Great Discoveries

Very rare first edition of this splendid photographic album, produced in Cairo in 1871, representing the first illustrated catalogue of the earliest museum devoted to Egyptology.

The photographs by Hippolyte Delié and Émile Béchard depict the rooms and antiquities of the Boulaq Museum, founded in Cairo in 1863 by the eminent Egyptologist Auguste Mariette (1821–1881).

The album comprises forty albumen prints (approx. 24.5 × 18 cm), mounted on thick card leaves set on guards, each accompanied by a letterpress commentary leaf (except plates 4 and 11, which each have two). The prints are mounted on the versos of the plates, the rectos bearing the printed captions.

Contemporary half brown shagreen, spine with five raised bands decorated with blind-tooled compartments and gilt floral tools, minor rubbing to spine and joints, headcaps slightly softened, blind-tooled interlaced borders on the boards, gilt title on upper board, endpapers and pastedowns in white moiré silk with a few light spots, all edges gilt.

Repairs to the spine and one joint at head, a few scattered internal spots.

Autograph manuscript by Louis Pasteur. One page in black ink on a single leaf, with numerous erased words and crossed-out passages.

Unpublished note by Pasteur on his rabies vaccine.

Pasteur was under the scrutiny of countless of opponents, scientific as well as political, and bemoans the "attacks as violent as they were incomprehensible" he endured. The manuscript also announces the popular success of his vaccine, as subscriptions for his future Institute were in full swing.

First edition, illustrated at the end of the volume with four hors-texte plates printed on chamois paper.

Not recorded by Brunet, who lists the author’s principal works.

Scattered foxing, including to the boards.

The orientalist Michelangelo Lanci (1779–1867) produced a fascinating blend of genuine erudition and improbable conjectures, shaped by the pre-critical and broadly concordist mindset then prevailing without challenge in the learned circles of pontifical Rome (Lanci being a subject of the Pope).

This largely accounts for the profound neglect into which most of his works have since fallen.

Prisse d’Avennes (1807–1879), who had worked with Champollion on the decipherment of hieroglyphic script, must have received with some surprise these observations drawn essentially from personal interpretations of Old Testament texts.

First edition (cf Caillet I, 1960. Waller II, 12861a.)

A lack at the foot of the spine of the first volume, covers uniformly browned, handsome interior condition. 

Rare first edition of the author's principal work, but with a most questionable method, since he classifies under the category of alienation all the unknown or misunderstood phenomena of the period (demonolatry, lycanthropy, mysticism, vampirism, witchcraft, etc.).

It has at least the advantage of attempting the first history of psychiatry, from the 15th to the 19th century.

Louis-Florentin Calmeil (1798-1895), intern in Philippe Pinel's service, practiced at Charenton from 1823 to 1873 and was able to benefit from the advances due to the successive direction of Royer-Collard and Esquirol.

Second edition.

"Magendie, pioneer experimental physiologist, regarded pathology as only a modification of physiology, 'medicine the physiology of the sick man'. By him clinical medicine was reconstructed on the physiological lines".

Spines of the first two volumes split, small losses to the other two, spines browned, some foxing.

Rare copy preserved in wrappers as issued.

First edition.

Half calf binding with small vellum corners, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets and dentelle rolls, an old red morocco title label, marbled paper boards, sprinkled edges; a modern binding.

A few passages unfortunately underlined in red ballpoint pen on several leaves (around ten in total), a light marginal dampstain on the first two leaves, modern bookplate pasted on a pastedown.

Only edition, uncommon, of this unexpected work: the Dauphinois Claude-Pierre de Delay d'Agier (1750–1827) was above all a political figure of the Revolution and the Empire, mayor of Romans in 1789, fully committed to the new ideas. Yet he had attended in Lunéville from 1774 the course in hippiatry given by Lafosse, who became his friend and whom he greatly admired; hence this atypical publication in the author's career.

First edition illustrated with two etched plates under tissue guards.

Claude Bernard’s (1813–1878) laboratory notes on alcoholic fermentation (see pp. 3–33) record his experiments on the search for yeast germs on grape clusters, the formation of alcohol in grape juice without ferment, on sound and rotten grapes, on the search for a soluble alcoholic ferment and the influence of decay, and on the production of alcohol. All these experiments were conducted on his estate at Saint-Julien in October 1877, during the grape harvest.

This conception of a soluble ferment as the origin of yeast, a living organism, marked the starting point of the famous controversy between Pasteur and Berthelot.

Rare and appealing copy, largely uncut.

Two works bound in one volume: first edition of Principia philosophiae fol­lowed by the first Latin edition of Spec­imina philosophiae. Complete with blank leaves b4 and 2Q4.

Printer's mark representing Minerva and her owl, as well as the motto “Ne extra oleas” on the title page. Numerous in-text engrav­ings.

Bound in full calf, spine with five raised bands framed in gilt, elaborately decorat­ed in gilt, gilt arms of the Society of Writers to the Signet at center of boards framed in blind, marbled endpapers, speckled edges. Library shelfmark glued to the pastedown endpaper, additional penned shelfmarks on the pastedown, and a manuscript ex-libris of the Signet Library, “Ex Lib: | Bibl: Scribar | Sig: Reg:” on the title page. Joints, spine-ends and corners restored, more foxing on the first six leaves, on the title page of the Specimina and the last four leaves of the volume. Some spots to the boards. Unusual paper defect around the author's name on the title page of Princip­ia, present in other copies (Library of Con­gress, BnF), small wormhole to the lower margin of this same page, burrowing to p. 129 of the “Specimina”. A few faded letters on 4 lines where two pages were joined together (pages 296–297).

First Latin edition of the Discourse on the Method containing the first oc­currence of the famous “cogito ergo sum”.

First edition, illustrated with four plates, including a folding world map (cf. Sinkankas 3466; Agassiz III, 370).

Full fawn calf, spine with five slender raised bands, gilt-tooled compartments with occasionally softened floral tools, rubbed gilt headcaps, brown morocco lettering-piece, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dentelle framing the pastedowns, gilt fillets to board edges, marbled edges, contemporary binding.

