Rare books from Schilb Antiquarian Rare Books

1664 1st ed NEW YORK George Downing Discourse on DUTCH Settlements Indians 2v
Two exceedingly rare first editions of George Downing's defense of New York!
George Downing was an Irish preacher and political apologist known for his service under Oliver Cromwell in Scotland. In 1664 he wrote a short political letter describing the details of his arrangement of the acquisition of New York from the Dutch. 'A Discourse', as it is called, was written to clear his own name from any misconduct in the exchange. One of the most notable discussions in this work is a report on the miserable interactions of the Dutch settlers with local Indian tribes, as well as business and trade in New York. It should be noted that this work is considered one of the earliest works relating to New York in English! (Stevens).
A year after his first letter was written, he wrote his own reply – a work, which according to 'Rare Americana', was
"privately printed, and relates principally to the affairs of the English and Dutch West… Read More

1781 1ed Captain James Cook Voyage Australia Zealand Hawaii Pacific MAP Rickman"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. According to Hill, who does not note this rare Dublin edition, states:"This anonymous journal, of Captain Cook's third voyage, was once believed to have been written by John Ledyard, who had actually made liberal use of Lieutenant Rickman's account; hence the confusion. This narrative anticipated the government's authorized account by two years. All the… Read More

1589 ENORMOUS LAW Corpus Juris Civilis Justinian Codex Digest Godefroy 6v SET

"Freedom is the natural ability of everyone to do what he likes, unless it is prohibited by law or by force."
― Justinian I
Justinian's 'Corpus Juris Civilis' is unquestionably the fundamental work on law and jurisprudence! Parts of this work were originally intended to be used by law students, but they were not solely used as a textbook – they carried legal weight …as law! It includes four distinct parts – Codex, Digest, Institutes, and Novellae – each written with a different purpose.
'Digest' or 'Pandectae' is a collection of juristic treatises taken from various legal writings of Ulpian and Paulus. 'Codex'
was the Justinian's attempt at organizing the laws in a systematic manner – each of these works is included in this enormous 16th-century six-volume edition.
The Godefroy editions of this iconic work were influential in the law field well into the 20th-century. While Godefroy was known as a jurist, his… Read More

1545 Saint Venerable BEDE Bible & Commentary English Monk Church Cosmology

Saint Venerable Bede was an English monk during the 7th- and 8th-centuries. He is most remembered for his ecclesiastical work on the history of English people, in which he discusses the establishment and growth of the church throughout the known world. He also wrote important commentaries on the books of the Bible. This work explains relevant Biblical passages, as well as describes the allegorical notes of Church Fathers. However, he did not write exclusively of church theology. He also wrote on the development of time and ideas of cosmology.
This 16th-century Latin edition was published in Paris by Roigny. An impressive, three-volume folio set!

Item number: #11735
Price: $3500
BEDE, Saint Venerable
Venerabilis Bedae presbyteri theologi doctissimi juxta ac sanctissimi, commentationum in Sacras Literas, tomus primus : in quo ea maximè quae Veteris Testamenti sunt, ita perspicuè ac dilucidè enarrantur, ut inter… Read More

1585 DUTCH History Chronicle Divisiekroniek Netherlands Holland Zealand Woodcuts
"The keystone [work] of Middle Dutch historiography!"
The "Divisiekroniek" was the first and most important 16th-century Dutch national chronicle. It was notable for containing some of the most famous descriptions of Dutch history, providing insight into the Renaissance in Northern Netherlands – Holland, Zealand, and Friesland – first printed in 1517. According to Blok, the 'Divisiekroniek'
"was the usual reading-book in the 16th- and 17th-centuries for the ancient history of the countship of Holland, and may be reckoned as the keystone of Middle Dutch historiography."
While the contents of this work are indisputably important, the in-text woodcuts of kings and Dutch royals with their coats-of-arms are highly desirable and make this already famous work highly coveted.
Item number: #20907
Price: $4950
anonymous
Die cronycke van Hollant, Zeelant ende Vrieslant. Noch is hier byghevoecht een cort verhael vande regeringe… Read More

