Americas / Natural History

MARTENS, Friedrich. Viaggio di Spizberga o' Gronlanda fatto da Federico Martens Amburghese l' anno 1671...
Bologna, Giacomo Monti, 1680. 12mo. With 2 folding engraved plates and 3 woodcut illustrations. Contemporary limp parchment. 264 pp. Full description

MERIAN, Maria Sybilla. Over de voortteeling en wonderbaerlyke veranderingen der Surinaemsche insecten ...
Amsterdam, Johannes van Oosterwyk, 1719. Imperial folio (53 x 38 cm). With an engraved frontispiece, drawn and engraved by Frederik Ottens (representing the author in her youth seated at a table with flowers and insects, assisted by 6 putti, while a large decorated arch reveals a tropical landscape in the background with buildings and 2 men stand conversing while Merian, nearby on her knees, is catching a butterfly with a net), and 72 etched counterproofs, numbered I-LXXII in the facing letterpress descriptions (not numbered in the plates themselves). Further with Van Oosterwyks engraved device (a bearded man sitting on the forest floor playing a lyre, with motto, "vigilanter et quieté"), a large engraved headpiece above the dedication, incorporating the arms of the dedicatee, Balthazar Scott, 3 woodcut decorated initials (2 series) and a woodcut factotum. The frontispiece, publishers device and dedication headpiece and illustration plates coloured by contemporary hands, probably by Merians daughters. The frontispiece, title-page (lettering and the divice), and the dedication (both the arms and the lettering) highlighted in gold. Further with 4 woodcut decorated initials (3 series). Gold-tooled vellum (early 1800s), sewn on 8 supports, each board with a large arabesque centrepiece (15.5 x 12.5 cm) with flowers and foliage, with an empty central oval, 2 frames made from 2 different rolls (the inner 9 mm and the outer 10 mm, the latter edged inside with a sawtooth roll), the inner frame with a built-up cornerpiece inside and a crown (26 x 33 mm) outside each corner, the spine with each of the upper 4 and lower 4 compartments containing a built-up centrepiece and 4 cornerpieces, the larger central compartment with 3 lines of text reading up the spine, partly illegible, but probably reading "M S MERIAEN|VERANDERINGEN DER|INSECTEN" and across the head and foot a roll with crossed, dotted diagonal lines. With a built-up armorial centrepiece, apparently preserved from the books first binding in gold-tooled red goatskin morocco, on-laid on the front board near the centre of the fore-edge: a large cartouche (16 x 10.5 cm) with an oval centre (6 x 5 cm), with, around the oval inside the cartouche, floral and interlaced decorations, foliage and 5-pointed stars, and inside the oval the blind-tooled Cervantes coat of arms (37 x 26 mm: 2 stags - though here without antlers - the upper standing and the lower grazing, above "EX ANTIQUIS", with a gold-tooled bishops cross and hat, the hat with 6 + 6 tassels). Further with gilt edges, headbands in green and beige (around a double vellum strip). The work is kept in a modern, custom-made case (half red morocco and marbled paper sides, with the title lettered in gold on the spine). [8], 72 pp. plus frontispiece and 72 plates. Full description

MYL (MILIUS), Abraham van der. De origine animalium, et migratione populorum, ... Ubi inquiritur, quomodo quaque via homines cateraque animalia terrestria provenerint; & post deluvium in omnes orbis terrarum partes & regiones: Asiam, Europam, Africam, utramque Americam, & terram Australem, sive Magellanicam, pervenerint.
Geneva, Petrus Columesius, 1667. 12mo. With a woodcut printer's device on the title page. 19th-century gold-tooled half calf, with the title lettered in gold on the spine, decorated ("pseudo-marbled") paper sides, marbled end papers. 68, [4 blank] pp. Full description

ORBIGNY, Alcide d'. Fragment d'un voyage au centre de l'Amérique Méridionale; contenant des considérations sur la navigation de l'Amazone et de la Plata, et sur les anciennes missions des provinces de Chiquitos et de Moxos (Bolivia).
Paris, P. Bertrand; Strasbourg, widow Levrault (printed by Berger-Levrault), 1845. 8vo. With a large folding lithographed map (43 x 52 cm) of the centre of South America. Modern half red morocco. [4], 584 pp. Full description

