Search Results: Authors starting with R from Asher Rare Books

22 pp.Botanical dissertation on plants from the genus Carex, commonly known as sedges. By Johan Rabbén and with Agardh as praeses. In good condition.l Krok, Agardh, 1; Pritzel 34; Stafleu & Cowan 35.

60; 67, [1 blank], 88, 40; [4], 84 (lacking pp. 85-102), 42, [2], 70 pp.Rare first and only edition of a catalogue of the plants found on the island of Java, Indonesia. The work was published in three volumes, the first containing descriptions of plants not recorded by Rumphius and Houttuyn and the second and third listing all the plant names Latin, Dutch and Malay/Javanese, with reference to Linnaeus, the Malay/Javanese set in roman type. The volumes were printed at the presses of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Batavia on the island of Java (now Jakarta, Indonesia).Jacobus Cornelis Matthieu de Radermacher (1741-1783), started as a Dutch merchant in service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and rapidly rose in position in the company. He was one of the founding members of Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen and a proponent of the establishment of the botanical gardens of Buitenzorg.With a tiny tear in the second leaf and a couple of minor spots, otherwise in very good… Read More

LIV, 244, [1], [3 blank] pp.First and only edition of a revised Dutch translation of a classic on the history of Java by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826). From 1811 to 1816 Raffles was Lieutenant Governor of Java during the British administration of the Dutch colonies following the blockade of the coasts of Europe by Napoleon. Raffles worked on his history during his stay in Java. The original is important not only for the usual topics - such as the history of Java, its geography, demography, natural history, religion, law, customs, antiquities, European administration, commerce, military system, etc. -, but also for its highly original chapters on Javanese ethics, literature, poetry, music, national drama, games of skill, hunting, languages, etc. The present edition omits most of the cultural chapters and focuses more on commerce. At the end ca. 30 pages follow with additional notes, made by the translator, Jacques Eduard de Sturler (1800-1840).With the bookplate of the Dutch politician… Read More

37, [1], [2 blank] ll.Second edition of Ramberti's description of his journey to Constantinople in 1533. The scholar Benedetto Ramberti (1503-1546), later librarian of the Nicena, a friend of Aretino and the "figlioli di Aldo", joined his cousin Daniele de'Lodovici on 4 January 1533 on a diplomatic mission to Constantinople.Ramberti's account of his voyage commences with a portrayal of the journey of the Venetian mission as they traverse Dubrovnik and the Balkans on their way to Constantinople. In the second part, the palace and court of Sultan Suleiman and the financial structure of the Ottoman Empire are described and the third book details the governance of the state and empire. The Venetians held a significant advantage over other foreign visitors in the Ottoman capital due to their access to Alvise Gratti, an influential figure with close ties to the grand vizier Ibrahim and Sultan Suleiman himself. Gratti was fluent in Turkish and possessed a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies of the… Read More

XII, 149, 158 pp.First and only edition of the auction catalogue of one of the most celebrated collections of the 18th century, the art collection of Pierre Louis Paul Randon de Boisset (1708-1776), a high financial official of the French government. The collection contained paintings from the Italian school (Carraci, Reni etc.), Dutch school (Rubens, Bril, Jordaens, Van Goyen, Rembrandt etc.), French School (Poussin, Watteau etc.), marble and bronze sculptures, drawings and prints, a large collection of vases and other objects made of precious stones, Japanese lacquer, precious stones, furniture, porcelain etc. Lacking, as usual, the 8 pp. supplement with lots 888-904, otherwise a very good copy, priced throughout in a contemporary hand.l Jammes, Cabinets de Curiosités 291; Lugt 2652; Duplessis 965 (mentions an 8 pp. supplement).

[16], 176, [2], 552, [8]; [4], 564, [8]; [8], 562, [6]; 570, [6]; 570; [9]; [8], 176, [2], 191-380, [2], 563, [6]; [8], 183, [1], 1-192, 1-192, [8]; [16], 176, 1-191, [1], [20], 1-151, [1]; [12], 690 pp.Complete set of a rare and interesting 9-volume scientific periodical devoted to the latest developments in all sciences, including their practical applications in the various crafts and professions. It appeared in bimonthly parts that were combined in 8 volumes and an index, totalling 21 parts. The Dutch physician Willem van Ranouw (1670-1723) initiated the project to make a selection of the most interesting and important recent foreign scientific texts available for Dutch craftsmen, who would benefit from the practical application of new scientific discoveries. Ranouw translated these texts himself and sometimes added some of his own writing.Several folding engraved plates illustrate all kinds of machines, crafts and natural history specimens. One folding plate depicts a workshop where gold wire is… Read More

[2], 13, [1], 766, [2]; [4], 790, [2]; [2], 3, [1], 332, [8] pp.First and only edition of an important and voluminous study on beetles in the Free State of Thuringia, Germany, by Otto Rapp (1878-1935). It enlists 4381 different species, also mentioning where and when they can be found. The plates show portraits and some group photo's of German entomologists and coleopterists. Very good copy, with some occasional underscoring and marginal notes. Binding slightly rubbed along the extremities.l Faunistische Abhandlungen VII/VIII, p. 141.

