15 698 résultats
1853réf. 46036Columbia Ca.: Gazette Print 1853. The Laws of the Diggings A rare broadside printing of the laws of the Columbia Mining District in California in 1853 created and enforced by the miners for their own self-government. The seventeen articles all deal with regulations for mining and claims. The first nine set out rules for making and operating claims. The next three address foreign ownership of claims. Article 10: "None but Americans and Europeans who have or shall declare their intentions of becoming citizens shall hold claims in this district." Article 11: "Neither Asiatics nor South Sea Islanders shall be allowed to mine in this district either for themselves or for others." Article 12 sets out a punishment for any miner who sells a claim to an Asian or a Polynesian. The final five articles set out rules for enforcing the laws including the creation of a Miners Committee and a system of binding arbitration. According to the text the laws were adopted "at a meeting of the Miners of the Columbia Mining District held Oct. 1st 1853." and the laws are signed in print by "C.H. Chamberlain Pres." and "R.A. Robinson Sec'y." "The item is of basic importance.as an example of how the California miners - or men beyond the reach of government anywhere else in our States and Territories for that matter - banded together and enacted and enforced codes of law for their own protection" - Eberstadt. The COLUMBIA GAZETTE which printed this broadside was according to Kemble the second newspaper to operate in Columbia starting operations in the fall of 1852. The first newspaper in the area the COLUMBIA STAR apparently printed only two or three issues in October-November of 1851 before the printing press was destroyed by vandals. Greenwood locates only three copies at the California Historical Society and the Bancroft Library and the Streeter copy which was sold at the Clifford sale in 1994. Rocq lists a copy at the Huntington Library. OCLC adds copies at Yale Library of Congress University of California at San Diego Stanford and DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University. A rare and interesting example of the search for order in the tumult of the gold rush. The Streeter copy sold to Howell for $550 in 1968. It later reappeared in the sale of California collector Henry Clifford in 1994. Broadside 10¾ x 8 inches. Printed in three columns. A bit of light foxing mostly in margins. Near fine. In a folding cloth clamshell case spine gilt. GREENWOOD 381. ROCQ 15427. EBERSTADT 131:105. STREETER SALE 2735. CLIFFORD SALE 26. OCLC 29876358. hardcover books
1706réf. B6518Paris / probably Amsterdam: Gedrukt tot Parys inde Koninglyke druckery van den klyne Louis Carel Allard. Imprime a l'Imprimerie Royal du petit Louis”. Circa 1706. Very rare and desirable overall plates are crisp and clean; corner of title and edges of some plates slightly darkened; corner torn off at plate 13. . Notes: An important work on the War of the Spanish Succession with a collection of prints by Carel Allard or “Petit Louis” ridiculing the “Sun King” or Monarch Louis xiv in eclipse. Many of Allard’s prints initially separately were published in sets of varying combinations – including the present ‘Almanach’. For instance the Rijksmuseum owns a copy of a later 1713 publication entitled 't Lust-Hof van Momus Beplant met de voornaamste Gewassen van Mars in Europa Een opgepronkt met Staat-kundige Zinnebeelden Des Tegenwoordigen Oorlogs’ by Abraham Allard in which most of the prints of the present work are incorportated. Carel Allard known for depicting royalty inspired other later publications such as satirical engravings in the ‘South Sea Bubble’ published approximately a decade later. Muller comments on the rarity of the prints and the present series; only few known copies exist mainly owned by institutions; Muller states: "Their value as expressions of the spirit and life of the common people is inestimable: indeed there is almost no period in our history for which we possess such a rich treasure of prints." While the title states that the publication was printed in Paris researchers claim the place of editing and printing to be Amsterdam that not the royal imprimerie of ‘Petit Louis’ was used but the printing house of Carol Allard in Amsterdam. Moreover it is claimed that Allard edited the work in Amsterdam. Size: Small Folio 317 x206 mm Illustration: Text in Dutch and French. Illustrated with engraved letterpress copper title and eighteen 18 copper engraved plates; of these seven 7 full page with letterpress text and eleven 11 double page; all accompanied by text each in Dutch and all except for the fifth entitled ‘DE FRANSCHE EN SPAANSCHE HUYLEBALKEN’ and the eighteenth entitled ‘HARPAGON den Ouden Schrok EN HARLEKYN Smit’- all in French. Work on the War of the Spanish Succession ridiculing the Sun King. Provenance: Pencilled and ink notations and signature on upper pasted and free endpaper References: Brunet I: 194-195; Cohen: col. 28; Muller F: ‘De Nederlandsche Geschiedenis in Platen - Beredeneerde Beschrijving van Nederlandsche Historieplaten …’ 1863-70 vol.1: xiii-xv; vol 4: 36 3037/3067/ 3068/3082. Pages: Ff: bl. title 7 full page plates 11 double page plates. Category: Book Caricatures; Book Plate Books General; Book Europe Benelux; Gedrukt tot Parys inde Koninglyke druckery van den klyne Louis [Carel Allard]. Imprime a l'Imprimerie Royal du petit Louis”. unknown
réf. elala5445Cleveland: The Burrows Brothers Company 1896-1901. First Thwaites Edition Limited to 750 sets. This set bears rubberstamps "Unnumbered set bound from waste sheets for editorial use." “A monumental editorial achievement. Contains all reports official and unofficial made by members of this missionary order on their activities in North America from 1601 to 1791. In all 238 pieces are given in their original French Latin and Italian texts with English translations.” Howes Spanning the years 1632 to 1673 the relations were the regular reports sent back by the priests of the Canadian mission to their superiors in France. Not only do they record the progress of the missions in converting the Canadian aboriginals to Christianity they are also an important source of historical information on the exploration of New France the manners and customs of the natives and the daily life of the French settlers. Thwaites was assisted in the compilation of the Relations by an impressive array of European and American scholars. In the introduction to his volume of Errata and Addenda which was published in 1967 Joseph P.Donnelly highlighted some of the significant aspects of the work: “The identification of persons even very obscure individuals is an extremely valuable editorial contribution. The bibliographical information regarding the heuristics and provenance of material included in the series is of inestimable worth to the historian…An outstanding editorial feature…is the exhaustive two-volume index…”. This set belonged to Dr. Lorris Elijah Borden 1877-1963 a long-standing associate of the Arctic Institute. Borden was the last surviving member of the 1903-04 Canadian Arctic Expedition in the Neptune under Captain A.P.Low in which he took part as medical officer. This expedition constituted the first significant step towards the assertion of Canadian authority in the eastern Arctic. During that time Borden studied the diseases afflicting the Inuit and gathered a collection of carvings and other artifacts that was gifted together with his notes and diaries to the Public Archives of Canada in 1964 by his widow. The artifacts are now housed in the Canadian Museum of Civilization. TPL 630. Howes J-106. 73 vols. 8vo. 137 of 138 plates maps views portraits facsimiles incl. 3 multi-page facsimile letters; some folding: lacking the map of Huronia in Vol. XXXIV. 4 text illus. untrimmed in original cloth t.e.g. others uncut dampstaining to lower margins covers & spines of Vols. IX X & LVI. dampstain to lower spines & covers of a few other volumes last volume spine faded 1 plate torn in half & crudely repaired - no loss some foxing throughout. bookplate of Dr. L.E.Borden see below. elala5445 Cleveland: The Burrows Brothers Company, 1896-1901 hardcover
