Search Results: Authors starting with H from Asher Rare Books

XVIII, 60 pp.Rare first and only edition of the Dutch translation of a treatise on the so-called Papinian pot (Papinscher Topf), a device for extracting the essential material from all kinds of pharmacological simples from the three domains of nature: animals, plants and metals. The device was developed by Denis Papin (1647-1712), a French physicist, mathematician and invertor, best known for this pioneering invention of the steam digestor, a forerunner of the pressure cooker that also contributed the cylinder and piston to the gradual development of the modern steam engine. The original Latin treatise Libellus, in quo demonstratur quod non solum vegetabilia, animalia, et mineralia menstruo simplici paucis horis possint solvi, verum etiam extracta purissima, et salia essentialia educi (Vienna, Joannes Thomas Trattner, 1766) was written by Andreas Leopold Haan, municipal physician at Graz. The translator, Boudewyn Tieboel (1738-1814) was a pharmacist at Franeker and since 1758 at Leeuwarden, who added… Read More

Hand-coloured aquatint view of the royal palace Paviljoen Welgelegen near Haarlem, originally built for the banker Henry Hope (1735-1811). The building was converted into a palace under King Louis Bonaparte and later become the property of the Dutch royal family and used as the residence of the King's mother. After her death in 1820, Welgelegen was unused until 1838 when it became a museum for contemporary art.The palace was drawn by Cornelis de Kruyff (1774-1828), who is primarily known for several drawings of Amsterdam. In 1824 he exhibited two drawings of the royal palaces of Het Loo and Soestdijk at the art exhibition in Amsterdam. The firm of Buffa and sons would publish prints after drawings by De Kruyff of several royal palaces in the 1820s, first as smaller engravings in Vues choisies d’Amsterdam et ses environs (1824-1825) and later as larger aquatints.Christiaan Frederik Bierweiler (1783-1831) was an Amsterdam-born engraver who spent most of the first quarter of the 19th century abroad.… Read More

275, [8], [1 blank] pp.Unrecorded Leeuwarden edition of an influential Christian prayer book, written by the German Lutheran theologian Johann Habermann (or Haverman, also known as Johannes Avenarius, 1516-1590). It was edited and translated into Dutch in 1573 from the German Christliche Gebet für alle Not und Stende der gantzen Christenheit (first edition 1567), but in 1634 Hendrik van Diest (1595-1673), a preacher and professor of theology in Harderwijk (later also Deventer) revised the Dutch translation based on the original German and had it published in a 32mo edition by Jan Evertsz Cloppenburgh in Amsterdam, advertised in Jan van Hilten’s Courante uyt Italien ene Duytschlandt, &c., 1634, no. 43 (28 October 1634): “By Jan E. Cloppenburgh is gedruckt in 32 Johan Habermans Ghebeden, na het Hooghduytsche ende voor de Ghereformeerde Religie ghecorrigeert”. Many editions of Van Diest’s revision, including the present, incorporate the author’s name into the title: Johan Havermans Christelijcke… Read More

[4], 74, [2] ll.First and only edition of a French adaptation of a Latin emblem book by Laurens van Haecht Goidthoven (Laurentius Haechtanus Goidtsenhovius, 1527-1603). The Latin edition was first published in 1579 at Antwerp by Gerard de Jode (1517-1591), entitled Mikrokosmos, and contained the same 74 engraved emblems as the present edition. It is an edifying work, using the traditional structure of an emblem book: motto, pictura, epigram. Each emblem is accompanied by a French motto above, a citation from the Bible below and a French poem on the facing page. De Jode and Van Haecht enlarged their scope, however, representing a range of curious subjects from Greek and Roman legends, including Arion and the dolphin, Penelope and Odysseus, Cyrus and Tomyris, and many more. The present edition reuses the engraved title-page of Joost van den Vondel's Den gulden winckel der konstlievende Nederlanders: a Dutch adaptation of the Mikrokosmos, which was first published in 1613 by Dirck Petersz. The publisher… Read More