IV, 62 pp.First edition of a work on polyps (coral and sea anemones), and in particular on the genus Actinia (sea anemones), by the German doctor and zoologist Wilhelm Rapp (1794-1868). It opens with a brief preface and an introduction to coral and its classification. The first half of the main text describes different orders and families of coral, both stony and soft coral, including Milleporidae, Pennatulacea, Zoanthus, Madrepora, and more. The second half covers the genus Actinia, with descriptions of 23 different types of anemones, several of which are depicted on the colour plates.In very good condition, with only a few faint spots. Boards slightly rubbed.l BMC NH, p. 1646; Nissen, ZBI 3295.

16 pp.Extremely rare illustrated catalogue of enameled metal signboards, plates and large copper letters intended for signs, name and number plates, a clock fave, etc. The catalogue was issued by the brothers Luigi and Giovanni Ravasi, described on the wrapper-title as the suppliers of the Italian State Railways and the Royal Navy. They offer enameled plates, etc. on iron, zink and copper. No other copies of the present catalogue, nor copies of other catalogues of the firm could be located or found recorded in the literature.Of special interest is the very large poster showing in full size specimens of the capital E of 5 different styles, each in 6 to 8 sizes (labelled Romano [clarendon], Fantasia [tuscan], Palla [tuscan-like], Bastone [sans-serif, with 3 alternative forms] and Capitale [with roman and clarendon characteristics], 3 to 15 cm), as well as pointing hands, panels and other decorations. The catalogue itself illustrates the signboards, plates, etc., ranging from simple house numbers to a… Read More

VI, [4], 469, [19]; [8], 533, [1 blank], 11, [1 blank]; [8], 508, [11], [1 blank]; [8], 427, [9], [2 blank]; [8], 365, [9]; [8], 426, [10]; [10], 501, [7]; [8], 458, [11], [1 blank]; [8], 339, [10], [1 blank]; [4], 432, [13], [1 blank] pp.Second copy located, of the second edition of the Dutch translation of an extensive and widely published radical critique of European overseas expansion, written by the French author Guillaume Thomas François Raynal (1713-1796) in collaboration with figures associated with the Encyclopédie, above all the famous French philosopher Denis Diderot (1713-1784). The contents are partly based on travel accounts and data gathered from an unprecedented number of government documents, furnished by a network of officials and informants in all the colonial powers."The book was condemned by the French Parliament and church dignitaries because of its attacks on the clergy and on European civilized peoples for their conduct and policies towards the natives in the Indies. This… Read More

[12], 198, [6] pp.Biographies of five "illustrious men", all known primarily for their positions of power in Florentine politics, in the original Italian, by Silvano Razzi (1527-1611). Valori was added for the first time in the present second edition. Razzi's selection is interesting for including people whose power proved short-lived or who worked largely behind the scenes: all five changed the course of Florence's history with important long-term consequences, but only Cosimo de' Medici is a household name.Farinata (or Manente) degli Uberti (1212-1264) ruled Florence from 1239 to 1250, when the Guelphs exiled him, but he recaptured Florence in 1560. He was posthumously convicted of heresy and appears in Dante's Inferno, burning in hell.Gualtieri VI (1304/05-1356) is best known as the ruler of Florence in 1342. He rescued Florence from a severe financial crisis, but did so in such a heavy-handed manner that he quickly made enemies and was forced out of office after less than a year, though he had… Read More

224; 141, [1 blank] pp.First edition of an incendiary satirical pamphlet ("farce Rabelaisienne" - Pioffet) and one of the earliest editions of the author's defence of it, both attacking the Huguenot ministers of the Languedoc, three years after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Of special interest are some parts are written in Languedoc patois. La cabale raised a storm of protests, especially because it attacked the Huguenot ministers very personally under their full names. The present Apologie, responds to their threats and continues the attacks.Guillaume Reboul (1564-1611), a notorious French pamphleteer, came from a Huguenot family, converted to Catholicism, and was excommunicated almost immediately. As secretary to the Duke of Bouillon he cheated the Duke out of a large amount of money and fled to the Pope's Court at Avignon, where his ban was lifted. He then went to Rome where he became the protégé of Cardinal Baronius. He wrote several violent satirical pamphlets against the French… Read More

XII, 26; XI, [1], 18 pp.Two rare first editions, in the original Dutch, containing detailed descriptions and illustrations of two new inventions in hydraulic engineering: a sluice with sliding gates and a dredging machine. They were designed by the accomplished engineer Cornelis Redelykheid (1728-1788), well-known in his time, but often overlooked in modern literature. The descriptions are accompanied by a total of 9 detailed large folding plates. The dredging machine looks especially ingenious.Redelykheid was already working on his sluice with sliding gates in 1772 and a model was built, one fourth its intended size. The model was inspected and tested by the hydraulic engineer Christiaan Brunings (1736-1805), then inspector general of rivers & waterways, who later founded the Dutch water management department now known as "Rijkswaterstaat". Brunings wrote an extensive and positive rapport on the sluice, which led Redelykheid to be awarded with 1,000 gold ducats by the States of Holland. The award… Read More