réf. 11587By Tanekiyo Ryūsuitei 柳水亭種清. Two title-pages four pages of Preface one port. of Lady Murasaki and eleven double-page & 17 single-page woodcut color illus. 23.5; 16.5; 15 folding leaves. Three vols. 8vo orig. patterned semi-stiff wrappers decorated with Genji mon emblems wrappers a bit soiled orig. block-printed vignette labels pasted on upper covers new stitching. Japan: n.d. but WorldCat suggests 1861-64. This is apparently the only known complete set of the first series of two of this superbly illustrated shunga parody of The Tale of Genji. We can trace only two sets of the complete three-volume second series at the Royal Ontario Museum and the International Resource Center for Japanese Studies. Our set contains Chapters 1-27 while the second series consists of Chapters 28-54. This is a very late shunga and one of the last before the end of the Edo period. Almost all of the techniques that make Japanese illustrated books so remarkable are utilized here. Each illustration has in the upper right- or left-hand corner a picture scroll that shows the original scene from a chapter in The Tale of Genji with a label stating which chapter it is from. Our set is finely illustrated richly colored and employs bokashi the delicate variation of shading of pigment within the image; blind-embossing even tiny noses are in relief; and the very ample use of gold and silver. The depicted garments are a mixture of extremely complex textures colors and patterns all accentuated by blind-embossing and multiple woodblock impressions. There are two kinds of black flat black and shiny burnished black and the gold has been painted over with black pigment giving a most unusual appearance. Each of the woodcut illustrations has a border with the Genji mon symbols. Koikawa 1821-1907 was a prolific artist. He illustrated as well as wrote numerous books in using various pen names. The Preface in Vol. I is written by "Insuitei" a pen name for Koikawa. Very fine set. The title-page in Vol. I has a 90 mm. tear in the lower outer corner. This is occasionally catalogued under Utagawa Kunimori II. Colin Franklin attributes the illustrations to Kunisada. ⧠See Colin Franklin Exploring Japanese Books and Scrolls p. 74-"one of Kunisada's wittily erotic interpretations of Genji's courtly love all stops pulled out for an organ-blast of color printing" & see plates 49 & 50. unknown
réf. 11587By Tanekiyo Ryūsuitei 柳水亭種清. Two title-pages four pages of Preface one port. of Lady Murasaki and eleven double-page & 17 single-page woodcut color illus. 23.5; 16.5; 15 folding leaves. Three vols. 8vo orig. patterned semi-stiff wrappers decorated with Genji mon emblems wrappers a bit soiled orig. block-printed vignette labels pasted on upper covers new stitching. Japan: n.d. but WorldCat suggests 1861-64. This is apparently the only known complete set of the first series of two of this superbly illustrated shunga parody of The Tale of Genji. We can trace only two sets of the complete three-volume second series at the Royal Ontario Museum and the International Resource Center for Japanese Studies. Our set contains Chapters 1-27 while the second series consists of Chapters 28-54. This is a very late shunga and one of the last before the end of the Edo period. Almost all of the techniques that make Japanese illustrated books so remarkable are utilized here. Each illustration has in the upper right- or left-hand corner a picture scroll that shows the original scene from a chapter in The Tale of Genji with a label stating which chapter it is from. Our set is finely illustrated richly colored and employs bokashi the delicate variation of shading of pigment within the image; blind-embossing even tiny noses are in relief; and the very ample use of gold and silver. The depicted garments are a mixture of extremely complex textures colors and patterns all accentuated by blind-embossing and multiple woodblock impressions. There are two kinds of black flat black and shiny burnished black and the gold has been painted over with black pigment giving a most unusual appearance. Each of the woodcut illustrations has a border with the Genji mon symbols. Koikawa 1821-1907 was a prolific artist. He illustrated as well as wrote numerous books in using various pen names. The Preface in Vol. I is written by "Insuitei" a pen name for Koikawa. Very fine set. The title-page in Vol. I has a 90 mm. tear in the lower outer corner. This is occasionally catalogued under Utagawa Kunimori II. Colin Franklin attributes the illustrations to Kunisada. ⧠See Colin Franklin Exploring Japanese Books and Scrolls p. 74-"one of Kunisada's wittily erotic interpretations of Genji's courtly love all stops pulled out for an organ-blast of color printing" & see plates 49 & 50. unknown books
1564réf. 60128vo. 112 ff pages 2 and 110-112 are blank. Bound in modern paneled calf with gilt-stamped fleurons on front and back covers raised bands. Generally good. The first edition of this plague treatise by Paracelsus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim 1493-1541 the "Luther of Medicine" and one of the key figures in the history of medicine. Written originally in Nördlingen in 1529-1530 it remained unpublished during Paracelsus' lifetime and subsequently taken up and edited for publication by the Paracelsian scholar Adam von Bodenstein 1528-1577. The latter dedicated it to Johann Rudolph Stör von Störenberg Abbot of Murbach and Luders. In addition to the study on pestilence the text includes two short works by Paracelsus: "Vom Preservatiff durch den Schwebel" and "Von der Mummia." In the primary tract Paracelsus for the first time presents his complex theory on the origins of the plague which he believed were the result of astrological and corporeal events set in motion by human sins. "This anthropocentric view of an individual disease is in harmony with Paracelsus' whole philosophy and indeed with Renaissance philosophy in general" Pagel p. 179. Paracelsus also postulates the importance of the principle of sulphur the corresponding agent of the planet Mars in pestilence's causation. He believed that sulphur hidden in three minerals—antimony arsenic and marcasite—affected three corresponding organs: the groin