Antiquariat Dasa Pahor Archives - Rare Book Insider

Antiquariat Dasa Pahor

  • Showing all 25 results

book (2)

Na Drini most

Ivo ANDRIC [1892-1975], author; Tone POTOKAR, translator; Uros VAGAJA (1920–1971), designer. 8°. 339 pp., [4], original brown cloth binding with illustrated title and lettering to spine, original illustrated dustjacket (dustjacket with tiny tears and small scuff marks to corners, otherwise in good condition). YUGOSLAV BOOK DESIGN: Na Drini most. [Na Drini cuprija / The Bridge on the Drina]. This is a Slovenian translation of Ivo Andric’s Nobel Prize-winning novel Na Drini cuprija, featuring a lovely cover design by the Slovenian architect Uros Vagaja, published two years before Andri? received the award in Stockholm in 1961. The striking, colourful image on the dustjacket, represents the protagonist of the novel – the stone bridge with its reflection on the water, composed of only four colours upon a white background. The image on the cover represents the same structure, but in a simple brown linear form, under the gilt moon, at night, whereupon a large part of the novel took place. Vagaja is was one of the most prolific and esteemed Yugoslav book designers of the post war period, responsible for illustrating over 100 (and possibly many more) books. Trained as an architect, he was active as a painter, illustrator and stage designer, and during WWII was heavily involved in underground Partisan printing. After the war, Vagaja studied architecture in Prague and Ljubljana, graduating in 1956. Vagaja’s book designs combine modern lines with flat colourful surfaces, a common motif influenced by the techniques of Partisan underground printing, which succeeded in creating powerful images with scarce resources, such as a limited palate employing linocuts. His narrative dustjackets were positioned in a dialogue with minimalistic covers, usually designed by simple printed and embossed lines, speaking to the heart of the story. One of the key characteristics of Vagaja’s work was his employment of maps as a narrative design, especially in the form of endpapers, where he often used cartography, based on his own drafts. Vagaja was also known as a poster designer, most famous for his draft for a 1952 Cockta poster – theSlovenian-Yugoslav take on Coca-Cola. The poster remains an iconic classic of post war Yugoslav – Slovenian design, even today adorning the walls of countless bars, restaurants, private apartments and offices. MOMA picked up on his work for the exhibition Toward a Concrete Utopia, Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980. References: OCLC 456481728.
  • $107
book (2)

Compagnie universelle du canal maritime de Suez / Carte de l’Isthme Dressée sous la direction de Mr. Voisin, Directeur G.al des Travaux, et d’après les opérations de Mr. Larousse, Ingénier-Hydrographe. E. Andriveau-Goujon, Editeur, 1866.

François Philippe VOISIN (1821 – 1918). Colour lithograph, with additional original hand colour, printed on thick card-like paper, dissected into 20 sections and mounted upon original linen, contemporary mapseller’s printed pastedown label of ‘A Corion / Paris’ with title in mss. to verso (Good, lovely colours, some light spotting and minor staining, some wear along section edges and some partial splitting to linen backing), 110 x 84 cm (43.5 x 33 inches). SUEZ CANAL: The very rare first edition of the official map of the Suez Canal issued by its builder, the ‘Compagnie universelle du canal maritime de Suez’; an uncommonly beautiful and resplendently colourful work, it served as a powerful promotional piece celebrating one of history’s greatest technical achievements, predicated upon the plans of the canal’s managing director, the esteemed civil engineer François-Philippe Voisin, it showcases a very accurate and meticulous topographical overview of the canal and the surrounding countryside, as well as numerous insets detailing technical specifications, the new cities built along its course, and an amazing geological profile. - This excellent, resplendently colourful, large-format work is perhaps the most impressive map ever made of the Suez Canal, which would be completed in 1869. It was issued by the Compagnie universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez, the enterprise responsible for constructing the mega-project, as a powerful promotional piece celebrating one of history’s greatest technical achievements. In addition to being visually appealing, it is also highly accurate, predicated upon official plans compiled by the project’s managing director, the esteemed civil engineer François-Philippe Voisin. The main map embraces the western half of the verdant Nile Delta, from Cairo up to Damietta; the Suez Isthmus separating the Mediterranean from the Red Sea; plus, the western extremities of the Sinai Peninsula. The Suez Canal is represented by a red line, and is shown to run south from Port Said, on the Mediterranean, down past Ismailia, through the Great Bitter Lake and then connecting to the Red Sea at the port of Suez. Distances along the canal are marked in kms at various intervals. The mapping is highly accurate, predicated upon the latest trigonometric surveys, depicting all cities and major towns and the myriad deltaic channels of the Nile, while the desert mountains beyond are expressed through gradients of smoky shading. Importantly, the map delineates trunk roads and the railway system (marking distances in kms at various intervals), including the Cairo-Suez Railway, completed in 1858 by the legendary British engineer Robert Stephenson. This line proved vital to the construction of the canal. Also, of note is the line of the Cairo-Suez Canal, a shallow, sweet water channel that ran from the Nile to Ismailia and then down to the port of Suez. While this canal was useful for small barge traffic, its primary purpose was to carry fresh water for the use of the canal workers and for making concrete (the Suez region was short of fresh water). Interestingly, the map also labels the numerous archaeological remnants of the canals constructed in Ancient times that traversed the Suez Isthmus, providing connections to the to Nile Valley. The perspective of the main map is based upon Louis Maurice Adolphe Linant de Bellefonds’ manuscript map, "Carte de l’Isthme de Suez, pour servir à l’intelligence du mémoire sur les communications à établir par l’isthme de Suez entre la Méditerranée et la mer Rouge" (1844, printed Paris, 1855), that was widely admired by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the driver of the canal project. However, the present map is far more detailed and decorative and features many updates beyond both the manuscript and printed versions of Linant de Bellefonds’s work. Notably, the present composition includes several fascinating insets. On the left-hand side are three vignettes. The first depicts the Nile end of the Cairo-Suez Canal while the two diagrams below are profiles depicting the depth of the Suez Canal. The inset on the opposite side of the map feature 6 cross-profiles of the Suez Canal taken from various key locations, exhibiting the depths of the channel. In the lower part of the map are three insets detailing the new cities and their extensive port infrastructure that had been constructed as part of the canal project, being Port Said, the canal’s Mediterranean terminus; Ismailia, the midpoint along the route and home to the Compagnie’s headquarters; and city of Suez, where the canal meets the Red Sea. Finally, and most intriguingly, the large register that occupies the bottom of the composition showcases a sophisticated geological profile of the canal, detailing 11 different types of strata, each in their own bright hand colour. The process of building the canal allowed geologists to execute the first comprehensive, scientific assessment of the region. The map was an official publication of the Compagnie universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez, likely intended as both a gift for leading investors and political dignitaries, as well as a promotional piece for the canal (albeit an expensive one reserved for the affluent curious). Well designed, technically informative, yet beautifully coloured and decorative, the map would have been considered a ‘triumphal’ memento celebrating the successful progress and completion of what was the world’s most consequential infrastructure project – an achievement worthy of the great sacrifice in blood and treasure. The Compagnie contracted the design and printing of the map to the leading Paris cartographic firm of Eugène Andriveau-Goujon (1832 – 1897), who engaged the master lithographer Erhard Schièble (1821 – 1880) to bring the map to stone, with the printing done by the Imprimerie Lemercier (Paris). The present first issue of the map was published in 1866, before the canal was completed, but when its final details had been determined and its successful completion assured. The second issu
  • $3,158
  • $3,158
book (2)