Repairs to the spine, one joint split at head and foot, browning along the board margins with surface scratches, scattered foxing, a waterstain at the head of all leaves.

A noteworthy treatise devoted to yellow amber and above all to ambergris, the fragrant substance derived from the intestinal concretions of sperm whales which, once expelled, float on the surface of the sea and yield a highly prized perfume.

The plates depict a frog and a lizard embedded in amber, a world map (Africa, Europe, Asia and part of the Southern Lands), figures collecting bird droppings, and various animals.

"This book commonly appears in bibliographies on amber when in fact it is about ambergris, but Klobius examines both substances and notes their differences on p. 26-9. One of the plates shows a frog and a lizard imbedded in amber, both of which are fakes" [Sinkankas].

On the title-page, a distinguished manuscript ex-libris in black ink

First edition of the French translation, illustrated with 34 plates, including one in colour.

See Garrison & Morton, 2465 (for the original German edition).

Contemporary full marbled cream paper boards, smooth spine with some rubbing and small losses, decorative motif of three acorns stamped in the centre of the covers, modern bookplate pasted on the verso of the front board.

Some light foxing.

First French translation of Abhandlung über die Saamen- und Infusionsthierchen, und über die Erzeugung, nebst mikroskopischen Beobachtungen des Saamens der Thiere in verschiedenen Infusionen (1778).

The biologist Wilhelm Friedich von Gleichen-Russwurm (1717–1783) was the first to develop the staining of bacteria (with carmine and indigo) to facilitate their microscopic observation.

First edition of the thesis presented by Paul Bert to the Faculty of Sciences in Paris in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Natural Sciences.

Illustrated with two lithographed plates at the end of the volume.

Some occasional foxing.

Contemporary half red morocco-grained shagreen binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt floral tools, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved (rear cover restored with an adhesive patch), modern binding.

Rare biological thesis by Paul Bert (1833–1886), who was a physician, physiologist, educator, and above all a committed republican politician.

Inscribed and signed by Paul Bert at the head of the title page, addressed to Dr. Comol.

First edition of this important account of Buffon, providing insights into his private life, his character, and his relationships with those around him; it also contains numerous references to his scientific work (cf. Quérard I, 119: "Lyon, Grabit, 1788"; Dureau, "Notice sur Joseph Aude," p. 15).

Half vellum binding, smooth spine with a red morocco title label in vertical layout, marbled paper boards, slightly rubbed corners, sprinkled edges.

Stains in the margins of the title page and final leaf.

The memoirs proper end on page 55.

The following pages contain the poems announced in the title.

The rarity of this volume was already noted by Dureau in 1868...

Chevalier Aude (1755–1841), a prolific dramatist and former secretary to Caraccioli, had also served as Buffon’s secretary and resided, in the manner of an “Eckermann,” with the great naturalist at his estate in Montbard.

Armorial bookplate "Sapere Aude" pasted on the verso of the front board, likely belonging to a descendant of the Chevalier.

Rare first edition (cf. Carrère 667).

Modern binding in half mottled calf with small sand-colored corners, spine with four raised bands decorated with double gilt fillets, brown morocco title label, marbled paper boards, yellow endpapers and pastedowns, red edges.

One of the earliest impressions from Remiremont; cited by Deschamps, col. 1102.

Rare first edition illustrated with one table and two plates showing cranial shapes and portraits of the insane.

See Garrison Morton, 4922. En français dans le texte, 203. Kelly, p. 326. Foucault, Histoire de la folie, 523. Jan Goldstein, Console and classify, 65. Bariéty & Coury, 882.

Half calf binding with corners, smooth spine decorated with gilt floral and ornamental motifs, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges; modern pastiche binding.

Some foxing mainly affecting the second volume.

Bound at the end of the volume is Jean-Etienne Esquirol’s "Des Établissemens consacrés aux aliénés en France, et des moyens de les améliorer. Mémoire présenté au ministre de l'Intérieur, en septembre 1818", published in Paris, undated, by Renouard, 35 pp.

On the verso of the title page: "Cet opuscule est extrait de l'ouvrage que l'auteur publiera à la fin de janvier 1838, sous le titre: Des maladies considérées sous les rapports médical, hygiénique, statistique et médico-légal." A rare offprint of the text that led to the adoption of the law of 30 June 1838, which established the creation of one psychiatric institution per department and made confinement subject to medical advice. "This Mémoire to the Minister of the Interior on conditions in Hospitals and Prisons is one of the ablest and most influential documents in the history of administrative psychiatry" (Zilboorg & Henry p. 391, cited in Haskell F. Norman Library, III, 1062). A judicious pairing of two fundamental texts.

First edition, no deluxe copies printed.

A pleasant copy.

Inscribed and signed by Yves Coppens to Emile Noël.

First edition of the French translation prepared by Joseph Lavallée.

The atlas volume is illustrated with 16 plates (portrait, views, birds, insects), 12 engraved music plates (printed on 6 leaves), and a large folding map on thick paper (cf. Quérard, I, 6; British Museum (Natural History), I, 8 for the atlas only; Pritzel, 6 for the original English edition).

Bound in contemporary half calf, smooth spines gilt-tooled with floral ornaments, rolls and motifs, sometimes slightly faded, orange calf title and volume labels, marbled paper boards, a few rubs and minor defects along the joints, sprinkled red edges; the atlas volume in contemporary half brown calf, smooth gilt-tooled spine with a few small losses at foot, some rubbing to joints and boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Our copy is complete with the Finnish bath plate, often lacking.

First edition.

Our copy is preserved in its original wrappers, under a provisional violet paper cover.

A vertical crease runs through the entirety of the booklet.

Inscribed and signed by Lambert-Adolphe Quetelet to Edmond Becquerel at the head of the title page.

A naturalist, mathematician, and astronomer, Lambert-Adolphe Quetelet (1796–1874) was the founder of the Brussels Observatory.

First edition illustrated with 11 plates, 10 of which are folding.