the axillae and the ears. The chapters on causation are followed by sections on remedies. The doctor must cure the agent causing the disease rather than the symptoms of the disease Paracelsus writes. Humoral pathology and its insistence on diet is of no use. "Paracelsus' plague remedies include sulphur spirit of vitriol sulphur sublimate and metals also—for external treatment of boils—toads and decoctions of beetles designed to remove the evil of magnetic attraction but herbs and drugs as prescribed by Ficino and Agrippa are greatly amplified and still appear in a prominent place" Pagel pp. 180-181 n. 151. The editor of this volume Adam von Bodenstein was one of the key figures in the revival of Paracelsian ideas in the German lands in the middle of the sixteenth century. A son of a radical reformer he believed in transmutation of metals into gold and played a key role in the publication of over 80 works by Paracelsus. For his Paracelsianism he was excluded from the faculty and council of Basel University. OCLC records US copies at NYAM NLM Wash. U and UMn. Karl Sudhoff Bibliographia Paracelsica Berlin 1894 60; Walter Pagel Paracelsus: An Introduction to Philosophical Medicine in the Era of the Renaissance Boston 1982 2nd revised edition; Georgiana D. Hedesan "Alchemy Potency Imagination Paracelsus's Theories of Poison" in John Arrizabalaga Ole Peter Grell Andrew Cunningham eds. It All Depends on the Dose: Poisons and Medicines in European History. The History of Medicine in Context Series New York 2018 pp. 81-102; Peter J. Forshaw "'Paradoxes Absurdities and Madness:' Conflict over Alchemy Magic and Medicine in the Works of Andreas Libavius and Heinrich Khunrath" Early Science and Medicine vol. 13 no. 1 2008 pp. 53-81. Paul Messerschmidt hardcover
1564réf. 60128vo. 112 ff pages 2 and 110-112 are blank. Bound in modern paneled calf with gilt-stamped fleurons on front and back covers raised bands. Generally good. The first edition of this plague treatise by Paracelsus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim 1493-1541 the "Luther of Medicine" and one of the key figures in the history of medicine. Written originally in Nördlingen in 1529-1530 it remained unpublished during Paracelsus' lifetime and subsequently taken up and edited for publication by the Paracelsian scholar Adam von Bodenstein 1528-1577. The latter dedicated it to Johann Rudolph Stör von Störenberg Abbot of Murbach and Luders. In addition to the study on pestilence the text includes two short works by Paracelsus: "Vom Preservatiff durch den Schwebel" and "Von der Mummia." In the primary tract Paracelsus for the first time presents his complex theory on the origins of the plague which he believed were the result of astrological and corporeal events set in motion by human sins. "This anthropocentric view of an individual disease is in harmony with Paracelsus' whole philosophy and indeed with Renaissance philosophy in general" Pagel p. 179. Paracelsus also postulates the importance of the principle of sulphur the corresponding agent of the planet Mars in pestilence's causation. He believed that sulphur hidden in three minerals—antimony arsenic and marcasite—affected three corresponding organs: the groin the axillae and the ears. The chapters on causation are followed by sections on remedies. The doctor must cure the agent causing the disease rather than the symptoms of the disease Paracelsus writes. Humoral pathology and its insistence on diet is of no use. "Paracelsus' plague remedies include sulphur spirit of vitriol sulphur sublimate and metals also—for external treatment of boils—toads and decoctions of beetles designed to remove the evil of magnetic attraction but herbs and drugs as prescribed by Ficino and Agrippa are greatly amplified and still appear in a prominent place" Pagel pp. 180-181 n. 151. The editor of this volume Adam von Bodenstein was one of the key figures in the revival of Paracelsian ideas in the German lands in the middle of the sixteenth century. A son of a radical reformer he believed in transmutation of metals into gold and played a key role in the publication of over 80 works by Paracelsus. For his Paracelsianism he was excluded from the faculty and council of Basel University. OCLC records US copies at NYAM NLM Wash. U and UMn. Karl Sudhoff Bibliographia Paracelsica Berlin 1894 60; Walter Pagel Paracelsus: An Introduction to Philosophical Medicine in the Era of the Renaissance Boston 1982 2nd revised edition; Georgiana D. Hedesan "Alchemy Potency Imagination Paracelsus's Theories of Poison" in John Arrizabalaga Ole Peter Grell Andrew Cunningham eds. It All Depends on the Dose: Poisons and Medicines in European History. The History of Medicine in Context Series New York 2018 pp. 81-102; Peter J. Forshaw "'Paradoxes Absurdities and Madness:' Conflict over Alchemy Magic and Medicine in the Works of Andreas Libavius and Heinrich Khunrath" Early Science and Medicine vol. 13 no. 1 2008 pp. 53-81. Paul Messerschmidt hardcover books
1762réf. 41877Paris: Chez Moyreau 1762. Folio. 23 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches. Engraved portrait of Moyreau by Nonnette dated 1749 and 100 engraved plates numbered 1-100 with the engraved rococo title being numbered as plate 25. 88 plates engraved by Moyreau and the others by Cochin Chedel etc. The title is engraved by Le Parmentier after J. de la Joue. Included are 5 double page plates and one page with 2 plates on the page. The final 8 plates are numbered in manuscript and the last 2 plates are proofs 'before letters'. Full contemporary calf gilt hinges strengthened A rare magnificent collection of engravings showcasing the works of the renowned Dutch Golden Age painter Philips Wouwerman. Engraved by master engraver Jean Moyreau the illustrations meticulously reproduce Wouwerman's celebrated equestrian and rural scenes capturing the dynamic compositions intricate details of the originals. Featuring some of the artists finest works carefully selected from the most esteemed collections in Paris and beyond the volume serves as a homage to Wouwerman's enduring artistry. Cohen de Ricci 1068; Bulletin Morgand 1889 No. 17315 '1 frontispice et 100 planches; Thiebaud p. 945-946; Brunet V 1480. Chez Moyreau unknown
1762réf. 41877Paris: Chez Moyreau 1762. Folio. 23 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches. Engraved portrait of Moyreau by Nonnette dated 1749 and 100 engraved plates numbered 1-100 with the engraved rococo title being numbered as plate 25. 88 plates engraved by Moyreau and the others by Cochin Chedel etc. The title is engraved by Le Parmentier after J. de la Joue. Included are 5 double page plates and one page with 2 plates on the page. The final 8 plates are numbered in manuscript and the last 2 plates are proofs 'before letters'. Full contemporary calf gilt hinges strengthened A rare magnificent collection of engravings showcasing the works of the renowned Dutch Golden Age painter Philips Wouwerman. Engraved by master engraver Jean Moyreau the illustrations meticulously reproduce Wouwerman's celebrated equestrian and rural scenes capturing the dynamic compositions intricate details of the originals. Featuring some of the artists finest works carefully selected from the most esteemed collections in Paris and beyond the volume serves as a homage to Wouwerman's enduring artistry. Cohen de Ricci 1068; Bulletin Morgand 1889 No. 17315 '1 frontispice et 100 planches; Thiebaud p. 945-946; Brunet V 1480. Chez Moyreau unknown books
