Mid-Edo period.

An extremely rare survival: an uncommonly tall and large wooden training mannequin, called in Japan do-ningyo (“copper doll,” even those no longer made of bronze), in very good condition. It is most unusual to have such a mannequin of a female; the male figure is usually presented. Certain motifs of the model suggest it was carved in the Chinese or Indian style.

The first examples of similar models originated in 11th-century China, where life-size human acupuncture figures were cast from bronze. “The metal walls of the figures were pierced with small holes corresponding to the principal loci for... More

[Japan: early Meiji, ca. 1875].

An unusually finely illustrated scroll on copper refining, illustrated by Suian Hirafuku.

The Ani-kozan silver and copper mine in Akita prefecture has been in operation since the late 16th century. Silver was extracted in the early years. In 1672, veins of copper ore were discovered there, and by 1716 it became the largest producer of copper in Japan. The copper was ultimately shipped to Nagasaki for export by the Dutch East India Company to European and Asian markets. By the late 1670s, Japan had become the largest copper producing and exporting country in the world (replacing... More

Engraved frontis. [72] (incl. frontis.), 1048, [285] pp. Thick 8vo, cont. grey paste-paper boards (one corner a little jammed). Leipzig: Widow of B.C. Fritsch, [Preface dated 1747].

The very rare sale catalogue of the large and important library formed by one of the great collectors of 18th-century Germany. Rink (1670-1746), professor of law and history at the University of Altdorf, was one of the leading international lawyers of his time and an active writer in the areas of his specialties. He formed several outstanding collections, including one of medals (a catalogue of which was published in 1766), a natural history cabinet, and an... More

A fascinating collection of about 85 booksellers’ catalogues, mostly German, dating from 1795 to 1840, all coming from the Wittelsbach library of the dukes and kings of Bavaria. Mostly 8vo or small 8vo, bound in the original wrappers or boards, some stitched as issued, some self-bound. Germany: 1795-1840.

A collection of about 85 publishers’ and booksellers’ catalogues coming from the Wittelsbach library at Tegernsee, the “summer home” library of the royal family of Bavaria. This collection offers an excellent view of how the royal family of Bavaria acquired new books for their personal reading pleasure and use. The kings and dukes of Bavaria... More

Large engraved vignette on title. Title in red & black. 8 p.l., 626, [69] pp. Folio, cont. blind-stamped pigskin over wooden boards, arms on covers effaced. Lyon: J. & P. Prost, 1636.

First edition, Schuh’s issue B (no stated priority) with the dedication to Charles de Neufville. “Very scarce. Compendium of all the author ever discovered or read about the subject of mineralogy. It was published posthumously from notes he left by his Order at Lyon six years after his death. Printed in a double column format in a relatively small type-size, the work is a vast storehouse of all things mineralogical, including new ideas... More

Fifteen engraved plates (on 8 sheets). 16 p.l., 520 pp. 4to, cont. sheep-backed paste-paper boards (head of spine a bit chipped), spine gilt, contrasting leather lettering piece on spine. Rostock & Greifswald: A.F. Röse, 1765.

First edition. "The Theoria motus corporum solidorum...is related to the Mechanica. In the introduction to this work, Euler gave a new exposition of punctual mechanics and followed Maclaurin's example (1742) in projecting the forces onto the axes of a fixed orthogonal rectilinear system. Establishing that the instantaneous motion of a solid body might be regarded as composed of rectilinear translation and instant rotation, Euler devoted special attention... More

4 p.l., 162 leaves. Small 4to, cont. blindstamped panelled pigskin, remains of two deerskin ties. Zurich: C. Froschauer, 1542.

First edition of a very rare book on the market; this is a lovely fresh copy in contemporary blind-stamped pigskin. This, Gesner’s second botanical work, is “an alphabetically arranged catalog of plant names in four languages, the first of its kind, and an indication of the growing interest in botany beyond purely philological investigations into the writings of the classics. The Greek names are based on the works of Dioscorides. This early work is already characteristic of Gessner’s life-long endeavour to arrange scientific... More

Photographic album, stamped on upper cover “Kembs,” containing 40 fine black & white photographs, each measuring 163 x 218 mm. & each mounted on thick board, all with printed explanatory descriptions above & below. Oblong small folio (250 x 335 mm.), orig. half-cloth & marbled boards, sewn. Photographs dated between April 1929 and October 1933.

The construction of the “Grand Canal d’Alsace,” which channeled the hitherto unnavigable Upper Rhine River, was one of the most important civil engineering projects in France of the last century. About 50 kilometers long and running between Kembs (just below Basel) and Vogelgrun, it permits the navigation of ships and barges between Basel (a city which... More

34 painted scenes, using brush and colors, on 136 pages. Text written in a very legible hand. 29; 23; 22; 21; 25; 28; 20; 32; 21; 21 folding leaves. Ten vols. 8vo (265 x 185 mm.), orig. wrappers, new stitching. [Japan: ca. 1811 or shortly thereafter].

This very beautiful manuscript depicts and describes the famous “Seven Hot Springs at Hakone” and surrounding mountainous landscapes. These spas, and the beautiful landscapes in which they are located, have been known and enjoyed since the 12th century; they play an important role in the cultural and artistic imagination of the Japanese. The waters are also considered to have important medicinal qualities.

Our superbly illustrated manuscript is one of several early copies (there is another in the National Diet Library), probably derived from a scroll of “Shichito no shiori.” They served as pictorial guides to the seven main hot springs (onsen) of Hakone. The author of the text was Roka Sanjin, and the whole work was edited by Bunso Shujin, both of whom have furnished Prefaces in the first volume. There follows an index for all ten volumes. A history of onsen is provided with discussions of their medical benefits. More

Numerous woodcut illus. in the text including one with three moving volvelles & another with one volvelle. 12 folded leaves; 14 folded leaves; 17 folding leaves. Three vols. 8vo, orig. patterned wrappers with orig. block printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. Osaka: 1808.

First edition of this very rare encyclopedia based on Dutch science and medicine. The first volume deals with western astronomy and discusses Newton’s theory of gravitation, the surface of the moon, the use of the telescope, and the laws of optics. Vol. II describes earthquakes, rainbows, meteorology including typhoons, barometers, lightning and thunder, magnetism, etc.

The third volume is devoted to the anatomy of the human body, psychology, pharmaceutical recipes to cure migraines, abortion, urinalysis, electro therapy, etc., etc. More

23 full-page & 11 double-page woodcut colored illus. 22; 19;15 folding leaves. Three vols. 8vo, orig. patterned semi-stiff wrappers, each decorated on the covers with what appear to be stencilled nature motifs, orig. block-printed vignette labels pasted on upper covers, new stitching. [Japan]: n.d. [but WorldCat suggests 1861-64].

This set is composed of the first two volumes of the second series and the third volume of the first series of this superbly illustrated shunga parody of The Tale of Genji. There seems to be no surviving complete set of the three-volume first series, and we can trace only two sets of the complete three-volume... More

Title within ornate woodcut architectural border. Woodcut printer’s device on title. 26 unnumbered leaves. Small folio, cont. pigskin-backed wooden boards, spine & boards stamped in blind, orig. brass catches on upper cover, one (of two) orig. clasps. Paris: N. de La Barre for E. Le Fevre, 6 October 1515.

[bound with]:

—. Arithmetica Speculativa…duodecim libris demonstrata. Title within ornate woodcut architectural border which is printed in red & black. Woodcut printer’s device on title. Several woodcuts in the text. 100 unnumbered leaves. Small folio (some foxing). Paris: N. de La Barre for E. Le Fevre, 18 December 1515. More