XL, 404, [26], [2 blank] pp.First edition (first issue), the only edition in the original Latin, of a lovely devotional emblem book with an engraved title-page and 38 engraved emblems, all on the theme of the holy cross, all engraved by Cornelis Galle the elder (1576-1650), at least the title-page after a drawing by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1648). The history of the present copy is unusually interesting and well documented. The first documented owner was Jakob Adalbert Schrenk(1634-1674) best known as a composer of church music. The 1650 inscription on the title-page shows that when he was 15 or 16 he gave it to Gotthard Freyd, then also at Kremsmünster. The book found its way to the Abbot at Kremsmünster, Placidus Buechauer (1611-1669), who had it splendidly bound before his 1669 death. With water stains at the head of one quire and the half-title speckled with ink(?), but generally in very good condition. The binding shows a few small wormholes, minor cracks or small abrasions and lacks the ties,… Read More

[22], 82 pp.First edition of a very rare medical treatise by Ehrenfried Hagendorn (1640-1692), a Polish doctor and the personal physician of the Elector of Saxony. In the present Tractatus he introduced a new medical application for the popular exotic "terra Japonica" or catechu. Catechu (cachou, cutch etc.) is a substance widely used for all kinds of purposes throughout Asia today and in history. It is extracted mainly, but not exclusively, from the bark of acacia trees. Typically it comes as a reddish powder that dissolves in water. It has been used in Europe for centuries, most commonly as a dye or as an astringent. In Dutch "cachouën" (to cachou) means to boil something in catechu (cachou) in order to make it last longer. This was introduced by the VOC and especially used in the maintenance of ships, which eventually lead to the Dutch fleet turning reddish brown because of the dye in catechu. We traced the first European mention of catechu in a Wittenberg pharmacist's pricelist from 1632:… Read More

[8] pp.Very important pamphlet containing the Justification by Willem Hagius, magistrate (Schepen) of the City Council of Leeuwarden, for his actions as representative for Leeuwarden (together with the burgomaster Hieronymus de Blau who died 13 December 1672 of heart problems as the result of tumultuous procedings), presenting a Remonstrance to the States of Friesland with far reaching proposals for reforms, regarding nominations and appointments of offices, representation of the cities and burghers, defense, financial matters, etc., in total no less than 53 points. Forced by a threatening mob the States accepted the Remonstrance, together with the ‘Remarques’ and various commentaries, on 27 September 1672. A little short cut and so the quire signatures are lost, but overall in good condition.l STCN 286883074 (2 copies) and 159717728 (1 copy); not in Knuttel. Cf. NNBW, IV, col. 158; Besoignes van de Reformatoire poincten, by de Gecommitteerden … and Staten [van Friesland) overgelevert (1672;… Read More

XV, 222; CXXX, 64 pp.Rare narrative of the voyage to the west coast of Korea made by Captain Basil Hall (1788-1844). This expedition took Lord Amherst's Embassy to China and explorled the barely known East China Sea and Yellow Sea. Not only Korea was visited but also the Ryukyu Archipelago by the Alceste and Lyra, they obtained detailed information on the area. The Europeans in the past had explored Korea only briefly. On the way home the Alceste was wrecked in the Gaspar Strait of Sumatra. This account contains entries about the specifics of Korean lifestyles, local vocabulary, including Korean, and hydrographic charts and nautical facts such as records of sea currents and meteorological data. The drawings of scenery and costumes were made by William Havell (1782-1857), the eminent artist who accompanied the Embassy, from sketches taken on the spot, by C.W. Browne, midshipman on board the Alceste.Good uncut copy; Plate after p. XVIII bound upside down.l Abbey, Travel , 558; Cordier, Japonica, 469;… Read More

[36] loose ll.A collection of 36 pencil drawings of famous English thoroughbred race horses by at least three artists, including one signed "Harry Hall" and several others clearly based directly or indirectly on his paintings. Some horses appear in their stables or grounds, sometimes with a stable boy, groom or owner, others are shown carrying a jockey during a race at a track. The earliest horses shown include a beautiful pencil and ink-wash drawing of Camel (1822-1844), who raced from 1825 to 1827 and won the 1826 Port Stakes at Newmarket. He is better known as the sire of Touchstone (1831-1861), also shown, one of the most famous thoroughbreds of all time, who raced from 1833 to 1837. In very good condition, with only some minor wrinkles in one drawing and faint stains in another. Portfolio good. A charming collection of horse drawings, mostly from the early 1850s.