1696 Thevenot Voyages Curious CHINA Ethiopia MAPS Jeronimo Lobo MEXICO Spain
Malechisedech Thevenot was a 17th-century French historian, known for an extensive list of scholarship. One of his best works was 'Relations de Divers Voyages Curieux' – a collection of descriptions of various world discoveries.
Notable contents found in this book include:
·
Chinese Empires: Xanxi, Xangtung, Honan, Sushuen, Kiangsi, Kinagnan, Quangtung,
·
Japanese Empires
·
Ethiopian history, lower and upper Ethiopia
·
Giovanni Grueber in China
·
Life of Confucius
·
Voyages of Jerónimo Lobo
·
History of Mexico and Spanish voyages in Central America
·
Portuguese conquests in the orient
This highly valuable and extremely desirable volume contains 15 full-page and double-page engravings, illustrations that are known to be extracted and framed. It is incredibly rare to find these illustrations still intact in the book itself.
Item number: #21339
Price: $3500… Read More

1589 ENGLISH 1ed Henley Husbandry Booke of Thrift Medieval Agriculture Farming

Walter de Henley was a 13th-century French agriculturalist primarily remembered for his treatise on husbandry. In fact, this book is considered to be
"undoubtedly the most original contribution of the Middle Ages to scientific agriculture". (Power).
Henley provided some of the earliest French instructions on farm management and upkeep the upkeep of a manor.

In 1589, an English edition of Henley's "Husbandry" was translated by Jacuqes Bellot and published by Wolfe under the title "The Booke of Thrift".

It is incredibly rare and valuable. In fact, there is only one known auction record of this work sold in recent history where it sold for more than $7,000

Item number: #22665
Price: $4950

HENLEY, Walter de

The booke of thrift, containing a perfite order, and right methode to profite lands, and other things belonging to husbandry

London: Printed by Iohn Wolfe, 1589. First edition.

Details:
· Collation:… Read More

1639 Architecture ROMAN RUINS Engravings Duperac Colosseum Vestigi Roma RARE
Étienne Dupérac was a famous 16th-century French engraver who is primarily remembered for his illustrated portrayals of ancient Roman ruins. "Ì vestigi dell'antichita di Roma" is a collection of engravings depicting iconic buildings and ruins from ancient Rome including:
· Arch of Constantine
· The Colosseum
· The Baths of Titus
· Pyramid of Cestius
· Castrense Amphitheatre
· Acqua Marcia fountain
· Mausoleum of Augustus
· Castel Sant'Angelo
· Bridge of St Bartholomew
These folio engravings are some of the most desirable illustrations of Roman ruins!
Item number: #24150
Price: $3500
PERAC, Etienne du
Ì vestigi dell'antichita di Roma
In Roma: Appresso Giombatistà de Rossi in Piazza Nauona., 1639.
Details:
· Collation:
o 37 of 40 engravings
Wanting #21, 29, and 40
Includes engraved title page
· Provenance: Bookplate – Francisco Guasch Homs
o Francisco Guasch Homs (or Francesc Guasch, 1861-1923) was a… Read More

1677 FAMED 1ed Raphael ART Vatican Frescoes Pope Sixtus Renaissance Woodcuts
Raphael was one of the most famous and important Italian painters of the Renaissance. Most of his work is still regularly appreciated and studied in museums all over the world. Though, perhaps the most famous collection of Raphael paintings is in the Vatican museum, where spaces now known as the Raphael Rooms feature exquisite full-wall frescoes of his artwork.
Italian engraver Pietro Saint Bartoli published a series of engravings of Raphael's frescoes in the 17th-century. The plates themselves feature the text 'Vaticani Palatii Xystis', referring to the Vatican palace under Pope Sixtus IV who constructed portions of the Vatican for art such as the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Library.
Bartoli's collection of Raphael engravings was dedicated to Cardinal Carlo Massimo following his death in 1677 – a collection of 43 stunning oblong folio illustrations!
Item number: #24140
Price: $3500
RAPHAEL Urbino
Eminentissimo Ac… Read More

1551 RARE Peter Apian Cosmographia Astronomy Navigation AMERICA Map Mathematics

Peter Apian was a 16th-century humanist who is remembered for his studies in astronomy and mathematics. His best and most-known work was his book on cosmography which was extremely influential into the 17th-century. In this work, Apian discusses navigation by use of astronomy, utilizing woodcut illustrations to depict aspects of astronomy and navigation. Other illustrations include zodiac characters, planets, maps, and navigational instruments.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this book is that it is one of the earliest works relating to America. In 1507, Martin Waldseemuler printed a map which included the word 'America' for the first time. 'Cosmographiae Introductio' was published as an accompaniment to that map.

