Search Results: Authors starting with E from Asher Rare Books

XX, [2], 195, [1] pp.A British propaganda publication, printed in Calcutta, transcribing “secret” documents that the British supposedly found in the palace of Seringapatam: primarily Tipu Sultan’s correspondence with the French, considered a betrayal of the British. Tipu Sultan (1750-1799), ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India, took part in a long-standing military feud with the British, but made peace with them in 1792. When the French under Napoleon made a push for India in 1798 the British attacked Tipu’s forces once again, starting the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War and eventually killing Tipu Sultan in the attack on Seringapatam. He had a fearsome reputation as the “Tiger of Mysore” and the present publication attempts to discredit him as a traitor. His supposed affiliation with the French Jacobin Club would have especially concerned British readers. Most of the correspondence between Tipu Sultan, the French and their allies (including Zaman Shah Durrani, ruler of what was to become… Read More

665 [= 656] pp.The third revised edition of William Lewis's authoritative The new dispensatory, first published in 1753. Lewis (1708-1781) was a British chemist and physician who first published his Dispensary in London in 1753. In all later editions, including the revisions his plan and arrangement has been adopted. The editor of the revised edition, Andrew Duncan (1744-1828), dedicated his revision, based on the Phamacopoea Londinensis of 1788 and other Pharmacopoea’s, to Sir George Baker, president of the Royal College of Physicians. The dedication in our edition is dated Edinburgh, 1 November 1788, for the second edition of the revision (Edinburgh, Charles Elliot, 1789). The first edition had been published in 1786. Beginning with our 3rd edition of 1791 the Dispensatory was printed for William Creech, as are the 4th edition of 1794, the 5th of 1797 and the 6th of 1801.In good condition.l Wellcome III, p. 511.

[2 blank], [2], VIII, 297, [1] blank pp.Second edition of a handbook that was essential for English speaking persons who wished to obtain competence in Mandarin Chinese with the required knowledge of vocabulary and functional grammar and an awareness of the main types of verbal interaction, first published in 1857. It is an extensive grammar divided into three main parts, each in numerous chapters: “On sound” (pronunciation, tonal system, etc., along with some comments on the written language), “The parts of speech” and “Syntax”, plus appendices on recent native Chinese research on Chinese philology, Mandarin Chinese literature and the southern Mandarin dialect. Mandarin is by far the most widely spoken Chinese language group, followed by Wu (Cantonese) and Yue (Shanghai dialect). These spoken languages are mutually unintelligible, though they use the same written characters.The author Joseph Edkins was a prominent English Sinologue who lived in China for 57 years and published fourteen books on… Read More

[8], 637 pp.The first and only edition of Van Eedens guide to domestic and foreign plants, flowers and trees from every corner all over the world: from China and Japan to Africa, Mexico and Greece. Van Eeden, an agronomist and botanist, says all these flowers are suitable for cultivating in Dutch gardens. Stafleu & Cowan indicate that it was first issued in parts, under the title Bloemkundig woordenboek. Although this work is quite learned due to the quantity of information and the Latin names of the plants, trees and flowers, it would have been very accessible and easy to read for the general public seeking information about different plants, flowers and trees they could sow in their garden.Front hinge cracked, stain on the back board, but still in a good condition.l Arnold Arboretum I, p. 225; Jackson, p. 439; Stafleu & Cowan 1626; for the author: Stafleu & Cowan, p. 725.

Comprehensive bibliography of work of the well-known Dutch 17th-century draughtsmen and engravers Jan and Caspar Luyken. A few occasional spots, bindings slightly rubbed along the extremities. Very good copy, untrimmed.

XII (incl. frontispiece), 131, [1 blank] pp.Rare first edition of a schoolbook on art, teaching beginners the basic rules of drawing and painting, especially in miniature. Eelke Jelles Eelkema, an artist himself, adapted the book after a French work by the miniaturist painter André Léon Larue (known as Mansion), for use of his own pupils. It contains 32 brief chapters covering a wide array of subjects: how to polish ivory, how to draw an old man's face, how to choose the right brushes, how to paint velvet or lace, how to position and enlighten the model, etc.In very good condition, only very slightly browned with a few small spots. Binding very slightly rubbed, but also very good.l WorldCat (4 copies); NCC (same 4 copies).

