Forum Rare Books

An illustrated edition of Burton's Arabian Nights

[ARABIAN NIGHTS]. BURTON, Richard Francis. A plain and literal translation of the Arabian Nights' entertainments, now entituled the book of the Thousand Nights and a Night.
Including: Supplemental nights.
[London?], Richard Burton Club, [ca. 1910]. 17 volumes. Royal 8vo (24 x 16 cm). With numerous illustrations (including the series by Albert Letchford), each repeated on laid paper (the 17 frontispieces repeated in colour). Contemporary half green morocco, gold-tooled spine. Full description

€ 10,000

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States Arabic Printing & Calligraphy Erotica Islamic Art, Culture & Science Literature

A unique look at the history and language of the Marquesas islands by two eminent German philologists

BUSCHMANN, Johann Carl Eduard and Guillaume de HUMBOLDT. Aperçu de la langue des iles Marquises et de la langue Taïtienne, précedé d'une introduction sur l'histoire et la géographie de l'archipel des Marquises.
Berlin, C. G. Luderitz, 1843. 8vo. Original publisher's printed paper wrappers. 197, [2] pp. Full description

€ 2,250

Literature Malaysia Pacific Islands

8 Italian sonnets praising Napoléon Bonaparte: printed on vellum by Pierre Didot
and finely bound in long-grained, gold-tooled morocco for presentation to Napoléon

BUTTURA, Antonio. Sonetti a Bonaparte.
Paris, Pierre Didot laîné, An VIII [after Floréal, so 1800]. 8vo. Finely printed on vellum. Contemporary long-grained and gold-tooled red goatskin morocco, each board with a frame made from a decorated roll with palm leaves between 2 fine-line fillets, the smooth spine with the title in the 2nd of 6 fields, an acorn with leaves in each of the others, gold-tooled board edges and turn-ins, light green watered silk endleaves. [2 blank], [1], [1 blank], [8], [4 blank] pp. Full description

€ 35,000

Bindings Book History, Printing & Typography France Italy

One of the most important textbooks on logic, highly praised by Melanchthon

CAESARIUS, Johannes. Dialectica ... nunc recens Hermani Raiani Welsdalii fructuosis scholiis illustrata, & in multis locis emendata. Accessit huic Ioanni Murmelii Isagoge in decem Aristotelis Praedicamentas.
Venice, Giovanni Maria Leni, 1579. 8vo. With Lenis woodcut device on the title-page (a figure holding a set square up to the sun, in a scrollwork cartouche with motto, "In eo qui fecit me omnia possum") which has the letterpress title "Dialectica" in a woodcut factotum with scrollwork and putti at the head, and woodcut decorated initials. Set in roman and italic type with occasional Greek. Contemporary vellum. "189" [= 179], [1 blank] ll. Full description

€ 2,500

Classical Antiquity Early Printing - 16th century Education & Pedagogy Germany Literature Religion (16th Century) School & Textbooks

Rare Italian translation of an originally Spanish chivalric novel

[CAMILLI, Camillo (translator)]. Historia del nobile, et valoroso Cavalier. Felice Magno, figliuolo del Re Falangrè della Gran Brettagna, & della Reina Clarinta, nella quale si raccontano i suoi grandi, & maravigliosi fatti tradotta con somma diligenza di Spagnuolo in lingua Italiana.
Verona, Sebastiano dalle Donne for Francesco de Franceschi Senese, 1587. 8vo. Contemporary limp sheepskin parchment. [12], 298 ll. Full description

€ 7,500

Early Printing - 16th century Italy Literature

Rare collected works of Portugal's greatest poet

CAMÕES (CAMOENS), Luis de & João Franco BARRETO. Obras de Luis de Camoès principe des poetas Portugueses. Com os argumentos do Lecenceado João Franco Barreto & por elle emédadas em esta nova impressaõ, que comprehende todas as obras, que deste insigne autor se achàraõ impressas, & manuscritas, com o index dos nomes proprios. Offerecidas a D. Francisco de Sovsa capitão da guarda do Principe N.S.
Lisbon, Antonio Craesbeeck de Mello, 1666-1669. 8vo. With 8 woodcut tailpieces. Later mottled calf, red spine labels, red edges. 376, 368, 208, 108, [22], [ 2 blank]. Lacks the individual title-pages. Full description

€ 9,500

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States India & Sri Lanka Literature Portugal

Arabic grammar for Spanish missionaries in the Middle East

CAÑES, Francisco. Gramatica Arabigo-Española, vulgar, y literal. Con un diccionario Arabigo-Español, en que se ponen las voces mas usuales para una conversacion familiar, con el texto de la doctrina Cristiana en el idioma Arabigo.
Madrid, Don Antonio Perez de Soto, 1775. 4to. With Perez de Soto's device on the title-page. Set in roman, italic and Arabic type. Contemporary mottled sheepskin. [1], [1 blank], [14], 272, [5], [2 blank], XVII pp. Full description

€ 6,500

Arabic Printing & Calligraphy Dictionaries & Encyclopedias Language & Linguistics

The Portuguese in West Africa: Angolan-Portuguese-Latin dictionary for merchants and missionaries

CANNECATTIM, Bernardo Maria de. Diccionario da lingua Bunda ou Angolense, explicada na Portugueza e Latina...
Lisboa, na Impressao Regia, 1804. 4to (15.5 x 20.5cm). With a small woodcut vignette (crowned coat-of-arms of Portugal) on the title-page, the majority of the text is set in three columns per page. Contemporary tree calf. [1], [1 blank], [3], [1 blank], IX, [1 blank], 720, [2] pp. Full description

€ 8,500

Church History & Missions Language & Linguistics Portugal West Africa

Series of 118 love emblems, a rare later issue

CAPUCIN, Père. Les emblèmes d'amour divin et humain ensemble. Expliquez par des vers François. Par un pere Capucin.
[Paris, ca. 1745]. 8vo. With an engraved title-page and 118 numbered full-page engraved emblems. Contemporary gold-tooled mottled calf, sewn on 4 recessed cords, the spine divided into 6 fields by fillets, the 2nd with a red morocco label and each of the others with a flower (closed thistle?) and several small stamps, each board with a frame of triple fillets with a second flower inside each corner and a star at each corner intersection, gold fillets on board edges, gilt edges, marbled endpapers (red, yellow, green, blue and white, curled). 119 ll. Full description

€ 4,500

Emblem & Songbooks French Literature

Sixty beautiful Arabic poems, translated into English for the first time

CARLYLE, Joseph Dacre. Specimens of Arabian poetry, from the earliest time to the extinction of the khalifphat, with some account of the authors.
Cambridge, Printed by John Burges printer to the university, 1796. 2 parts in 1 volume. 4to. With an engraved sheet with musical notation. Contemporary brown calf with a later spine. [8], IX, [1 blank], 180; [2], 71, [1 blank], [1], [1 blank] pp. Full description