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Nat DesMarais Rare Books

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The Life of Donna Olimpia Maldachini, Who Governed the Church during the Time of Innocent the X. Which was from the year 1644. to the year 1655. Written in Italian by Abbot Gualdi: and faithfully rendred [sic] into English.

[LETI, Gregorio] Early [likely 4th] edition. Small octavo. [8], 214 pp. Likely lacking the rear lank. Nicely bound ca. 1900 in a period style binding of of full brown calf, each cover with four gilt fillet frames, front with a gilt device of a centaur (?) on the front, fiat spine with gilt lettering. Overall, a very clean and attractive copy."Palazzo Pamphilj (now the headquarters of the Brazilian Consulate) was the Roman residence of an opportunistic and ambitious woman who, despite her humble origins and a first marriage in which she became a widowstill very young, thanks to her second wedding with Pamphilio Pamphilj she managed to make an incredible social climbing. Her brother-in-law, brother of Pamphilio, became Pope Innocent X and she came to take his trust to the point of obtaining enormous influence and power over the city.As I wrote in the book ?Fantasmi a Roma? published by MMC Edizioni ?? its power affects all fields: politics, economics and culture. She has a network of infiltrated agents everywhere and is highly feared. She is who decides to entrust the design of a Baroque Piazza Navona to Bernini ? ? However, such power makes her hateful in the eyes of the Romans: ?? she lives like a queen dominating people who does not love her at all because they do not consider it appropriate to be managed by a woman, moreover despotic, of popular origins and accused of being the pope?s lover ? ? The hatred of the people leads to give her a derogatory nickname, ?the Pimpaccia?, and to consider her a diabolical being. This situation, strengthened by the death of her second husband, lasts throughout the pontificate of Innocent X which ends his earthly life in 1655. Donna Olimpia realizes that her fortune has come to an end and quickly leaves Palazzo Pamphilj running away with two cases of coins of gold. It seems that she also abandoned the remains of Innocent X, completely disinterested in his funeral" (Tourist in Rome).
  • $150
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An Essay Upon Force in Nature and its Effects Upon Matter.

First edition. Octavo. 85, [1] pp. Original wrappers, expertly restored.J. Ralston Skinner was a man of tremendous and far-reaching learning. A denizen of Cincinnati, he was deemed an expert on a great many matters. This book, his first, concerns Newtonian physics gone astray. The theory of Newton that every particle of matter attracts all other particles of matter in right lines joining their centers, and in an inverse ratio to the squares of their distances b yvirtue of an inherent force called gravity, accounted for the motions of the planets so satisfactorily that it has been almost universally adopted by subsequent physicists as a natural law. In this book he calls into doubt this firmly held theory/"The theory of Newton that every particle of matter attracts all other particles of matter in right lines joining their centers, and in an inverse ratio to the squares of their distances bj"virtue of an inherent force called gravity, accounted for the motions of the planets so satisfactorily that it has been almost universally adopted by subsequent physicists as a natural law. The latterof the essay, in which it is attempted to sustainthe theory, are, as the author claims, merely suggestive; the first part being devoted to the attempt to demonstrate mathematically that the theory of Newton is untenable" (Scientific American, 1869). J. Ralson Skinner was a die-hard mason and published numerous books of esoteric wisdom; Madame Blavatsky though very highly of him/ "H. P. Blavatsky?s hitherto unpublished letter to James Ralston Skinner is one of great consequence. Despite its relative obscurity, evidence of its existence has been previously alluded to by J. D. Buck (Modern World Movements) and Boris de Zirkoff (BCW VIII, 220). Blavatsky herself mentioned the recipient of the letter on numerous occasions, clearly revealing her admiration of his great learning as demonstrated in his ?wonderfully clever and erudite volume, The Source of Measures? (BCW XIII, 258). Indeed, it is no accident that Skinner is ?constantly mentioned? in The Secret Doctrine. In his overview of letter?s recipient, Assistant Editor Jerry Hejka-Ekins has observed that both the author and his Source of Measures are mentioned more often in The Secret Doctrine than any other author with the exception of Plato, a remarkable observation given the relative obscurity of both Skinner and his work. It is no surprise that John Drais considered the book important enough to compile his Index of Hebrew and Numerical Terms contained inThe Source of Measures by J. Ralston Skinner." (Theosophical History, January, 2023).
