Search Results: Titles starting with T from Asher Rare Books

Third state (extensively corrected and updated) of a finely engraved wall map of the Rijnland water district in Holland, including the cities of Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden and (on the district border) The Hague. At a scale of about 1:30,000 it shows the entire district and some surrounding land in great detail, with the fortifications and (outside the cities) the individual houses, windmills, churches and other buildings shown, besides the roads, paths, waterways, and the individual parcels of land in the polders. In 1745 the Rijnland waterboard ordered the surveyor Melchior Bolstra to correct the outdated map of Dou and Broeckhuysen of 1647, which had been slightly revised in 1687. The results of Bolstra's new survey were engraved on the original plates by David Coster.Evenly browned, except along the edges of the sheets, and some small smudges. Good copy of a large wall map of the Rijnland water district.l Donkersloot-De Vrij 715.

[9 of 10], 125, [3]; [5 of 6], 164, [2]; [4], 50, [2]; [2], 34, [1], [1 blank] ll.Second edition of David Joris's famous Wonderboeck (Book of miracles), extensively revised and enlarged by the author in 1551 but not printed until almost thirty years after his death. One of the most important and most extensive works of the well-known Dutch Anabaptist David Joris, it was revered like a Bible by his followers. The present second edition was not only extensively revised and expanded but also took on a new graphic form, Dutch textura types rather than the German fraktur, rotunda and schwabacher types of the first edition, and most of the larger woodcuts were replaced by engravings made for this edition. The stunning full-page bride of Christ by Hieronymus Wierix, a nude female figure, winged and crowned with a sword and a heart in her hands and two captive serpants and a skeleton at her feet, is a high point of the engraver's art. Lacking 2 leaves, each containing only an illustration, and with a small… Read More

[240] pp.Very rare edition in French of Frans van Schooten the elder's influential mathematical work on triangulation, highly important for the development of cartography in the 17th century, amongst other things. The present edition has only 4 recorded copies in libraries worldwide according to WorldCat and Hoogendoorn's Bibliography of the exact sciences in the Low Countries. The frontispiece of the present Rouen edition was copied in woodcut after the engraved frontispiece of the first French edition that was publish by Willem Jansz Blaeu in 1627.Frans van Schooten the elder (1581-1645) was a professor in the engineering school in Leiden. He made a significant improvement on the tables published by Albert Girard, which were based on a radius of 100,000. Schooten’s tables were reprinted (without acknowledgment) by Jan Jansz.Stampioen, a mathematics teacher in The Hague, who had William II and the sons of Huygens among his pupils, in 1632.Owner's inscription in ink on front paste-down: "Auvé… 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

[2], 33, [3], 16, [36], 8 ppFirst edition of an important work in the history of navigation and probably the first manual for the use of the marine chronometer. Richard Owen (1896-1863), an Irish Lieutenant in the royal navy, wrote the account of the chronometer, while the tables are based on observations conducted under the direction of Vice-Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen (1774-1857). The two men appear not to be related. The places referenced along the Eastern coast of Arabia include Ras Morebat, the Khuriya Muriya Islands, Ras al-Hadd and Muscat. While John Harrison famously demonstrated the accuracy of his chronometer in 1761, making it possible to reliably and precisely determine longitude at sea, it was not acknowledged until 1773. James Cook and William Bligh used Harrison’s chronometers on their famous voyages in the 1770s and 1780s, but the chronometer really superseded other methods only when less expensive models appeared in the early 19th century. The present book met the demand for… Read More

[24], 468, [48] pp.Reissue of the revised and enlarged third edition of Tabula smaragdina, compiled by the physician Phillip Fraundorffer (ca. 1650-1702). "The book is a collection of 800 recipes taken from no less than 224 various authors" (Hagelin). It contains two prefaces, one by Fraundorffer himself and one by the reviser Johann Abraham Mercklin (1674-1720), followed by a reference list of all physicians mentioned in the text, and an extensive index. Binding chafed, spine damaged and cracked at front hinge. Foxing and a large water stain throughout (covering about 30% of the page). A fair copy.l Blake, p. 160; Hagelin, Books on materia medica, p. 145; VD18 12226769.

