 250-251)are followed by specifications for each trade of Schleswig (the statutes are published both in Danish and in German for the benefit of the mixed population). The final
section XXXIV (pp259-264) reproduces a royal ordinance concerning the
establishment of a tobacco pipe factory. A good copy; some light foxing,
a few isolated inkstains in edges of blank margins of last quire.
Fête-book of royal funeral with literary contributions
by outstanding Dutch poets
69 Frederick Henry Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau (1584-1647). Lyck-Redenen en Gedichten: Begrypende de
Af komst, ‘t Leven, voorneemste Daden en ‘t Af-sterven van sijn
Hoogheydt Fredryck Henryck, In sijn leven Vorst van Oranjen, ...
Voor-gestelt door de beroemtste en geleertste Mannen en Dichters
deser eeuw. En versiert met Af beeldsels van Haere Hoogheden,
Vorst Frederijck ... Vorstin Amelia en Vorst Willem; seer konstigh naer’t leven in koper gesneden. t’Amsteldam, Nicolaes
van Ravesteyn op S. Anthonis Marckt, 1648. [Amsterdam,
Nicolaes van Ravesteyn, 1648] 8vo. [8] + 89 + [3] + [4] +
53(numbered 91-143) + [1] + [6] + 263 (numbered 145-407)
pages. Engraved floral title vignette and tail-pieces. 3 copper-engraved portraits. Ornamental initials. Contemporary
vellum.
£850
A collection of funeral orations, poems of mourning and epitaphs in
honour of Frederick Henry Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the Netherlands, who was buried with great pomp and ceremony in Delft on 10th
May 1647.
The authors of the literary compositions contained in this volume
include outstanding contemporary Dutch poets and playwrights such
as Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679), Caspar Barlaeus(1584-1648), Pieter
Corneliszoon Hooft (1581-1647, the 3 epitaphs on p.400 are his last poems), and Hendrick Bruno (1617-69). Frederick Henry’s reign (1625-47)
is regarded as the Dutch Golden Age because of his military triumphs,
economic successes, and the flowering of art and literature.
The prince proved an able commander in the Dutch wars against
Spain, and was given shrewd political advice by his clever and ambitious
wife, Amalia zu Solms-Braunfels who enhanced The Hague with magnificent art collections. The three finely engraved oval portraits respectively show Frederick Henry in armour, his wife Amalia (1602-75, later
acting as regent for her grandson William III) , and their son, the young
Stadtholder Willem II of Orange (1626-50) who married Mary of England. The printer’s 2-page preface to the reader is signed by Nicolaes van
Ravesteyn. An attractive copy in fresh condition.
A classic in the literature on South American
voyages of exploration
70 Frezier [Amédée-François]. A voyage to the South-Sea,
and along the coasts of Chili and Peru, in the years 1712, 1713,
and 1714. Particularly describing the genius and constitution
of the inhabitants, as well Indians as Spaniards: their customs and manners, their natural history, mines, commodities,
traffick with Europe... with a postscript by Dr. Edmund Halley... and an account of the settlement, commerce, and riches
of the Jesuites in Paraguay. London, Jonah Bowyer, 1717.
4to. [14] + 335 + [9]p. Title in red and black. 22 maps and
plans (16 folding), and 15 plates engraved by N. Guerard le fils. Typographical ornaments and initials. Some
musical notation in the text. Antiqued mottled sheep.
£2950
First edition in English, valued for the additional 3-page postscript by
Halley correcting some geographical errors made by Frézier; it also contains an English translation of a critical report on the Jesuit missions in
Paraguay (on pp323-335), first published anonymously in French in 1712.
Frézier (1682-1737), a military engineer from Savoy, sailed to Chile
and Peru in 1712 with a French commission to assess the strength of
Spanish settlements on the Pacific coast. His account of the expedition
was much valued as an early contribution to the hydrographical knowledge of the region, but is today of interest for its keen observations on
the life, customs, commerce, and natural history of Chile, Peru, and Brazil. The author was the first Frenchman to accomplish an accurate chart
of the Straits of Magellan and of the region round Cape Horn, and his
work served as a guide to later navigators. The folding plans of the cities
visited are often enhanced by inset panoramic views, as in the case of
Callao, Concepción, Valparaíso, La Serena, Salvador de Bahía, and Angra
(Azores). The chapters on Indian and creole life include descriptions of
costume and architecture, music and dancing, food and drink, and pastimes, with plates showing male and female costume, the ritual of drinking maté (Paraguayan tea), Chilean Indians playing the ‘Sueca’, a game
resembling hockey, flour-making, etc. The author describes the cruel
and mean treatment of the Indians by the creoles, who were not permitted to have Indians as slaves, and therefore favoured their African slaves
imported from Angola and Guinea via Portobello and Panama; these in
turn were not allowed to mix with the Indians and adopted their masters’ condescension towards them. The Indians consequently nurtured
an implacable hatred of both the creoles and their slaves, and hid away
provisions and any mineral riches they might discover. The section on
Brazil treats the island of Santa Catharina, and Bahia, then the country’s
capital, where the author comments on the African slave trade and on
the large population of Jews; a folding plate represents two negro slaves
carrying a passenger in a sedan chair. Frézier’s studies of natural history
are only remembered today for bringing back Chilean strawberry plants
which were successfully propagated in France by Bernard de Jussieu, and
here illustrated life-size. There are descriptions of the maté tea plant, of
the coca plant , of guano, and plates representing the cotton plant, exotic
fishes and llamas. The plates are the same as those used for the Paris
original edition, mostly retaining the French captions. Two neat repairs
in blank margins of first 2 leaves, some foxing, but generally a good copy;
a few minor traces of usage.
Borba de Moraes I, 329; Hill, p115; Palau 94965; Sabin 25926.
Coffee Prohibition laws
71 Friedrich I King of Sweden (1720-1751). Kongl. Maj.
Nådige Förhögning i Fullen på Snus, Caffée, Thée och Chocolade. Stockholm, Royal Press, 1735. Small 4to. 4p. Fraktur
type. With woodcut vignette of royal crown on title.Untrimmed, as issued.
£250
Swedish customs and excise ordinance increasing import duties on snuff,
coffee, tea, and chocolate dated 9 December 1735. Signed with the imprint ‘Friedrich’. Luxury goods were intermittently prohibited, or heavily taxed in Sweden. Untrimmed, as issued.
Hünersdorff, ‘Coffee: A Bibliography’, p1452.
With commentaries by Erasmus and Thomas Linacre
72 Galen, Claudius. Opera, nunc demum a clarissimis juxta
& eruditis viris latinitate donata, jam vero ordine justo, & studio exquisitiore in lucem recens edita. Basel, Andreas Cratander, March 1529. Folio. [32] + 553 + [1 blank]f. Roman letter
interspersed with Greek words. First page of text within
splendid grotesque woodcut border signed “I.F.” Numerous historiated woodcut initials. Printer’s device on title
and at end. Contemporary German pigskin, richly decorated in blind with ornamental stamps and roll-tool borders showing biblical scenes and classical portraits. Brass
catches; 1 clasp intact.
£3950
An early unauthorized Latin edition of Galen’s medical works with
critical commentaries by Erasmus, Thomas Linacre (1461-1524), Wilhelm Koch (Copus) of Basel (1471-1532), Nicolo Leoniceno of Vicenza
(1428-1524) and other influential humanists. The 3 commentaries by
Erasmus are Ad bonas artes exhortatio, De optimo docendi genere, and Quod
optimus Medicus sit & philosophus. The collection also includes Latin versions of Hippocrates’ Aphorismi and Prognostica. The editor is Andreas
Leennius. Some light traces of waterstaining in top margins, otherwise
a tall, fresh copy with some contemporary underlinings and neat manuscript notes in Latin penned in red and black in the wide margins in
neat humanist hands; preceding the text, a Greek-Latin index supplied in
manuscript by a near-contemporary owner.
Allen, Opus Epistolarum, 1698. Durling 1784. Van der Haeghen, Bibl. Erasmiana, 27.
Pattern book for craftsmen and decorators
73 Galland, P(ierre) V(ictor). Photograph album containing 28 mounted albumen prints of allegorical paintings
by the artist for the Galerie des Métiers in the Paris Town
Hall (1888-1891). The prints executed by a commercial
photographer of the period show 2 decorative portals (133
x 271mm), 18 paintings (182 x 271mm) representing the
various arts and crafts, sciences, trade, industry, and agriculture (all are signed and dated ‘P. V. Galland 1891’), and
8 emblematic female figures (260 x 280) symbolizing these
subjects. Contemporary half sheep; worn & rubbed. £650
The album in large oblong quarto consists of a total of 24 thick paper
boards, edges gilt, 9 of which remain blank. Period documentation of
the paintings in the Galerie des Métiers, considered the most important
official commission by this influential decorative artist. The album appears to have been prepared as a pattern book for craftsmen and decorators. The paintings for the Paris Town Hall are rated among the most
important works by this influential decorative artist. Galland (1822-1892)
was also noted for his contributions to the Paris Pantheon, the Palais de
l’Elysée, the Vanderbilt mansion in New York, and the Narishkin Palace
in St Petersburg. He was a prolific and versatile artist, who mostly however carried out private commissions. Galland taught at the Ecole des
Beaux Arts from 1873; he became artistic director of the Gobelin factory in 1877. The magnificent tapestries which he designed for the Elysée
Palace (1854-8), as well as his paintings at St Cloud, were destroyed by
the Commune.
See Henry Havard, L’Oeuvre de P.-V. Galland, Paris, 1895; also, Vachon,
L’Hotel de Ville de Paris (1905), p.183ff.
74 Gaye, Giovanni. Carteggio inedito d’artisti dei secoli XIV,
XV, XVI. Pubblicato ed illustrato con documenti pure inediti ...
con facsimile. Florence, Giuseppe Molini, 1839-40. 3 vols in
large 8vo. [3]f + iv + 596p + [1]f errata; [1]f + xii + 528p
+ [1]f errata; [2]f + xi + 623 + [1]p including index and
errata. 13 lithographed folding tables with 84 facsimiles of
autographs. Contemporary quarter morocco; worn.
£1250
The only edition of this invaluable source for the full texts of the original letters by noted Italian artists from the 14th to the 17th centuries
arranged chronologically from 1326 to 1672. The lithographed plates
by Salucci contain facsimiles of selected autographs. Johannes Wilhelm
Gaye (1804-40), German art historian, compiled this collection of documents on the history of Italian art by researching all over Italy for ten
years. With an index of documents contained at the end of each volume,
and an alphabetical index of names at the end of final volume. Some
foxing throughout because of poor paper quality.
UCBA I, 65.
Rare South German Coinage ordinance
pre-dating Thirty Years’ War
75 Germany. Franconian, Bavarian & Swabian circuit. Wir
der Hochlöblichsten im Müntzwesen Correspondirenden dreyer
benandtlich deß Fränckischen, Bäyrischen und Schwäbischen
Craissen Fürsten und Ständt, Thuen hiemit kunt … alle Müntzen
nach dem werth der im heiligen Reich publicirten Müntz Ordnung zusetzen … und den Auffwechslern und Außführern der
guten, und Einführern der geringen Müntzen ihre schädt : und
betriegliche Finantzereyen durch ernstliche Mandata zuverbieten, auch solche durch scharpffe Aufsicht und Straffen … abzuwehren. Und … beschlossen, daß in disen dreyen Craissen … bey
Straff der Confiscation und verlust deß … zu wider eingenommenen oder außgegebenen Gelts … nachfolgende Müntzen weder
höher außgeben noch eingenommen werden sollen ... [Nuremberg, dated 11. March 1615] Broadside in large folio (Overall size: 101.5 x 42cm). 61 lines of text. Fraktur type with
occasional Latin word in roman. One large ornamental
initial in top left corner of blank margin. Printed below
the text are 82 woodcuts of coins of varying sizes showing
obverses and reverses with descriptive text above; the first
12 illustrations are in contemporary dark-orange hand-colouring to indicate they are gold coins. £950
Illustrated coin ordinance issued on behalf of the so-called ‘Three Circuits’ of Franconia, Bavaria, and Swabia, representing the princely states,
free cities, and nobility, to regulate exchange rates to protect the gold
and silver content standards set by the imperial mint. Described and illustrated are a number of debased, or counterfeit coins currently in circulation to warn the public of the danger of fraudulent traders passing
these off as full-value coins and help them recognize the debased pieces.
Trafficking and use of substandard coins is prohibited on pain of confiscation. The edict calls for stricter supervision to prevent illicit dealing:
all customs posts in the region should search out smugglers, members
of the public are asked to inform on offenders and promised one third of
the confiscated goods as a reward, their names being kept secret; those
who connive with the perpetrators are to be severely punished. The value of every standard coin is given by its equivalent in kreutzers; ie. the
value of the imperial thaler (ancestor of the dollar) is stipulated as one
guilder and 24 kreutzers.
The substandard minted coins depicted have an explanatory caption
above giving the equivalent value of each piece in imperial kreutzers;
among the six gold coins represented are a double crown by the Bishop
of Liege, a Spinola ducat, and guilders by the Duke of Bouillon, and the
Duke and the Cardinal of Lorraine; the silver and lesser alloys shown include the currencies of the Duke of Bouillon, Friesland, Mantua, Metz,
the duchies of Savoy, Jülich, Liegnitz, and Saxony, the counts of Solms,
the abbess of Thorn, the United Dutch Provinces,Venice, Zürich, and
others of unknown origin. Such broadsides were posted in markets,
banks, and other public places to help traders authenticate the coins they
received.
Folding damage affecting 7 images in the second row, neat repairs to
other folds, outer edges of top blank margins a little age-stained in places, small traces of wear and tear, but generally well preserved for a very
large ephemeral imprint of this nature. A rare survival.
Customs regulations broadside
Spanish siege of Ostende
76 Germany. Bernard I Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (16811706). Zoll=Tafel, nach welcher der Zoll im Fürstl.Amt
Maßfeld eingenommen wird. Meiningen, 5.February 1698.
Broadside in oblong large 4to (32.5 x 42cm). Text printed
on one side in 2 columns divided by typographical border.
Fraktur letter. 8 ornamental initials heightened by hand in
red and yellow.
£450
77 Giustiniano, Pompeo. Delle guerre di Fiandra libri VI
... Posti in luce da Gioseppe Gamurini ... Antwerp, Joachim
Trognesius, 1609. 4to. [4] + 329 + [18]p. Roman & Italic.
With engraved architectural title and 29 engraved folding
plates. Woodcut ornaments and initials. Contemporary
limp vellum.
£2500
Toll chart for the district of Massfeld near Meiningen, capital of the
Thuringian Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen. 21 detailed entries list tariffs
charged on commercial traffic crossing the territory from any direction,
such as to and from Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Lübeck, parts of
Hesse. Toll charges varying between six pfennigs down to one Groschen
apply to individual horses pulling carts carrying a great variety of goods
(beer, bucklings, butter, cheese, chestnuts, fish, flax, fruit, grain, hemp,
honey, hop, millet, oil, onions, rice, salt, tobacco, turnip seeds, wine,
bricks, copper and iron ware, feather beds, harts-horn, lead, leather,
linen, potash, roof-tiles, sheepskins, steel, wax, wooden planks, woolen
cloth), or to carriage horses of residents of Meiningen driving to the
market, or to individual persons (a Jew passing on horseback, or on foot),
or to the passage of fattened animals (oxen, cows, pigs, suckling calves,
goats), and to pushcarts. The chart would have been displayed at border
customs points. A few minor repairs not affecting text, otherwise in very
good condition.
First edition of a professional soldier’s eyewitness account of the battles
and sieges during the Dutch War of Independence in Flanders (16011609) celebrated for its historical accuracy and its literary merit. It is the
only work on the military operations on the Spanish side. Giustiniano
(1569-1616) was a Ligurian mercenary serving under Ambrosio Spinola, commander of the Spanish forces fighting for the Archdukes Albert
and Isabella. The chief event of the Flemish campaign here described
was the three-year siege of Ostend, which surrendered to Spinola in
1604. The excellent engraved folding plates include maps, town plans,
pontoon bridges and dykes, sieges and troop movements. The author
reached the rank of colonel, and was appointed war counsellor to the
‘Catholic King’; he lost an arm during the siege of Antwerp, replaced
it with an artificial limb, and was nicknamed ‘Bras de Fer’. He was later
captain-general in the service of Venice and had an equestrian statue
built in his honour in San Giovanni e Paolo in Venice.
Nijhoff, Bibl. Hist.Neerl. III, 649; Palau 102835; STCV 6624785;
Soprani, Li scrittori de la Liguria (Genoa 1667), p244.
Therapeutic properties of herbs and the philosopher’s stone
78 Glauber, Johann Rudolf. Explicatio verborum salomonis:
In Herbis, Verbis & Lapidibus Magna est Virtus. Una cum adjuncta tractatiuncula de Quinta Essentia Metallorum. Amsterdam, J.Jansson, 1664. Small 8vo. 88p. Initials. Old pictorial
boards. £485
First Latin edition of this commentary on Solomon’s words ‘in herbis
magna est virtus?’ by the great analytical chemist Glauber (1604-68),
who discusses the therapeutic properties of herbs and the philosopher’s
stone. Added from page 67 a little treatise on the origins and quintessence of metals. A stain on title, tailend corner of first leaves lightly watermarked, otherwise sound.
Caillet 4567; Duveen p258; Krivatsy 4783; Roth-Scholz p137.
79 (Colombo Press) Gonzalez, Joaquin V. La Selva de los
Reptiles. Punta Secas por Maria Carmen. Sociedad De Bibliofilos Argentinos, Buenos Aires - MCMLIII.(Buenos Aires,
‘Francisco A. Colombo’, 1953). Folio. 36p. Title in green
& black. Four delicately etched plates by María Carmen
Portela, one serving as frontispiece. Initials and pagination printed in green. Original illustrated wrappers; preserved in slip case. £550
One of 88 numbered copies of a total of 100 copies printed on Charter
Eggshell paper for the Argentine Bibliophile Society; this copy is no 43
produced for Eduardo M. Bellocq. The edition was supervised by Dr
Eduardo J. Bullrich, President of the Society, and corrected by Carlos
Alberto González. The type chosen was Garamond; the initials were
specially designed. The illustrations, prepared and engraved by María
Carmen Portela, were printed by Raœl Veroni.
Colombo Fine Printing 219. Deluxe edition printed for the Argentine Bibliophile Society
The botanic garden at Montpellier
80 Goüan, Antoine. Hortus regius Monspeliensis, sistens plantas tum indigenas tum exoticas No. MMCC, ad genera relatas,
cum nominibus specificis etc., secundum sexualem methodum
digestas. Lyons, de Tournes, 1762. 8vo. [14] + 548 + [31]
+ [1] p. Engraved vignette of dedicatee’s arms within allegorical surround, 7 engraved plates on 6 leaves (1 folding).
Contemporary mottled half calf. £425
Catalogue of plants in the botanic garden at Montpellier, and the first
French book to use Linnaeus’ system of classification. The work is dedicated to J.E. de Guignard, prefect of the garden. It is the first publication
of Antoine Goüan (1733-1821), the renowned French botanist who corresponded with Linnaeus. Over 650 genera are listed, with very many
species, in 23 classes; the plants are botanically described with selected
synonyms, common names and place of original habitat; an alphabetical
index at end provides a useful key. In good condition, with only one or
two leaves faintly toned.
Plesch 297 (with illustration of title-page). Pritzel 3485 (but with date of
1768). Stafleu & Cowan 2099.
81 Grimaudet, François. Paraphrase des droicts des usures et
contracts pignoratifs. Paris, Nicolas Chesneau, 1577. 12mo.
[16] + 471 + [41(last blank)]p including errata & royal privilege. Roman, italic & Greek letter. Printer’s device on title. Ornamental headpiece and some small initials. Limp
vellum.£750
First edition of this treatise on the laws on usury, contracts of redemption, and the law of obligations. Monetary inflation was rampant during
the French civil war and provoked a debate best known through Jean
Bodin’s famous Reponse de Jean Bodin à M. de Malestroit (1568). Grimaudet (1520-80), royal lawyer appointed to the assembly at Angers, was respected for his erudition and integrity. A contemporary of Jean Bodin,
he wrote several works on public and civil law, but was suspected of
tendencies towards reform, accused of heresy, and forced to retire. Ink
ownership entry on title, dated 1668, partially deleted. Good copy.
Kress 119; no copies of this work recorded in British Library, or in Cambridge libraries. Cf. M.Greengrass: Money, Majesty and Virtue. The Rhetoric of Monetary Reform in later 16th century France; P.Moizart: Un contemporain de Jean Bodin, François Grimaudet, Avocat du Roi au Présidial d’Angers
(1930).
Author’s presentation copy to the English botanist
Peter Collinson with his ownership inscription on title
82 Gronovius, Laurentius Theodorus. Bibliotheca regni
animalis atque lapidei, seu de recensio auctorum et librorum, qui
de regno animali et lapideo tractant. Leiden, for the Author,
1760. 4to. [4]f + 326p. Contemporary quarter sheep, marbled boards. £1950
First edition of this early influential bibliography of the animal (excluding man) and mineral kingdoms for the use of students of natural history. The catalogue was edited and published by the Dutch physician
and naturalist Gronovius (1730-1777) and includes his own well-known
works on fish.
An interesting association copy, being a presentation from the editor
to the English botanist and physician Peter Collinson (1693-1768), with
his ownership inscription on title. Collinson devoted much of his life
to the introduction of useful plants from Europe to America and from
America to Europe. He corresponded with naturalists throughout Europe, many of whom dedicated works to him, and Linnaeus named the
genus ‘collinsonia’ after him. Several of Collinson’s own works are included in the bibliography. Very well preserved.
Blake 187 (miscollated). BMC Natural History 640. Cole 1652. Wellcome
III, 169. Wood 370.
Designed in special type by J.van Krimpen
83 Güiraldes, Ricardo. El Sendero. Maestricht, A. A. M.
Stols, 1932. 8vo. 119p. Title in red & black, half-title in blue;
numerous initials in red. Original wrappers, unopened;
limp vellum jacket with a ‘double cross’ in red on front
cover; slip case decorated with gilt ‘double cross’. £600
One of a few copies, not for public sale, marked ‘FC’ (Fuera de Comercio) of the author’s philosophical reflections and aphorisms posthumously published by his widow in a deluxe edition limited to 120 copies
designed in a special type by J. van Krimpen, and printed on handmade
England paper especially manufactured for the production of this work
by J. Barcham Green & Son. The title was designed by Alphonse Stols.
An introductory note by Adelina del Carril de Güiraldes, the author’s
widow, states that the work was begun in Buenos Aires in 1926 and was
only abandoned 2 days before Güiraldes’ death in Paris. Although not
intended for publication by the author, Adelina del Carril feels justified
in her enterprise, stating that it honours her late husband’s memory and
reveals his singular spirit (‘con ello honro su memoria y doy a sus lectores
como una llave para entrar libremente en aquel espíritu ejemplar’). An
impeccable copy of an exceptional imprint of considerable rarity; from
the library of Adelina del Carril de Güiraldes with the joint bookplate of
Ricardo and Adelina Güiraldes on inside of slip.
Description of Amazonas Flora and Fauna
With four additional plates
84 Gumilla, Joseph (S.J.) Historia natural, civil y geografica
de las naciones situadas en las riveras del Rio Orinoco… Nueva
impresion: Mucho mas correcta que las anteriores, y adornada
con ocho laminas finas, que manifiestan las costumbres y ritos de
aquellos Americanos. Corregido por el P. Ignacio Obregón, de los
Clérigos Menores. Barcelona, Carlos Gibert y Tutó, 1791. 2
volumes in 8vo. xvi + 360 p; [2]f + 352p. With engraved
author’s portrait, 6 plates, 1 folding engraved map, and
2 engraved allegorical vignettes. Contemporary mottled
sheep; morocco title-label on spines; backstrips and corners worn; rubbed. £2500
An early account of the geography, natural history, and ethnography of
the Orinoco region in the province of Amazonas, Venezuela. Gumilla
(1686-1750) came to South America in 1714 as a missionary and spent
much time of his life evangelizing the Indian tribes living along the
shores of the Orinoco River, where be became Superior of the Jesuit
missions. In 1738, on his appointment as synodal examiner at Cartagena,
he temporarily returned to Spain, and there compiled this book based
on personal knowledge of the region and on historical material found in
manuscripts left by Fathers Mercado and Ribera.
Excellent redaction with corrections by the Jesuits Ignacio Obregón and
Antonio Juglá y Font, augmented with an engraved portrait of the author, and 4 charming plates engraved by Mateo González & Capilla illustrating the customs of the Orinoco Indians: a dance of the Mapuyes,
funeral rites of the Salivas, 2 doctors known as ‘Piaches’ blowing smoke
on a female patient in a hammock, Indians grinding maize and making
maize bread. With old collector’s stamp in blank tailend margins of both
titles.
