Three full-page woodcuts. 20, 33; 27; 20; 30 folding leaves. Four parts in two vols. Large 8vo, orig. wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. [Japan]: colophon in Vol. II dated 1669.

“It was not until the seventeenth century that the first Japanese version of the Chinese Buddhist canon was printed, and it was rapidly followed by a second. Thanks to the late date, the circumstances of their production and their subsequent fates are better known than for many of the earlier continental editions. The first version was printed using movable type in 1637-48 by Tenkai (1586-1643), a monk who was in the... More

Two parts in one vol. 60 folding leaves. 8vo, orig. aubergine patterned wrappers (covers a little defective), orig. block-printed title label on upper cover (label soiled & rubbed), new stitching. Osaka: Harimaya Risuke, 1843 [colophon of the first part is dated 1667; the second part is dated 1816; & the colophon on the rear pastedown is dated 1843].

Second edition of two classic works of Japanese bibliography; the texts were essential guides. Razan Hayashi (1583-1657), was a Japanese neo-Confucian scholar, diplomat, translator of Sinitic texts, and shogunal adviser. He, and his third son Gaho, wrote and edited a number of important chronicles and histories of Japan. One... More

1 p.l., 333 pp. 8vo, cont. marbled half-calf & marbled boards (corners slightly rounded), spine ornately gilt, red morocco lettering-piece on spine. Berlin: H. Frölich, 1801.

First edition and an attractive copy of this important conservative analysis of the French Revolution and the resulting disruptions throughout Europe. Gentz (1764-1832), a prolific author and zealous critic of the Revolution and Napoleon, studied under Kant in Königsberg. During his years as a lower-level government official in Berlin, he wrote several essays and books to great acclaim, including a very successful translation of Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France. Aware of his significant influence... More

155, [5] pp. including order form, list of board of directors & credits, & map of store location. Large 4to, color printed wrappers (lower cover slightly worn), staple bound, title on spine. [New York: Printed Matter, Inc., 1981].

The now rare 1981 Printed Matter catalogue, which is an invaluable resource for bibliographic information of early artists’ books. It describes over 1600 books, audio works, and periodicals, by almost 1000 artists, with many illustrations. Upon the completion of the catalogue, Nan Becker, then a Printed Matter employee and soon after director, said in an interview: “It was an immense task and we did it within one... More

3 pp. Small 8vo, modern calf-backed marbled semi-stiff boards (spine slightly rubbed), spine gilt. [Paris: 1769].

An interleaved and annotated copy of this rare catalogue. Amand (1730-69), winner of the 1756 Prix de Rome for his Samson and Delilah (now at the Landesmuseum in Mainz), studied under Jean Baptiste Marie Pierre and became a member of the Académie in 1767. He is very probably the “Jean François Amand or Aman” known to be working in Rome in 1759. From a printed note at the end of the catalogue, we learn that Amand died during a stay in Rome where he was a.... More

19 folding engraved plates. vii, [1], 411 pp. Thick 8vo, a fine Scottish “herringbone” binding of cont. dark green morocco (foot of upper joint with one small & careful repair), sides richly gilt in a “herringbone” design, spine richly gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine, a.e.g. Edinburgh: A. Millar & J. Nourse, 1761.

First edition, thick paper copy, bound in dark green morocco with a most handsome contemporary Scottish “herringbone” design. Stewart (1717-85), was the successor to Colin Maclaurin in the chair of mathematics at Edinburgh and established his reputation as a mathematician by the publication of his General Theorems (1746). Michel Chasles... More

16 pp. 8vo, attractive modern marbled wrappers, printed paper label on upper cover. [Boston: 1840].

Little, Brown, one of the greatest names in American publishing, started in 1837 as booksellers, specializing in “publishing, importing, and selling of books.” This is one of their earliest lists.

Fine copy. More

Numerous woodcut illus. (some full-page) in the text. 90 folding leaves. Small 8vo, orig. patterned wrappers, new stitching. Edo: 1772.

First edition. Nishimura, who lived in the 17th century, was an author of novels, a haiku master, and publisher of medical books.

This book combines his two works on cuisine. The first part is devoted to Fucha vegetarian cuisine, derived from Chinese Buddhism. The remainder of the book is concerned with Shippoku cuisine, a fusion of Chinese, Japanese, and Western cuisine originating in Nagasaki. A primary characteristic of Shippoku cuisine is jikabashi, the seating of the diners around one common round table... 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

Ten albums, nine in oblong 8vo & one in 8vo format, orig. wrappers, new stitching. More than 250 illus., mostly in grey wash but many in color. Japan: first half of the 20th century.

Bonseki, the construction of miniature landscapes out of sand, stones, and pebbles, can trace its origins in Japan to Emperor Tenmu in the mid-7th century. The concept of bonseki most likely was brought from China through landscape painting. It is believed that a number of gardens in Kyoto were designed using bonseki as temporary models.

These miniature landscapes were created on oval, round, or rectangular black lacquer trays, measuring about 600 x 350 mm., using sifted sands of varying coarseness, stones, and colored pebbles of different sizes, creating mountains, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, seashores, hills, islands, and gardens. Small delicate tools such as spoons, small sieves, tiny brooms, chopsticks, and feathers were used. Miniature structures made of painted copper were sometimes added to make houses, temples, bridges, etc. More

xiv, 336 pp., 19 pp. of printed price list. 8vo, later red half-pebbled cloth and marbled boards (upper cover slightly rubbed), spine lettered in gilt. Paris: Regnault & Silvestre, 1805.

The important sale catalogue of an art critic and early chronicler of the Salons. Saint-Yves (1717-1804), was a member of a well-known family of oculists. He became a prodigious and eclectic collector, having inherited a large fortune from his father, Etienne. The younger Saint-Yves was a considerable buyer at the Mariette, Boucher, Jullienne, Huquier, Neyman, Conti, and van Loo sales and owned complete collections of works by Dürer, Sadeler, Lucas de Leyde, S. Beham... More

Formal banquets, created by hochonin (chefs and carvers) for daimyo, shoguns, aristocrats, and the emperor, at which ceremonial cuisine was served in late medieval and early modern Japan, oftentimes required that the food not be eaten. “Avoiding eating was often the most polite thing to do at a formal banquet…In extreme instances, a guest might sit down to an elaborate and visually stunning banquet in which only a small number of dishes could be eaten. To know what to do in these circumstances, diners had to rely on past custom, visual cues, and a familiarity with the symbolic associations of... More