Calligraphic general title, two calligraphic divisional titles for Parts II and III, & some decorative vignettes, all in pen & ink. Each page with a ruled border. Three parts in one vol. 4 p.l., 1557 pp., 16 leaves. Thick folio (355 x 215 mm.), cont. blindstamped pigskin over heavy wooden boards, orig. clasps & catches. Ochsenhausen, Upper Swabia: 1775-[85].

One of the most remarkable and seemingly contradictory items I have had: a medical manuscript on the subject of health and materia medica, written by a town executioner. Well into the 19th century, executioners, who had considerable knowledge of the human anatomy from their work as hangmen, beheaders... More

Edited by A. Capella. 87 fine woodcut plates & 183 woodcut diagrams in the margins. Title printed in red & black. 6 p.l., 33, [1 blank leaf], 26 leaves. Small folio (288 x 201 mm.), cont. vellum over boards (binding a little soiled, first & last leaf very slightly soiled), upper cover with the legend “Divina Propor” on a scroll in an early hand, remains of ties. [Venice]: P. de Paganini, [June 1509].

First edition and a fine, unpressed, and large copy of this great book of the Italian Renaissance, which contains the handsome woodcut illustrations from designs by Leonardo da Vinci; the importance of this book for the study of... More

Large woodcut diagram on title & more than 300 woodcut diagrams in the text. 2 p.l., 310, [1] pp. Small folio, cont. dark green morocco, arms of Charles de Valois on sides & his monogram in corners (Olivier 2600, fers 6 & 7), triple gilt fillet round sides, flat spine divided into seven compartments, six with monogram repeated, a.e.g. Pesaro: G. Concordia, 1600.

First edition of this important landmark in the history of the science of perspective and a precious copy from the library of Charles of Valois (1573-1650), finely bound in contemporary green morocco with his arms. Charles was the natural son of Charles IX and was... More

Numerous woodcuts throughout. 20.5; 16; 14; 14; 15, 10 folding leaves. Six vols. bound in five. 8vo, orig. wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers (wrappers somewhat rubbed, upper cover of the final vol. slightly soiled), new stitching. Kyoto: Izumiya Mohee; Edo: Izumiya Jiroemon, 1704.

First edition and quite rare. Inoue, who lived in Kyoto on Takoyakushi Street (“Octopus Doctor Street”), was a highly skilled maki-e artist, who applied a variety of metal powders including gold, silver, copper, etc., in the final step of decorating highly elaborate lacquerware. In 1705, he published a work on the art of maki-e.

This is an early, detailed, and encyclopedic guide to the art of the tea ceremony with numerous illustrations. In the first volume, Inoue describes the correct state of mind for the ceremony, the correct posture, the proper placement of charcoal, how to handle the ladle and tools, and how to whisk the tea and hold the tea bowl when drinking tea. Vol. II is concerned with the architectural details of the tea ceremony room, with floor plans and illustrations of the correct display of tools and flower arrangements, the types of charcoal, etc. More

Color illus. throughout. [14] leaves. Small folio, semi-stiff pictorial wrappers, stitched. Neuchâtel, Switzerland: Centre d’art Neuchâtel, 2018.

Very rare Jonathan Monk (b. 1969) exhibition catalogue; unrecorded on WorldCat. The artist’s first show under this name was held in May-July 1997, the second occurred March-May 2015, both taking place at the Centre. The catalogue consists of photographs from both exhibits on facing pages.

As new. More

24 brush & ink illus. (some double-page), many in fine color or heightened in red ink. 95 folding leaves. 8vo (238 x 168 mm.), orig. decorated wrappers, new stitching. [Japan]: “copied 1805.”

An early copy of the Japanese account of the first official Russian mission to Japan, headed by the Russian military officer Adam Kirillovich Laxman (or Laksman) (1766-1806?). With this mission, Russia became the first foreign country to request a secluded Japan to broaden its trade relations beyond China and the Dutch. Commissioned by Catherine the Great to return three Japanese shipwrecked sailors to their home country, Laxman’s expedition would in reality serve as a.... More

[Japan]: May 1711.

This kosatsu (official wooden bulletin or notice board) provides an important historical reminder of the extraordinary risks to communities suspected of faith in Christ during the long era of the Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians) in Japan. The communal — not just individual — risk was enormous. Authorities in every city displayed kosatsu in public spaces — mounted on a pole, hung at village government sites (of which ours shows evidence), or secured to a bigger structure located in strategic areas (crossroads, vicinity of bridges, harbors, etc.). They were generally inscribed with regulations, edicts, and notices.

