Search Results: Titles starting with V from Donald Heald Rare Books

London: Published by Thos. Agnew & Son, 1853. Tinted lithograph with rich publisher's colour. Printed on wove paper. Trimmed to image as issued. In excellent condition with the exception of some minor foxing in the image. A stunning view of Keswick Water, from the deluxe portfolio edition of John Baker Pyne's magnificent work "The English Lake District." The Lake District first came to the fore with the rise of the Romantic Movement during the second half of the eighteenth century. The poet William Wordsworth, a native of the district, established the area as the epitome of the ideal landscape, and artists and tourists alike visited the regions natural beauties in search of the Romantic ideal. Poets such as Byron, Shelley, and Keats proclaimed the Lakes as the manifestation of the "Picturesque." By the middle of the nineteenth century, when Pyne visited the area, the Lakes were well established in the national consciousness as the most beautiful natural reserve in England. Bristol-born James Baker… Read More

Manchester: Thomas Agnew & Sons, 1853. Lithograph by W. Gauci, printed in tints by M. & N. Hanhart, coloured by hand. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling, minor foxing, and a light water stain in the bottom margin. An evocative image of the Lake District, an area renowned as the cradle of the Romantic Movement in Britain. The Lake District, an area of only some 700 square miles, contains all the main English lakes and is found within the northwestern counties of Cumbria and Lancashire. 'The Lakes' (as the area is also known) first came to prominence with the rise of the cult of the Picturesque in the second half of the 18th century, but it was Wordsworth, a native of Cumbria, born in 1770 on the outskirts of the Lake District itself, who really made it a mecca for those in search of the romantic ideal of landscape. He was joined in the area, at one time or another, by Robert Southey, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, Lord Byron, Sir Walter Scott, Thomas… Read More

London: Published by Robert Andrew Riddell, 1795. Colour-printed aquatint. Full inscription at bottom of print reads: 'To the Most Noble George Marquis of Tweedale & this View of the Valley of Glencoe is respectfully Inscribed by His Lordships most obedient Humble Servant.' Very good condition apart from some light soiling, minor foxing, and several small losses in the margins. A fine plate of the scenic mountains of Glencoe in the Highlands of western Scotland. This beautiful image is most likely part of a pair prints depicting Glencoe that Riddell published in 1795. Robert Andrew Riddell was a landscape painter, who primarily depicted the scenic topography of Scotland in watercolour. He exhibited one of his works at the Royal Academy in 1793 and gave several of his paintings to the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Archibald Robertson (1765-1835) was a Scottish artist, very talented in both painting and printmaking, who immigrated to America around 1796 (soon after this print was published) where he had… Read More

New York: G. & W. Endicott, 1847. Tinted lithograph, engraved by C. Parsons after Whiting. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling and a 1 3/4" loss in the lower left corner of the sheet. From Whiting's "Army Portfolio," a very scarce series of Mexican War views, which is not only one of the primary visual records of the conflict, but also a fine topographical work that accurately recorded the area at a crucial turning point in its history."The rarest lithographs of the war" (Tyler). According to Whiting family tradition, the work was limited to no more than 24 sets (quoted by Goodspeed's of Boston: "The Month at Goodspeed's Book Shop" vol. XXI, nos. 2-3, Nov-Dec. 1959, p. 43). In late 1845, General Taylor's army was camped at Corpus Christi, Texas. In January 1846, they advanced to the United States side of the Rio Grande, where they remained until May, and then marched on to the strongly fortified city of Monterey, which was taken in September. Whiting's work documents this… Read More

New York: John Medole, 1868. (20 3/4 x 13 3/4 inches). Approx. 20 x 13 inches. Mounted onto larger sheets at an early date. Cartographically illustrated New York City real estate auction broadside. March 19, 1868: Valuable Property on 6th Ave. & 29th St. At Auction.