Paramaribo 1916-17.

OPNEMINGSDIENST VAN SURINAME. [PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE OF SURINAM]. Colour lithograph, on thick paper, rolled (Very Good, clean, crisp and bright), 62.5 x 74 cm (24.5 x 29 inches). SURINAM – PARAMARIBO / WEST INDIES URBANISM: A highly, detailed, large format separately issued official plan of Paramaribo, showcasing the capital of Surinam on the eve of the Roaring ’20s, when it was a fast growing mart of commodities and one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world, depicting all significant aspects of infrastructure, land use and key institutions (including churches, mosques, Hindu temples and synagogues), with a key labeling 106 sites, made by the Opnemingsdienst van Suriname (Public Records Office of Surinam), predicated upon the most recent surveys and cadastral plans, it was published in The Hague by the Topographische Inrichting (Topographic Design Bureau), and remained the authoritative general map of record of Paramaribo for many years – rare on the market.- This very fine official plan of Paramaribo captures the capital of Surinam as it was in in 1916-7, when it was a bustling mart of commodities and of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world, having large and long established European, Black, Javanese, Indian Hindu, Chinese and Jewish communities. The map was issued by the Opnemingsdienst van Suriname (Public Records Office of Surinam), predicated upon the most recent surveys and cadastral plans, and was published in The Hague by the Topographische Inrichting (Topographic Design Bureau) in 1920. Located along a sharp bend on the navigable Surinam River, 15 km from the Atlantic, Paramaribo had been settled by Europeans since the first Dutch colonists arrived in 1613. It became the colonial capital in 1667 when Surinam officially became a Dutch colony. Paramaribo became one of the most affluent cities in the Americas from the proceeds of the ignoble slave-sugar economy. Since the abolition of slavery in Surinam, which occurred in a graduated fashion between 1863 and 1873, Paramaribo continued to thrive, as after a period of struggle, the colony’s agrarian sector regained viability, in part due to the importation of labourers from Asia, while gold mining in the interior increasingly provided more revenue. The city’s population experienced brisk growth, as former slaves moved from the rural plantations into the city, with is population increasing from 20,000 in 1873 to 32,000 in 1900, to 37,000 in 1920, and to 74,237 in 1950 (today Paramaribo has over 250,000 residents). The present map showcases all of Paramaribo in grand scale and shows the city to have been constructed following a system of neat grids proceeding in from the river, before phasing out into a countryside of plantations. Streets, built up areas, green spaces and the outlines of major edifices are all depicted. The city proper is composed of a reasonably dense concentration of mostly fine wooden structures in a Dutch colonial style, interspersed with spacious courtyards. The riverfront is dominated by the railway lines, quays, and warehouses, while the centre features many commercial establishments and government offices, while the areas beyond are largely residential. The table in the lower right corner of the map labels additional streets, and the names of the 22 plantations that are adjacent to the city within in the district of ‘Beneden-Suriname’ (Lower Suriname), whole the inset map show the city’s colour-coded wards. PLEASE SEE OUR WEB PAGE FOR A LONGER DESCRIPTION
  • $1,072
  • $1,072
book (2)

Novisima Mapa del Peru? / J. Boix Ferrer Editor / Joya Literaria / Lima y Arequipa / 1904.