387 pp.A complete facsimile reprint of the first edition (1817-1824) of Pierre Joseph Redouté's great work on roses, reproducing his famous flower paintings and the original text written by Claude Antoine Thory. The first three volumes contain the facsimile and volume 4 contains an English summary of Thory's text, additional descriptions of roses by Pirolle and additional plates from the third edition of 1828-1830, and portraits of Redouté (1759-1840) and Thory (1759-1827) by Godefroid and Mauraisse, as well as much new material: a foreword by George Taylor, introduction and bibliography by G.D. Rowley, biographies and bibliographies of Redouté and Thory by André Lawalrée, a commentary on the roses mentioned, with full synonymy and critical analyses by Gisèle de la Roche, an article on botanical Rosarians by William T. Stearn and a short index with modern names.This reprint is limited to 510 copies. The copy reproduced bears Redouté's signed inscription calling it "un des premier tirage et des… Read More

XVI, 414, [2] pp.First edition of an attractively illustrated account of a journey through Switzerland. The work includes 4 costume plates (2 showing military uniforms, with flags), a description of Balmat and Paccard's first ascent of Mont Blanc, as well as many fine views by J.A. Darnstedt, including the engraved title-page. One of the alpine views also serves as a 5th costume plate, but in black and white. Bookplate on front pastedown. In very good condition, with only some slight foxing.l Longchamp 2425; Wäber I, 53.

X, [2], 543, [1 blank], [2] pp.Second edition of the English translation of a history of Japan by the German geographer Johannes Justus Rein (1835-1918). Rein made various travels in Europe, America and Asia, and wrote several works about his research there. This work starts with a detailed description of the physical geography and the natural history of Japan: covering the volcanoes, climate, islands, mountains, flora, fauna and more. The second part deals with the history and the people, including the different shogunates, costumes, customs, art and architecture, etc.The first edition of the English translation appeared in 1884. The German original Japan nach Reisen und Studien im Auftrage der Königlich Preussischen Regierung dargestellt, was first published in 1881. A second volume to the German edition appeared in 1886. Some minor foxing through the text and plates. Overal a good copy.l Cordier, Japonica, col. 698; Wenckstern I, 49.

58 pp.Auction catalogue with the art collection from De Merval, auctioned 9 May 1768 containing paintings, watercolours, reliefs and porcelain.Good copy, partly uncut.l Duplessis 596.

X, 301, [1]; [4], 390; [4], 291, [1] pp.First (and only French) edition of an account of a voyage to India, Indonesia, China and the Philippines. Felix Renouard de Sainte-Croix, a French cavalry officer, arrived in Pondicherry (India) in 1802 and was almost immediately imprisoned by the English. After his liberation, he stayed for 2 more years in India, travelling to the coasts of Coromandel and Malabar, Bengal, Madras, Tharangambadi, Chalambron and elsewhere in India. He then proceeded to the Philippines where he visited Manila, the gold mines of Mabilao, and the provinces of Tondo, Cavite, Valangas, Bulacan, Batangas, Tayabas, Pampanga, Zambales, Pangasinan, Ylocos and Cagayan. He then continued to the Babuyab Islands, Camarines, the archipelago of Bissayes, the island of Mindanao, the Moluccas, and Macau in China. His travels in China are recorded in the third volume, which includes details about local trade, customs, laws, geography, etc.With a presentation inscription by the author on first… Read More

392 pp.First and only edition of a zoology textbook written for the German youth in Pennsylvania. The author, John Adam Reubelt (1819-1902), was concerned by the absence of an up-to-date introduction in zoology in German, thus he compiled the present work based on new English and German studies. The Kurzgefaßtes Handbuch deals with man, mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, vertebrate and invertrebrate animals, of which some are depicted in the numerous woodcuts. With some stamps on flyleaf. Browned and heavily foxed, with some occasional marginal waterstains and tears, not affecting text or illustration, pp. 264-265 slightly loose. Fair copy.l Not in BMC NH; Nissen; Wood.

[16], 734, [14] pp.Extensive historical treatise on the first years of the Eighty Years War between Spain and the Low Countries by Everhart van Reyd, with beautifully engraved portraits of important historical figures like Philip II, king of Spain, Ferdinand Alvarez, duke of Alva, William, prince of Orange, and Maurice, prince of Orange. Some of the portraits were also used in E. van Meteren's Niederländische Historien (Antwerp, 1611), and also in the Dutch editions of the same work (Amst., 1647, 1652, 1663). The first portrait, by J. Muller, with a Latin verse of J.J. Pontanus underneath, shows the author at the age of 52. With the bookplate of C. Carsten. Slightly waterstained. Overall in good condition.l Nijhoff, Bibl. Hist. Neerl. III, 1279; Van Someren, Portr., 51; Hollstein XXVII, p. 67, K. van Sichem, and p. 24, C. van Sichem.