Book History, Education, Learning & Printing / Bindings

CATS, Jacob. Alle de wercken, so ouden als nieuwe.
Amsterdam, Jan Jacobsz. Schipper, 1655. Folio. With an engraved frontispiece incorporating a portrait of the author, a full-page engraved portrait of the author, 2 double-page engraved plates, hundreds of engravings in text (including 1 full-page and 1 integral double-page) by J. Swelinck, W.H. Hondius, C. van Dalen and others. Gold-tooled grey-black morocco (ca. 1758), richly gold-tooled spine, boards and board edges, gilt edges; by the so-called "star bindery" in The Hague. [18], 151, [1 blank]; [20], 26, [2], 27-30; [4], 1-15, [5]; 195, [7]; [2], 32; [8], 184; [16], 266, [6]; [12], 184; 84; 60; 24 ; [8], 36; 159, [1 blank] pp. Full description

CHRYSOSTOMUS, Johannes (Antonius VAN HEMERT, translator). Van die beweechnisse des herten, tot berouwe der sonde[n]. ...
(Colophon:) Antwerp, Symon Cock, 18 August 1546. 8vo. With the title-page in red and black in a framework of thin rules, 6 woodcut decorated initials and 2 vine-leaf ornaments. Set in 3 sizes of textura gothic types. A very interesting Antwerp binding of contemporary panel-stamped calf, each board with the same panel, showing 2 medallion portraits in, the whole surrounded by a floral decorative border, interesting fastenings with cord loops that fasten to bone buttons on leather straps. [131], [1 blank] ll. Full description

CICERO, Marcus Tullius. De officiis libri tres. Cato major sive de senectute. Laelius sive de Amiciria. Paradoxa. Somnium Scipionis. Ex recensione Joannis Georgii Graevii cum eiusdem animadversionibus.
Amsterdam, Hendrik Wetstein, 1691. 3 parts (books) in 1 volume. 12mo. With an engraved frontispiece, a woodcut vignette on the title-page which is printed in red and black, woodcut initials. Contemporary vellum. [20], 470, [18] pp. Full description

CONDIO, Luigi. Preghiere. Miniature di Vittorio Vulten.
Torino, Carlo de Martini (printed by Stab. Litografico Giovanni Fraschini & C., Milan), 1902. 18mo (13.5 x 7.5 x 1.5 cm). A wholly chromolithographed Art Nouveau prayer book, printed in numerous pastel colours plus gold, with (mostly floral) decoration on every page and numerous additional illustrations. In a silver binding (hallmarked "800" at the foot of the otherwise blank back cover), with "Our Lady of the Rosary" from the shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary in Pompei depicted on the front cover in high relief (madonna and child presenting rosaries to Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine) flanked by two irises, above "Ave Maria" and a panel with "SS. Vergine di Pompei", endpapers lithographed in pastel colours plus gold, in a repeating pattern of abstracted flowers, crosses, anchors, hearts and initials "VD" or "DV", gilt edges. [104] pp. Full description

COTTON, Sir Robert Bruce. Warrs with forregin[!] princes dangerous to our Common-Wealth: or reasons for forreign wars answered. With a list of all the confederates from Henry the first reign to the end of Queen Elizabeth. Proving that the kings of England alwayes preferred unjust peace before the justest warre.
London, William Shears, 1657.
Including: [COTTON, Sir Robert Bruce]. The French charity; written in French by an English gentleman, upon occasion of Prince Harcourt's coming to England; and translated into English by F.S.J.E.
London, William Shears, 1655. Small 8vo. Woodcut head- and tailpieces & initials. Contemporary calf. [2], 96; [2], 10 pp. Full description