J. BOIX FERRER, Editor.; P. AMADEI, Cartographer. Colour photolithographed map, dissected into 21 sections and mounted upon original linen, housed in original maroon card covers bearing gilt title to front cover (Very Good, light even toning, old tack marks to corners; covers worn, repairs to spine), 74.5 x 100 cm (29.5 x 39.5 inches). PERU / PERU-ECUADOR BOUDARDY DISPUTE: An extremely rare and highly decorative Art Nouveau era map of Peru that showcases the country’s maximalist (some might say ‘outrageous’) boundary claims with respect to its disputed frontiers with Ecuador, Brazil and Bolivia; designed by J. Boix Ferrer, the proprietor of the ‘Joya Literaria’ bookstore, with branches in Lima and Arequipa, it is predicated upon the best sources, detailing all aspects of topography, infrastructure and the locations of indigenous national territories, and is adorned with a fine inset map of lima and a diagram of comparative heights of Peru’s highest Andean peaks. - This extremely rare, separately issued map of Peru was beautifully designed by J. Boix Ferrer, the proprietor of the ‘Joya Literaria’ bookstore, which had premises in Lima and Arequipa. Printed by the Instituto Italiano de Artes Gráficas, in Bergamo, Italy, the map was ‘Publicado con Autorización Suprema,’ (published with the authority of the government), with its geographical details compiled by the engineer P. Amadei, who relied upon Professor Antonio Raimondi Map del Peru? (Paris, sheets issued serially, 1880-1900), a colossal 32-sheet work that was the country’s ‘official national map’. The map brilliantly captures Peru’s dramatic topography, noting all major features, from its semi-arid coastline up to the great heights of the Andes and then down into the lowlands of the Amazon Rainforest. The republic is show divided into departments, each coloured in their own lively hue, while the ‘Signes convencionales’ explains the symbols employed to identify many features, such as railways (both in operation and planned), roads, political boundaries, national and regional capitals, telegraph offices and lines (both territorial and submarine). Notably, the map labels the locations of the territories of Peru’s many indigenous nations that remain, even today, a dominant element of the country’s identity. The map features three graphic insets, including, in the lower right, the ‘Plano de Lima’, a map of the capital city, showing it divided into 5 ‘quartels’ (wards), with an index identifyng 38 sites; while below is a ‘Planisferio’, a World Map showing Peru’s location within its greater context. In the upper right is the diagram, ‘Mayores alturas de las montañas del Perú’, which graphically shows the relative heights of 11 of the country’s highest peaks, from what was then thought to be the paramount, the Nevado Corapuna, on down (the Nevado Huascarán is today known to be Peru’s highest peak). Along the bottom of the map is an index of place names, as well as a list of the country’s railways with their lengths, plus, tables of shipping distances. However, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the map its ‘matter of fact’ representation of Peru’s maximalist territorial claims against its neighbours, as it showcases a ‘Gran Perú’ that takes in large parts of today’s Ecuador, Brazil and Bolivia. Notably, Peru is shown to have incredibly expansive boundaries in the upper Amazon Basin. Peru’s northern frontier is shown to take in all of what is today eastern Ecuador, with the frontier coming amazingly close to Quito, while the country is also shown to possess large parts of the Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas. PLEASE SEE OUR WEB PAGE FOR A LONGER DESCRIPTION
  • $2,707
  • $2,707
book (2)

Oceania & Australia: Felemenk Cedid [lit. New Netherlands]

Ali SEREF PASA (also Hafiz Ali Esref, Istanbul ? – 1907). Colour Lithography, 32 x 43 cm (12.6 x 17 inches), (soft fold slightly age-toned, minor wear to the margins, but overall in a good condition). A map from a rare atlas, which was the first atlas in Ottoman language printed in the technique of lithography. It was probably made in a limited amount, by Ali Seref Pasa, at the end of the studies of cartography in Paris, where he was sent by the Ottoman government to learn the new western techniques of map-making and cartography. The atlas includes 22 decoratively drafted elegant and balanced maps of the World, continents, European countries and the Ottoman Empire, all lithographed in vivid colours and ornated with oriental patterns in margins. Ali Seref Pasa – The Pioneer of the Modern Ottoman Cartography - Ali Seref Pasa (also known as Hafiz Ali Es?ref) was a soldier and map-maker, who was sent by the Ottoman government around 1862 to Paris, with a goal to learn the skills of the modern cartography and the technique of modern lithography in colour. In 1869, Ali, when still a student in Paris, published his first atlas. This work with 22 maps in folio format, lithographed in bright colours, with decorative Ottoman lettering, is the first modern Ottoman lithographed atlas and together with its printing technique a foundation for all the Ottoman atlases following. Upon his return to Istanbul, Ali Seref Pasa became a chief cartographer at the Matbaa-i Amire, a printing press in Beyazit, which was the successor of the Müteferrika press from 1727. Ali introduced lithograph as a printing technique for cartographic sources to Istanbul and in the following years commissioned a series of maps in folio format, which were issued in another large format atlas Yeni cografya alasi / The New Geographic Atlas), making his Paris-based knowledge available in the Ottoman Empire. Ali Seref Pasa’s most famous late project was a 100 sheet map of Anatolia, which he based on the Heinrich Kiepert’s map of the same area. When Ali died in 1907, the project remained unfinished. Separate sheets of the wall map were sold and today scarcely appear on the market.
  • $282
book (2)

