Book History, Education, Learning & Printing / Bindings

POLANO, Pietro Soave (pseudonym of Paolo SARPI) and Nathaniel BRENT (translator). The historie of the Councel of Trent. Containing eight Bookes. In which (besides the ordinarie Actes of the Councell) are declared many notable Occurrences, which happened in Christendomme, during the space of fourtie yeeres and more. And, particularly, the practises of the Court of Rome, to hinder the reformation of their errors, and to maintaine their greatnesse ...
London, Bonham Norton and John Bill, 1629. Folio. With the woodcut arms of king Charles I of England on the title page, 117 decorated woodcut initials, 17 woodcut headpieces, and 6 woodcut tailpieces. Contemporary gold-tooled calf, sewn on 6 supports with the corresponding raised bands on the spine, the crowned arms of King Charles I of England in the centre of both boards with the motto "Honi soit qui mal y pense" and the monogram "A W", surrounded by two single fillet borders with cornerpieces, gold-tooled board edges, remnants of closing ties. [2 blank], [10], "881" [= 879], [16], [1 blank] pp. Full description

[PRAYER BOOK]. Piae precationes ad missas devote celebrandas, et sacrosanctam eucharistiam sumendam. Cum variis orationibus ex bonis & probatis authoribus collectis.
Rome, Aloysius Zannettus, 1604. 8vo. With a woodcut title page and some ornamented woodcut initials in the text. Contemporary richly gold-tooled brown morocco, with gauffered edges. 272 pp. Full description

[PRAYER BOOK - BINDING]. Le tableau de la croix representé dans les ceremonies de la Ste. Messe ensemble la tresor de la devotion aux soufrances de N[ot]re. S[eigneur]. I[esus]. C[hrist]. le tout enrichi de belles figures.
Paris, Francois Mazot, "1651" (privilege dated 20 September 1652). 8vo & small 4to (16.5 x 11.5 cm). With engraved title page and 48 engraved leaves. Later 17th-century French elaborately gold-tooled red morocco, gilt edges. [2 blank], [6], "39" [= 75], [16], [1 blank] pp. Full description

[PROPHECIES - OTTOMAN EMPIRE]. Prophetien, of voorseggingen der beyde Keyseren Severi en Leonis, die beyde in Orienten gheregeert hebben. In de welcke het hem laet aensien als of het Turcksche Rijck onder desen teghenwoordigen Sultan wel een eynde mocht nemen. Hier sijn byghevoeght eenighe andere Vooorseggingen ... ende met veele copere figuyren verciert.
Amsterdam, Broer Jansz., 1627. 4to. With large woodcut on the title page showing the Ottomans reaching Constantinople, and 16 engravings in the text with emblematic scenes featuring sultans, including Mehmet II and Sulaiman I, animals such as unicorns, nursing bears, eagles, ravens, wolves, snakes, mythological figures, rulers, etc. Each plate is followed by an epigram and explanation. 19th-century gold-tooled brown morocco, with the gold-tooled coat of arms of Victor Masséna, 5th Prince dEssling and 3rd Duke of Rivoli (1836-1910) on both boards, the title, impressum and (repeatedly) the monogram "VM" lettered in gold on the spine, gold-tooled board edges and turn-ins, gilt edges, marbled endpapers. Bound by the 19th-century French bookbinders Allô-Wampflug (signed in the lower turn-ins at the front and back). [1], [1 blank], [2], 41, [2], [1 blank] pp. Full description

RAMEAU, Pierre. Le maître a danser. Qui enseigne la maniere de faire tous les differens pas de danse dans toute la regularité de l'art, & de conduire les bras à chaque pas.
Paris, Jean Villette, 1725. 8vo. With etched frontispiece and 59 etched plates (including 3 double-page and 1 larger folding) showing 2 couples dancing the minuet before King Louis XV and his court, individuals and couples demonstrating dance positions, dance steps, positions and movements of the hands and arms during the dance, drawn and mostly etched by the author. Further with numerous charming woodcut headpieces and tailpieces (2 signed "V.LS" or "V.LS in"), woodcut decorated initials, and decorations built up from cast fleurons. Green morocco (ca. 1900?), gold-tooled spine, gold-tooled turn-ins, fillets on board edges, curl-marbled endpapers, gilt edges (stamp on endleaf: "Gloss. Elldt Jnr"?). XXIV, 272 pp. Full description