[4], VIII, 211, [1] pp.Splendid copy in contemporary red morocco, bound for the French King Louis XV, containing the first edition of a geometrical treatise on a new method of drawing and projecting conic sections (circles, ellipses, parabolas, hyperbolas). Hugh Hamilton (1729-1805), was a descendant of a Hugh Hamilton who settled in Ireland in the time of James I. He studied at Trinity College in Dublin, was appointed Erasmus Smith's professor of natural history in the University of Dublin in 1759, and was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy and member of the Irish Royal Academy. He later fulfilled several posts as vicar and dean and in 1799 he became bishop of Ossory. Hamilton published several learned treatises, of which the present was the most valued, as it contained several new theorems. The new analytical system of conic sections and the drawing of their projections is mainly taught by means of propositions and problems, all clearly illustrated on the large engraved plates. The present first… Read More

14 pp.Hardtman's dissertation of the alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum), with Engelbert Jörlin as praeses.In good condition.l WorldCat (5 copies).

38, [2 blank] pp.Rare fifth edition, the first published outside of Paris, of a concise practical handbook on the choosing, training, care and feeding of birds of prey for hunting, by the falconer to Louis XIII, first published in 1620. "Copies of this work [in any edition] are very difficult to procure" (Harting). The hunting scene on the title-page, which has no related illustration in the first edition or in d'Arcussia, shows two men in the foreground, one blowing a horn and with a dog on a leash, the other holding a falcon and with hawking paraphernalia. It shows falcons attacking birds in the sky, and a hunting scene with dogs and men on horseback chasing a stag in the background.With a few minor stains and faint offsetting, but still in good condition, the binding with very slight wear to the fore-edge corners, but otherwise fine. A rare and important practical handbook on falconry, illustrated with the woodcuts of the second (1634) edition, including a hunting scene not in the first edition.l… Read More

X, [2], 415, [1]; IX, [3], 356; XVII, [3], 542; VII, [1], 325, [30]; VIII, 176 pp.Special dedication copy of the first edition of an encyclopaedic work on the microscope by the Utrecht professor P. Harting (1812-1885), originally planned - as noted in the preface to the first volume - in three volumes, treating: (1) the theory and general description of the microscope, with 3 folding tables and 5 folding lithographed plates; (2) microscopic research, with 2 folding tables and 3 folding lithographed plates; (3) the history of the microscope and description of instruments used at the time. With 10 folding lithographed plates. Harting added the fourth volume in 1854 at the request of many readers, who felt the need for a more extensive treatment of microscopic research, so, the fourth volume is in fact a supplement to the second volume.With 2 endleaves detached, one together with 2 plates and the 1-leaf letterpress afterword, still attached to them. Very slightly browned, but still in very good… Read More

VII, 268 pp.Second edition of Harting's manual on falconry and hawking, together with a historical description of practical falconry. For the present edition the author revised the original text and made considerable additions, also adding new illustrations. The plates show a hooded falcon, heron hawking, kite hawking with jerfalcons, the falconer's knot, a falcon in flight, and more.With a bookplate and owner's inscription on the back of the frontispiece. First and last leaves slightly foxed. Binding worn along the extremities.l Cf. Harting 80 (first edition); Schwerdt I, p. 233 (first edition).

[18], 606 pp.First edition of the German translation of a travelogue and zoological work, originally written in Latin by the Swedish zoologist and botanist Friedrich Hasselquist (1722-1752) and published posthumously by the celebrated naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). "In 1749 Hasselquist set off on a botanical expedition to the Middle East. Sailing from Stockholm ... he arrived at Izmir (= Smyrna, in Turkey) where he spent the winter of 1749-1750 exploring the hinterland. In March 1750 he took a trip into the interior of Turkey, and afterwards sailed for Egypt ... he proceeded through Palestine and Syria, visited Cyprus, Rhodes and Chios, and then returned to Izmir" (Howgego). The work can be divided into two parts. The first part consists of a chronological journal, followed by 14 letters from Hasselquist to his tutor Linnaeus. The second part contains a zoological, botanical and mineralogical description of the area, starting with the four-footed animals, followed by birds, amphibians, fish,… Read More