OTTOMAN PERPETUAL CALENDAR / PAPER INSTRUMENTS

Lithography on card, cut-outs with 4 volvelles, attached with metal pins, under contemporary glass and framed with a crude wood frame, verso protected with two wooden boards, otherwise opened, as originally made, 36 x 52 with frame (14.2 x 20.5 inches), lithography 30 x 46 cm (11.8 x 18.1 inches), (contemporary commentaries and annotations in black ink, slightly age-toned and dusty. Light water-staining in the lower and right part, glass with a small chip below, frame slightly stained with small chips). The lithographed perpetual calendar in Ottoman language with four volvelles represents dates for the Rumi and Hijri calendar. - The left-hand side is intended for the calculations in the Rumi calendar, with a small slot in the upper part marking the number of the days in each month of the Rumi calendar, which is corresponding the Julian calendar, and the larger slot below with a volvelle in the back, showcasing the dates of the month aligning with the corresponding names of the days of the week on the side. The right-hand side of the lithography showcases the same information for the Hijri calendar, which differs from the Rumi calendar. Added are additional charts for important dates for each calendar and quotations regarding the sun and moon, some of which are added in a manuscript in black ink. The middle panels give calculations for important times for the lunar calendar in the 12 months of the year. Both calendars, Rumi and Hijri, were used parallelly in the Ottoman Empire. The Rumi calendar, literally meaning "The Roman Calendar", which follows solar days and is adjusted to the Julian calendar, was in use since 1677, but became official during the Tanzimat reforms, on March 13, 1840 and was used for fiscal years and also for imprints on books, magazines and documents. The difference between the modern Christian calendar and Rumi years is in general 584 years. For religious matters the inhabitants of the Ottoman Empire still followed the traditional Hijri lunar calendar (also called the Islamic calendar) and exact calculations of the movement of the moon were important for prayers and holidays, which were held on different times of days and years. The present paper instrument offered the user useful information for both of the calendars. The imprint on the lower right-hand side states, that it was printed for the first time and with the permission of the office for education by Al-Hac Halil. Thought the centuries there were several attempts to make Ottoman perpetual calendars (or at least calendars for next few years), mostly in forms of long manuscript or lithographed scrolls, ruzname, which one could carry in a pocket or diagrams in forms of square charts or rondelles with or without volvelles. We could not find any references to the present paper document in the literature nor any similar objects.
book (2)

Za vozom boginje Talije. Spomini potujocega igralca

8°. 111 pp., with a full-size portrait and black and white illustrations within text, original yellow wrappers with illustrated cover (wrappers slightly stained and with minor foxing, internally with minor staining and tiny tears on the inner side of the portrait, otherwise in good condition). THEATER – YUGOSLAV BOOK DESIGN: [Behind a Chariot of the Goddess Thalia. Memoires of a Travelling Actor] An autobiography of a theatre actor and comedian who was especially popular between the two wars in Trieste and Ljubljana, featuring an attractive cover design by the academic painter Mirko Subic (1900-1976). The well-composed image, based upon a stenciled draft, represents the Greek goddess Thalia, who presided over comedy, and a small figure of a man in the background, chasing the chariot. The academic painter Mirko Subic came from a family of known artists and painters. He studied painting at the Munich Art Academy under Franz von Stuck and Carl Johann Becker-Gundahl; in Prague under Vlaho Bukovac, Jakub Obrovský and Vojtech Hynais; and in Dresden with professors Ferdinand Dorsch in Max Feldbauer. He was known as an illustrator and painter, notably as a restorer of frescos. We could only find one example outside of Slovenian libraries (Columbia University, New York). References: OCLC 29271296. Subic, Mirko (1900–1976). Slovenska biografija. Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, Znanstvenoraziskovalni center SAZU, 2013.(15. avgust 2019).
book (2)

Almanaque político i mercantil de la Nueva Granada para el año de 1838.

12° (16 x 11 cm): [1 f. title], 28 pp., title is comprised of contemporarily pasted down printed slip over a larger printed border, full modern tree calf with gilt upon red leather title piece to spine (Good, but some small tears to upper part of leaf of pp. 2/3 with layer of clear archival material coating verso (p. 3), old pin rust stain and small tears to middle of p. 17 obscuring a few words, covers with slight abrasions, a corresponding shadow of a rust mark on the opposite page (p. 16), the pin hole from the middle of the mark going throughout the book to the last page. Another similar paper pin rust mark in the lower margin of the last sheet) COLOMBIA – EARLY ALMANAC / BOGOTÁ IMPRINT: Exceedingly rare – 1 of only 2 known examples and the only complete example of a very early (1830s) almanac for Colombia (then still called Nueva Granada); published in Bogotá by the boutique printer Imprenta de Lleras i Compañía, that despite its small size is packed with useful and fascinating information granting valuable insights into the priorities and interests of Colombians in the generation after the nation’s independence, featuring monthly calendars noting religious observances, as well as sections on the Nueva Grenada government, diplomacy, juridical system and crime, history, the economy, astronomical phenomina, postal service, weights and measures and public health (i.e., a discourse on the national epidemic of ‘Whooping Cough’). - Almanacs, in the words of Patricia Cardona Z., in her analysis of early Colombian almanacs, are "time technologies", being "means of diffusion of important information, both for public and private life". They played a critical role in in disseminating knowledge of politics, economics, public health and the social and religious life of a country, factors especially in important in newly independent states, like Colombia, as they played a role in forging a coherent national identity. What is today the Republic of Colombia became independent from Spain in 1819, as part of Gran Colombia, an entity which comprised modern Colombia, Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador. This unstable union was dissolved in 1830, giving way to what we now know of as Colombia (plus Panama), but transitionally retaining its traditional colonial name of Nueva Grenada (the name Colombia would not be enduringly adopted until 1863). As best as we can tell, the first proper almanac produced in Nueva Grenada was Francisco Jose? de Caldas y Tenorio’s Almanaque para el an?o de 1811, calculado para el Nuevo Reyno de Granada (Bogotá: En la Patrio?tica de Santafe?, 1810), which was followed by a sequel the next year. Political and economic instability due to the Colombian of Independence (1810-25) and its aftermath ensured that country’s print industry went through a difficult period of restructuring. Consequently, the production of almanacs during the first generation of the independence era was infrequent and irregular. Moreover, while important and influential in their time, the print runs of the early almanacs would have been quite limited, while their survival rate was very low, such that all examples are today extreme rarities. Beyond the two Caldas y Tenorio almanacs (1810-1), the only issued we can trace between then and the mid-to-late 1830s is Benedicto Domi?nguez del Castillo’s Almanaque para la Repu?blica de Colombia, An?o de 1823 (Bogota?: Imprenta de Nicomedes Lora, 1822). Fast forward, the firm Imprenta de José A. Cualla, best known for printing works for the Nueva Grenada government, issued the Almanaque Político i Mercantil de la Nueva Granada para el año de 1837 (1836) and the Almanaque nacional, o, Gui?a de forasteros en la Nueva Granada para el an?o de MDCCCXXXVIII (1837). The present work, Almanaque político i mercantil de la Nueva Granada para el año de 1838 [1837], which bears the same title as the Cualla almanac for the year 1837 (we are not sure if the works are in any way related), was issued by the boutique Bogota? publisher Imprenta de Lleras i Compañía, is one of the few surviving early Colombian almanacs. The Lleras i Compañía almanac was produced in only this single issue for the year 1838, while the production of almanacs in Nueva Grenada/Colombia in the following years remained infrequent and irregular. Despite its small size, the present almanac is packed with useful and fascinating information that grants a valuable insight into the priorities and interests of Colombians during the 1830s, as well as the state of their young nation. PLEASE SEE OUR WEB PAGE FOR A LONGER DESCRIPTION
Commerce et traite des Noirs aux côtes occidentales d’Afrique. 1er janvier 1848.