Bradel binding in full marbled paper boards, smooth spine, vertical paper title label.

"Ce sont les tables des hauteurs du soleil à toutes les heures" [Lalande]. A rare and appealing copy.

Head of the collection of this technical periodical, which appeared for only three years (1839, 1840, and 1841); this set comprises all the issues published from January 1839 to December 1840.

Half lavallière calf bindings with corners, smooth spines lightened and decorated with gilt and blind fillets, red calf title labels, green volume labels, some rubbing to the spines, marbled paper boards, marbled edges, contemporary bindings.

Some occasional foxing.

The first volume is illustrated with in-text figures and 3 plates out of text; the second contains in-text figures.

The articles abound in practical details on the state of science and technology during the July Monarchy.

All manner of precise papers address an extraordinary variety of topics: beer (domestic and economical), autopsies, glanders in horses, rabid dogs, details on the daguerreotype and Daguerre’s process (vol. I, pp. 434–439 and 529–537, and vol. II, three articles), potatoes (starch, use, bread-making, price, vol. I), lithography, mummification, vine-growing (in Russia, vol. I), methods for bleaching and cleaning engravings and removing stains from books (vol. I, pp. 276–278), vaccination (vol. I, pp. 567–574), steam baths (Duval’s apparatus, vol. II), steamships, the budget of the city of Paris for the year 1840 (vol. II, pp. 278–282), coffee, the opium trade in India and China (vol. II, pp. 102–106), paper, etc.

The editor, Jean-Baptiste-Alphonse Chevallier (1793–1879), taught at the Paris School of Pharmacy and played a key role in two fields: urban public hygiene (disinfection of sewers, sanitation of the Canal Saint-Martin, etc.) and industrial toxicology related to occupational diseases.

First edition, illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of Magellan and four maps and plans depicting the Strait of Magellan (cf. Sabin, 16765; Leclerc, 1971; Chadenat, 552).

Our copy does not include the appendix published in 1793. "A work difficult to find with the second part" (cf. Chadenat).

Full brown calf binding, spine with five raised bands framed by gilt fillets and decorated gilt compartments, gilt rolls on the caps, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, red edges, gilt fillets along the edges, modern binding in period style.

An engaging account of this region of South America, containing the following illustrations: Carta Esferica de la parte sur de la America Meridional, año 1788. – Carta reducida des estrecho de Magallanes, año 1788. – Primer plano de varios puertos del estrecho de Magallanes, levantados el año de 1786. – Segundo plano de varios puertos del estrecho de Magallanes, levantados el año de 1786.

Fine copy formerly belonging to naval captain Gaston de Rocquemaurel (1804–1878), second-in-command to Dumont d’Urville during the South Pole and Oceania expedition from 1837 to 1840, with his signature on the title page.

Handsome example of a binding executed in imitation of the eighteenth century.

First French edition, no deluxe paper copies issued.

Minor, insignificant spotting to the edges.

A handsome copy.

New edition with hitherto unpublished material, printed three years after the first edition.
Contemporary full brown sheepskin binding, smooth spine with 7 gilt compartments decorated with friezes and classical vases, leather lettering piece, inscription "Lycée impérial de Marseille, prix de l'an XIII (1805)" gilt-stamped on upper cover, gilt rolls on board edges, tooled spine-ends, white pastedowns and endpapers, price label with the "Lycée's" header affixed to front pastedown. Usual wear to joints with a small hole, lower spine-end missing and leather loss at foot of spine, wormhole affecting several letters of the word "Marseille" on front cover, corners bumped, gilt tooling on board edges and spine-ends slightly faded, hole to half-title leaf not affecting text, and leaves throughout cockled.
Ink annotation on title page: "1ère Edition 1796".

Four further editions will follow the first two: 1808, 1813, 1824, and 1835 (the latter published posthumously).

Autograph postcard signed by Albert Einstein to Ludwig Hopf. 18 lines written verso and recto, address also in Einstein's handwriting. Postmarked June 21, 1910. 

Published in The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, Volume 5: The Swiss Years: Correspondence, 1902-1914, Princeton University Press, 1993, n°218, p. 242.

An exceptional and highly aesthetic card from Albert Einstein to "the friend of the greatest geniuses of his time" - according to Schrödinger - mathematician and physicist Ludwig Hopf, who introduced Einstein to another 20^th-century genius: Carl Jung.
The master invites his pupil Hopf to a dinner party, whose guests include scientist Max Abraham, future great rival during Einstein's Zurich years and a fervent opponent of his theory of relativity.

The recipient Ludwig Hopf joined Einstein in 1910 as an assistant and student at his physics and kinetic theory seminars at the University of Zürich. They signed two fundamental papers on the statistical aspects of radiation and gave their names to the "Einstein-Hopf" velocity-dependent drag force. Their letter exchanges retrace the complex path of Einstein's work on relativity and gravitation, bearing witness to their great complicity and Hopf's invaluable contribution to the Master's research. A few months after writing the postcard, Hopf even found an error in Einstein's calculations of the derivatives of certain velocity components which Einstein corrected in a paper the following year. They also formed a musical duo – Hopf accompanied on the piano the Master's violin, performing pieces by great musical geniuses like Bach and Mozart.
With this card, Einstein invited his pupil and friend Hopf to dinner with Max Abraham, at the dawn of a major scientific controversy that would pit them against each other from 1911 onwards. Abraham's theory of special relativity failed to convince Einstein, who criticized its lack of observational verification and its failure to predict the gravitational curvature of light. In 1912, their dispute became public through scientific articles. Abraham never acknowledged the validity of Einstein's theory.

