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 fine copy.

Benese (d. 1547), Augustinian canon and surveyor to Henry VIII, noted that sellers tended to overestimate the size of the land they were selling and buyers underestimated. He set out to devise geometric rules for the accurate measuring of land to be sold. More

One folding engraved plate. [6] pp. Small 4to, attractive modern marbled boards, leather lettering-piece on spine. Augsburg: D. Francken, 1610.

First edition and very rare. Faulhaber (1580-1635), a teacher of mathematics at Ulm and a friend of Kepler, made his most lasting accomplishments in the dissemination and explanation of the logarithmic method of calculation.

This is Faulhaber’s second book and caused him considerable problems with the city’s municipal council, as it was published without the permission of the office responsible for supervision of the schools. This book describes a surveying instrument invented by Daniel Speckle in the Netherlands. The fine plate depicts... More

Each title within the same architectural woodcut border, two folding woodcut plates in the second part (the 2nd plate is numbered p. 33), & numerous woodcuts in the text of geometrical & surveying problems. 8 p.l., 88 pp.; 2 p.l., 33 pp. Two parts in two vols. Small 4to, modern vellum-backed paste-paper boards. Nuremberg: S. Halbmayer, colophon dated “1626.”

First edition, and complete with both parts, of this posthumously published work. Galgemair (1564-1619), who had been a student of both Apian and Mästlin at Tübingen, wrote a series of books on scientific instruments.

The first part of this book describes the precursor to the sector and proportional compass that is today known as the reduction compass; a full-page woodcut of the instrument appears on A2r. There are 100 examples of the uses of the instrument, most with illustrations. The first examples provide geometric solutions to problems of a more abstract nature, while the latter address practical problems, such as how much gold foil a goldsmith needs to cover a round roof at the top of a tower, heights and distances of buildings, etc. The uses for the architect and cartographer are obvious. More

One folding engraved plate. Title within ornamental type border. 2 p.l., 12 pp. Small 4to, attractive antique calf (minor worming at head), spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. Nuremberg: P. Fürsten, n.d. [but about 1660].

First published in 1597, this is a description of the author’s newly invented quadrant — depicted on the plate — which could be used by engineers for surveying. It was an extremely successful text with at least five later editions. Ritter (1579-died after 1640), a native of Nuremberg, was an astronomer and innovative cartographer, famous for his “sundial” world map. He had studied... More