17 painted scenes, using brush and colors, on 63 pages. 34; 25; 22 folding leaves. Three vols. 8vo (270 x 187 mm.), orig. wrappers, modern stitching. [Japan]: late Edo.

This handsomely illustrated manuscript, written by Tsuki Shirai, describes and illustrates the famous hot springs of Atami (“hot ocean”), which have been known and appreciated since the 8th century. Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), believed the springs of Atami were so beneficial to his health that he had quantities of the water transported to Edo.

These volumes are really a travel guide to Atami and the surrounding area. The first volume begins with an index to all three volumes... More about Manuscript on paper, manuscript labels on upper covers entitled “Atami Onsen zuko” [“The...

Woodcut arms on title. xvi, 352 pp. 8vo, attractive antique half-calf & boards. Paris: Nyon, 1782.

This scarce sale catalogue describes the notable collection of voyages formed by Courtanvaux; it was one of the largest collections on the subject ever formed and practically amounts to a bibliography of the subject. The sections on natural history and the sciences are also very rich.

Courtanvaux (1718-81), a member of the Académie des Sciences, performed research in chemistry, geography, natural history, physics, and mechanics. A man of considerable wealth, he sponsored the voyage made in 1767 by Pingré and Messier during which Pierre Le Roy’s marine... More about Catalogue des Livres de la Bibliotheque de feu François-César Le Tellier, Marquis de...

Four engraved plates (one folding). 4 p.l., 296 pp., 3 leaves of ads for the author’s other works; 2 p.l., 514, [8] pp. Two vols. Small 8vo, cont. orange-brown speckled boards (spines a little rubbed), orange leather lettering pieces on spines. Düsseldorf: J.H.C. Schreiner, 1811-12.

First edition of a scarce and appealing work. Benzenberg (1777-1846), professor of mathematics at the Lyceum in Düsseldorf, performed many original scientific investigations in the fields of astronomy, physics, and geodetics. He was the first to demonstrate that the earth revolves, a problem which had perplexed scientists since Copernicus (see D.S.B., I, pp. 615-16)... More about Briefe geschrieben auf einer Reise durch die Schweiz im Jahr 1810

One scroll measuring 277 x 3830 mm. Ink, brush, & wash in red, blue, black, and brown, on paper newly & expertly backed. Japan: after 1853.

A contemporary copy of an official report concerning Commodore Perry’s first expedition, when he attempted to land on Japanese shores in 1853. Much of the scroll is wonderfully illustrated and contains a map tracking the American squadron’s path through Uraga Channel on its way to Edo. The scroll dramatically depicts two American steamships and concludes with the text of four internal government documents concerning the arrival of these foreign ships that contain the contents of high-level discussions on the... More about Ikokusen toraiki keibi haichi zumaki [Information on the Arrival of Foreign Ships, Illustrated...

29 mounted Woodburytype photographic plates (mostly 238 x 188 mm.), each with printed captions. viii, 92 pages. Large folio, orig. green half-morocco & green pebbled cloth (extremities a bit scuffed, occasional minor foxing), upper cover with a large gilt vignette & lettered in gilt, spine gilt. Leith: “Printed for Private Circulation by Reid & Son, Timber Bush, Leith, 1879.”

A large, beautiful, and little-known photography book, privately printed, with 29 splendid images of trees made by the photographer Andrew Young of Burntisland, and printed according to the Woodbury process of Lock & Whitfield of London. “The following pages are the result of numerous wanderings through the counties of... More about The Trees and Shrubs of Fife and Kinross

Folding hand-colored lithographed frontis. & one colored plate. 1 p.l., xi, 418 pp. 8vo, 19th-cent. vellum over boards (minor foxing to first few leaves), spine lettered in gilt, dentelles gilt, t.e.g., arms in gilt of the Prince of Wales on upper cover. London: J. Ollivier, 1844.

First edition. “In August 1834, Kinglake set out on an eighteen-month odyssey through Europe and the Ottoman empire. After encountering plague in Constantinople, he travelled to Smyrna, Cyprus, Beirut, the Holy Land, and Jerusalem, before crossing the Sinai Desert to Cairo. Following three weeks in Egypt, he returned north through Damascus and Asia Minor then... More about Eothen, or Traces of Travel brought Home from the East

Double-page frontis. map. 1 p.l., xxxiv, 332 pp.; xxiv, 358, [3] pp. Two vols. 8vo, cont. mottled calf, floral fillet round sides, flat spines gilt, red & green morocco lettering pieces on spines. London: G. Nicol et al., 1796.

First edition and a lovely set of the penultimate survey undertaken by Marshall of the farming practices of six different regions of England.

“Modern agricultural historians have generally held that Marshall’s works on English farming are superior to those of his rival, Arthur Young, as they are more systematically arranged and based on a more thorough knowledge of a district by personal residence there. Unlike Young... More about The Rural Economy of the West of England: including Devonshire; and Parts of Somersetshire,...

Three parts in two vols. 139; 86 folding leaves. 8vo (235 x 165 mm.), cont. patterned covers (extremities a little worn), new stitching. Edo: ca. 1863.

A fascinating compilation of contemporary reports chronicling the first 11 years of the turbulent Bakumatsu era, 1853-67, the period between Commodore Perry’s first visit to Japan and the establishment of the Meiji government. These two volumes consist of manuscript copies of high-level official documents in the years 1853 to 1863, describing pivotal moments in Japan’s history that fundamentally shaped its relationship to the rest of the world.

Heralding the end of the Edo period and a Tokugawa-controlled government, the Bakumatsu period saw Japan end its policy of strict isolationism. The shogun reluctantly accepted that interactions with the rest of the world were unavoidable; however, sizable factions steadfastly and violently resisted opening Japan to the world. The influx of Americans, British, Russians, French, and Dutch in several port cities instigated numerous crimes against foreigners. In one notable incident in January 1861, a group of samurai assassinated a Dutchman named Henry Heusken, who was serving as secretary and interpreter for the American embassy. That summer, at the British legation in Edo, a band of ronin (masterless samurai) attacked ambassador Rutherford Alcock and several other diplomats, killing two. More about Manuscript on paper. Two hand-drawn maps & a diagram of a Japanese sword

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 Odessa. Befriended by... More about Voyage en Crimée et sur les Bords de la Mer Noire, pendant l’année 1803; suivi d’un...

Engraved frontis. port. of the author, two folding engraved plates (numbered “I” and “III”), & two folding printed tables. 7 p.l., 276 pp., one leaf of errata. 8vo, cont. speckeld boards (spine worn). Munich: J.B. Strobl, 1786.

First edition of this rare epistolary account of Schrank’s scientific field trip throughout Bavaria in 1784 and 1785. While Schrank devotes a good portion of the text to botanical observations, he also provides descriptions of the towns and cities visited, the geology and most remarkable natural features of the area, the monasteries, local customs, etc. The twelfth letter contains a learned account of Bavarian incunabula... More about Baierische Reise

Five engraved plates (three are folding) & one woodcut in the text. 1 p.l., xxiv, 539, [1] pp; 1 p.l., 416 pp. Two vols. 8vo, cont. speckled calf, flat spines gilt, red morocco lettering pieces on spines. London: H. Goldney for T. Cadell, 1780.

Second edition (the first edition appeared earlier in the same year) and a handsome set. This work “was well received at the time, and has since become a valuable source as one of the few accounts of conditions in Ireland at this time. Among other subjects Young had much to say on commercial policy and the activities of the Dublin Society;... More about A Tour in Ireland: with General Observations on the Present State of that Kingdom: made in the...