Engraved frontis., three folding printed plates (one in red & black), and numerous woodcut diagrams & illus. in the text. 8 p.l. (incl. frontis.), 301, [9] pp. 4to, cont. vellum over boards, green silk ties. Rome: Varesi, 1665.

First edition of Kircher’s treatise on numerology, the “hidden mysteries” of the origins of numbers. “The Arithmologia, one of Kircher’s more curious works, is a veritable gold mine of curiosities: magic formulas, amulets, and symbolic matrices. For Kircher all knowledge was to some extent bound up in mystery, and this was particularly true of numerology…Kircher did not accept the mysticism uncritically, however. Indeed much of the work... More

Woodcut vignette of the instrument on title, one folding woodcut plate, & numerous woodcut diagrams & illus. in the text. 53, [1] pp. Small 4to, modern marbled boards. Mainz: B. Lipp, 1605.

First edition of the first work describing the construction of the compass of proportion, the first modern calculating instrument; it is an extremely rare book. The invention of this instrument by Jobst Bürgi (1552-1632), mechanician to Wilhelm IV, Landgrave of Hesse, had been first announced in 1604 by Levinus Hulsius, a full two years before Galileo announced the invention of this own version of the instrument. Because Hulsius offered Bürgi’s instrument for sale... More

Finely engraved frontis. (mounted on a stub at an early date). xvi, ix-xii, 306, lv pp. Small 8vo (165 x 100 mm.), cont. mottled sheep, green morocco lettering-pieces on spine, spine gilt. Paris: P. Prault & J. Barrois, 1747.

The uncommon catalogue of one of Gersaint’s great auctions, with his customary erudite descriptions. The Vicomte de Fonspertuis (1669-1747), “despite a Jansenist education, entered whole-heartedly into the life of the royal court and won the favour of Philippe II, Duc d’Orléans. He developed his love of art through his maternal uncle, Du Vivier, who bequeathed him his remarkable collection, rich in curiosities, East Asian porcelain and... More

One large & finely engraved folding plate & numerous woodcut diagrams in the text. 4 p.l., 40, 49-72 pp. (but quite complete). Small 4to, modern vellum-backed boards (minor browning). Amsterdam: W. Jansz, 1616.

First edition in German, originally published in Dutch in 1612; both editions are very rare. WorldCat lists no copy of either edition in North America.

In this work, Dou (1572-1635), land surveyor and gauger of wine for the city of Leiden, describes an instrument that is a derivative of the astrolabe. It is known as the “Holland Circle” or vollkreisgerätes, a circular surveying instrument with a compass in the center, two fixed... More

Two fine folding engraved plates (one of surveying instruments). 64 pp. 8vo, cont. green boards (spine a little rubbed). Augsburg: E. Kletts, 1780.

First edition. “This work describes a sighting instrument that could be used for general survey work. It is constructed much like a sector with sights, but some care has been taken in the mechanical arrangements with various locking devices and finely graduated scales. There is also a description of other simple instruments, such as a plane scale.”–Tomash & Williams B232.

Brander (1713-83), a member of the Academy of Sciences in Munich, was one of the most celebrated instrument makers... More

4 unnumbered pages. Small 8vo (200 x 125 mm.), orig. printed wrappers, staple-bound. [London: Gimpel Fils, 1948].

The very rare exhibition catalogue, with an invitation to the private viewing laid-in. Held at the Gimpel Fils gallery, this exhibition consisted of 13 paintings and 15 drawings by Modigliani. For almost every picture, details are provided of the lenders, exhibition history, and provenance. The art critic and much sought-after lecturer Eric Newton (1893-1965) has contributed a concise biography and analysis of the artist’s life. Sotheby’s auctioned Portrait of Baranowski (no. 1) for just over 16 million pounds in March 2017.

Very good copy. More

1 p.l., ii, 152 pp. Small 8vo (160 x 100 mm.), cont. calf-backed paste-paper boards (tail of spine worn), spine gilt, green morocco lettering-piece on spine. [Paris]: L’Imprimerie des Sciences et Arts, [?1801].

The uncommon second printing of this exhibition livret, with 945 works described. The present catalogue has combined the contents of two great exhibitions, the first of French and Flemish pictures, the other consisting of Italian paintings looted from Lombardy and Bologna. Both were held in the grande Galerie of the Musée central des Arts (now the Louvre). As explained in the Avertissement, the artworks from the exhibitions were combined into... More

25 color-printed double-page woodcut illus. & three color-printed full-page woodcut illus. 22; 18; 19; 21; 19; 17 folding leaves (some mis-paginations). Six vols. (numerated “1-6” in the first line of text of each vol.). 8vo, orig. speckled wrappers (rubbed), orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers (labels rubbed), early stitching. Edo: Ochakuya, ca. 1830-31.

First edition of this very rare erotic story of the famous Tamamo-no-Mae, a legendary figure in Japanese mythology. She is based on Huli jing, the nine-tailed fox, a Chinese mythological creature who could be either a good or bad spirit. In Japan, the fox metamorphosizes into the beautiful and intelligent Tamamo-no-Mae. Employing this deception... More

152 pp. 8vo, orig. pink printed wrappers bound in attractive modern marbled wrappers. [From the upper wrapper]: “Perthes & Besser Buchhandlung Hamburg 1816.”

Following a nine-year apprenticeship, Friedrich Christoph Perthes (1772-1843), established his own book business in 1796. Two years later, he entered into a partnership with his brother-in-law, Johann Heinrich Besser (1775-1826). They soon became one of the leading publishing and bookselling firms of northern Germany. During the Napoleonic period, Perthes experienced many difficulties caused by his public resistance to French influences and was forced to leave Hamburg.

This remarkable priced catalogue lists about 3000 books published in Britain and France from 1812... More

1 p.l., 114 pp. Small 8vo, attractive modern marbled wrappers. Würzburg: J.S. Richter, 1827.

The very rare auction catalogue — Loh, Vol. 7, p. 219, locates no copy — of the books, prints, and music offered for sale by the Würzburg bookseller and taxation official Louis. He died on 6 January 1828, two weeks before the sale. The sale was postponed, and his wife later held the auction in the autumn.

The catalogue has about 2000 lots, with excellent collections of medicine, surgery, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, pharmacology, botany, natural history, art, and philosophy. More

Engraved frontis. port. of Jenner, engraved vignette on title, & four folding engraved plates, each finely hand-colored. 223, [2] pp. Large 4to, cont. vellum over boards (covers somewhat stained, upper hinge cracked but strong), spine gilt, red leather lettering piece on spine. Milan: Tipografia Mussi, 1809.

First edition. Sacco (1769-1836), was Italy’s first and most enthusiastic supporter of Jennerian vaccination and the first vaccinator in Lombardy, where smallpox was eliminated within three years. After Jenner’s own works, this is one of the most important early treatments of the subject and the first major Italian treatise on vaccination. It had an enormous effect in swaying... More

Four very large woodblock printed folding plates, many tables & diagrams in the text. 2, 8, 19 folding leaves. Large 8vo (255 x 183 mm.), orig. aubergine semi-stiff patterned wrappers, orig. block-printed title label on upper cover, new stitching. [Japan]: 1857.

The very rare first edition in Japanese of an elaborate analysis of the muzzle-loading Minié rifle, an innovative French infantry weapon of the mid-19th century. The translator, Kosaburo Akamatsu (1831-67), was a rangaku scholar and an important military scientist. He translated several other Western military works. This is a translation of Booms’s Verhandeling over het schot der draagbare vuurwapens (1st ed.: 1855). Booms (1822-97) was a.... More