This 1551 edition was collected and annotated by Gemma Frisius, a famed Dutch cartographer. The illustrations found in this work are utterly impressive – it even includes interactive engravings… Read More

1607 SURVEYING 1ed Norden Surveyors Dialogue English Lords vs Tenants Farm Land

First edition of the first 17th-century work on English surveying!

John Norden was a 16th-century English cartographer and surveyor who, in 1600, was appointed to survey land in Devon for the Duchy of Cornwall. While mapmaking brought him fame, it was his work as surveyor of numerous royal castles that has brought him lasting recognition. His treatise on surveying is one of the earliest of its kind, and the very first English treatise on surveying of the 17th-century.

Honeyman's account of this work is perhaps the most telling.
"The first English surveying publication of the 17th-century and the second surveying text to be written in dialogue form. Norden gives a clear account of the operation of survey and attempts to reconcile the differences between surveyor and tenant."

According to Kiely,
"That the profession of surveyor was not in high repute among the common people may be seen from the opening statement of the… Read More

1640 BEST English HERBAL 1ed Theatrum Botanicum John Parkinson 2500+ Engravings
John Parkinson is considered to be one of the most important 17th-century botanists and was a foundational English herbalist. His discoveries and herbal treatises propelled him to Royal Botanist of King Charles I, and while his royal position certainly contributed to his lasting fame, his most prestigious contribution was his book 'Theatrum Botanicum'.
This monumental work is considered to be the most complete and thorough English herbal, much in part to the more than 2,500 illustrated figures throughout. first published in 1640, this book contained descriptions of more than 3800 different plants many of which had never been included in a botanical anthology before.
Item number: #24716
Price: $4,950
PARKINSON, John
Theatrum botanicum: the theater of plants. Or, an herball of large extent: containing therein a more ample and exact history and declaration of the physicall herbs and plants that are in other authours
London:… Read More

1680 English Civil War Rushworth Papers Charles I Cromwell England FAMED MAP 7v
John Rushworth was a 17th-century English historian who is best remembered for his work covering the English Civil War. Colloquially known as the 'Rushworth Papers', 'Historical Collections' is one of the best accounts of the reigns of Kings Charles I and James I of England.
This particular set of folios contains reports on the proceedings in Parliament from 1618 through 1649. It is especially notable, not only being a first edition, but it contains the highly coveted folding map of England – a map printed over an illustration of the Battle of Prague.
Item number: #24468
Price: $3,950
RUSHWORTH, John
Historical collections of private passages of state, weighty matters in law, remarkable proceedings in five parliaments, beginning ... 1618 and ending ... 1649
London. Printed by J.A. for Robert Boulter, 1680-1701. 1st edition
Details:
· Collation: Complete with all pages; 4 parts in 7 tomes
o Each part individually… Read More

1754 Charlevoix JAPAN 1ed Jesuit Voyages TOKYO Maps Ships FAMOUS Korea China 6v
Pierre Charlevoix was an 18th-century French Jesuit writer known for his informational surveys of Jesuit missionary voyages around the world. He published reports on voyages in Paraguay, Brazil and other South American countries, as well as voyages in Asia even though he himself never visited these locations. One of his best works was his "History of Japan". This work provides a comprehensive overview of Japanese history which proved to be a catalyst for the western world understanding Japanese culture.
This highly desirable and incredibly valuable 1754 edition of Charlevoix's "Japan" consist of 56 engravings many of which are exquisite folding maps of Japan, Korea, and China! Other engravings depict Japanese costume and manners, ships and weaponry, customs, language, and city plans of Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo (Edo).
Item number: #25054
Price: $3500
CHARLEVOIX, Pierre
Histoire du Japon
Paris: Chez Didot, 1754. First… Read More

1688 Inca PERU 1ed South America Garcilaso Vega Spanish Conquistadors ENGLISH
Garcilaso de la Vega was a 16th-century Spanish author, who, after moving to Peru, became one of the best-known historians on the Incan Empire. His best work, 'History of the Incas', focused on the culture of Incan society and is considered to the best the best and most accurate representation of the Incan people and their customs. Vega also covers the Spanish conquest of Peru and the Incas.
This impressive 1688 first English edition of Vega's masterpiece is entirely complete! Titled "The Royal Commentaries of Peru", this edition was translated from the original by Paul Rycaut and is considered one of the foremost authorities on the history of Peru in English. Note the exquisite full-page illustrations depicting scenes of Inca people – the views of torture scenes are especially noteworthy!
Item number: #25097
Price: $4,950
VEGA, Garcilaso de la
The royal commentaries of Peru in two parts, the first part treating of the… Read More