Forum Rare Books

Important history of ancient astronomy, with chapters on Egyptian, Chaldean and Persian astronomy

BAILLY, Jean-Sylvain. Histoire de l'astronomie ancienne, depuis son origine jusqu'a l'établissement de l'École d'Alexandrie.
Paris, Debure brothers, 1775. 4to. With 3 numbered folding engraved plates. Beautifully bound in contemporary gold-tooled red morocco, each board with coat of arms of Simon-Pierre Merard de Saint-Just in the centre, marbled endpapers. In modern slipcase covered with marbled paper. [2], XXII, 526 pp. Full description

€ 25,000

Astronomy & Cosmography Bindings France Islamic Art, Culture & Science

Rare dissertation on the cultivation of aloe, with references to Arabia and America

BEIER, Gottfried and Johann Arnold FRIDERICI. Aloen publicae florae cultorum censurae.
Jena, Johann Werther, [1670]. Small 4to (19.5 x 15 cm). Modern half vellum. [28] pp. Full description

€ 4,500

Herbals & Medical Botany Horticulture Medicine & Pharmacy (17th Century)

First Latin edition, printed by Plantin, of Belon's illutrated oriental travel account, with 43 woodcuts

BELON, Pierre. Plurimarum singularium & memorabilium rerum in Graecia, Asia, Aegypto, Judaea, Arabia, aliisq. exteris provinciis ab ipso conspectarum observationes, tribus libris expressae.
(2) BELON, Pierre. De neglecta stirpium cultura, atque earum cognitione libellus: edocens qua ratione silvestres arbores cicurari & mitescere queant. Antwerp, Christoffel Plantin, 1589. 2 works in 1 volume. 8vo. With Plantins woodcut compasses device on each title-page, 43 woodcuts in text (6 full-page), woodcut decorated initials. With an unrecorded 2-page corrigenda leaf. Contemporary overlapping limp vellum. [16], 495, [1 blank]; "78" [= 87], [1 blank], [2] pp. Full description

€ 4,750

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States Arboriculture & Dendrology Balkan & Greece Early Printing - 16th century Herbals & Medical Botany Mediterranean Regions Travel & Voyages Europe Travel & Voyages Middle East Turkey & Ottoman Empire

Examination of medical pills, heavily influenced by Galen

BRASAVOLA (BRASSAVOLA), Antonio Musa. Examen omnium catapotiorum, vel pilularum, quarum apud pharmacopolas usus est.
Lyon, Jean Pullon, 1545. 8vo. With a woodcut device on title-page and some woodcut initials. Contemporary vellum. 188, [4] pp. Full description

€ 8,500

Medicine & Pharmacy (16th Century)

Testing Galenic medicine

BRASAVOLA (BRASSAVOLA), Antonio Musa. Examen omnium electuariorum, pulverum, et confectionum.
Venice, Vincent Valgrisi, 1548. 8vo. With a woodcut device on title-page and a larger version on the last page. Later stiff paper wrappers. 140, [2] pp. Full description

€ 9,500

Early Printing - 16th century Medicine & Pharmacy (16th Century)

Five medical treatises, heavily influenced by Galen

BRASAVOLA (BRASSAVOLA), Antonio Musa. Examen omnium trochiscorum, unguentorum, ceratorum, emplastrorum, cataplasmatum, & collyriorum : quorum apud Ferrarienses pharmacopolas usus est : ...
Venice, (colophon: Lucas Antonius Juntas), 1551. 8vo. With a woodcut device on title-page. Contemporary limp vellum, restored. 296 ll. Full description

€ 9,500

Early Printing - 16th century Herbals & Medical Botany Medicine & Pharmacy (16th Century)

"The most remarkable" medical dictionary, based on works by Galen and Hippocrates

CASTELLI, Bartolomeo. Lexicon medicum Graeco-Latinum ex Hippocrate, et Galeno desumptum.
Rotterdam, Arnout Leers [printed in Amsterdam by Paulus Matthijsz], 1644. 8vo. With Matthijszs(?) woodcut device on title-page. Contemporary vellum. [14], “315” [=353], [19, last page blank] pp. Full description

€ 4,500

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias Herbals & Medical Botany Medicine & Pharmacy (17th Century)

A brief history of medicine, including Mesue, Avicenna, Serapion the Younger and other Arab authors

CHAMPIER, Symphorien. Castigationes seu emendationes pharmacopolarum, sive apothecariorum, ac Arabum medicorum Mesue, Serapionis, Rafis, Alpharabii, & aliorum iuniorum medicorum...
(Colophon: Lyon, Johannes Crespin, 1532). 2 parts in 1 volume (bound in reverse order). 8vo. With armorial woodcut on title-page to the second part (bound as opening title-page), repeated several times in text, and numerous woodcut initials. Contemporary vellum, richly blind-tooled in a panel design. LVI, CXII ll. Full description

€ 12,500

Early Printing - 16th century Iran / Persia Islamic Art, Culture & Science Medicine & Pharmacy (16th Century)

First edition of Ruel's translation of a foundational work on pharmacology

DIOSCORIDES, Pedanius. De medicinali materia libri quinque. De virulentis animalibus, et venenis canerabioso, et eorum noti, ac remedijs libri quattuor.
(Colophon: Paris, Henri Estienne, 1516). Folio. With the title within a decorative metalcut( ?) panel. Set in roman types. Contemporary limp sheepskin parchment; rebacked in calf, with new endpapers, but preserving the original paste-downs. [12], 157, [2], [1 blank] ll. Full description

€ 18,000

Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Medicine Classical Antiquity Early Printing - 16th century Herbals & Medical Botany Medicine & Pharmacy (16th Century) Pharmacy / Pharmacopaea

Important source on mediaeval pharmacology: the fundamental Renaissance work for the study of medicinal plants

DIOSCORIDES, Pedanius. In hoc volumine haec continentu.r [!] Ioannis Baptistae Egnatii Veneti in Dioscoridem ab Hermolao Barbaro tralatum annotamenta. Quibus morborum et remediorum vocabula obscuriora in usum etiam mediocriter eruditorum explicantur ...
Venice, Francesco Barbaro & Giovanni Bartolomeo Gabiano for Giovanni & Gregorio De Gregori, 1 February 1516. 2 parts in 1 volume. Folio (22.5 x 32 cm). Later vellum with old gold-tooled red spine label. [36], “CXXXIII” [= CXXXIV], 106 ll. Full description