Search Results: Authors starting with F from Asher Rare Books

XII, 9-144 pp.Ninth copy located of the "third" (actually fifth) and last edition, revised, expanded and extensively illustrated with new plates, of a classic work on surveying and mensuration, with instructions and patterns for making a theolodite. The large folding plate (19.5 x 27.5 cm) showing the theolodite was probably designed to be cut up by the person who wished to make one, the paper scales, pointers, etc. being pasted on the surface of the instrument, which might be made of metal, wood or cardboard. The theolodite is shown again in the first plate in the text, and other plates show its use for measuring height, distance, depth, etc. in a wide variety of circumstances, both on land and aboard a ship. The book covers the theory as well, and the 3 numbered plates at the end show plane and solid geometrical figures, and scales of inches ("oncie") for 25 Italian cities.With bookplate. In very good condition, with only occasional minor spots or stains. The binding is good, though the spine is… Read More

[20], 185, [9]; 51, [1]; 173, [1 blank]; 69, [7], [3 blank]; 22, 104, [2]; [22], “389” [= 386]; [30] pp.Ad 1: Enlarged edition of a treatise on metallurgy, especially meant for gold- and silversmiths, written by the master of the Leipzig mint of Modestin Fachs, Prince of Anhalt. He was responsible for assaying metals. The text mainly concerns gold and silver, but the second part covers the managerial aspects of the mint. The third part gives lists of alchemical signs, values of several currencies, additional infomation on gold and silver, other metals and alloys. The first edition was published at Leipzig in 1595. Ad 2: First and only edition of an introduction to metallurgy and mining. “Ubersichtliche und selbstständige Anleitung zur Probirkunst, von den alten Probierbüchlein deutlich unterschieden” (Darmstädter).Ad 3: First and only edition of a collection of 153 aphorisms concerning metallurgy and alchemy, also focussing on the medicinal qualities of metals, written by the court physician at… Read More

11 , [1 blank] pp. plus plates.Very rare first and only German edition of a collection of views of the fountains of Rome by Giovanni Battista Falda, first published in Italian in 4 parts from 1675 to 1685. The present German edition was issued simultaneously with a Latin edition by the same printer and publisher. It is one of a series of Sandrart editions of collections of plates first published by the de'Rossi firm in Rome. The 42 engraved plates are beautifully and skillfully designed and engraved. All show fountains, mostly in Rome's city squares with an entourage of people. Most follow the original plates in parts 1 and 2 of De'Rossi's Italian edition of Falda's Le fontane di Roma, ca. 1675-1676, but plate I was newly made for this edition; pl. XV is follows one in part 3 of Le fontane and pl. XXXXII, a view of the Villa Pamphili in Rome, follows one in another de'Rossi production. Every engraving is accompanied by a text in Latin and German. A number of the plates are signed by the engravers Hans… Read More

29, [1 blank] pp.Rare agricultural dissertation with Fallen as praeses, from when he was a teacher of botany and domestic economy. With Elfwendahl as respondent.Very good copy.l Cat. Linnean Soc., p.254; Krok, Fallen 1; Pritzel 2809.

[1] leaf.Rare portrait of the mathematician and Rosicrucian Johann Faulhaber (1580-1635), engraved by Lucas Kilian (1579-1637) in Augsburg. With a numbered list of six published works, with the names of their printers and publishers and the years of publication, 1604-1615. Faulhaber, the official surveyor of the city of Ulm, collaborated with Kepler and was the first to publish the Briggs logarithms in German. His "lasting accomplishment was the dissemination and explanation of the logarithmic method of calculation" (DSB).Border very slightly shaved, and frayed at the centre of the left edge, torn around the lower right corner of the plate edge. Very good copy of a rare portrait.l VD17 23:289362X (1 copy, apparently with the decorative border trimmed off); for Faulhaber: DSB IV, pp. 549-552.