London, 1775. Engraving by P. Begbie. In excellent condition with the exception of being trimmed just outside the platemark on the left margin. An elegant engraving depicting various furnishings designed by Robert and James Adam, including decorative clocks, an ornamental knocker and two elaborate hanging lights. Robert and his brother James Adam forever changed the face of British architecture by introducing innovative Classical design ideas. From 1754-57, Robert lived in Italy where he had a long productive friendship with Piranesi, which was inspirational for both men. Adam's first book, on Diocletian's palace in Dalmatia, is clearly very like the archaeological investigations Piranesi was making at the same time of similar ruins. Piranesi's friendship and passion for Roman Classicism were seminal influences on Adam, and the greatest single factor, other than his own talent, in the work Adam produced on his return to England. Upon his return, the brothers launched their career by building the… Read More

Paris, 1801. Colour-printed stipple engraving, finished by hand, engraved by Bouquet, printed by Langlois. This print is from an apparently unrecorded issue of Levaillant's 'Perroquets' published on large format paper (probably 'papier vélin colombier satiné'), with a scratch proof of the title and plate number, but otherwise avant-lettre. This issue is not recorded in any of the standard bibliographies.Levaillant describes this beautiful bird as a colour variety of of the 'Perroquet Lori á collier jaune'. Jacques Barraband was the finest ornithological artist of his time. The son of a weaver at the Aubusson Factory, he is first mentioned as a pupil of Joseph Malaine (1745-1809), the eminent flower painter, and is known to have worked for both the Gobelin Factory and the porcelain factory of Sèvres. His most important work was undoubtedly the 300 or so drawings that he produced for François Levaillant's three great ornithological monographs, the greatest of which was the Histoire Naturelle des… Read More

Italy, 1834. Pen-and-ink, watercolour and gouache, painted black border, titled and dated in white gouache in the lower margin within the border. Lovely 19th-century watercolour of Palermo. Catering to the foreigners flocking to the region on the Grand Tour, this lovely watercolour shows the town of Palermo with its beautiful hills and mountains in the background, with a large fort in the harbour, with a British and French ship beside it. The sky is awash in pinks and blues, displaying the incredible light of the region.

Amsterdam and New York: Johnson Reprint Corporation and Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, 1971. Colour-printed lithograph, on fine hand-made paper. Excellent condition. Image size: 12 x 17 3/4 inches. Sheet size: 26 3/4 x 39 7/8 inches (approx). [Pl. 247]. In October 1971, employing the most faithful printing method available, the best materials and the ablest craftsmen of their age, the Amsterdam firm of Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Ltd., in conjunction with the Johnson Reprint Corporation of New York, set out to produce the finest possible limited edition facsimile of the greatest bird book ever printed: the Havell edition of John James Audubon's well-loved "Birds of America". The Curators of the Teyler's Museum in Haarlem, Holland made their copy of the original work available for use as a model. The Museum, founded in 1778, bought their copy through Audubon's son as part of the original subscription in 1839. After long deliberation, the extremely complex but highly accurate process of colour photo-lithography… Read More

[Windsor Castle, 1848. Etching on paper, titled Albert, 21/9 and dated 1840 in the plate lower left just below image, India proof impression on original wove support sheet. An original etching by Prince Albert. A talented amateur artist, Queen Victoria took up etching as a hobby, introducing the art to her husband shortly after their marriage in 1840. The royal couple etched frequently for about four years, the Queen being the more prolific, producing sixty-two plates as against the Prince's twenty-five. Both Sir George Hayter and Sir Edwin Landseer taught the royal couple. The plates were etched at Windsor Castle, sometime with both Victoria and Albert working together on the same plate, and it is believed some proof impressions were pulled from a small press there. Some of the plates (though largely the proofs) were bit and printed by the Queen's dresser Marianne Skerrett, though most were re-bit and printed by Colnaghi. However, very few of each of the etchings were printed, the pastime being… Read More