De Backer-Sommervogel III, 1949; Leclerc 1472; Medina, Biblioteca Hispano-Americana, 5460; Palau 111193; Sabin 29276 (in error calls for 7
plates).
Description of electrical machine with glass cylinder
85 Hauksbee [Francis]. Esperienze fisico meccaniche sopra
varj soggetti contenenti un racconto di diversi stupendi fenomeni intorno la luce e l’elettricita producibile dallo strofinamento
de’corpi con molte altre notabili apparenze non mai prima osservate. Colle spiegazioni di tutte le machine ... Tradotta dall’Idioma Inglese. Florence, J. Giuducci & S. Franchi, 1716. 4to.
[8]f + 162p + 1 leaf errata. With 7 numbered engraved
plates (3 folding) and a smaller unnumbered engraving
bound with text. Ornamental head and tail-pieces. Vellum.
£1600
First Italian edition of ‘one of the most important early works on electricity, containing a description of the electrical machine with a glass
cylinder (invented by Hauksbee), descriptions and illustrations of an
improved air-pump of his invention, founded on his discovery of the
lateral communication of motion in air and important for first showing
the optical effects produced by the passage of electricity through rarefied air, which formed the starting point of modern researches, X-rays
and the constitution of the atom ...’ (Duveen). This translation, the first
to be published on the Continent of Europe not long after the original
edition of 1709, is now rare. The famous plates are very well engraved
- see the 3 reproductions in Dibner, Early Electrical Machines (1957). A
few isolated wormholes and signs of usage, otherwise a good copy with
wide margins.
Duveen, Bibliotheca Alchemica et Chemica, pp281-282. Wheeler Gift Catalogue 232 mentions this edition without actually describing it.
86 [Haym, Nicola Francesco]. Notizia de’Libri Rari nelle lingua Italiana divisa in quattro parti principali, istoria, poesia,
prose, arti e scienze. London, Tonson and Watts, 1726. 4to.
[19]f + 302p + [26]f, last leaf blank. Ornamental chapter
headings. Old vellum. £385
First edition of this celebrated bibliography of Italian books inspired
by Giusto Fontanini’s Biblioteca dell’eloquenza (Rome 1706), catalogued
according to subject matter. It remained the standard bibliography of
Italian literature until the nineteenth century. Ottino and Fumagalli note
that this first edition contained copious indexes which were omitted
from subsequent editions. A good copy; light traces of waterstaining
in first few leaves.
Besterman 921. Ottino-Fumagalli 606.
87 Hecquet, Philippe. Le Brigandage de la Chirurgie, ou la
Medicine opprimée par le Brigandage de la Chirurgie. Bound
with: ]. Le Brigandage de la Pharmacie. 2 works in 1 volume,
8vo. I:[2] + viii + 22 + 32 + 214p. Ornamental initials &
head-pieces.II: [1] + 110p. Ornamental initials & headpieces. Contemporary mottled sheep, backstrip gilt; worn.£450
(1) An attack on the “pillaging” of the medical profession by upstart
surgeons who have forgotten their inferior station as the servants of
physicians. The surgeons, who had mostly been mere barbers, had begun to practise independently, and had even usurped the position of the
experienced midwife. The author proposes a law forbidding a surgeon
to operate without express orders from a physician. Added is an extract
from a medical edict of 1713 subordinating surgeons to the authority of
physicians in Prussia.
(2) A treatise on abuses in pharmaceutical practice exposing the preparation and sale of drugs by monks, charlatans and women. The author
claims that many of these drugs are ineffective, some actually harmful,
and he laments the days when apothecaries alone compounded and dispensed drugs according to regulations laid down by societies of physicians. Hecquet (1661-1737) was physician to the nuns at Port Royal for
five years. He strongly believed in the benefits of bloodletting and was
probably the model for Le Sage’s Sangrado, the quack doctor in Gil Blas.
Both works were published posthumously, forming the continuation of
the author’s Brigandage de la Médicine (1723-33); they are, however, complete in themselves. Good copies; an early manuscript ownership entry
on title of first work.
(1) Blake, p 202. Waller 4178. See Wellcome III, p 232 for a variant edition. (2) Blake, p 202. See Wellcome III, p232 for a variant edition.
Reforming Peruvian mining industries
88 Helms, Anton Zacharias. Travels from Buenos Ayres, by
Potosi, to Lima. With notes by the translator, containing topographical descriptions of the Spanish possessions in South
America, drawn from the last and best authorities. London,
Richard Phillips, 1806. 12mo. xii + 251(misnumb.287) +
[1p] With folding engraved map. Contemporary marbled
calf, gilt; rejointed;with contemporary engraved armorial
bookplate of Vice Admiral Lord Keith K.B.and book ticket
of A.Santamarina.
£385
First English translation of a journal kept by a German mineralogist
and metallurgist who was engaged by the Spanish government in to introduce Born’s new method of amalgamation to the Peruvian mines.
Helms attempted to reform the backward Peruvian mining industry by
introducing new furnaces and teaching modern methods, but resigned
totally frustrated by the constant lack of cooperation of corrupt and
ignorant local officials. His diary, beginning in October 1788 with his
overland journey to Peru from Buenos Aires, is mainly of interest for
its factual comments on the state of the mines of Potosi, Guancavelica,
Pasco and Jauricocha, on gold and silver production in South America in
general, and the trade statistics given. First published in German in 1798.
Map and title margin toned, otherwise a good copy from the collection
of Vice-Admiral George Lord Keith Elphinstone (1746-1823).
Sabin 31265.
Innovative British Cavalry Manual
With 14 additional plates and an extra chapter of text
89 Herbert, Henry. Military Equitation: Or, a method of
breaking horses, and teaching soldiers to ride. Designed for the
use of the army. The third edition with plates. Revised and corrected, with additions. Salisbury: E. Easton & London; J.
Dodsley & J. Wilkie, 1778. 4to. [8] + 140 p + 17 engraved
plates showing equestrian positions and equipment. Early 19th century half calf; marbled boards; spine repaired.
£585
The most complete edition of this innovative manual by a British cavalry
officer who was a follower of the French school, and a personal friend
of Bourgelat. Based on ten years’ army experience, Herbert, 10th Earl
of Pembroke (1734-94) wrote this handbook aiming to improve current
standards of horsemanship by developing a totally practical method of
gradual and patient training. It contains a few general rules absolutely
necessary for cavalry discipline. His precepts for shoeing are especially
praised by Mennessier, who discusses them in detail. Horses are taught
to jump and swim, and to obey oral commands in case reins are not
available.
The book had immediate success, and Herbert’s ideas were adopt-
ed throughout the British cavalry. The present third edition, with the
text revised by the author, contains the additional chapter on the trot.
This edition is especially attractive for being illustrated with a total of
17 plates (the first edition (1761) contained 2 plates only, the second edition (1762) had 3 plates). The text was translated into French by Bergeret
de Frouville, and the chapter on the trot was plagiarized in the English
translation of Bourgelat’s Le Nouveau Newcastle.
The author built an indoor riding school at his country seat at Wilton;
he also commissioned 55 paintings of military riding exercises. Blank top
corners of first leaves with light traces of waterstaining, a few traces of
usage, otherwise a good copy with early ownership signature of Thomas
D. Broad, 2 Henrietta Street, Bath, who has added a neat manuscript
index of the plates on the otherwise blank page facing first page of text.
Lewine 406; Mennessier de la Lance I,111; Wells 5695.
‘Review of main plant collections in the Netherlands’
90 Hermann, Paul. Paradisus Batavus, continens plus centum
plantas ... delineandas curaverat Paulus Hermannus ... Opus
posthumum. Leiden, Abraham Elzevier, 1698. 4to. [20] +
247 + [1 blank] + 15 + [1 blank] p. With 111 copper-plate
engravings, elaborate wood-engraved capitals and headand tail-pieces, the last half-page ornament depicting an
eagle feeding her young within a design incorporating arabesques, hunting dogs, cornflowers, foliage and caterpillers is signed with an initial ‘C’ . Contemporary panelled
calf; neatly rebacked. £2850
First edition. ‘A review of the main plant collections in the Netherlands’
(The Anglo-Dutch Garden), illustrated with fine engravings after the author’s own drawings. Paul Hermann, director of Leiden botanic garden from 1679 to 1695, collected specimens whilst travelling in Ceylon,
India and Africa. The drawings made of these plants were acquired by
Sir Joseph Banks for the British Museum, and have been the source for
important research since; they also ‘inspired Linnaeus to write his Flora
Zeylanica (1747), the description of a tropical flora he had never seen’
(Plesch). Johannes Burman’s Thesaurus zeylanicus (1737) was also based
on a Hermann herbarium, housed at the Institut de France (Stafleu &
Cowan). Following the author’s death in 1695 William Sherard edited
the above book for his widow who paid the expenses for its publication.
The dedication is to Henry Compton, Bishop of London, the great plant
collector, and ‘patron of botanophiles’; the book was promoted in England by Hans Sloane. The engravings are exquisite as well as being of
the utmost documentary value; they include the illustration of the Epidendron Curassavicum (now ‘Brassavola nodosa’), ‘the first record of a
tropical orchid that flowered in cultivation ... in the glasshouse of Gaspar
Fagel at the Leeuwenhorst’ (The Anglo-Dutch Garden). Recto of front fly
leaf with contemporary signature: ‘Ex Libris. Johannis Eglingirj. Londin:
1706’. A good copy of this finely produced edition on large paper; very
rare in this state.
Kuiljen, Paradisus Batavus, 1983, no 115, p163; Stafleu & Cowan 2687,
listing ‘110 plates [sometimes 111]’. The Anglo-Dutch Garden in the Age of
William and Mary, (ed. John Dixon Hunt & Erik de Jong) Journal of Garden History, vol 8, nos 2 & 3, 1988, no 143, p291. Both Nissen BB (860) and
Pritzel (3994) list this edition, though erroneously quote title-page of the
2nd, 1705, edition. Plesch 339, 2nd edition. Hesse produced this comprehensive horticultural work and invaluable
source book as a result of his experience as head gardener to the Elector
of Mainz for over 20 years. It was specially intended for German-speaking peoples, and with their soil and climate in mind; where possible
Latin and foreign words have been translated into the vernacular, and
a dictionary has also been appended. The four sections deal with the
cultivation and choice of plants including citrus fruits and other tender
and exotic species, flowers, shrubs, vegetables and pot-herbs, ornamental, nut and fruit trees, as well as some 4pp on varieties of tobacco plant.
There are many plant lists, with fruit trees noticeably of French origin;
reputable seed merchants; florists named include Hans Georg Krauß
of Augsburg, whose carnation catalogue is supplied. The plates depict
five garden designs attached to modest country villas, illustrations of
specimen plants (the signed plate apparently a giant English artichoke),
horticultural operations and two early examples of greenhouses (cf: K.
Lemmon, The Covered Garden, 1962, p 41. The layouts reflect the Dutch
taste for small country houses subordinate to a garden scheme and completely surrounded by canals. ‘Theodorus Phytologus’ who has contributed the preface as well as additional material, remarks on Hesse’s connections with Count John of Nassau (1604- 79), the renowned Dutch
Stadtholder and innovative garden designer whose ideas had much influence in parts of northern Germany. Loudon in his selected catalogue of
useful German reference works (Encyclopaedia of Gardening, 1827), lists
an edition of 1713. In very good condition, apart from the centre pages
which are uniformly toned.
Not in Pritzel, or Hunt.
The German baroque garden inspired by
Dutch and French models
91 Hesse, Heinrich. Neue Garten-Lust: das ist gründliche Vorstellung wie ein Lust-Küchen-und Baum-Garten unter
unserm Teutschen Climate füglich anzurichten; allerhand so
wohl fremde als einheimische Blumen, Kräuter, Gewächse und
Bäume darinnen zu erziehcn und zu warten... Damit es ein recht vollkommenes Garten-Buch seyn möge, mit sehr nützlichen
Anmerckungen, und zweyen Anhängen, zu dem ersten und
dritten Theile, wie auch mit dem gantzen vierdten Theile, als
Beschreibung eines Artzney-Gartens. . . bey dieser letztern Aufflage mit einem neuen Anhange eines … Garten-Memorials, wie
auch mit drey nützlichcn Registern versehen durch Theodorum
Phytologum. Leipzig, Johann Ludwig Gleditsch, 1703. Sm.
4to. [6] + 392 + [47]p. Title in red and black. 10 engraved
plates, 1 signed by A. C. Böcklin. Vellum boards, gilt title
on spine.
£2750
Calabria is attached to an inserted blank before the title, presumably a
former owner of the book and possibly of the castle in the painting. John
Hill (1714-75) was known to have had a botanic garden at Bayswater in
London; he was an apothecary in Covent Garden, and according to J.
Thornton was the ‘First superintendant of Royal Gardens at Kew’. First
plate a little toned, most plates strengthened at inner margin, occasional
light marginal spotting.
Hunt 679. Jackson p111. Pritzel 4076. See Johnson pp207-9.
Argentine avant-garde
93 Inicial. Revista de la Nueva Generacion. Buenos Aires,
1924-1925. 3 issues: no 4 ( January, February, March:) 75p
+ [2]f advertisements; no 7 (December:) 80p + [2]f advertisements; with 2 fullpage coloured plates of contemporary art; no 8 (August:) pp83-168 + [2]f advertisements.
Ornamental publisher’s wrappers; foxed; inside clean.
£250
Three issues of this adventurous Argentine avantgarde periodical specifically aimed at young intellectuals with contributions limited to young
Argentine writers and artists. It first appeared in 1923, and ten numbers only were published, the last in 1926. One of the editors, Homero
M.Guglielmini, announced it as “a serious periodical intended to express
faithfully the new generation of intellectuals”.
See Lafleur, Provenzano & Alonso, Las revistas literarias argentinas (18931960), pp85-88.
American plants
92 Hill, John. Decade di alberi curiosi ed eleganti piante delle
Indie Orientali, e dell’America ultimamente fatte gia’ note dall
idioma Inglese, ridotta all’Italiana favella, col lasciare intatta la
descrizione Latina, e corredata di alquante note. Rome, Salomoni, 1786. 4to. [8] + 31 + [1]p + [26] extra pages sewn in,
of which 18pp have manuscript botanical notes in French
and Italian (one dated 1873). 10 engraved plates of plants,
by Giuseppe Bianchi after Cesare Maioli. Contemporary
calf, gilt title on spine. £750
Italian translation of Hill’s work, A Decade of curious and elegant trees and
plants: drawn after specimens received from the East Indies, and America, in the
year 1772 published in London in 1773. It has been suggested that Hill himself made the drawings for the original work (see Henrey vol II, p682);
some of the plants are depicted here for the first time. This translation
appears to have been part of a series introducing newly discovered foreign and exotic species to Italy. Each plant is named in English, Italian
and Latin, with descriptions of habitat and characteristics. The translator
(probably Gaspar Xúarez, a Jesuit priest) has supplied extensive footnotes
in Italian. American plants include the ‘Upright Lima Lilly’ from Peru,
the ‘Venus Fly Trap’ (swamps of Carolina and Pennsylvania), and ‘Yellow
American Water-Lilly’ (North American Lakes).
A 19th century watercolour inside the front cover shows a fortified
castle above a group of farmhouses, a grove of trees and a vegetable plot.
The printed name of Sig. Pignatori Dott. Filippo Iacopo of Monteleone,
Impressions of a French commercial traveller in
Southern Brazil & the River Plate
94 Isabelle, Arsène. Voyage a Buènos-Ayres et a Porto-Alègre,
par la Banda-Oriental, les missions d’Uruguay et la province
de Rio-Grande-do-Sul. (de 1830–1834.) Suivi de considerations
sur l’état du commerce Français à l’extérieur, et principalement
au Brésil et au Rio-de-la-Plata. Dédié au commerce du Havre.
Havre, J. Morlent, 1835. Large 8vo. Half-title, title + 618p
+ [1 blank + 2]f. With 4 engraved plates, one serving as
frontispiece and 1 folding map at end. Half morocco; gilt.
£950
First edition. A French businessman’s informed travel account of Argentina, Uruguay, and Southern Brazil, where he spent several years with
the intention of fomenting commercial enterprises. (He later published
a guide for prospective immigrants to the area). The author toured large
parts of Rio Grande do Sul, visiting Porto Alegre and the German colony
at São Leopoldo. The lithographed folding map by Lavasseur showing
Southern Brazil, Uruguay, and the River Plate area was prepared under
the author’s direction. ‘One of few books of the time which describes
Rio Grande do Sul’ (Borba). The plates include a view of Buenos Aires
(frontispiece), portrayals of Argentine ladies dressed in the latest fashion,
and a gaucho lassoing cattle in the pampa. Some intermittent foxing.
Borba de Moraes 420; Sabin 35239.
Pre- Aztec Mexico
95 Ixtlilxuchitl, Fernando de Alva. Histoire des Chichimèques ou des anciens rois de Tezcuco… traduite sur le manuscrit espagnol... Paris, Arthus Bertrand, 1840. 8vo. xvi +
380p. Quarter morocco. £450
An account of pre-Aztec Mexican history compiled by Fernando de Alva
(1569-1646), a direct descendant of the kings of Acolhuacán, translated
into French by H. Ternaux-Compans from a Spanish manuscript first
published by Lord Kingsborough. Tezcuco, the capital of the Acolhua
kingdom, reached the height of its civilization under King Nezahualcoyotl and his son Nezahualpilli in the late 15th century. The French version
is here published as the second and third parts of the editor’s second series: ‘Voyages, relations et mémoires originaux pour servir a l’histoire de
la découverte de l’Amérique, publiés pour la première fois en Français.
Leclerc 1166; Palau 330425.
‘First published account of Tibet by an Englishman’
96 Jones, William, William Chambers, William Hastings
(et aliae). Dissertations and Miscellaneous Pieces relating to the
history and antiquities, the arts, sciences, and literature of Asia.
Dublin, P. Byrne, and W. Jones, 1793. 8vo. [6] + 643 + [1
blank]p. Contemporary calf, gilt title on spine label; worn.
£385
Early reports on the Far East including the first published account of
Tibet by an Englishman, Captain Samuel Turner, who was sent there
by Warren Hastings. It contains Turner’s letters to John Macpherson,
the Governor-General of Bengal relating to his interview with Teeshoo
Lama at the Monastery of Terpaling, and an account of a journey to
Tibet made by Poorungeer, a Gosseyn, and his reception by the Lama.
(Turner’s full narrative was not published until 1800.) The volume also
includes studies of eastern arts, sciences and literature including chap-
ters on the Gods of Greece, Italy, and India, the chronology of the Hindus, the Indian game of chess, the antiquity of the Indian Zodiac, the
plants of India, an account of Nepal, and a discourse on the method of
catching wild elephants at Tipura. Sir William Jones made his name with
his Persian grammar (see item below), founded the Asiatic Society of
Bengal (1784), and edited its Journal of Asiatic Researches.
PMM pp 141-142. ESTCN 8164.
97 Jones, William. A Grammar of the Persian Language.
The Second Edition, with an index. [Title in Arabic] London,
J.Richardson, 1775. 4to. [ii] + xix + [i] + 147 + [xliii]p. With
one engraved plate of ‘Taleek’ and ‘Shekesteh’ scripts,
signed Bayly. Contemporary calf; backstrip gilt; ends of
spine and corners restored. £550
Revised edition by John Richardson who added an index. The orientalist and free-thinker, William Jones (1746-94), wrote his pioneering work
at the age of twenty-five. It was first published in 1771. He co-founded
the Asiatic Society of Bengal and initiated the journal Asiatick Researches.
Jones is considered a pioneer of comparative linguistics and of Indo-European studies because of his attempts to discover analogies between
Sanskrit and the western languages. A fresh copy.
Forerunner of the totalitarian state
98 [Joseph II Holy Roman Emperor (1780-90)]. Allgemeine
Gerichtsordnung für Böheim, Mähren, Schlesien, Oesterreich …
und die Vorlanden. Vienna, Johann Thomas von Trattner,
1781. [4] + 184p., including subject index at end. (Bound
with:) [Joseph II Holy Roman Emperor). Allgemeine
Konkursordnung für Böheim, Mähren, Schlesien, Oesterreich ob,
und unter der Ennß, Görz, Gradiska, Triest, Tyrol, und die Vorlande. Vienna, Trattner, 1781. 2 works in 1 volume, 8vo.
31p. Original publisher’s boards. £550
First printings of the revised codes of laws for the Austrian imperial dominions or ‘crown-lands’ including Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Tyrol and
Slovenia. The second code deals exclusively with bankruptcy legislation.
The new laws introduced by the Austrian Enlightenment Emperor
on his accession to the throne were drafted to replace ethnic regional
diversity with a centralized state ruled from Vienna to promote administrative unity and imperial power. The over-ambitious programme of
sweeping reforms provoked universal opposition and was finally abandoned. Fresh copies.
99 Journal des Sçavans pour l’année MDCLXXXV. Tôme
treisième. Amsterdam, G. P. & J. Blaeu, aux depens de la
Compagnie, 1686., 1686. 12mo. 582 + (17 + 1)p. With 6 engraved plates (2 folding). Contemporary mottled calf, back
strip gilt. £275
Influential French weekly arts and science journal for the year 1685,
edited by Abbé Jean-Paul de la Roque. Among the topics discussed are
coffee, the tides, earthquakes, the flying fish of Cape Verde, a method of
weighing air, a remedy for gout, and the extraordinary gifts possessed by
certain blind people. The illustrations include a beautifully carved gemstone, a mathematical instrument for measuring and plotting angles and
a support for long telescopes. The Journal des Savants ran almost continuously from 1665-1792 and was edited by La Roque from 1675-86. The
original was issued in Paris but was for many years reprinted in the same
format in the Netherlands. A good copy.
Barbier, Dictionnaire des ouvrages anonymes, II, 1022. Hünersdorff, Coffee:
A Bibliography, p781.
Lessons from Napoleonic warfare applied to Austrian tactics
100 [Karl Archduke of Austria]. Grundsätze zur höhern
Kriegs=Kunst für die Generäle der österreichischen Armee. Vienna, Imperial & Royal Court and State Press, 1806. 12mo.
[4] + 92p. Fraktur type. Woodcut of imperial arms on title.
Publisher’s marbled boards. £450
First edition. Handbook on the principles of advanced warfare written
for Austrian generals by their commander-in-chief, the Archduke Karl
(1771-1848), who initiated far-reaching army reforms in line with the
changes in warfare learnt from experiences during the early Napoleonic
campaigns. The author, one of the best allied strategists, was to inflict
the first defeat on Napoleon at Aspern-Esslingen (1809). His work is
divided into three parts: 1) on offensive and defensive wars, fortresses
and winter campaigns; 2) on the formation of arsenals, marching orders, tactical defensive positions, the defence and the crossing of rivers,
and winter quarters; 3) on the protection of supply lines by convoys,
skirmishing, the Turkish wars, and the changes in warfare pioneered by
Napoleon. The author concludes that the first principle of war is an accurate assessment of available means to achieve the desired ends. The
surest method of gaining victory is choosing the right moment to deploy
the largest number of available forces to achieve the highest degree of
effectiveness. The practical application of these principles based on experience in the field make a successful commander. Fine copy.
101 Kemp, Edward. How to lay out a garden; intended as a
general guide in choosing, forming, or improving an estate. London, Bradbury & Evans, 1864. 8vo. xxxi + (1) + 428p. 249 engraved illustrations and plans in text. Publisher’s cloth, gilt.
£375
Third edition of the work, much enlarged, with illustrations from the
author’s own designs. Kemp became an advocate of the formal garden
in a period of changing attitudes to garden aesthetics. He was superintendant for over 40 years of Birkenhead Park in Liverpool, where he had
himself assisted in the lay-out with Sir Joseph Paxton (1843-47); Birkenhead was the first consciously designed public park and its design was
highly influential; in it were incorporated many innovatory schemes
including an ingenious traffic’circulation system’ which was subsequently reproduced in Central Park by F.L. Olmstead (Oxford Companion to
Gardens, p56). Kemp’s ideas were based on those of Sir Uvedale Price
(d.1839) who was in favour of the ‘picturesque’ and strongly opposed
to the’disfigurement of the English countryside at the hands of Lancelot Brown’ (Oxford Companion to Gardens, p455), and J.C. Loudon who
sought the preservation and improvement of the village; Kemp regarded
the present work as somewhat of a companion to Loudon’s Suburban
Horticulturist (1845); he was particularly influential on the Continent and
he is cited as a source by Alphand and Edouard André among others. A
very good copy; occasional light marginal foxing.
