History, Law & Philosophy / Genealogy, Heraldry & Flags

MÉNESTRIER, Claude-François. Abbregé methodique des principes heraldiques ou du veritable art du blason.
Lyon, Benoist Coral, 1665. 12mo. With an engraved title-page (still dated 1661, as in the first edition), a double-page engraving of the coronation of Charles I, King of Naples and Sicily, and 8 (of 10) engraved plates with a total of 209 (of 293) figures, nearly all coats of arms, with all plates coloured by a contemporary hand. Also with small woodcut coats of arms in the text. Polished gold-tooled tan calf (ca. 1840/49) by F. Koehler. [24], 111, [9] pp. plus frontispiece and plates. Full description

MIERIS, Frans van. Histori der Nederlandsche vorsten, uit de huizen van Beijere, Borgonje, en Oostenryk; welken, sedert de regeering van Albert, Graaf van Holland, tot den dood van Keizer Karel den Vyfden, het hooggezag aldaar gevoerd hebben.
The Hague, Pieter de Hondt, 1732-1735. 3 volumes. Large folio (41 x 26.5 cm). With an engraved dedication page by Jan Wandelaar, a number of engraved vignettes and ca. 1000 engraved reproductions of both sides of coins and medals. Volume 1 with 2 letterpress folding genealogical tables. Lacking the frontispiece by Bernard Picart. Modern red half morocco. [32], 466, [107]; [8], 484, 56; [4], 446, [58] pp. Full description

PARADIN, Claude. Alliances genealogiques des rois et princes de gaule.
Lyon, Jean de Tournes, 1561. Folio. With 1068 contemporary hand-coloured woodcut armorial devices, a woodcut title frame, the woodcut device of De Tournes, a woodcut headpiece, and two woodcut decorated initials. 17th-century gold-tooled mottled calf, with the title lettered in gold on the spine. With a separate paper bearing the number 1311 at the head of the spine, and with brown sprinkled edges. [12], “1201” [= 1021], [3] pp. Full description

PÉRIN, René. Beautés historiques de la maison d'Autriche.
Paris, Delaunay, 1811. 2 volumes. 12mo. With 16 illustrations on 8 full-page engraved plates. Contemporary light brown mottled calf, richly gold-tooled spine. XX, 360; [4], 388 pp. Full description

PETIT, Jean François le. La grande chronique ancienne et moderne, de Hollande, Selande, West-Frise, Utrecht, Frise, Overyssel & Groeningen, jusques à la fin de l'an 1600.
Dordrecht, Jacob Canin (and volume 2: G. Guillemot), 1601. 2 volumes. Folio (30.5 x 19 cm). With 2 hand-coloured engraved title pages, a hand-coloured engraved portrait of the author, a contemporary hand-coloured woodcut illustration in the text, heightened with gold, and 56 engraved illustrations in the text (of which 55 contemporary hand-coloured and heightened with gold). Late 17th- or early 18th-century gold-tooled sprinkled calf, with a red morocco title label lettered in gold on the spine, gold-tooled board edges, marbled edges, marbled endpapers. [22], "652" [= 658], 240, [18]; [16], "779" [= 774], [15], [1 blank] pp. Full description

PUGET DE LA SERRE, Jean. L'isthoire [!] et les portraits des imperatrices, des reynes, et des illustres princesses de l'auguste maison d'Austriche, qui ont porte le nom d'Anne.
Paris, Pierre de Bresche, 1648. Folio (44 x 30.5 cm). With 10 (of 14) hand-coloured full-page engraved plates, 14 contemporary hand-coloured engraved initials, 14 hand-coloured engraved headpieces, 8 engraved tailpieces, and a hand-coloured engraved vignette on the title page, all heightened with gold. The leaves have been outlined in red, and the title page has been outlined and decorated in red and gold, lacking the frontispiece. Contemporary gold-tooled red morocco, with the coat of arms of Anne of Austria onlaid in the centre of both boards, surrounded by two triple fillet frames, with ornaments in the corners of the inner frame, gold-tooled board edges, gilt edges, marbled pastedowns. [6], "51" [= 45], [1] pp. Full description

RITCHIE, Alexander (engraver). Clans of the Highlands of Scotland.
Edinburgh, C. Sinclair, [between 1850 and 1873]. 15.5 x 12 cm. With 12 very detailed, hand-coloured engravings of Scottish men representing 12 clans in their traditional tartans. All engravings are mounted on dark green moiré-grained cloth in 2 sets of 6, respectively folding out from the front and back pastedowns. All engravings are captioned in the plate, giving the name of the clan depicted and a short description of the scene, and signed by the engraver, Alexander Ritchie. Original publisher's gold- and blind-stamped green wave-grained cloth, with the title in gold within an elaborate gold-stamped frame on the front board and a blind-stamped ornamental oval centrepiece (a personification of Scotland?) within an elaborate blind-stamped frame on the back board, remnants of red cloth ties. [2 sets of 6 engravings folding out]. Full description

[GENEALOGY & HERALDRY - ROORDA FAMILY]. RODA, Dirk Daniels, and others. [Manuscript family chronicle of members of the Roda, Werdolen and Bos families].
[The Netherlands, mostly written between ca. 1747 and 1798 but incorporating several pages written in the second half of the 17th century and some writing from 1829]. Oblong 8vo (ca. 10.5 x 16 cm). Manuscript on paper, written in brown and black ink in several -, 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century hands. With a full-page unidentified coat-of-arms in brown ink and a page containing 6 smaller crests of branches of the Roorda family in black ink. 18th-century gold-tooled calf, gilt edges, green cloth ties. [1 blank], [5], [3 blank], [20], [1 blank], [1], [78 blank] ll. Full description

RUE, Louis Félix de la. Etat armorial de noblesse, chevalerie, & dignités accordés par S.M.I.R.A. depuis son avenement au Thrône jusqu' aujourd'hui dédié a monsieur de Wavrans ...
Brussels, 1775.
With: [Collection of hand-painted coats of arms of European noble families in the Southern Netherlands].
8vo. With an engraved title page and 16 engraved plates containing a total of 342 coats of arms (6 blank; mostly 20 or 24 to a page), together with a collection of 415 hand-drawn and painted coats of arms (6 to a page), vividly coloured and highlighted with gold and silver paint, with the names of the noble families captioned below in a neat 18th-century hand in brown ink. Later half calf, marbled paper sides, title in gold on spine, marbled endpapers, red edges. 45, [2], [1 blank]; [102] ll. including some blanks. Full description

[HERALDIC CHART - GERMANY]. SCHENK, Pieter. Germaniae compendium tria continens imperii collegia forumdemque insignia et sessiones ut et circulorum divisiones una cum suis annotationibus. | Kort begryp van Duytsland, desselfs ryx collegien hunne zittingen en wapens, kreitsverdelingen, en aantekeningen daar op.
Amsterdam, Pieter Schenk, [1707]. Engraved chart (50 x 57) on a single sheet of paper (52.5 x 61 cm), coloured by a contemporary hand, depicting various coats of arms and including a small map (15.5 x 15.5 cm) of Germany. Full description