Forum Rare Books

The roads of the Roman Empire and a late antique “Michelin guide” for Rome

[ANTONINUS PIUS], Vibius SEQUESTER, Publius VICTOR & DIONYSIUS Periegetes. Itinerarium provinciarum Antonini Augusti. Vibius Sequester De fluminum, & aliarum rerum nominibus in ordinem elementorum digestis. P. Victor De regionibus urbis Romae. Dionysius Afer De situ orbis Prisciano interprete.
Lyon, heirs of Simon Vincent (colophon: printed by Nathias [recté Mathias] Bonhomme, [ca. 1540]. Small 8vo. With Vincents woodcut device on the title-page. Nineteenth-century vellum, gold-tooled spine with brown title label lettered in gold, marbled endpapers. 206, [1], [1 blank] pp. Full description

€ 2,750

City Plans, Topography & Views Classical Antiquity Early Printing - 16th century Italy Travel & Voyages Europe

First edition of a detailed description and illustration of the cities along the coasts of the Baltic Sea
in the context of the Crimean War

[BOSCHETTI, Ambrogio]. Il Mar Baltico e le sue coste descritti e illustrati con alcune carte geografiche topografiche ed orografiche per la guerre d'Oriente.
Triest, Colombo Coen, 1854. Large 4to (32.5 x 23.5 cm). With 1 folding map of the Baltic Sea as the frontispiece, 1 military plan of Kronstadt, 15 plates of Finnish, Swedish, Baltic and Russian cities, and 1 small illustration in the text on p. 58. Contemporary half brown cloth, grey paper sides, with the publishers front wrapper (for the "seconda edizione") printed letterpress on pink paper. 131, [1] pp. Full description

€ 3,250

Eastern Europe Poland & Baltic Russia (incl. Siberia) Scandinavia

The first German edition of Boswell's Account of Corsica with a folding map

BOSWELL, James. Beschreibung von Corsica nebst vielen wichtigen Nachrichten und Anecdoten vom Pascal Paoli dem General der Corsen.
Leipzig, Caspar Fritsch, 1768. 2 parts in 1 volume. 8vo. With an engraved folding map of Corsica (29 x 44 cm). Contemporary paper-covered boards, spine with red title label lettered in gold, red edges. [14], 346 pp. Full description

€ 1,875

Charts & Maps English & American Literature France

Fine untrimmed copy of a pilot guide, with coloured maps and aquatint profiles

BOUGARD, René and John Thomas SERRES. The little sea torch: or, true guide for coasting pilots.
London, J. Debrett for the "author" [Serres], G. & W. Nicol, et al. [printed by T. Rickaby], 1801. Large folio (47 x 30 cm). With 20 numbered aquatint plates containing 137 coastal profiles, and 12 partly numbered engraved plates containing 24 maps of port cities, harbours, islands and the Strait of Gibraltar. All coastal profiles and maps beautifully and subtly coloured by a contemporary hand. Contemporary boards. VI, 144, [5] pp. Full description

€ 14,500

Atlases & Globes Charts & Maps Eastern Mediterranean & Cyprus Malta Navigation

The greatest map of Paris, 240 x 316 cm, here with the 20 sheets and key map bound as an atlas
in contemporary gold-tooled morocco with the Paris city arms

BRETEZ, Louis. Plan de Paris commencé l'année 1734. Dessiné et gravé, sous les ordres de Messire Michel Etienne Turgot, Marquis de Sousmons ... Achevé de graver en 1739.
[Paris, 1739]. Grand-Aigle folio (56 x 45.5 cm). An enormous engraved map of Paris in 20 numbered sheets plus a key map, at a scale of about 1:2000, each segment measuring 55 x 84 cm (plate size 51.5 x 80.5 cm; image 48 x 79 cm) which would give an assembled map with image size about 240 x 316 cm! The key map is slightly larger than the segments and folds out at the head. Bound as an atlas (but with segments 18 and 19, containing the cartouche, assembled to make a long fold-out) in contemporary gold-tooled red morocco, each board with as centrepiece the Paris coat of arms (a ship with chief a field of fleurs-de-lis). Full description

€ 15,000

Bindings Charts & Maps France

3 little-known works by Italian scientist on astronomy, hydrostatics and navigation