Commerce et traite des Noirs aux côtes occidentales d’Afrique. 1er janvier 1848.

Large 8° (24 x 15.5 cm): vii, 230 pp., plus, 2 folding lithographed maps (the second of which has details in original hand colour), bound in original printed card wrappers (Good, text generally clean but toning along page edges and some areas of sporadic light spotting, maps with some conspicuous light to moderate staining and spotting (for more details on the maps please see below), wrappers heavily soiled and discoloured with chips of loss to edges, later marbled paper wrappers over original wrappers. SLAVERY / SLAVE TRADE / WEST AFRICA - FRENCH COLONIAL EXPANSION / THEMATIC CARTOGRAPHY: Extremely rare in commerce – a massively influential work on French colonialism and economics in Africa and on West Africa’s role in the Transatlantic slave trade during its twilight years, written by the French naval officer, intellectual and abolitionist Édouard Bouët-Willaumez who extensively explored West Africa, investigating its potential for widespread colonial development and commodities trading, while intercepting slave traders on the high seas; data-driven and supported by extensive firsthand observations, the work was published in 1848, the year that France abolished slavery in its domains and instilled a squash buckling Neo-Napoleonic regime, the work played a major role in jumpstarting France’s new era of colonialism in Africa, while demonstrating that its role in ending the slave trade was not only morally right but practically beneficial; featuring two groundbreaking original maps drafted by Bouët-Willaumez, being a map that provides the era’s finest geographic record of the interior of Senegambia, and a stunning masterpiece of thematic cartography, being a map of West Africa that employs waves of resplendent colour to represent the geographic prevalence of various key commodities and the slave trade. During the mid-19th century, France was at a crossroads. Once one of the world’s great colonial powers, by the end of the Napoleonic Wars it had lost many of its large colonial holdings to war or diplomatic cessions, retaining only an assortment of small islands and territories (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Réunion, French Guiana, etc.). Meanwhile, the slave trade, which was once the sustenance of France’s presence in the West Indies and its commerce in Africa, was on its way out. While Revolutionary France had been the first major European power to abolish slavery in its domains, in 1794, Napoleon reinstated the ignoble institution, in 1802. The royalist regime that regained power in France in 1815 was inherently conservative and stonewalled abolitionism, yet, in 1818 it formally outlawed its involvement in the international slave trade (although this was not effectively enforced until the 1830s). The Revolution of February 1848 toppled the monarchy and brought in the regime of Louis Napoleon (later Emperor Napoleon III, reigned 1852-70), an ardent abolitionist. France finally abolished slavery in all its domains on April 27, 1848. Despite these momentous developments, many indigenous African powers and unscrupulous European slave traders (including Frenchmen) still carried on the Transatlantic slave trade, but at least they now faced opposition from all the major European navies, including that of France. By the 1830s and ’40s France still possessed a series of ‘comptoirs’ (trading posts) along various stretches of the coasts of West Africa, although the sharp decline of the Transatlantic slave had negated their traditional purpose. Indeed, many of these comptoirs were being wound down, while most had fallen into disrepair, or had been abandoned. Thus, France now had to decide if it wanted to rebuild a new colonial empire in the post-slavery era, with Africa seen as the most promising area of growth. In the twilight days of the monarchy, this matter sharply divided public opinion in the French hierarchy. The ‘Colonialists’ believed that for France to remain one of the world’s great powers it had to go ‘full throttle’ to regain a grand overseas empire and to harness the natural and human resources of faraway lands. The ‘Anti-Colonialists’ maintained that France had pressing domestic concerns, as well as security risks within Europe, such that the distraction of grand overseas ‘boondoggles’ poses an existential threat to France itself. Both sides had very powerful backers, and for some years France’s direction was unclear. Beginning in the late 1830s, the Colonialists started to make moves to create the pre-conditions for overseas expansion. Elements of the foreign ministry and military, which tended to be controlled by ardently Colonialist figures, sponsored a series of investigative missions to Sub-Saharan Africa to assess the region’s potential for mass French colonial expansion in the post-slavery era, whereupon, instead of trading people, the priority would be trading commodities. PLEASE SEE OUR WEB PAGE FOR A LONGER DESCRIPTION
book (2)

Relacion del castigo efectuado en Lisboa el día 13. de Enero de 1759 contra los delinguentes del horroroso atentado cometido contra la Sacra Persona de Rey Dn. Joseph el 1°. alas lo de la noche de dia 3. de septiembre del 1758. disparara dole dos tiros de trabuco, para guítenle la vida, logue consiguieron par especial protección de Dios: pero le hirieron un brazo peligrosamte”.