53, [2]; 9, [1 blank], 47, [1] pp.Very rare monograph on edible and inedible mushrooms, written by the famous professor Louis Favre-Guillarmod (1822-1904). This book is the first edition of the complete text, the first part being a reprint of the 1861 edition, which describes mushrooms from the Canton of Neuchatel in Switzerland. The second part has a new introduction in which the author states that after eight years he wants to give extra information to the public because many problems occurred with people not knowing which mushrooms could be eaten.In part two, p. 11 and its plate are misbound (between pp. 44 & 45). Waterstain in lower margin, some leaves repaired, a few annotations in ink, library stamps on title-page.l Ekama, p. 407; KVK (1 copy); WorldCat (5 copies); cf. Kelly, p. 76 (1st ed., part 1 only).

258 pp.First and only separately published edition of a detailed account of the geography, history and especially diplomacy of the northwest American region that the United States called Oregon Country, written and published during the negotiations to divide the region between Great Britain and the United States. The British called it the Columbia District. The folding map shows the "ligne proposé par les Etats-Unis" at the 49th parallel, which was the final dividing line in the 1846 treaty except that the whole of Vancouver Island went to Great Britain. In 1848 the United States part officially became the Oregon territory and was later the States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and parts of two others, while the British part became the southern part of what is now British Columbia in Canada. The map has some irregular folds and several tears, some repaired, but all are marginal. The book is otherwise in very good condition.l Eberstadt 134:563; Howes F70; Sabin 24000; not in the Graff Collection.

[80] ll.1563 edition of a popular Italian treatise on arithmetic and geometry by the Italian mathematician Fransesco Feliciano da Lazesio (1570-1542). First published in 1526 at Venice, it became immensely popular and went through many, revised editions, the present edition probably being the 8th. It is divided into three parts, starting with an introduction, followed by a part on arithmetic and roots and a part on practical geometry and measurements. When first published it was the first book describing the use of the surveyor's cross, an innovative tool at a time when long distances were often merely estimated by sight. "Few books had greater influence on the subsequent teaching of elementary mathematics" (Smith). The work is generally known as the Scala grimaldelli. "The author explains the original title with a drawing on the front [title-page] depicting an actual ladder and a key, accompanied by a sonnet ... suggesting that you need a ladder (scala) to attack the castle and a key (grimaldello) to… Read More

[14], 375, [6] pp.First edition of one of the few works about Angola from its era, containing a very rare map of the country. This work is extremely scarce, as we have only been able to find it in three sales records from the past hundred years.Angola was a part of the Portuguese Empire almost continuously from 1655-1975. The current capital, Luanda, was originally a Portuguese settlement founded in 1576. Since the Portuguese were primarily in Angola for the slave trade, the colony was initially not expanded beyond Luanda and a fort in the bay of Benguela in the south. The region was therefore hardly explored. As foreign interest for Angola grew, and Luanda was even in Dutch hands from 1640-1648, the Portuguese realised they needed to expand to be able to defend it. Different governors enlisted the help of cartographers to explore the region. Governor José de Almeida e Vasconcellos de Soveral e Carvalho, who held this position from 1784-1790, employed the help of Lieutenant Colonel Luís Cândido… Read More

Splendid atlas of fortifications of the cities of Europe (plus Malta and some other Mediterranean sites), combined with a maritime atlas of the French coasts, published by Pieter Mortier (1661-1711). Both are based on the similar publications of Nicolas de Fer (1646-1720) and falsely indicate that they were published by him.Ad 1: The atlas of fortified cities of Europe. Many of the plans show the work of the greatest 17th-century masters of the art and science of fortification, including Samuel Marolois, Simon Stevin and Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. The last two parts contain primarily smaller maps, printed 4 to the page. Ad 2: The maritime atlas of the coasts of France. It also shows the fortifications along the coasts, so it complements the fortifications atlas and was clearly designed to match it in format and style. With the caption of one plate cut off and 2 plates and 1 letterpress title-page somewhat browned. Further in good condition. A couple plates are bound in the wrong volume. A… Read More

