Search Results: 17th century works from E C Books

London: Jacob Tonson, 1700 A very good copy of what is probably the earliest published account of the Orkney Islands, in contemporary full leather binding, with newer spine, and with folding map and plate. The work was originally written by James Wallace (1642-1688) who was a Minister - initially in Ladykirk and then Kirkwall. The manuscript, complete with his drawings, was prepared for publication after his death by one of his sons - also James - who was a botanist. It was published in 1693 under the title of 'A description of the Isles of Orkney', and included an essay on Thule credited to Sir Robert Sibbald. This account was published by James 7 years later, under his own name (and claiming the title of FRS - although he did not hold it). It is largely the same as the previous work, but it adds a section on plants and shells. It was dedicated to the Earl of Dorset and mentions neither his father, nor Sir Robert Sibbald. So this book, although the first to be called 'An Account' is largely a 2nd… Read More

Londini [London]: Guilielmi Stansbij,Impensis Simonis Watersoni, 1615 2 volumes bound in one, in contemporary full leather binding, 1615 and 1627 respectively. 1st edition of Annales and 1st London edition of Tomus Alter. The binding retains the original boards and spine which has been rebacked, retaining the title label. It is slightly worn at the top of the spine joint with the front board and there is wear to corners with some loss of leather. Internally there is a label of Wimbledon College Community Library pasted to the rear of the front board and a small circular stamp of 'The Sacred Heart, Wimbledon' at the side of the Annales title page together with a very faint signature at the top. Contents: 2 blanks; title page; Lectori 6pp; Apparatus pp 1-15; Pars Prima pp 17-20; Pars Secunda pp 171-314; Pars Tertia pp 315-459; Index 20pp; Title page Tomus Alter; tribute to Camden 2pp; Pars Quarta p 1-186; Index 10pp; blank. All with decorative head and tail pieces and initial capitals. Generally… Read More

At the Sun over against St Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet: Printed by William Wilson, for Abel Roper, 1648 A fair copy of an extremely scarce work. Thomas Overbury (1581-1613) is best known for the scandal surrounding his death by poisoning in the Tower, and the trial that followed it some 2 years later. He studied Law in 1598, was knighted in 1608 and was known as a writer and poet. His account of the arraignment and trial of Raleigh is assumed to be written as an eye-witness. Raleigh was tried in 1603 and convicted of treason. His sentence of death was commuted to imprisonment and he was later briefly released, before being imprisoned and retried in 1618. This trial reinstated his death sentence, albeit by less gruesome means. The book contains Overbury's account of the first trial; an account of the second trial (no author named); and Raleigh's letters to the King and to his wife before his death. The binding is more recent full panelled calf with title label to spine, matching a… Read More

LONDON: Tho Roycroft for Richard Blome, 1673 A fair copy of the 1st edition sadly lacking all but 2 of the maps. This work is rare. Richard Blome was heavily criticised at the time for producing the work - being accused of plagiarising Camden and Speed. He funded the work through subscribers but clearly sold few copies and ownership of it passed to John Wright in 1677. His work is now being reassessed and he is recognised for being the first to properly plan an illustrated description of London. This copy is in contemporary full leather binding which has been rebacked reasonably recently to provide a new spine with raised bands and gilt outlined title label. The boards have wear as you would expect - particularly to the corners - but are sound. With title page in red and black inks, dedication to Charles II, Preface to the Reader, alphabetical table of subscribers ('benefactors'), 12 leaves of coats of arms of the benefactors, portrait of Charles II pasted at the beginning of a general… Read More

Tolosae [Toulouse]: Apud Arnaldum Colomerium, Regis, & Academiae Tolosanae Typographum, 1648 A very rare copy of a city pharmacopoeia in possibly contemporary loose vellum wrap. The Pharmaceutical profession was subject to strict regulations from its earliest origins. Reference or formula books were required, guarded, and handed down. In 17th and 18th century France, major cities published their own pharmacopoeia, with 'official' authority. This is the Toulouse pharmacopoiea authored by Pontio Francisco Purpan. It is missing the title page but the contents look otherwise complete with: 3 blank leaves (one looks bright and may have been added at some point); frontispiece by Stuerhelt, with banner 'Dant Sydera Vires'; Dedication by Purpan, 2pp; full page engraving by Stuerhelt; letter by Purpan to a series of nobles 4pp (there is a very well repaired paper tear to the first leaf of the letter); Extract des Registres de Parlement 1p; Catalogue 1p; Lectori 1p; Index Capitum 1p; Codicis… Read More