4° (29.5 x 19.5 cm): 6 pp. manuscript, brown-black pen on 2 folded sheets of laid paper watermarked ‘M.Y.’ surmounted by a cross motif, not bound but loosely housed in modern marbled paper covers (Very Good, some, mostly light, staining and spotting, old folds, some loss to top of blank final page, overall very pleasing condition for a mss. of its age and kind). PORTUGAL – ‘THE TÁVORA AFFAIR’ / ORIGINAL MSS. VIEW AND ACCOUNT: A historically important and exceptionally fine original contemporary manuscript account of the climax of the ‘Távora Affair’ (1758-9), an event which had global ramifications; on the night of September 3, 1758, assailants attempted to assassinate King José I of Portugal, wounding him; his ultra-ambitious and clever prime minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo (later the Marquis de Pombal) blamed the attempted regicide on a conspiracy led by the Távora Family, one of Portugal’s preeminent noble houses, and the Jesuit Order (both his political enemies); on January 13, 1759, 10 of the accused (including 7 top nobles) were publicly tortured and executed in the most gruesome medieval spectacle, in front of large crowd which included the royal court; the executions saw De Melo, under the king’s de jure rule, to gain almost absolute power over the Portuguese Empire, allowing him to transform it with bold reforms and to banish the Jesuits, setting in motion the international Suppression of the Order of Jesus, which had a revolutionary effect upon many counties, particularly in Latin America; the present manuscript, written by an anonymous Spanish hand on January 16, 1759, has, due to its detailing and style, the feel of being an original eyewitness account of the executions and its aftermath, and it does not accord closely to any other sources of which we are aware; illustrated with a fine image of the executions, it then proceeds to give a meticulous blow-by-blow account of the grisly spectacle and what followed; both intriguing and disturbing, the manuscript is an artifact that deserves serious academic investigation. . PLEASE SEE OUR WEB PAGE FOR A LONGER DESCRIPTION
book (2)

A travers le Laos. Guide à l’usage des voyageurs

4° (32 x 21.5 cm): 68 ff. total all hectographed in purple and printed single-sided, including 34 numbered pp. text, 1 single f. chart and 6 multiple ff. charts each on thicker paper with mss. descriptions in black pen to verso (3 double ff., 2 4 ff., and 1 6 ff.), [13 ff. bibliography], in original bluish-grey printed card covers (Very Good, overall very clean and bright with some contemporary mss. underlining to charts and contemporary mss. touch-ups to lightly printed areas of text and charts, covers with toning and wear to marginal areas and a small tear without loss to head of spine). LAOS – HECTOGRAPHED PROOF EXAMPLE OF THE FIRST TRAVEL GUIDE TO LAOS: The original hectographed proof of the first travel guide to Laos, written by Antonin Baudenne, the French explorer, civil servant, linguist, and editor of the prestigious ‘La Revue indochinoise’, who was a foremost authority on the county, having married a Lao woman and residing in Vientiane for some years; in addition to describing the natural and cultural wonders of the country, in great detail and in practical terms it tells the prospective traveller ‘how’ to visit Laos, which was then very much "off the beaten track", by noting when to visit Loas, the modes of transport available, the distances and travel times between key places, and what amenities are present, as well as what provisions to take, plus, detailing all the major itineraries leading to and within Laos; additionally, the work includes the first comprehensive bibliography on Loas, a highly valuable resource that would have been very difficult to compile at the time; the work was subsequently formally published twice in Hanoi, being essentially faithful to the present proof. - Present here is the original hectographed proof of Baudenne’s most important and influential non-fiction work, being the first travel guide to Laos. The work is geared to the serious and curious, people who had a great desire to visit the country for professional or intellectual reasons. While Loas offered the visitor a life-changing experience of enlightenment and the people are famously hospitable, Baudenne is clear that Loas was an extremely rough place to travel. With its very rugged topography, great distances and poor infrastructure, and far fewer European amenities than would be available in Vietnam or Thailand, one would need to be ultra-prepared. Even the best-equipped travelers would have to get used to camping and spending many hours on mules and canoes in uncomfortable circumstances. While many previous travel accounts had been published by visitors to Laos, none of these attempted to educate the reader on how to visit the country, which is the main task of the present guide. While Baudenne discusses the principal natural and cultural wonders of Laos, his focus is upon the practical matters that are urgently required for the traveler. Drawing upon his many years of exploring Laos, he discusses when to visit the country, what modes of travel are available (noting travel distances, times and costs), as well what foods, medicines, clothing and equipment and packs, and what amenities (guest houses, clinics) are to be had en route. Importantly, Baudenne meticulously details virtually all the major travel routes about Laos, both up the Mekong and into the interior, granting travelers a stellar impression of what they could expect. Baudenne wrote the present proof of his ‘A travers le Laos. Guide à l’usage des voyageurs’ in Vientiane, completing it in January 1911. It would have been hectographed in only a handful of examples, from a now likely now lost manuscript, for private circulation amongst his friends and colleagues, before being submitted for publication. It was first formally printed as an article, ‘A travers le Laos (Guide à l’usage des voyageurs)’, in the specialist magazine issued in Hanoi, the Bulletin economique de l’Indochine (mai-juin 1911). To reach a wider audience, it was soon reissued as a standalone book, Baudenne’s A travers le Laos: guide à l’usage des voyageurs / Extrait du Bulletin economique de l’Indochine (Hanoi: Imprimerie d’Extrême-Orient, 1911). Content wise, the published editions are perfectly faithful to the present proof, save for a few very minor corrections and amendments (while adding a map). The present proof seems to be unrecorded, while both formally printed versions are today very rare. Baudenne’s work proved highly influential in its time within select communities, such a French colonial officials and soldiers, merchants, adventurers and academics. It would not be superseded for many years . PLEASE SEE OUR WEB PAGE FOR A LONGER DESCRIPTION
book (2)

Nueva doctrina sobre el co?lera, o? sea, Los feno?menos del co?lera asia?tico, estudiados a la luz de la nueva teori?a del principio vital, que el profesor Isidoro Olvera escribio? y publico? en 1846, bajo el ti?tulo de “La electricidad aplicada a la esplicacio?n de los feno?menos de la vida”.