REGENFUSS, Franz Michael, et al. Auserlesne Schnecken Muscheln und andre Schaalthiere auf allerhöchsten Befehl seiner Königlichen Majestät nach den Originalen gemalt, in Kupfer gestochen, und mit naturlichen Farben erleuchtet ...|Choix de Coquillages peints d'apres nature gravés en taille douce et illuminés de leurs vraïes couleurs ... Publié par ordre du Roi.
Copenhagen, (colophon: printed by Andreas Hartwig Godiche, printer to the Royal University), 1758. Double Elephant folio (63 x 47.5 cm). With 12 engraved numbered plates (plate size 42 x 28.5 cm) with 67 & 78 numbered figures at the original size, all coloured by hand as published, an engraved frontispiece and 2 engraved views. In this presentation copy the frontispiece and the 2 engraved views are printed in red. Contemporary armorial presentation binding in gold-tooled mottled calf, each board in a panel design with the crowned, supported and mantled coat of arms of King Frederik V. [16], XIV, 22, LXXXVII, [1] pp. plus engraved frontispiece & 12 engraved plates. Full description

REMY, Claude. Traité des elemens présenté à M. Raoul de Choiseul-Gouffier.
Paris, 1786. Small 8vo. Calligraphic manuscript written in French in dark brown ink on paper, in a formal Latin script hand (a French-style "batard"), with an ornamental, calligraphic title page in reddish brown, green, dark brown and black ink, each page in a thick-thin-thin border with circular decorations in each corner and centred at the head, running heads in the border, the heading of the "Avertissement" in a decorative script, and calligraphic chapter headings in circular or rectangular decorations and sub-headings in decorated horizontal bands. Contemporary red, gold-tooled morocco, the smooth spine divided into 6 panels (separated by lines flanked by dotted lines), the 2nd with a dark green title-label, each of the others with an 8-petalled flower, 10 dots, a decoration in each corner and another at each side, and a decorated band at the foot; each board with a border of thin-thick-thin fillets with a decoration stamped on each corner and a 6-petalled flower inside each corner; gold-tooled turn-ins, gold fillets on the board edges (altogether about 130 impressions of 13 tools), gilt edges. [2], 186, [4] pp. Full description

[RIJCKE, Lambertus de, Nathane (de) VAY & Job de RIEU]. Bergues sur le Soom assiegée le 18 de Jullet 1622, et des-assiegée le 3 d'Octobre ensuivant. Selon la description faite par les trois pasteurs de l'église d'icelle.
Middelburg, Jean vander Hellen for Rombout van Hamerste, 1623. 4to. With a woodcut vignette on the title page, 2 decorated woodcut initials, and several headpieces made up of typographical ornaments.19th-century gold-tooled red morocco with the title lettered in gold on the spine. [16], 281, [11] pp. Full description

RINUCCINI, Giovanni Battista. Historia do Capuchinho Escoces.
Lisboa, Bernardo da Costa Carvalmo for Joseph da Cruz Cardozo, 1708. 2 parts in 1 volume. 8vo. With a general title-page with a woodcut portrait of a monk (in the centre of a large rosette) and a divisional title-page for the second part of the tex. Contemporary richly gold-tooled calf, gold-tooled board edges, gilt and gauffered edges. [14], 54, [1], [1 blank], 55-237, [3 blank] pp. Full description

ROLLAND D'ERCEVILLE, Barthélemy-Gabriel. Recherches sur les prerogatives des dames chez les Gaulaois, sur les cours d'amour.
Paris, chez Nyon I'ainé, Libraire, 1787. 12mo. With a woodcut vignette on the title page, and a woodcut headpiece. 19th-century gold-tooled dark blue morocco. [4], xii, 212, [1], [1 blank] pp. Full description