Europe / France

BOUGARD, René and John Thomas SERRES. The little sea torch: or, true guide for coasting pilots.
London, J. Debrett for the "author" [Serres], G. & W. Nicol, et al. [printed by T. Rickaby], 1801. Large folio (47 x 30 cm). With 20 numbered aquatint plates containing 137 coastal profiles, and 12 partly numbered engraved plates containing 24 maps of port cities, harbours, islands and the Strait of Gibraltar. All coastal profiles and maps beautifully and subtly coloured by a contemporary hand. Contemporary boards. VI, 144, [5] pp. Full description

BOUTEILLE, Hippolyte and M. de LABATIE. Ornithologie du Dauphiné ou description des oiseaux observés dans les départements de l'Isère, de la Drome, des Hautes-Alpes et les contrées voisines.
Grenoble, for the author and "les principaux libraires de la ville", by F. Allier, 1843[-1844]. 2 volumes. 8vo. With 72 lithographed plates by C. Pégeron after Victor Desirée Cassien, and a large folding table. Contemporary half sheepskin, gold-tooled spine. 416; 358, [2 blank] pp. Full description

BOUTEROUE D'AUBIGNY, Claude. Recherches curieuses des monoyes de France depuis le commencement de la monarchie.
Paris, Edme Martin, 1666. Large folio (42 x 27.5 cm). With title-page with engraved allegorical illustration by N. Bonnart (including a minting press), and numerous engravings in text incl. 7 full-page (on pp. 336, 342, 349, 354, 359, 364 and 370). Contemporary mottled calf (ca. 1693), richly gold-tooled board edges and turn-ins, gilt edges; and each board with the (later) gold-tooled British Royal arms in the form used in Scotland 1801-1816, encircled by the inscription, "The Society of Writers to the Signet" (that is the Signet Library in Edinburgh; stamp 3, ca. 1815). [16], 398, [1], [1 blank] pp. Full description

BOYMANS, Johannes Andreas. Le garde d'honneur, ou episode du règne de Napoléon Buonaparte.
Bruxelles, Weissenbruch, 1822. 8vo. With 2 large folding maps after designs by G.F. Baron de Derfelden de Hinderstein, partly coloured by hand, a white on black phantasmagoric folding lithographed plate, and 4 folding lithographed views by Kierdorff after E. van Boeckhoven. Later gold-and blind tooled half green calf, with the author and title lettered in gold on the spine, green decorative paper sides, green decorative paper end papers. XXXIV, 69, XLI, XVIII, [2], [1 blank] pp. Full description

BRETEZ, Louis. Plan de Paris commencé l'année 1734. Dessiné et gravé, sous les ordres de Messire Michel Etienne Turgot, Marquis de Sousmons ... Achevé de graver en 1739.
[Paris, 1739]. Grand-Aigle folio (56 x 45.5 cm). An enormous engraved map of Paris in 20 numbered sheets plus a key map, at a scale of about 1:2000, each segment measuring 55 x 84 cm (plate size 51.5 x 80.5 cm; image 48 x 79 cm) which would give an assembled map with image size about 240 x 316 cm! The key map is slightly larger than the segments and folds out at the head. Bound as an atlas (but with segments 18 and 19, containing the cartouche, assembled to make a long fold-out) in contemporary gold-tooled red morocco, each board with as centrepiece the Paris coat of arms (a ship with chief a field of fleurs-de-lis). Full description

BRION DE LA TOUR, Louis & Louis Charles DESNOS. Coup d'oeil général sur la France, pour servir d'introduction au tableau analytique et géographique de ce Royaume. Dressé par différens géographes, dont les ouvrages sont aussi connus qu'estimés, faisant partie de l'atlas historique de la France ancienne & moderne ...
Paris, Grangé, Guillyn, Desnos, et al., 1765. 2 works in 1 volume, the first in 3 parts. 4to. With a double-page frontispiece by Le Charpentier after De Sève, with a view of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, 2 large folding engraved maps of France by Rizzi Zannoni, 40 double-page engraved maps and charts of France, 10 folding road maps, 2 "Cartes odographiques" with the distances between French cities, and 3 double-page engraved part-titles, all but the frontispiece and titles in a contemporary hand colouring.
Comprising: (2) DESNOS, Louis Charles. Tableau analytique de la France.
Paris, chez l'auteur, 1765.
(3) ZANNONINI, Rizzi. Le petite Neptune François ou carte des côtes maritimes du Royaume.
Paris, chez le Sr. Desnos, 1765.
(4) MICHEL. L'indicateur fidèle ou guide des voyageurs.
Paris, à l'enseigne du globe, 1765.
With: (5) [CATALOGUE]. Catalogue des Ouvrages, tant anciens que modernes, du Fonds du Sr. Desnos.
Paris, à l'enseigne du globe et de la sphere, 1765. Contemporary gold- and blind-tooled marbled calf. 15, [1 blank], [3], [1 blank], 8, 10; 16 pp. + 56 plates Full description

CARACCIOLO, Roberto. Sermones per adventu[m] domini cu[m] multis aliis inclusis. sermocionanti per utiles. famosissimi predicatoris Maiistri Ruberti de Licio Italici ordinis minoru[m]. [= Sermones de adventu, Sermo de S. Joseph, Sermo de Beatitudine, Sermones de divina caritate, Sermones de immortalitate animae].
Including: BOLLANI, Dominico (Dominicus BOLLANUS). De co[n]ceptione gloriosissime Virginis Marie [= De conceptione Beatae Virginis Mariae].
[Strasbourg, Martin Schott, 1484]. Small (Chancery) folio mostly in 8s (28.5 x 20.5 cm). Printed in 2 columns, set in 2 sizes of rotunda gothic type that Schott used for the first time in the present publication. With spaces left (without guide letters) for perhaps a hundred 3-line and dozens of larger manuscript initials, not filled in in the present copy.
Near contemporary (ca. 1500?), richly blind-tooled pigskin over square-edge boards (Eindbanddatenbank workshop w002296, active in Bavaria ca. 1473(?)-1502). With the remains of one strap-fastening (brass anchor-plate, remnants of the alum-tawed leather strap, but catchplate and clasp lost), blue-green edges. Vellum manuscript waste used for reinforcement, showing bits of Isaias 5:8-26 from a Vulgate Bible in a large textura hand. [100], [17], [1 blank] ll. Full description

CAVALLI. [Letter to an unknown person].
Paris, 18 August 1726. 4to. [1] leaf. Full description

CERF, J. de. [Oval miniature portrait painting of Voltaire].
[France?], "1687" [= ca. 1735?]. Oval portrait painting (11 x 9 cm) in grisaille on copper, with a note on the back "J. de Cerf A[nn]o 1687". Mounted in a gilt rectangular wooden frame (34.5 x 28 cm). Full description

CHAPSAL, Jean-Antoine. [Autograph letter concerning the guard of his woods].
Riom, 9 July 1803. 4to (21 x 33.5 cm). 2 pp. text, 1 blank and the final page with the recipient's address. Formerly folded three times for posting and with traces of a seal. Full description