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

1 p.l., 288 pp. Large 8vo, orig. printed wrappers bound-in cont. dark green half-morocco, cloth sides, spine gilt, t.e.g. London: 1874.

A handsome copy, ruled in red with prices in a contemporary hand. Tite was a noted architect whose principal work was the remodeling of the Royal Stock Exchange (1844). He was a strenuous opponent of the Neo-Gothic style as practiced by Sir George Gilbert Scott (see D.N.B.). “Among the contemporaries of Henry Huth was a notable bibliophile, the enthusiastic architect Sir William Tite (1798-1873), whose fine and valuable library brought nearly 20,000 pounds, a large sum for the early... More

Engraved allegorical frontis. 1 p.l., vi, 93 pp. 8vo, attractive antique calf-backed marbled boards, spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. N.p.: 1751.

First edition. Bachaumont (1690-1771) was an influential noble who grew up at the court of Versailles during the height of its significance as the political and cultural nucleus of France. He frequented the salons of Paris and was entangled in several controversies, one in particular regarding a journal filled with gossip ascertained at the salon of Madame Doublet de Persan, for which he may have been partially responsible. By the end of his life, he was known... More

Four hand-colored folding engraved maps & one fine engraving. 11 pp. 4to, cont. crushed green morocco, sides bordered in gilt, spine gilt. [Strasbourg: F.G. Levrault, 1804].

First edition of this rare and handsomely illustrated work. In order to celebrate Napoleon’s coronation in 1804, the city of Strasbourg initiated a series of a civil engineering and public works projects. The explanatory text details the planned bridge over the Rhine connecting Strasbourg with Kehl, an orangerie dedicated to Empress Josephine, a canal to protect against flooding and to circumvent a turbulent part of the Rhine, a performance hall, and the extension of a central... 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

Two double-page plates & 80 engravings in the text. 8 p.l., 196, [16] pp. Folio, orig. carta rustica (covers a little soiled & spotted, first few leaves a little dampstained in outer lower corner). Rome: G.F. Buagni, 1696.

First edition and a fine fresh copy of this finely illustrated work on baroque hydraulics. Fontana (1638-1714), was the most important Roman architect of his generation.

This book “emerges from an actual design problem. The practical source for this theoretical work was the project for the raising of the water level of Lake Bracciano, necessary since the second fountain in Saint Peter’s square, built by Bernini under... More

12 lithographed plates. xxiv, 650 pp. Thick 12mo, cont. half-sheep & marbled boards, spine gilt. Munich: G. Franz, 1847.

First edition and rare. Hütz and Schmölzl were both members of the Bavarian artillery corps. This is a very complete treatise on the art of gunnery. The plates depict strategic placement of cannons and their correct defensive installations.

Nice copy from the Wittelsbach library of the dukes and kings of Bavaria. More

Title within finely engraved & elaborate architectural border and 27 engraved plates (four double-page or folding). Collation as in Mortimer: “four preliminary leaves, one additional leaf of printed text (leaf [32]), & 27 engraved plates on leaves 5-31, 33-36.” Large folio, cont. speckled calf (joints a little cracked but strong), double gilt fillet round sides, spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. From the second leaf: “Roma, In Casa Nostra,” 1559.

Fifth edition (1st ed.: 1552) of this important work in the study of classical architecture and one of the earliest architectural treatises illustrated with copper plates, in place of woodcuts and printed text. The... More

Engraved frontis. port., 44 engraved plates (36 folding, three plates slightly cropped, several with some offsetting), and engraved & woodcut illus. in the text. Title printed in red & black. Nine parts in one vol. Thick small folio, early 19th-cent. diced calf (rubbed & a little worn, three-inch crack at foot of lower joint). London: Printed for T. Basset et al., 1690.

First edition, the Henry Cavendish – Harrison D. Horblit copy, of one of Leybourn’s great late works, a summary of all aspects of mathematics, containing “the substance of his former works in Cursus mathematicus, a folio volume of over nine hundred pages [actually more... More

180 pp. 12mo (145 x 90 mm.), cont. blue stiff paste-paper boards, label in manuscript on spine. Paris: L’Imprimerie des Sciences et Arts, An XI [but ca. 1803].

The rare catalogue for a large exhibition of antiquities seized from Italy, consisting of 223 objects. This livret begins with descriptions of the ceilings in six rooms of the museum. Each piece is analyzed at length, with historical and mythological explanations, scholarly notes on the materials and any reproductions, and includes the Italian institution or collection from which it was confiscated — e.g., the Vatican, the Villa Albani, the ducal palace of Modena, the Capitoline... More