![Voyage de Mons. Olof Toree.[BOUND WITH: Precis historique de l'economie rurale des Chinois.] & [Precis de l'etat actuel des Colonies Angloises.]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
TOREN, OLOF (1718-1753); EKEBERG, CARL GUSTAF (1716-1784); FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN (1706-1790)
Three works bound together from the press of the Reycends brothers of Milan. All three works were translated into French by Dominique de Blackford. The first two works were originally published in Swedish with the help of the great taxonomist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). The first work is an account of a voyage by Swedish chaplain, Olof Toren, to the Far East with a special focus on the flora that he discovered there. He sent samples of the plants and seeds back to Linnaeus and eventually a flower was named after him - the Torenia. The second work is by Carl Gustaf Ekeberg, also a Swedish explorer, and is an account of the Rural Economy of China. The third work is a compilation from several sources on the American Colonies and includes a translation of Benjamin Franklin's protest of the Stamp Act before the House of Common in 1766. 12mo (17 x 10.5cm), 92pp.; 47pp., 99pp., [1]. Bound in contemporary tree calf, gilt borders and spine. A lovely copy.
XENOS, STEFANOS
First edition, presentation copy from the author with inscription on title-page. Over two-thirds of the work is devoted to original source material. As indicated on the title-page, included is: "a collection of the principal treaties, conventions and protocols, concerning the Ionian Islands and Greece, concluded between 1797 and 1864". Large 8vo (26.5 x 18cm), iv, 124pp., 303pp. Original red blindstamped cloth, title page slightly spotted. Slight wear and soiling to binding. A handsome book. Uncommon on the market. [Blackmer 1850]
LEMAIRE DE BELGES, JEAN (c. 1473 - c. 1525)
6 works bound in 1 volume, but each work lacking several leaves and with an 18th century handwritten substitution. Included are: Le Premier livre des Illustrations de Gaule et singularités de Troye published in Paris by Enguilbert [de Marneffe] and Pierre Viart in 1523. Printed in Gothic characters, 1 beautiful full-page figure showing the coats of arms of France and Brittany, beautiful typographic mark of Pierre Viart on the back of the last leaf, (6) leaves (of 10), 70 leaves, (8) leaves. Lacking title-page and A4, B3, B4. The second work is the second part of the 'Livres des Illustrations' published in Paris by Geoffroy de Marnef in August 1512. Title adorned with a large wood-engraved heraldic vignette, a full-page figure representing the coats of arms of France and Brittany with the emblems of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany; (4) leaves, 52 leaves. Lacking leaf G2, H5 and H6, with handwritten leaves in substitution. The third work is: 'Le Tiers livre des Illustrations de Gaule' published in Paris by Enguilbert de Marnef and Pierre Viart, in April 1524; (6) leaves (of 8), 57 leaves, (1) leaf bearing the typographic mark of Marnef on the front. Lacking title-page, A8, and D5. The fourth work is: 'Le Traictie de la Difference des scismes' published in Paris by Enguilbert and Jehan de Marnef in August 1519; (35) leaves (of 38), typographic mark of Marnef engraved on the back of the last leaf. Lacking A4, B1, and B4. The fifth work is: 'L'Epistre du roy à Hector de Troye' published probably in Paris in 1513. Title adorned with a large wood-engraved heraldic figure, large wood-engraved figure on the back, (26) leaves (out of 30). Lacking E1, E2, E7 and E8. Finally, the sixth work is entirely handwritten and is entitled: La Légende des Vénitiens, 127 pages. An interesting and attractive collection by the French poet Jean Lemaire de Belges, which though lacking numerous leaves, is of typographical and literary interest. Priced accordingly.
VARTABET SAPRITCHIAN, DIMOTHEOS
A rare account of a diplomatic mission by two Armenian clerics to the court of Emperor Tewodros of Ethiopia. As stated in the title, the mission was carried out on behalf of the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, and was originally written in Armenian. In order to appeal to a wider audience, the text was translated into French and published in Jerusalem at a press in an Armenian monastery. Two parts in one volume. 8vo (22 x 15cm), [xvi],181pp. & 175pp. With half-title, printed title, engraved title, and engraved frontispiece all present. Several images in text. Engraved plates with some browning and foxing, a few spots of scattered foxing in preliminaries. Rebound in modern red morocco with book-plate of Ethiopian scholar David W. Phillipson on front endpaper.