[168] pp.Extremely rare first edition, published in a very limited edition, of one of the most famous art books on horses with descriptions by the veterinarian E.A.L. Quadekker and 41 chromo-lithographs after paintings by the celebrated Dutch animal painter Otto Eerelman (1839 - 1926). The chromo-lithographed plates were produced under supervision of the artist by J.L. Goffart, with the result that the plates resembled the original oil-paintings as closely as possible. The lifelike plates are indeed of impressive beauty, depicting the thoroughbreds of the world, such as Persian, Arabian, Turkish, Belgian, Andalusian and Lipizzaner horses. Each plate is accompanied by an extensive four-page account of the history, development, physics, breeding and training of the horse depicted.Some slight browning on the text pages; portfolio slightly worn. Very good and complete copy of a well-illustrated Dutch classic on horses.l Not in Podeschi.

[24], 192 pp.First Dutch translation of Hans Egede's first description of Greenland, including its natural and cultural history. Hans Egede (1686-1758) was a Norwegian-Danish missionary who went to Greenland in 1721 to convert the Greenlanders, but who also helped to initiate trade between Greenland and Denmark. His description of Greenland and Davis Strait is not only the first description of Greenland and its coastal area, but also one of the most trustworthy and popular accounts of the region. He describes not only the history of Greenland, but also the flora and fauna and the Inuit culture, commerce and religion. He draws particular attention to seal hunting and whaling, illustrated with engraved plates.The present Dutch edition was translated from the second Danish edition, published in 1741 at Copenhagen and the present dedication to the Danish crown prince is still dated 1741. The first Danish edition, published without the author's permission, was much less extensive, so the present Dutch… Read More

[22] pp.First and only edition of a privately issued catalogue by the owner of one of the cabinets holding the fossils, Sir Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton, 10th Baronet (1806-1881), an English palaeontologist and Conservative politician. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1831 and was trustee of the British Museum, where Egerton's collection of fossil fish is now deposited. Since his study at Christ Church, Oxford Egerton was interested in Geology and travelling in Switzerland with Lord Cole (later to be 3rd Earl of Enniskillen) they were introduced to Professor L. Afgassiz at Neufchâtel who inspired them to make a special study of fossil fish. During the following years the two friends collected together two of the largest and finest of private collections. According to Egerton's introduction (p. (3)) "the following catalogues were prepared at the suggestion of Professor Agassiz to whose wonted liberality I am indebted for documents explanatory of his system of Ichthology, hitherto… Read More

[4], III, [1], 423. [1] pp.Inteded as a practical handbook for physicians and pharmacists for their daily practice. The work provides an alphabetically sorted overview of current medicines and provides a synopsis of the terms and terminologies used in the official pharmacopies in the Netherlands in the first half of the 18th century. It was an enormously handy work as it described very briefly the properties of each medicine, exact dosage information for internal and external application of each medicine and lists possible negative drug interactions and and contraindications. Cornelis van Eldik (1791-1857) was a Dutch physician specializing in obstetrics. He taught medicine and served on several medical committees in Nijmegen. Alongside his friend, Doctor A. Moll, he edited a highly successful medical publication, the Practisch Tijdschrift voor de Geneeskunde in al haren omvang. Van Eldik authored several works, primarily in the field of obstetrics, but also on general medicine.Spine slightly damaged… Read More

XXXII, 440 pp.First and only Dutch edition of a description of the voyage of the ships Dobbs and California under the command of the captains Moor and Smith to Hudson Bay in Canada (1746-1747), where they unsuccessfully sought a North-West passage, first published in English in 1748. Henry Ellis, hydrographer and mineralogist, accompanied the expedition. Reaching the head of the bay they discovered to their dismay that its unnavigable rivers offered no further passage. In addition to debunking the theory of a North-West passage through Hudson Bay, the book gives valuable observations on tides and on eskimo life.Spine slightly rubbed; upper hinges weak. Good, uncut copy of a description of an unsuccesfull search for a North-West passage via Hudson Bay.l Cat NHSM, p. 301; Cox II, p. 8; JCB 927; Sabin 22315; cf. Howgego, to 1800, M162.