See Brent Elliott, Victorian Gardens, 1986, pp99-105.
102 Kolb, Peter. Description du Cap de Bonne-Esperance, où
l’on trouve tout ce qui concerne l’histoire naturelle du pays, la religion, les moeurs & les usages des Hottentots; et l’établissement
des Hollandois. Amsterdam, Jean Catuffe, 1741. 3 volumes
in 12mo. [10]f + 370 + [1]p; [7]f + 228p; [10]f + 280p. With
engraved allegorical frontispiece to vol I, titles in red &
black with vignette, 25 engraved plates (1 folding) and 5
folding maps. Original marbled publisher’s wrappers, untrimmed. £1850
First French edition of this classic description of South Africa with accounts of the native Hottentots, the Dutch settlements and their modes
of existence; it contains the earliest description of the local fauna. Vol. I,
chapter XVI (pp241 - 259) concerns the food of the Hottentots; chapter
XVII (pp259 - 271) their childbirth practices; Vol. II, chapter IX (pp121 159) details the diseases of the Europeans in the Cape and their methods
of cure. The attractive plates based on those of the Dutch edition of
1727, include a fine, folding view of the Cape of Good Hope, representations of the Hottentot natives and a variety of animals, and folding maps
of the East Coast, the Cape and Cape Colony. ‘Exact and detailed description of the Cape of Good Hope, containing a very circumstantial
account of . its settlements, harbour, fortress, form of government, extent, and the regions recently discovered in its vicinity; together with an
erudite description of the climate and soil of the territory, of its animals,
fishes, birds, plants and herbs .’ (Mendelssohn). A fresh copy in its original state, untrimmed.
Ford Bell IV, 124. Landwehr, VOC, 585. Nederlandsch Historisch
Scheepvaart Museum, Catalogus, I, p207. Tiele 806 (notes). This edition
not in Mendelssohn who lists the Dutch edition (I, 842).
The only portraits of the Greek national heroes
drawn during their life time
103 Krazeisen, Karl. Bildnisse ausgezeichneter Griechen
und Philhelenen nebst einigen Ansichten und Trachten. Nach
der Natur gezeichnet … Portraits des Grecs et des Philhellènes
les plus célèbres suivis de quelques vues et costumes. Dessinés
d’après nature … Munich, printed for the author, 1828 [–
1831]. 7 parts bound into 1 volume, folio. 28 lithographed
plates and a lithograph plan of the battle of Athens. Including original publisher’s front wrappers to parts 2 – 7
and back cover of last part showing the map. With 14
pages of explanatory parallel text in German and French.
Contemporary half calf; marbled boards, spine restored.
£25,500
First edition of the celebrated contemporary portraits of Phihellenes
drawn by a German participant in the Greek War of Independence. .
An exceptional copy, complete, and containing an additional plan of the
battle of Athens. Generally in excellent unrestored condition, apart from
some light isolated marginal waterstains to parts 6 & 7.
Karl August Krazeisen (1794- 1878). an accomplished amateur artist,
was a member of a party of Bavarian philhellene officers sent by King
Ludwig I in 1826 under the command of Colonel Karl von Heideck. It
was the first public action to support the Greek Independence Struggle
taken by a small European state. Krazeisen made many drawings of
camps, costumes, uniforms and battle plans during his two year stay in
Greece, the originals of which are now at the National Gallery in Athens. On his return to Munich, four outstanding German lithographers
collaborated in the publication of his album to promote the Greek cause
: Franz Hanfstaengl (1804-77) executed the portraits, Friedrich Hohe
(1802-70) the landscapes, Peter von Hess (1792-1871) the battle scene,
and Joseph Steingrübel (1804-38), the map.
The twenty one portraits of the most notable figures in the struggle for
Independence are among the best known of the period. The seven views
include the image of the Greeks defending the ruins at Corinth : a captain stands tall firing his pistol at the enemy, having seized the flag from
the standard bearer who lies dying at his feet; an additional view shows
the frigate Hellas, which arrived from America in 1826, and the steamer
Kareria, both involved in relief of the siege of the Acropolis.
As Krazeisen had sketched all Greek leaders living at the time of his stay
in Greece, his album constitutes a unique source and the most comprehensive collection of its kind; he remained the only artist to have portrayed the Greek national heroes during their lifetime.
Krazeisen was present at the battles of the Acropolis, and the newly founded modern Greek state honoured him with the Order of the
Redeemer.; Theodoros Vrysakis portrayed him in his famous painting
“The camp of Georgios Karaiskakis”(1855) for which the Krazeisen portraits served as the historical source.
The publisher’s wrappers bear the ownership stamp of the Bavarian general, Clemens Count von Raglovich (1766-1836).
Blackmer / Navari 926; Droulia 1426-29; Lipperheide 1447; Nagler VII,
p 168.
Follies of life in under the reign of Louis XIV
104 La Bruyere, Jean de. Les caracteres de Theophraste traduit du Grec, avec les caracteres ou les moeurs de ce siecle et
la clef, en marge & par ordre alphabetique. Paris, Estienne
Michallet, 1697. 3 parts in small 8vo. [40] + 285 + [361]+
(2) + 336 + [4 + 2 blank] + [1] + 251 + [2 + 1 blank)p. Engraved allegorical frontispiece. Contemporary sprinkled
calf, gilt back; compartments of spine decorated in gilt;
some light rubbing to corners. £450
Enlarged edition of the great moralist’s most famous work, translated
into English in 1699, and thought to have influenced the English essayists
during the reign of Queen Anne. La Bruyère (1645-96) used his translation of Theophrastus as an introduction to his ironic, spirited essays
on the follies and social injustices of his age, as observed by him at the
French court. He also comments on literary subjects and certain authors. His election to the French Academy in 1693 on the strength of
this work was seen as a victory for the party of the ‘Ancients’ against
the ‘Moderns’. In good overall condition; joints sturdy; only some rubbing to corners and a few isolated hardly noticeable traces of superficial
worming on spine. Contents generally clean; 3 neat marginal repairs
without loss; very occasional toning. Good copy; a corroded early ink
erasure of a signature in blank lower margin of first title.
See Brunet III, 720 (note).
Venetian sovereignty questioned
105 [La Cueva, Alonso de ?]. Examen de la liberté originaire de Venise. Traduit de l’Italien. Avec une harangue de Louis
Hélian Ambassadeur de France contre les Vénitiens, traduite du
Latin. Et des remarques historiques. ‘Ratisbonne, Jean Aubry’ [Holland] 1677 & Suplément à l’histoire du gouvernement
de Venise ‘Paris, Frederic Leonard [Holland] 1677. 2 parts
in 1 volume. 16mo. [12] + 211 + [3]p; 237 + [3]p. Armillary sphere device on both titles. Contemporary vellum.
£350
Dutch pirated edition published in 2 parts with different titles of Nicolas Amelot de la Houssaye’s French translation of Squitinio della liberta Veneta, a seditious work first published at Mirandola in 1612, several
times reprinted, and condemned to be burnt by the Venetian Senate. The
book argues that Venice, as a former domain of the East Roman Empire,
should rightfully be subject to the jurisdiction of its imperial successor
state, the Germanic empire. Authorship has been variously attributed
to Alfonso de la Cueva, the supposed leader of the Spanish conspiracy
against Venice, to Marcus Welser, Augsburg banker and humanist, and
to the Papal Court. The Venetian patriot, Paolo Sarpi, rejected the arguments put forward in the Squitinio when attacking ever increasing papal
pretensions in his Historie of the Councel of Trent (1619).
Good copy with early manuscript notes in Latin on front flyleaf; bookplate of Henri Schults.
Barbier 344-5l; Willems 1907; see also Peignot, Livres condamnés au feu,
Paris 1806, II, pp144-5.
Proof impressions
106 [La Fontaine, Jean. Contes et nouvelles. Paris, Cazin,
1780] Oblong 12mo. Separate proof impressions of the
illustrations. 24 engraved plates (plate impression 100 x
70mm) printed in pairs on separate sheets; 20 of the plates
are engraved after C.L. Desrais, one after Goujet, 3 unsigned; the portrait of La Fontaine printed on a separate
small sheet is unsigned. Bound in mottled sheep, gilt.£500
Rare suite of proof impressions for the illustrations of the 2 volume edition in 18mo of the bawdy tales which are partly based on Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso. The engravers are T.Maillet, Deny, F.A.Aveline, R.Delvaux,
and Madame Lingée.
Not listed by Cohen-De Ricci (col.572) who merely records the edition.
Langley was at Twickenham before moving to Westminster, within the
same period that he issued his New principles of gardening and Pomona
(1728, 1729). The engraver of the frontispiece, Peter Toms (d.1777), contributed illustrations to the Pomona. A very good copy.
Desmond, p413. Henrey 929, and vol II, pp470-1, 554, 647. Hunt 473.
109 Langlois, E[ustache] H[yacinthe]. Essai sur la calligraphie des manuscrits du Moyen-Age et sur les ornaments des
premiers livres d’heures imprimés. Rouen, I.S.Lefevre, 1841.
8vo. [iv] + 180p. With 17 engraved plates (4 folding). Contemporary half calf. £485
First edition. An early art-historical study of the structure and making
of Books of Hours illustrated with beautiful engravings reproducing
figures, initials, scrolls, borders and calligraphic features of richly illuminated medieval manuscripts, largely from the Bibliothèque Royale
and the Vatican Library. Langlois (1777-1838), Norman antiquary, was
a Christian writer, and a gifted artist who defended national patrimony and denounced revolutionary vandalism. A pupil of Lemonnier and
Jacques-Louis David ,he was known as the ‘Norman Callot’ for his imaginative drawings. He served as director of the Museum of Antiquities at
Rouen, and published numerous articles of antiquarian interest relating
to the region. A very good copy with wide margins.
Iconography of Mary Queen of Scots
107 Labanov[-Rostovskii], Prince Alexandr [Yakovlevich].
Notice sur la collection des portraits de Marie Stuart appartenant au Prince Alexandre Labanoff. St Petersburg, Pratz, 1860.
Large 8vo. Frontispiece, xxiii + 345p. Contemporary morocco, gilt; rejointed.
£485
Enlarged and revised edition of the first serious study of the authentic
portraits of Mary Queen of Scots, painted, or, engraved, based on the
iconic collection of Prince Labanov-Rostovskii (1788-1866), a fervent admirer of the Scottish queen, who published a seven volume work on the
manuscripts and printed books connected to her name in his possession
in 1844. Some foxing of preliminaries, otherwise well preserved.
Practical advice to estate owners
108 Langley, Batty. Sure Method of Improving Estates, by
plantations of oak, elm, ash, beech, and other timber trees, coppice woods etc. London, Francis Clay & Daniel Brown, 1728.
8vo. [x] + xxii (ie.xx) + 274p. With engraved frontispiece by
Toms, woodcut head- and tail-pieces. Title-page in red and
black. Contemporary speckled calf; spine neatly rebacked.
£1500
One of the earliest works (by some 25 years) to set out in a professional
manner the importance of ‘silviculture and arboriculture’, which was
taken up with zeal in the second half of the 18th century (Henrey).
Langley (1696-1751) was an architect, surveyor, hydraulics expert and
landscape gardener; he gave advice to estate owners throughout Great
Britain and Ireland. The present treatise gives ‘practical and informative
material’, and details of the profits expected; it was published when
Second Census of Buenos Aires
110 (Buenos Aires) Latzina, Francisco (compiler, with
others). Censo general de población, edificación, comercio e indústrias de la ciudad de Buenos Aires ... Levantado en los días 17
de Agosto, 15 y 30 de Setiembre de 1887 bajo la administración
del Dr Don Antonio F Crespo. Buenos Aires, Compañia
Sud-Americana de Billetes de Banco, 1889.2 vols. 4to. I: vii
+ (I) + 544p. II: 620p. With engraved frontispiece portrait,
large chromolithograph folding plan of Buenos Aires and
49 plates (of which 14 are coloured steel engravings (7 double-page), 24 photographs by Witcomb, the remaining are
plans and charts (inc. 3 double- page, 2 folding). Original
contemporary green (vol I), and red (vol 11) cloth bindings, gilt title and emblem (?arms of the city) on covers;
slight wear to spine ends. £650
Topographical study of rhe city following rhe census of 1887, rhe second
official demographic count afrer the suburbs of Belgrano and Flores had
been annexed. The popularion was around 432,000 having more rhan
doubled in 20 years. The work provides a detailed description of the city,
its layout, engineering works, institutions, education, theatres, inhabitants, the climate and physical geography of rhe area. About one-fifth
of the popularion of Argentina then lived in Buenos Aires; rate-payers,
both foreign and native, had the right to vote in municipal elections.
Warer and drainage works were eventually iniriated in 1873 by English
engineers following serious cholera and yellow fever epidemics, and rhe
plans for these are included here. Improvements to facilitate shipping
were begun in the ‘Boca’ or port in 1872 with some £1,500,000 spent on
dredging and creating landing areas, and this was subsrantially added to
later in the century to enable the city to compete internationally. The
illustrations throughout are excellent; the early photographs wirh use of
wide angle lens give impressive panoramic views of landmarks, monuments, markets, warehouses, the port, plazas and gardens. An important
document in good condition.
Illustrated by Merian
111 Lauremberg, Peter. Horticultura, Iibris II compre hensa;
huic coelo & solo accommodata; regulis, observationibus, experimentis, & figuris novis instructa. Frankfurt-am-Main, Mattheius Merian (1631). Small 4to. 196p. Engraved title- page,
23 engraved plates, 28 (numbered) engraved illustrations
on 6p text, decorative foliate capitals and tail-pieces. Vellum boards, gilt title on spine. £1850
An innovative horticultural treatise with examples of garden design
directly influenced by Vredeman de Vries. Lauremberg’s contribution
lies principally in his proof by experiment of facts not yet accepted by
botanists. Among these were the reproduction of plants by cuttings,
stems and leaves as well as seeds (thus dispelling ideas about the ‘soul’
of a plant); he grew plants thought to be antipathetic side by side (ie
the vine and the cabbage) and found they thrived; he confirmed that
a seed’s roots would naturally develop downwards and the stem grow
towards the light. The work deals firstly with the reproduction of plants,
the compatibility of one to another, propagation by seed, stolon and cuttings, pruning, irrigation and cultural techniques. The second part focuses on the orchard, flower, and herb garden, with a final list of plants for
medicinal use. The attractive plates by Merian illustrate contemporaty
gardening implements, 13 examples of raised beds (called pulvillus, as
were similar geometric plots in botanic gardens), 4 labyrinths in different
shapes, and several examples of garden tablets inscribed with mottoes, a
board for backgammon and a sundial. Textual illustrations show grafting
and pruning techniques, and several curious topiary tableaux. The allegorical title-page combines emblematic figures and instruments of horticulture around an architectural frame. A crisp copy of this scarce work
which combines both scientific progress with the mannerist fascination
for inventive design; a few leaves skilfully repaired at edge.
Hunt 219. Nissen 1147. Pritzel 5088. See also A.G. Morton, A History of
Botanical Science, 1981, pp222-3.
112 Le Clerc, Daniel. Histoire de la Médecine où l’on voit
l’Origine & les Progrès de cet Art. Amsterdam, ‘aux depenses
de la Compagnie’, 1723. 4to. Frontispiece [9]f + 820p + [10
+ 1 blank)f. Roman & italic letter with some Greek. Title
in red & black. With fine engraved frontispiece, 9 engraved
plates and 1 folding table. Ornamental vignette on title.
Some decorative initials. Bound in 19th century mottled
boards and has 2 old collector’s stamps in blank margin of
title; worn. £650
Best edition of the first comprehensive history of medicine, here much
revised and enlarged by the author who has brought it up to the middle
of the 17th century. Le Clerc (1652-1728) studied medicine at Montpellier and Paris before qualifying at Valence in 1672. Paper lightly toned.
Blake, p261. Cushing L112. Garrison & Morton 6379. Osler 6036. Wellcome III, p470.
113 Le Corbusier. La VilIe Radieuse. Elements d’une doctrine
d’urbanisme pour l’equipement de la civilization machiniste.
Boulogne (Seine), L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, [1933].
Oblong 4to. [345] + [2] pp. With numerous illustrations
from photographs, plans and diagrams, many in colour.
Original printed boards; worn. £685
First edition of one of the most important works in which Le Corbusier
most fully developed his principles of planning. In this ideal city he advocates ‘centralized planning, which would cover not merely city building
but every aspect of life.’ He envisaged a totally geometric town where
all life would be regulated, and the inhabitants ‘live in giant collective
apartments called ‘Unites” (one was in fact built in Marseilles in 1946;
see Peter Hall, below). Among some 13 cities for which Le Corbusier
devised plans are Algiers, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Rome and Barcelona. An influential work, with lively illustrations and measured plans.
See Peter Hall, Cities of Tomorrow, 1988, pp207-12.
Early childrens book adapted and illustrated for German youth
114 Le Prince de Beaumont [Jeanne]-Marie. Der Frau Maria le Prince de Beaumont lehrreiches Magazin für Kinder zu
richtiger Bildung ihres Verstandes und Herzens für die deutsche
Jugend eingerichtet und mit den nöthigsten Kupfern versehen von
Johann Joachim Schwaben. Dritte und verbesserte Auflage. Leipzig, in der Weidmannischen Handlung, 1761. 4 parts in 1
volume, 8vo. XLV + [1] + 192p; 184p; 190p; 192p. With
3 copper plates (1 folding) by P.L.Crusius, one serving as
frontispiece. Typographical ornaments. Contemporary
half sheep, gilt; worn. £450
Enlarged third edition of a complete German translation of Magazin des
enfans containing 29 dialogues between a governess and seven young
ladies combining instruction, entertainment and moral teaching. The
subjects are the Bible, history, geography and the natural sciences. The
frontispience shows the governess with two young girls; the folding plate
illustrates the architectural wonders of the ancient world. The authoress
(1711-80) wrote novels and juvenile literature. The translator, Schwabe
(1714-84), a member of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences, was
renowned for German renderings of influential French and English texts
including Swift. This early childrens book was inspired by ‘Le Magazin’
(first published in London in 1756) , a bestseller of juvenile literature in
the manner of Sarah Fielding’s The Governess. Some faint age toning,
otherwise in good condition.
115 Le Roux [Laurent-Charles-Pierre]. Disertación acerca
de la Rabia Espontanea de causa interna, y de causa externa
comunicada por la mordedura de animales rabiosos… Traducida
al Castellano, Ilustrada con un Discurso en que se expone la descripcion de la Rabia del hombre y de los animales; y con varias
Notas, en las que entre otras se propone un Reglamento político para precaver el origin de esta enfermedad, y observaciones
hechas en este Hospital General de Madrid sobre ella; igualmente
se le ha añadido un extrácto de las Indigaciones de Andry … Por
el Doctor Don Bartholomé Piñera y Siles. Madrid, Josef Doblado, 1786. 8vo. [4]f + 288p. Contemporary marbled sheep;
worn. £485
First Spanish language edition of this influential monograph on rabies
by the distinguished French surgeon Le Roux (1730-92), who practised at
the hospital at Dijon, where the original French text (Traitement local de la
rage, et de la morsure de la vipere) was first published in 1780. The Spanish
translator, a medical academician, provides an introductory commentary (pp1-30) with observations on the prevention of the disease made in
the Madrid General Hospital, an extract from Recherches sur la rage (1777)
by the noted French pathologist and fervent advocate of vaccination,
Charles Andry (1741-1829), on pp 31-114, as well as a subject index to
both these works. A very good copy.
Blake p266; Palau 136098; Wellcome III, p495.
Animal Motion
116 Lenoble du Teil, Jean Jules. Etude sur la locomotion du
cheval et des quadrupèdes en général considérée dans ses rapports
avec l’équitation et la représentation des quadrupèdes a toutes les
allures et a toutes les variétés de ces allures. Paris, J. Dumaine,
1873. 2 parts bound into 1 volume, large 4to. 123p. With 23
plates (13 double-page & 1 folding, containing numerous
illustrations. Original cloth-backed marbled boards, publisher’s wrappers bound in. £485
First edition of this early detailed study of the movement of the horse
and other quadrupeds which anticipates Eadweard Muybridge’s photographic treatment of the same subject at the University of Pennsylvania
(1884-87) by over a decade. The positions are illustrated in precise charts
in the second part, or atlas. The author (1838-98), a pupil of Baucher and
Raabe, taught horsemanship at the Ecole des Haras du Pin. The volume
is well preserved; the original publisher’s wrapper to part 2 is age-stained
and repaired.
Menessier de la Lance II, 92; Wells 4519.
Authoritative work on mercantile law
117 Leotardo, Onorato. Liber singularis de usuris, & contractibus usurariis coercendis. In quo omnes fere quaestiones ad
tractatum ejus, quod interest, & annuorum reddituum pertinentes, non vulgari ratione definitae continentur... Editio secunda Veneta prae caeteris emendatissima ... cui nunc adiectae sunt
pro foro conscientiae R.P.Francisci Zeche S.J. Dissertationes tres
in quibus rigor moderatus doctrinae pontificiae circa usuras a
sanctissimo D.N.Benedicto XIV per epistolam encyclicam episcopis Italiae traditus exhibetur. Venice, P.Savioni, 1761. 2
parts in 1 volume, folio. [4]f + 558p + [1 blank] + [2]f +
136p. Text in 2 columns. Main title in red & black; printer’s
device on both titles. Contemporary vellum; front cover
stained. £550
One of the most comprehensive and influential 17th century treatises
on mercantile law, first published by a Nice lawyer in 1649, and long considered a standard work. Including a section on maritime risk (cf. Óscar
Crúz Barney, El préstamo a la gruesa ventura o riesgo marítimo como mecanismo de financación del comercio Hispano-Indiano, p.6). The present corrected
Venetian edition comprises an additional supplement : a dissertation by
the noted Jesuit canon lawyer Franz Xaver Zech (1692-1772) on permissable lending at interest and its moral and ethical aspects as set out in
an encyclical letter by Pope Benedict XIV (1740-58). Zech, who taught
at Innsbruck and later at Ingolstadt, defined charitable pawnshops as “a
certain fund of money (or of consumable goods) collected together for
the assistance of the poor, to be lent to them on the security of pledges”.
Both parts include extensive indexes. A good copy.
Kress 9702.9.
118 Linden, Diederick Wessel. (fl. 1745-68). A treatise on
the three medicinal mineral waters at Llandrindod, in Radnorshire, South Wales with some remarks on Mineral and Fossil
Mixtures. London, printed by J. Everingham and T. Reynolds for the author, 1756. 8vo. (4) + xliv + 336p. Title in
red & black. With engraved frontispiece by J S Miller, and
woodcut head- and tail-pieces, some signed JB. Contemporary calf; lightly worn. £475
First edition. The spa, thought to date back to Roman times (Pliny’s
Balnea Siluria), was rediscovered in the 1ate 17th century; it was not
however until a poem praising the waters appeared in The Gentleman’s
Magazine (1748) that the spa received attention. William Grosvenor of
Shrewsbury then moved in and developed houses and built the magnificent Grosvenor Hotel. The important cures effected by the saline and
sulphur springs advocated by a Mrs Jenkins (c.1736) were promoted. The
present treatise enhanced the town’s prestige immeasurably; the physician author, claims the ‘good effects’ of the waters ‘give place to none
in Europe’. The environment, history of the waters and social amenities
are described followed by 3 books on the Saline, Pump and Sulphur Waters, cures and remedies, and directions for drinking and bathing. An appendix contains short accounts of springs in other parts of Wales, several
deemed to be efficacious on account of coal in the ground. There is a list
of some 215 subscribers. In very good condition.
Duveen 362-3. Wellcome III, p521. See William Thomson, Spas that Heal,
London, 1978, pp122-32.
119 Linnaeus, Carl. Parte práctica de botánica del Caballero
Cárlos Linneo, que comprende las clases, órdenes, géneros, especies y variedades de las plantas, con sus caracteres génericos y
específicos, sinónimos mas selectos, nombres triviales, lugares
donde nacen, y propiedades. Traducida del latin en castellano é
ilustrada por Don Antonio Paláu y Verdéra. Madrid, Imprenta
Real, 1784-1788. 9 volumes in 8vo. I: [2]f + [4]f + lvi +
796p + 2 engraved plates (1 large folding); II: [2]f + 918p;
III: [2]f + 809 (misnumb. 1 - 176, 173 - 685, 682 - 801); IV: [2]
f + 914p; V: [2]f + 788p; VI: [2]f + 923 (misnumb. 1 - 687,
690 - 925)p; VII: [2]f + 927p; VIII: [1]f + 176 (numb. Iii-clxxviii)p + [2]f + 482 (misnumb. 782)p + engraved author’s
portrait; IX: [2]f + 8 (numb. v - xii) + 713p. Contemporary
mottled sheep, spines gilt with green morocco title labels.