London : Printed by John Darby for Richard Chiswell, and Robert Clavell, 1669 A very good copy of the 1st edition of Johann Shroder's work in English, translated by William Rowland. An extremely scarce work. Johann Shroder (1600-1664) was a German physician and pharmacologist and is credited as the first person to recognise arsenic as an element - producing it by heating its oxide in 1649. This work was published in Latin in 1662. This copy has been recently rebound in half leather with marbled boards. The spine has gilt lined raised bands and titles. New endpapers have been added. Contents: title page with ink signature of Wm Goodwin ('bought of Mrs Field') and John Hurnon; Dedication by William Rowland 3pp; Book I - Introduction pp 1-49; blank; Book 2 'Of the Shop' pp 51-147; blank; Book 3 'called Macrocosmology - treating of the Great World, or Mineralogy, Treating of Minerals' pp 149-283; blank; Book 4 'Phytologia' pp 385-505; Book 5 'Zoology' pp… Read More

Oxford: Printed by Henry Hall Printer to the University, for Richard Davis, 1669 A very good copy in new quarter leather binding with raised bands to spine and title label and gilt date, and marbled boards. Complete with 8 fold-out plates, and decorative head and tailpieces. A continuation of Robert Boyle's work on gases published in 1660. He was a significant experimental physicist, best known for the formulation of Boyle's Law in 1662. It is now known that this also drew on work by Richard Towneley and Henry Power who has been working on the study of gases from 1653. Their work was affected by Boyle's 1660 publication and they completed their experiment in 1661, forwarding their results to the Royal Society who passed it on to 'interested persons' including Boyle. Boyle credited Towneley with the discovery, but the published equation was Boyle's and became Boyle's Law. This work is an update on Boyle's continuing experimentation. [ref Webster, Nature Vol 197 Jan 1965]. Contents: title; preface 12pp;… Read More

London : P C T Passenger, B Tooke, and T Sawbridge, 1682 A reading copy of this scarce work. Classed as 'poor' because it lacks the 4 maps; the frontispiece and title page have had some damage and have been relaid; and the remaining contents have some browning and marking and occasional edge fraying, but are readable. In contemporary full leather binding with new spine (in goatskin) with title label. New endpapers. Frontispiece with some loss to edges and signature of John Law to base. Title page in red and black inks with loss to edges and pencil annotation to rear. Note 'To the Reader' by Heylyn 7pp, some loss to edges. Poem 'To my Brother the Author', 1 page; General Introduction to the Work with Table; Title page to the first book; text and table of longitude and latitude pp 27-303; Title page to second book; text and table pp 1-226; Title page to Book 3 and text with table and advertisement to the Reader about errata, pp 1-226 (although numbered to 230 there is… Read More

London : Anne Seile, 1669 A very good copy of the 5th edition 'enlarged and corrected by the Author'. In contemporary full calf binding (which has been rebacked retaining the original spine) and with the decorative title and 4 maps. The binding is in very good clean condition. The front board has the initials FT impressed on the leather and the corners have been rebuilt. The spine has a red title label, and there is some fraying at the top edge. The back board has rebuilt corners and there is some scuffing to the leather surface. Internally there are no pastedown endpapers. At the front, there is the bookplate of William Constable FRS and FAS. Constable was a noted collector and naturalist. Contents: Imprimatur; engraved title; rubricated letterpress title; to the Reader 7pp; To my brother 1p; introduction pp 1-24 with table of climates at p 20; title to First Book 1669'; map of Europe; text pp 27-272; title to Second Book 1668; text pp 1-226; title Third Book 1668; map of Asia; text 1-227; note on… Read More

London: S Smith, 1685 A very good copy of Goedart's work on insect metamorphosis, edited by M Lister, who added an appendix. First edition in this form. Johannes Goedart set up, observed and documented a series of experiments which demonstrated that caterpillars, pupae and butterflies were not different animals, but forms of the same animal. His works were first available in translated form in 1662/7. M Lister edited Goedart's work for the Royal Society and added an appendix on marine life. This copy has been rebound with cloth spine with title label, and marbled boards. The binding is in fine condition. New endpapers. Contents: title page 1685; lectori 5pp; 1 plate; text pp 1-356 with 13 plates; title page Appendices.. 1685; introduction 2pp; text pp 1-45 with 7 plates; finis. Overall in very good clean condition. There is a small ink mark to the top of p51; small paper flaw p80; slight crease to the top of plate @p134; plate @p206 has been bound in upside down; small tear to bottom margin p243.