BRUNETTI, Francesco Saverio. Trattenimenti scientifici su la sfera, geografia istorica, meteore, ed astronomia.
Rome, Bernabò and Lazzarini, 1754. With several woodcut illustrations in the text (including an armillary sphere), and an extra added folding engraved frontispiece.
With:
(2) BRUNETTI, Francesco Saverio. Trattenimenti scientifici su lindrografia, nautica, blasone, statica, meccanica, architectura, pirotecnia, e suono.
Roma, Bernabò and Lazzarini, 1755. With several woodcut illustrations in the text, and an extra added frontispiece (facsimile of an engraving?).
(3) BRUNETTI, Francesco Saverio. Macchina semplicissima per cui lacqua da se stessa salice ad una data altezza.
Rome, Bernabò and Lazzarini, 1747. With folding engraved plate as frontispiece. 3 works (the first in 2 parts) in 1 volume. 4to. Contemporary sheepskin parchment. [24], 180, 112; [8], 173, [3 blank]; 12 pp. Full description

€ 4,500

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States Architecture Astronomy & Cosmography Ceremonial Festivities & Fireworks Iran / Persia Islamic Art, Culture & Science Navigation North Africa & Egypt Science Technology Turkey & Ottoman Empire

Enlarged issue of a series of views of Danish buildings, gardens and cities

BRUUN, Johan Jacob. Novus atlas Daniae eller Prospecter af alle hoved-og kiöbstaederne, af alle kongelige slotte, samt andre kongelige lyst-slotte og staeder udi begge konge-rigerne Dannemark og Norge og underliggende fyrstendömme. Iste tome af Siaelland.
Copenhagen, Johan Jacob Bruun, 1761[-ca. 1789?]. Oblong folio (26.5 x 40 cm), preliminaries upright folio, bound with foot folded in. With 60 engraved views, including one folding plate with a view of the Royal Castle near Copenhagen, engraved by Jonas Haas and Hans Quist after designs by Johan Jacob Bruun. Contemporary Danish mottled sheepskin, richly gold-tooled spine. [8] pp. text. Full description

€ 16,000

Architecture Castles, Gardens & Mansions City Plans, Topography & Views Scandinavia

First edition of a sumptuous account of a voyage to Russia, Persia and the East Indies,
with large folding views of Moscow and Isfahan (194x42 cm)

BRUYN (LE BRUN), Cornelis de. Reizen over Moskovie, door Persie en Indie: verrykt met driehondert konstplaten, vertoonende de beroemste lantschappen en steden, ook de byzondere dragten, beesten, gewassen en platen, die daer gevonden worden ...
Amsterdam, Willem and David Goeree for the author, 1711. Folio (40x25.5 cm). With engraved frontispiece by Bernard Picart, engraved author's portrait, 2 folding engraved maps, 109 engraved plates (13 folding, 55 double-page, 41 full-page) and 36 engraved illustrations in text. Contemporary blind-tooled vellum. [8], 472, [12] pp. Full description

€ 9,000

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States Eastern Europe India & Sri Lanka Indonesia / Dutch East Indies Iran / Persia North Africa & Egypt Russia (incl. Siberia) Travel & Voyages Asia Travel & Voyages Europe Travel & Voyages Middle East Travel & Voyages Southeast Asia Travel & Voyages Southern Asia Turkey & Ottoman Empire West Asia

Travels through Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands, by celebrated clergyman

BURNET, Gilbert. Nauwkeurige voyagie door Italiën, Switserland, &c. Behelsende veele aanmerkenswaardige, curieuse, en tot noch toe ongehoorde saken, welke in geen Reys-beschrijvingen aangetekend zijn.
Utrecht, Johannes Ribbius, 1687. 4to. With woodcut decoration on title-page and a woodcut tailpiece. Modern multi-coloured decorative boards. [1], [1 blank], 182, [13], [1 blank] pp. Full description

€ 750

France Germany Italy Netherlands Travel & Voyages Europe UK - United Kingdom

The future King Philip II of Spain’s travels from Spain to the Low Countries: eye-witness account by his tutor

CALVETE DE ESTRELLA, Juan Cristóbal. El felicissimo viaje d'el muy alto y muy poderoso Principe Don Phelippe, hijo d'el Emperador Don Carlos Quinto Maximo, desde España à sus tierras dela Baxa Alemaña: con la descripcion de todos los estados de Brabante y Flandes. Escrito en quatro libros, ...
Antwerp, Martinus Nutius I, 1552 (colophon 25 May 1552). Small folio (27 x 19.5 cm). With the woodcut arms of Charles V on title-page, a full-page woodcut triumphal arch erected in Ghent for Philip's entry, Nutius's woodcut device at the end, and dozens of woodcut decorated initials (4 series). Near contemporary limp vellum, with 6 fragments of a 16th-century manuscript reinforcing the spine of the bookblock, blind- and (later) gold-tooled spine. [8], 335, [19] ll. Full description