ORTA, Garcia de, Nicolás MONARDES and others. Dell'historia dei semplici aromati, et altre cose: che vengono portate dall'Indie Orientali pertinenti all'uso della medicina.
Venice, Francesco Ziletti, 1589. 2 volumes bound as 1, the first in 4 parts and the second in 2 parts. 8vo. With a woodcut printer's device on the title-page of volume 1 and the divisional title page of volume 2, 28 woodcut illustrations in text.Later yellow painted (sheepskin) parchment. [32], 347, [5], 131, [13] pp. Full description

REUBELT, John Adam. Kurzgefaßtes Handbuch der Naturgeschichte. Enthaltend wissenschaftliche und populäre Beschreibungen von dem Menschen, den Säugethieren, Vögeln, Amphibien, Fischen, Weich- und Gliederthieren.
Pottsville [Pennsylvania], C.W. Günther and the author, 1848. 8vo. With numerous woodcuts in text, depicting men and animals. Contemporary black half sheepskin. 392 pp. Full description

ROUTIER, Gaston. Le Mexique[.] Limites géographiques. Orographie. Hydrographie. L' agriculture, la flore, la faune et les mines. L' industrie et le commerce.
Paris, H. Le Soudier, 1891. 8vo. With a lithographed folding map of Mexico (34.5 x 46 cm). Contemporary half red morocco, gold-tooled spine. XVII, 110 pp. Full description

SAINT-HILAIRE, Auguste de. Mémoire sur le système d'agriculture adopté par les Brésiliens, et les résultats qu'il a eus dans la province de Minas Geraes.
(Colophon: Paris, A. Pihan de La Rorest, imprimeur de la Cour de Cassation), [1837 or soon after]. 8vo. Contemporary blue paper wrappers. 12 pp. Full description

SALM-REIFFERSCHEID-DYCK, Joseph. Index plantarum succulentarum in horto Dyckensi cultae.
Aachen, Beaufort filii, 1822. 8vo. Contemporary wrappers. [2], 60, [2 blank] pp. Full description

SCHLOSSER, Johan Albert. Epistola ad ... Ferdinandum Dejean, ... de Lacerta Amboinensi. | Brief ... aan ... Ferdinand Dejean, ... Behelzende eene naauwkeurige beschrijving der Amboinsche haagdis.
Amsterdam, for the author, 1768.
With:
(2) BODDAERT, Petrus. Epistola ad ... Johannem Burmannum, ... De Chaetodonte argo. | Brief ... aan Johannes Burmannus, ... Behelzende eene naauwkeurige beschrijving van den gevlakten klipvisch.
Amsterdam, Cornelius van Tongerlo, 1770.
(3) IDEM. Epistola ad ... W. Roëll, ... De Testudine cartilaginea. | Brief ... aan ... W. Roëll, ... Behelzende eene naaukeurige beschrijving van de kraakbeenige schildpad.
Amsterdam, Cornelius van Tongerlo, 1770.
(4) IDEM. Epistola ad ... Johannem Oosterdyk Schacht, ... De Rana bicolore. | Brief ... aan .. Johannes Oosterdyk Schacht, behelzende eene naaukeurige beschrijving van den twee-koleurige kikvorsch.
Amsterdam, M. Magerum, 1772.
(5) IDEM. Epistola ad ... Hier. Dav. Gaubium, ... De Chaetodonte diacantho. | Brief ... aan ... Hieronimus David Gaubius, ... behelzende eene naauwkeurige beschrijving van den tweedoornigen klipvisch.
Amsterdam, M. Magerum, 1772. 5 works in 1 volume. Large 4to (31 x 25.5 cm). Ad 1: with a folding engraved plate of the Amboinese lizard in two copies, one coloured by a contemporary hand. Ad 2: with a folding engraved plate, coloured by a contemporary hand. Ad 3: with a folding engraved plate, coloured by a contemporary hand. Ad 4: with 3 folding engraved plates, coloured by a contemporary hand. Ad 5: with a folding engraved plate, coloured by a contemporary hand. Contemporary half calf, gold fillets and a red title label on spine. [2], 18 ll.; [4], 43, [1]; [4], 39, [1]; 48; 43, [1] pp. Full description