£2500
First Spanish language edition of the Philosophia Botanica. Translated
from the Latin by Antonio Paláu y Verdera except for the 8th volume,
entitled Explicación del sistema botánico, which is based on the French
version of Antoine Gouan, professor of medicine at Montpellier, ‘the
doyen of Linnaean taxonomy in France’ (Stafleu). This set comprises
in addition, as a supplement or ninth volume, the editor’s Sistema de los
vegetables ó resumen de la parte práctica de botánica which was separately
published. Volumes 4 & 7 with marginal waterstaining at beginnings, in
volume 4 also affecting the front cover which is slightly warped, otherwise a good, clean set.
I: Hulth p151; Hunt 670 copied the error of Palau (138571, 138575) who
lists this as a translation of the Species Plantarum.
Pritzel 5426; Stafleu & Cowan 7202; II: Hulth p152; Palau 138572; Soulsby 595; Stafleu & Cowan 7203.
The foremost garden designers of the period
With contemporary seed catalogue
120 [London, George & Henry Wise]. The retir’d gardener.
In six parts. The two first being dialogues between a gentleman
and gardener. Containing the methods of making ... and improving a fruit and kitchen-garden ... The four last parts treat of
the manner of ... adorning gardens; explaining the art of making and disposing of parterres, arbours or greens, wood-works,
arches, columns and other compartments proper for the most
beautiful gardens and plantations. London, J. Tonson, 1717.
8vo. [16] + 432 + 8p. Engraved frontispiece by M. van der
Gucht after L. Laguerre, 20 engraved plates, woodcuts in
text. Contemporary decorative panelled calf; lower spine
strengthened. £2500
A rich source of information on contemporary horticultural practice,
and garden design much influenced by French models. London and Wise
owned the celebrated Brompton Park nursery from circa 1688 to 1714,
and supplied most of the large estates with plants and trees; the nursery
was highly recommended by John Evelyn. Wise was ‘master gardener’to Queen Anne, whilst London travelled the country giving advice
on gardens including Chatsworth, Longleat and Castle Howard. The
present work is advertised as a translation of two French works (those
of FranÇois Gentil and Louis Liger) but with ‘several alterations and additions proper for our English culture’. This second edition revised by
Joseph Carpenter who became a partner in the nursery in 1714, gives
more details of English practice, tree-planting schemes and fruit preferences than the first published 1706 edition, and is considered of more
use to the real gardener. There is a list of fruits and catalogue of seeds
available at the Brompton nursery. Among the attractive plates are several of parterres, allées and garden layouts with topiary and fountains;
arbours and covered walks are illustrated in an elm-entwined portico
and a ‘gallery’of hornbeam (the text notes that the English would use
lime). A handsome copy in contemporary binding, very faint toning only
to one or two leaves.
Henrey 990; see also David Green, Gardener to Queen Anne, 1958.
121 Loudon, J. C. An encyclopaedia of cottage, farm, and
villa architecture and furniture; containing numerous designs for
dwellings from the cottage to the villa - and appropriate offices, gardens and garden scenery; accompanied by analytical and
critical remarks. A new edition edited by Mrs Loudon. London,
Longman, Brown, 1846. xxiv + 1317 + [3]p + 32 p publisher’s adverts. 2342 wood engraved illustrations in text. 81
separately illustrated designs. Contemporary green pictorial stamped cloth, gilt title on spine. £750
This great work was devoted to the improvement of architectural taste
in both labourer and employer. Divided into three books, there are 81
designs for cottages, 57 for farmhouses, public houses and schools, 23
for villas. The supplement first added in this edition contains a further 57
designs for ornamental cottages, villas, schools, workhouses and almshouses. To each section is added minute details of construction, suitability of space for intended inhabitants, suggested furniture, fittings and
outbuildings (dog kennels, aviaries, conservatories, ornamental garden
structures etc.) Styles include the Gothic, Italianate, Grecian and many
variations. Loudon emphasizes harmony of style appropriate to materials used and a size in keeping with the purpose. The work was a great
success at the time and its influence far reaching through the 19th century. Both gentleman and labourer expressed their gratitude to Loudon for
his ideas in the third issue of the Gardeners’ Magazine. Jane Loudon, who
edited this edition after her husband’s death, considered the book ‘the
best and most useful’ of all his works. Many engravers, architects and
designers assisted in the work. 79 contributors are listed, a further 32 for
the supplement. John Robertson produced the majority of the diagrams
and designs. Cabinet makers include V. F. Dalziel for ‘modern’ furniture,
Edward Lamb for earlier period style furniture. In addition there are
ironmongers, stove builders, fountain makers and even a picture hanger.
With its numerous contemporary illustrations, extensive explanations,
glossaries and references the work is one of the foremost documents of
the period. An excellent clean copy.
Archer, The Literature of British Domestic Architecture, 184.8.
122 Lowell, Guy. Smaller Italian Villas & Farmhouses. New
York, The Architectural Book Publishing Co, 1916. [6] +
XIIf. With 125f plates, from photographs (many by the author) and plans, several illustrations from drawings in text.
(And:) Lowell, Guy. More Small Italian Villas and Farmhouses. New York, Architectural Book Publishing Co, 1920. [10]
+ XIVp. With 140f plates, nearly all from photographs by
the author, several illustrations from drawings in text. 2
vols. Folio. Publisher’s cloth, gilt title on cover, top edge
gilt; very slightly frayed at top edges. £300
A stimulating survey. As well as the more famous examples, here accompanied by plans and described in their historic context (Villas Borghese
and Medici in Rome; Mondragone, Falconieri at Frascati; Gamberaia
near Settignano), the author has sought to explain the system of farming
and rural life in Italy, illustrating the work with superb photographs of
architectural and garden features which show the smaller houses and
farms to be merely less sophisticated versions of the larger. Among features given prominence are the delightful loggias, elegantly trellised vegetable gardens, pools and fishponds, arcaded courtyards, hunting lodges
and wrought-iron garden gates with sculpted posts. The second work is
a sequel to the first and lays stress on the Palladian legacy. Many of the
buildings described are in the north and include fine examples of villa,
chapel and convent architecture; also illustrated are inns, stables, a lime
kiln, and an elegant Venetian kitchen. Both works in very good condition, the title of 2nd work faintly tinted.
123 (Colombo Press) Lynch, Benito. Tres cuentos. Grabados
de Adolfo Bellocq. Buenos Aires, Colombo Press for Sociedad de Bibliófilos Argentinos, 15 May 1972. Folio. 150 + [12
+ 2 blank]p. Title in green & black; sectional titles in green.
With 7 full-page etchings (including frontispiece) and 7
woodcuts by Adolfo Bellocq. Printed wrappers; preserved
in case.
£650
Deluxe edition of three poems by the author published by the Argentine
Bibliophile Society as part of its series of illustrated stories by national
authors. Limited to 100 copies on ‘Charter Eggshell’ paper; this particular copy is no 43 printed for Eduardo M. Bellocq. This edition was prepared by Juan Osvaldo Viviano, S. César Palui, and by Horacio Enrique
Guillén under the direction of Osvaldo F. Colombo
Trading laws in 18th century Germany
124 Ludovici, Jacob Friedrich. Einleitung zum
Wechsel=Proceß, Darinnen Von denienigen Fällen, in welchen
nach Wechsel=Recht geklaget werden kan, gehandelt. Auch wie
der Wechsel-Proceß von dem sonst in anderen Sachen gebräuchlichen modo procedendi abweicht … Die dritte Auflage. Halle, in
Verlegung des Wäsen=Hauses, MDCCXV [Halle, Orphanage Press, 1715. 4to. [8]f + 238p + 10f. Title in red & black
with ornamental vignette in red. Decorative tail-piece at
end. Half calf. £450
A comprehensive treatise on German laws ruling bills of exchange explaining how legal procedure differs in such cases from general legal
practice. Appended are chapter and subject indexes. An interesting work
for the legal history of 18th century capitalism demonstrating the interaction of economic practices and law. The third edition. The work
was several times reprinted. Ludovici (1671-1723)was professor of law at
Halle and vice-chanceller at Giessen University.
First work in Spanish on military health and hygiene
125 Mallo, Pedro. Tratado de Higiene Militar ... Texto adoptado para el Colegio Militar de la Nación. Buenos Aires, Imprenta Europea, 1882-83. 2 vols in large 8vo. viii + 448p; 531 + v
p. With woodcut vignette on title, numerous tables and engraved illustrations in text (some full-page). Half buckram;
worn.
£450
According to the author’s preface, this is the first work to be printed in
Spanish on military health and hygiene. It was chosen as the official text
book of the Argentine Military College. The author points out that the
few other works on this subject existing in any language were intended
for surgeons and physicians, whereas the present treatise is aimed specifically at military use. It forms the basis of Mallo’s two year lecture course
at the National Military College, including sections on bathing and personal hygiene, gymnastic exercise, factors influencing soldiers’ health
and morale during a campaign, and the Geneva Convention, as well as
such non-medical topics as the equipment of French, German, British,
Russian and Spanish troops. Mallo (1837-99) taught hygiene at Buenos
Aires University and pioneered medicine in the Argentine army. He was
appointed army surgeon general and director of naval health in 1880
Apart from light traces of foxing at beginning and end, a good, crisp set.
Royal journey through Navarre & the Basque country
126 Mantuano, Pedro. Casamientos de España y Francia, y
Viage del Duque de Lerma llevando la Reyna Christianissima Doña Ana de Austria al passo de Beobia, y trayendola
Princesa de Asturias nuestra señora. Madrid, Tomas Iunti,
1618. Small 4to. [4]f + 256p. With engraved architectural
title border by Juan Schorkens incorporating arms flanked
by putti in top panel. Contemporary limp vellum. £2250
First edition. Fête-book on the double Franco-Spanish political and military match of 24th November 1615 which united the future Philip IV
of Spain with Elizabeth of Bourbon, sister of Louis XIII of France, and
the latter with the Infanta Anne of Austria, Philip’s sister. The couples
were married by proxy on the same day at Burgos and at Bordeaux respectively. The Duke of Lerma, chief minister of Philip III of Spain, then
conducted the Infanta to the mountain pass of Beobia, where he in turn
collected the French princess Elisabeth to accompany her to Madrid.
The author (d.1656) describes the bridal formalities and the royal party’s
picturesque journey, part of which took them through Navarre and the
province of Guipúzcoa (Gipuzkoa) in the Basque country (pp192-207).
Palau comments on the rarity of the book and on its great interest to
Basque collectors. Top blank corners of first and last leaves neatly restored affecting frontispiece; some occasional light worming repaired.
Heredia 7280; Palau 149614; Salvá 3012; Vindel, Manual Gráfico-descriptivo del Bibliófilo Hispano-Americano (1475-1850) V, 1588.
127 Marat [Jean-Paul]. Recherches physiques sur le feu. Paris,
Jombert, 1780. 8vo. Half title + title + 202 + [2]p. With 7
folding plates. Wrappers. £950
First edition of one of Marat’s rarest scientific works. The study, consisting of over 150 experiments, seeks to provide a mechanical interpretation of heat by means of Marat’s theory of “fluide igné”. It includes
chapters on the nature of igneous fluid and its distribution throughout
the universe, on the form and colour of fire, on fusion, evaporation and
explosion, on the heat of the sun, and on the relative inflammability of
combustible materials. The engraved plates illustrate a number of the
experiments described in the text. For Lavoisier’s public statement of
10th June 1780 denying that the Academy of Sciences had approved of
this work as had been incorrectly announced in the Journal de Paris, see
McKie, Lavoisier (1952), p242.
Duveen, p388; Blake 287; Cushing M 134; Waller 11396.
Author’s presentation copy
Regulations for the Portuguese artillery corps
128 Mardel [Luis]. Polvoras, Explosivos modernos e suas appliçõaces. Lisbon: Imprensa Nacional, 1893-1896. 2 volumes
in large 4to. I: [5]f including half-title, title in red & black
with Portuguese arms + 254p of text + 54 numbered tinted plates (2 folding); II: [5]f including half-title, title in red
& black with Portuguese arms + 334 p text + [2]p errata
+ 30 tinted plates (numbered 55-85). Contemporary half
morocco, gilt; marbled boards. £650
129 Maria II Queen of Portugal (1836-53). Regulamento
para os exercicios, manobras, e outras instrucçôes dos corpos de
artilheria do exercito portuguez. Lisbon, Imprensa Nacional,
1842. 4to. 3 parts in 1 volume. vii + [1 blank] + 36p; pp3788 + [1]; pp89-126 + [1]f errata. Portuguese arms on first
title. 48 lithographed folding plates (24 in colour), some
signed by A. S. Dias. Ornamental vignettes. Contemporary
half morocco. £650
The most significant contemporary Portuguese monograph on explosives and their applications to munitions. Comprising a total of 85 plates
containing 405 numbered tinted or coloured illustrations. Mardel (born
1846), a cavalry major, was elected corresponding member of the Portuguese Royal Academy of Sciences in recogniton of this work. He also
wrote a history of small arms. Generally a good, clean set; margins of a
few plates lightly foxed in places. Author’s presentation copy with manuscript dedication inscription in top blank margin of half-titles.
The official code of regulations for the Portuguese army artillery corps
relating to exercises, manoeuvres, and maintenance. Part I treats field
artillery exercises: the plates demonstrate the loading of cannon, gun
barrels, positionings of ordnance, mortars, tools and instruments, spare
parts, munition carts, repairs of gun-carriages, all including relevant
nomenclature. Part II is devoted to horse-artillery; the last text page
contains music for clarion calls; the plates illustrate details of caparisons (harnesses, saddles, ropes, belts and attachments) and formation
exercises. Part III deals with the practical maintenance and repairs of
equipment; the plates show knot patterns, the assembly of individual
parts of guns and carriages, hoists, pulleys, and winches. An old repair
in one place in a few blank margins of text pages, otherwise in excellent
clean condition.
Martins de Carvalho 231.
Innocencio XVI, 379-80, 1793.
130 Markham, Clements R[obert]. Travels in Peru and India, while superintending the collection of chinchona plants and
seeds in South America, and their introduction into India. London, John Murray, 1862. 8vo.xviii + 572p. Wood-engraved
frontispiece and 14 wood-engravings (4 full-page), 1 folding genealogical table, 2 folding maps (2 views of Arequipa). Publisher’s green cloth, gilt title lettering on spine;
Peruvian arms gilt-stamped in centre of front cover; top of
spine neatly restored. £450
First edition of this report on the successful introduction of the valuable
Chinchona plant from Peru to Southern India over a period of three
years. The Peru scholar Markham was commissioned to supervise this
task by the Secretary of State for India in 1859. The first part describes
the various species of the plant, commonly known as ‘Peruvian bark’,
growing in the forests of the Peruvian province of Caravaya, the collection of plants and seeds from other regions of South America, and
the author’s travels in Peru, including an historical digression on the
rebellion of Túpac Amaru II, Inca revivalist, in 1780. The folding genealogical table traces the lineage of the Incas. The second part describes
Markham’s travels in India, the sites selected for Chinchona plantations,
and the progress of the experimental cultivation since the arrival of the
seedlings in 1861. The frontispiece shows Chinchona plants at Ootacamund; two of the plates contain views of Arequipa, in Southern Peru.
The book was published in German in 1865. A good copy with ownership signature ‘B. N. Haworth Booth, 7th June 1869’ in top blank title
margin.
Palau 152310; Sabin 44616; Stafleu & Cowan 5427.
129
Pre-Darwinian attempt at a materialistic explanation of species
131 [Maupertius, Pierre-Louis Moreau de]. Venus physique. [Secretly printed at unknown press] 1746. 12mo.
224p. Contemporary paper boards. £650
The first modern work on heredity, advancing the theory of bi-parental
influence over inherited characteristics. The study consists of two dissertations, the first of which had been separately published two years earlier
on the occasion of the appearance of an albino negro boy in Paris. The
author’s aim here is to account not only for this particular curiosity but
also for more complex phenomena such as the dark skin of the inhabitants of the torrid zones, and the apparent paradox of so many different
races descending from a single set of white parents. The treatment of
recessive and dominant traits in this work is particularly far-seeing. As
an aid to his research on heredity, the author always kept a large number of animals for breeding to obtain special characteristics. Maupertuis
(1698-1759), French mathematician and philosopher, was a member of
the Académie des Sciences,the first Frenchman to be elected to the Royal Society of London, and the first president of the Prussian Academy
of Sciences. Following a visit to England in 1728, he became France’s
foremost proponent of the Newtonian movement. He is considered a
pioneer of genetics.His ‘Venus Physique’ is considered ‘an early attempt
at a materialistic explanation of species, anticipating Darwin by a century’. The 2nd edition.(First published at The Hague in 1745). Some toning
at beginning and end, otherwise a good, untrimmed copy with a short
manuscript note in Spanish on front flyleaf, and the author’s name added
on the title in a contemporary French hand.
Waller 6354.
Classic of occult literature
132 Menghi, Giralomo. Compendio dell’Arte Essorcistica, et
Possibilità delle Mirabili, et Stupende Operationi delli Demoni,
et de i Malefici. Con li rimedij opportuni alle infirmità maleficiali. Con una copiosissima gionta dell’istesso Autore. Bologna,
Giovanni Rossi, 1584. [8] f. + 614p. + [30]f; title in red &
black with episcopal arms surrounded by typographical
border, woodcut initials. (And): Parte Seconda del Compendio Dell’Arte Essorcistica. Nellaqual si tratta della natura delli
Angeli cosi buoni, come rei, & della possibilità delle mirabili.
Venice, Zorzi Varisco for Giorgio Varisco, 1601. [64]f + 717
+ [1]p. Printer’s woodcut devices on title and at end. 2 volumes in 12mo. Half vellum. £3500
Author’s augmented edition of this classic of occult literature. Girolamo
Menghi (1529-1609), a Franciscan monk from Viadana, province of Mantua, was the leading exorcist of the Italian Renaissance. The Compendio,
his best known work, is a summary of his experiences as official exorcist
of the Bologna diocese over a period of thirty years, where he treats the
nature of demons and witches and describes successfully tested methods of containing evil. First published in 1580, a supplement was added
in 1601, offered here as a second volume. The dedication is to Cardinal
Giulio Feltri della Rovere (1532-78), sponsor of sacred music and protector of the Franciscan Order. Menghi’s work precedes the codification of
exorcism rites in Rituale Romanum (1614) during the pontificate of Pope
Paul V. The book was finally placed on the Index in 1709.
USTC 842029; Caillet III, 76: “Absolument rarissime”.
Flood control in Tuscany
Mineral wealth of the Atacama desert
133 Michelini, Famiano. Trattato della direzione dei fiumi
nel quale si dimostrano da’suoi veri principi i modi piu’ sicuri, e
meno dispendiosi di riparare a danni, che solgliono farsi dall’acque. Florence, Stella, 1664. 4to. [8]f + 151 + [1]p + 9 folding plates with 31 engraved diagrams. Title in red & black.
Original publisher’s paper boards ‘a la rustica’; untrimmed.
£585
135 Moesta, F.A. Ueber das Vorkommen der Chor-, Bromund Jodverbindungen des Silbers in der Natur. Ein Beitrag zur
Kenntniss der geologischen und bergbaulichen Verhältnisse von
Nordchile zur Erlangung der venia docendi bei hochlöblicher philosophischer Facultät zu Marburg eingereicht. Marburg, 1869.
Large 8vo. (4)f + 47pp + (2)f. With 4 lithographed plates (3
double-page) after drawings by the author. Contemporary
half cloth with printed title cover. £650
First edition of an influential treatise on flood control which served as a
source for Guglielmi’s fundamental Della natura de’fiumi (1697). Michelini (1592-1666), professor of mathematics at Pisa University, describes
ways of regulating the flow of rivers to aid navigation and to prevent
flooding. The plates illustrate such problems of hydraulic engineering
as altering the course or flow of a river. Flood control was as much a
problem in 17th century Italy as it is now. The author, considered an expert in hydraulics, was consulted on the control of the river Arno for the
protection of Florence and Pisa from flooding, and on the problem of
the silting up of the Venetian lagoon. He was involved in a controversy
with Torricelli on a question of hydraulic engineering. The dedicatory
preface is to Ferdinand Grand Duke of Tuscany, patron of the author,
and of Galileo. A large paper copy with the wide margins untrimmed,
preserved in its original publisher’s boards.
NUC 381,677;Poggendorff II, 145, Riccardi 2, 112; 156; Roberts & Trent,
Bibliotheca Mechanica, p224 (imperfect).
Hero of Ayacucho and grand marshal of Peru
134 Miller, John. Memoirs of General [William] Miller in
the Service of the Republic of Peru. London, Thomas Davison for Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green, 1828. 2
volumes in 8vo. xxiii + [1] + 389 + [1]p; vii + [1] + 460p.
Frontispiece portrait engraved by Ja[mes] Green, 4 folding
engraved maps (1 outlined in colour), 5 engraved battle
plans (4 with coloured detail). Buckram. £650
First edition. An account of the exploits of William Miller (1795-1861),
one of the most dashing and successful commanders in the cause of
South American independence, based on his notes and letters, and published with an historical introduction, glossary, and indexes by his brother John.
William Miller had served in the Royal Artillery during the Pensinsular Wars and in North America. When peace came, the youthful veteran sought employment in Buenos Aires, where he joined an artillery
regiment. In 1818 he distinguished himself in the Chilean campaign
commanding the marines on Lord Cochrane’s flagship, the ‘O’Higgins’.
In 1822, he came to the aid of General San Martín in Peru with reinforcements, and was promoted General of Brigade in the following year.
Miller became a close friend of Simón Bolívar, who had been appointed
by congress dictator of Peru in 1823. In recognition of his outstanding
contribution as general of division and commander of the patriot cavalry at the battle of Jun’n in August 1824, Miller’s unit was honoured by
Bolívar with the title of ‘Húsares de Junín’. In the most conspicuous of
his gallant exploits, Miller led the charge of this regiment at the decisive
battle of Ayacucho in December 1824 which finally freed Chile and Peru
from Spanish rule. He later became a Grand Marshal of Peru. The work
was reissued the following year both in English and in Spanish translation. Some light offsetting of maps, a few minor repairs without loss,
occasional spotting in blank margins, otherwise a good set.
Palau 169989; Sabin 49028.
Professorial thesis on chemical geology submitted at Marburg University, investigating silver amalgams found in the mines in the Atacama
desert of Northern Chile. The author spent some years doing pioneer
geological analysis in the Atacama region. The plates include an attractive double-page view of the Mapocho Valley as seen from Santa Lucia
Hill in Santiago. Margins of plates lightly foxed, otherwise a good copy.
136 Nobili, Leopoldo. Sopra l’identità dell’attrazione molecolare coll’astronomica opera. Modena, Società Tipografica,
1818. 4to. 84p. With 4 engraved folding plates with diagrams. Wrappers; untrimmed. £225
One of the earliest publications of the great Italian physicist, a study of
attraction which originally appeared in the Giornale Fisica (vol X, Pavia
1817). The appendix or second part beginning on page 21, which takes
up the larger part of the volume, is here printed for the first time. It
expounds a new principle relating to the accelerative forces and a new
doctrine concerning the phenomenon of capillary tubes. Nobili (17841835), professor of physics at Florence, conducted research on electricity.
He opposed the Voltaic theory of the decomposition of water, and was
‘the discoverer of Nobili’s rings, the coloured transparent films of metal
deposited by the electro-chemical processes. He also invented the thermo-multiplier’ (Zeitlinger). The Riccardi-Arata copy; bookplate ‘Biblioteca Riccardi in Modena’ and shelf-mark inside front cover; the Pedro
Arata Collection stamp in title margin and on reverse with a bookplate.
Lightly foxed.
Zeitlinger, Bibliotheca Chemico-Mathematica I, 3342.
Pavia botanic garden
137 Nocca, Domenico. Synopsis Plantarum Horti Botanici
Ticinensis. Anno MDCCCIII (1803). 8vo. [6]p + pp3-45 + [3
blank] + 16p. Appendix ‘Ad Horti Botanici Ticinenesis Synopsim .’ 2 wood-engraved vignettes. Boards, label on spine.
£295
Catalogue of the plants in the Pavia Botanic Garden, with appendix. Domenico Nocca (1758-1841) was a priest, also professor of botany at the
University of Pavia and director of the Botanic Garden. He corresponded and exchanged seeds with contemporary botanists such as Antonio
Bonato at Padua, André Thouin in Paris, K.L. Willdenow in Berlin (to
whose plant lists he invariably refers), and Giovanni Baptista Balbi (Turin) with whom Domenico Nocca collaborated on the Flora ticinensis
(1806). Several plants in the catalogue were first bred in the Pavia garden:
Lavandula hybrida, Mesembrianthemum coespitosum, Mimosa lucida,
Senecio bicolor, Taxus elongata, and others.
