1 p.l., 89 pp. 8vo, orig. printed wrappers, uncut. [London]: Messrs. Puttick & Simpson, 20-25 July 1865.

A lovely copy in original state. 1778 lots including many of the great folio architectural works. We have been unable to determine the architect whose library is being sold here.

❧ Not in BM English Book Sales. More

99 pp. 8vo, attractive antique calf-backed paste-paper boards, spine gilt, red morocco lettering-piece on spine. Paris: Joullain, 1778.

The uncommon sale catalogue, fully priced throughout, of a noteworthy collection, devoted primarily to Italian art and sculpture. Bourlat de Montredon (?-1777), was an influential amateur and collector who resided in Constantinople for forty years.

The catalogue thoroughly describes 695 lots, many of which are composed of numerous items. Lots 579-671 are Bourlat de Montredon’s impressive group of books of prints, mostly focused on the architecture and decorative arts of Italy, including a number of works by Piranesi. The descriptions offer occasional notes on... More

Lithograph frontis. port. of the collector. 2 p.l., 14, [2], 166 pp. 8vo, attractive antique half-calf paste-paper boards, red morocco lettering-piece on spine, spine gilt. Paris: J.S. Merlin, 1824.

The uncommon sale catalogue of Hurtault (1765-1824), Architecte du roi, member of the Institut, and inspector general of public works, who conducted significant restorations of the Tuileries and Fontainebleau. He was especially interested in English architecture — demonstrated by the numerous British books in his collection — and designed several gardens in the English style, including one at Fontainebleau.

This was one of the finest professional libraries of architecture of the early 19th century and its... More

38 pp. 8vo (190 x 125 mm.), early 20th-cent. cloth-backed marbled boards, title on spine. Paris: Dumanoir & Paillet, 1826.

An uncommon auction catalogue describing the collection of Thibault (1757-1826), an artist and architect well-known for his vivid architectural drawings. He served as architect of the palaces at Neuilly and the Elysée, and was appointed professor of perspective at the Ecole des beaux-arts in 1819. Paillet has contributed a short biographical sketch for Thibault at the beginning of this volume.

This catalogue describes 367 lots, the majority of which consist of paintings, preparatory and finished drawings, and prints done by Thibault. These works are categorized... More

Woodcut vignette on title. 26 pp. 8vo (182 x 126 mm.), late 19th-cent. citron morocco backed-marbled boards, title on spine. Paris: Basan, 1773.

A very scarce auction catalogue dispersing Vassé’s collection and the contents of his studio; WorldCat and the Getty Provenance Index record no copy in North America. The sculptor Vassé (1716-72), a favorite pupil of Bouchardon and later professor at the Académie Royale, “was ambitious, and he was aided in his desire for a prestigious career by the collector and antiquary the Comte de Caylus, who in turn hoped through Vassé to bring about a return to Classical ideals in French sculpture…Contemporaries... More

Engraved frontis., numerous engravings in the text, & 58 mostly folding engraved plates. 2 p.l., xxxviii, [10], 408, [40] pp. Large thick 4to, cont. cat’s paw polished calf, spine nicely gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. Paris: P.J. Mariette, 1750.

First published in 1691 and revised by Le Blond in the early 18th century, the Cours d’Architecture was totally revised and enlarged with new designs of buildings and ornaments by Mariette in 1738. Our edition of 1750 was the one most familiar to architects of the mid-18th century; it “was the standard work for architects…This book included a life of Vignola, a description... More

Woodcut royal coat-of-arms on title & three woodcut floor plans. 51, [1] pp. Small 8vo (155 x 102 mm.), 18th-cent. paste-paper boards (spine a little rubbed), red calf lettering-piece on spine, spine gilt, shelf mark at tail of spine. Paris: J. Chardon, 1715.

[bound with]:

(AMSTERDAM). [Drop-title]: Description de l’Hotel de ville d’Amsterdam, avec les Explications de tous les Emblemes, Figures, Tableaux, Statues &c. qui se trouvent au-dehors, & au-dedans de ce Batiment. Four finely engraved folding plates. 108 pp. Small 8vo. N.p.: n.d. More

99, [1] p. Small 8vo (160 x 107), cont. calf (joints a little worn), red morocco lettering-piece on spine, spine gilt. Paris: C.A. Jombert, 1754.

First edition of this uncommon book, which contains an essential lecture given by Blondel at the opening session of the fifth Cours Publique in his independent Ecole des Arts. This school was founded in 1743, and was able to provide an exhaustive curriculum to a larger and more diverse audience than the Académie. Leading figures of the neo-classical such as Chambers, Patte, Wailly, Desprez, Boullée, and Ledoux all took classes at the school.

This work represents the first appearance of Blondel’s famous lecture in print. To replicate the experience of an actual lecture, the text is supplemented with footnotes, some of which take up several pages. An extensive and most interesting list of important architectural works recommended by Blondel is found on pages 83-89. More

Numerous woodcuts in the text. 35 parts in 16 vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers, new stitching. [China]: Xue ku shan fang, 1890.

Second edition (1st ed.: 1880) of the compiler Gu’s collection of writings by Zewei Bu and Bingzhong Liu (both Tang dynasty, 618-907) on feng shui, divination, geomancy, and Chinese astrology. Both the 1880 edition and our edition are very rare. The texts, which first appeared in the 17th century, have remained very popular, and there is also a 1970 (quite wretched) reprint.

Our edition was edited by Zhimo Xu, who lived in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The texts include Bu’s Xue xin fu, which... More

Woodcut printer’s vignette on title, two engraved head-pieces, one folding engraved plate with two images (sometimes divided making two plates), & numerous engravings in the text. 4 p.l., 198, [12] pp. 12mo, cont. red polished morocco, triple gilt fillet round sides, gilt fleurons in each corner, spine nicely gilt, arms in gilt of Sébastian Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban on each cover (Olivier, pl. 343), a.e.g. Paris: the Widow of J.B. Coignard & the Son of Coignard, 1693.

Second edition (1st ed.: 1689), revised, with considerable additions. This is one of the best contemporary explications of Vauban’s “first system” of fortification... More

Numerous fine brush-and-wash drawings in rich colors of about 149 castles, their fortifications, floor plans, & approaches. 64; 50; 49; 62; 67 folding leaves. Ten parts in five vols. 8vo (277 x 200 mm.), orig. patterned wrappers, new stitching. [Japan]: on the final leaf of the final vol. (in trans.): “9 April 1737 copied by Tadataka Sakai [and] Minamoto.”

The third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu (reigned 1623-51), the first born to the rule, spent much of his reign centralizing power in Edo, with the bakufu growing in importance as administrators and setters of policy. In 1645, the bakufu ordered all fiefdom lords who owned castles to make a shiro ezu, a detailed... More

Lithographed frontis., 45 black & white plates, and two printed tables. 420, ii pp. Large 4to, orig. cloth (extremities with very minor wear, some foxing due to the quality of the paper). New York: D. Appleton, 1852.

“Third edition” of the first great American book on naval architecture (1st ed.: 1849). Griffiths (1809-82), was one of the earliest outstanding naval architects in America and, during the early 1850s, his steamships were the fastest and finest in the world.

“Through his writings Griffiths did more than any one else to put shipbuilding in America on a scientific basis, in place of the ‘rule of thumb’ methods... More