1663réf. 4120Oxford: H.Hall. Impensis Ric: Davis 1663. First edition thus in the Arabic edition and Latin translation by Edward Pococke. 4to. 203x155mm. pp. 12 368 90 66 5bl 565 2. The final part 565 2 in Arabic paginates from the rear of the book. The two blanks are present. Three parts in one volume i.e. the Latin translation the Supplementum and the Arabic edition each with its own title page. Bound in twentieth century brown full calf by Sangorski and Sutcliffe lettered in gilt to spine. Contemporary manuscript title to fore-edge. Some light fading to the spine slight toning to edges of first and last leaves and a small hole to foot of the final leaf not affecting the text but overall in very good condition throughout. Front pastedown has the bookplate of the Middle East scholar R.M.Burrell. His important library of books on the Middle East was sold by Sotheby's in 1999 this was lot 319. On 17th October 1630 Edward Pococke 1604-1691 arrived in Aleppo as Chaplain of the Levant Company. While there he deepened his study of the languages and culture of the region and began to collect Arabic manuscripts. In 1636 Pococke returned to England at the request of Archbishop Laud who had recently established a Chair of Arabic at Oxford and wanted Pococke to be the first holder of it. One of the manuscripts brought back by Pococke was the al-Mukhtasar fî'l-Duwal 'History of the Dynasties' of Abu'l-Faraj Bar Hebraeus 1226-1286. The lack of material in England on Islamic history and geography meant that Pococke felt unable to prepare his edition and translation and so he secured a sabbatical from Oxford and sailed for Constantinople where he spent the next three years collecting manuscripts. He returned to England shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War and it was only in 1650 that he published extracts from the "History" in his Specimen historiae Arabum which included other material culled from his now extensive collection of manuscripts. Pococke was a Royalist and the years of the Protectorate were hard: he almost lost his professorship and his priestly living. At the Restoration he returned to Oxford and began work on the complete Historia Compendiosa Dynastiarum. Finally in 1663 almost thirty years after Pococke had returned from Aleppo with the manuscript of al-Mukhtasar fî'l-Duwal his far-reaching Historia which opened up Arab history to Western was published and "remained the standard edition until the twentieth century" ODNB. Oxford: H.Hall. Impensis Ric: Davis.
1604réf. 33228-471Leiden Henricus Hondius 1604-1605. Two printed titles with elaborate engr. architectural borders woodcut initials 1 of 2 engr. portrait in the text and 49 engr. plates in vol. 1 33 34 on 1 leaf and 24 engr. plates in vol. 2. Text printed in 2 cols. 9 of 10 unn. leaves; 3 unn. leaves. Oblong folio 280 x 350 mm. 17th cent. marbled boards new endpapers. Leiden Henricus Hondius 1604-1605. First edition of Vredeman's "Perspective" issued by Hondius and printed simultaneously also in French Dutch and German. Present here is the valuable Latin version "the classical language in which Vredeman's architecture is clad and thus becomes timeless in its character" Millard p. 20f. This is one of the most celebrated works on such a subject and was issued by the Flemish born Hendrik Hondius the Elder 1573-1650. The plates for the most part are engraved and a few signed by him after Hans Vredeman. Plate 14 in part 2 is after Paul Vredeman and 4 plates in this part are signed with the monogram DB probably Theodore de Bry or Bartholomaeus Dolendo. The painter and architect Hans or Jan Vredeman de Vries was born 1527 to a German soldier in Leeuwarden Netherlands and probably died in Antwerp 1604. "The King of Architects" Fowler together with Hans van Schille worked at the fortification of the city of Antwerp and also at the triumphal arches built for the entry of the future Philip II into Antwerp in 1549. As a consequence of the religious upheavals of the period Vredeman worked in Hamburg Danzig and Prague before returning to Holland. He wrote and illustrated the present guidebook on perspective for designers painters and architects. It became one of the major books on this subject and through Vredeman de Vries' various publications he is recognised as the "foremost among sixteenth century Netherlandish architectural authors" Millard p. 19. The two volumes illustrate stage perspective interiors furniture palace and garden architecture. Vredeman de Vries was capable of truly artistic landscaping in the Northern Renaissance and served as a model for some patrician gardens in Germany cf. E. Haupt Baukunst der Renaissance in Frankreich und Deutschland 1916. The book includes a number of scenes and projections employ one-and-multi-point perspective. These were essential demonstrations for artists of those days. This work on perspective summarizes Vredeman's knowledge of art science and geometry. This copy has the same collation as the Fowler copy at Johns Hopkins University library which also lacks at the beginning of vol. 1 the leaf A1v with an engraved portrait on left half and a printed poem on right half of this leaf. There are complete copies known but in fact there is no copy of this Latin edition in the holdings of the BL London the Royal Library The Hague Utrecht Dresden Heidelberg Beinecke or Centre d'Architecture at Montreal. The only two but incomplete copies in Austria are in the holdings of the University of Technology Library at Vienna and in the Univ. Libr. Salzburg. The only copy in Switzerland in the holdings of the ETH- Library in Zurich is also incomplete and a mixed-up one 1st part in Latin 2nd part in French. Other incomplete copies are known in the holdings of the Bavarian State Library Munich the V & A Mus. London the Pierpont Morgan Library New York.- Engr. titles slightly frayed at lower margin some foxing otherwise a neat and rare copy. - Cf. Cicognara 867 French ed.; Millard Northern European Books 139 lacking engr. title to part II; Berlin Cat. 4704; Fowler 432 same collation; cf. Nagler I 1757; Borggrefe Heiner. Hans Vredeman 2002. ART - GENERAL & APPLIED ; SCIENCE: ARCHITECTURE ; SCIENCE: GENERAL ; Leiden, Henricus Hondius hardcover