Pritzel 6712. Stafleu & Cowan 6834.
engraved ornamental title page shows the Emperor kneeling before the
Pope with the Doge standing to his right in the presence of bishops;
the descriptive text below ends with : [G.Romano prototype Ap.Vatican].
The upper border incorporates portraits of St Peter and St Mark.
Venice was part of the anti-imperial Lombard league of cities that
defeated Frederick Barbarossa at Legnano (1176). The Emperor thus had
to recognize the supremacy of the Papacy. This imprint is the last recorded from the press of the celebrated Venetian typographer Evangelista
Deuchino. A good copy; right blank margin of first 3 leaves strengthened.
Early colonial documents on South America
140 Outes, Félix. Cartas y planos inéditos de los siglos XVII
y XVIII y del primer decenio de XIX, conservados en el archivo
de la dirección de geodesia, catastro y mapa de la provincia de
Buenos Aires, con una regesta y observaciones críticas. Buenos
Aires, Jacobo Peuser, 1930. Folio. 45 + [3]p. With 52 plates,
several folding. Contemporary vellum boards, publisher’s
printed wrappers bound in. £450
138 Nollet [Jean Antoine]. Leçons de Physique Expérimentale. Paris, Guérin, 1753-55. 6 vols in 12mo. Half title +
frontispiece + title + lx + 379p; half title + title + 488p;
512p; 535p; vi + [1] + 592p; [4] + 524p. With 116 engraved
folding plates. Contemporary mottled sheep, back strips
gilt; worn. £750
A popular illustrated French work encapsulating 18th century knowledge of experimental physics. Individual volumes deal with mechanics, hydrostatics, the properties of air, water & fire, optics, astronomy,
magnetism and electricity. The physician Nollet (1700-70) gave lectures
with demonstrations. He was particularly interested in the study of electricity, and there are sections on the nature of electricity and on lightning and artificial light. ‘The presentations are lively, comprehensive, and
up-to-date, with full directions for realizing the effects under study and
excellent illustrations of apparatus (DSB X, 145-147); ‘His observations
upon the electrical powers of different kinds of glass are given in the 6th
volume’ (Mottelay, p182). An attractive set.
Printed by Evangelista Deuchino
139 Olmo, Fortunato O.S.B. Historia della venuta à Venetia
occultamente nel 1177 di Papa Alessandro III e dela vittoria ottenuta da Sebastiano Ziani Doge. [Venice, Evangelista Deuchino, 1629] 4to. [4]f including engraved title within elaborate
ornamental border + 344p. Some ornamental woodcut initials. Boards. £950
First edition of the Venetian Benedictine monk’s vivid account of the
historic secret peace meeting of Pope Alexander III and the Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa held at Venice on 24th July 1177 in the presence
of the incumbent Doge Sebastiano Ziano (1172-78) and of the resulting
military advantages secured for the Republic. The lower panel of the
Unpublished manuscript maps and plans of the 17th to early 19th century giving maps and plans of coastal areas including ports and the layout
of early towns (Córdoba, Tucumán, Salta, La Paz) and local property
boundaries. Each is individually catalogued and described with measurements, state of preservation, and extensive bibliographical reference. 3
indexes provide names of persons, places and a 6-part classification of
the maps - I. General regional maps; II. ’Hidrográficas’ - ports, rivers and
coast lines; III. Specific areas considered important - the southern border
of Buenos Aires, reconquered land in the department of S. Miguel; IV.
Plans of cities and towns, see above; V. ’Colonia del Sacramento’; VI.
‘Parcelamiento de tierras’ - designated plots of land; included is a 1774
map of Buenos Aires with allotments of land ownership named, similarly 5 maps show properties along the River Plate, and there is a map
of an extensive private estate. The work is published by the Instituto de
Investigaciones Geográficas (Serie B, Documentos Cartográficos no 3); the
author was a director of the Institute. Text lightly foxed, otherwise in
good condition, on handmade paper.
Palau 207379.
Recruiting soldiers in Spain
Tour guide to ancient Greece
141 Oya y Ozares, Francisco de. Tratado de Levas, Quintas, y Reclutas de Gente de Guerra, segun las reales ordenanzas,
y cedulas modernas, con varias reflexiones legales y politicas ...
Tomo Unico. Madrid, Antonio Marin, 1734. 8vo. [8] + 551 +
[1 blank]p. including index. Title in red & black. Ornamental woodcut at beginning and end. Mottled sheep. £650
144 Pausanius. Descrittione della Grecia ... nella quale si contiene l’origine di essa, il sitio, le cittè, la religione antica, i costumi & le guerre fatte ... insieme co’monti, laghi, fiumi... tradotta dal Greco dal S. Alfonso Bonacciuoli. Mantua, Francesco
Osanna, 1593. 4to. [26] + 476 (misnumbered 464)p. Italic
letter. Title within woodcut ornamental border. Antiqued
sheep in the style of the period.
£950
A treatise on Spanish military law ruling the recruitment of soldiers
based on recent royal edicts reprinted on pp443-466. The twenty-four
chapters discuss the necessity of the draft, the best and fairest methods
to be applied, the minimum age, height, physical strength, and standard of health required of recruits, the advantages and disadvantages of
raising a foreign militia, the wisdom of exempting married men, only
sons, and certain essential trades such as saltminers and powdermen, the
pressing of tramps, and ways of replacing casualties and deserters. The
author was a crown lawyer dealing with fiscal business in the war office.
The second edition (first issued in 1732 from the same press).
A good copy.
Palau 207844.
142 Ozanam [Jacques]. Traité de fortification, contenant les
methodes anciennes & modernes pour la construction & la deffense de places, et la manière de les attaquer, expliquée plus au
long qu’elle n’a été jusques à present. Paris, Jean Jombert, 1694.
8vo. Engraved frontispiece + [22] + 256p. With title in red
& black. 44 copper-plates. Mottled calf; worn. £650
First edition of this reference work on the science of fortification by the
prolific French mathematician Jacques Ozanam (1640-1717), who taught
at Lyons and Paris, and was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences in 1707. The beautifully engraved plates are extremely detailed. The
author’s publications remained influential until the late 18th century. A
nice copy with contemporary manuscript entry by a contemporary English owner on verso of frontfly leaf: ‘Heneage Finch, May 28th 1694. The
Gift of my dear Lord Winchelsea’. The owner was probably the Solicitor General Heneage Finch (1649-1719), created 1st Earl of Aylesford,
and the donor perhaps his cousin Daniel Finch (1647-1730), 7th Earl of
Winchilsea.
Jordan 2759; Spaulding & Karpinski 217.
Tribal customs of the Somali and Galla
143 Paulitschke, Philip. Harar. Forschungsreise nach den
Somâl- und Galla-Ländern. Leipzig, F.A.Brockhaus, 1888.
8vo. ix + 557 + [1 blank]p. With frontispiece, 10 plates (2
folding), 32 textual illustrations and 2 folding maps. Cloth;
publisher’s wrappers bound in. £950
First edition of this report on Ethiopia by the noted Austrian explorer
Philip Paulitschke (1854-99) based on his expedition to North East Africa undertaken in 1875 accompanied by Dominik Kammel and Dr. von
Hardegger. The author is credited with pioneer explorations of the Harar region in Eastern Ethiopia, and his work provides excellent descriptions of the tribal customs of the Somali and Galla.
Henze IV, 30-40; Hünersdorff, Coffee: a bibliography 1132-1133.
First Italian edition of one of the fundamental sources for ancient Greek
art, architecture and topography. Divided into 10 books, it takes the form
of a tour starting in Attica. Pausanius describes each important city giving its history, ceremonial rites and customs; above all he is interested in
art and architecture. He describes pictures, portraits and inscriptions at
Athens, the great bronze statue of Athena on the Acropolis, monuments
to famous men and Athenians fallen in battle outside the city and other sights. The work is considered an ‘invaluable guide to ancient ruins’
since the ‘accuracy of his descriptions has been proved by the remains
of buildings in all parts of Greece . The topographical section shows the
author’s interest in natural phenomena as well as physiological details.
Pausanius (fl.143-176 AD), a Greek, was born in Lydia (in present day
Turkey) and travelled widely in Egypt, Palestine, Asia Minor and Italy.
Some occasional light toning, but a good copy with wide margins.
For the passages of gastronomic interest, see Westbury 383. Adams lists
no copies in Cambridge libraries.
Printed at Pueblo de los Angeles ?
145 Pawlowski, Daniel (S.J.). Locucion de dios al Corazon de
el Religioso en el Retiro sagrado de los Exercicios Espirituales.
Compuesta en Latin por el R.P.Daniel Pawlowski de la Compañia de Jesus, Doctor, y Cathedratico de Theologia en su Provincia de Polonia, y Traducida en Castellano por un Religioso
de la misma Compañia. Impresso en el Colegio de la Compañia.
Año de 1747. [Puebla de los Angeles ? ] Jesuit College Press,
1747. 16mo. 365 + [1 blank]p. Contemporary limp vellum.
£750
A rare 18th century pocket edition of the Spanish translation of the Personal Vocation through Spiritual Exercises by the Polish Jesuit Daniel Pawlowski (1626-1643). As the title composition and the format of this edition is identical with two earlier imprints from the Jesuit Press at Puebla
de los Angeles (1695 & 1697), this would appear to be a later impression
from the same press, although Medina expressed doubts about it. Right
title margin waterstained and soiled; last 2 text leaves torn in one place
resulting in the loss of some letters.
Palau 215424.
Late Renaissance Tuscan infantry drill manual
146 Pellicciari, Bartolomeo. Parte prima delle rassegne, et
modo per essercitare fanteria, con dichiarationi espedite, & figure rapresentanti li siti, il numero della soldatesca, & diversi
atti, che giornalmente occorrono in guerra. Modena, Giulano
Cassiani, 1613. 4to. [8] + 60 (misnumbered 72)p. With
fullpage woodcut portrait of author bound after title, 12
tables (some folding), 9 woodcut folding plates of battle
scenes. Medici arms on title; ornamental woodcut initials.
Contemporary boards, rebacked. £2250
First edition of this Modenese infantry manual presented as twenty model exercises. 12 tables (included in the collation) show theoretical military
formations and positions. The nine bird’s eye combat scenes depicted
in the fine folding plates give details of gun emplacements and charging columns of pikemen and musketeers in fortified towns, villages, and
along rivers. The author, shown in military dress in the fine woodcut
portrait, was a colonel in the service of Cosmo II, Grand duke of Tuscany, to whom this work is dedicated. He had gained his experience whilst
fighting in Flanders and France under Alessandro Farnese (1545-92), the
outstanding commander of Philip II of Spain. French and German translations appeared in 1616. Although the title suggests that this is the first
part of the work, no more was published. A small repair in blank margin
of title, otherwise a fresh copy from the Horace de Landau collection
with bookplate and small unobtrusive stamp in tailend corner of title.
Cockle 618; Jähns 1035.
147 Perrot, Nicolas, Sieur d’Ablancourt (translator). Les
Apothegmes des Anciens, tirez de Plutarque, de Diogene Laerce,
d’Elien, d’Athénée, de Stobée, de Macrobe, & de quelques autres.
Et Les Stratagesmes de Frontin, de la traduction de Nicolas Perrot, Sieur d’Ablancourt. Paris, Thomas Jolly, 1664. 4to. [24]
+ 512 + [19] + [1 errata]p. Preliminaries include dedication to king Louis XIV. Printer’s device on title, elaborate
ornamental woodcut head-pieces incorporating medallion
of the royal arms, large historiated initials. Contemporary
calf, with royal arms in gilt on front and back cover. £550
Two works collected together. The second work, Les Stratagesmes de
Frontin, (p347) has an additional short treatise De la Bataille des Romains
(pp497-512). The books consist mainly of proverbs and sayings attributed to the Greeks, Romans and Spartans; philosophers notably are cited
and various famous individuals; some short tales are included where a
particularly apt or pithy comment has concluded a dialogue. Nicolas Perrot (1606-64) was a translator and man of letters, noted for the excellence
of his style; his free method of translating was applauded for capturing the essence of the writer. Among authors he rendered were Lucian,
Thucydides, Xenophon, Caesar, Cicero and Tacitus.
Espasa, vol I, p486. Graesse, vol I, p167.
148 Perrault De Jotemps [Alexandre, Vicomte], Fabry fils & F[elix de l’Ain] Girod. Nouveau traité sur la laine
et sur les moutons. Paris, Huzard, Treuttel & Wuertz, Paschoud, 1824. 8vo. [2]f + iv + xviii + 220p text + [1]f
errata + 4p publisher’s advertisements. Contemporary
marbled sheep; backstrip gilt with red morocco title label.
£385
First edition. A comprehensive treatise with the latest analysis of the production of the finest possible sheep wool describing the best methods for
shearing, sorting, and washing of wool, and the most advantageous ways
of its commercialization.The book is entirely based on the experience of
the authors who jointly owned the celebrated Naz-flocks. Merino sheep
were imported to France before the Revolution, and the French wool
trade became one of the most important branches of national industry.
Presentation copy to Marshal Auguste de Marmont (1774-1852) with
authors’ autograph inscription “A Monsieur le Maréchal Duc de Raguse
hommages des editeurs” in top blank margin of half title. 2 old ownership stamps on title, some light foxing, otherwise an attractive copy.
149 Peru. Supreme Governing Junta ruling in the name of
Ferdinand VII. Don Jose Fernando de Abascal y Sousa, Caballero del habito de Santiago, Mariscal de Campo de los
Reales Exércitos, Virey, Gobernador y Capitan General del
Perú… Por quanto en carta acordada del Supremo Consejo de Indias se me previene lo que sigue… La Junta Central suprema Gubernativa de España é Indias, á nombre de
nuestro Rey y Señor D. Fernando VII, se ha servido expedir
el Real Decreto del tenor sigiente. ‘Entre los abusos introducidos en el gobierno anterior, no ha sido el menos funesto la inconsiderada precipitacion… con que… se han
prodigado los empleos civiles y eclesiásticos…’ (dated:)
Lima, Peru, 29th April 1809 (signed:) Jph Abascal & Simon
Rávago. Broadside (imprint area: 36.5 x 26cm). £350
Royal proclamation of 26 October 1808 condemning the scandalous
proliferation of offices and appointments without taking proper advice,
whereby unworthy subjects were unjustly showered with honours and
pensions, whereas persons of merit were overlooked and forgotten. The
order is here re-issued by Don José Fernando de Abascal y Sousa, Viceroy of Peru (1806-1816), to the Governor of the Council of the Indies for
general circulation in the colonial government. Abascal y Sousa (Souza),
later created 1st Marques de Concordia, was an able administrator who
effectively ruled as an independent authority during the Spanish wars of
independence against Napoleon. He promoted educational reform and
maintained royal control over Spanish America.
A rare Lima imprint unknown to Medina. Centre folding marks, otherwise in good condition.
Pioneers of modern chess
150 Philidor [François] A[ndré] D[anican] & Stamma,
Philip. Die Kunst im Schachspiel ein Meister zu werden. Das
ist : Ein neuer Unterricht, wie man in kurzem dieses so edle
und beliebte Spiel nach seiner Vollkommenheit erlernen könne.
Gewiesen nach den neuesten Mustern des berühmten großen
Schachspiel-Meisters in England. (And):
Stamma, Philip. Des Arabers Philipp Stamma, gebürtig von
Aleppo in Syrien, entdeckte Schachspiel = Geheimnisse, nebst
einigen Regeln, dieses Spiel wohl zu vollziehen, und den Sieg
durch seine und subtile Züge davon zu tragen. Strassburg,
Amand König, 1754. 8vo. Title + [20] + 351 + [1]p; 1 folding
table. Contemporary sprinkled boards, worn.
£1250
First German translations of two influential 18th century chess manuals.
Philidor’s Analyse du jeu des Échecs (first published 1749) which advocated
a strong defensive centre using pawns, became the standard handbook
for a century. Philidor (1726-95) was a French composer and friend of
Voltaire, who regularly played chess at the Café de la Regence in Paris.
He became a formidable player, surpassed his mentors, and was eventually recognized as world champion after beating the Syrian master Philip
Stamma (c1705-55) on a visit to London in 1747. Stamma was also regarded a pioneer of modern chess; his Middle Eastern concept of ‘endgame’ is set out in his Essai sur le jeu des echecs (first published 1737 and
translated into English as The Noble Game of Chess in 1745); the German
version is here contained on pp231-351.
Presentation copy by the mathematician Louis Charles Karpinski (18781956) who played championship chess at Cornell University and took a
doctorate at Strassburg University in 1903 with his autograph ink inscription ‘To J.A.Horowitz Greetings Louis CKarpinski’ on recto of front fly
leaf. A fresh copy.
Arms for an Aragonese family
151 Philip II King of Spain (1555-1598). Carta executoria
de hidalguía granted to Diego Lopez de Valcarcel of the town
of Hellin and his descendants. (Dated at end:) Granada, 6
October 1578. Calligraphic manuscript on 89 leaves of
strong vellum in folio, excluding first and last blank leaves.
34 lines to a page finely written by professional scribes in
a rounded gothic hand. Each page ruled in red with double-line border in margins and flourishes and initials of
the notary, except for last two pages which are in a later
hand. Numerous official signatures and appendices in
a later hand at end. 3 full-page multi-coloured paintings
heightened in gold on first 2 leaves. 16 gilt initials on a
raspberry-red background decorated with white ornamental designs. Recto of penultimate leaf with opening
initial of a royal miniature portrait (80 x 65 mm) of Philip II of Spain heightened in gold on a green background.
Contemporary green velvet over boards, worn; edges gilt.
£5500
Royal confirmation of arms and nobility for Diego Lopez de Valcarcel of
the town of Hellin (modern province of Albacete in southeastern Spain)
and his descendants. The full-page paintings representing respectively
(1:) Diego de Valcarcel, his wife and their children kneeling to the Virgin
on high; (2:) husband and wife kneeling before Christ on the Cross, and
(3:) a heraldic composition – the top panel showing a mounted knight
galloping over slain enemies with the caption ‘rei de castilla’ below; the
bottom panel depicting the arms of the grantee (green branches on a
gilt background quartered with a bull below a tree and a lion fighting a
griffin). The first 2 paintings are within decorative floral and grotesque
borders on gold; the heraldic painting is surrounded by a wide plain gilt
leaf border. Very well preserved.
Rare ‘book of secrets’
Prison life in Cayenne
152 Pignoccati, Francesco. Le Medicine che da tutti gl’Animali si può cavar à beneficio dell’Huomo; alter volte intitolato
Il Zomista, e Secretario de gl’Animali di Alessandro Venturini.
Hora accresciuto d’importanti Secreti. Venice, Turrini, 1654.
12mo. [14]f + 126p. Roman & italic letter. Printer’s device
on title. Contemporary limp boards; rebacked. £450
153 Pitou, Louis-Ange. Voyage a Cayenne, dans les deux
Ameriques, et chez les Anthrophages. Ouvrage... contenant le
tableau general des déportés… sur les îles Seychelles... le commerce et les moeurs des sauvages, des noirs, des creoles et des
quakers. Paris, printed for the author, 1805. 2 volumes in
one. 8vo. xlvii + [48-60] + 312p; [1]f + 404p. With 2 folding
engraved plates, each serving as a frontispiece. Late 19th
century marbled half sheep; untrimmed.
£485
A rare Italian book of ‘Secrets’, here in its fourth edition with considerable additions. The author provides a directory of drugs which can be
obtained from man and a variety of animals, and the divers complaints
against which these drugs are effective. Bed bugs are used to induce the
passing of kidney stones, a drink made from powdered porcupine flesh
prevents miscarriages, and one grain of the ground tailbone of an armadillo, placed in the ear, relieves the discomfort and rumbling of flatulence. The work has 3 indexes of: 1) 107 classical and contemporary
authors cited; 2) nearly 200 animals; 3) the ‘secrets’ contained in the
book. This copy shows fairly pronounced signs of usage throughout,
as is normal for a chapbook of this kind; light traces of waterstaining
in blank margins; some marginal worming in last quires; contemporary
notes at end.
Ferguson, Books of Secrets II, p38 listing a 1672 edition: ‘... brief summary
of all the drugs obtainable from man and other animals ... strictly a book
of medicines, rather than a book of medical secrets ...’
Krivatsy 12273.
First edition of this colourful autobiographical account of the author’s
deportation to the penal colony of Cayenne in 1797, his enforced stay
there until 1801, and his return journey via New York described on
pp356-365. Pitou writes about the products of Cayenne (sugar & indigo),
and about conditions in the interior of the country inhabited by cannibal
tribes. He movingly describes the sufferings of the convicts with anecdotal details, adding a list of casualties on pp115-131 (vol. II) in each case
stating the cause of death.
The evocative frontispiece folding plates by Binet represent a cross-section of the prison ship ‘La Decade’, and a lurid burial scene at the prison
cemetery in the Konanama desert, where deportee corpses are part-buried by negroes, whilst prison officers dance with negresses. A tall, untrimmed copy; some light foxing, old stamp in tailend blank corner of
both titles, blank corner of half-title repaired.
Leclerc 3445; Palau 227540; Sabin 63058.
Order of Papal Knighthood
154 Pius IV, Pope (Giovanni Angelo Medici 1559-65).
Bulla Collegii Militum, qui pii, de numero participantium
nuncupantur. Qua amplissimis & honorificetissimis privilegiis
donantur. Per S.D.N.D. Pium Papam IIII in Alma Urbe nuperrímé erecti, & instituti, securisque proventíbus, & emolumentís
dotatí. Rome, Antonio Blado, 1560. Small 4to. [24] leaves.
Italic letter. With allegorical title woodcut showing a sainted pope riding towards kneeling knights in armour; Medici
arms below;large circular diagram of papal seal (repeated),
4 historiated woodcut initials (1 large). Boards. £1450
First edition of the bull affirming the new pope’s ruling on the duties and
privileges of the Collegium Militum Piorum, an Order of Papal Knights.
The ends of both sections of the text are dated respectively 5th March
1559/1560 and 5th September 1560; each section is followed by a reproduction of the papal seal and the printed signatures of the pope as ‘bishop of the Catholic Church’, and of those of the cardinals (respectively
forty and twentyone). Pius IV fortified Rome and made many architectural improvements to the City during his papacy.The building work was
costly and the large financial contribution demanded on election to papal orders provided a ready source of income. A good copy containing a
contemporary manuscript commentary in Latin on blank part of leaf f1.
From the collection of the Oxford lawyer Walter Ashburner (1864-1936),
co-founder of the British Institute in Florence, with his library stamp in
blank title margin.
Fumagalli-Belli 225.
Unrecorded near-contemporary catalogue
of Poussin engravings
155 Poussin, Nicolas. Catalogue. De ce qui a été gravé
d’après Mr. Poussin, fameux Peintre de ce siécle. Drop-title
with grotesque head-piece. s.l.s.n. [c1690). 24mo. 14 + [2
blank]p. (Bound with:) Graham, Maria. Mémoires sur la vie
de Nicolas Poussin. Paris, Pierre Dufart, 1821. 8vo. [4] +
xvi + 191 + [1 blank]p. including lithographed frontispiece
portrait of Poussin by Vigneron (1821), and with folding
lithographed view of Poussin’s house by G. Engelmann.
(And:) Des Maretz. Éloge historique de Callot, Graveur Lorrain, Ouvrage couronné pour la Societé des Sciences, Lettres et
Arts de Nancy, le 22 Mai 1828. Nancy, C. J. Hissette, 1828.
8vo. 75 + [1 blank]p. (And:)A[tger], X[avier]. Considérations
philosophiques, remarques, observations, anecdotes particulières
sur la vie et les ouvrages de Sébastien Bourdon, Ancien Recteur
de l’Académie Royale de Peinture. Paris, De Beausseaux &
Pélicier, 1818. [4] + 82p. including engraved frontispiece
portrait by G. Mattaire (1818). (And:) A[tger], X[avier]. Des
Avantages de l’ésprit d’Observation dans les sciences et les arts.
