Search Results: Titles starting with M from Asher Rare Books

[10], 17, [1], 425, [31] pp.Wonderful mid-nineteenth century French work on botanical classification. Louis Salleron describes the the purpose of his work as follows: "The replanting of the Botanical School of the Jardin du Roi in 1843 by the care of M Adolphe Brongniart and the important changes introduced in the classification of the Plant Kingdom caused many difficulties and research for plant lovers, gardeners, to students who could no longer recognize themselves in an order so different from that which is generally followed in their books and in botanical gardens [...]. I thought I was doing a service to this large class of people who deal with plants by drawing up a General Catalog of all the labels of the School, with the indication below each new name of a species, of the denomination it bore in the previous classification". Salleron’s catalogue mentions several thousand plants, coming from France and abroad: California, Mexico, Virginia, Canada, West Indies, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Cape of… Read More

[1], [1 blank], [14], [4 blank] pp.Signed manuscript ratification of an agreement between the Emperor of Brazil and the King of the French, regarding the establishment of an ocean liner service between France and Brazil. The present ratification is signed by the French King Louis Philippe I and the French Minister of Foreign Affairs François Guizot. The original ordinance - following a convention held in Rio de Janeiro on 21 November 1843 - was composed and signed by commissioners on behalf of both the King of the French and the Emperor of Brazil: Seigneur Joseph Leonce Chevalier de St. Georges and Paulino José Soares de Sousa. Unfortunately, not much is known about the French commissioner, except his titles: "le sieur Joseph Léonce Chevalier de St. Georges, chevalier de l'ordre Royal de la Légion d'honneur, commandeur de l'ordre du Christ". The commissioner acting on behalf of the Brazilian Emperor, Soares de Sousa, Viscount of Uruguay (1808-1866) was a French-born Brazilian magistrate,… Read More

XVI, 261, [1 blank], [1], [1 blank] pp.First edition of a description of the island of Madeira, a Portuguese archipelago in the north Atlantic Ocean. With a section on the trees, fruits, flowers and ferns found on the island, as mentioned in the title, on pp. 164-181. A second edition was published in 1889.A few occasional spots and a tear in the fold of the plan, otherwise a good copy.l Arnold Arboretum, p. 680.

[1 blank], [2], [1 blank], VI, 1-146, [2], 147-361, [1] blank, XXX, VIII pp. (lacking pp. 19-22).A rare issue of the Madras almanac, a landmark in the history of British-Indian colonial printing before the Mutiny in 1857. Styled on European almanacs, it is a great source of information on India and especially Madras in the years 1827-1829. The tradition of preparing and printing almanacs in India was quite new. The Madras almanac, first printed in 1799 and initially called the Madras register (and later, until its demise in 1935, the Asylum Press almanac), gives not only useful community information, such as birth and death rates for 1827-1828 and domestic events, but also offers glimpses into the British colonial and native Indian politics in India and the officers involved at that time. It therefore provided much important information for the British Indian colonists. Of special practical importance are the information and conversion tables for money, weights and measures and also the tables of… Read More

[12], 547, [1 blank] pp.Second edition, the first with the engraved plates by Caspar Luyken, of the second Dutch translation of the Quran, translated by Jan Hendrik Glazemaker from André Du Reyer's French translation. Glazemaker's translation was first published in 1657 and proved quite popular, going through six editions (the last, in 1734, called the seventh). The text of the Quran is followed by a life of Mohammed, extracted from Ibn al-Amid's history of the Saracens and several other sources, translated from Erpenius's Latin rendering of the original Arabic. This edition was intended for Christians, who did not concern themselves with the Islamic restrictions on pictorial illustration. The preface is followed by a 5-page summary of the religion of the Ottomans.With some dark stains in the second quire and pp. 207-216, and occasionally a marginal stain. Binding stained. Otherwise in good condition.l Klaversma & Hannema 1048; Thijsse-Schouten, Jan Hendrik Glazemaker 30; STCN 105403695

Hand-coloured aquatint view of the royal palace of Soestdijk. Originally built as a country estate in the 1650s, Soestdijk became the property of the Dutch-British king William III and his heirs before becoming a royal palace under King Louis Bonaparte. In 1815 the palace was gifted to the Prince of Orange (later King William II) in recognition of his services during the Battle of Waterloo.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, the latter of which was probably the model for this aquatint, 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-after 1831) was an Amsterdam-born engraver who spent most of… Read More

[5], 153, [2] pp.This extremely rare work marks the inaugural translation of Macbeth into the Ottoman language, also known as Osmanli. The translator behind this milestone was Abdullah Cevdet (1869 - 1932), an Ottoman medical practitioner with Kurdish roots. The work - printed in Cairo - is extremely rare, with only two other known copies worldwide (Istanbul, Bogaziçi University Library and Los Angeles, UCLA Library). This translation reflected Cevdet's stance against Hamidian despotism and his fervent advocacy for liberty. He was renowned for his progressive ideas regarding women's liberation and the modernisation of Islam. Cevdet faced multiple trials for his beliefs. In 1908, he embarked on the translation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Hamlet, followed by Macbeth the following year. These works were prohibited by the Ottoman government, primarily due to their portrayal of rulers meeting moral defeat. Cevdet's Shakespeare translations were seen as threats by political authorities since they… 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.