During their brilliant artistic and intellectual exchanges, Hopf undoubtedly succeeded where Freud had failed, as he declared to him in a letter: "I shall break with you if you boast of having converted Einstein to psychoanalysis. A long conversation I had with him a few years ago showed me that analysis was as hermetic to him as the theory of relativity can be to me" (Vienna, September 27, 1931). As a fervent supporter of psychoanalysis, Hopf is known to have introduced the famous psychoanalyst Carl Jung to Einstein. Hopf and his teacher both left for Prague's Karl-Ferdinand University in 1911, where they met writer Franz Kafka and his friend Max Brod in Madame Fanta's salon.
With the rise of the Nazi regime, the fates of the two theoreticians were plagued by persecution and exile. Einstein first took refuge in Belgium, Hopf in Great Britain after his dismissal in 1934 from the University of Aachen because of his Jewish origins. They continued their prolific correspondence in the midst of the turmoil, Einstein suggesting to Hopf the opening of a university abroad for exiled German students. Hopf died shortly after his appointment as chair of Mathematics studies at Trinity College Dublin in July 1939.

A precious invitation from the great physicist to one of the final dinner gatherings of the "old school" of science embodied by Max Abraham, on the eve of the publication of the theory of general relativity which would overturn classical conceptions of space and time and propel Science into the 20th century.

First edition of this important work, cf. Krivatsy 588. Garrison-Morton 1673, 5047 and 5085.

Full stiff ivory vellum, spine with four raised bands, the author’s name handwritten in black ink, one defect on the fourth band, blind-tooled rolls on the caps, gilt fillets highlighting the raised bands and framing the boards, small vellum losses on the covers, losses at the corners of the first and last blanks, red sprinkled edges, contemporary binding.

Bound after this work are three other treatises by Guillaume de Baillou, all printed by Quesnel in 1640. Krivatsy, who describes a volume composed in the same manner as ours, suggests that this collection may have been published in this form.

We provide below the description of the other pieces:   

   -   Definitiorum medicarum liber. (Title in red and black, 9 unnumbered ff., 108 pp. and 4 unnumbered ff. The title and preliminary leaves have been bound by mistake after the preliminaries of the first work).

Cf. Krivatsy 587. Garrison-Morton 6796.

First edition published in 1639, with cancel title dated 1640. "A glossary of Hippocratic terms" [Garrison-Morton].

 -    Commentarius in libellum Theophrasti De vertigine. (Title, 1 unnumbered dedication leaf, 41 pp., 1 unnumbered f.)

Cf. Krivatsy 582. First edition. "Includes Greek and Latin text of Theophrastus's De vertigine" [Krivatsy]

  -   De convulsionibus libellus. (Title, 7 unnumbered ff., 51 pp., 2 unnumbered ff.) Cf. Krivatsy 585.

First edition of this treatise on convulsions.

A very rare collection preserved in contemporary vellum.

Extremely rare first edition of the French translation prepared by Désiré Mouren.

There appears to have been no Portuguese edition of this pioneering work in the field of oceanography.

Losses to the spine, upper cover starting to detach, small marginal losses to the boards.

Francisco Calheiros da Graça (1849-1906), a Brazilian naval lieutenant, took part in the operations against Paraguay and conducted several scientific studies and hydrographic surveys.

Extremely rare.

Manuscript ex-libris on the upper cover.

Illustrated edition with a frontispiece and 60 in-text engravings.

No copy listed in the CCF.

Publisher's brown cloth binding, flat spine, spine and covers decorated with gilt African-inspired motifs, blind-stamped border on covers, marbled edges, minor bumping to lower corners.

A pleasing copy.

This work is a popular biography of David Livingstone, focused solely on his African expeditions, intended for a German-speaking readership.

First edition.

Each booklet is richly illustrated with in-text and full-page figures or photographs.

Expeditions in the Mediterranean (1952–1964), including the study of the islet of Grand Congloué, campaigns in the northeastern Mediterranean, along the coast of Provence, and in the Gulf of Genoa.

Campaigns in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean (1951–1954), and in the tropical Atlantic (1956–1962), including missions in the Gulf of Guinea, the Cape Verde Islands, and off the Atlantic coasts of South America. General index for volumes I to XI.

Back cover of the first volume soiled; small tear at the top of the front cover of the third booklet.

A rare and appealing complete set in 11 volumes.

Rare first edition.

A pleasing copy.
Contemporary full black cloth, spine gilt-stamped with a floral tool, double gilt fillet at foot of spine, red shagreen lettering-piece, blue paper endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges, slightly frayed corners, contemporary binding.
Very rare signed and inscribed copy by Georges Gilles de la Tourette: "A mon cher confrère et ami le Dr Diamantberger. Gilles de La Tourette."

Dr. Mayer Saül Diamantberger was assistant physician at the Rothschild Hospital in the 1890s and regarded as one of the pioneers of rheumatology in France.  

First edition, printed in a small number, of this offprint from the Bulletin hebdomadaire de l'Association scientifique de France of 16 and 23 December 1883.

Slight losses to the corners of the wrappers, a small stain at the head of the upper cover.

Rare offprint providing the report of the scientific mission of the Talisman [1882-1883] directed by Léon Louis Vaillant, whose results were considerable, particularly regarding the ichthyological fauna of the great depths.

Alphonse Milne-Edwards [1835-1900], professor of zoology at the Muséum and member of the Académie des Sciences, was one of the members of the scientific commission of the Talisman expedition. 

Inscribed and signed by A. Milne-Edwards on the upper cover.

Rare first edition.

Small tears and corner losses to the spine and boards.

Signed autograph inscription from Joseph Louis Trouessart to Sainte-Beuve on the half-title.

First edition of the French translation (cf. Sabin, 33726 (original edition). Humboldt Library, 4696.)

Complete text, without the Atlas, which was published many years later (1867) and is frequently lacking.

Tears and small marginal losses to some leaves, spine of the second volume split, slight splitting at head and tail of the other volumes, foot of the spine of the first volume restored, some minor foxing.

First complete French edition, translated by H. Faye, of this seminal work by one of the greatest scholars and explorers of the nineteenth century; a masterful synthesis through which Alexander von Humboldt founded physical geography (P. Rousseau, Hist. de la science, p. 362).

The author himself regarded this as the work of his life.

Thanks to his scientific training and his various expeditions, in particular the exploration of South America with Aimé Bonpland, Humboldt was able to gather in a single work all the material, the sum of knowledge on celestial phenomena and life on Earth, from nebulae to the mosses clinging to granite rocks.