[1], [1 blank], [1], [2 blank], [13], “66” [= 196], [4] pp.First edition, in the original Spanish, of a rare manual for artillery warfare by the military engineer and general Fernández de Medrano (1646-1705), incorporating material from his 1691 El perfecto bombardero y práctico artillero and his 1680 El prático artillero. The Verdussen printing and publishing office in Antwerp brought out a second and third edition in 1708 and 1723, which are equally rare. The charming plates, drawn by some of de Medrano's students, were engraved by the Dutch artist Jacobus Harrewijn (1660-1727), active in Brussels from 1695 to 1714. They depict ordnance and munitions, as well as towns under heavy artillery fire.Late 18th-century owner’s inscription by the artillery officer António Henrique Banazol de Ataíde e Campos on the half-title. Later in the famous Ashburnham library assembled by Bertram Ashburnham, 4th Earl of Ashburnham (1797-1878), with his purple ink shelfmark ("26.E") and note "Catal. M 1859" on… Read More

[12], 579; [8], 144 pp.Second, enlarged edition of a collection of the most important works of the well-known Italian humanist and philologist Ottavio Ferrari (Milan 1607 - Padua 1682), containing his eulogies, letters, poetry, inscriptions, funeral poems and epitaphs. In 1634 Ferrari was called to Padua by the Venetian authorities to teach eloquence and Greek at the University and to improve the declining conditions of the University. In a few years Ferrari succeeded in doing this and he restored the University to its former luster. According to the famous Dutch scholar Isaac Vossius Ferrari and Giovanni Battista Doni were almost the only Italian scholars retaining a decent knowledge of antiquity.From the library of the famous Spanish bibliophile Gomez de la Cortona (1805-1868), with his gold-tooled coat of arms on each board and his bookplate on the inside front board. Rector of the University of Madrid, he owned one of the most important private libraries in Spain in the 19th century. Most of his… Read More

[48], 522, [12] pp.First Amsterdam edition of an "invaluable" (Masson) work on seventeenth-century Italian gardens. The first edition, written in Latin appeared in Rome in 1633 and an Italian translation appeared in 1638. The present work contains a newly edited version of the original Latin text, published by Janssonius in Amsterdam. The author, Giovanni Battista Ferrari (1584-1655), was an Italian Jesuit, botanist, orientalist and teacher at the Jesuit College in Rome. The editor, Bernhard Rottendorff (1594-1671), was a German doctor, humanist, and one of the most well-grounded, universal scholars of his time.The Flora seu de florum cultura is divided into four books. Book one deals with the choice and preparation of the garden, listing several celebrated contemporary gardens as example. This is followed by a general discussion of several noted species of flowers, including daffodils, crocusses, hyacinths, cyclamens, anemones, turban buttercups, peonies, roses and shrubs. Part 3 deals with the… Read More

[6], XIV, [2], 463; [4], 463 pp.First French edition of the account of the voyages in Persia and Afghanistan of Jean-Paul Ferrier, the only Frenchman who travelled through Afghanistan during the 19th century and the last European to enter that country for the following 50 years. Ferrier went to Persia in 1839, as instructor of the troops of the Chah. In 1845, he decided to offer his help to the heirs of the Ranjit Singh, maharajah of Pendjab. Due to the tensed relationship between England and France, Ferrier had to avoid crossing English territories. The alternative was to choose his way through Persia and Afghanistan. He left on the 1st of April, disguised as an Arabian, and arrived the 3rd of May in Teheran. From there he continued his voyage, during which he observed that the river Héri-Roud was incorrectly drawn on most of the maps. He was made prisoner as a spy for Persia by the governor of Herat, but released in June. On the 30st of August, he arrived at Kandahar, still occupied by the English… Read More

[20], 302 pp.One of the three editions, all dated 1745, of a richly illustrated work on dancing by the Catalan dance instructor D. Bartolome Ferriol y Boxereaux. Derra de Moroda considers it one of the two principal works of 18th-century dance in Spain ("a very rare book"), although it primarily describes the practice of French dance then in vogue. The main text is divided into 3 parts treating the different steps of French dance, the movement of the legs and arms and the art of choreography. It shows both the dance notation of Feuillet and that of Rameau. The book is fascinating not only as an important record of dance and its notation, but also for its experimental graphic design.From the Salvá library, formed by Vicente Salvá y Pérez (1780-1849) and his son, Pedro Salvá y Mallén (1811-1869). With a later monogram bookplate on paste-down incorporating the initials H, I[?]. D, R, A and E[?] in in purple, green and gold on a yellow ground. With the spine bookblock partially separated from the… Read More