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Glacier Point Hotel.

First edition. Twelvemo. 4 x 5 1/4 inches. 12 pp. with a photograph on every page but the last three (which bear rates and directions as well as the publisher's slug). Double page map of the routes to the Hotel in the center. Stapled self-wrappers. Very good condition. Strangely this is quite scarce with OCLC only recording one copy (Bancroft)."It was 1871 when James McCauley obtained permission from the Yosemite Board of Commissioners to build and operate a toll trail to and from Yosemite Valley at the base of Sentinel Rock and climb over 3,000 feet to Glacier Point. With the new convenient access, innkeeper Charles Peregoy built ?The Mountain House? at the overlook in 1873. Hikers ascending McCauley?s Four Mile Trail to reach Glacier Point could now rest for the night at the small hotel with its stunning views. Campfires were often built to entertain the guests at the overlook and ashes were pushed over the edge. From Camp Curry in the valley below the falling ashes looked like a waterfall of fire. This would start a Yosemite tradition: the Firefall.?There may have never been a better balcony view than the one from the Glacier Point Hotel,? which was completed in 1917. ?The Glacier Point Hotel, which is itself entitled to the distinction of being classed as one of the features of the region. Affording accommodations for some two hundred guests, and embodying, as it does, all the comforts and conveniences of the most modern city hotel with its own delightfully informal and rustic atmosphere, it stands unique among the hotels for which our western country is justly famous. Visitors stopping overnight at Glacier Point will be lulled to sleep by the drowsy murmur of Vernal and Nevada Falls pouring into Merced Canyon far below, and throughout the day will be treated to a series of scenic spectacles that can hardly be duplicated anywhere else on earth? (Wilson, 1922).In the winter of 1968?1969 the Glacier Point Hotel was damaged by heavy snow pack and was closed for business that summer. The Firefall was cancelled permanently. A few employees lived in the old Mountain House (then the oldest building in the park), selling snacks to Glacier Point daytime visitors.On July 10, 1969 an electrical fire began in the lower floor of the unattended Glacier Point Hotel. The pile of red fir bark left from the Firefall next to the hotel added fuel to the fire. Structure fire response was 28 miles away by mountain road. The fire completely destroyed the hotel, Mountain House, and many trees" (National Park Service).
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On the Cause and Remedy of the Disunion of Christendom. Tractates Nos. 2 & 4-8.

Six quarto volumes (8 14 x 10 3/4 inches). Various pagination. Publisher's printed wrappers of various hues. No. 2 with the front wrapper starting (an easy fix), else all in very good condition.Born in Ohio in 1847, Crapsey joined the Army for the Civil War at the age of 14 but was soon released for health reasons. Both at home and at his father's law office, Crapsey was restless and bored. However, there was a library in the same building. Crapsey took advantage of the library to educate himself. One evening in Cincinnati, Crapsey attended a service at Christ Church. He later looked back on the experience "as the hour of his conversion." Crapsey's uncle persuaded him that there were more opportunities in New York City. He found a job as bookkeeper and cashier in a print shop.While in New York he attended Christ Episcopal Church. ministered by the Rev. Ferdinand C. Ewer. This proved to be the pivot in his life for he soon enrolled in General Theological Seminary in New York City for three years, graduating with a degree in divinity and was ordained in 1875. On June 1, 1879, he began his work in St. Andrew's mission, located in a mostly Roman Catholic