This work truly marks a milestone in the intellectual development of humanity.

First edition, one of 15 numbered copies on Japan paper, the only deluxe issue.

Illustrated with 121 wood engravings and a folding coloured map.

Bound in modern half black oasis, flat spine decorated with double gilt fillets, brown oasis lettering-piece, marbled paper boards, endpapers and pastedowns of marbled paper, lower cover preserved and mounted on a tab.

Rare first edition of the French translation prepared by Thomas-François Dalibard at the request of the Comte de Buffon (cf Wheeler Gift 367d. Waller 11339. DSB V, pp. 129-139).

Full mottled calf, spine with five raised bands ruled in gilt and decorated with double gilt compartments with floral tools, red morocco lettering-piece, gilt rolls on the caps (partly rubbed), restorations to head and tail of spine as well as to the corners of the boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on the edges, marbled edges, contemporary binding.

Some foxing, a dampstain to the upper right corner of the first endpaper.

The English first edition was published in London in 1751 under the title "Experiments and observations on electricity made at Philadelphia in America" (cf. Norman 830 for that edition).

First edition, printed in very small numbers, of this offprint from the Bulletins de l'Académie royale de Belgique, 3rd series, vol. IV, no. 12.

No copy in the CCF. A single copy in Worldcat.

Traces of a label and of a distribution stamp in the left margin of the upper cover, a few small spots of foxing.

The physicist Charles Montigny (1819-1890) was director of the science section of the Académie royale des Sciences et Belles-Lettres de Bruxelles, of which he had been a member since 1867.

Inscribed by Charles Montigny to Admiral Ernest Mouchez (1821-1892), a specialist in hydrological and astronomical observations, director of the Paris Observatory from 1878.

Rare first edition of Euler's first work devoted to astronomy (cf. Houzeau and Lancaster I, 11948. Poggendorff I, 689. La Lande 422. DSB IV, 467-484.)

Illustrated with a frontispiece (printed on f. A4) and 4 engraved plates at the end of the volume.

Some minor foxing, mostly towards the end of the volume.

Modern half vellum binding, smooth unlettered spine, comb-marbled paper boards, red edges.

This work dates from the very beginning of Euler's stay in Berlin (where he had been invited by Frederick II of Prussia), a period of intense activity across several fields of science.

The work is described as a "fundamental work on calculation of orbits" in the Dictionary of Scientific Biography.

Jérôme De La Lande already noted in his Bibliographie astronomique (Paris, 1803): «Ce livre est le premier où l'on ait traité analytiquement les orbites des planètes et des comètes».

One of the principal works of dynamical astronomy, Euler’s equations being of capital importance.

First edition of the most significant 19th-century scientific expedition to Iceland and Greenland.

A few light spots of foxing, otherwise a very good copy.

The 8 volumes of text include:

- History of the voyage, by Joseph-Paul Gaimard and Eugène Robert: 2 volumes with a portrait.

- History of Iceland, by Xavier Marmier: 1 volume.

- Icelandic Literature, by Xavier Marmier: 1 volume.

- Travel journal, by E. Mecquet: 1 volume.

- Zoology and medicine, by Eugène Robert: 1 volume, with folding table.

- Physics, by V. Lottin: 1 volume.

The 4 atlas volumes comprise:

- Mineralogy and geology, by Eugène Robert: 1 volume. Atlas:

- Mineralogy and geology: 1 volume with 36 black plates, some printed on China paper and mounted.

- Historical: 2 volumes with 150 lithographed plates and views in black, printed on China paper and mounted.

- Zoological, medical, and geographical: 1 volume with 51 plates, 35 of which are finely hand-colored (one plate present in both states: black and colored).

Bound in modern half blond calf, flat spines richly gilt with garlands and gilt and blind-stamped fillets, gilt decorative bands at foot of spines, red and dark green morocco spine labels, marbled paper boards, bindings signed by Laurenchet.

A very rare and attractive uniformly bound complete set.

First and only edition, with a tumultuous publishing history: the first volume had been printed as early as 1835 by Paulin, but the entire edition was destroyed in the fire on rue du Pot-au-Fer. The author subsequently revised his work and published a new version in 1838, simultaneously with the second volume.

Minor marginal defects to spines and covers; the second volume is bound in a temporary plain wrapper (lacking the printed covers); scattered foxing.

First edition, printed in a small number of copies, of this offprint from the Annales des sciences physiques et naturelles, d'agriculture et d'industrie de Lyon, I, 1838, illustrated with 3 lithographed plates including one folding. (cf. Stafleu, II, 2645. Not in Pritzel.)

Upper right corner of the front wrapper restored.

An appealing copy, bearing a presentation inscription from the author on the front wrapper: "Hommage à M. Lemaire. Offert par l'auteur". This may refer to the botanist Charles Lemaire (1800–1871), author of the Flore des serres et des jardins de l'Europe and a specialist in cacti—plants that are almost exclusively native to the Americas.

Minor tears and marginal losses to the wrappers; some foxing.

Rare.

First edition of this major work, illustrated with 12 engraved plates and 85 figures in the text (cf. Garrison-Morton 2485. Osler 1550. Duveen 461. Cushing P/139. Waller 10966. Norman 1658).

In studying the process of fermentation, Pasteur demonstrated that the spoilage of beer was caused by airborne microorganisms, and not by spontaneous generation as previously believed.

His research contributed significantly to the treatment and preservation of perishable beverages such as beer, wine, and milk.

A very attractive copy, preserved in its original wrappers.

First edition, printed in small numbers as an offprint from the supplement to the March 1928 issue of the journal "L'Astronomie".

Minor marginal tears to the wrappers, not affecting the text; a well-preserved copy.

First edition, illustrated with in-text figures and 9 folding plates; see En français dans le texte, 362. Norman 715 ("Esnault-Pelterie's most important contribution to rocketry").

Minor tears at head and tail of spine, a well-preserved copy.