réf. 9423Woodblock printed. 57 folding leaves. Two juan in one vol. Large 8vo 313 x 204 mm. orig. semi-stiff yellow patterned wrappers upper wrapper a little soiled. Korea: 1832 or after. First edition and very rare; we find no copy in WorldCat. This is the collected poetry and prose by KwÅn 1575-1652 who lived through the tumultuous years of the early 17th century when ChosÅn Korea was twice invaded by the Manchus. KwÅn was from an early age taught by his father KwÅn Tae-gi 權大器 who had studied under one of the most important Neo-Confucian scholars of the ChosÅn period Yi T’oegye æŽé€€æºª Yi Hwang 滉 1501-70. The younger KwÅn passed a lower-level civil service examination and entered officialdom at a low rank. He served in the royal retinue when the court retreated to Ganghwa island during the 1627 Manchu invasion. KwÅn was promoted but retired from office citing illness. After the Manchus invaded the country again in 1636 KwÅn withdrew to a cottage at the foot of a peak of Mount Taebaksan called Chinbong 震峯 “Thunderous Peak” whence the name of his posthumously published oeuvre. The book contains a Preface written by Yi Ya-sun æŽé‡Žæ·³ 1755-1831 a ninth-generation descendant of Yi T’oegye dated 1825 “fourth ŭlyu since the Chongzhen reign”. An appendix contains eulogies for KwÅn and an account of KwÅn’s life written by Kim Si-ch’an 金是瓚 dated 1818 “third muin since the Guangde reign period of the August Ming” referencing the reign name of the abortive rebellion by Yang Qilong 楊起隆 1633-80. KwÅn Hun 權勳 a sixth-generation descendant of KwÅn Koeng wrote the colophon dated 1832 “fourth imjin since the first year of Chongzhen.” KwÅn Hun described how “I his unworthy distant descendant with pain and regret carefully searched far and wide to collect the writings bit by bit transcribing them for posterity. The years passed as I was putting them in order.” Fine copy. unknown
réf. 9423Woodblock printed. 57 folding leaves. Two juan in one vol. Large 8vo 313 x 204 mm. orig. semi-stiff yellow patterned wrappers upper wrapper a little soiled. Korea: 1832 or after. First edition and very rare; we find no copy in WorldCat. This is the collected poetry and prose by KwÅn 1575-1652 who lived through the tumultuous years of the early 17th century when ChosÅn Korea was twice invaded by the Manchus. KwÅn was from an early age taught by his father KwÅn Tae-gi 權大器 who had studied under one of the most important Neo-Confucian scholars of the ChosÅn period Yi T’oegye æŽé€€æºª Yi Hwang 滉 1501-70. The younger KwÅn passed a lower-level civil service examination and entered officialdom at a low rank. He served in the royal retinue when the court retreated to Ganghwa island during the 1627 Manchu invasion. KwÅn was promoted but retired from office citing illness. After the Manchus invaded the country again in 1636 KwÅn withdrew to a cottage at the foot of a peak of Mount Taebaksan called Chinbong 震峯 “Thunderous Peak” whence the name of his posthumously published oeuvre. The book contains a Preface written by Yi Ya-sun æŽé‡Žæ·³ 1755-1831 a ninth-generation descendant of Yi T’oegye dated 1825 “fourth ŭlyu since the Chongzhen reign”. An appendix contains eulogies for KwÅn and an account of KwÅn’s life written by Kim Si-ch’an 金是瓚 dated 1818 “third muin since the Guangde reign period of the August Ming” referencing the reign name of the abortive rebellion by Yang Qilong 楊起隆 1633-80. KwÅn Hun 權勳 a sixth-generation descendant of KwÅn Koeng wrote the colophon dated 1832 “fourth imjin since the first year of Chongzhen.” KwÅn Hun described how “I his unworthy distant descendant with pain and regret carefully searched far and wide to collect the writings bit by bit transcribing them for posterity. The years passed as I was putting them in order.” Fine copy. unknown books
1904réf. 52627New York: Dodd Mead & Company 1904-1905. One of 200 Sets on Large Paper One of 200 large paper sets on Van Gelder paper with the atlas supplied from the reprint edition done by Argosy-Antiquarian Press. "The most elaborate work on this expedition" - Howes. A cornerstone of modern historical research printing for the first time many major primary documents which did not appear in the Biddle edition including the Floyd and Whitehouse journals and material from the Clark-Voorihis papers along with facsimile manuscripts maps portraits and other illustrative matter. Also valuable is Victor Paltsits' bibliography of the Lewis and Clark expedition in the first volume. "This edition is notable for its thorough Introduction covering the history of the expedition and earlier exploration and a detailed account of the original journals and their various editions.In its maps and numerous illustrations the Thwaites edition is an outstanding source of visual materials relating to the expedition" - LITERATURE OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION. Quarto. Original gilt green cloth. Octavo atlas maps laid in a red cloth drop-front box. Cloth somewhat worn particularly at spine ends. Ex-library bookplates with withdrawal stamps on front pastedowns shelf labels on spines reference stamps across top edges. Some occasional offsetting from plates but generally clean internally. A good set. Text volumes untrimmed. HOWES L320 "c." LITERATURE OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION 5d.1. WAGNER-CAMP 13:7 note. TWENEY WASHINGTON 76. REESE BEST OF THE WEST 233 note. hardcover
1904réf. 52627New York: Dodd Mead & Company 1904-1905. One of 200 Sets on Large Paper One of 200 large paper sets on Van Gelder paper with the atlas supplied from the reprint edition done by Argosy-Antiquarian Press. "The most elaborate work on this expedition" - Howes. A cornerstone of modern historical research printing for the first time many major primary documents which did not appear in the Biddle edition including the Floyd and Whitehouse journals and material from the Clark-Voorihis papers along with facsimile manuscripts maps portraits and other illustrative matter. Also valuable is Victor Paltsits' bibliography of the Lewis and Clark expedition in the first volume. "This edition is notable for its thorough Introduction covering the history of the expedition and earlier exploration and a detailed account of the original journals and their various editions.In its maps and numerous illustrations the Thwaites edition is an outstanding source of visual materials relating to the expedition" - LITERATURE OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION. Quarto. Original gilt green cloth. Octavo atlas maps laid in a red cloth drop-front box. Cloth somewhat worn particularly at spine ends. Ex-library bookplates with withdrawal stamps on front pastedowns shelf labels on spines reference stamps across top edges. Some occasional offsetting from plates but generally clean internally. A good set. Text volumes untrimmed. HOWES L320 "c." LITERATURE OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION 5d.1. WAGNER-CAMP 13:7 note. TWENEY WASHINGTON 76. REESE BEST OF THE WEST 233 note. hardcover books
