Book History, Education, Learning & Printing / Bindings

HAMILTON, Hugh. De sectionibus conicis. Tractatus geometricus. In quo, ex natura ipsius coni, sectionum affectioens [!] facillime deducuntur. Methodo nova.
London, William Johnston, 1758. 4to. With numerous illustrations on 17 folding engraved plates. Contemporary French gold-tooled red goatskin morocco, with the arms of the French King Louis XV in the centre of each board and his crowned monogram in each compartment (except that with the title) of the spine. [4], VIII, 211, [1] pp. Full description

HERODOTUS. [Historiarum] libri novem. Quibus musarum indita sunt nomina.
(Colophon: Venice), Aldus Manutius, (colophon: September 1502). Folio (29.5 x 20 cm). With Aldus's anchor and dolphin device on title-page and the verso of the last leaf. Late 19th-century blind-tooled, polished tan calf, the central panel with the arms of the Dukes of Arenberg. [140] ll. Full description

HORACE. [Opera] cum quattor commentarijs.
Venice, printed by Philippus Pincius for Benedictus Fontana, 1495-1496. With large woodcut printer's device on last leaf, and numerous woodcut initials.
With:
(2) PERSIUS. [Opera] cum tribus commentariis.
Venice, Giovanni Tacuino de Tridino, 4 November 1499. With woodcut printer's device on verso of penultimate leaf, and fine woodcut on title-page.
(3) JUVENALIS. [Opera] cum commento Ioannus Britannici.
Reggio Emilia, Francesco de Mazalibus, 1503. With fine woodcut at the head of text, and some woodcut initials. 3 works in 1 volume. Folio. Contemporary blind-tooled vellum over wooden boards with 2 brass clasps. [264] ll. Full description

[HUGO, Victor]. [Théatre. Gravures sur soie].
[Paris, J. Lemmonyer, G. Richard and Cie, E. Testard, between 1885-1895]. 4to (ca. 27 x 24.5 cm). With 30 full-page engravings on silk. Contemporary gold-tooled red morocco, with the title and author lettered in gold on the spine, gold-tooled board edges and turn ins, marbled end papers. Bound by the French bookbinder Louis Guétant (1848-1936), signed in the bottom turn in of the front board. [30] silk ll. Full description

[JEWELLED BINDING - FRENCH PRAYER BOOK]. L'abbé de la HOGUE.

La journée du chrétien, sanctifiée par la prière et la méditation.
Lyon and Paris, Librairie Catolique de Perisse frères, 1844. 16mo. Binding: ca. 11 x 7 x 2.5 cm. With a small printer's device on the title page. 17th-century elaborately jewelled and decorated gilt silver binding with a gilt silver imperial double-headed eagle and two hands holding a heart centre piece, below Jesus on the cross (with an added skull and bones at the foot of the cross) and ornamental gilt silver corner pieces connected to the gilt silver board edge fittings on both boards. The whole is set with numerous jewels (amethysts, garnets, turquoise, and (simulated) sapphires). With two jewelled clasps closing on pegs in the fore edge of the front board, gilt edges, red velvet paste-downs and blue silk flyleaves backed with paper. VIII, 524, [5], [3 blank] pp.

Full description

JUNIUS, Hadrianus. [title-page *1:] Eiusdem Aenigmatum libellus, ad ... Arnoldum Rosenbergum jurisconsultum. [title-page A1:] Emblemata, ad D. Arnoldum Cobeliu. Eiusdem Aenigmatum libellus, ad ... Arnoldum Rosenbergum.
Antwerp, Christoffel Plantin, 1565 (colophon: 15 May 1565). 2 works in 1 volume. Small 8vo (17 x 11.5 cm). With 57 woodcut emblems, mainly by Gerard Janssen van Kampen with a few by Arnold Nicolai, all after Geoffroy Ballain and Pierre Huys. Red goatskin morocco (ca. 1850/60?) by Charles-François Capé in Paris, signed "CAPÉ" in the foot of the front turn-in. [15], [1 blank]; 149, [3] pp. Full description

