Book History, Education, Learning & Printing

[USA- JAPAN- TREATY]. Treaty between the United States of America and the Empire of Japan. Concluded March 31, 1854; Ratified August 7, 1854; Proclaimed June 22, 1855.
[Washington, D.C., 1855]. Folio. Signed in type by Franklin Pierce as President and by W. L. Marcy as Secretary of State. Original printed self-wrappers, stitched. 5, [1 blank] pp. Full description

[USSELINCX, Willem]. Onpartydich discours opte handelinghe vande Indien.
[ca. 1608]. 4to. Modern blue paper wrappers, blank label on the front wrapper. [8] pp. Full description

VALENTINUS, Petrus Pomarius (editor). Articella nuperrime impressa cu[m] q[uam] plurimis tractatib[us] pristine impressio[n]i sup[er]additis, ut p[atet] i[n] pagina seque[n]ti. Petri Pomarii Valentini Hispani ad lectore[m] Hexastycho[n] ...
[(Colophon:) Lyon, Antoine du Ry impensis Jacques Giunta, 1525]. 8vo. With a full-page woodcut illustration, the title-page printed in red and black with a decorated woodcut border, and numerous woodcut initials in the text. Later parchment with the manuscript title on the spine. "369" [= 367] ll. Full description

VALERIUS, Cornelius Physicae, seu de naturae philosophia institutio.
Antwerp, Christophe Plantin, 1574. 8vo (16.1 x 10 cm). With Plantin's woodcut device on the title page. Modern binding using older printer's waste, with the author, title, and year lettered in grey ink on the spine, red edges. 103, [1 blank] pp. Full description

VALLEMONT, Pierre le Lorrain de. Eloge de Mr. Le Clerc, chevalier romain, dessinateur, et graveur ordinair du cabinet du roi: avec le catalogue de ses ouvrages; Et des réflexions sur quelques-uns des principaux.
Paris, Nicolas Caillou and Jean Musier, 1715. Small 8vo (ca. 16 x 10 cm). With an engraved frontispiece, an engraved headpiece, a woodcut headpiece, and two decorated woodcut initials.Contemporary gold-tooled mottled brown calf, with the title lettered in gold on the spine, gold-tooled board edges, marbled edges, marbled endpapers. [8], 223, [4], [5 blank] pp. Full description

VASIF EFENDI, Ahmed. Mahasin ül-âsâr ve hakayik ül-ahbar.
Bulaq, Bulak matbaasi, 1246 AH [= 1830 CE]. 2 volumes bound as 1. 4to. Contemporary calf with later paper label; later marbled paper on the spine. In Turkish, with the main text set in a naskh Arabic type, with a woodcut decoration and decorations built up from typographic ornaments at the opening of the main text (incorporating a woodcut heading in Arabic script). 14, 210, [1 blank], 7, 190 pp. Full description

VAUX, James Hardy. Memoirs of James Hardy Vaux, a swindler and thief, now transported to New South Wales for the second time, and for life. Written by himself. Second edition.
London, Whittaker, Treacher, & Arnot, 1830. 12mo. Publisher's green cloth. [2], XXIV, 288 pp. Full description

V.C.P. Exercice spirituel, ou est enseigné au Chrestien la maniere d'employer le jour au service de dieu.
Paris, Pierre Rocolet, 1649. 2 parts in 1 volume. 12mo. With an engraved title, 9 full-page engraved plates, all hand-coloured and heightened with gold, 5 woodcut headpieces, and 5 decorated woodcut initials. Every page has been outlined in red, and some of the chapter headings have been traced with gold. Contemporary elaborately gold-tooled red morocco fanfare binding, with a central quatrefoil inlay of brown morocco on both boards, surrounded by geometric and pointillé designs, gold-tooled board edges and turn-ins, gilt pointillé edges, marbled endpapers. [1], [1 blank], [42], 172; 288 pp. Full description

VEEN, Jan van der. Zinne-beelden, oft Adams appel. ... Mitsgaders syne oude ende nieuwe ongemeene bruydt-lofs ende zege-zangen.
Amsterdam, Everhard Cloppenburgh, 1642. 4to. With large emblematic engraving on the title page and 50 engraved emblems in text (10 x 13.5 cm), all by Salomon Savry, woodcut head- and tailpieces, numerous woodcut decorated initials (several series) and decorations built up from typographic ornaments. Set in roman and italic types. Gold- and blind-tooled red, grained sheepskin (1817/18) for George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough, gold-tooled turn-ins and board edges, gilt and gauffered edges, grey-brown endpapers, red satin ribbon marker. [23], [1 blank], 523, [1 blank] pp. Full description

VEGIO, Maffeo. De liberorum educatione aurei libri sex noviter recogniti Francisci Philelphi. poete. Oratoris. philosophique prestantissimi. Succincto cum iudice [recté indice]: et brevibus marginariis annotationibus obscurarum sensa dictionum aperientibus. Nicolai Bonespei trecensis campani cura superadditis.
(Colophon: Paris, "apud Gourmontios" [= the brothers Robert, Gilles and Jean de Gourmont], 1508). Small 4to (19 x 13 cm). With numerous printed so-called Lombardic initials, but also with 2 spaces (with guide letters) left for manuscript initials (not filled in). Set in a roman type with the beginning of the title and one heading in a large rotunda gothic type with decorated capitals. Blind-tooled calf (19th century? in a "Medieval" style). CXXVIII, [6] ll. Full description