1566réf. 4765No place Venice: no printer Niccolò Bevilacqua no date 1566. ONE OF NUMEROUS EARLY EDITIONS. Hardcover. Fine. Bound in modern vellum. A very good copy with light marginal soiling and a little bit of mild marginal foxing verso of final leaf a little dusty. With woodcut arms of the Knights of Malta on the title page. The dedication to Cardinal Ippolito d'Este is dated December 1565. There are several other undated editions without imprint as well as further undated editions with the title "Trattato del successo della potentissima armata del Gran Turcho Ottoman Solimano". For the printing of this edition see D.E. Rhodes Silent Printers. Anonymous printing at Venice in the sixteenth century p. 104. One of the earliest and most complete narratives on the siege of Malta in 1565. It was quickly appropriated by other authors for their own accounts. Led by Suleiman the Magnificent the Ottoman Turks tried unsuccessfully to wrest control of the island from the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. The knights had taken up residence on Malta after they had been forced by Suleiman to leave Rhodes in 1530. The success of the knights in repelling the Turks is one of the most important events in the decades-long contest between the Turks and the Christian powers for control of the Mediterranean. The work closes with a list of those who lost their lives in the battle "Cavalieri morti nell' assedio di Malta". The Great Siege of Malta is one of the most famous military encounters of the 16th century and marked a signal victory of the Christian European forces over the Ottoman Turks. On 18 May 1565 the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent d. 1566 launched an armada of over 30000 men to besiege the island of Malta which was protected and governed by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John. The Knights of Malta a force of only 14000 men -many of them untrained- successfully defended the island and its civilian population against the Turkish invaders who departed on 11 September. Yet the losses were high on both sides. Historians estimate the Turkish dead at 10000. The Knights last about a third of their number and the island lost a third of the civilian inhabitants. The valiant efforts of the Knights inspired widespread celebration and the written accounts of the victory influenced a shift in the European view of the Ottoman Empire as an inexorable threat to Christian Europe. Although Ottoman successes against European fleets continued the European nations united to defeat the Turks at Lepanto in 1571. The Ottoman failure to take Malta was a crucial one for had the Turks succeeded they would have established a strategic base for launching strikes more deeply into the western Mediterranean. no printer [Niccolò Bevilacqua], no date hardcover
1566réf. 4765No place Venice: no printer Niccolò Bevilacqua no date 1566. ONE OF NUMEROUS EARLY EDITIONS. Hardcover. Fine. Bound in modern vellum. A very good copy with light marginal soiling and a little bit of mild marginal foxing verso of final leaf a little dusty. With woodcut arms of the Knights of Malta on the title page. The dedication to Cardinal Ippolito d'Este is dated December 1565. There are several other undated editions without imprint as well as further undated editions with the title "Trattato del successo della potentissima armata del Gran Turcho Ottoman Solimano". For the printing of this edition see D.E. Rhodes Silent Printers. Anonymous printing at Venice in the sixteenth century p. 104. One of the earliest and most complete narratives on the siege of Malta in 1565. It was quickly appropriated by other authors for their own accounts. Led by Suleiman the Magnificent the Ottoman Turks tried unsuccessfully to wrest control of the island from the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. The knights had taken up residence on Malta after they had been forced by Suleiman to leave Rhodes in 1530. The success of the knights in repelling the Turks is one of the most important events in the decades-long contest between the Turks and the Christian powers for control of the Mediterranean. The work closes with a list of those who lost their lives in the battle "Cavalieri morti nell' assedio di Malta". The Great Siege of Malta is one of the most famous military encounters of the 16th century and marked a signal victory of the Christian European forces over the Ottoman Turks. On 18 May 1565 the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent d. 1566 launched an armada of over 30000 men to besiege the island of Malta which was protected and governed by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John. The Knights of Malta a force of only 14000 men -many of them untrained- successfully defended the island and its civilian population against the Turkish invaders who departed on 11 September. Yet the losses were high on both sides. Historians estimate the Turkish dead at 10000. The Knights last about a third of their number and the island lost a third of the civilian inhabitants. The valiant efforts of the Knights inspired widespread celebration and the written accounts of the victory influenced a shift in the European view of the Ottoman Empire as an inexorable threat to Christian Europe. Although Ottoman successes against European fleets continued the European nations united to defeat the Turks at Lepanto in 1571. The Ottoman failure to take Malta was a crucial one for had the Turks succeeded they would have established a strategic base for launching strikes more deeply into the western Mediterranean. no printer [Niccolò Bevilacqua], no date hardcover books
1617réf. B6037Cruger c. 1617. Engravings mounted on watermarked laid paper. Some tears to lower margins not affecting the plates. Staining on one plate. A very good attractive and rare set. Binding: Loose folio in an 18th century wrapper. Notes: c. 1617; exception: one leaf dated 1561 and signed by Antonio Salamanca in Rome. Size: Folio sheets of 405x555m Illustration: Folio set of 14 leaves of copper engravings. References confirm 14 including the tile. Illustrated allegorical title with the Medici arms flanked by female personifications of Justice at left and Faith at right; lettered with a dedication to Cosimo II of Tuscany by Jacobus Chitus with bottom right Teodoro Cruger sculp: 1617 altered in ink to 1618 Florentiae and at lower left five privileges: Cum Privil. S. Pontif S.C. Maiest. Repi. Venet. // M.D. Etrur. Reip Genuens et V.R.Neap. - p. x An.; frontis after self-portrait by Andra Del Sarto; twelve engravings depicting the story of Saint John the Baptist after paintings / frescos and later curtains by Andrea del Sarto at Florence and Franciabigio. References: Hollstein German 6 176 35; Hollstein 33; Le Blanc 1854-1890 2 72 7-20; Virtuelles Kupferstichkabinett 6382 and 6384 mention 14 plates. Pages: Ff: Title; Self-Portrait; 12 engravings. Category: Book Europe Italy; Book Religious Christianity; Book Plate Books General; Cruger unknown
1825réf. 007994London: George Henderson. Printed by George Dawe who also was engraver 1825. First Edition. Full Morocco. Near Fine. Suite of nine hand-colored aquatint plates depicting the louche hedonistic and self-destructive life of a young aristocrat. Bound by Riviere & Son in full red morocco with ruled border raised bands other gilt decoration including turn-ins marbled endpapers. N.d. circa 1820s. 4to. 31 by 25 cm. No title page -- this was issued as a suite of plates not in a book form. A blank sheet in front two in back and tissue guards between plates. Each plate is depicting a scene and basically a step in the descent to self-destruction by the young buck aristocrat. Scenes are The Inheritance The First Party The Night House in other words the bordello The Betting Booth at the racetrack The Gambling House The Usurer The Mess Room clearly the dining room of an elite military unit The Duel and finally The Sick Room. We would note that the Usurer has the casual anti-Semitic trope so prevalent throughout history of the hook-nosed lender. The artwork has a pleasant slightly naive quality with the loosest of adherence to perspective. The settings are generally quite resplendent capturing Regency England grandeur perfectly. Scarce. Yale has several copies. Only two other complete sets held by institutions according to OCLC First Search one at Harvard and one somewhat later and published by Tegg at the Art Institute in Chicago. The Henderson version clearly the first was issued without color we would add. The Harvard Hollis catalogue gives no indication whether the copy at Houghton has hand-coloring -- something that Hollis generally will denote if it does. No copies found in commerce on date of this description was prepared. Light wear to binding. Light soiling in the margins of the plates. Pictorial elements consistently bright and attractive. George Henderson. Printed by George Dawe, who also was engraver unknown