[12], 198 pp.Very rare first Portuguese edition of a treatise on the management and governance of cavalry by Galeazzo Gualdo Priorato (1606-1678), a Venetian military officer, tactician, diplomat and author best known for his numerous works on contemporary history, the present translation (written in the 1660s but not published until the present edition) with notes by the Portuguese cavalry general João Mascarenhas (1633-1681), probably also the translator. Gualdo Priorato originally wrote it in Italian, published at Venice in 1650 as Maneggio della cavalleria. His military histories and accounts of noblemen and of Cardinal Mazarin were enormously popular, going through many editions, but his present practical handbook for cavalry officers seems to have appeared in only one edition (in the original Italian) during his life, and WorldCat records only one copy of it and none of the present translation. Most copies must have been worn out through use in the field.Marcellin II Lortic (1852-1828) had… Read More

Complete set of the second edition of a monumental bibliography concerning Spanish America, together with the first edition of the alphabetical index, making a total of 35 volumes. The main bibliography (excluding the index) was originally published in 7 volumes from 1923 to 1945 and revised for the present edition.The Spanish bookseller and bibliographer Antonio Palau y Dulcet (1867-1954), did extensive research and included books from various sources, including booksellers' and library catalogues. It includes all basic information regarding a work, and in special cases Palau added an explanatory comment, sometimes including prices. It contains a total of 381,897 numbered works.Another Addenda & corrigenda was published in 1990 and is not included the present set (as usual). In very good condition, wholly untrimmed and almost completely unopened.

[8], 328, [20], [4 blank] pp.Second(?) edition of a rare manual on Galenic medicine, written by Samuel Schönborn (1608-1664), physician at Danzig (Gdansk). The main part of the work lists various diseases, aches and ailments, followed by several ingredients for medicines. The preliminaries include a note from the publisher and a note from the author.With the engraved armorial bookplate of Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805), 1st Marquess Cornwallis, one of the leading British generals in the American War of Independence. Browned throughout, trimmed edges, occasionally shaving the running heads. Binding rubbed along the extremities. Overall a good copy.l Krivatsy 10589; VD17 39:140905K (4 copies); Schönborn not in Hirsch.

(4), 229, (1) pp.Rare first edition of a practical manual on perspective by Armand Denis Vergnaud (1791-1885), published in the famous series 'Manuel Roret'.Good copy; slightly foxed; plates slighty waterstained.l Cf: Vagnetti FIb49 (ed. 1835) cf: Cat. Kunsthist. Bibl. Rijksmuseum I, p. 234 (ed. 1841).

[4 (plus 1 loose leaf)]; [8] ll.Very interesting manuscript genealogies of two highly important Dutch noble families originating from the city of Culemborg and the village Beusichem, south-east of Utrecht, together with their allied Dutch, Flemish and Hainaut families, running from ca. 925 till ca. 1650 (latest entry in the manuscript dated 1654). Both volumes are written in the same hand, probably in the third quarter of the seventeenth century, and elaborately illustrated with different hand-coloured coat of arms. The first volume contains coat of arms from, among others, important Dutch families as Uytten Enge, Raephorst, Bronckhorst, Vyanen-Rijsenburg, Borre van Amerongen, Taets van Amerongen and Reness; the second volume also contains coat of arms from important Dutch but also Flemish and Hainaut families, such as Arckel, Vyanen-Montfoort, Weerdenburg, Egmont, Reiffenscheyt, Lalaing, Pallant-Cocq van Nerynen, Poelgeest, Nievelt, Merode, Mathenesse, etc. In this first volume, a leaf with a… Read More

[1 blank], [5], [3 blank], [20], [1 blank], [1], [78 blank] ll.Manuscript family chronicle incorporating multiple chronicles from the 17th and 18th century. The manuscript chronicles the births and deaths of four generations of the Bos, Werdolen (or Verdole) and Roda family in Amersfoort, Groningen, The Hague, Scheveningen, IJsselstijn, Tiel, Deventer, Kampen, Zuilen and Edam. The book was probably compiled by Dirk Daniel Roda (1726-1898), a lieutenant in the infantry and later beer brewer, shortly after the death of his father in 1747. It incorporates chronicles by his father Michiel Roda (1686-1747), his maternal grandfather Jacob Werdolen (chronicling 1668-1686), Jacob Werdolen's father Hendrik van Werdolen (a note from 1639) and a copy by Hendrik's wife Barbera Bos (born 1596), of the chronicle written by her father (chronicling 1577-1601).The different chronicles are interleaved with notes by Dirk Daniel Roda, which supply additional biographical information. In several pages he describes the his… Read More