DAM, Jan Albertsz. van. Nieuw geinventeerde koopmans comptoir- en schrijf-almanach, op het schrikkel-jaar onzes heeren J. Christi M DCC XII. Na de nieuwe styl. Versien met de jaarmarkten, paarde- beeste- en leer-markte, en de dageliksche uure van de maans op en ondergang.
Amsterdam, the heirs of Albert Magnus, [1711 (for the year 1712)]. 12mo. Printed in red and black throught, the title-page with Magnus's woodcut device (Atlas with an armillary sphere on his shoulders), numerous typographical symbols in the text: for example a horse and a goat representing horse and other animal market days, moons in different phases, planetary signs and manicules (pointing hands). With a small etching of an angel (39 mm tall) holding a wreath, cut out of an unidentified source and loosely inserted between 2 blank pages at the end of the book. Contemporary, elaborately gold-tooled mottled calf over thin wooden boards by the so-called Art Book Bindery (1705-1741) in the style made famous by Albert Magnus himself, with more than 100 impressions of about a dozen stamps and one roll, gold-tooled board edges. Further with 4 silver anchor plates (2 on each board), each with the coat of arms of the States of Holland in a decorative cartouche, and each with a silver eye extending over the fore edge, with a silver combination stylus/lead pencil used to fasten the book through the eyes, gilt edges. [120] pp. bound with 46 blank free endleaves: [12] pp. at the front and [22 (coated paper)], [12] pp. at the back. Full description

OVIDIUS NASO, Publius (Lodovico DOLCE, translator). Le trasformationi, ... . In questa quarta impressione da lui in molti luoghi ricorrette.
Venice, Gabriele Giolito de Ferrari, 1557. 4to. With title in a richly designed architectural woodcut frame, a half-page woodcut hemispherical map of the Americas, Europe and Africa and 82 large woodcut illustrations (plus 2 repeats) with fine ornamental and grotesque borders at either side. Contemporary(?) Polish(?) blind-tooled calf. 17th- or 18th-century endpapers. [16], 309, [3] pp. Full description

[DRAWINGS - BIRDS]. Konst tekeningen. [Detailed illustrations of birds].
[The Netherlands], binding dated 1784. Large folio (52 x 33.5 cm). With 18 large, beautifully hand-drawn and coloured illustrations of birds.Contemporary richly gold-tooled red morocco over boards, sewn on 8 supports, each board with a round, gold-tooled, green morocco inlaid centre piece, gold-tooled board edges, 2 pairs of green cloth ties, gilt edges, and block-printed paste-paper endpapers in red and yellow. The spine is also richly gold-tooled with 2 different rolls to frame the compartments and underline the leaf and flower stamps. The front and back boards match, except for the gold lettering: on the front board "konst tekeningen" and on the back board "anno 1784". The tooling shows 4 different rolls, used for multiple frames, and numerous stamps of leaves, flowers, vases, birds and other decorative elements. 90 ll. Full description

[DUMAS, Antoine-Joseph]. L'art de la musique enseigné et pratiqué par la nouvelle methode du bureau typographique.
Paris, Sr. Auguste [for the author], [1753]. Large oblong 4to (26 x 33.5 cm). Wholly engraved, including an engraved title-page, two-page engraved dedication, a double-page folding engraved musical table ("Elémens de la musique. Plan général du bureau typographique musical") and 427 engraved text pages by Mademoiselle Vandôme. Contemporary gold-tooled dark green (goatskin) morocco, richly gold-tooled spine with red morocco title label, gold-tooled boards with the coat of arms of Louis-Philippe d'Orléans (1725-1785) on both sides, gold-tooled board edges and turn-ins, pink silk endleaves, gilt edges (attributed to Jean-Charles-Henri Lemonnier). [4], 12-427, [1 blank]; 11, [1 blank] pp. Full description

DUPAIX, Guillermo, Alexandre LENOIR, David Bailie WARDEN, et al. Antiquités Mexicaines. Relation des trois expéditions du Capitaine Dupaix, ordonnées en 1805, 1806, et 1807, pour la recherche des antiquités du pays, notamment celles de Mitla et de Palenque.
Paris, Jules Didot l'ainé, 1834. 3 parts in 2 volumes. Large folio (55.5 x 36 cm). With lithographed frontispiece and 161 (numbered as 166) lithographed plates (1 double-page and 160 full-page), nearly half beautifully hand-coloured and most of the rest tinted or double-tinted. Lacking (as usual) the map mentioned on the title-page. Gold-tooled red morocco (1855?), with the arms of Czar Alexander II of Russia on the boards. [4], XIV, [1], [1 blank], 20, 56, 40, 88, [4]; 82, 224, [4]; [10] pp. Full description