Imperial coat-of-arms vignette on title. xii, 28 pp. 8vo (215 x 132 mm.), late 19th-century blue sheep backed-marbled boards (upper & lower joints split but holding), title on spine. Paris: L’Auteur, 1809.

The large-paper version of this unusually finely printed auction catalogue detailing the personal collection of a history painter who was reçu by the Académie Royale in 1761. Belle (1722-1806), a pupil of François Lemoyne, worked at the Gobelins manufactory from 1755, where he adapted pictures by his contemporaries as well as his own designs into painted tapestry cartoons. His lengthy career saw him commissioned by the Comte d’Angiviller to design a tapestry... More

Five vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers (some browning), new stitching. [China] Preface dated 1755, but probably printed in the 19th century.

A reprint, of uncertain date, of the famous Manchu-Chinese edition commissioned and sponsored by the Emperor Qianlong, of The Four Books of Confucianism, which, together with The Five Classics, make up the basic canon of Confucianism. During the Ming and Qing dynasties The Four Books were made the core of the official curriculum for the civil service examinations.

An intellectual and ardent Confucian, Emperor Qianlong ordered standardized, fully annotated translations of The Four Books and The Five Classics into Manchu that... More

Numerous woodcut illustrations in the text. Title-page, 31 folding leaves, one leaf of colophon. 8vo, orig. patterned blue semi-stiff wrappers, orig. block-printed title label on upper cover (label rubbed), new stitching. Tokyo, Kyoto, & Osaka: 1864.

First edition and rare. Imamura (1814-90), was a leading physician and historian of Japanese medicine of his period. Professor of medicine at Tokyo University, he was physician to the future Emperor Taisho when he was a youth.

Imamura found that many of the contemporary Japanese works on acupuncture had strayed from the classic teachings of the Chinese physicians. In this work, he makes a series of corrections... More

Three engraved plates. viii, 53 pp., [3] pages of schedule of sale. 8vo (201 x 125 mm.), gray modern cloth-backed marbled boards, title on spine. Paris: Delaroche, Billaudel & Balbastre, 1813.

A scarce example of an illustrated sale catalogue from the period, it contains three nicely engraved plates of works by Murillo, de Morales, and Rubens (most copies lack the plates). Lugt erroneously records the seller as “Billaudet.” The RKD copy has an inscription on the title-page linking the contents of the sale to Billaudel, whose name, curiously, is also found in the imprint. Billaudel concurrently operated as a dealer and painter, and it seems that... More

Text illus. [17] pp. (incl. inside of lower wrapper). 4to, orig. printed wrappers, staple-bound. New York: [1979 or 1980].

An important and rare document of Printed Matter’s early efforts to champion the relevance and accessibility of artists’ books. The store’s staff, Nancy Linn (director), Nan Becker, and Mike Glier, compiled this starter collection of 200 books, which they describe on the upper wrapper. The books could be purchased en bloc for $1300, in a 10-book sample for $50, or individually.

From the upper wrapper: “As we prepare for the 80’s, it is time to review the first years of artists’ book publishing. Artists’ books... More

Many text & full-page illus. [20] pp. 8vo, pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Docking, Norfolk: 1992.

An uncommon Coracle catalogue, with many illustrations of the publications offered. It lists multiples, books, prints, and exhibition catalogues by Marie Bourget, Bill Culbert, Simon Cutts, Stephen Duncalf, Paul Lincoln, Colin Sackett, Yoko Terauchi, Erica van Horn, Richard Tuttle, etc. Most of the items are thoroughly described.

This catalogue was likely distributed through Coracle’s London bookstore, workfortheeyetodo, which is described on the inside of the lower wrapper as “an accumulative book space, index and agency: a location referencing the purpose of publication as a model of self-organisation and availability.” More

[15] pp. (incl. inside wrappers). 8vo, pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. London: 1990.

A very rare Coracle catalogue; WorldCat notes only one copy, in Italy. With priced listings for books, prints, and pamphlets by Tony Cragg, Alan Charlton, Cutts, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Colin Sackett, Richard Tuttle, Erica van Horn, Jonathan Williams, Yoko Terauchi, Stephen Willats, Andy Goldsworthy, Richard Long, etc.

Fine copy. Cover illustration (“Rubber Coracle”) by Sackett. More

Unpaginated. Small 4to, orig. pictorial wrappers. London: 2002.

A scarce Coracle catalogue. In fine condition.

❧ A. Desjardin, The Book on Books on Artists Books (2nd ed.: 2013) 377. More

Woodcut device on title. 166, [1] pp. Small 8vo, cont. vellum over limp boards (lower cover a little defective, minor worming in lower margin but touching one letter of imprint). Paris: F. Targa, 1627.

First edition of a work of the greatest importance in the history of book collecting and libraries; Naudé’s bibliographic canon still influences us today. The first edition is a very rare book; its continuing importance is attested to by the many reprints in French and translations into other languages well into the 20th century.

In this first comprehensive guide devoted to how to form a library, Naudé (1600-53), Cardinal Mazarin’s librarian, also stresses the importance of making the library available to the public. Naudé wrote that it was necessary to gather all types of books, regardless of the author’s religion or political beliefs. He “advised collectors to buy books on all subjects, taking pains to seek out the best commentaries and critical editions; the contents were all-important, and nothing was to be bought on account of its antiquity, appearance or associations.”–Hobson, Great Libraries, p. 14. More

8 p.l., 80 pp. Small 8vo, attractive antique calf-backed marbled boards. Bremen: 1688.

First edition and scarce; WorldCat locates only two copies in North America. “In Germany, no greater supporter, and conveyer into the German context, of the reforming ideas of Bontekoe, Overkamp, Blankaart and Muys could be found during their own time, or later, than Janusz Abraham Gehema (1647-1715). The Danzig-born son of Abraham Jakobson, an ennobled Polish official, chief administrative officer and royal chamberlain to the King of Poland, Janusz Abraham, from the age of fourteen, served in the Polish army as well as with foreign troops…In 1672, his military... More

Two parts in one vol. Small folio, orig. wrappers (somewhat tired & a little soiled, some light staining & soiling here & there), manuscript title on upper cover, later stitching. [Hansong (Seoul): Kyujanggak (the Royal Library), Preface dated 1793 & 1796].

First edition of this handsome and large-format (323 x 217 mm.) royal publication. King Chongjo (1752-1800), was one of the most intellectual and enlightened of the Korean monarchs. Perhaps Korea’s greatest bibliophile, as royal patron he supported all aspects of the book: typographers, printers, authors, librarians, and lexicographers. A number of “royal” editions were published under his auspices. He founded the Kyujanggak Library in 1776... More

[16] leaves. Small 4to, attractive antique calf-backed marbled boards. Frankfurt am Main: N. Bassée, 1597.

The spring 1597 catalogue of the Frankfurt Book Fair; WorldCat locates no copy in North America. The Frankfurt catalogues, issued twice a year by Georg Willer starting in the autumn of 1564, created a revolution for the book trade. “Before that date printers visiting the fair must have had to write out by hand countless lists of new books to send to their customers: thereafter they could send copies of the fair catalogue to the local booksellers all over Europe, who in turn passed them on... More