neighborhood in Rochester, New York. In St. Andrew's, Crapsey and his wife entered into the lives of the people. During the first summer, Crapsey had classes for the children in which he taught them about plants and how they grow. For the women, Mrs. Crapsey organized women's groups. For the men, Crapsey organized the St. Andrew's Brotherhood. The organization did charitable work and promoted religious education. The Brotherhood grew to three hundred members, but not all were members of St. Andrews. The Brotherhood was as a "Mutual Benefit Society." Payments were made to sick members, to the widows of members, and to the members who lost their wives. In addition to his work with the Brotherhood and traditional parish duties, Crapsey led retreats for the Sisters of St. Mary, an Episcopal religious order in Peekskill, NY. He lectured at black Episcopal churches, urging members to stand up for their rights. In Rochester, Crapsey was one of the founders and the first president of the Citizens Political Reform Association, which worked for civic improvement in the face of the poverty caused by the Depression of 1893. He visited people in asylums and prisons. n his autobiography, Crapsey says that he had been a heretic from his tenth year. "A heretic," he says, "is one who thinks and gives voice to his own thought," and has difficulty submitting to authority. Crapsey characterizes himself as a "Humanist," who took God for granted. His allegiance to Jesus was based on His humanity more than on His divinity. When a Bishopric was denied him, he declared himself a prophet. He strongly believed that ather than accept the truth and historicity of the Bible merely because they were part of the "historic Christian faith" as received by his church, turned to "developments in scientific research" and to "higher criticism" of the Bible. Crapsey believed all churches should become more active in social reform as this is what he viewed Jesus was; a humanist who cared for the people. Eventually he ran afoul of the powers that be and of Bishop Walker in particular. They tried to sideline him as much as possible but In 1901, Crapsey published a tractate with the title "The Law of Liberty: The Nature and Limit of Religious Thought." [Presented here]. In the tractate, he wrote, "a free thinker has for ages been feared and hated by the officers of the church." Furthermore, a man who "gives himself over entirely" to a sect "no longer asks himself what is true." Crapsey observed that this is the "sad condition" of most of "the Protestant clergy." This was true in his opinion because "theological schools" teach "a fully formulated system of beliefs." All of this combined to have Rev. Crapsey brought up on charges of heresy before the Church Board. On May 9, 1906, the five-member Ecclesiastical Court met and by a four to one vote decided Crapsey was guilty. The Court's findings were then forwarded to Bishop Walker. The verdict was delivered to Crapsey on May 15, 1906. The story was carried all of the nation's major newspapers. On December 4, 1906, Crapsey gave his last sermon to a capacity congregation (he was immensely popular). After leaving the priesthood he continued in his agitation for social welfare and worked with numerous groups. He wrote a number of books, the most famous being Religion and Politics, and this series of Tractates, all under the running title of On the Cause and Remedy of the Disunion of Christendom. We don't know how many he wrote as OCLC only records four titles (one title in two copies and the other three in only one copy) yet 6 are presented here. Three with no locations in OCLC. They are as follows;No. 2-The Royal Priesthood.No. 4-The Answer to Pilate.No. 5-The Judgement of Abraham.No. 6-The Law of Liberty.No. 7-God's Winnowing FanNo. 8-The Church, the School of the Saints
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Juguetes Mexicanos.