Avec quelques remarques relatives … la Physionomie. Paris, De
Beausseaux, 1809. 8vo. 39 + [1 blank]p. 5 items bound in
half calf. £2500
Collection of five monographs on art and artists. I: An apparently unrecorded 17th century print catalogue in pocket format (24mo) listing
engravings after paintings by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) With a contemporary ink manuscript entry in blank margin of page 2 stating that
the numerous items in the catalogue which are crossed out in ink are
already in the owner’s collection. II: First edition in French (published
in English in 1820) of a life of Poussin, followed by Fenelon’s two dialogues on death relating to two paintings by the artist, and a detailed
catalogue of Poussin’s main work classified by genre. The travel writer,
artist and translator, Maria Graham (1786-1844) became interested in
Poussin after touring Italy in 1819. In 1827 she married the Royal Academician, Augustus Callcott. III: A classic in the literature on Jacques Callot; Thieme-Becker V,404. IV: A study of Sebastién Bourdon (1616-1671),
French painter and engraver and first court painter to Queen Christina
of Sweden, who was much influenced by Poussin and his circle during a
visit to Rome in 1636. V: A study of distinguished men represented with
large noses in engraved portraits who lived to the age of 70 and over
(pp33-39) made in support of the author’s physiognomic theories. Atger based his observations on his own collection of drawings and prints
formed in his home town of Montpellier, where it was later housed in a
museum in his name. Intermittant foxing.
156 Puteo, Paris de (Paride del Pozzo). Duello. Libro de re
imperatori, principi, signori, gentilhuomini, et de tutti armigeri, co[n]tinente disfide concordie, pace, casi accadenti, et iudicii con ragione essempli, et authoritate de poeti
historiographi, philosophi, legisti, canonisti, et ecclesiastici. Venice [Comin de Trino] 1544. 12mo. 176 leaves. Italic
letter. Title within historiated four piece woodcut border
showing a battle scene, statues of Scipio and Hannibal, and
the Roman fleet before Carthage. Some Lombard initials.
Vellum. £650
An authoritative interpretation of chivalry and military law, here adapted from the original Latin, the best known work of the Piemontese lawyer Paride del Pozzo (1410-93)who served as inquisitor general to the
Aragonese kingdom of Naples. See Cockle 865. ‘c’est un des ouvrages
les plus importants de cette époque sur la science du point d’honneur
et il jouit longtemps de la plus grande autorité’ (Garcia Donnell 716-8).
Minor worming repaired in margins of title and last leaf, otherwise a
sound copy with 2 signature and bookplates of former owners on blank
verso of title.
Adams P-2299; Levi & Gelli 165; Sander 5416 (note); Thimm 233 (note).
Unpublished memoir on horse breeding in Spain
with references to Arab stallions
157 Rault de Ramsault, Charles de, Count. Del Caballo.
Unpublished manuscript in Spanish neatly written in ink
on paper, Madrid, April (1845). Small 4to. Title leaf +
95p + (2 blank)f. Including a few corrections in the text.
Offered together with the author’s autograph letter in
French addressed to “Monsieur le Duc”, 3p, referring to
this manuscript, dated: Madrid, 6th May 1845, signed: “le
comte Charles de Ramsault, socio de la sociedad de fomento de la cria caballar de España”. Bound in contemporary
patterned cloth boards, edges worn.
£1600
Presentation copy of a Spanish translation of the author’s apparently
unpublished memoir on the horse for the attention of Queen Isabel II
of Spain who was committed to the improvement of breeding stock
for light cavalry horses. The treatise discusses the domestication of the
horse and breeding methods of various countries from ancient to modern times, dwelling on the vital contribution of Arab stallions which
made Spain the “stud farm of Europe”. It comprises chapters on the
improvement of horses for cavalry, the breeding of mares, purification
of lineage, and special considerations for the breeding of mares in Spain
(“Sobre los conocimientos necesarios a todo director de yeguadas, y consideraciones particulares referentes a España”). The author expresses his
hope that his work will be a useful guide for young breeders to help
them avoid certain errors. In the accompanying signed autograph letter addressed to “Monsieur le Duc”, identified as Francisco de Paula de
Borbón (1794-1865), the Queen’s uncle, who used the title of “Duke of
Cadiz”, patron of the arts, and of the Sociedad Económica de Amigos
del Pais, Ramsault offers this manuscript for submission to the Queen
at the suggestion of (Agustín de) Armendaríz, Intendent of the Royal
Palace. Stating his aim to be merely to contribute to the best of his ability
to the improvement of horse breeding in Spain, and that his work will be
submitted to the Sociedad de Fomento de la Cria Caballar, he explains
that the manuscript was copied for the Duke’s private perusal and hopes
that he will accept this practical manual based on 15 years research of
observation and study of a subject which has been the author’s favourite
pastime since his childhood, further offering to compile a detailed and
comprehensive work if so desired. Ramsault adds that having married
a Spaniard, he aimed to remain in Spain in order to contribute to the
improvement of such an important branch of social economy; he refers
to the Duke’s knowledge and experience of the subject and feels that his
approbation would assure universal acceptance in Spain of this treatise.
Explaining that he wrote this letter in French, as not yet entirely conversant with Spanish, although perfectly understanding the language,
Ramsault points out several small translator errors in his manuscript.
He describes himself as an agronomist and member of the Royal Linnean Society etc. In 1850 Ramsault became editor of El Agricultor Español,
a prestigious periodical (later Revista Mensual de Agricultura) published
with the intention of explaining the best way to improve land cultivation
and cattle breeding.
Queen Isabel II (1833-68) commissioned the purchase of Arab horses
in the Middle East to improve the breeding stock for light cavalry horses
in Europe. In 1847 the first Spanish studbook was started which remains
the earliest established register of Arab horses. Both the manuscript and
letter are well preserved.
Order of the Golden Fleece
158 Reiffenberg, Fréderic-Auguste-Ferdinand de. Histoire
de l’ordre de la Toison d’Or, depuis son institution jusqu’a la
cessation des chapitres généraux; tirée des archives mémes de cet
ordre et des écrivains qui en ont traité. Brussels, 1830. Large
4to. lxxxi + 588p. With 10 lithographed plates (3 folding, 6
coloured). Contemporary half calf, gilt; ends worn. £1250
A history of the Order of the Golden Fleece, one of the great knightly
orders of Europe, founded in 1429 by Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy on the occasion of his marriage to Isabelle of Portugal at Bruges. Originally intended only for deserving Flemish Catholic nobles, or
foreign sovereign princes, the character of the order was later adapted
when it became the chief knightly order of the Austrian and Spanish
Habsburgs. Baron Reiffenberg (1795-1850), curator of the Royal Library
of Belgium, based his work on archival sources and on an inventory of
the order published in 1760 by Count Cobenzl.
The volume is here offered with separately bound extracts from Nouvelles Archives Historiques des Pays Bas, pt.IV, pp145-147, 350-368, 387-392,
published Brussels, 1832, containing a critique of Reiffenberg’s book, a
brief bibliography of earlier monographs on the subject, and stories and
anecdotes relating to the history of the order. A good copy with wide
margins; some insignificant traces of light foxing.
Brunet IV, 1197.
159 [Rodriguez Campomanes y Sorriba, Pedro]. Discurso
sobre el fomento de la industria popular. Madrid, Antonio de
Sancha, 1774. [4]f + 198p. Bound with: [Rodriguez Campomanes y Sorriba, Pedro] Discurso sobre la educación popular de los artesanos y su fomento. Madrid, Antonio de Sancha,
1775. [12]f + 475p. 2 works in 1 volume. 12mo. Contemporary half sheep; backstrip gilt; worn. £950
First editions of the two principal works by the outstanding Spanish
economist and social reformer of the period: (1) a discourse on the fair
division of labour amongst all classes, including chapters on the profitable use of time by the nobility, the duty of the clergy to distribute
alms to stimulate industry, the production of silk, cotton and woollen
cloth by the common people, and the use of prison labour. The equal
importance of industry and agriculture is stressed and the study of natural history is recommended as a means of discovering new raw materials to boost the nation’s economy. (2) a treatise on technical education
for the Spanish working class with chapters on apprenticeship, work for
women, the founding of trade guilds, and the establishment of funds
for the old, the sick and the widowed. The importance of foreign trade,
particularly with the Indies, is strongly emphasised. Count Rodríguez de
Campomanes (1723-1802), lawyer and statesman, sought to discover the
true cause of wealth and believed that Spain would benefit from the removal of impediments to industry, the release of agriculture from heavy
taxation and the setting of internal and foreign trade on a firm base. He
foresaw the results of Spain’s overconfidence in the mines of Peru and
Mexico, and aimed to show that the true wealth of the nation lay not
in America but in Spain itself. Contemporary ownership presentation
inscription on title of first work; small wormhole running through initial
blank margins of first and second work.
(1:) Einaudi I, 821; Goldsmiths’ Library 11127; Higgs 5957; Kress 6998;
Palau 273681. (2:) Einaudi I, 822; Goldsmiths’ Library 11358; Higgs 6474;
Kress 6998; Palau 273681.
160 Ruscelli, Girolamo. Precetti della militia moderna, tanto
per mare, quanto per terra. Trattati da diversi nobilissimi ingegni. Ne’quali si contiene tutta l’arte del bombardiero, & si mostra
l’ordine che ha da tenere il maestro di campo, quando vuole accampare il suo essercito. Opera molto necessaria à principi, & a
tutti coloro, che desiderano di apprendere compitamente la disciplina militare. Venice, heirs of Marchio Sessa, 1568. Small
4to. [4] + 59 + [1 blank]f. Text in italic. Printer’s woodcut
device on title. 28 woodcut illustrations (11 full-page). Historiated woodcut initials. Half vellum. £1150
First edition of this influential handbook on late Renaissance artillery in
the widest sense, including fireworks, compiled from a number of contemporary sources. Book II treats the manufacture of mines and rockets
and the latest technical inventions relating to siege warfare and munitions. The woodcuts illustrate a variety of fire-works, rockets, mines and
mining, compasses, a spiked obstacle, a float and a life-jacket.
‘An important contribution to our knowledge of this subject at the
end of the 16th century. Much reliance is still placed on the efficacy of
fiery lances, trombe, or huge squibs, fastened to the end of poles, and
fire-balls discharged by artillery. They are elaborately figured and their
manufacture is minutely described.’ (Hodgkin). On pp57-58 is contained
a chapter on military medicine, a discussion of medicaments successfully used both in the army and navy, and especially in Africa by LeonardoFioravanti, a physician from Bologna. Posthumously published two
years after the author’s death, the dedication by Benedetto de’Bolis to
Alessandro Farnese is dated: Venice, 15 May 1568. The book was reprinted in 1562 and 1583, and a German translation appeared in 1620 as part
of Jacob Zetter’s Kriegs- und Archeley Kunst. Occasional very light marginal foxing, otherwise well preserved.
Breman 245; Cockle 663; Hodgkin III, 2, 9; Jähns 656; Jordan 3245; Mortimer 450; Riccardi II, 402; Riling 25.
161 Sanson [Nicolas]. Theâtre de la Guerre sur le Rhin,
Moessele, Mayn, le Necker, Meuse avec les pais voisins. Amsterdam, Jean Covens & Corn. Mortier, c1710. Engraved handcoloured folding map measuring 97.5 x 118mm, divided
into 72 oblong segments mounted on contemporary cloth;
allegorical title cartouches with imperial arms in top left
and right panels. Preserved in original slipbox covered in
blind-tooled sheep with manuscript label; traces of worming, worn. £1250
A fine military map engraved after Sanson for use in the French invasion
of western and southern Germany during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) fought to prevent a union of Spain and France. The
German provinces affected by the war are coloured in shades of pink,
green, and yellow; cities and fortified places are marked in red. The outcome of the conflict was decided by the major battle at Blenheim (Blindheim, north of Augsburg ) on 13th August 1704,when the Franco-Bavarian armies under Tallard were decisively defeated by the Austro-British
allies led by Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy.
Well preserved with original cloth hangers intact.
Geometrical principles and design of gun barrels
162 Sardi, Pietro. L’Artiglieria .. . divisa in tre libri. Venice,
Giovanni Guerrigli for the author, 1621. Folio. [6]f including engraved frontispiece + 142p of text. Roman & italic
letter. With 18 large textual engravings (4 full-page), and 9
folding engraved plates. Numerous ornamental woodcuts
and initials. Half vellum. £4500
First edition of this influential Renaissance work on artillery arranged in
3 books. The first treats the history of ballistics; the second demonstrates
the geometrical principles and design of gun barrels, and the casting and
testing of bronze barrels of various sizes (chapters 19-24); the third book
instructs on the design and manufacture of mounts, wheels, mortars,
and loading instruments, the rules for bombardiers, and on the application of saltpetre and gunpowder (chapters 49-5 of which an English
translation was included in Henry Stubbe’s Legends no histories in 1670);
chapter 58 describes and illustrates a variety of naval cannon, suggesting
the most effective armament to be used for the defence of ports against
warships; chapter 64 relates to the defence of alpine passes with artillery.
The engraved title features a gun barrel with loading instruments on
either side of the text, and below a bust portrait of the author at the
age of 50. Sardi, a Roman architect and engineer, dedicates his work to
a Genovese patron, Giacomo Cattaneo. A reprint appeared at Bologna
68 years later. A good copy; small repair in margin of title and last leaf.
Cockle 688; Jähns pp. 1098-199;Riccardi II, 423; Riling 90.
Privately printed for the Berlin bibliophile Gotthard Laske
163 Schaeffer, Albrecht. Die Wand.Dramatische Phantasmorgie in einem Aufzug. Berlin, Otto von Holten, privately
printed for Gotthard Laske, May 1922. 4to. 67 + [1] pages
of text + colophon leaf with author’s autograph signature
in ink. First word of the title and the name of the recipient
on colophon leaf printed in blue letters. Original publisher’s half morocco binding with author’s name and title in
gilt lettering on spine; lightly worn. £450
This dramatization of an interlude in Goethe’s Italian journey is the first
book privately printed for the Berlin bibliophile Gotthard Laske (18821936), a wealthy outfitter, who acted as a generous patron to authors,
and commissioned a number of publications. Unique edition, beautifully printed in the New Elzevir type on hand-made paper, limited to 100
copies only: the present copy, number 10, was printed for Lilli Wolff, a
member of a Berlin music publishing family. The subject of the play,
written in 1919 by the wellknown German writer Albrecht Schaeffer
(1855-1950), is Goethe’s visit to his friend Heinrich Meyer at Stäfa on
the Lake of Zürich in 1797 as part of his celebrated Italian journey. The
action is set at the Alte Krone Inn, the main characters being Goethe,
Meyer, and a young lady also lodging at the inn.
Meyer, Privatdrucke von und für Gotthard Laske no 1; Katalog der Sammlung Kippenberg I,143; Wilpert & Gühring, Erstausgaben deutscher Dichtung
1600-1960, 36; for Laske, see Homeyer, Deutsche Juden als Bibliophilen und
Antiquare, p.50.
Hanover & the British during the Napoleonic wars
A British provenance
164 [Schelver, L.H.]. Das Kurfürstenthum Hannover unter den
Franzosen in den Jahren 1803, 1804, 1805, und dessen fernere
Schicksale nebst einer genauen Karakteristik des Französischen
Militärs. Von einem Augenzeugen. [Brunswick, Vieweg] 1806.
xvi + 163p text + [4]p of bookseller’s list. (Bound with:)
[Berg, Günther Heinrich Freiherr v.] Vergleichende Schilderung der Organisation der französischen Staatsverwaltung in
Beziehung auf das Königreich Westphalen und andere deutsche
Staaten. Frankfurt & Leipzig, 1808. iv + 250p. (And:) Berlepsch, F[riedrich]. L[udwig] [Freiherr] v. Die bey dem Berliner Executions- u. Protectionshofe in meiner Dienstentsetzungsu. Proscriptionssache erfolgten letzten Aktenstücke. [Göttingen,
Dieterich] 1807. 150 + [2]p. (And:) [Anonymous] Noch ein
Wort über das Säkularisationswesen. Von einem Freunde der
Menschheit und der guten Sache. ‘Teutschland’ [Nuremberg?]
1801. 72p. 4 works in 1 volume, 8vo. Contemporary sheep
with arms of Charles Stuart de Rothesay gilt-stamped on
sides; joints cracked but firm; worn.
£650
Four contemporary German anti-Napoleonic imprints, three anonymously published to escape censorship. (1) A lawyer’s perception of the
French military occupation of Hanover under Marshal Mortier reflecting on French long term strategic and political plans in Germany and on
the British Continental Blockade. Schelver saw Hanover as a victim of
its British connection suffering for the sake of the English Nation (cf.:
N.Harding: Hanover and the British Empire 1700-1837 (2007). The 2nd part
of his essay is an analysis of the structure and general state of the French
army. (2) A critique of French administration introduced to client states
of the Confederation of the Rhine such as the new Kingdom of Westphalia created for Jerôme Napoleon, which was mostly made up of former Hanovarian territory. Berg (1765-1843), was an outstanding lawyer
and politician. (3) A formal justification of his actions published by an
eminent Hanovarian judge who was dismissed for supporting popular
interests against the state. Berlepsch (1749-1818) had openly challenged
the British monarch’s demand for troops from his Hanoverian dominions to combat revolutionary France, declaring it unconstitutional. (4)
An anonymous condemnation of the mediatisation of German church
lands to compensate those German princes who lost their lands on the
left banks of the Rhine to French annexation. From the collection of
Lord Stuart de Rothesay (1779-1845), British ambassador at The Hague,
Paris and St Petersburg.
Costume of male religious orders
165 Schoonebeek, Adriaan. Courte & solide histoire de la
fondation des ordres religieux. Avec les figures de leurs habits.
Amsterdam, Adriaan Schoonebeek, 1688. 12mo. [4]f including engraved allegorical frontispiece + 73 + [1 blank +
4]f. 73 engraved plates included in collation. Vignettes on
title and first page of text which also has a grotesque initial
made up of 2 monks. Contemporary calf, re-hinged. £850
An historical guide to the principal male religious orders compiled and
finely illustrated with costume plates by a pupil of Romeyn de Hooghe.
Each engraving is a portrait of a member of a different religious order
whose habit is carefully shaded to indicate its various colours for the
interest of the reader and as an aid for artists. In his preface the compiler
points to the lack of literature with precise information on the religious
orders and their dress, stating that he has added the arms of each order
to his image of the individual member portrayed, where ever he was able
to trace them. The last plate represents a specimen dress only marked
with shades in order to distinguish between colours.
Schoonebeek, a highly accomplished engraver, was a pupil of Romeyn de Hooghe from 1676 to 1679. He gave lessons in etching to Peter the
Great during his stay at Amsterdam in 1698, and later accompanied him
to Moscow, where he spent his final years teaching a number of pupils.
Colas 2680; Lipperheide Oe8 (note).
Deciphering the Herculaneum scrolls
166 Sickler, Friedrich Karl Ludwig & Thomas Tyrwhitt.
Herculaneum Rolls. Correspondence relative to a proposition
made by Dr.Sickler of Hildburghausen, upon the subject of their
development. London, J.Barfield ... printer to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, 1817. 4to. 27 + [1blank]p. With engraved frontispiece plate showing a facsimile of a roll fragment and transcription by T. Girtin. Half calf.
£250
First edition. The letters exchanged between the noted German archeologist Friedrich Sickler (1773-1836) and Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt (1762-1833),
M.P., an enthusiast for antiquities, who had together with Rev.John Hayter unsuccessfully attempted to unravel one of the Herculanean scrolls
held in Paris in January 1816. Hayter was considered an expert, as he
had previously managed to decipher some 200 papyri at Naples for the
Prince Regent. When Sickler learnt that Hayter had failed in Paris and
intended to publish the contents of six papyri in the French Academy,
he offered to assist with his own method of preserving and translating
scrolls. Hayter’s precise copies of the columns of the texts deciphered by
him are now held in the Bodleian Library.
Critical analysis of church finances
167 [Simon, Richard]. Histoire de l’Origine & du Progrés des
Revenus Ecclesiastiques. Où il est traité selon l’ancien & le nouveau droit, de tout ce qui regarde les materieres beneficiales, de
la regale, des investitures, des nominations & des autres droits
attribués aux princes, par Jerome à Costa, Docteur en Droit &
Protonotaire Apostolique. A Francfort [Rotterdam], Frederic Arnaud [Elzevier] 1684. 12mo. [4] + 346 + [10]p. index.
Contemporary calf; spine gilt; worn. £475
First edition of this historical account of ecclesiastical revenues, hostile
to the religious orders, proscribed in 1692 (cf Hilgers, Der Index der verbotenen Bücher (Freiburg 1904), p435). An English translation (The History
of the original and progress of ecclesiastical revenues) was published in 1685;
the original text was reprinted in 1706. Simon (1638-1712), an erudite
French Oratorian priest from Dieppe, who used the pseudonym Jerôme
á Costa, had converted from Judaism to become the most outstanding
and controversial biblical critic of his day. Accused of heresy by Bossuet
for not retracting his scriptural analysis of the Old Testament, he was
forced to leave his Order.
ESTC R219629; Goldsmiths’- Kress 2558; Quérard, I, col.180 (note).
Gazetteer of the Azores
168 [Soares De Albergaria De Sousa, Joâo (1796-1875)]
Corographia Açorica, ou Descripçâo phizica, politica, e historica dos Açores, por um Cidadâo Açorense, M. da Sociedade
Patriotica Phylantropya [n’os Açores] Lisbon, João Nunes Esteves, 1822. [4]f + pp7-133 + [1 blank]. Circular emblem of
phoenix with stars on title. Contemporary marbled sheep;
worn; worming damage in top front cover.
£385
First edition of this early geographical dictionary of the Azores with
extensive scholarly footnotes, and a five-page index at end. The book
is divided into the four administrative departments. Also discussed are
prevailing social conditions, the character and ethnic make-up of the
population, education, commerce (mainly consisting of exports of oranges, white wines, and grain), and the strategic position of the volcanic
islands; an historical summary is given on pp39-49. The author is identified as a native of São Jorge, the most central of the nine islands of the
archipelago (cf :M.A. da Fonseca, Subsidios para um Diccionario de Pseudonymos Iniciaes e Obras Anonymas de Escriptores Portuguezes, Lisbon 1896,
no 272, p188).
169 Souchu De Rennefort [Urbain]. Relation du premier
voyage de la compagnie des Indes orientales ou l’isle de Madagascar ou Dauphine. Paris, Pierre Auboüin, 1668. 12mo. [8]
+ 340p. Contemporary calf; rebacked; edges gilt; tailend
corners worn. £1950
First report on the official expedition of four ships sent by the French
East Indies Company in 1665 to take possession of the island of Madagascar. Souchu de Rennefort (c1630-89), an ambitious adventurer, became secretary to the first major French East Indies Company formed
by Colbert in 1664 and holding a monopoly of trade in the Indian Ocean
with a special concession for Madagascar. The author’s mission was to
restore order in the French trading post of Fort Dauphin in the southeast of the island; he took formal possession of Madagascar on 14th July
1665 in the name of the Company,but was unable to consolidate French
control. He left in February 1666 only to be captured by an English ship.
After his release in 1667, he wrote the present work which comprises observations of the natural history of Madagascar and on the customs of
the native tribes. Twenty years later, in 1688, he was to publish a history
of the French East Indies Company.
Chadenat 1749 (‘Édition originale, très rare’); Goldsmith 842.
‘Oldest known recorded game’
170 [Soumille de Villeneuve-les-Avignon, L’Abbé Bernard-Laurent]. Le Grand Trictrac, ou méthode facile pour
apprendre sans maitre la marche, les termes, les regles, et une
grande partie des finesses de ce jeu, enrichie de 288 plances ou figures, avec des décisions des cas particuliers. Nouvelle Edition, revue, corrigée. Paris, De Hansy, An X, 1801. 8vo. xvi + 357 +
[2] p. 288 woodcut illustrations in text showing the tric-trac
board, dice throws and position of counters. Floral and foliar woodcut head- and tail-pieces. Contemporary calf, gilt
spine, on marbled boards.
£350
This second edition of the work (first published in 1738, see Barbier) provides many corrections which the author notes in the preface might have
put the reader of the first edition in awkward situations. Backgammon,
is said to be the ‘oldest known recorded game in man’s history ... In 1743
an Englishman called Edmond Hoyle documented and standardised the
rules of the game. Backgammon then became popular in many European countries. “Tric-Trac” in France, “Puff ” Germany, mostly followed
these rules ... These rules remained unchanged till 1931 when in America they were revised to what generally governs the game today’. (‘Salar’s
Backgammon’, salnet.demon.co.uk). A well preserved crisp copy, one or
two tiny foxing marks. Old inscription inside front cover dated ‘20 mars
1883’.
First Portuguese transliteration from the Arabic
First Dictionary Of Portuguese Words With Arabic Roots
171 Sousa, Joâo de. Documentos Arabicos para a Historia
Portugueza copiados dos originaes da Torre do Tombo . e vertidos em portuguez. Lisbon, Royal Academy of Sciences,
1790. Small 4to. [4]f + 190 + [2]p. Arabic and Portuguese
texts printed in parallel columns. Vignette on title. Calf.