Cantabrigiae [Cambridge] : John White, 1622 A fair to good copy of the scarce 1st edition with map, in contemporary full leather binding. The binding has wear to spine joints, the top and bottom of the spine and edges, but is of good quality leather and would repair well. Page edges red. Internally there is an armorial bookplate of the Kinnaird family to the front pastedown and a signature of James West, clearly an early owner, on the fep.James has made some notes about the elections to Parliament for the County of Leicester in 1775. The fep has a tear at the top. With decorative title page (small repair to side margin); dedication 2pp; To the Reader 6pp; double page map; text pp 1-332; Catalogue 6pp; finis; table added in ms 3pp. The shields have been carefully coloured in (including one on the title page)- possibly by or for an early owner as there has been occasional offsetting from the colouring over time. There is also some scholarly annotation and an additional coat of arms has been added in the… Read More

Oxford: Printed by W Hall for Tho. Bowman , 1672 A good copy in contemporary leather binding rebacked with newer spine and title, author and date labels. The work is considered to be one of the first looking primarily at winds. Ralph Bohun was a Fellow of the Royal Society and gathered considerable information from sea voyages. It has been suggested that this could be the first work referencing barometers and the possibility of using a barometer to detect and forecast cyclones. The binding is in near fine condition with newer leather at the corners and edges. The board leather has some scuffing. Internally there are newer endpapers. There is the signature of Richard Handley to the initial blank and a practice 'Richard' underneath. The title page has been relaid and has loss to edges just affecting text. It has the signature of Richard Mason to verso. Contents: title; contents 2pp; text pp 1- 302 with 3 illustrations in the text at pp 18, 19 and 24. The contents are toned with occasional staining at… Read More

Osnabrugi [Osnabruck]: Johan.Georg.Schwanderum, 1676 A fair copy of an early edition of Isaac Barrow's classic translation of Euclid's work. Isaac Barrow (1630-1677) was a mathematician, classical scholar and theologian. He is principally known for his work on tangents and Calculus. He was one of Isaac Newton's teachers. This translation of Euclid from the Greek to Latin was his first work. The full leather binding is falling apart: the front board is detached; half the spine is present but detached; and the back board is still attached. Contents: blank; title page; preliminaries 6pp; text with numerous diagrams pp 1-376; half title Euclidis Data 1675; note; text pp 379-424; finis. The front endpaper and the initial blank have been joined by some tape and some sellotape. Apart from that, the contents are in very good clean condition. There is a signature of Walter Stephen to the top of the fep and also to the side of the title page, and a further note in the same hand on p29. There is a… Read More

The Savoy: Printed by Tho. Newcomb for the Author, 1670 A good copy of the 1st edition in contemporary full leather binding. The binding has raised bands to spine and a newer title label. It has had some repair in the past but is splitting at the front joint and has general wear. particularly to corners. There is the bookplate of Sir Roger Twisden, 2nd Baronet of Bradbourne in Kent, to the front pastedown. He was MP for Rochester in 1689-90. There is also the bookplate of John Davie Manson Robertson, a noted Orcadian to the verso of the title page, together with his signed pencil note to the front pastedown. Contents: title page dated 1670; dedication 1p; Report of John Evelyn and letter from a member of the Royal Society 1p; To the Reader 3pp; Errata; Contents 3pp; Table 2pp; text in 6 books; final blank. Contents clean and in very good condition - top margin can be closely trimmed. Some text is mispaginated - 160-141...148-169. The page corner is missing at p245 but text is not affected; and the… Read More

A compilation of Quarles' works. The overall title page with details of the publisher is missing, but there is a dedication to King Charles I which was clearly specially written for the work, which makes it likely that it was published in the 1630's (it makes no reference to Civil War). Each work has a separate title page or a large heading, and retains the dedications etc written when they were first published. The first text is 'A Feast for Worms' totalling 64 pages, which has a note for the Reader and has pages 13-36 misbound out of sequence. The second is Pentelogia, a short text covering pp 65-70. The third is Hadassa with a separate title page, preface to the Reader, introduction, dedication, and the History of Esther, running to p 147. The fourth is Job Militant with half title page, proposition, dedication and text running to p 231. The fifth is the History of Sampson with no title page but starting with 'To the Reader' and text to p 232. The sixth is Sion's Sonnets… Read More