First edition thus of this very rare biography of 16th century Carmelite mystic and poet St. John of the Cross (1542-1591). The author, Jeronimo de San Jose, was himself a member of the Carmelite order in Spain and began work on St. John's life with an initial small publication in 1629 in Madrid bearing the title: "Dibujo del venerable varon F. Joan de la Cruz". That edition numbered only 69 pages and included an engraved plate that was later reproduced in the 1641 edition (although it is missing in our copy). The edition offered here is San Jose's much expanded edition and runs to over one-thousand pages and reproduces several of the saint's epistles, perhaps for the first time. The first biography written of the saint, however, appears to be from the pen of Joseph de Jesus Maria, who published his biography in Brussels in 1628 with the title: "Historia de la vida y virtudes del.Iuan de la Cruz". What is to explain the late appearance of biographies despite the fact that St. John died over thirty years earlier? The controversy that surrounded him during his life and the cloud of suspicion over his works was enough to keep him out of print until the first Alcala edition of his works in 1618. Biographies of the saint were therefore slow in coming, and were apparently published in small quantities, as they all remain extremely rare. I could locate no copies of the 1628, 1629, or 1641 editions mentioned above in U.S. libraries, and only a handful in institutions abroad. Large 8vo (20 x 14cm), [32], 906pp., [112]. Lacking the engraved plate. A bit of scattered light foxing, a few instances of antique marginalia, title-page a bit soiled with faded ownership inscription, fine ex-libris plate on front endpaper. Rebound in 19th century specked calf. A lovely copy.
The first edition of an eyewitness account of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 by Sir John Temple, the Privy Councilor of Dublin at the time that the hostilities broke out. Written from the Protestant English point of view, the account is obviously heavily biased against the Irish Catholics. There were, in fact, atrocities committed by both sides during the conflict, but the narrative of Temple strongly prejudiced the English public against the Irish for decades to come and served to justify the harsh measures taken by Cromwell against the Irish. 4to (20.5 x 15.5cm), 136, 55pp. Good, clean copy. Bound in contemporary calf, rebacked, boards worn, inner hinge endpaper split but binding firm and sound.
The first edition of the first work on subterranean animals by the author of the famous book on mining, 'De re metallica'. Agricola published a number of groundbreaking works in his lifetime, including 'De natura fossilium', the first systematic work on geology, in 1546. In 1549 he published the work offered here on underground animals, including cave dwelling birds and lizards; the end passage even discusses underground humanoids such as kobolds and trolls. The work was later appended to editions of 'De re metallica', but only survives as a separate publication in this 1549 first edition and a Wittenberg edition of 1614. An extensive glossary includes the names of animals in Latin and their German translation, including no less than nine different species of mice! Very rare on the marketplace: no copies have come up for auction in the past thirty years. 8vo (15.5 x 10.5cm), 79pp., [xxx]. Title-page with repaired tear, ownership inscription, library stamp; outer margins of pages 7-14 with tape repair and loss of a few words of text; lower margins of index, errata, and colophon with some damp-staining, a bit more extensive on colophon leaf. Bound in contemporary calf with gilt borders of covers, some wear to spine. [Adams A338]
A rare book on songbirds by the 16th century Italian ornithologist Cesare Mancini, this book was first published in Rome in 1572 under the title: "Ammaestramenti per allevare, pascere, et curare gli ucelli, li quali s'ingabiano ad uso di cantare" It is very rare in all editions, and the work offered here is the second French edition. Mancini's work differed from former ornithological treatises in that it was dedicated solely to the breeding and care of songbirds or caged birds such as the nightingale, the goldfinch, and the lark. This second French edition added a small tract on the care of dogs at the end, apparently to appeal to a wider audience. Small 8vo (14.5 x 9cm), [x], 84pp.Tear at bottom of title-page with some loss, occasional foxing throughout, a bit of slight worming to upper margins of a few leaves. Several woodcut devices in text. Separate half-title for the tract on dogs. Bound in contemporary limp vellum with faded ink on spine, soiling to binding. Antique ownership inscriptions on front fly-leaves. A charming little book.
