Two added engraved titles, 97 plates (many folding), and 287 engraved illus. & several woodcuts in the text. 14 p.l. (incl. added engraved title), 520, [4], 76, 119, [12] pp.; 12 p.l. (incl. added engraved title), 196, 116 pp.; 4 p.l., 228, [11] pp. Three vols. in two. Folio, cont. mottled calf (extremities a bit rubbed & worn), sides ruled in gilt, spines nicely gilt, black & red morocco lettering pieces on spines. Frankfurt am Main: J.D. Zunner, 1714-14-14.

First complete edition, comprising the second issue of Vol. I (1st: 1704) and first editions of Vols. II and III, printed... More

Four folding engraved plates. xlvii, [1], 589, [2] pp., 2 leaves of Approbation; 1 p.l., 284, 256 pp. Two vols. 8vo, cont. mottled calf (two corners & ends of spine a little worn), spines gilt, red morocco lettering pieces on spines. Paris: Durand & Pissot, 1753.

First edition in French (1st ed.: 1747) of the author’s “first great work, which was received as an outstanding handbook of contemporary knowledge; never before had such a wealth of minerals been presented so systematically. Wallerius’ clear and precise descriptions, which gave more weight to essential chemical properties than to exterior appearance, opened a.... More

Scroll (273 x 13,760 mm.). At end (in trans.): “All the images are of the whaling at Taiji…April 1857, Tennojiya Shinsuke owned.”

A remarkable, long, and vividly rendered whaling scroll, from Wakayama Prefecture, depicting the whaling activities in unusual detail, of the famous town of Taiji and its bay (“Taiji ura”), the site of the annual dolphin slaughter, featured in the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary The Cove. Taiji has long been known as a whaling town, and its history is essentially the history of whaling in Japan. In the 17th century, whalers of the town developed a series of more sophisticated... More

Ca. 100 fine paintings of varities of chrysanthemums, using brush & color washes. 22 folding leaves. 8vo (268 x 193 mm.), orig. semi-stiff wrappers, new stitching. [Japan]: late Edo.

A beautiful album of about 100 paintings of wild Japanese chrysanthemums. Almost all the specimens are neatly labelled with their Japanese names. The chrysanthemum came from China to Japan as a medicinal plant in the Nara period (710-93) and became revered by royalty as a symbol of longevity. From the Kamakura period (1192-1333) to this day, the chrysanthemum has been the emblem of the royal family.

The thick white pigment, derived... More

30; 32; 38; 40 folding leaves. Four vols. Large 8vo, orig. dark green patterned wrappers (some worming touching but not obscuring text), orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. Kyoto: Fushimiya Toemon, colophon dated “1683.”

First edition to be published in Japan of this important encyclopedic work, printed in Chinese with Japanese reading marks. One of the first encyclopedias compiled in China, it was written by Hua Zhang (232-300), statesman, book collector, scholar, writer, and protoscientist, who also wrote, with Xu Xun, the famous catalogue of the imperial library known as Zhongjing bu [Catalogue of the Palace Texts]... More