First french translation of the article originally published in the New York Sun in August 1825 under the title Great astronomical discoveries lately made by Sir John Herschel, along with the content of the five subsequent installments.

Bradel binding in full marbled paper-covered boards, flat spine, vertical title label with a small chip, modern binding.

First edition, illustrated with four plates bound at the end of the volume, as well as figures and tables within the text.

Bound in contemporary half bottle-green shagreen, spine with five raised bands framed by gilt fillets, gilt library stamp at foot of spine, some rubbing to spine, marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, upper corners slightly bumped.

Charles Edouard Guillaume [1861–1938], Swiss physicist, was the inventor of “invar”, a metal notable for its negligible thermal expansion; developed with Benoit and Carpentier.

A very good copy.

First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a folding copper-engraved frontispiece by Bénard: "Mort du Capitaine Cook à Owhy-hée, Fevrier 1779," and a folding map titled "Carte montrant la route suivie par M. Cook… dans son troisième et dernier Voyage."

See O'Reilly and Reitman, 419. See also Hill, p. 253, for the first English edition. Forbes, Hawaiian National Biography, 45.

Contemporary binding in half marbled calf with vellum-tipped corners, spine decorated with gilt floral compartments, red morocco title label, marbled paper boards, red edges.

Restored loss to the title page. The half-title is lacking in our copy; the boards are modern.

"An apocryphal account of the third voyage, published surreptitiously more than two years before the official edition. Hocken […] attributed it to Ledyard, who also wrote a narrative of the expedition. But F. W. Howay […] demonstrated that the true author was John Rickman, lieutenant aboard the Discovery. Includes some unpublished details and episodes." Cf. O'Reilly (no. 415). "All the journals kept on board were claimed by the Admiralty, thus the author remained strictly anonymous. The text, especially as regards details of Cook’s death, differs considerably from other accounts." Cf. Hill.

This work also contains one of the earliest high-quality accounts of the Hawaiian Islands: see Forbes, p. 23.

First edition of the French translation established by Lallemant, illustrated with 3 folding maps with hand-colored outlines (cf. Gay 2788).

Bradel binding in full pink paper boards, smooth spine with laterally mounted paper title labels, contemporary binding.

Headcaps trimmed, some wear to the edges, marginal soiling on the lower cover, occasional foxing throughout.

Scottish surgeon and explorer Mungo Park (1771–1806) reached Pisania (Gambia) during a first expedition to Africa (1795–1797), where he stayed for a time to gather information on the Mandingo people and language. He then continued his journey to the Niger River, ascending it as far as upstream from Ségou; however, hostility from the Moors forced him to turn back. Irish explorer Daniel Houghton (1740–1791) undertook an expedition in 1790, commissioned by the African Society of London, aiming to reach Timbuktu via the Niger. He only got as far as the Falémé River and was likely killed by the Bambara people. Determined to reach Timbuktu after Houghton's failure, Mungo Park embarked on a second journey (1805), during which he died on the Niger.

First edition of this biography of the renowned explorer.

Illustrated with a frontispiece portrait and a folding lithographed map bound at the end of the volume.

Copy preserved in a plain temporary wrapper.

Some light foxing, traces of damp-staining along the lower edge of all leaves.

Rare.

First edition of the French translation, revised under the author's supervision, by Joseph Lavallée, of this highly regarded travel account.

The atlas includes 16 plates depicting views and natural history subjects, 12 pages of engraved music, and 1 folding map (cf. Monglond VI 729–730).

Contemporary bindings in half blond calf over green vellum-tipped boards, smooth spines decorated with gilt tooling, yellow edges, for the three text volumes.

Contemporary binding for the atlas in half green sheep with vellum tips, smooth spine decorated with triple gilt fillets, soft green paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Wormholes on title pages, scuffed boards, joints starting, some foxing to the text volumes; minor abrasions and some foxing to the atlas boards.

Giuseppe Acerbi was the first Italian traveller to reach Lapland and the North Cape in 1799. He compiled an excellent general overview of Sweden and its northernmost regions, but above all, provided a thorough account of Finland, which had been little visited or documented by earlier travellers. Acerbi was accompanied by the Swedish colonel and skilled landscape artist Skioldebrand, whose drawings are reproduced in the atlas.

First edition of this highly significant document on the state of Parisian hospitals at the end of Louis XVI's reign, written by Jacques Tenon (1724–1816), surgeon at the Salpêtrière, which remained an influential reference for French hospital policy through to the Third Republic.

The work is complete with its 17 folding plates (including 2 tables and 14 architectural plans and elevations of hospitals).

Some light foxing; the copy appears to have been rebound in this later binding.

Contemporary pastiche binding in half Havana sheep, flat spine with gilt fillets and the gilt cipher and arms of the Chodron de Courcel family, green paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

The composition of this text took place within the framework of a public debate on the future of the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Paris.

In the 18th century, the Hôtel-Dieu was notoriously overcrowded, unsanitary, and prone to fires. It was used almost exclusively by the destitute who had no other care options, and it had gained a reputation as a "death trap" due to its dire conditions and high mortality rate. Two major fires had occurred in 1737 and 1772, the latter destroying much of the complex. In this context, the Baron de Breteuil, Secretary of the King’s Household, commissioned the Académie des sciences to investigate; Tenon's report was the outcome of that consultation. The text comprises five memoranda:

1. General overview of Parisian hospitals
2. Architecture, organization, and outcomes of the major hospitals in Paris
3. Location, surface area, and optimal sites
4. Description and organization of the Hôtel-Dieu in Paris
5. Architecture and organization of a hospital intended to replace the Hôtel-Dieu. Tenon counted 48 hospitals in Paris, excluding the smallest institutions: 22 hospitals for the sick, 20 for able-bodied paupers, and 6 for the indigent (sick or otherwise). He also mentions a hospital specifically for Protestants. Their legal status was complex: some were what we would now call public (under the authority of the King, the City Hall, the Archbishop...), others private (run by religious congregations or funded by lay donations for orphans and the needy). Tenon finally proposes the creation of a purpose-built hospital—what he calls a “healing machine”—a measurable structure subject to management and evaluation. It would be based on principles such as visibility (patients should be distributed so that they can be seen, distinguished, evaluated, and compared), and adequacy and appropriateness in terms of rest space, air circulation, and separation of patients and diseases (isolation of the contagious).