[1], [1 blank] pp.Second known copy of one of the earliest Montevideo imprints, published by Francisco Javier de Elío (1767-1822), the last viceroy of Rio de la Plata, urging the inhabitants of the town to remain loyal to Spain, which they did until 1814 when they surrendered to the revolutionary army of the Provinces. Montevideo, capital of the Spanish colonial predecessor of modern Uruguay, was at the time a small town of about 8000 souls only. General Auchmuty established the first Montevideo printing office during the British occupation, in the winter of 1807, but it was removed in the same year to Buenos Aires. In 1810, the Infanta Carlotta Joaquina sent a printing press from Buenos Aires, allowing the city to set up its first permanent printing office, whose first imprints appeared later that year. It was an official city press, and when named in imprints (including other proclamations by the Viceroy), it was usually simply called “la imprenta de la ciudad de Montevideo”. Since it was the… Read More

[6], VIII, XII, 745, [2]; [4], 650; [4], 648; [4]; 626, [2] pp.The most important edition of this historical and biographical dictionary on the history of medicine, including many biographies of important physicians, such as Boerhaave and Hippocrates, chemists, pharmacists and surgeons, as well as often extensive and detailed entries on "Anatomie", "Botanique", "Chirurgie", "Chymie" and "Pharmacie". As a result of the publication of his Dictionnaire, Eloy is considered one of the most important pioneers of medical biography.After the first edition of his Dictionnaire (Liege, Bassompierre, 1755), it took Eloy no less than 22 years to publish this expanded and totally re-written Dictionnaire in 1778.Nicolas François Joseph Eloy (1714-1788) was born in Mons and after his study in Louvain he returned to his native town in 1737 where he stayed till his death in 1788 as a physician. In 1752 he was appointed town physician and in 1754 he became also court physician to princes Anne-Charlotte and prince… Read More

XLIV, 189 [3]; [4], 222, [2]; [4], 223 [1] pp.First edition of the French translation of one of the first exhaustive works on the kingdom of Kabul, now known as Afghanistan, and its dependencies in Persia, Tartary and India. First published in English in 1815, it was written by a British official, Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779-1859). Elphinstone was sent to the kingdom of Kabul by the rulers of British India in 1808, to discuss with the Shah the possibilities of a mutual defence against Napoleonic France. Elphinstone, as a consequence, was the first Englishman to visit Peshawar, the traditional winter residence of the rulers of Kabul, which was also the terminus of all trade routes from east to west. The meeting was concluded by a treaty of friendship (7 June 1809), the Shah promising to oppose the passage of foreign troops through his country. Before this could be ratified, however, the Shah was driven off the throne by his brother.The book opens with a short history of Afghanistan that ends with the… Read More

239, [1] pp.Second enlarged edition of this pocket atlas of the Low Countries with attractively coloured maps. The first edition appeared in 1785. The introduction deals with geography in general, and also gives a description of the different parts of the Low Countries. It has been expanded with a list of departures of canal boats and ferries as well as a list of inns. The atlas begins with a world map in 2 hemispheres and 4 maps of the continents, all updated in accordance with the latest discoveries of Captain Cook, followed by maps of individual provinces of the Dutch Republic and the Southern Netherlands, and finally 2 distance tables of cities in the Low Countries.The map of the Americas numbers the 13 new United States and names them in a key at the side, and the text refers to the American independence as a momentous event that expands the boundaries of freedom and discusses the close relations with the Dutch Republic. The world map is dated 1786, and the first 5 maps are signed by the… Read More

