One folding engraved plate. 12 p.l., 577, [27] pp. 8vo, cont. half-vellum & paste-paper boards. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck, 1787.

Third edition, greatly enlarged and improved (1st ed.: 1777) of the first textbook of technology, a term created by its author. Beckmann (1739-1811), taught at the University of Göttingen, where an ordinary professorship of economic sciences was established for him in 1770. He lectured on mineralogy, agriculture, technology, materials science, commerce, and general public administration.

The present book “is noteworthy for its systematic approach to the various vocations and for its descriptions of a number of trades.”–D.S.B., I, p. 554. Beckmann describes... More

Eight engraved plates & one folding engraved map. xix, 247 pp.; 2 p.l., 285 pp. Two vols. 8vo, cont. mottled calf (extremities a bit rubbed), flat spines gilt. Geneva: J.P. Bonnant, 1781 [an early owner has added two I’s the Roman numeral date making it “1783”].

First edition and rather scarce. Bourrit (1735-1815), the son of a watchmaker in Geneva, was one of the first to systematically explore and record the Alps and their geological features. In the years 1784-85 he was the first to attempt the ascent of Mont Blanc (not conquered until 1786). In 1787 he reopened the... More

59 leaves, enumerating the names of grapes, cereal crops, and oils and their prices for nearly two centuries. Small folio (273 x 178 mm.), 18th-cent. vellum over boards (tail of spine defective), two (of four) ties lacking. Burgundy: 1622-1792.

A fascinating and rare survival, which details the precipitous rise in the prices of Burgundian wine and the emergence of a hierarchy among regions and vintages over a 170-year period. This document, consisting of three gatherings (28; 28; 3 leaves), bound together and written in several legible hands, provides a wealth of information on grain harvests in the region, which varied... More

Scroll (385 x 8560 mm.), with fine colored paintings, using brush, ink, & various colors of wash, of the route and major features along the way. [Japan:] mid-Edo.

The route from Edo (today’s Tokyo) to Nagasaki (and vice versa), by land and by sea, was one of the major thoroughfares and trade routes of Edo-period Japan. The Dutch and Chinese had been allowed to establish exclusive trading outposts in Nagasaki, and Edo was the heart of domestic commerce and administration. Foreign goods, especially silks, other luxury items, raw materials useful to the military, and medicinal goods, flowed through Nagasaki to... More

4 p.l., 74, [2] pp. 8vo, cont. green straight-grained sheep maroquiné, sides decorated in gilt, flat spine gilt, a.e.g. Cuneo: P. Rossi, 1812.

First edition and a very rare provincial imprint. Ghiliossi, a resident of Cuneo in the Piedmont of northern Italy, was active in developing the agriculture and industries of the Cuneo area. The silk industry began to develop in the region in the 16th century and, by the early 19th century, became the predominant commercial activity.

In this work, Ghiliossi provides an excellent history of the growth of industry in Cuneo. He then goes on to the process... More

Printed on one side. Postcard, mailed. New York: John Weber Gallery, [1981].

Postcard invitation for Haacke’s 1981 presentation at John Weber Gallery. Fine, mailed to photographer Eve Sonneman. More

Title within typographical border (shaved at foot). 2 p.l., 14 pp., one blank leaf. Small 4to, attractive antique panelled calf (some shaving to bottom line or catchwords on several pages), spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. London: Printed by J.C., 1651.

First edition. “The Reformed Husbandman…is sometimes attributed to Speed, although it was probably written by Cressy Dymock…It is a pamphlet of some 16 pages and full of moral reflections, a melodious exhortation to industry.”–Fussell, I, p. 45.

“The most visible impact of Hartlib’s circle lay in the numerous pamphlets that he published…They comprised letters and treatises solicited... More

36; 19; 20; 27; 37; 31 folding leaves, neatly interleaved throughout. Ten juan in five vols., plus one vol. of commentary by Dunren Zhang. 8vo, modern blue wrappers, new stitching. [China]: 1807.

A rare and important edition of this notable text; the sixth volume contains the valuable commentary and notes of Dunren Zhang (1754-1834), Qing scholar, mathematician, historian, and book collector.

After the death of Emperor Wu in 87 B.C., his successor summoned to the capital scholars from throughout the empire to discuss the most important problems of the day. Emperor Wu had “implemented a series of centralized economic measures... More

[Kyoto: December 1853].

A most interesting artifact and rare survival, this kōsatsu wooden board presents the latest regulations for a Kyoto guild of art supply merchants, or enoguya kabu 絵具屋株, which primarily dealt in pigments for painting. These Edo-period guilds, kabunakama 株仲間, were granted monopolies by the state to autonomously monitor and administer their trades. In return, the shogunate levied high taxes on the guilds. The Japanese state dissolved most trade guilds in 1842, but this art supply guild seems to have survived these reforms. At the beginning of the Meiji period, all guilds were officially terminated in... More

39 folding leaves, using pre-printed paper. 8vo (260 x 183 mm.), orig. patterned blue wrappers, new stitching. [Japan]: Preface dated 1791 but this is a later copy, probably early Meiji.

A fine manuscript copy of the unpublished work by the doctor and botanist Senshun So (1758-1834), on the varieties of mushrooms found throughout Japan. So devotes much of the text to the medicinal uses mushrooms have. At the end, So discusses how to identify poisonous mushrooms and their antidotes.

So was responsible for the Seikei zusetsu [An Illustrated Book of Agricultural Things], the great agricultural and botanical work, issued in... More

Many full-page & double woodcut illus. Eight vols. 8vo, orig. blue patterned wrappers (somewhat discolored), orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. Osaka, Kyoto, Edo: Kawachiya Mohei et al., 1859.

First edition of a very scarce book, completed in 1844 but published 15 years later. This work is a summary of the author’s agricultural and technological writings over a 55-year period. Ōkura 大蔵 (1768-1856?), was one of the three most eminent agriculturalists of the Edo period. A reformer, he wrote more than 20 books on all aspects of agricultural improvement and technology; they were among the best of... More

Five head-pieces, one tail-piece, two folding maps, three folding plates (all engraved), & three folding printed tables. 4 p.l., xix, 302 pp., one leaf of errata. 8vo, cont. marbled sheep (head of lower joint a little split), flat spine richly gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. Paris: Bossange, 1806.

First edition of an important book on the Crimea; it also contains descriptions of previously unrecorded coins and medals from the area. Reuilly (1780-1810), man of letters and diplomat, traveled extensively in eastern Europe. In 1803, Reuilly joined the staff of the Duc de Richelieu, the recently named governor of... More