London: Printed by TN for George Marriott, 1676 A good copy of the second impression, corrected, 'with many Additions, and several new plates' in largely contemporary full leather binding. John Rea was an early to mid 17th century nursery gardener who is seen as a pioneer in methods of fruit growing and garden design. He lived at Norton's Ends, Kinlet, where he acquired and cultivated a large variety of garden plants, fruits and shrubs, including a major collection of tulips. This work was intended to provide an extensive catalogue of his plants together with the benefit of his horticultural knowledge and experience. The binding has the original full calf boards which are clean and with some scuffing and repair to build up the corners. The spine is newer and has raised bands with red title label and a date in gilt at the base. The spine has some scuffing. The free endpapers have been replaced. Contents: The Mind of the Front; engraved title; rubricated title; dedications 10pp; To the Reader 4pp; To… Read More

London: Adam Islip, 1627 A fair copy of the extremely scarce '2nd impression' of Edward Grimeston's Generall Historie of the Netherlands. Grimeston was known as prolific translator, and the first edition of the Historie was largely taken from J F Le Petit's 'La Grand Chronique Ancienne et Moderne de Hollande'. It was a fairly faithful translation, but he researched the subject, adding text on the years 1601-1608, using sources such as Emanuel Demetrius. It was very popular but he was criticised for not including more on the efforts and achievements of the English troops in Flanders. In his address at the beginning of the 2nd, 1627, edition, he states that he did in 1608 'observe my Authors......They were men borne in those countries, who would arrogate as much as might be, to their own Nation'. In the new edition, he 'had conference with some of the great Commanders and Captaines' from the English side, and endeavoured to redress the balance. He wanted to also bring the edition up to date, but… Read More

Utrecht: Franciscum Halma, 1687 Original full leather, still in good condition, rebacked in calf preserving original spine. Contents complete in 3 sections with 43 text illustrations and 6 folding plates (one torn). The first part of the book covers Harpocrates - 180 pages. The second section has a separate title page 'Gisberti Cuperi Monumenta Antiqua Inedita and follows in in page numbering. The third section has a new title page 'Stephani le Moine ad Gisb. Cuperum de Melanophoris Epistola' and again follows on in page numbering. This section is written in greek and hebrew as well as Latin. Very bright and clean throughout. Deals with the cult of the Egyptian god Horus in the Roman world, detailing rights, beliefs and monuments. A spectacular book mainly due to the number and quality of the text and folding engravings. Small 8vo but wider pages than is normal.294 pages plus an 'index auctorum' and an 'index rerum' and an errata list.

Amsterdam: Joannem Jacobi fil. Schipper, 1657 A fair copy of the extremely scarce Insectis section of Jan Jonston's famous work Historiae Naturalis. Jonston (1603-1675) studied botany and medicine and was a doctor. This copy is classed as 'fair' because it has been rebound in plain buckram binding without the title page, and the paper is very soft and lightly stained to the bottom outer corner margin. Contents are otherwise complete with 28 full page plates. The binding is clean and sound with gilt titles to spine. Contents: new endpapers; dedication 1p; Preface with plate list 3pp; Referenda ad pagninam 2pp with Plate I; text liber I pp 1-84; liber II 85-128; liber III 129-138; liber IV 139-147 with 27 further plates placed with relevant text; index 1p. Interestingly the final section includes starfish and seahorses. The contents are in very good clean condition apart from the paper damage mentioned above which has resulted in crumbling to the bottom corner of the dedication and preface leaf.

Bruxelles: Johannis Mommartius, 1656 A good copy of the second edition of this extremely rare work. First printed in Venice in 1652. Baldassare Bonifacio was a professor among many other talents and this work is a cabinet of curiosities - gathering a wide range of stories and recollections - including tales from classical antiquity of women who had serpent lovers. In full leather binding with raised bands and gilt decoration to the spine and tooling to the boards. It has had an old leather repair relaying the tooled front board onto plain leather. It is clean, showing wear to top and bottom of spine and edges and with a broken front hinge and weak rear hinge, although the board is still attached. The contents are in superb condition given the age of the book. There is a biographical note written in ink in english on a preliminary and 2-3 signs of previous ownershiip. Some of the ink has run a little. With black and white illustrated title page; page of names - D Carolo Hovyne, Equiti Aurato;… Read More