243, [1] pp. textSecond enlarged edition of a pocket atlas of the Low Countries with attractively coloured maps. The introduction deals with geography in general, and also gives a description of the different parts of the Low Countries. It has been expanded with a list of departures of canal boats and ferries as well as a list of inns. The atlas begins with a world map in two hemispheres and four maps of the continents, all updated in accordance with the latest discoveries of Captain Cook, followed by maps of individual provinces of the Dutch Republic and the Southern Netherlands, and finally two distance tables of cities in the Low Countries. The map of the Americas numbers the thirteen new United States and names them in a key at the side, and the text refers to the American independence as a momentous event that expands the boundaries of freedom and discusses the close relations with the Dutch Republic.With a Chinese ownership seal stamped in red ink on the flyleaf. The second distance table has… Read More

[20], 1105, [1 blank]; [4], 966 pp.First edition of a 2000-page pharmaceutical dictionary compiled by the Dutch physician and poet Kornelis Elzevier (1717-1761). It uses the Latin terms for an enormous number of compounds and substances, with brief remarks in Dutch on their preparation and effectiveness. For various medicaments Elzevier mentions his sources, which include Cordus, Mesue, Mynsicht, Wecker and various other lexicons and pharmacopoeias. The engraved frontispiece shows an apothecary where the personifications of Truth and Experience expell Superstition and Stupidity. On the floor lie several books by popular physicians like Boerhaave, Dodonaeus, Lobel and Lemery, with on the background busts of Hippocrates, Galen and Paracelsus.Small corner torn off half-title of first volume, some marginal water stains, and foxing and marginal thumbing throughout. Binding heavily discoloured on spine and partly on the sides, otherwise in good condition and wholly untrimmed, leaving ample margins.l Blake,… Read More

[24] 194, [22]; [4], 536, [32]; [4], 519, 25 pp.First edition of this highly interesting and original work in three parts on the geography, history and form of government of the Greeks, which Ubbio Emmius (1547-1625) composed during the last years of his life, and which was published posthumously in Leiden in 1626 by the Elzevier brothers with a dedicatory introduction is by his son Wessel.Emmius devoted a large part of his life to writing the history of the Frisian territories. His Rerum Frisicarum historia - the first modern study of Friesland from North-Holland to Denmark - appeared in 6 volumes from 1592 until 1616.Binding of vol. 2 (containing part 3) slightly dust-soiled and half-loose (front hinge came loose from the book block). Otherwise in good condition.l Willems, 252; Rahir, 214.; An account of Emmius’ life, written by Nicholas Mulerius, was published, with the lives of other professors of Groningen (Groningen, 1638).

[2], XIV, 242, [2] pp.First edition in German of a detailed account of waves, concentrating on ocean waves. It covers both practical and theoretical aspects, with chapters on the motion of waves and of water within waves, the theory of travelling waves, new developments in wave theory, various phenomena, the influence of the form of the sea floor on waves, the effects of wind and causes of floods, their effects on the coast and the silting of harbours, the theory and practice of sea walls and other constructions, harbour improvement, and a more detailed discussion of various sorts of constructions. The illustrations include diagrams illustrating the theory of wave flow, cross-sections of various shapes of sea floors and their influence on the waves, plans and sections of protective constructions (wharves, dams, sea walls, etc.) and hydraulic devices. It makes use of specific historical examples, such as the destruction of the dam at St. Jean de Luz in 1822.A good copy, with the text leaves slightly… Read More

[8], 342, [2] pp.First and only Dutch translation of Cattle, their breeds, management, and diseases (London, 1834) by the English veterinary surgeon William Youatt (1776-1847). The lithographic illustrations in the present Dutch translation are after the original uncoloured English engravings, but in the present copy they are carefully hand-coloured.The translator, Evert Cornelis Enklaar (1799-1880), was an authority on Dutch agriculture in his time. He was the author of the influential Dutch agricultural manual Handboek voor den beoefenaar van den landbouw (1854) and many other works on the same subject. The present cattle book is very rare, the NCC only names 3 Dutch libraries with a copy.Folded plates slightly frayed at the margins that stick out of the bookblock. Binding slightly rubbed;l NCC (3 copies); not in Nissen ZBI; not in Cat. Natura Artis Magistra.