The first edition of the first work by Scottish botanist, Robert Morison, who became the first professor of botany at Oxford. Born in Aberdeen, he studied medicine in France, and thereafter devoted his time solely to the study of botany. He became director of the Royal Gardens at Blois; drawing from that experience he authored the first part of the present work, a description of the plants at Blois. The second part is his attack on the botanical observations of Swiss botanist Gaspard Bauhin (1560-1624), whose work Pinax theatri botanici Morison apparently found seriously lacking. Morison is considered the first to develop a systematic classification of plants, and in the present work, he stresses the importance of using the plant's fruit to aid in classification. An uncommon book on the market - the last copy at auction was in London, 2010. 8vo (16 x 10cm), [xxiv], 499pp., [v]. A few library marks to front endpaper with a small tear; lightly toned throughout. Bound in contemporary calf with some wear, front joint starting
First published in 1678 under the title 'Ancient trades decayed', this plea to the government argues for greater protection from foreign competition for the various domestic industries. As the author states: "The end of this treatise is to shew, that the reason for the decay of trade is not from the total defect or want of trade, but from the irregularity or disorder thereof, and this hath happened through a neglect of a due execution of those laws that are in force concerning trade." 4to (19 x 15cm), [2], 62 [i.e. 63], [1] pp. Title-page toned with some foxing, a few leaves with slight edge-wear, head of title a bit trimmed touching top letters. Small numbers inked in upper corner of leaves. Bound in marbled wrappers.[Wing, T2004; Kress, S1533; Goldsmith, 2424
First edition of this scarce account of the life and death of Michele Calvo (1720-1762) drawn from the trial in which he was condemned to death in Pavia, Italy. Calvo was a student of theology who turned to a life of crime, executed for practicing as a priest using falsified documents as well as theft and multiple escapes from prison. The original extracts from his final court hearing in Pavia (pp 75-76) and a detailed engraving of Calvo in chains, combined with an impassioned introduction in which he is accused of lacking 'even an ounce of contrition in his heart' (p. 16 trans.), render this a riveting story in which nearly every page is indeed filled with 'fraud, sacrilege, and other detestable abominations' (p.3, trans.). The son of a doctor, the Mallorca-born Calvo studied theology and continued his religious training in Peru, which was abruptly terminated by his falling out with the bishop of Cuzco. Unable to obtain a letter of dismissal enabling him to be ordained in another diocese, he forged his own documents. When he was discovered to be conducting Mass and hearing confession as a layman under falsified papers, he fled to Spain and subsequently Italy, continuing to operate in various dioceses for decades and evading arrest under a false name. He was eventually captured and brought to Pavia in a procession accompanied by the city council and executed for heresy, hypocrisy, and theft. 8vo (18.5 x 12cm), 83pp., with large copper-engraved folding frontispiece showing Calvo in chains (32 x 21cm); wormholes to frontispiece with old repairs on verso, minor worming to first three leaves, light foxing throughout. Bound in later vellum. Armorial book-plate of Thomas Gaisford to upper pastedown. Thomas Gaisford (1779-1855) was a renowned Oxford classicist and curator of the Bodleian library. The only other copies that I could find are located at Harvard and Illinois.