JUSTINUS, Marcus Junianus. Trogi Pompei externae historiae in compendium ab Justino redactae.
Including:
PROBUS, Aemylius [recté NEPOS, Cornelius]. De vita excellentium imperatorum liber.
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS, Caius. Historiae Romanae duo volumina, ...
(Colophon: Florence, Philippo Giunta, 1525). 3 works published as 1. 8vo. With Giunta's woodcut device on the title-page and a nearly identical one on the verso of the otherwise blank last leaf. Set in an Aldine-style italic, with numerous spaces with guide letters where manuscript initials could be filled in (left blank in the present copy). Dark green gold-tooled morocco (ca. 1833?), the with AAR-monogram of Antoine Augustin Renouard, gold-tooled board edges and turn-ins, pink watered-silk endleaves, matching ribbon marker, gilt edges. Attributed to the Bradel family in Paris, probably Antoine Louis François Bradel. 15, [1], “103” [= 203], [1 blank]; [8], “105” [= 205]-267, [1] ll. Full description

KIRCHER, Athanasius. Ars magna sciendi, in XII libros digesta, qua nova & universali methodo ... [vol. 2 half-title:] Artis magnae seu combinatoriae sciendi, ... [titles on the frontispieces:] Ars magna sciendi sive combinatoria [vol. 1] Artis magnae combinatoriae [vol. 2].
Amsterdam, Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge and the widow of Elizaeus Weyerstraten, 1669. 2 volumes bound as 1. Royal folio (46 x 30 x 5.5 cm). With 2 richly engraved allegorical frontispieces, an engraved plate with a full-page portrait of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, an engraved plate showing all knowledge of the universe organised as a tree, 2 engraved volvelles (with 4 rotating dials), 20 further engravings on integral leaves and a couple dozen woodcut figures in the text. Contemporary richly gold-tooled red goatskin morocco decorated a petit fers, gold-tooled turn-ins, board edges and raised bands, giving a total of more than 1500 impressions of about 14 stamps and 3 rolls, edges gilt over red and blue squiggles. Janssonius van Waesberge, who published Kircher's books in Amsterdam from 1664/65 to 1682, arranged to have copies of several luxuriously bound for Kircher to present to leading figures and this is almost certainly one of them, presented to Giovanni Paolo Oliva, Superior General of the Jesuit Society. [18], 482, [10] pp. (including 2 integral frontispieces), plus 4 inserted tables & 2 plates. Full description

[LA SALE, Antoine de (attributed)]. Les quinze joyes de mariage, extraicts d'un vieil exemplaire escrit à la main, passez sont quatre cens ans.
Rouen, Raphaël du petit Val, 1596. 12mo (ca. 14x8 cm). With a woodcut printer's device on the title page, a woodcut illustration, and several decorated woodcut initials, and woodcut head- and tailpieces. 19th-century gold tooled dark brown goatskin, with the title and publication details lettered in gold on the spine, a central ornament on both boards surrounded by two single fillet borders, gilt edges, marbled end papers, and "Bound by F. Bedford" stamped in gold on the front-turn in. 186, [5], [1 blank] pp. Full description

LE PAUTRE, Jean. [Collection of 10 print series of 6 plates each with model designs for altars, church tabernacles, armorial trophies, chimney-pieces, monumental doorways, wainscoting, wall panels and ceilings].
Paris, Jean I Le Blond, Pierre II Mariette, [ca. 1655-ca. 1670]. 10 print series in 1 volume. Oblong small folio & oblong 4to (20 x 26.5 cm). With 60 engraved plates (plate size ca. 15 x 22 cm). 17th-century sprinkled, gold-tooled calf, each board with the same unidentified coat-of-arms in the centre. 3, [3]; [6]; [6]; 6; [6]; 6; 6; 6; [6]; 6 ll. (numbered in pencil: 4-63). Full description