Our Kirishitan kosatsu is rather unusual as it includes the name of the bugyo who issued it. More

Two engraved titles; a printed title to Vol. I with an engraved vignette; engraved ports. of Kircher & Pope Alexander VII; 19 engraved plates & maps (12 folding or double-page), volvelles in Vol. I at pp. 132, 154, & 156; engraved slip in Vol. II at p. 385; a woodcut slip at p. 30 in Vol. II; numerous engravings & woodcuts in the text; 7 printed tables (6 of which are double-page or folding). 14 p.l., 346, [6] pp.; 5 p.l., 487, [9] pp. Two vols. in one. Folio, cont. mottled sheep (ends of spine a bit worn, minor rubbing, occasional bit of foxing), spine richly gilt. Amsterdam: J. Jansson & E. Weyerstraten, 1665.

First edition of this famous and appealing book; it “must always command a high place in the literature as the first effort to describe the earth from a physical standpoint.”–Zittel, p. 25. This work is concerned with geology, mineralogy, mining, astronomy, chemistry, and physics. More

Finely engraved title-page, engraved port. of the author, 111 engraved plates on 91 sheets (3 are folding, engraved volvelle at p. 364 with orig. red silk thread), & numerous engravings in the text. Printed title in red & black. 14 p.l., 563 pp. Folio, fine cont. Dutch vellum over boards (upper joint a little cracked but strong), panelled in blind, covers with arabesque in center of panel, remains of ties. Danzig: Autoris sumtibus, 1647.

[bound with]:

—. Epistolae II. Prior: De Motu Lunae Libratorio, in certas Tabulas redacto… Ad Johannes Bapt. Ricciolum…Posterior: De utriusquè Luminaris defectu Anni 1654. Ad…Petrum Nucerum. Finely engraved vignette on title, one engraving in... More

Two vols. Text vol.: two folding printed tables. xv, 735 pp., one leaf of errata. 8vo, attractive antique calf-backed marbled boards (several signatures foxed), flat spine gilt. [with]: Atlas vol.: 40 plates, most of them colored & folded, many of them signed by the author, and nine printed sheets, each of a different color, and two printed leaves of text (including title). Large 4to, binding as above. Paris: Pitois-Levrault, 1839.

First edition of this classic work — one of the most influential treatises on color of the 19th century — by the great French chemist Chevreul (1786-1889).

“Chevreul made an intensive study of the principles governing the contrast of colors, which resulted in his monumental De la loi du contraste simultané des couleurs (1839), the most influential of his many books. This book was the outcome of his discovery that the apparent intensity and vigor of colors depended less on the pigmentation of the material used than on the hue of the neighboring fabric. After many experiments on color contrast Chevreul formulated for the first time the general principles and effects of simultaneous contrast, the modification in hue and tone that occurs when juxtaposed colors are seen simultaneously…Chevreul designed his De la loi du contraste simultané less for scientists than for painters, designers, and decorators. He devoted much of the book to the applications of the principles of contrast to the various problems that the artist and designer encounter in the use of color and to the harmonizing of colors and their use as agents of pictorial harmony…The neo-impressionist painters derived their methods of painting from Chevreul’s principles, applying separate touches of pure colors to the canvas and allowing the eye of the observer to combine them.”–D.S.B., III, p. 241. More

26 folding leaves (first & last leaves pasted-down as endpapers). Large 8vo (297 x 204 mm.), orig. decorated semi-stiff wrappers, new stitching. [Japan]: early-mid-19th century.

A beautifully rendered album on special thick paper, depicting, in 76 highly finished images, a series of edible (and a few poisonous) fish, crustaceans, sea cucumbers, and a seal. The unidentified artist (see below) was clearly very accomplished; the watercolors are finely executed with rich and realistic colors, employing the full range of effects used in luxury Japanese books and manuscripts, including mica (to provide an iridescence), silver, and a white pigment made from ground-up seashells that provides... More

Many black & white illus., four original artist’s “pageworks” by Albrecht D., and photograph pasted to lower wrapper. 8vo (280 x 108 mm.) & 4to (210 x 220 mm.), orig. green printed wrappers, staple-bound. San Francisco: S. Leiber, April 1998.

Steven Leiber’s 33rd catalogue; it is tantamount to a comprehensive bibliographic survey of the German artist Albrecht D. and his Reflection Press. The book’s leaves, printed in two sizes, are bound in alternating format, corresponding to the materials they describe. The catalogue’s format imitates several works created by Albrecht D. (b. 1944). Leiber includes a concise history of the Reflection Press and a useful biography of... More