[4 = title, privilege, explanation] ll.First and only edition of a set of plates illustrating seven paintings by Gerard de Lairesse (1640-1711) in the council room of the former Court of Justice of Holland, Zeeland and West Friesland (now called the Lairesse room) in the Binnenhof in The Hague. The Court commissioned the paintings in 1684 and they were completed by 1688. They depict Aeneas carrying his father Anchises, an allegorical figure of Justice and five scenes from ancient Roman history, each representing a different virtue: Pompei (prudence), Scipio (moderation), Horatius Cocles (courage), Scipio again (steadfastness) and Papyrius (clemency). The printed image of each plate measures about 40 x 28 cm. In three cases the painting fills the plate; the other four paintings, being more or less square (about 23 x 23 cm to 29 x 29 cm in the plates), are depicted within the architectural context. Binding used. A very good copy.l Timmer, Gerard Lairesse (1942), p. 83, nr. 26; cf. Snoep, "Gerard… Read More

[89], [2 blank] ll.Beautifully heightened with gold, very rare Ottoman Turkish manuscript of the "Calendar of histories" by Katip Çelebi (1609-1657), who is also known as Hajji Khalifa. He was one of the most important 17th-century Ottoman authors and scholars. The work is an annalistic chronicle from the creation of Adam until 1648, when it was written. Originally written in a combination of Turkish and Persian, it is one of the rare historical works in Persian to have the form of a chronology, as most others are histories of dynasties or general histories. Eighteenth-century manuscript copies of this work are very difficult to find and rarely as luxuriously executed as the present manuscript. Taqwim al-tawarikh was intended as an index to Fadhlakat al-tawarikh ("Compendium of history"), written in 1639 by the same author, but as the index was written almost a decade later, it was expanded to cover important figures and events up to 1648. The calendar contains numerous chronological tables, which… Read More

[12], 200 ll.Fourth and last edition of a practical handbook for international merchants, giving information for the conversion of monetary units, weights and measures from various countries. It covers not only units from cities in the Italian states but also from Constantinople, Aleppo, Tripoli, Damascus, Cyprus, Corfu, Rhodes and Crete. Venice was at this time the centre of European trade with the Near and Middle East. Little is known about the author and this is his only published work. With the armorial owner's stamp of Count Ercole Silva (1756-1840) in Milan on the back of the title-page. In good condition, with only an occasional minor marginal spot or stain. The binding is somewhat tattered and if the marbled paper sides ever included bright colours, they have faded to shades of brown. A good copy.l BMC STC Italian, p. 491; ICCU CNCE 17269; Riccardi II, col. 251; Smith, Rara arithmetica, p. 77; cf. Adams P-374-P-375 (1503 & 1540 eds.); Kress 51 (1540 ed.).

X, 98 pp.Rare first edition of an unusual little cactus book, the first half devoted to taxonomy and the second to cultivation. The paper of the frontispiece has a bright blue surface coating with an extremely hairy cactus (Pilocereus senilis) overprinted in white, brown and green (the hair and the name at the foot in white), giving the impression of a painting. Parts seem indeed to have been hand painted. Although the book stands alone complete, with no evidence that a continuation was intended, it later appeared as two volumes, 1841-1844, the first apparently a re-issue of the original single volume. The reference works record copies both alone and with volume 2. The present volume was reprinted alone in 1995. Good copy. Slightly browned. An uncommon little cactus book with a remarkable colour-printed frontispiece illustration.l BMC NH, p. 1324; Dochnahl, p. 106; KVK (5 copies); WorldCat (4 copies); not in Nissen, BBI; Stafleu & Cowan.