[6], 70, [2], 214.First edition of the first substantial book to be printed in Calcutta (preceded only by seven minor printed publications): an important document in 18th-century colonial politics.A narrative of the insurrection is Hastings’s own account of a major incident that proved to be a turning point in his career as Governor-General of Bengal. It refers to the case of Chait Singh, Raja of Benares, who from 1778 onwards (because of the war with France) was obliged to pay additional tribute to the East India Company. After he failed to pay in full in 1780, Hastings sent troops to Benares to put him under arrest. But the small British force was massacred by the Raja's men and the governor-general barely escaped with his life. In the next months, however, the insurgents were defeated again and again. Chait Singh took flight, and an augmented permanent tribute was imposed upon his successor. Hastings prevailed but his punitive conduct was condemned by the Company’s directors, and initiated the… Read More

[2], 538; [6], 539-1152; [4], 1153-2024 pp.Much cited work on geology, with volumes 2 and 3 in the first printing, dated "1908-1911" on the title-pages, and volume 3 in the second printing, dated 1911 (the first printing of volume 1 appeared in 1907). Written by the French geologist and palaeontologist Émile Haug (1861-1927), best known for his contributions to the theory of geosynclines (crustal warps), which can be found in the present work and remained the accepted view for sixty years. Haug's work stands on the border between geology and geography. Robert Dietz challenged his theory of geosynclines ca. 1970 in the light of plate tectonics and new empirical data. As a result many now use the term geoclines instead of geosynclines. With library stamps. In very good condition. Binding good, but slightly rubbed and with two spines faded.l BMC NH, p. 442.

[4], 351, [1] pp.First Dutch edition of an important collection of accounts of recent English maritime expeditions, including Cook's first expedition, edited by John Hawkesworth. "John Byron, in the Dolphin, visited the Tuamoto Islands and Nikunau in what would later be called the Gilbert Islands . . . Captain Wallis, also in the Dolphin, discovered the volcanic island of Tahiti, which he named King George III Island, and Moorea . . . Captain Carteret, in command of the Swallow, became separated from Captain Wallis and was feared lost. He discovered Pitcairn Island and some remote atolls in the South Seas. The first voyage under the not-yet-famous Captain Cook's command, on the Endeavour, was primarily of scientific nature . . . Entering the Pacific around Cape Horn, Cook reached Tahiti in 1769 and carried out the necessary astronomical observations. Excellent relations with the Tahitians were maintained, and Sir Joseph Banks . . . and Daniel C. Solander carried out extensive ethnological and… Read More

968, [50] pp.First edition, in Latin, of a very important collection of about 55 letters and other documents written between 1577 and 1601, the largest part concerning Jesuit activities in Japan, with a smaller but substantial part devoted to Korea, several concerning China and India and single items concerning the missions in Peru, Mexico and the Philippines. It was compiled by John Hay (1546-1607), who translated some of the items himself and added prefaces to some.Included are some rare accounts written by Japanese Christians, such as Michael Chijiwa Seizayemon, Sanico Nobuaki, Protasius, the Daimyo of Omura, the Daimyo of Arima and others. There are several accounts by the Jesuit missionary Luís Frois, including an extensive letter on Japan and a letter from Nagasaki. Also included is a short general history of Japan. The letters and reports give a general overview of Jesuit mission activities, especially in the 1590s.With ownership stamps on the back of the title-page and the first back… Read More

10, [2], [42], 66 pp., 3, [1] ll.Very rare first edition of a guide introducing Hazewinkel's method of calculating latitude, which was subsequently implemented as the standard method in the national Dutch marine and remained in use until the end of the 19th century. This method by Abraham Cornelis Hazewinkel (1772-1842), a ship's captain who established a Dordrecht school for training sailors in 1817, was also invented simultaneously, but independently, by the Dutch mathematician Rehuel Lobatto (1797-1866), and is known as the Lobatto-Hazewinkel method. It replaced the longer method of Cornelis Douwes, introduced in the late 18th century. An equally rare second edition, published in 1839, was reprinted in facsimile in 1992.With a library stamp on title-page, some occasional foxing, one leaf slightly soiled in the lower margins, binding slightly rubbed and rebacked, with the top of the spine torn. Good nearly untrimmed copy, with most of the deckles intact.l Bierens de Haan 1943; Cat. NHSM, p. 687;… Read More