18th Century Literature

London: printed for Bernard Lintott, at the Cross-Keys between the Temple-Gates in Fleetstreet, 1716. First Edition. Morocco. Fine. First Issue, large-paper copy (engraved headpiece on p. 1 depicts a street scene, not a phoenix, with elaborate engraved ornaments, not printer's ornaments, on pp. 21 and 53) of John Gay's Gay's best remembered poem and perhaps the greatest poem written on life in London. 8vo: [4],80,[12]pp. Full maroon morocco by Riviere, spine in six compartments divided by raised bands and lettered in gilt, renewed marbled end papers, plain paper fly leaves, all edges gilt. Lintott printed 2000 ordinary copies and a further 250 on fine paper, of which our copy is one. A Dublin edition and three other London editions appeared the same year. Fine. Hayward 142. Foxon G82 (fine-paper). Ashley II, p. 135. Rothschild 914 (the statement in Haywood, that "there are two leaves, G7 and G8, blank and genuine, is incorrect"). Bowyer Ledgers 281. Faber, p. 57. Dearing (ed), John Gay. Poetry and… Read More

London: J. Tonson And J Watts, 1725. First English Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Very Good. 128 Plates; Headpieces And Tailpieces. [2], [22], 571, [12]. Errata At Bottom Of Last Page Of Index At End. 128 Full Page And Double Page Plates. 41.5 X 27 X 6 Cm. Full Diced Calf, Binding Professionally Re-Backed To Style, Gilt, Original Dark Green Marbled Endpapers, Corners With Minor Repairs. Contents Clean, Square. No Marks.

1723 1st ed Mathematics Instruments Bion Engineering Science Navigation PhysicsRare 1st English edition of Bion's famous mathematics treatise!'The Construction and Principal Uses of Mathematical Instruments' is an important mathematics treatise by Nicolas Bion which is considered "the most famous book devoted to instruments." (Knight). Bion was a 17th-century engineer and math tool maker who was well-known for being the king's engineer.This 1723 first English edition includes all 26 full-page and folding engravings – a highly desirable book! Illustrations in this book depict navigational tools such as compasses, ships and ship masts, armillary spheres, and protractors; it also includes maps, clocks, sundials, globes, vacuum pumps, pendulums, mirrors, telescopes, and more!Item number: #5166Price: $2500BION, NicolasThe construction and principal uses of mathematical instruments : Translated from the French of M. Bion, ... To which are added, the construction and uses of such instruments as are omitted… Read More

Halae Salicae [Halle, Germany]: Impensis Orphanotrophei, 1731. Hardcover. Very Good. 8vo (square). Half bound vellum over brown speckled boards. All edges red. Spine lettered. xii, 752 p.p., plus [36] p.p. index. [11] engravings [9 folding] incl. frontispiece. The life of Emperor Justinian I and Theodora and the history of Justinian Law. empress of the Eastern Roman Empire. Johann Peter Von Ludewig [1668-1743] was a German lawyer, historian and scholar. He Chip on top right corner of front board [approx 1 inch width] with smaller chips and wear to edges. Small tear to edge of p. 43, text unaffected and small hole to bottom of p. 353. Light foxing. Pages browned. Otherwise a very good copy.

1786 ENORMOUS 1ed Zurlauben Geography Switzerland Swiss Alps Castles Cathedrals

Beat Fidel Zurlauben was an 18th-century Swiss military officer and historian who published a work on the geography, topography, and history of Switzerland. 'Tableaux De La Suisse' is filled with 20 impressive illustrated views of castles, mountains and glaciers, villages, city life and public baths, cathedrals, and much more.

Item number: #8569
Price: $1950
ZURLAUBEN, Beat Fidel
Tableaux De La Suisse, Ou Voyage Pittoresque Fait Dans Les Treize Cantons Et Etats Allies Du Corps Helvetique : Représentant les divers Phénomenes que la nature y rassemble, & les beautés dont l'art les enrichis ; suivis de la description topographique, physique, historique, morale, politique & littéraire de ce Pays; tome deuxieme
A Paris: chez Lamy, 1786. First edition.

Details:
·
Collation: Complete with all pages;
o [2], 329-578, 8, 7, [1]
o 20 full-page engraved plates
·
Language: French
·
Binding:… Read More

1744 RAREST George Anson Voyage to South-Seas South America Brazil Peru Chile

George Anson was an 18th-century British Navy admiral who is noted for his important world voyage in which he circumnavigated the globe. This voyage, beginning in 1740, was initiated in order to disrupt Spain and their acquisitions from the Pacific – even though the squadron saw certain danger.
"Anson's voyage is remembered as a classic tale of endurance and leadership in the face of fearful disasters" (Rodger, 239)
He saw substantial victory by capturing Spanish ships carrying pieces of eight, silver, and other treasure; thus, allowing Anson to return home a very rich sailor. This voyage took Anson and company into South America and home by way of China – a true world voyage!