Among the earliest publications of the "father of the Encyclopedia", Johann Heinrich Alsted had this comprehensive and systematic program of learning all knowledge and science published in Strasbourg at the age of only 22, shortly after he took up a teaching position in Herborg. Situated within the long tradition of scholars who sought to capture everything that can be known into an interconnected system, Alsted is firmly within the intellectual pedigree of the medieval scholar Ramon Llull, whom he greatly admired, and who was the subject of a book a year earlier. Alsted's lifelong fascination with the Llullian method bore fruit in the first work to bear the word "Encyclopedia" on its title, published in 1608, and greatly expanded in 1630. Alsted was also a fervent follower of the educational theorist, Peter Ramus (1515-1572), and incorporated ideas of Ramus in his curriculum program. This work in some ways echoes the systemization of studies of the famous Jesuit educational handbook, the Ratio Studiorum, published in the late 16th century. Alsted's program includes, first, the reasons for study and acquiring knowledge, then divides the various branches of knowledge into many segments and subgroups. He offers not only topics that the student ought to study, but also a schedule (setting aside time for games too!), a proposed calendar, authors of importance, and sometimes even specific editions of books. The curriculum is particularly interesting in that it goes beyond the usual classical authors commonly found in suggested study-guides of the day, to include much more "modern" thinkers and writers. For example, in his Latin curriculum, Alsted includes not only Cicero, but also the great Italian Renaissance writers such as Petrarch, Marsilio Ficino, and Pico della Mirandola. In medicine, Galen is mentioned, but so is the much more contemporary Paracelsus. There is even a reference to Giordano Bruno, the famous Italian cosmologist, who was executed only ten years prior in Rome. Alsted's many-faceted approach to knowledge is a fascinating subject in itself, and his love for mnemonics, symbolism, and a kind of Kircherian desire to capture all science into a system was the running red thread through his life. Diagrams, tables, and other visual aides are used abundantly in the work. There are a few copies of this work in Europe, mostly in Germany; I could locate no copies of the work in the United States. Bound in prior to the Alsted work is the second edition of Camden's Remaines of Britain. Both are bound in contemporary vellum, with new endpapers, a few leaves bound in tightly losing some inner margin. Alsted's work is a bit toned, with occasional antique underlining, etc. 4to (18 x 15cm), 386pp. & 165pp.
The second and most complete edition of this important anthology of 13th and 14th century Tuscan poets, arranged in ten chapters, and published using the best manuscripts available to the Giunta press. Dante and Cavalcanti are certainly represented, but so are lesser known poets such as Dante de Maiano and Cino da Pistoia (c. 1270-1336/7), as well as a collection of anonymous songs and sonnets. The first four chapters include the first edition of segments of Dante's Rime and Vita Nuova. Among the sources consulted for the publication of this critical text was the Palatine songbook (formerly Palatine code 418) which dates from the end of the 13th century, and the Aragonese Collection. There are also several pieces that were taken from songbooks now lost. 8vo (15.5 x 10cm), [iii], 148 leaves. Occasional foxing throughout, a few leaves repaired including register leaf, small tear to upper part of title-page, a few antique notations. Text in italics. Bound in 18th century vellum with gilt borders and morocco labels, slightly cocked.
A very rare book written in Spanish, but published in Milan, urging the Spanish government in Italy to construct a port on the Ligurian Coast at Finale Ligure. The town of Finale Ligure was acquired by Spain in 1602, and its location had important strategic advantages, as it was couched between France and the Republic of Genoa. The Duchy of Milan, which was ruled by Spain throughout the 17th century, was ever mindful of its landlocked position, and de Laguna, a senator of Milan, makes a case for the construction of the Ligurian Port in order to better secure Milan's military advantage and to serve as a hub of trade for the many merchant-ships in the Mediterranean. In regard to this, he alludes to traders from the Eastern and Western Indies - 'las Yndias Orientales, y Occidentales' - and hopes that a Milanese sponsored port will draw lucrative trade into the region of Milan, particularly in the commodity of salt. Text is mainly in Spanish, with a few excerpts in Italian. 4to (25 x 20cm), [x], 94pp., [xxiii]. A very clean fresh wide-margined copy. Bound in contemporary limp vellum. I could only locate five copies of this work worldwide.
![Voyage de Mons. Olof Toree.[BOUND WITH: Precis historique de l'economie rurale des Chinois.] & [Precis de l'etat actuel des Colonies Angloises.]](https://rarebookinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/31442517043-600x800.jpg)
![Le Premier [second / tiers] livre des Illustrations de Gaule et singularités de Troye. [BOUND WITH] : Le traictie de la difference des scismes & des Co[n]cilles de leglise. [BOUND WITH] : L'Epistre du roy à Hector de Troye. Et aucunes autres oeuvres assez](https://rarebookinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/31442504640.jpg)