[14], 148, [6] pp. textItalian edition, Thurnmayer issue (one of two simultaneous issues), of a fortification atlas of the Low Countries, published in the same year in German as Schau-platz desz Niederlandes. The 120 plans are well engraved and show the fortifications of all important cities and towns. The majority are copies after Blaeu and Beaulieu. They are preceded by a geographical and historical description. It was written by Galeazzo Gualdo Priorato (1606-1678), a notable Italian military officer, tactician, diplomatist and military draughtsman. He fought against the Spanish under the command of Prince Maurits of Nassau. As the author is Italian it can be presumed that this edition preceded the German.Wormholes in the first five leaves and the last three maps, dampstain to the first 10 leaves, restorations to the back of the frontispiece, the folding map partly restored, but still with a tear along a fold, but with most of the plans still in very good condition. Wormholes in the spine, one… Read More

[6], 127, [3] pp.First edition in this form of a geological description of Java and discussing the journey home from Java to Europe in de months September and October of 1848, by the geologist Friedrich Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn, who travelled through Java from 1835 to 1864. The account also appeared in Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië.Good copy.l Bastin & Brommer 49; Landwehr, Coloured Plates 326.

A finely rendered miniature showing great detail in bright colours, highlighted with gold, depicting the Arrest of Christ, most likely from a diminutive book of hours. Surrounded by a bustling throng of Roman soldiers carrying spears and wearing halberds, Christ appears calm just at the moment when a soldier takes him captive. An elder of the Jewish Temple stands directly behind him, dressed in red. To the right stands Simon Peter, sword raised, having cut off the ear of the High Priest's servant, Malchus, who sits nursing his bleeding ear in the lower left corner of the composition. An earlier episode, Christ's Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he learns that one of his disciples will betray him, appears in the background at left. A genre scene, with men working the fields and crossing a river on a narrow plank bridge, occupies the middle ground to the left of the main scene, and the towers of a castle or city the middle ground to the right.The general style recalls the art of the last… Read More

Complete series of the Acts of Mercy, including the plate of the Last Judgement, engraved by the engraver, illustrator and publisher Crispijn de Passe I (ca. 1564-1637) after Maarten de Vos (1532-1603), one of the most prolific and influential print designers of his generation. They were first published by the engraver Crispijn de Passe the elder (I), and subsequently by Adriaen Collaert, Theodoor Galle and Johannes Galle. Our set shows the 7 prints of the Acts of Mercy in their second state (of 4) by Collaert, with his monogram "AC" in the plates. The eighth print, showing the Last Judgement, is in its third state, published by Johannes Galle. The acts of mercy depicts feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked in a dress shop, housing the homeless, tending the sick, visiting prisoners and burying the dead.One print (feeding the hungry) untrimmed. The 7 trimmed prints are reinforced with two small white paper slips in the head margin, the Last Judgement very slightly toned… Read More

A mid-19th-century oil painting depicting two ships (3-masted barks) in a rough sea amid dangerous rocky and icy cliffs, mountains and outcroppings. Pasted to the back is an old slip of paper with a note (the parts of the text in parentheses are lost, but have been filled in based on an earlier transcription): "The sailing ships ('Erebus' and 'Terror') passing through the Davis Straig(ht) in 1846 [the 6 later "corrected" to 7]. It was on this expedition that Sir John Franklin discovered the North West Passage, and in which he lost his life". In fact Franklin sailed these two ships through Davis Strait in 1845, passed on through Lancaster Sound in search of a Northwest Passage and spent the winter on Beechey Island. In 1846 he and his expedition made their way through (using the modern names) Peel Sound and Franklin Strait into McClintock Channel, where they got caught in the ice near King William Island. Most of the crew died there, including Franklin in 1847. A few made it on foot to the mainland but… Read More