[100] ll.First Basel edition of a popular work from an important early humanist philosopher, published during his lifetime. This influential work, which continues to be printed in the 21st century, is a mixture of different sciences of those times, including medicine, philosophy, astrology, hermeticism and magic. It focuses on the health and well-being of scholars, who, according to this work, were naturally prone to melancholy. Although Marsilio Ficino (also known as Marsilius Ficinus, 1433-1499) was not the first to write specifically about the health of scholars, his work on the subject was the most extensive.De triplici vita, complete with the Apologia, is divided in three parts, which each focus on a different aspect of health. Book 1 is about physical health, book 2 about prolonging life and book 3, which is heavily influenced by Plotinus (ca. 204-270), discusses astral influences on human life. Marsilio Ficino was a Catholic priest, humanist, Neoplatonist, astrologer and physician. He spent a… Read More

210 pp.First edition of a survey of the influence of rapacious birds on the agriculture in the United States, published as bulletin no. 3 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy. Understanding the feeding pattern of these birds was crucial to gauge their role in the ecosystem. Therefore the birds were caught and dissected and their stomach contents studied. This explains why the plates show the birds with their typical food. The 26 full-page chromolithographed plates are signed JLR (J.L. Ridgway and R. Ridgway) and show most birds in their natural habitat with a kill at their paws. Number 26 is placed between 23 and 24. Bottom of spine damaged and repaired.l Nissen IVB 316.

[4], 364 pp.The rare first edition of Johannes Lehman de Lehnsfeld’s Dutch translation of the fourth enlarged edition of Fisher’s English travel journal: A journal of a voyage of discovery to the Arctic regions, in His Majesty's ships Hecla and Griper, in the Years 1819 & 1820, by the ship’s surgeon Alexander Fisher. This is an account of the first voyage commanded by the famous explorer of the Arctic Sir William Edward Parry (1790-1855) to search for the non-existent North West Passage. On his 1819 expedition, from May 1819 to late October 1820, he penetrated through the Parry Channel and Barrow's Strait as far as Melville Island (75° 30’ N, 111° 30’ W). Parry's voyage, which had taken him through the Parry Channel three quarters of the way across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was probably the single most productive voyage in the quest for the Northwest Passage.Fisher's detailed journal is a valuable supplement to Parry's official account (Journal of a voyage to discover a North-west… Read More

118 plates plus letterpress descriptions.First edition of one of the earliest studies on Australian orchids, by Robert Desmond Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald (1830-1892) was an Australian deputy surveyor-general and botanical artist of Irish birth, who lived in Sydney from 1856. He is best known for his present Australian orchids, containing descriptions of Australian orchid species, some described here for the first time. Although some sources give his middle name as David or Douglas, Desmond seems to be correct. The work was issued in 12 parts from 1875 to 1894, the last completed posthumously from Fitzgerald's notes by Henry Deane.The present copy is Fitzgerald’s presentation copy for Miss Macpherson, the colourist of a large number of the plates, with an inscription by Fitzgerald addressed to her on the first leaf of the first part of volume 1: "Miss Macpherson, from Robert Fitzgerald with thanks for assistance". Also included are two letters, written by one of Miss Macpherson’s heirs to a prospective… Read More

89-92; 1215-1230; 1262-1265 pp.Three astronomical articles (2 in the form of letters) by England's first Royal Astronomer, John Flamsteed (1646-1719) at the Greenwich Observatory from its establishment in 1675, published in the Philosophical Transactions of the British Royal Society in the years 1683 and 1685. The first article gives observations of a 1682 lunar eclipse by Flamsteed himself, Edmund Halley and a certain Haynes. The second gives Flamsteed's calculations of the eclipses of Jupiter's four moons for the coming year 1686, intended in part as an aid to the determination of longitude. The third gives an engraved dial with four scales around its perimeter, with Flamsteed's description of its use to calculate the positions of Jupiter's moons.. Flamsteed's magnum opus, his great star catalogue and charts, appeared posthumously in 1725 and 1729, so his most important publications during his own lifetime were a single book in 1680 and a dozen short astronomical articles in the years 1672 to 1686,… Read More