1825réf. 007994London: George Henderson. Printed by George Dawe who also was engraver 1825. First Edition. Full Morocco. Near Fine. Suite of nine hand-colored aquatint plates depicting the louche hedonistic and self-destructive life of a young aristocrat. Bound by Riviere & Son in full red morocco with ruled border raised bands other gilt decoration including turn-ins marbled endpapers. N.d. circa 1820s. 4to. 31 by 25 cm. No title page -- this was issued as a suite of plates not in a book form. A blank sheet in front two in back and tissue guards between plates. Each plate is depicting a scene and basically a step in the descent to self-destruction by the young buck aristocrat. Scenes are The Inheritance The First Party The Night House in other words the bordello The Betting Booth at the racetrack The Gambling House The Usurer The Mess Room clearly the dining room of an elite military unit The Duel and finally The Sick Room. We would note that the Usurer has the casual anti-Semitic trope so prevalent throughout history of the hook-nosed lender. The artwork has a pleasant slightly naive quality with the loosest of adherence to perspective. The settings are generally quite resplendent capturing Regency England grandeur perfectly. Scarce. Yale has several copies. Only two other complete sets held by institutions according to OCLC First Search one at Harvard and one somewhat later and published by Tegg at the Art Institute in Chicago. The Henderson version clearly the first was issued without color we would add. The Harvard Hollis catalogue gives no indication whether the copy at Houghton has hand-coloring -- something that Hollis generally will denote if it does. No copies found in commerce on date of this description was prepared. Light wear to binding. Light soiling in the margins of the plates. Pictorial elements consistently bright and attractive. George Henderson. Printed by George Dawe, who also was engraver unknown books
1758réf. 76869Paris: J. Barbou 1758. unbound cord tied housed in a green half-morocco goat over cloth boards clamshell case spine tooled in gold leaf with title author and date. large 12mo. unbound cord tied housed in a green half-morocco goat over cloth boards clamshell case spine tooled in gold leaf with title author and date. 92 3 pages. Pour éclaircir quelques traits de l"histoire de l'Imprimerie & prouver que Guttemberg n'en est pas l'Inventeur. Very rare first edition Bigmore and Wyman p.227. Unbound textblock lightly soiled with minor creasing at corners. Faint moisture staining throughout with some affecting the text. In this text Fournier sets out to prove that Gutenberg was not the inventor of the printing press by examining the history of printing. He believed that the technology Gutenberg made popular existed long before the German printer's work. Fournier also followed up this text with two additional works which are not present: De l'origine et des productions de l'imprimerie primitive en taille de bois 1759 and Observations sur un ouvrage intitulé Vindiciae Typographicae 1760. These two works provided further discussion of the origins of woodcut prints including a passage refuting popular belief about the origin wood engraving and some ideas for further study. Fournier 1712--1768 was born in Paris and trained as a wood engraver and type founder being a member of the 18th century dynasty of the well-known Fournier family. He later turned to steel engraving. He published a table of the proportions of the different printing characters whose purpose was to propose for all typefaces a fixed measurement in "typographic points" and a systematic gradation. He worked closely with the collaborators of the Encyclopédie providing the printer Le Breton with all the documentation relating to the typographic foundry and plans for his own instruments as well as providing Diderot with his collection of ancient alphabets. Finally after multiple disputes with his Parisian colleagues he became infamous for the printing of his famous Manuel Typographique 1764 1766 just prior to his death. J. Barbou unknown
1758réf. 76869Paris: J. Barbou 1758. unbound cord tied housed in a green half-morocco goat over cloth boards clamshell case spine tooled in gold leaf with title author and date. large 12mo. unbound cord tied housed in a green half-morocco goat over cloth boards clamshell case spine tooled in gold leaf with title author and date. 92 3 pages. Pour éclaircir quelques traits de l"histoire de l'Imprimerie & prouver que Guttemberg n'en est pas l'Inventeur. Very rare first edition Bigmore and Wyman p.227. Unbound textblock lightly soiled with minor creasing at corners. Faint moisture staining throughout with some affecting the text. In this text Fournier sets out to prove that Gutenberg was not the inventor of the printing press by examining the history of printing. He believed that the technology Gutenberg made popular existed long before the German printer's work. Fournier also followed up this text with two additional works which are not present: De l'origine et des productions de l'imprimerie primitive en taille de bois 1759 and Observations sur un ouvrage intitulé Vindiciae Typographicae 1760. These two works provided further discussion of the origins of woodcut prints including a passage refuting popular belief about the origin wood engraving and some ideas for further study. Fournier 1712--1768 was born in Paris and trained as a wood engraver and type founder being a member of the 18th century dynasty of the well-known Fournier family. He later turned to steel engraving. He published a table of the proportions of the different printing characters whose purpose was to propose for all typefaces a fixed measurement in "typographic points" and a systematic gradation. He worked closely with the collaborators of the Encyclopédie providing the printer Le Breton with all the documentation relating to the typographic foundry and plans for his own instruments as well as providing Diderot with his collection of ancient alphabets. Finally after multiple disputes with his Parisian colleagues he became infamous for the printing of his famous Manuel Typographique 1764 1766 just prior to his death. J. Barbou unknown books