Composite copy: the first volume corresponds to the second American edition, which is partially original (with the shortened title Incidents of Travel in Yucatan), while the second is the first edition (with the full title); the text of the first volume being expanded compared to the 1841 edition. This title, originally printed in 15,000 copies, was a tremendous success and saw numerous reprints between 1841 and the author’s death in 1852 (cf. Sabin 91 297 and 91 299).

Illustrated with 96 engravings distributed as follows: 54 illustrations (some full-page in-text), including 21 plates out of text (among them a folding map and a folding frontispiece) for the first volume; for the second: 42 out-of-text plates, including 2 double-page spreads.

Contemporary early 20th-century bindings in black half shagreen, spines with five raised bands framed by blind tooling, minor rubbing to spines, slight discoloration to outer margins of boards, marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt top edges.

This work holds a major place in American travel literature: it marked the public’s first real encounter with the vestiges of Maya civilization. But it is not solely archaeological in focus: as a travel narrative, highly fashionable at the time, it blends anecdotes, character portraits, detailed descriptions of visited sites, extensive commentary on the political context and the civil war then tearing Central America apart, as well as the pioneering archaeological component, which in fact constitutes only about one-third of the work.

Born into a wealthy New York family, John Lloyd Stephens (1805–1852) undertook two expeditions to Central America following his 1836 meeting with the draughtsman Frederick Catherwood (1799–1854). Upon the death of the United States envoy to the Federation of Central America, Stephens leveraged his political connections to obtain a diplomatic mission to the region from President Van Buren. Central America at that time was in complete turmoil: a civil war raged between the federal government and the various states within the Federation. Stephens hoped that his diplomatic passport would afford him some protection during the journey. On 3 October 1839, Stephens and Catherwood sailed from British territory toward Belize, beginning a journey of several months that would take them to Copán, Quiriguá, Toniná, Palenque, and finally Uxmal. The second expedition, undertaken in October 1842 following the phenomenal success of their first publication, took the pair from Uxmal to Tulum, via Sayil, Labná, Kabah, and Chichén Itzá, covering over forty Maya sites. The text of this second edition reflects the added knowledge gained during this follow-up expedition.

Provenance: From the library of explorer and archaeologist Alexis-Antoine-Maurice de Périgny (1877–1935), with his pictorial bookplate mounted on the front endpapers.

De Périgny’s principal expeditions focused specifically on Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, Costa Rica, 1909–1913). He himself published Le Yucatan inconnu (1908) on the region.

First edition of the French translation for volumes 2, 3 and 4; second edition of the French translation for volume 1. (Not listed by Gay).

A few occasional spots, not affecting the overall freshness of the copy.

Bound in uniform olive green half percaline, smooth spines with gilt floral device and double gilt rules at foot, boards covered with decorative patterned paper, mauve endpapers and pastedowns, inner hinges discreetly restored with adhesive or partly split, all edges red.

Illustrated with 53 black plates comprising 92 engravings, 4 chromolithographs, a fine folding map of Northern and Central Africa showing the explored areas and the route taken, and a frontispiece portrait of the author.

Illustrations distributed as follows:

Volume 1: a frontispiece portrait of the author and one colour plate.

Volume 2: (pagination jumps from 164 to 167 without loss), one colour plate and 18 black plates.

Volume 3: one colour plate.

Volume 4: one colour plate, 35 black plates, and a large folding colour map.

The four colour plates are titled: Taepe, point of confluence of the Benue and Faro rivers, 13 June 1851. – Herd of elephants near Lake Chad, 25 September 1851. – Arrival in Timbuktu, 7 September 1853. – Ashenoumma, 17 June 1855. Lithographed after the author's drawings and printed by J. Adam in Munich.

Note: the first black plate in volume 2 and the colour map in volume 4 need to be remounted.

Conducted between 1850 and 1855, Henri Barth's explorations "resteront à jamais célèbres dans les annales de la géographie": he provided accurate data on the entire region of Central Africa stretching from Bagirmi in the east to Timbuktu in the west, discovered the Benue River, and more.

A handsome, uniformly bound copy of this much sought-after work.

First edition of the author's first work; Aboal Amaro, Amerigo Vespucci, page 31. Leclerc, 263 (does not mention this edition). Sabin, 10704.

Contemporary limp cream paper boards, plain spine, original binding.

Spine worn with some loss, a marginal stain affecting two leaves at the beginning, otherwise a clean and attractive copy.

This essay, in which the author argued "with a certain force of reasoning" (Larousse) that Vespucci discovered America before Christopher Columbus, was awarded the prize of the Academy of Cortona in 1788. The Florentine scholar Stanislas Canovai (1740–1811) devoted his life to restoring the reputation of the famed navigator Amerigo Vespucci, publishing several works on the subject. The last of these, published posthumously in 1817, is mentioned by Sabin with the following comment: "It is hardly possible to understand how calumnies against Amerigo, which have so long been taught in every school, could have, for many years, survived this excellent refutation."

Leclerc notes: "A dissertation much attacked, which gave rise to numerous inquiries into early Spanish voyages to the Indies." Dedication epistle to Giovanni Luigi di Durfort.

Manuscript ex-libris on the title page and engraved armorial bookplate pasted on the front pastedown.

Very important and last remaining archives in private hands, including autograph manuscripts, typescripts, corrected proofs, offprints, first editions, etc.

Exceptional collection of manuscript and printed archives – the last in private hands – of the founder of liberalism and modern economics, Léon Walras, preserved and annotated by his most prominent scholar William Jaffé. One of the 5 most important sets of personal archives belonging to Walras, considered by Schumpeter “the greatest of all economists”.

This collection of 42 important documents, including complete autograph manuscripts, corrected proofs, abundantly annotated offprints and expanded printed material, was given by his daughter Aline Walras and then Gaston Leduc to William Jaffé, who added his autograph notes to some of them and used them to edit the first translation of Éléments d’économie politique pure. 

