Forum Rare Books

A well-illustrated work on the steamships of the United States,
with a spectacular illustration of Perry's flagship "The Powhatan"

STUART, Charles Beebe. The naval and mail steamers of the United States. ... Illustrated with thirty-six[!] fine engravings. Second edition.
New York, Charles B. Norton; London, Sampson Low, son & Co. (back of title-page: printed by Baker, Godwin & Co., New York), 1853. Large 4to (34 x 27 cm). With chromolithographed frontispiece to the first and tinted lithographed frontispiece to the second part, steel-engraved author's portrait and 32 plates (somewhat irregularly numbered 1-31), including 6 double-page engraved plates and 4 tinted lithographs all printed by Sarony & Major, New York. Publisher's richly gold- and blind-blocked textured cloth. 216; [4], 22, [2 blank]; 4; 21, [1] pp. Full description

€ 1,500

North America Ships & Shipbuilding Technology

Dialogue between an engineer and a young man on military architecture

STURM, Leonhard Christoph. Architectura militaris hypothetico-eclectica, oder gründliche Anleitung zu der Kriegs-Baukunst...
Nuremberg, Peter Conrad Monath, 1719. 4to. With an engraved device on title-page, an engraved headpiece on the first page of the dedication, engraved author's portrait, 42 engraved plates with 79 illustrations, 23 letterpress tables and with woodcut head- and tailpieces. Contemporary calf, gold-tooled spine, lovely gold-brocade endpapers. [16], 144, 23, [1] Full description

€ 1,200

Fortification & Military Architecture Military History (18th Century) Technology

An early mention of Australia and a window into early 17th-century Spanish daily life

SUAREZ DE FIGUEROA, Christobal (Thomaso GARZONI). Plaza universal de todas ciencias, y artes, parte traduzida de Toscano, y parte compuesta por el doctor Christoval Suearez de Figueroa.
Perpignan, Luis Roure, 1630 (colophon: 1629). 4to. With title printed in woodcut border with large woodcut coat of arms; interesting woodcut initials and head- and tailpieces. Contemporary mottled calf. [8], 379, [1 blank] ll. Full description

€ 6,500

Australia Book History, Printing & Typography Dictionaries & Encyclopedias Medicine & Pharmacy (17th Century) Optics & Perspective Science Spain Technology

Second and best edition of André Tacquet’s collected works on applied mathematics

TACQUET, André. Opera mathematica, quorum elenchus in fine praefationis typographia ad lectorem exhibetur. Opera sane aurea in lucem publicam & usum erudita posteritatis gratulantibus litteratorum geniis edita.
Antwerp, Henricus & Cornelius Verdussen, 1707. Folio. With a richly engraved allegorical frontispiece illustrating light refraction through lenses and the teaching of drawing with compasses, large engraved publisher's device on title-page, title in red and black, and numerous illustrations and figures on 87 folding engraved plates. Contemporary richly blind- and gold-tooled vellum over wooden boards, on the front board, the coat-of-arms of the Cartusiae Maurbacensis as centrepiece on the back board, red edges, two metal clasps. [32], 553, [1 blank] pp. Full description

€ 6,950

Fortification & Military Architecture Mathematics Military History (18th Century)

Revolutionary ideas on fortification, with 48 splendid plates

TENSINI, Francesco. La fortificatione guardia difesa et espugnatione delle fortezzi esperimentata in diverse guerre.
Venetia, Antonio Bariletti, 1630. Large folio (38 x 27.5 cm). With richly engraved allegorical frontispiece, engraved portrait of the author, and 48 fine engraved fortification plates (11 double-page), by Fillippo Sadeler. Contemporary calf, gold-tooled fillets on boards, richly gold-tooled spine, Rebacked, with the original backstrip laid down, later endpapers. [16], 83, [1 blank]; 83, [1 blank]; 128 pp. plus plates. Full description

€ 4,500

Armory, Military Science & Technology Fortification & Military Architecture Military History (17th Century) Prints & Print Series Technology

Raising the Embuscade

WHIDBEY, Joseph. An account of the sinking of the Dutch frigate Ambuscade, of 32 guns, near the Great Nore; with the mode used in recovering her... Communicated by the Right. Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. ...
[London, William Bulmer & Co], 1803. Large 4to (27.5 x 21.5 cm). With a folding engraved plate illustrating the account. Disbound. pp. 321-324. Full description

€ 350

Mutiny, Piracy & Shipwrecks Technology

Three early works on electrics with 11 engraved plates

WINCKLER, Johann Heinrich. Nieuwe natuurkundige ontdekkingen, aangaande de eigenschappen, werkingen, en oorzaaken der electriciteit, of uitlokkings-kragt.
Including:
(2) WINCKLER, Johann Heinrich. De eigenschappen der electrische stoffe, en van het electrische Vuur.
(3) WAITZ, Jacob Sigismund von. Verhandeling over de electriciteit, en derzelver oorzaken.
Amsterdam, H.W. van Welbergen, 1751. 3 parts in 1 volume. 8vo. With 11 engraved folding plates. Contemporary calf, gold-tooled spine. [16], 119, [1 blank]; [14], 110, [2 blank]; [56], 139, [1] pp. Full description

€ 1,900

Science Technology

Original edition of the part on the use of metals in architectural buildings of a well-known German manual

WOLFRAM, Ludwig Friedrich. Lehre von den Metallen : insbesondere Lehre vom Roh-, Schmied-Eisen, Stahl, Blei, Zinn, Zink, Kupfer, Messing, Glockengut, den Bronzen u.s.w, ...
Stuttgart, Carl Hoffmann, 1835. 4to. With 20 full-page engraved plates with 181 figures of details by J. Rees and C. Schach of all kind of furnaces, smelting works, rolling mills, flattening hammers, etc., 1 printed folding table and many tables and schedules in text. Contemporary half calf, black decorated paper sides, red morocco spine label with title in gold, red edges. [4], IV, 5-168, [2] pp. Full description

€ 400

Architecture Technology

First edition of a famous technical manual on ship-building illustrated by Jan and Caspar Luyken

YK, Cornelis van. De Nederlandsche scheepsbouw-konst open gestelt. Vertoonende naar wat regel ... in Nederland meest alle scheepen werden gebouwd.
Delft, Andries Voorstad, for Jan ten Hoorn, Amsterdam, 1697. Folio. With engraved frontispiece, with two views of ship-building yards, and numerous detailed illustrations of ship-building on 22 engraved plates by and after Jan and Caspar Luyken (including 13 double-page and once 2 plates on 1 page). 18th-century half calf. [16], "354"[= 364], [8] pp. Full description

€ 15,000

Ships & Shipbuilding Technology VOC

Rare photographic documentation of the very beginnings of the Egyptian oil industry

ZANGAKI BROTHERS and others (photographers). [Cover title:] Egypte.
[Egypt, ca. 1870-1913]. Oblong folio (ca. 33 x 41 cm). With 83 albumen prints, of which 2 folding panorama photographs, 17 signed and numbered in the negative by the Zangaki brothers, and 66 larger prints of the oil industry. Contemporary embossed brown cloth (made to imitate reptile skin), with the title blind-tooled on the front board, decorative paper endpapers. [42], [8 blank] ll. Full description