[3], [1 blank], 14; [1], [1 blank], 9 pp. + plates.Second edition of both volumes of a remarkably detailed set of scale construction drawings (plans, sections, elevations, perspective views, etc., including many detail drawings of individual parts) of 18th-century Dutch waterworks, with the accompanying letterpress descriptions and notes. It includes locks, sluices, bridges, pumps, pile drivers, an ice-breaker, an elaborate water-bailing mill and more. Most of the plates measure about 45 x 54 cm, with the folding ones about 52 x 76 cm. At least most of the plates depict existing works, and the text occasionally gives some historical information. The drawings are so detailed and give such a clear picture of how the mechanisms functioned that one could use them to reconstruct the works shown.A fine copy, nearly untrimmed, with only some false folds in the half-title and an occasional minor defect in the paper. Plate 23 in volume 1 has no number, but it may have been trimmed off at the head. The inside… Read More

[3], [60] ll.; [8], 72 pp.First edition of a classic set of architectural construction drawings in 30 large double-page plates primarily showing staircases and their decoration, but with the last five plates covering skylights intended for stairwells, some in the form of elaborate cupolas. With the rare text-volume, providing explanation to the illustrations in the plates-volume. The plates show straight, spiral and more complicated staircases, with their geometrical constructions, as well as many elaborate decorative forms for the posts, railings, skylights, etc. The leaves of the plates-volume are watermarked: Strasburg bend above VDL = VAN DER LEY, identical to Churchill 433 dated 1724, and differing from the watermarks described in BAL (Strasburg bend above VDL = IV). An undated second edition was published in Amsterdam ca. 1810 by Jan Steven van Esveldt-Holtrop.The text-volume has the large bookplate of W.A. van der Hidde. Text with a few marginal stains, binding rubbed. Plates with a few minor… Read More

[8], 320; 196, [20] pp.Rare 3rd edition of the Dutch translation of a popular work on medicinal herbs, plants, minerals etc. with recipes. It starts with the Theatrum sympateticum, divided into two parts, by the English diplomat and philosopher Kenelm Digby (1603-1665). The first contains notes on medicinal herbs and plants curing everyday ailments, the second explains how to make the "powder of sympathy", "a potion which allowed the healing of the wound by treating the weapon which caused it" (MacDonald), and includes extracts from works by Papinius and Sylvester Rattrat. The powder of sympathy could also be put on a bandage that had been in contact with the wound, without ever touching the wound. Digby’s work is followed by 't Groote licht der natuurkunde by Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), a work on magnetic forces and the influence of the moon, sun and planets on the earth. The book closes with extracts from Digby's memoirs containing recipes for "new" medicines, including mostly household and… Read More

[2], [60] ll.Very rare second edition of this classic set of architectural construction drawings in 30 large double-page plates primarily showing staircases and their decoration, but with the last five plates covering skylights intended for stairwells, some in the form of elaborate cupolas. The plates show straight, spiral and more complicated staircases, with their geometrical constructions, as well as many elaborate decorative forms for the posts, railings, skylights, etc. A few plates with brown stains, mostly in the margins, small marginal tears (some repaired) or minor offsetting. A very good copy of Horst's famous staircase book.l BAL 3929 (note); cf. Berlin Kat. 2253 (1739 ed.); STCN (1739 ed.); not in Fowler.

[93] engraved ll.Very rare early collection of De Jode's portraits, published with his own engraved title-page. A few give dates of engraving or publication from 1638 to 1644. They were originally published in several series and some perhaps first as single prints. De Jode probably assembled the present set, printed on at least five and probably more paper stocks, from the separately printed series and added the title-page. The title-page appears to be printed from an earlier state of the plate used for the better known Theatrum pontificum, imperatorum, regum, ducum, principum, etc. pace et bello illustrium (Antwerp, Pieter de Jode, 1651). Versions with these two titles are known with 78 to 180 portraits, but Kramm says those with 180 include some by various other engravers of lesser quality. The copy auctioned by White in 1787 (and apparently the same copy in White auctions of 1792 and 1793) was described as published at Cologne in 1642.The beautifully engraved portraits themselves vary in plate size… Read More