First edition of the French translation by Marie Bonaparte, one of 70 numbered copies on pur fil, the only deluxe paper copies.

Covers slightly and marginally toned, otherwise a handsome and rare copy.

The text is preceded by a translation of the short story Gradiva by Wilhelm Jensen, rendered by E. Zak and G. Sadoul.

It is followed by a psychoanalytic study of the dream and the fascination experienced by the young archaeologist Norbert Hanold for the image of a young woman sculpted in a bas-relief from the collections of the Museum of Rome.

Rare first edition of this "relation (...) much sought after for its accuracy", illustrated with 19 folding plates, including 2 maps (cf. Sabin 3604, Leclerc 119).

Full marbled tan calf binding, spine with five raised bands, gilt compartments decorated with gilt floral motifs, small chip at foot of spine, scuffing to covers, red edges, bumped corners, gilt fillets along the board edges, contemporary binding.

The author, a physician and botanist born in Perpignan in 1690—where he held a post at the military hospital—was introduced by Antoine de Jussieu to the Conseil de la Marine in August 1721 and appointed royal physician and botanist in French Guiana. He landed in Cayenne at the end of 1721 and left the colony in May 1724. During his stay, he explored the banks of the Kourou and Orapu rivers, studying the local flora, fauna, and indigenous customs.

His account, one of the earliest on French Guiana, is of great importance and was widely used by eighteenth-century geographers.

First edition, comprising the original narrative of the discovery of the Kerguelen Islands, together with a memoir on Madagascar (pp. 154-169), and the portion headed “Observations sur la guerre de l’Amérique” (pp. 121-133, Sabin 3718).

Work illustrated with a folding map bound out of text (“Terres Australes ou partie septentrionale de l’Isle de Kerguelen”), bordered by eight smaller coastal charts or views.

Contemporary full marbled fawn calf, spine tooled in gilt with sawtooth motifs and floral devices; red calf title label with a minor loss at the foot; joints showing rubbing; boards framed in black along the leather edges; gilt fillets on the leading edges, partly faded; red edges.

Spine restored; a scattering of insignificant foxing; faint waterstaining at the top edge towards the close of the volume; a corner loss at the head of leaves 241-42, with the text entirely unaffected.

Seized under the ruling of 28 May 1783 for its dedication “à la Patrie”, the work saw many of its copies eliminated in the aftermath.

Born in Trémarec on 13 February 1734, Kerguelen died in Paris on 4 March 1797. “En mai 1771, il partait pour l'Océan Indien sur le Berryer et arriva en août à l'île de France. Avec la Fortune et le Gros Ventre, il vérifia la nouvelle route des Indes découverte par Grenier puis descendit vers le sud, découvrit en février 1772 les îles de la Fortune, prit possession des terres qui portent depuis son nom et rentra à Brest en juillet 1772. Promu capitaine de vaisseau, il repartit en mars 1773 avec le Roland et l'Oiseau. Arrivé en vue des terres australes en décembre, gêné par le mauvais temps, il dut remonter vers le nord, fit escale à Antongil (Madagascar) et rentra à Brest en septembre 1774 pour être accusé de commerce frauduleux et d'embarquement clandestin d'une jeune fille à son bord. Condamné en mai 1775 à être rayé du corps et emprisonné à Saumur, il fut libéré en août 1778 et arma aussitôt la Comtesse de Brionne à Rochefort avec laquelle il fit la course en mer du Nord” [Taillemite]. 

["In May 1771, he departed for the Indian Ocean on the Berryer and reached the Isle of France in August. With the Fortune and the Gros Ventre, he confirmed the new route to the Indies discovered by Grenier, then sailed south, discovering the Isles of Fortune in February 1772, taking possession of the lands that now bear his name, and returning to Brest in July 1772. Promoted to ship’s captain, he departed again in March 1773 with the Roland and the Oiseau. Upon sighting the southern lands in December, hampered by bad weather, he was compelled to return north, stopping at Antongil (Madagascar), and returned to Brest in September 1774, only to be accused of fraudulent trading and of clandestinely taking a young girl aboard. Condemned in May 1775 to be struck from the service and imprisoned at Saumur, he was released in August 1778 and immediately outfitted the Comtesse de Brionne at Rochefort, with which he cruised in the North Sea."] 

First edition in French, one of 1,000 numbered copies on Annonay rag paper, the only deluxe paper copies.

Illustrated with numerous photographs. Preface by Maurice Herzog. Foreword by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Publisher’s full flexible boards binding. Lacking slipcase, spine sunned with minor tears at head and foot.

Rare and handsome autograph inscription, dated and signed by General John Hunt: "A M. Robert Moch vous témoignant notre reconnaissance de nous avoir préparé la trace jusqu'au sommet du signal de l'Iséran le 3 janvier - et pour vous exprimer nos regrets de ne pas l'avoir suivie ! John Hunt 7/1/54."

This copy is further enhanced with the handwritten signature of Edmund Hillary beneath the inscription.

Original black and white photograph depicting Boris Yegorov in flight suit.

A fine copy.

Rare autograph of Boris Yegorov in blue ink in the left margin of the photograph.

On 12 October 1964, aboard Voskhod 1, Boris Yegorov made his sole flight as a physician, participating in the first mission in history to carry three crew members.

Provenance: from the collection of the renowned autograph collector Claude Armand.

First edition. Illustrated with a lithograph showing sections and views of the Tain-Tournon bridge project, then under construction.
3/4 marbled roan binding, spine framed and decorated in gilt, red morocco title-piece, marbled paper boards, marbled paper endpapers and flyleaves. Spine, spine-ends and corners rubbed, contemporary binding signed by Stroobants.

Extremely rare pamphlet by Seguin on a prototype suspension bridge built over the Galore river at Saint-Vallier in Isère. It served as an experimental construction for the Tain-Tournon bridge, the world's first large suspension bridge invented by Seguin using metal wires.