Authorship of this work is held with some ambiguity. According to the DNB and Sabin,
"A claim was made that the work was written, not by Mr. Walter, but by Mr. Benjamin Robins. This has never been substantiated except by mere assertion; and… Read More

London: Printed by R. Harbin for Charles Lillie, 1725. RARE. (24), 368, Index (8); (1), 391, Index (8). Lowndes V, 2471. Editor's dedication signed: Cha. Lillie, prefatory letter signed Rich. Steele ( both are printed and not original signatures) - With a list of subscribers in vol.1. The last copy sold at auction 1992, with previous sales noted in 1963, 1933, and 1907, so a book that appears once in 30 years on average. No other copies online as of this listing. This copy with the armorial bookplates of "The Rt. Hon.ble William L.d Viscount Bateman", British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1721 and 1734. Two volumes, Very Good, in contemporary calf, backs ornately gilt with tan calf labels lettered in gilt, edges dyed mottled red. In addition to Bateman's bookplates his signature "Bateman" at top edge both title pages. small ink letter B and number front paste downs, calf lightly rubbed. end papers with light toning, interiors quite clean and… Read More

1797 1ed AMERICAN Naval Gazetteer Voyages Malham Sailing MAPS Atlas Africa Ports

'The Naval Gazetteer' is a late 18th-century sailor's guide, filled with descriptions of coastlines, countries, and islands from around the world and sailing directions to and from various locations. However, the real draw of this set is the exquisite folding maps! Maps include views of ports and coasts along India, Portugal, the Baltic Sea, North and South America, Africa, and Great Britain.
Item number: #14295
Price: $1950
MALHAM, John
The naval gazetteer, or, Seaman's complete guide : containing a full and accurate account, alphabetically arranged, of the several coasts of all the countries and islands in the known world ...
Boston : Printed for and sold by W. Spottswood and J. Nancrede, 1797. First edition.

Details:
· Collation: Complete; 2 volumes
o
Vol. 1 – xlvi, 436 (i.e. 536)
10 folding maps
Wanting frontis folding map
o
Vol. 2 – 573, [3]
6 folding maps
· Provenance: Handwritten
o… Read More

1799 Romance of the Rose Lorris Medieval de Meun Flamel Alchemy STUNNING 5v

"The more a man gazes on what he loves, the more he sets fire to his heart and bastes it with bacon fat."
― Guillaume de Lorris, The Romance of the Rose
The 'Roman de la Rose' is a famous 13th-century Medieval French poem written as an allegorical dream sequence. It was written by Guillaume de Lorris who sought to express the feelings of romantic love, sexuality, and chivalry. It was completed by Jean de Meung who continued the work begun by Lorris. Thought to be the most widely read book other than the Bible in the 13th- and 14th-centuries, it was highly influential on other authors, notably including Geoffrey Chaucer.

This absolutely stunning
18th-century edition was published in Paris printed in five beautiful vellum-bound volumes. This particular edition is of note, not just for containing the 'Roman de la Rose', but also a preface by Clement Marot, Meung's 'Life of Jean Clopinel', a short treatise on the alchemy of… Read More

Very good copy of the Large Paper Copy of the Quarto edition of Erasmus Darwin's masterpiece with the William Blake engravings. With the first edition of Part 1: containing the Economy of Vegetation, 1791, and the second edition of Part 2: containing the Love of the Plants, 1790, bound in one volume. Large Paper Copy in 29 x 22.5cm (Henrey gives 26 x 21cm for all 1791 editions). Part I has 10 plates by Henry Fuseli, William Blake, Henry Webber and others engraved by William Blake, Anker Smith, Thomas Holloway. Includes frontispiece "Flora attired by the Elements" by Henry Fuseli engraved by Anker Smith, four plates of the Portland Vase attributed to Blake (bound next to Note XXII page 53 to 59), fold-out botanical of a Cyprepedium orchid, botanical plate of Erythrina, and Sections of the Earth. The Directions to the Binder indicates only 8 plates, but this copy includes two additional plates: the famous "Fertilization of Egypt," designed by Fuseli and engraved by Blake, with the dog-headed god Anubis… Read More