1856réf. B6046St. Petersburg;: Vasily Timm c. 1856 . Title leaf slightly soiled; but overall texts and plates are clean and crisp and in very good condition; tears to leaves # 27 28 29 33 have been expertly repaired. A very attractive example in full contemporary binding. . Edition: First 1856 Edition. Binding: Contemporary quarter morocco over marbled boards; spine with six flat gilt ruled bands forming five blind compartments with gilt lettered title on two and gilt date on four. Notes: Text in Russian. The Russian art periodical publication or gazette of printed collections of lithograph scenes was a chronicle of currents of the life of Russia published by leave of the Royal Family and by the artist himself - painter and draftsman - Georg Wilhelm Timm also known as Vasily Fyodorovich Timm or ВаÑилий Фёдорович Тимм 1820-1895 a Baltic-German painter lithographer and ceramic designer known for his genre and battle scenes; the period extending over 12 years from 1851 to 1862 in St. Petersburg. Having travelled extensively throughout Russia serving as a battle painter during the second phase of the Caucasian War he was chosen in 1852 to accompany the Tsar Nicholas I on a visit to Finland his main task continuing to faithfully share his impressions without criticism or analysis. Later he would make sketches of the Siege of Sevastopol at the height of the Crimean War of 1853-1856. In 1855 this earned him the title "Academician" conferred by the Imperial Academy. In 1860 the collection was compiled and an index of drawings prepared. The publication discontinued in 1862 due to the weakening condition of V.F. Timm's eyes. Scenes from Petersburg life portraits of popular figures reproductions from paintings cartoons etc accompanied by brief explanatory texts had been a great success with the public the complete series of having featured 432 illustrations with Timm referred to as the "Russian Gavarni" having primarily worked with lithography and woodcut engravings. Lithographs were printed in two tones along with a brief explanatory text authored by the Russian publicist and publisher N. I. Grech. and Timm's drawings executed by other artists with lithographs prepared in the workshop of A.E. Münster. As of 2013 publications are estimated at 2-2.5 million rubels; in 2007 a reprint of the collection was made in St. Petersburg including three catalogs and three albums with 432 illustrations; publishers have tried to bring all illustrations as close as possible in color to the originals and leather bindings were chosen with covers gilt embossed. Size: oblong folio 528x352mm. Illustration: Illustrated with 19 full-page 16 half-page and 24 smaller lithographs; and one map. Volume: Text leaves and lithogra Pages: 53 text leaves including one map plus 35 large oblong lithographed leaves. Category: Book Russia; Book Plate Books General; Vasily Timm, hardcover
1901réf. ST20777Lodi Wisconsin: J. Steele 1901. FIRST EDITION. 232 x 155 mm. 9 1/8 x 6". 81 pp. Original green faded to brown printed paper wrappers. Housed in a fine modern caramel-colored morocco clamshell box with gilt lettering on spine. Inside front wrapper with ink signature of M. R. Skinner; occasional pencil underlining in the text. Howes S-924; Graff 3964; Streeter 3027; Wagner-Camp 244 note. Top inch of spine chipped away a little fraying to edges first three leaves with overall browning minor corner creases but QUITE AN EXCELLENT COPY of a very fragile item clean and fresh internally with the insubstantial binding entirely intact against all odds. Based on the author's diaries written between September 1850 and July 1853 this work as the introduction tells us lays out events "just as they happened" being "ludicrous solemn serious tragic inexpressibly sad but always interesting." Kurutz calls the book a "detailed and important account of mining life" and notes that Steele "provided important information on mining techniques and laws while laboring in the Coloma District and on the Yuba and Feather rivers." This account includes some fascinating stories about the many hardships and dangers experienced by the author and his associates including nearly constant fatigue and hunger dreadful weather conditions and dicey encounters with desperados dishonest miners and disgruntled frontier men of commerce. John Steele 1832-1905 was only 18 years old when he left his home in Wisconsin for the gold fields of California. After three and a half years of adventuring he returned to the Midwest where he pursued a career in teaching. Steele also volunteered for the Union army during the Civil War and spent the last 30 years of his life as a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. The present work was privately printed by the author in a small number of copies and is as expected quite rare on the market now. Besides the present one RBH lists just two other copies sold since 1981 and as of this writing no other dealer seems to be offering one. Furthermore our copy is a remarkably well-preserved survival with its delicate wrappers and text in condition as attractive as one could hope to find. J. Steele unknown
1901réf. ST20777Lodi Wisconsin: J. Steele 1901. FIRST EDITION. 232 x 155 mm. 9 1/8 x 6". 81 pp. Original green faded to brown printed paper wrappers. Housed in a fine modern caramel-colored morocco clamshell box with gilt lettering on spine. Inside front wrapper with ink signature of M. R. Skinner; occasional pencil underlining in the text. Howes S-924; Graff 3964; Streeter 3027; Wagner-Camp 244 note. Top inch of spine chipped away a little fraying to edges first three leaves with overall browning minor corner creases but QUITE AN EXCELLENT COPY of a very fragile item clean and fresh internally with the insubstantial binding entirely intact against all odds. Based on the author's diaries written between September 1850 and July 1853 this work as the introduction tells us lays out events "just as they happened" being "ludicrous solemn serious tragic inexpressibly sad but always interesting." Kurutz calls the book a "detailed and important account of mining life" and notes that Steele "provided important information on mining techniques and laws while laboring in the Coloma District and on the Yuba and Feather rivers." This account includes some fascinating stories about the many hardships and dangers experienced by the author and his associates including nearly constant fatigue and hunger dreadful weather conditions and dicey encounters with desperados dishonest miners and disgruntled frontier men of commerce. John Steele 1832-1905 was only 18 years old when he left his home in Wisconsin for the gold fields of California. After three and a half years of adventuring he returned to the Midwest where he pursued a career in teaching. Steele also volunteered for the Union army during the Civil War and spent the last 30 years of his life as a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. The present work was privately printed by the author in a small number of copies and is as expected quite rare on the market now. Besides the present one RBH lists just two other copies sold since 1981 and as of this writing no other dealer seems to be offering one. Furthermore our copy is a remarkably well-preserved survival with its delicate wrappers and text in condition as attractive as one could hope to find. J. Steele unknown books