8° (21.5 x 13.5 cm): [4], 119, [3] pp., plus, errata leaf, bound in modern quarter calf over cloth with gilt title to spine (Very Good, overall clean and crisp, just some areas of very light toning) (#70664). EPIDEMIOLOGY – MEXICO – CHOLERA / MEXICO CITY IMPRINT: Very Rare – a fascinating and unusual treatise on cholera that theorizes that the disease was caused by atmospheric electricity, featuring a sophisticated understanding of the relationship of the organs, blood and nerves and the natural environment, by the prominent Mexico City physician and politician Isidoro Olvera Crespo, written in the wake of the 1850 cholera outbreak in Mexico. - Cholera is a highly contagious gastrointestinal disease, spread by human contact. Its origins were in India, but traditionally it had not spread to other regions. However, beginning in 1817, the disease travelled widely, causing two global pandemics over the succeeding twenty years. Cholera struck Mexico especially hard in both 1833 and 1850, sparking a debate between "contagionists" and "anti-contagionists" (those who believed that the disease was environmental and did not transfer from human-to-human), leading to some seriously ‘wrong calls’, as anti-contagionist government officials (usually motivated by the fear of economic consequences of ‘lockdown’ quarantines) often prevailed, leaving their city’s citizens as sitting ducks. In Mexico, many officials followed the contagionist line, leading to massive quarantines and the fumigations of buildings in urban areas, although their stance was seemingly undermined by the fact that cholera continued to spread. After the 1850 outbreak, an aura of heightened mystery developed around the disease, causing Mexican doctors to come up with some very intriguing theories as to the cause. Isidoro Olvera Crespo (1815–1859) was a prominent Mexico City physician and national politician, who hailed from an esteemed medical family (both his father and son were famous doctors). A child prodigy, he obtained his medical degree while only aged 16, before becoming variously the chief surgeon of the Regimiento de Inválidos and a professor of medicine at newly established Establecimiento de Ciencias Médicas, which was created from the merger of the Real Colegio de Cirugía and the Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad. He subsequently waded into politics and was made of member of the Constitutional Congress in 1856 and was elected as a national deputy the following year. In the 1840s, Olvera developed a fascinating and unusual theory that atmospheric electricity was responsible for mitigating many aspects of the health of both humans and animals, with his initial assertions being published as Olvera’s La electricidad aplicada a la esplicacio?n de los principales feno?menos de la vida o El principio vital de los animales nueva teori?a me?dico-fisiolo?gica (Mexico City, 1846). In the wake of the 1850 Cholera epidemic in Mexico, Olvera turned his focus to that disease, and came to believe that it was caused by atmospheric electricity, and so expanded upon his thoughts developed in the La electricidad aplicada Olvera refined his theories on cholera, leading him to publish the present work, Nueva doctrina sobre el co?lera. Here he asserts that the "true origin of cholera" is "atmospheric or other circumstances that could influence its rapid spread throughout the world". He continues that his "hypothesis is that it is due to disorders of atmospheric electricity it is the most in accordance with the facts and sound reasoning it should continue to be the basis for the study of the etiology of the disease". Olvera elaborates on his conceptions, asserting that atmospheric electricity causes changes in the organs, nerves, and blood chemistry that allowed cholera to thrive, and that individuals were made more susceptible to the disease due to their geographical location, race, sex, age, temperament, wealth/social position, etc. While we know today that Olvera’s theories as to the origin and spread of cholera were dead wrong, it must be recognized that in the early 1850s it was very difficult to gain an understanding of such diseases, before the advent of advanced microscopy and lab work. His treatise on cholera is nevertheless valuable to the history of medicine, as it shows a very advanced understanding of the interconnections between the nerves, organs, and blood with environmental factors, while the effects of atmospheric electricity are still hotly debated today. A Note on Rarity - The present work is very rare, consistent with most mid-19th century Mexican specialist medical imprints. We can trace 4 institutional examples, held by the Biblioteca Nacional de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, National Library of Medicine (Bethesda, Md.), and the Wellcome Library. Moreover, we cannot trace any sales records. References: Biblioteca Nacional de México, Colección Lafragua; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México: Copy 78-2735; National Library of Medicine (Bethesda, Md.): LM: W6 P3 v.7481 box 1747 no.12; Wellcome Library: K28493.
book (2)

História da fundação do Império Brazileiro por J.M. Pereira da Silva do conselho de S.M.O. Imperador do Brasil / Segunda edição revistam, correcta e accrescentada.