First edition. Octavo (7 x 9 inches). [2], [1, half-title and blank], Includes all 52 leaves of tipped-in color illustrations of folk toys of Mexican children, each with a leaf of printed explanatory text describing the toy. In the copy all the print and text leaves are loose and laid into a muslin over boards portfolio, on the spine of which someone has carefully lettered in cut out letters and reading "Mexican Toys." Original colorful front wrapper laid in as well. A very clean and complete copy. One get the impression that an enterprising teacher used it as a teach tool. Scarce in the trade.Gaabriel Fernandez Ledesma (b. 1899) was a painter, muralist, engraver, photographer, writer, editor, designer and researcher of Mexican handcrafts and folk art. Fernández Ledesma began his career working on projects related to the government, often collaborating or assisting Roberto Montenegro. In the early 1920s, he was commissioned by then education minister José Vasconcelos to create modern tile designs for the church of the former monastery of San Pedro y San Pablo. He chose to revive Puebla Talavera tiles for this task. In 1922, he went to Rio de Janeiro as an assistant to Montenegro to design the murals that decorated the walls of the Mexican pavilion for the 1922 Centenary Exposition in Rio de Janeiro . When he returned from Brazil, education minister José Vasconcelos, appointed him artistic director of the Ceramics Pavilion at the faculty of Chemical Science.Most of the rest of Fernández Ledesma's career was related to publishing and education. In 1924, again with Montenegro, he illustrated an edifying book of Lecturas clásicas para niños and contributed to the El Maestro magazine and began a printing workshop to promote the development of engraving in Mexico. In 1926, he started a magazine called Forma, sponsored by the government about fine arts in Mexico, remaining as its editor for several years. In the 1920s, he also worked as an illustrator for the weekly magazine El Universal Ilustrado. In 1935, he became head of the editorial offices at the Secretará de Educación Pública. Fernández Ledesma edited and published several books on Mexican popular art, including Juguetes Mexicanos, published in 1930.[sic]His relationship with art education began in 1925, as a drawing teacher with the Secretaría de Educación Pública and, then in 1926 at the Centro de Arte Popular.[1] After rejecting the director's position at one of the Escuelas de Pintura al Aire Libre, Fernández Ledesma, his brothers and Guillermo Ruiz decided to create the Escuela de Escultura y Talla Directo a school for sculpture and carving. The school challenged the idea of art for art's sake, focusing on handcrafts and popular art, and teaching workers and children.[3] In 1928, he was one of the founding member of the "¡30-30!" movement along with Fernando Leal and Ramón Alva de Canal. This group was noted for its hostility to academia, trying to change how art students were taught, and its conviction that art should have a social purpose above all else.
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Trade Catalog with Numerous Original Color Photographs.

Modern three ring black binder with 73 original color photographs of flies tied by Barnard, all neatly annotated at the bottom of each page in manuscript. All photographs are tipped onto a gray sheet of paper , each of which is in turn is placed into a plastic sleeve. Five of the photographs were done by Wyoming fly-tier Marvin Nolte (probably used as models for some of Bernard's creations). Included in the front pocket is a price guide of Barnard flies and his business name appears to be ?Barnard, Fishfeathers and Wood? and laid in are two printed articles about Barnard and his creations. Very good condition. Likely the only copy.When one looks at his price list one see prices of $150 to $200 for a single fly one is taken back a bit (as 30 years ago $1.25 would have bought you a nicely-tied fly). As a fly fisher in days gone by this was surprising to me until I read the article enclosed. Gary Barnard was a graphic designer and sculptor in wood for 25 years before giving up his business and opening ?Barnard, Fishfeathers and Wood? in Lakewood, CO, in 1990. The reason for the incredible pricing is that Barnard was not making flies to be used for fishing but was constructing these very intricate and beautiful flies and using wood as his only medium in very imposing designs as sculptures. In a standard fly the 'wings' are made from parts of birds feather but even here Bernard used wood. Surely an incredible time-consuming process. Two photographs are no longer present and they appea to have been removed on purpose as Barnard likely didn't want to continue that design. In essence he was selling wooden sculptures of flies priced at $200; a bargain really as Barnard was a serious artist, a very skilled woodworker, a graphic designer and a serious fly fisherman. These were surely meant to be proudly displayed on mantelpieces and the like. Looking on the internet I could not find a single example for sale.
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Thirty Scholarly Publications on the Role of Women and Agriculature in India and Surrounding Countries.

