Title within architectural woodcut border & many woodcuts in the text (many highlighted in red). Printed in black letter. [208] pp. Small 4to, modern calf (title with a few minor stains). London: “Prynted in Southwarke in Saynt Thomas Hospitall, by me James Nicolson,” [1537].

First edition of the first English work on surveying in the modern sense: the measuring and plotting of land. In the 16th century, “surveying” could also mean giving instructions to land stewards and overseers of the manor; John Fitzherbert wrote the first book on that subject in 1523. Our book is very rare and is a.... More

24 black & white with gray wash brush drawings of rocks. 25 folding leaves (including upper wrappers). 8vo (265 x 195 mm.), orig. wrappers bound in later wrappers. [Japan]: late Edo.

A finely illustrated manuscript concerned with garden rocks from the three regions (Ono, Masuda, and Yoshiki) of Hida Province (today’s Gifu Prefecture). Rocks have always played a fundamental role in Japanese garden design, and because of the unique geological history of the region, the rocks from Hida have always been prized for their unique rustic patterns that can be seen on their surfaces.

For the 24 fine images of... More

36 folding black & white woodcut plates. 88 folding leaves. Two debtelin in one vol. 8vo (265 x 166 mm.), pink wrappers, orig. block-printed title-slip on yellow silk on upper cover, early(?) stitching. Beijing: Wuying dian 武英殿, Postscript dated 1712.

First edition of the Kangxi Emperor’s (r. 1661-1722) poetic cycle for the 36 scenic sights within the Rehe summer estate, each accompanied by a stunning double-page woodcut illustration. Printed under the emperor’s direct supervision on superior paper and using woodblocks carved by two of the finest artisans in the palace workshop, this celebrated album had an initial print run of... More

19th-cent. russia, sides panelled in gilt & blind, gilt arms in center of the Pelham-Clinton family. Italy, perhaps Tuscany: early 15th century.

A fine manuscript, from the celebrated library of the dukes of Newcastle in Clumber, of this important fourth-century Roman treatise on agriculture. It enjoyed wide popularity in the Middle Ages and early Renaissance, owing to its clear arrangement, with the farming and gardening tasks subdivided according to the twelve months of the year. It “was clearly more useful than that of any of Palladius’ predecessors. This fact alone may explain the preservation of his text and its popularity... More

Scroll (185 x 9300 mm.), front endpaper covered in silk brocade, wooden core roller. At end (in trans.): “Information came from the founder Zeshinken Ichiro 是心軒一露…Secret Information, Keep in the Family…September 1805…given to Godaibō Bokuyū Goryūken 五大坊卜友 五柳軒 [a successor to Zeshinken].”

Zeshinken (1734–80), scholar monk, was a master of ikebana 生け花 (flower arrangement) and created a school devoted to this art (which still exists and thrives). He devised a seika 生花 form based on a belief in five elements called Godai 五大 (地大 earth, 水大 water, 火大 fire, 風大 wind, and 空大 air) in esoteric Buddhism.

Our scroll begins... More

Two engraved plates. 4, vii, [1], 432 pp. 8vo, cont. polished tree calf, flat spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. London: W. Smith, 1802.

“Second edition, enlarged and improved” (1st ed.: 1801) of this compendium of agricultural advice extracted from various works including Marshall’s Rural Economy, Hunter’s Georgical Essays, and Curtis’s Practical Observations on the British Grasses.

Young (1741-1820), “was not only the best-known agricultural reformer and publicist of his time, with an international reputation, but also a figure of importance in the political and social issues of the day. He had an extraordinary capacity for work…In an... More