8° (21 x 14 cm) – 3 volumes: [vol 1:] [2 pp.], 1 portrait, [1 ff.], 473 pp.; [vol 2:] [2 ff.], 426 pp.; [vol 3:] [2 ff.], 391 pp.; all uniformly bound in contemporary quarter red morocco with gilt title and decoration to spines over red marbled boards (text overall clean with light even toning with some areas with light to moderate spotting, bindings little rubbed and scuffed on the corners, cracks in hinges of endpapers, front loose endpapers of all three volumes missing, guard after the portrait missing, spine of vol. 1 with 6.5 cm hairline crack to top of upper hinge). An attractive example of the "revised, corrected and augmented" second edition of the most important work of the leading Brazil historian João Manuel Pereira da Silva, being his magisterial account of the dramatic foundational years of modern Brazil (1808 – 1825), when the country transitioned from being an underdeveloped colony trapped in the Portuguese mercantilist system, to being a vast independent empire with its own sophisticated national institutions, with a global outlook; predicated upon the best sources, it is a fascinating and enlightening read that remains just as relevant today as it was in its time – rare as complete and in such fine condition. - This is the rare second edition of the most important work of the leading 19th century Brazilian historian João Manuel Pereira da Silva, the foremost chronicler of his country’s Imperial Era. The work focusses upon the critical period from 1808 to 1825, when Brazil was transformed from being an underdeveloped Portuguese colony trapped in a mercantilist system, to being the epicentre of the entire Portuguese Empire, to gaining its independence as a vast empire with its own sophisticated national institutions, with a global outlook. The work benefits from João Manuel Pereira da Silva’s stellar sources, as he was able to interview some of those who were active at the time, while having access to many stellar primary sources, some of which are now thought lost. An engaging and lively read, it is an invaluable source for anyone seeking to understand the birth of modern Brazil, being just as relevant today as it was during its time. Volume I, after providing a summary of Brazil’s history from the Portuguese Restoration of 1640 to the beginning of the 19th century, focusses upon the period when the Portuguese royal family moved to Rio de Janeiro (in 1808) upon the French invasion of their homeland; it also features a portrait of the author. Volume II takes up the story from 1810 and notes the creation of many of national institutions while the Braganças were resident in Rio and continues to cover the early period of Dom Pedro I’s role as both the King of Portugal and Brazil from 1816. Volume III covers the period of the Brazilian War of Independence (1821-4) and ends with Portugal’s acceptance of the sovereignly of the Empire of Brazil at the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro of 1825. The tome concludes with the full texts of 10 seminal documents of Brazilian history, some highlights of which include the Carta Regia (January 28, 1808), which opened Brazil to international trade; the Declaração da província de Montevideo par sua união com O Brasil (July 31, 1821), whereby Uruguay declared is desire to be a part of Brazil (it would later succeeded to become its own independent nation in 1828); and the Resumo de algumas actas das sessões do Grande Oriente Maçónico do Brasil (May 13, 1822), which saw the formation of the Grande Oriente do Brasil masonic movement in Brazil, with Dom Pedro I elected as its Grand Master. The first edition of the História da Fundação do Império Brazileiro was issued in 7 volumes (Rio de Janeiro: B.L. Garnier, 1864-68). While a great triumph of scholarship, its format and style were considered verbose and not particularly well edited. For the second edition, which is billed as being "revistam, correcta e accrescentada" ("revised, corrected and augmented"), Pereira da Silva repaired many errors, tightened the prose and added some important new details, such that, in many ways, it is a different book from the first edition. The second edition was reissued verbatim (save for the change of the imprint date) by B.L. Garnier in 1877. PLEASE SEE OUR WEB PAGE FOR A LONGER DESCRIPTION
book (2)

Plano de Valparaiso editado por la Libreria del Mercurio de Valparaiso en la Litografia Excelsior de R. Abrines y Ca. Serrano, 14 y 16.

Colour lithograph, printed on 2 joined sheets (Very Good, overall clean with attractive, bright colours, some light marginal staining, some wear along old folds, especially in upper right corner, minor old repairs from verso along fold vertices), 55 x 102 cm (21.5 x 40 inches) CHILE – VALPARAÍSO / VALPARAÍSO’S PRE-EARTHQUAKE ‘GOLDEN AGE’ / LATIN AMERICAN URBANISM: Exceedingly rare – possibly unrecorded – the only known example of a large format and highly detailed map of Valparaíso, showcasing Chile’s premier port in the early 1890s, when it was called the "Little San Francisco", being one of the wealthiest and most vibrant cities in the Americas, buoyed by its location on prime shipping lanes, high commodity prices and waves of polyglot immigration; vividly colourful and highly detailed, the map provides an invaluable record of Valparaíso before much of the city was destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake; seemingly separately issued, it was published for the La Librería del Mercurio de Valparaíso, the bookstore division of what is today the oldest continually operating Spanish-language newspaper in the world. - The large and colourfully lithographed map embraces all Valparaíso proper and was published for the venerable local bookstore La Librería del Mercurio in the early 1890s, during the height of the city’s golden age. Capturing Valparaíso from a roughly south-westerly perspective, with the harbour curving along the shores of the bay, the downtown core, built on a rational grided street plan occupies the relatively narrow area of flat land (much of it reclaimed) near the sea. On all the landward sides, steep hills, or named ‘cerros’, separated by ‘quebradas’ (ravines), are climbed by curving roads, with some hosting distinct neighborhoods. The city is shown to be divided (by red lines) into 5 ‘Comunes’ (like wards), and 22 resplendently colour-coded and numbered sub-delegations (like barrios, or neighbourhoods). Al streets are labelled, as is the Santiago-Valparaíso Railway, which can be seen entering the city, in the lower right. The inset, upper right, shows the continuation of the scene to the west, being the Playa Las Torpedera area. While some very large features/facilities are labelled directly on the map, such as the Campo de Marte (today the Regional Stadium), most places of interest are identified by numbers, as explained in the ‘Referencia’, on the lefthand side, which list 73 locations. Some highlights include 1. Naval Academy, 9. Police HQ, 12. City Hall, 16. Post Office, 20. Stock Exchange, 22. Hotel Ingles, 26. Banco de Chile, 27. Banco A. Edwards y Ca., 46. Odeon Theatre, 51. Masonic Lodge, 60. Museum, 63. American School, 71. Hospital, 73. Main Train Station (Estación Barón). Also, all the city’s many ‘Imprentas’, or print shops, are located, including the ‘La Librería del Mercurio’ (no. 36). The map, being a commercial venture, features a large advertisement, filling the waters of the bay of Valparaíso, for ‘Té de Rogers / La Estrella Blanca’ that sold much more than tea, including Port, Jerez, Cognac and many other types of liquors. In the upper is an advertisement for the ‘Librería del Mercurio’. PLEASE SEE OUR WEB PAGE FOR A LONGER DESCRIPTION