Amsterdam, 1640. Engraved map, period hand-colouring in outline. French text on verso. Sheet size: 19 5/8 x 23 1/4 inches. A fine 17th century map of Venezuela and the Lesser Antilles. In the seventeenth century, the Dutch hegemony in ship building and navigation engendered their dominance in mapmaking. At the lead of this field was the Blaeu family. Willem Janszoon Blaeu first studied mathematics and navigation under the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe in 1594, opening his own instrument and globe making shop in Amsterdam in 1599. Shortly thereafter, Willem Blaeu would open a printing house, specializing in works on navigation. The Blaeu family's first world atlas, modestly titled the Atlantis Appendix as it was considered a continuation of the atlases by Ortelius, Mercator and Hondius, was first published in 1630 by Willem Blaeu with his son Joan Blaeu, the official cartographers of the Dutch East India Company. The acclaim that Blaeu's atlases have always received is based primarily upon the… Read More

[Edinburgh?], 1788. Small octavo. (7 15/16 x 4 5/8 inches). Half-title. (Blind stamp to half-title and E1, ink number stamp to foot of verso of half-title and foot of p.48). 20th-century half calf over marbled paper-covered boards (remnants of library label on upper cover, extremities lightly rubbed) First edition. Concerns the claims of John Drummond, eldest surviving son of Edward, 6th Duke of Perth. ESTC T193208.

Washington D.C.: Published by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1921. Large folding nautical chart, printed on heavy paper stock. Uncolored. A rare original coastal survey of Vermillion Parish including Vermilion Bay, Marsh Island, Pecan Island, White Lake, Cote Blanche Bay, and Trinity Shoal. Established by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807 as the Survey of the Coast, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey was the United States' first civilian scientific agency. This agency has followed its mission to survey the U.S. coastline, create nautical charts of the coast, and help increase maritime safety since its founding, and has often played fascinating roles in significant chapters of U.S. history. It served in all theaters of the Civil War in the service of the Union Army and Navy, pioneered acoustic exploration in the wake of the sinking of the Titanic, and during WWI it worked to detect enemy submarines. In addition, this agency worked to survey and produce detailed maps and renderings of… Read More

Washington D.C.: Published by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1920. Large folding nautical chart, printed on heavy paper stock. Colored. A rare original coastal survey of the southern Louisiana coast and includes Pecan Island, Vermilion Bay, and Marsh Island. Established by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807 as the Survey of the Coast, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey was the United States' first civilian scientific agency. This agency has followed its mission to survey the U.S. coastline, create nautical charts of the coast, and help increase maritime safety since its founding, and has often played fascinating roles in significant chapters of U.S. history. It served in all theaters of the Civil War in the service of the Union Army and Navy, pioneered acoustic exploration in the wake of the sinking of the Titanic, and during WWI it worked to detect enemy submarines. In addition, this agency worked to survey and produce detailed maps and renderings of the U.S. coast. These nautical… Read More

Vienna: Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1856. 'Nature printed' in brown ink, with titling and imprint in black, by the Vienna Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. Very good condition apart from some light foxing in the margins. A beautiful example from "most important work produced by nature printing ever published" (Stafleu). To the modern eye this plate has an almost photographic beauty to it, which, in aesthetic terms, foreshadows the work of the great early-20th century photographers such as Man Ray. However, this achievement is almost certainly incidental as von Ettingshausen's intention was to present a detailed anatomical portrait using the highly exacting method of nature printing. John Lindley writes "Attempts were long since made to obtain Botanical portraits by printing from the plants themselves, flattened and otherwise prepared for the purpose... The process of the Imperial Printing Office [Hof- und Staatsdruckerei] at Vienna, to which the name of Nature-Printing has been happily applied.. is a great… Read More

[Berlin: Pauli, 1787. Volume 2, part 1 only. Engraved frontispiece, 9 hand-coloured plates. Lacks the title and first three preliminary text leaves. Contemporary half calf and patterned paper boards A fragment from a very rare tree book. This volume concerns native and foreign oaks. Published in two volumes in three parts, the first volume was published in 1783 (with 27 plates); the first part of the second volume [i.e. the present] in 1787 (with 9 plates); the final part in 1800 (with 11 plates). The work was evidently produced with both uncoloured and coloured plates, the present being from the coloured issue. We find no record of a copy for sale. Stafleu & Cowan TL-2 925.