ca. 230 leaves, including the plates.Offprints of articles and other publications on Indian antiquities and archaeological research, mainly written by John Henry Rivett-Carnac (1838-1923), a British employee of the Indian Colonial Service and scholar of Indian prehistory. Most were published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal or in the Proceedings of the Asiatic Society in Bengal, with Rivett-Carnac’s publications on Indian rock art and archaeology especially well-represented. He wrote on several kinds of rocks, such as monoliths, gorges, tumuli, cup-marks, ancient rock carvings, etc.This compilation of rare publications, predominately by John Henry Rivett-Carnac on Indian prehistory, archaeology and antiquities, gives insights into Indian history and antiquity, but also into the 19th-century research on this topic and the efforts of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, some of whose Proceedings are included. This, next to the large number of plates and the interesting annotations, makes this… Read More

[1], [2 blank], [1] pp.Manuscript letter ordering Hans Hartwich (1630-1692), captain of the warship Harderwijk, to set sail for the island of Texel. Hartwich was a captain in charge of the Amsterdam admiralty and was present at the burial of Cornelis Tromp in 1691. At the time of the order the Dutch Republic took part in the Nine Years' War, a conflict between Louis XIV of France and a European coalition of the Holy Roman Empire (led by Austria), the Dutch Republic, Spain, England and Savoy. Earlier that month Rear Admiral Jan van Brakel was killed in the Battle of Beachy Head. The order is signed by Wicher Wichers (1651-1715), a member of the States General.In very good condition.

[2], [2 blank] pp.Autograph letter by the New Zealand scientist George Malcolm Thomson, addressed to the French zoologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards. Thomson (1848-1933) was a New Zealand scientist, teacher, educationalist, and politician. He was born in Calcutta, India, and grew up in Scotland before emigrating to New Zealand at the age of 20. Before emigrating, he briefly studied chemistry and botany at the University of Edinburgh. Later in life, as a teacher and scientist in New Zealand, he had a great interest in these and other natural historical subjects.The addressee of the present letter is Alphonse Milne-Edwards (1835-1900), a French zoologist and naturalist and the son of the renowned French zoologist Henri Milne-Edwards. After obtaining a medical degree in 1859, Alphonse started out as the assistant to his father at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Later in life, he became the director of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. In his studies, Milne-Edwards mainly focussed on fossil birds… Read More

Magnificent illustration of an ear of corn with leaves, printed in colour and delicately finished by hand. Maize is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico and has become a staple food in many parts of the world. The present print comes from a series of flower prints by Gerard van Spaendonck, the only engraved work published during his lifetime, entitled Fleurs dessinées d'après nature, which contains “twenty-four magnificent drawings, brilliantly interpreted in stipple by P.F. Le Grand and other engravers. These are probably the finest engravings of flowers ever made" (Blunt) and "they are among the most breath-taking series of plates in the [Hunt] library" (Hunt). The series was originally published in 6 parts, each with 4 plates and available printed in black, printed in colour, or (as in the present case) printed in colour and finished by hand.Gerard van Spaendonck (1746-1822) was a proponent of the Dutch school of floral painting. He singlehandedly… Read More

[16], 280, [22] pp.Second and best edition (2nd issue) of a detailed Latin handbook of pharmacology, written by the Leiden physician and lecturer in medicine and chemistry Christiaan Marggraf (1626-1687), first published in 1674 but greatly expanded by the author for the present second edition. The book contains hundreds of medicinal recipes, using ingredients derived from animals, plants and minerals (including metals), and is especially interesting for its attempt to classify medicines in hierarchical tables, just when John Ray in England was pioneering the hierarchical classification of plants that anticipated the Linnaean classification used today. The text is divided into four sections and is based on the physiological chemistry of Sylvius, which was beginning to displace the Paracelsian iatrochemical school, represented by Van Helmont, which had dominated medical chemistry for more than a century. The first section gives a general introduction and discusses the theory of both simple and compound… Read More

[8], 199, 100-456 [= 556], [4] pp. (pp. 113-116 and 201-204 misbound).Rare first and only edition of the Dutch translation of the Artzneybuch of Oswald Gabelkover (1538-1616), who was the personal physician to the dukes of Württemberg. It was originally printed in 1589 under the patronage of Ludwig von Württemberg and soon followed by several other editions. The present translation was made by Carolus Battus, a physician in Dordrecht, who was the first to translate medical works into Dutch. He is known as the author of one of the earliest Dutch cookery books, which was published together with his translation of Wirtsung's Arzney Buch (1568) with the confusingly similar title: Medicyn-boeck. Battus present translation served as served as the basis for the English translation The boock of physicke, which was published a year later, also in Dordrecht.With old owners' inscriptions on title-page and flyleaf ("A. (or R?) Van Wachtendonck") and some manuscript citations in French, Greek and Latin and… Read More