£850
172 Sousa, Joâo de. Vestigios da lingoa Arabica em Portugal,
ou Lexicon Etymologico das palavras, e nomes portuguezes, que
tem origem Arabica … Lisbon, Royal Academy of Sciences,
1789. Small 4to. xx + 160p. Portuguese text interspersed
with Arabic letters. Title with ornamental vignette incorporating Portuguese arms. Original marbled wrappers
preserved in quarter morocco slipbox.
£950
The first attempt at transliterating into Portuguese the Arabic documents relating to Portuguese history preserved at the royal archives at
Torre do Tombo. Sousa translated 58 letters exchanged between King
Manuel and King Joâo III of Portugal and various Arab rulers during the
first half of the 16th century. The subjects of the correspondence range
from diplomatic and legal matters to trading regulations for Christians in
Africa and India on the writers and recipients of the letters.
Innocêncio 1324. Palau 320779. Palha 2777, ‘ouvrage peu commun et
estimé’. Schnurrer, Bibliotheca Arabica, 186.
First edition of the first etymological dictionary to record Portuguese
words of Arabic origin. The entries are arranged alphabetically in Portuguese, followed by the equivalent Arabic word or source, a transliteration, and an explanation. Joâo de Sousa was born in Damascus, Syria,
and became the first professor of Arabic at Lisbon University. He was a
frequently published member of the Royal Academy of Sciences who
commissioned this publication. The next work on the subject, by Francisco de S.Luiz, did not appear until 1837. An attractive copy in its original binding with a contemporary ownership signature on title deleted
in ink.
Innocencio IV, 41-42 & 437 (unseen, without collation); Palau 320777;
Palha 673.
173 Sparrman, André. Voyage au Cap de Bonne-Espérance
et autour du Monde, avec le Capitaine Cook, et principalement
dans le Pays des Hottentots et des Caffres… Traduit par M.Le
Tourneur Paris, Buisson, 1787. 3 volumes in 8vo. xxxvi + 389
+ [1]p; [2] + 366p + [1]f errata; [4] + 366p+ [3]f. With one
double-page engraved plate, one folding engraved map,
and 12 folding engraved plates. Contemporary polished
calf, spine gilt, hinges cracked but firm, corners worn.£600
First French language edition of the author’s eye-witness account of
Captain Cook’s second voyage to the Cape of Good Hope as part of
his circumnavigation in 1772-5. Sparrman (1748-1820), an outstanding
pupil of Linnaeus, accompanied the voyage as assistant to the naturalists
Johann and Georg Forster which is related in the first volume. Most of
the work comprises his observations on the flora, fauna and mixed population of the Cape Colony made during expeditions into the interior of
the country when working as a doctor in Cape Town. The description
of termites and their nests is especially noteworthy. First published in
Swedish in 1783, and immediately translated into the major European
languages, the book became a bestseller. It is thought to be the most
accurate contemporary description of the Cape. The illustrations of the
present French edition are considered the best.
Du Rietz, Bibl. Polynesiana 1223; Mendelsohn II, p361.
Controversial verse tragedy on the theme of incest
174 Speroni, Sperone. Canace Tragedia. alla quale sono aggiunte al une altre sue compositioni. Venice, Giovanni Alberti,
1597. 4to. [4]f + 253p. Italic. Printer’s device on title. Initials.
Contemporary limp vellum.
£485
Speroni, a pupil of Pomponazzi, is a prominent Renaissance critic,best
known for his innovative verse tragedy Canace, based on a Greek legend,
which exploits the theme of incest. Composed for the Paduan Literary
Academy, the controversial play was first published in 1546. It provoked
instant disapproval and protracted literary debate.The Giuditio, an interesting piece of early literary criticism attributed to Bartolomeo Cavalcanti, was also received with hostility. The present edition comprises the
text of the Canace together with the author’s reply to the Giuditio and
other pieces in which he defends his work. Some traces of light waterstaining at beginning and end.
Adams, Cambridge, S-1564. Allacci col 159. Soleinne IV, 4262.
The Aldine Statius
175 Statius, Publius Papinius. Sylvarum libri V. Achilleidos
libri XII. Thebaidos libri II. Orthografia et flexus dictionum
graecarum omnium.... Venice, Aldus & Asulanus, January
1519. 8vo. 294 + [2]f. Italic & some Greek type. Aldine anchor device on title and on verso of last (otherwise blank)
leaf. 19th century blindstamped calf; edges gilt; joints
cracked but firm.
£1550
Second edition, including the Orthographia, of the celebrated Aldine
Statius, one of the most beautiful of the octavo classics. The essay on
grammar and orthography is by Aldus himself. With preface by Fredericus Asulanus to the brothers Pasqual and Domitian Marini informing
them of the superiority of the present edition over the preceding one.
Leaf 3 contains a dedication by Aldus Senior to Pontanus. Statius (45-96
AD), court poet to the Emperor Domitian, was a favourite of the post
Augustan age. Title lightly browned, otherwise a good copy with 19th
century engraved armorial bookplate of William Charles Henry (17751836), noted English chemist.
Adams S-1672; Isaac 12889.
The lives of the early Caesars
177 Suetonius Tranquillus, Caius. Vitae XII Caesarum.
Ed. Philippus Beroaldus. Bologna, Benedictus Hectoris, 5
April 1493. Folio. [4] + 326 + [14]f including index leaf.
Roman letter. Commentary surrounding text. Printer’s device on verso of penultimate leaf. 18th century
calf; backstrip gilt; morocco title label; joints restored.
£5500
Suetonius’ Lives of the first twelve Roman emperors redacted by the
Italian humanist Filippo Beroaldo (1453-1505). The biographies from
Caesar to Domitian, composed in the early 2nd century contain revealing descriptions of Roman social life, especially the eating and drinking
habits. Tiberius prefered the wines of Chios; Domitian dared to uproot
Transalpine vineyards which rivalled those of Italy; Augustus preferred
the wines of Falerno and Switzerland. The author gives details of remarkable imperial banquets. Nero had a constantly revolving circular
banquet hall; Vitellus invented a dish of enormous size containing the
livers of pike, the brains of pheasants and peacocks, and the tongues
of flamingoes. The ‘Lives’ are a favourite source for writers on ancient
Rome, and provided the basis of the plot for Robert Graves’ historical
novel I Claudius. Good copy with contemporary Latin manuscript notes
in blank margins.
BMC VI,840; Goff S-825; HC 15126*; Proctor 6623.
A primary source on 16th century Italian duelling code
Illustrated by Jacques Callot
176 [Stephen I, Saint, Pope, Order of]. Statuti dell’ordine
de’cavalieri di Sto.Stefano ristampati con l’addizioni ordinate
in tempo de seren[issi]mo Cosimo II e Ferdinan[d]o II. Granduchi di Tosc[an]a e gran maestri. Florence, Francesco Onofri, 1665. 4to. 316p including engraved allegorical title
by Jacques Callot. 5 fine historiated woodcut initials with
martial themes and numerous decorative initials. Contemporary vellum; neatly rebacked. £1850
The statutes of the knightly order of St Stephen founded in 1562 by Cosimo de Medici, first grand duke of Tuscany, and including the amendments made under his successors Cosimo II, and Ferdinand II. As Cosimo I had conquered both Florence and later Siena on the eve of St
Stephen’s day (2nd August), he established a military order in honour
of the Saint to employ the new aristocracy of his aggrandized state to
defend it against the marauding Barbary pirates. Pope Pius IV willingly
agreed to declare the duke grand master of the new order which obliged
the knights to protect the Christian faith against the infidel on land and
by sea. Its device was a variant of the Maltese Cross worn on a gilt chain.
The order won fame under Cosimo II, when its war-galleys captured
Bona, the chief port of the Barbary pirates in 1607, and for its defeat
of the Turkish fleet in the following year. These victories enhanced the
prestige of the duke as grand master, and the rules of the order were
printed with great care, and including 24 pages of chapter and subject
indexes at the end. The fine engraved title by Jacques Callot shows 4
Turkish prisoners (2 in chains) with trophies of arms and flags; on high
3 allegorical figures representing Justice, Religion, and Force, the figure
of Religion carries a shield and flag emblazoned with the arms of the
Order - see Lieure 372 (2) & Meaume 428 (2). Edges of right blank title
margin a little foxed with traces of wear in tailend corner, otherwise a
fresh copy with occasional neat marginal notes in ink in an early hand.
178 Susio, Giovanni Battista. Tre libri ... della ingiustitia
del duello, et di coloro, che lo permettono. Venice, Gabriele Giolito, 1558. Small 4to. 198 p. + last leaf blank except for
printer’s mark on recto. Text in italic, title and dedication
in roman letter. Historiated woodcut initials of various sizes, ornamental woodcut head- and tail-pieces. Elaborate
large version of printer’s device on title. Contemporary
limp vellum.
£950
Al polemic questioning the morality of the fashionable 16th century Italian concept of upholding a gentleman’s code of honour by means of
challenging or accepting to fight a duel as a proper method of settling
disputes. Susio (1519-83), a physician from Mirandola, strongly opposed
the practice as unjust and condemned all forms of duelling, whereas Possevino and Muzio had staunchly defended the principle. In his preface
to Count Fulvio Rangoni, dated 19 January 1555, the author states that
he had first debated the subject in Venice ten years earlier and then in
Rome; he also mentions Antonio Massa’s Contra l’uso del duello’ (Venice 1555) in support of his arguments. Here in its second edition, the
book was first published by Giolito in 1555. The first of the three parts is
dedicated to Henri II of France. An attractive copy with wide margins;
minimal traces of usage; author’s name and title inked on top foredge as
customary at the time.
Bongi I, 469-471 & II, 61; Cockle 886; Garcia Donnell 849; Levi & Gelli
171; Thimm 280 (note).
‘The first printed treatise on ballistics’
179 Tartaglia, Nicolò. La Nova Scientia ... con una gionta
al terzo libro. Venice, Camillo Castelli, 1583. [4] + 30 (misnumbered 34)f. Roman letter. With full-page allegorical
woodcut on title and 31 textual woodcuts and diagrams
(1 full-page). (bound with:) Tartaglia, Nicolò. Delle Quesiti
et inventioni diverse. Venice, Camillo Castelli, 1583. ff5 - 94.
With 66 woodcuts and diagrams in the text. 2 works in 1
volume. 8vo. 19th century speckled boards. £950
The two most influential works on military science by Nicolò Tartaglia
(1506-1557) of Brescia, one of the best mathematicians of his day.
I: The 3 books of La Nova Scientia are the first attempt to enquire into
the nature of the curve described by projectiles. It is considered the first
printed treatise on ballistics. This work inaugurated the scientific treatment of the theory and practice of gunnery, correcting the angle of fire
with regard to the force of gravity. (See A. R. Hale, Ballistics in the 17th
Century). The dedication is to Francisco Maria de la Rovere, Duke of
Urbino.
II: The Quesiti, or answers to various problems written in dialogue form,
are an enlargement of La Nova Scientia. The first 3 books treat gunnery and artillery; other mathematical and physical problems, such as
the construction and use of the compass are described in the fifth book
on land surveying in letters addressed to Richard Wentworth. Book VI
deals with the fortification of cities planned to withstand artillery fire by
strength of outline. In the present copy 4 leaves of preliminaries and the
9th book of text (on algebra) are omitted from the volume; this is also
the case with the copies held by the Wellcome Institute, the Edinburgh
University Library, and the Folger Shakespeare Library, an anomaly confirmed by an entry in Graesse (VI, 30 (note) relating to this edition which
is not held by the British Library, nor by any of the Cambridge libraries.
Edges of tailend blank margins stained in one place in first quires, occasional light marginal water-staining, otherwise a clean copy with some
of the illustrations lightly hand-coloured by an early owner.
I: Breman 297; Cockle 658 (note); II: Jähns 602.
180 Teijsmann, J[ohannes] E[lias] & S[imon] Binnendijk.
Catalogus plantarum quae in Horto Botanico Bogoriensi coluntur. Batavia ( Jakarta), ter Lands-Drukkerij, 1866. 8vo.[8] +
398p. Cloth-backed boards.
£550
First edition. The Java botanical gardens were of immense importance
to the Dutch, who founded them for research and acclimatization purposes in 1817. The beautiful site, Buitenzorg (now Bogor), some 55km
south of Jakarta, was also the residence of the Dutch governor until
1942. The present catalogue lists the many species found there with useful indexes of genera and common and Latin name and the island of origin. Teijsmann (1808-82), outstanding botanist and plant collector, came
to Java with Governor General Johannes van den Bosch. He was curator
of the gardens from 1831 to 1869, and is best known for introducing the
chinchona plant from Peru for the production of quinine to treat malaria (c1852), Binnendijk (1821-83), a Leiden botanist, acted as assistant
curator; two plant species are named after him. A clean copy, margin of
title-page neatly restored.
Jackson, p452. Stafleu & Cowan 13.872. See also Edward Hyams, Great
Botanical Gardens of the World, 1969, pp194-199.
Bilingual primer for teaching Latin to young French children
181 Terentius Afer, Publius. Les Six Comedies … Avec les
Fleurs, Phrases, Sentences, & Manières de parler tres-excellentes
dudict autheur, mise a la fine de chacune scene. La tout Latin et
François correspondant l’un à l’autre, en faveur des jeunes enfans desiereux de la pureté & intelligence de la langue Latine.
Paris, Claude Micard, 1574. 16mo. [7] + [1 blank] + 365 +
[2 blank]f. French & Latin texts in parallel columns printed respectively in roman and italic type. Title within ornamental border in the style of Jean Cousin. Ornamental
initials. Blue calf decorated in blind. £1250
A finely printed pocket-edition of Terence’s Comedies published as an
aid for young children learning Latin in French schools. The translator,
Jean Bourlier, has selected phrases to demonstrate the purity of the Latin
tongue which are preceded by a lengthy introduction with his comments
on the plays. Near contemporary ink signature ‘Chavin’ on recto of last
leaf.
Adams T-376; Brunet V, 721.
182 Tessier [Henri-Alexandre]. Instruction sur les bêtes à
laine, et particulierement sur la race des merinos, contenant la
maniere de former de bons troupeaux, de les multiplier et soigner
convenablement en santé et en maladie … Seconde edition, augmentée. Paris, Huzard, 1811. 8vo. Xvi + 382p of text + 4 p
publisher’s advertisements. 1 large folding table & 6 folding numbered engraved plates. Contemporary half sheep,
spine gilt with morocco title label. £385
Enlarged second edition (first: 1810). Comprehensive treatise on the
improvement of sheep breeding in France, in particular of the Merino
flocks, imported from Spain before the Revolution. The author discusses
the processing, carding and washing of wool, and the training of sheep
dogs. Tessier (1741-1832), a physician and agronomist, was director-general of the national Merino farm at Rambouillet. Wool production had
become one of the most important French industries and its methods
were to influence Australian sheep farming. 2 old ownership stamps on
title and a few stamps in margins, occasional very light foxing, otherwise
a good copy.
Quérard, France Litteraire, IX, p382.
Instructions on how to form a Wunderkammer
183 Thon, Dr Theodor. Handbuch für Naturaliensammler
oder Gründliche Anweisung die Naturkörper aller drei Reiche
zu sammeln, in Naturalienkabinet auzustellen und aufzubewahren. Frei nach dem Französischen bearbeitet und vervollständigt. Ilmenau, Bernhard Friedrich Voigt, 1827. 8vo. xvi +
486 + [2]p. With 4 folding lithograph plates by Uckermann
in Erfurt after the author’s own drawings. Contemporary
half calf; slightly worn at spine edge. £400
First edition. Handbook on the preparation, preservation and mounting
of plants and animals for display in the glass cabinet. The three sections
deal at length with suitable times for collecting plants, fish, reptiles, insects and birds for taxidermy or pressing. The plates give 38 illustrations
of the processes involved. The work, as noted in the preface, was inspired
by Boitard’s Manuel du Naturaliste Préparateur (1825). With bookplate of
Hermann v. Nathusius (1809-79), innovative German cattle breeder and
collector of domesticated animal skeletons; early library inscription, and
faint stamp of former Berlin Royal Agricultural College. Good copy.
‘Most extensive art guide of Rome
until mid-18th century’ (Schlosser)
184 Titi, Filippo. Ammaestramento Utile, e curioso di pittura
scoltura et architettura nelle chiese di Roma, Palazzi Vaticano, di
Monte Cavallo, & altri, che s’incontrano nel cammino facile, che
si fà per ritrovarle …. Con l’Indice delle Chiese, e de’ Virtuosi, che
si nominano… Rome,Giuseppe Vannacci, 1686. 16mo. Engraved frontispiece + [60] + 456p. With portrait of author
by Vincenzo Mariotti. Contemporary vellum; back neatly
restored.
£850
The first guide to Roman churches, their architecture, sculptures and
paintings. The book remains a valuable source for listing the art treasures found at this period. This is the much augmented third edition
containing almost twice the text volume of the two preceding editions
(Rome 1674 & Macarata 1675). The author, a cleric from Città di Castello, has here also added a chapter describing the cathedral of his home
town. The engraved portait of the author is by Vincenzo Mariotto, a
pupil of Andrea Pozzo to whose ‘Prospettiva’ he contributed. Schlosser
states that this was the most extensive art guide of Rome until the mid18th century (Kunstliteratur, pp482, 525). A good clean copy.
185 [Torre, Alfonso de la]. Sommario di tutte le scienze dal
magnifico M.Domenico Delfino. Venice, Giolito, 1585. Venice,
Giolito, 1585. Small 8vo. [28]f (several misbound) + 360p.
Italic letter. With woodcut printer’s device on title and a
number of woodcut historiated initials and other typographical ornaments in text. Antiqued sheep. £875
Early edition of this encyclopaedia of science, philosophy and the liberal
arts. although published as an original work by the Italian Domenico
Delfino (Fl. 1550), it was in fact a translation of Alfonso de la Torre’s
Vision deleitable (first published c.1480-3). Condemned by Graesse as a
shameful plagiary, the work is judged more generously by Palau who
states that the manuscript was discovered by Delfino’s son who, believing it to be his father’s own work, edited it as such. What is extraordinary
is that the plagiary appears to have passed largely unnoticed and was
even translated into Spanish a century later. Conceived as a compendium
of the knowledge of the time, the book includes remarks on astronomy and astrology, arithmentic and geometry, medicine and the medical properties of plants, natural history, the magic arts, and linguistics.
There is an interesting section on animal behaviour which comments
on the partiality of dolphins to human company, and a discussion of
the point of articulation in Oriental, Western and Mediterranean speech
as respectively guttural, dental and palatal. The first Italian edition was
published in 1556. From the Arata Collection with stamps and signature
in title margin; a small wormhole in title.
This edition not in Adams, British Library, Durling, Wellcome Library.
See Bongi, Giolito I, pp503-5 Brunet V, 887, Graesse 6, II, 174 & Palau
335327.
186 Triggs, H. Inigo. Formal gardens in England and Scotland,
their planning and arrangement, architectural and ornamental
features. London, Batsford, 1902. Large folio. xxiv + 63 +
(1) p, 125 plates (numbered to 122 but including 37*,58*,
and 93*),72 are from drawings and plans by the author, 53
from photographs by Charles Latham. Half green morocco, olive cloth, gilt title on spine, top edge gilt.
£500
who made himself a name as co-author with Jorge Juan of the great
work on the French expedition to establish a degree on the Meridian in
Peru in 1748. In the present work he also discusses the customs, religion
and language of the Indians and their antiquities. It was later translated
into French and German.
Medina 4600; Palau 343417; Sabin 97687.
Triggs’ large format work serves to endorse the turn of the century revival of interest in the formal garden. Latham’s photographs combined
with Triggs’ designs document existing gardens, some recently laid out,
and illustrate schemes of gardens as they might have been (the latter
reconstructed from old plans). Architectural garden features separately
illustrated include columbaria, sundials, lead cisterns and summerhouses.
A fine publication with 6-page list of subscribers.
188 Vaenius, Otto. Batavorum cum Romanis Bellum. Antwerp, Philip Lisaert, 1612. Oblong 4to. 36 numbered engraved plates by Antonio Tempesta after Vaenius. 18th
century mottled calf, gilt; spine neatly restored. £3500
Natural history of Peru and Ecuador
187 Ulloa, Antonio de. Noticias Americanas: entretenimientos phisico-historicos, sobre la América Meridional, y la Septentrianal Oriental. Comparicion general. de los territorios, climas,
y produciones en las tres especies, vegetales, animales, y minerales… Discurso sobre la lengua, y sobre el modo en que pasaron
los primeros pobladores. Madrid, Francisco Manuel de Mena,
1772. 4to. [12]f + 407 + [1 blank]p + [1]f errata. Ornamental tail-pieces. Contemporary limp vellum. £750
First edition of a scientific investigation of the geography, geology, climate and the fauna and flora of Peru and Ecuador by Alfonso de Ulloa
(1716-95). Spanish naval officer and fellow of many learned societies,
Engraved by Antonio Tempesta
A series of allegorical engravings illustrating the armed struggle between the ancient Dutch tribes and their Roman oppressors inspired by
Tacitus’s history. Each plate bears an engraved legend below in Flemish
and and in Latin; a detailed explanation is printed on the otherwise blank
verso. This historicist work, very popular in its time, was achieved by
two great artists: the designer, Otto Vaenius (Otto van Veen 1556-1629),
court painter to Alessandro Farnese, was influenced by the Italian mannerists but had developed his own style anticipating the Flemish baroque
of his pupil Peter Paul Rubens; the engraver, Antonio Tempesta (15551630), specialized in battle scenes.
Plate I, signed ‘Ant.Tempesta f. Anno 1611’, shows ‘Roma’ and ‘Batavia’ in battle dress with respective scenic backgrounds, symbolizing the
two nations; 15 other plates bear Tempesta’s monogramme. The plates
depict heroic events, sieges, and battle scenes. A good copy with an English 18th century provenance in top blank margin of title with manuscript entries ‘Given by J[oh]n Greenwood’ and ‘J[oh]n Williams 1742’;
English armorial bookplate with crested crown and motto ‘In domino
confido’.
Funck 404; for the artists see Thieme-Becker XXXIV, 176 & XXXII, 516-17.
Four medical treatises by Peruvian physician
First Argentine Commercial Code
189 Valdes, José. Disertaciones medico-quirurgicas sobre varios puntos importantes. Madrid, Sancha, 1815. 12mo. 179 + [1
blank]p. Contemporary mottled sheep; worn. £385
192 Vélez Sársfield, Dalmacio & Eduardo Acevedo. Código de Comercio para el Estado de Buenos Aires, presentado a las
honorables camaras por el poder ejecutivo, el 1. de Mayo de
1857. Large 4to. vi p +[1 blank]f + 407 + [1 blank]p + [1
blank]f. Contemporary half-calf; worn. £650
Four dissertations by a professor of medicine and surgery at St Marcos
University at Lima, Peru, of which the 2nd and 4th are here first published: 1) on the effectiveness of balsam of Copayero (a medicinal resin
extracted from the South American Copayero tree); 2) on the Lima catarrh epidemic of 1808; 3) on uterine cancer as found in Lima women;
4) the best method of curing mumps and carbuncles. The author also
discusses infantile meningitis and dysentery. A good copy with the contemporary ownership entry of a Buenos Aires chemist whose shop was
facing the convent of St Francis: ‘Santiago Torres, Quimico y Droguista,
Frente a San Francisco, Buenos Ayres’; in blank margins of title and recto
of last leaf.
Palau 347510.
‘First published glossary of the Venetian dialect’
190 Varotari, Diario. Il vespaio stuzzicato satire veneziane
di Dario Varotari altre volte Ardio Rivarota, & Oratio Varardi. Venice, Pietr’Antonio Zamboni, 1671. 12mo. Engraved
frontispiece signed I.P.F + [12] + 183 + [19]p. including a
Venetian-Italian vocabulary and an index. Woodcut ornaments in the text. 18th century vellum. £450
The only edition of these twelve prose satires in the Veneto dialect, each
accompanied by a sonnet in Italian. Appended is ‘I modi figurati e frasi
dilucidate’, which is considered the first published glossary of the Venetian dialect. The engraved frontispiece represents a satyr disturbing a
wasps’ nest. Dario Varotari the Younger, poet, physician and dilettante
artist at Padua, was the son of Alessandro Varotari (1588-1648), a noted
painter, known as ‘il Padovanino’. Well preserved. With engraved bookplate of Martin Aldao.
Vinciana Catalogue 3071.Not listed in British Library Catalogue of 17th
Century Italian Books.