Life for women in developing countries. This particular lot deals with the trials and tribulations of Indian women in India and Southeast Asia. Suffice it to say that they are not all singing Halleleujas to their second-class citizen status. 20 are hardbacks in nice jackers and the remainer are in wrappers (nice condition). The titles are as follows:SAWNINATAN. M. Village Modernisation and Fertility Behaviour ; A Study in a Block of South Arcot District, Tamil Nadu.Annamalai University; Annalamainagar, 1986. Phd thesis in cloth.CHAUDRY, Rafiqul Huda. Female Status in Bangladesh. Dacca; Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, [ca. 1980]ISELY, Barbara J. & Charles C. Langford. Report on Research on Gender Roles in Rice Farming Systems in Tamil Nadu. Corvallis: Oregon State University, (1992)AHHSAN, Rosie Majid & Shahnaz Huq HUSSEIN & Ben J, WALLACE. Role of Women in Agriculture. Centre for Urban Studies: Dhaka, 1986.GOUZHU, Hua & M.S. Swaminathan. Women in Rice Farming Systems : An Operational and Research Training Program Manila: The International Rice Research Institute, 1987.SINHA, B.P. Women in Agriculture-A Victim of Drudgery. New Delhi: Indian Agricultural Institute, 1988DULYAPACH, Poungpit. Thai Women in Agriculture and Rural Development. Bangkok; FAO Regional Office. 1985.KRISHNARAJ, Maithreyi. Gender and the Household Domain. Vol. 4 of "Women and the Household in Asia." New Delhi: Sage Pblications, (1989). SRINIVAS, M. N. Some Reflections on Dowry. Dehli: Oxford University Press, 1984.SEN, Amartya. On Economic Inequality. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 1973.SHARMA, Kumud. Women in Focus: A Community in Search of Equal Roles. Hyderabad: Sangam Books, 1984.MITRA, Asok. The Status of Women: Literacy and Employment. ICSSR Programme of Women's Studies II. Bombay: Allied Publishers. 1979.SACHCHIDANANDA & Ramesh P. Sinh. Women's Rights: Myth & Reality. Jaipur: Printwell Publishers, 1984.SHARMA, Ursula. Women, Work and Property in North-West India. London: Tavistock Publicarions, (1980).MITRA, Asok. Implications of Declining Sex Ratio in India's Population. ICSSR Programme of Women's Studies I. Bombay: Allied Publishers. 1979.NANDA, B. R. Indian Women: From Purdah to Modernity. New Delhi; Vikas Publishing House. (1975)MEHTA, Rama. Divorced Hindu Woman. New Delhi; Vikas Publishing House. (1975)RAMA, K. G. Women's Welfare in Tamil Nadu. Madras: Sanghan Publishers, 1974.SAHAI, S. N. Women in Changing Society: A Bibliographical Study. Delhi: Mittal Publications, (!985). Sahai was the librarian at the University of Jodphur Librarian.BAIG, Tara Ali. India's Woman Power. New Delhi: S. Chand & Co., (1976)SINGH, Andrea Menefee & Anita KELLES-VIITANEN. Invisible Hands: Women in Home-based Production. Women and the Household in Asia -Vol. 1. New Delhi: Sage Publications, (1987).THIMMAIAH, G. Inequality and Poverty (A Case Study of Karnataka). Bombay: Himalaya Publishing House, (1983)MAZUMDAR, Vina. Role of Rural Women in Development: Report of an International Seminar. Bombay: Allied Publisher's, (1978).DE SOUZA, Alfred. Women in Contemporary India and South Asia. Reprint. New Delhi: Manohar Publications, 1980.CHAKI-SIRCAR, Manjushri. Feminism in a Traditional Society: Women of the Maniput Valley. New Delhi: Shakti Books, (1984).LEBRA. Joyce, et. al. [editors] Women and Work in India: Continuity and Change. New Delhi: Promilla and Co., (1984).JESUDASAN, Victor et. al. [editors]. Non-Formal Education for Rural Women to Promote the Development of the Young Child. New Delhi: Allied Publishers, 1981.MUKHOPADHYAY, Maitrayee. Silver Shackles: Women and Development in India. Oxford: Oxfam, 1984.HIRWAY, Indira. Denial of Maternity Benefits to Women Workers in India. New Delhi: Oxford and IBH Publishing, (1986)/BHUYAN, Rabia. Legal Right of Hindu Women in Marriage and Divorce [with] Legal Rights of Muslim Women in Marriage and Divorce. Bangladesh: Women for Women, (1986)