Rare first edition Olivier de Vrée’s (1596-1652) compendium of seals of the Counts of Flanders, a volume notable both for its antiquarian rigor – the work remains a standard reference on the subject – and for its some 300 copperplate engravings meticulously cataloguing the development of seals from the establishment..... More

First edition of the first pocket guide to Villa Borghese, one of the great Baroque suburban villas which always had a tradition of receiving the public. The Villa was built as a suburban retreat and to house the Cardinal’s collection of ancient statuary, the greatest in Rome and probably the..... More

Rare first edition description of the author’s voyage from Tenerife to Pondicherry in India, surrounding the Cape of Good Hope, with a stop at the Island of Reunion (Bourbon). Tournon includes interesting information regarding his use of a long-view to observe the different ships encountered as well as whales and..... More

Scarce first and only edition of the first fully-fledged study of the Greek Orthodox Church, extensively illustrated, and an important addition to the nascent German tradition of studying the history of religious traditions without partisan intent. Heineccius was a Lutheran, and he pursues his object of study as an antiquarian..... More

Rare first edition of an early illustrated mineralogical treatise devoted to the element iron, written by the noted Venetian physician, apothecary and collector Gian Girolamo Zannichelli (1662-1729). While Zannichelli’s stated purpose is to introduce readers to his iron-based medicinal distillation, called ‘Iron Snow’ or ‘Snow of Mars’ (nix ferris; nix..... More

First edition of this illustrated botanical work on the grasses and herbs cultivated in the vicinity of Bologna. The work follows the best tradition of 18th-century botany in which theoretical insights were gained not so much from the discovery of new species, but rather from the thoughtful ordering and comparison..... More

First edition of the first printed work devoted to the Cathedral of St. Stephen, the most historically important medieval building in Vienna. St. Stephen’s Cathedral had its origins as a Roman basilica (dedicated in 1147). Repeatedly burnt and rebuilt, it was enlarged in the 14th century by Duke Rudolf IV..... More

Rare first edition of this illustrated handbook of practical geometry and surveying equipment. The engineer supplies a panorama of the instruments used by city planners and surveyors in the early 18th C for leveling land, measuring dikes and embankments, calculating elevation and distance, etc. Following a primer on basic geometry..... More

Rare 2-sheet etching/engraving (here complete with its third sheet of engraved text in Dutch and French) depicting a winter festival celebrating the running of the “Brewers’ Icebreaker” to clear the Amstel River at Amsterdam during the first years of the 18th century. This large print, with its hundreds of lively..... More

A very rare account, illustrated with a folding plate of the catafalque, of the elaborate funeral arrangements of Philip V of Spain (1683-1746), which took place between July and November 1746. Philip died on July 9, 1746 and was succeeded by his son Ferdinand VI, to whom Tiernos suspiros is..... More

First edition. Bound last is Vandelli’s dissertation is on worms. Although it is now commonplace to dissect the earthworm in school biology classes, in 1758 this subject had not yet been sufficiently studied in laboratories. Vandelli was an early student of the lowly worm. The first of the three monographs..... More

First edition (12mo) of Rousseau’s classic treatise on education, illustrated with 5 full-page engravings. Émile provides Rousseau’s most widely read statement on the essential goodness of human nature, tracing the natural development of a child brought up in the country in accordance with nature and free from the corrupting influence..... More

Very rare example of a bespoke (and nearly) blank album amicorum from 18th-century Holland, preserved in entirely contemporary condition and complete with its original, elaborately decorated binding. The only entry in the book is its watercolor frontispiece of a putto as an emblem of painting: The cupid is posed as..... More