1688 AFRICA 1ed History EGYPT Mummies Pyramids Illustrated Tunisia MAPS LaCroix

Pherotee La Croix's "Universal Relation of Africa" is a famous 17th-century history of Africa. La Croix was a professor of geography in Lyon whose work on Africa became a lasting authority of African geography and history. However, much of La Croix's "Afrique" was heavily inspired by Dutch author Olfert Dapper's "Description of Africa".
Even still, La Croix's work is notable for the exquisite full-page and folding engravings as well as descriptions of some of the greatest mysteries of Africa including a section on Egyptian pyramids, the Sphinx, and mummies! Other topics include voyages to the Barbary coast, Tunisia, Algiers, and Morocco.
Item number: #20169
Price: $1950
LA CROIX, Pherotee de
Relation universelle de l'Afrique, ancienne et modern
A Lyon, chez Thomas Amaulry, 1688. First edition.

Details:

· Collation: Complete with all pages;
o Vol. I – [18], 12, 536, [16]
o Vol. II – [2], 576, [20]
o 43… Read More

1785 James Cook Pacific Voyage Illustrated Eskimos Hawaii TAHITI Human Sacrifice
"Remember, the greater the opportunity, the fewer are those who see it."
– James Cook
James Cook was an 18th-century British explorer known for these three major world voyages. The third Pacific voyage, which began in 1776, took Cook and his crew around New Zealand and Hawaii. On this trip, Cook became well acquainted with the King of Hawaii, Kalani-opu'u. After spending time in the South Pacific, Cook also took his ship northward to the Aleutian Islands reaching to the Arctic Circle. Cook eventually died upon his return to Hawaii, after angering the King of Hawaii.
The events of this voyage became quite popular in the western world, much in part to the narrative that Cook himself wrote concerning the journey.
This 1785 edition of the third voyage was stunningly bound with all four volumes bound in two impressive tomes. In it, authors describe Cook's experiences in the Arctic Circle and the Pacific Ocean and his voyage… Read More

1775 ROYAL ARMS 1ed Louis XVI of France Sacred Coronation Illustrated Pichon

Louis XVI, King of France was the final French monarch, crowned in June of 1775. Author Thomas Pichon commemorated the event with an impressive, beautiful book filled with French history, biographical sketches of notable French kings, and illustrated scenes of the coronation. These 32 engravings provide an excellent portrayal of costumes and architecture that were common amongst French courts in the 18th-century.

This book is known to be highly valuable and desirable! It was printed and distributed to a SELECT few with the royal arms of Louis XVI embossed into the leather.

Item number: #24425
Price: $2500

PICHON, Thomas Jean

Sacre et couronnement de Louis XVI, Roi de France et de Navarre, dans l'Église a Rheims, le 11. juin 1775 : précédé de Recherches sur le sacre des rois de France, depuis Clovis jusqu'a Louis XV ; et suivi d'un Journal historique de ce qui s'est passé à cette auguste cérémonie

A… Read More

1781 American Revolution 1ed Field of Mars BATTLES Bunker Hill Illustrated MAPS
'The Field of Mars' is a rare, 18th-century history of famed wars of the world with first-hand accounts. Written by various writers, this impressive work contains descriptions of the battles of some of the following:
· The Seven Years' War
· The American Revolution
o The Siege of Charleston
o Battle of Fort Frontenac
o Battle of Lake Champlain
o Battle of Bunker Hill
"And now ensued one of the greatest scenes of war that can be conceived.... the day ended with glory, and the success was most important, considering the ascendancy it gave the regular troops; but the loss was uncommon in officers, for the numbers engaged" – book quotes General John Burgoyne
o Battles at Fort Ticonderoga
This 1781 first edition was published in two volumes and features 55 stunning engraved plates and maps. The illustrations depicting battle scenes are particularly desirable. See photos.
Item number: #24366
Price: $2500
England
The field… Read More

1773 Benjamin Franklin 1ed Electricity Science Politic Philosophy Americana RARE

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."
― Benjamin Franklin

PMM: "the most important scientific book of eighteenth-century America"

Known as one of the most important and prolific founding fathers of America, Benjamin Franklin wrote several works that have left a legacy in American history. In 1773, the works of Franklin were published (in French) for the first time. It was, at the time of publishing, the most complete early edition of Franklin's works of science, not just in French, but in any language. It included impressive illustrations depicting his science and social experiments. These works include studies on electricity and magnetism, art of swimming, meteors and astronomical wonders, medicines for common diseases, and much more.

This 1773 first French edition includes two volumes in one tome and features all twelve impressive illustrations.

Item number: #25126
Price: $2500… Read More