Animals and medicine
191 Velez de Arciniega, Francisco. Historia de los animales
mas recebidos en el uso de Medicina: donde se trata para lo que
cada uno entero, o parte del aprovecha, y de la manera de su
preparación. Madrid, Royal Press, 1613. 4to. [8]f + 454p +
[1]f. Roman, Greek & italic letter. Printer’s device on title;
some ornamental initials. Contemporary limp vellum.
£1500
An interesting study of the use of animals in medicine, containing remedies for various illnesses and diseases, and compiled for the benefit of
surgeons, physicians and apothecaries. The present edition is considered
superior to the first edition of 1597 (entitled Historia de los Quadrupedes y
Serpientes terrestres) for its inclusion of additional material on birds, fish
and shellfish. Among the animals discussed are eagles and sparrows, eels
and dolphins, hedgehogs, hares, wolves, snails and ants. Isolated staining
in lower margins, otherwise a clean, crisp copy with an early ownership
entry on title, and child’s doodles on blank verso of last leaf.
Heredia 4471. Krivatsy 12245. Palau 357764. Salvá 2754.
The first Argentine mercantile code, commissioned by the government
of the state of Buenos Aires in June 1856. Buenos Aires had seceded from
the Confederation in 1852, and assumed independent sovereignty. The
code became valid for the entire country in 1862 under the presidency of
Bartolomé Mitre. It was drafted by Vélez Sarsfield (1800-75), an eminent
lawyer, politician and physician from Cordoba, who supported the predominance of Buenos Aires, in collaboration with the Uruguayan lawyer Eduardo Acevedo Maturana (1815-63). Vélez Sársfield also drew up
the Argentine Civil Code in 1869. He was married to the daughter of the
Liberator- General San Martin, his patient during the cholera epidemic.
A fine large copy with Véles Sársfield’s autograph presentation inscription in top right title to the influential fellow politician and diplomat, Dr.
Mariano Balcarce (1807-85).
193 Verona. Capitoli et Ordini del Santo Monte di Pietà di
Verona. Verona, Fratelli Merli, 1709. 8vo. Engraved title
showing a risen Christ surrounded by 7 angels with symbols of the stations of the Cross + 214 (misnumb.213).
With typographical ornaments and initials (And:)
Nuovi Regolacioni per li Massari, et Ufficiali del Santo Monte di
Pietà di Verona. Verona, Frattelli Merlo, 1751. 11 + [1 blank]
+ 11+ [1 blank] (numbered 201-11) p. Large oval woodcut
on title showing Christ rising from a chalice surrounded by
4 angels. Near-contemporary paper boards. £450
I: The Statutes of the Montes Pietatis at Verona, a charitable lending
establishment and precursor of the modern pawnshop, which initially
collected the necessary capital by preaching and donations, charging
only a modest interest.
II: Updated rules for the employees of the lending society. Neither imprint is listed in Kress, or in Goldsmiths’ Catalogue. Excellent copies
from the collection of Federico Caproni with bookplate inside front
cover.
Voltaire’s Prayer conceived in Dutch verse
195 Voltaire (Arouet, François-Marie 1694-1778). Gebed
van Voltaire. (Voltaire’s prayer) Calligraphic manuscript on
paper. broadside in folio (62.5 x 49cm); eight lines of calligraphic text penned in brown ink interspersed with ornamental flourishes and small devices within triple line border; decorative corner pieces. The Netherlands, late 18th
century. some neat repairs without loss. Neatly mounted
on tissue. £1250
An anonymous satirical Dutch verse composition of an imaginary
prayer attributed to the famous French freethinker (see illustration on
the front cover of this catalogue) here in free English rendering:
‘Lord, too often disowned,
Although proclaimed throughout the Universe
Hear from my uncouth mouth the latest supplication
My heart has loved You, but I, a human being, have sinned
Have, Father, denied You yet searched for Your law
I see Eternity approaching, yet see it without fear
Think not that the Lord, who called me into being
Who has blessed me in this dark vale of tears
When I have died, will punish me eternally.’
Ironically, the concept of ‘Voltaire’s Prayer’ is one of his celebrated aphorisms contained as part of a letter of 16th May 1767 to a close friend and
trusted collaborator, Étienne Noël Damilaville (1723-68) :
“J’ai toujours fait une prière à Dieu, qui est fort courte.
La voici. Mon Dieu, rendez nos enemies bien ridicules !
Dieu m’a exaucé.’
(I always made one prayer to God, a very short one. Here it is: ‘O Lord,
make our enemies quite ridiculous ! God granted it.’)
First description of the Aegina Marbles
A classic in Provençal cultural studies
194 Vincens, Jean-César & M. Baumes. Topographie de la
ville de Nismes et de sa banlieue ... publié avec des notes, par le
Cn. Vincens-St-Laurent. Nîmes, de l’imprimerie de la Veuve
Belle, An X - 1802. 4to. [2] + xxiv + 588p. With 1 engraved
plate by J.C. Savin, and folding meteorological table. Half
calf, richly gilt.
£750
Topographical study of the Roman city of Nîmes with comprehensive
account of the town and surrounding area, containing an important
‘flora’ in the plant list included on pp322 to 415, in 3 parts with appendices. Part I details the architecture, institutions, customs, language, commerce and demographic statistics of the town. Part II is concerned with
geographical and agricultural aspects including the fauna and flora of
the area. Part III gives descriptions of the inhabitants, their character,
occupations and temperament. The appendices deal with the Nîmes of
classical importance. Generally in very good condition with wide margins.
A classic in Provençal cultural studies and archaeology cf: Michel Naudin, ‘Culture et histoire - Les signes de la romanité nîmoise a l’epoque de
la Revolution Française’ in Annales historiques de la Revolution Française,
1993, vol 292, no 292, pp237-258. Pritzel 9786 (for flora list).
196 Wagner, Johann Martin von. Bericht über die Aeginetischen Bildwerke im Besitz Seiner Königl.Hoheit des
Kronprinzen von Baiern. Mit kunstgeschichtlichen Anmerkungen von Fr.W. J. Schlegel. Stuttgart & Tübingen, J.
W. Cotta, 1817. 12mo. xii+ 246p. + [1]f errata + 1 lithographed folding table. Contemporary red half calf;
backstrip ornamented in gilt including author and title.
£950
First edition of the author’s detailed description of the famous Aegina
Marbles discovered in 1811, purchased by him for Crown Prince Ludwig
of Bavaria’s Munich Glyptothek against strong British competition. It
was the most significant acquisition of classical Greek art for a European
museum, comparable to the Elgin Marbles which ended up in the British Museum. The Aegina Marbles had decorated the pediments of the
temple of Athena Aphaia on the small island of Aegina close to Athens.
In 1811 a group of young architects and antiquarians visited the island to
study the remains of a temple then identified with the cult of Zeus Panhellenius. After sketching the fallen fragmentary pedimental scuptures,
they were removed to Zante to be viewed and catalogued by the painter
and royal art advisor, Johann Martin von Wagner (1777-1858). Ludwig
had the Marbles shipped to Rome for restoration under the direction
of Bertel Thorwaldsen, the foremost neoclassical sculptor of the day.
On display at the Munich Glyptothek by 1828, they are thought to have
influenced the neoclassical rebuilding of the city by Leo von Klenze. The
editor, classicist and literary critic F.W. Schlegel (1772-1829) added scholarly notes, an introduction, an index, and an epilogue. The folding plate
illustrates the lettering on the ruins of the temple described on p 77. An
attractive copy; occasional very light foxing.
See: Stephan L. Dyson, ‘In pursuit of ancient pasts’, (chapter 5, The Emergence of the Great Museums in Europe and America, p133).
Museum catalogue of an Argentine patrician house
Preparation of healthy food and dietetics
197 Witcomb [Alejandro] (photographers). Museo Mitre.
Fundado el año 1907. Album containing 12 original mounted photographs (164 x 214mm) showing the exterior and
interior of the newly established Museo Mitre. [Buenos
Aires, 1907]. Oblong 4to (325 x 470mm). Original morocco binding with title and ornament gilt-stamped on front
cover; spine repaired, corners scuffed; inside in fine, clean
condition. £1650
198 Zückert, Johann Friedrich. Medizinisches Tischbuch oder
Cur und Präservation der Krankheiten durch diatische Mittel.
Berlin, A. Mylius, 1771. 8vo. xxiv + 354 + [6]p. Ornamental
vignettes. Contemporary half vellum with gilt-tooled title
label on spine.
£450
The first illustrated guide to the Mitre Museum in Calle San Martín 366,
Buenos Aires, inaugurated 3rd June 1907. The charming 18th century
colonial house, formerly the private residence of President Bartolomé
Mitre from 1860 to 1906, was acquired by the nation after his death with
the object of converting it into a national museum; its contents, including his large library, collections and archives, were donated by the family
to conserve the superb 19th century interior in its original state. The
photographs represent: a front view of the building, the large drawing
room, the reception hall with statue of Mitre, a room with the military
collection, a portrait gallery with showcases, the ‘sala del jubileo’, Mitre’s
private office, Mitre’s bedroom, the archive and office of the museum
director, the vast library of the Americas, the reading room, and a model
of a projected mausoleum. The mounts bear the embossed signature
of Alejandro Witcomb, the most successful Argentine photographer of
the period (the studio was founded by his father Alexander Whitcomb
(1835-1905). Bartolomé Mitre (1821-1906), soldier, journalist, and first legitimate Argentine president (1862-68), founded the leading broadsheet
“La Nación”. He is today considered one of the greatest Argentine historical figures.
First edition of this popular German health manual. The first part deals
with the cooking and preparation of healthy foods, the second with the
treatment and prevention of disease by dietetic means. Coffee is extensively discussed on pp65-68. Züclert (1737-78) was a chemist by profession who later read medicine and practiced as a physician. He demonstrated a subtle understanding of stress factors of certain conditions well
ahead for his time and is considered a precursor of psychology.
A good copy in an attractive period binding.
Blake p500; Hünersdorff, Coffee : a Bibliography, p1657.
199 Zúñiga, Diego de (S.J.) L’Éta’ dell’Huomo. Libri due.
Rome, I.de Lazari, 1661. 16mo. [10] + 248 pages. With engraved allegorical frontispiece showing a shipwreck. Old
vellum; repaired.
£350
First edition of this study on transcendental philosophy with reflections
on life and after-life by a Jesuit author. The book is devided into two
parts: “L’Eta’ dell’Huomo mortale” and “L’Eta’ dell’Huomo immortale”. Isolated marginal worming running through pp79-131 affecting
some letters. From the collection of Professor Pedro N.Arata (18491922), distinguished scientist at Buenos Aires University with his 2 library stamps on title.
Palau 381575. No copy listed in World Catalogue.
INDEX
Based on catalogue numbers
Abascal y Sousa, José Fernando, marqués de Concordia 149
Africa 90, 102,143,173
African slaves 1, 70
Agriculture 73, 153, 159, 194
Alarcón, Martín de, conquistador 1
Aldine press 175
Alexander III, pope 139
American Indians 21, 62, 70, 84
American plants 25,92
Anatomy 33, 38, 59
Anecdotes 54, 55, 158
Angra, Azores 70
Animal motion 116
Apprenticeship 159
Arab authors 150, 171,172
Arab stallions 157
Arab-Norman architecture 8
Arabic language 171, 172
Aragón 19, 40, 43
Arboriculture 91, 92, 108, 120
Archeology 8, 144, 166, 194, 196
Architecture 8, 15, 24, 52, 63, 70, 110, 121, 122, 144, 184, 194
Arequipa, Peru 130
Argentina 7, 10, 17, 18, 21, 23, 28, 31, 62, 79, 93, 94, 110, 140,
192, 197
Argentine Bibliophile Society 79, 123
Arithmetic 185
Art 24, 40, 50, 52, 73, 74, 93, 103, 106, 144, 155, 184, 196
Art academies 24
Art collections 48, 50, 52, 73, 107, 155, 196
Art & city guides 15, 52, 144, 184
Art Deco 36, 93
Artillery 14, 47, 129, 160, 162, 179
Ashburner, Walter, Oxford lawyer & collector 154
Asian art 96
Asian plants 56, 90, 92, 96
Astronomy 185
Australia 32
Austria 35, 67, 98, 100
Autographs & autograph letters 32, 74, 150, 157
Azores 70, 168
Balcarce, Mariano Severo, Argentine diplomat & physician
192
Ballistics 14, 160, 162, 179
Banking 30, 81, 117, 124, 193
Bankruptcy 98
Banned books 105, 132, 167
Barbary pirates 176
Barcelona 40
Basque country 126
Belgium 2, 11, 77, 158
Benedict XIV, pope 117
Bibliography 37, 82, 86, 158
Bindings 9, 23, 48, 49, 72
Biography 32, 63, 66, 134, 155, 177
Blado, Antonio, Roman printer 154
Bólívar, Simon, South American Liberator-general 53
Book art 31, 79, 103, 106, 109, 123, 176, 188
Book collecting 9
Books of Hours 109
Books of secrets 152
Borbón, Francisco de Paula de, Duque de Cádiz 157
Botanic gardens 11, 21, 80, 137, 180
Botany 26, 37, 41, 56, 70, 78, 80, 111, 119, 130, 137, 194
Bourdon, Sébastien, French painter & art critic 155
Brazil 21, 70, 94
Broadsides 75, 76, 149, 195
Buenos Aires 18, 21, 22, 28, 31, 83, 88, 94, 110, 140, 189, 192
Cádiz, Spain 27
Callao, Peru 28, 70
Calligraphy 64, 109, 151, 195
Callot, Jacques, French printmaker 155, 176
Canonici, Matteo Luigi, Jesuit collector 47
Cape Horn 70
Carácas 53
Carpet designs 36
Cartagena de las Indias, Colombia 28
Cartography 32, 35, 70, 77, 94, 102, 140, 161
Catalan authors 42
Cataluña 40
Catarrh 59, 189
Cavalry 47, 89, 157
Cayenne, French Guiyana 153
Cemeteries 62
Ceylon 90
Chemistry 78
Chess 96, 150
Chile 3, 21, 70, 135
China 36
Chinchona plant (Peruvian bark) 130, 180
Chivalry 4, 156, 176
Chivalry, Orders of 154, 158, 176
Chocolate 71
Church revenues 167
Citrus fruits 37, 91
Clocks 15
Coffee 99, 198
Coffee prohibition 71
Coffee tariffs 25
Coins 75
Collecting 47, 48, 183
Colombia (New Granada) 3, 28, 64
Colombo press, Buenos Aires 31, 79, 123
Colonial produce 153
Columbus (Colombo), Christopher, Genoese explorer 32
Concepción, Chile 70
Cook, James, British explorer 173
Costume 70, 94, 103, 165
Cremation 22
Cuba 28
Dancing 70, 84
Demonology 132
Denmark 68
Dentistry 59
Deuchino, Evangelista, Venice printer 139
Díaz del Castillo, Bernál, conquistador 32
Dictionaries 3, 45, 91, 168, 172, 190
Diplomatics 109
Duelling 4, 156, 178
Dutch literature 69, 195
Grammars 97, 175
Greece 103, 144, 196
Greek literature 39
Greek medicine 72
Greek songs 46
Greenhouses 91
Guides 15, 52, 144, 184
Guipúzcoa, Basque country 126
Gunnery 12, 28, 29, 47, 129, 162, 179
Gyneaology 33
Economic history 34, 40
Economics 159
Ecuador 187
Electricity 85, 138
Elzevier press 49, 90, 167
Encyclopaedias 3, 121, 185
Engineering 62, 77, 110, 133, 160, 162
England 186
Entimology 58
Epidemics 22,189
Erasmus, Desiderius, Dutch humanist 72
Erotica 9, 13
Estate management 108
Ethiopia 143
Ethnography 21, 62, 70, 84,102, 143, 153, 169, 173, 187
Exorcism 132
Explosives 14, 128, 160
Halley, Edmund, English scientist 70
Handguns 12, 47
Hannover, Germany 164
Havana, Cuba 28
Health care 49, 118, 125, 198
Health funding 159
Heraldry 64, 151, 158
Herculaneum scrolls 166
Heredity 131
Hispanic literature 5, 17, 18, 19, 23, 31, 83
Hispano-american medicine 45, 189
Homeopathy 22
Horse breeding 157
Horsemanship 89, 116
Horticulture 6, 11, 37, 60, 91, 101, 111, 120
Humanism 72, 104, 147, 175, 177, 181
Hungary 35
Ferdinand VII, king of Spain 149
Fête-books 40, 69, 126
Fioravanti, Leonardo, Bolognese physician 160
Fire-works 160
Flemish illustrated books 188
Flood control 133
Florence 133, 176
Floriculture 37, 91
Food & drink 70, 76, 102, 144, 177, 198
Forgeries 75
Fortification 142, 179
Frankfurt Easter Bookfair 30
Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor 139
French East Indies Company 169
French literature 104, 106, 147
Funerals 69
Ibarra, Joaquín, Madrid printer 24, 28
Illuminated documents 64
Incunabula 177
India 90, 96, 130
Industry 73, 110, 159
Infantry manual 146
Instruments 14, 16, 85, 99, 160, 162, 179
Italian gardens 37
Italian literature 9, 29, 55, 86, 174
Italian Renaissance artists 74
Italian songs 46
Games & pastimes 70, 170
Garden art & architecture 6, 37, 60, 61, 91, 101, 108, 111,
120, 121, 122, 186
Garden implements 111
Gems 99
Geneaology 43, 64, 130, 151
Genetics 131
Geography 3, 32, 70, 84, 102, 140, 144, 168, 187, 194
Geology 135, 187
Geometry 185
Germany 75, 76, 91, 124, 161, 164
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, German poet 163
Golden Fleece, Order of 2, 27, 158
Java 180
Jesuit College Press 145
Jesuits 47, 70, 84, 117, 145, 199
Jews 33, 48, 70, 76, 163, 167
Juan Fernández islands, Chile 21
Juvenile literature 114, 181
Karpinski, Louis Charles, chess champion 150
Koch, Wilhelm, German humanist 72
La Serena, Chile 70
Labour laws 69
Labyrints 111
Lafayette, Marie-Joseph, marquis de, French general 66
Las Casas, Bartolomé de, protector of Indians 32
Laske, Gotthard, Berlin bibliophile 163
Law & government 2, 3, 4, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 68, 71, 75, 81,
98, 117, 124, 129, 141, 149, 176, 192, 193
Leoniceno, Nicoló, Italian humanist 72
Leprosy 59
Lima, Peru 21, 28,
Lima imprint 149
Linacre, Thomas, English humanist 72
Linguistics 3, 32, 97, 185, 187,190, 194
Literary anecdotes 54, 55
Lithograph 38, 103, 129
Louis Philippe, King of the French 66
Louisiana 25
Madagascar 169
Magellan, Straits of 32, 70
Magic 185
Manuscript commentary 154
Manuscripts 1, 43, 47, 64, 140, 151, 157, 195
Marine infantry 28
Maritime insurance 27, 117
Marmont, Auguste de, Duc de Raguse, French Marshal 148
Mary Queen of Scots 107
Mediaeval gardens 44
Mediaeval manuscripts 109
Medici, Cosimo de, Grandduke of Tuscany 146, 176
Medicine 20, 22, 33, 39, 42, 45, 49, 51, 59, 65, 72, 84, 87, 102,
112, 115, 125, 185, 189, 191, 198
Mendoza, Argentina 21
Mentelin, Johann, first Strassburg printer 15
Mercantile law 117, 124, 192
Merian, Mattheius, Frankfurt publisher 111
Metallurgy 78, 88
Metereology 194
Mexican medicine 45
Mexico 3, 32, 95
Military equitation 89, 129
Military health & medicine 125, 160
Military law 141
Military map 161
Military Orders – see Chivalry, Orders of
Military science 4, 12, 14, 28, 47, 62, 66, 67, 77, 100, 103,
142, 146, 147, 160, 188
Mineral springs 118
Mines & Mining 32, 40, 70, 88, 135, 160
Minting ordinance 17, 25
Mitre, Bartolomé, Argentine president 197
Monetary reform 75, 81
Montevideo, Uruguay 21, 28
Montpellier 80
Mortier, Adolphe, Duc de Trévise, French Marshal 164
Munich Glyptothek 196
Museum catalogues 50, 197
Music 46, 66, 70
Naples 19, 43
Natural history 3, 26, 56, 58, 62, 70, 82, 84, 169, 173, 185,
187, 194
Naval administration 28
Naval cannon 28, 162
Navarra 126
Nepal 56
Netherlands 69, 75, 188
New York 153
Newspapers & periodicals 10, 93, 99
Nîmes, France 194
Niños Expósitos, Argentine Foundlings’ Press 10
Obstetrics 33, 51, 102
Occult 132, 185
Ophthalmology 16, 22, 59
Optics 138
Orchids 90
Ostend, siege of 77
Padua 37
Paintings 36, 64, 151
Papal bull 154
Papal knighthood, Order of 154
Paraguay 7, 70
Paris, France 52, 73
Patagonia 62
Pathology 65
Pattern books 23, 36, 73
Pavia, Italy 137
Pawnshops 117, 193
Persia 97
Peru 1, 3, 21, 26, 28, 32, 70, 88, 130, 134, 149, 187,
Pharmacology 26, 41, 45, 49, 78, 87, 111, 152, 185, 189
Philhellenism 103
Philippines 25, 32
Philosophy 57, 83, 185, 199
Photography 8, 62, 73, 110, 186, 197
Physics 85, 136, 138
Physiognomy 155
Physiology 65
Pius IV, pope 154, 176
Plant catalogues 56, 80, 91, 137, 180, 194
Plant collections 90
Plant transportation 26
Plantin, Antwerp printer 19, 41
Poland 35
Porto-Alegre 94
Portraits 69, 103, 107, 144, 146, 151, 162, 184
Portugal 128, 129, 171, 172
Portuguese language 171, 172
Portuguese medicine 45
Potosí , Peru 88
Poussin, Nicolas, French painter 155
Presentation copies 4, 12, 14, 17, 22, 82, 128, 142, 148, 150,
157, 188, 192
Print catalogues 155
Prison labour 159
Prison life 153
Prison ship 153
Privately printed 48, 82, 83, 103, 131,163
Provence 194
Rabies 115
Raglovich, Clemens Wenzel, Graf von, Bavarian general &
book collector 103
Religious orders 165, 167
Rio de Janeiro 21
Rockets 160
Rome 184
Turks 35, 176
Tuscany 133, 176
Saint Stephen, Order of 176
Salvador de Bahia, Brazil 70
Santa Catharina, Brazilian island 70
Santiago de Chile 21
Schlegel, Friedrich Wilhelm von, German classicist & literary critic 196
School books 181
Schools 62
Science 20, 73, 85, 99, 127, 185
Scotland 186
Seed catalogue 120
Seychelles islands 153
Shanghai 36
Sheep farming 34, 148, 182
Ship building & shipping 28, 68, 110
Sicily 8
Signalling 28
Slave trade 1, 70
Slavery 21
Sneyd, Rev.Walter, English manuscript collector 47
Social history 1, 9,13, 40, 68, 69, 104, 159, 177
Social welfare 159
Songs 46, 66
South Africa 102, 173
Spain 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 34, 40, 126, 141, 151, 157
Spanish America 3, 7, 10, 21, 25, 28, 32, 53, 70, 84, 88, 130,
134, 187
Spanish medicine 42
Spanish Netherlands 2, 77
Spanish navy 28
Spanish translations 9, 13
Spanish voyages 28
Strategy 47, 100
Strawberry plant 70
Stuart de Rothesay, Charles, British diplomat & collector 164
Surgery 22, 39, 87, 189
Sweden 71
Valencia 40
Valparaiso, Chile 70
Venereal disease 22, 59, 65
Venezuela 53, 84
Venice 46, 47, 105, 139, 190
Verona 193
Vespucci, Amerigo, Italian navigator 32
Vienna, siege of 35
Voyages of exploration 70, 94, 169, 173
Taxation 76
Taxidermy 183
Tea 70, 71
Tempesta, Antonio, Italian painter & engraver 188
Thouvenin, Joseph, French binder 49
Tibet 96
Tobacco 68, 71, 91
Topography 52, 62, 110, 140, 144, 184, 194
Town planning 113
Trade 1, 2, 25, 30, 70, 73, 75, 76, 94, 110, 159, 168, 169, 171,
Trade guilds 68, 159
Trading laws 124
Transportation to the Spanish East and West Indies 28
Travel & exploration 7, 62, 96, 102, 143
Tropical medicine 102, 189
Túpac Amaru II, Peruvian rebel & Inca revivalist 130
Uruguay 21, 28, 94
Wales 118
War of the Spanish Succession 161
Women, employment of 159
Wunderkammer 183
Ziano, Sebastiano, Doge of Venice 139
Zoology 82, 102, 191
Zürich 163