Paris: distribuë par l'Auteur, en l'Hostel des Manufactures des Gobelins, et en la rue St.Jacques, 1685. Copper engraving, on two joined sheets, by A.F. Baudouin with the figures by R. Bonnart, after Van der Meulen. Titled in French and Latin. A fine view of the fortified town of Calais and its environs, recalling king Louis XIV's gradual acquisition of territory on the Channel coast from 1667 onwards. This excellent panorama shows Calais as seen from the landward side looking across to the ramparts of the fortifications surrounding the town, to the roofs of the town itself and then beyond to the sea. In the fore and mid-ground the French army of King Louis XIV moves forward towards the town, this scene enlivened by Van der Meulen's portrayal of the stormy conditions: hats blow off, cloaks are wrapped around peoples' heads, foot soldiers lean into the wind. This sort of detail supports the statement in the imprint that the present scene was painted from life by Van der Meulen. Adam Frans Van der… Read More

Paris: distribuë par l'Auteur, en l'Hostel des Manufactures des Gobelins, et en la rue St.Jacques, 1685. Copper engraving, on two joined sheets, after Van der Meulen. Titled in French and Latin. In excellent condition. Some infill work along the bottom margin. Image size: 18 1/2 x 38 5/8 inches. A striking contemporary view of Gray in Franche-Comte, by the celebrated court painter Van der Meulen. This fine view shows the town of Gray in Franche-Comte, built on the banks of the Saône River. One of the most important trading towns in Franche-Comte, the region became a possession of the Spanish Hapsburgs in 1556. Although some of the region's fortified towns were occupied by France during the Wars of Religion, peace and prosperity continued until the advent of the Thirty Years War, when the region was ravaged by both Catholics and Protestants. Louis XIV conquered Franche-Comté in 1668 and again in 1674 and finally obtained its cession from Spain. Van der Meulen's striking image depicts the king and… Read More

Milan: Presso Francesco Bernucca, Contrada dei Tre Re, No. 4091, 1818. Oblong 4to. Sheets: (9 3/4 x 12 1/2 inches). Plates: (7 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches). 50 aquatint plates printed in grisaille and watercolored by hand over etched line, mostly by Carolina Lose after her husband Friedrich Lose, but several by A. Biasioli, D. K. Bonatti, Fumagalli, G. Mantelli, Muller, L. Rados, G. Sasso, and G. Zancon, after E. Adam, G. B. Bosio, and G. Castellini, on wove paper with some plates, e.g. 36, "Pianello," and 54, "Villa Passalacqua," are watermarked "J Whatman 1816," and many are heightened in gum arabic. Each with a letterpress descriptive text-leaf in Italian with post-horn watermarks, bound with an expertly executed ink manuscript facsimile title page with dedication to Conte Enrico di Bellegarde. Bound to style in full green straight-grained morocco, spine in six compartments with black morocco lettering-piece in the second, gilt ruled with elaborate gilt patterning and symbol in each remaining compartment.… Read More

Boston: printed and published for the author by Dutton & Wentworth, 1854. Broadsheet. (27 x 21 inches). Letterpress title, 1p. dedication to Caleb Cope, 12pp. text (numbered [5]-16); 1p. index, plate list, note and errata. 6 chromolithographic plates by Sharp & Sons of Dorchester, Mass, 5 after William Sharp, 1 after Allen. Original publisher's brown paper lettered upper wrapper bound in. Expertly bound to style in half green morocco and marbled paper covered boards, spine gilt with raised bands A monument to American colour printing, a work which launched the age of chromolithography as an art in the United States. This work is one of very few truly great American botanical works and is one of the most beautiful flower books ever produced. The Victoria Regia; or the Great Water Lily of America, provides an appropriate showcase for this gigantic water lily, first discovered along the Amazon River and then taken to Britain for cultivation. The so-called "vegetable wonder" was first described by Sir… Read More