Rarest Books (Untraceables)

First edition.

Full red morocco binding, round spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt fleurons, slight rubbing on the caps, double frame of blind-stamped gilt fillets on the covers, with fleurons at the corners of the inner frame, edges slightly blunt, marbled paper endpapers and back covers, gilt edges and heads, very elegant 19th-century binding ‘a la Du Seuil’ signed Quinet on the first endpaper. 

Rare first edition of Chamblain de Marivaux's first theatrical success, The Surprise of Love, published four years before The Second Surprise of Love. This play, performed in the spring of 1722 before being published the...

First edition of this important and early collection of 50 superb lithographs of Algiers printed on china paper mounted on heavy wove, executed by the two painters Emile-Aubert Lessore (1805–1876), a pupil of Ingres, and William Wyld (1806–1889), a friend of Vernet. The work was originally issued in five parts: buildings, landscapes, figures, scenes, etc.

See: Bibliothèque algérienne de Gérard Sangnier, no. 207. Not in Blackmer. Playfair, 517. Tailliart, 896. Gay, 919. Brunet III, 1018.

Contemporary binding in half green shagreen, flat spine with triple gilt fillets and blind-stamped fleurons, gilt decorative bands at head and foot of spine, the upper band partially faded...

First edition printed in a very small number (cf. Polak 1648-1649).

Collection of two obituary notices published in the days following the death of Auguste-Nicolas Vaillant (1793-1858), the renowned navigator who commanded "La Bonite" during the celebrated scientific voyage of exploration of 1835-1837.

With continuous pagination (26 pp.), two separate title-pages and a general title, they are extracted from the "Moniteur universel" and the "Journal des débats" of 9 November 1858 (Vaillant died on 1 November).

The authors are Frédéric Chassériau and J.-J. Baude (their names appear at the end of each text). Cf. Taillemite 332.

A rare and appealing copy.

Rare first edition.

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.

A pleasing copy.

Very rare signed and inscribed copy by Georges Gilles de la Tourette: “À mon cher confrère et ami le Dr Diamantberger. Gilles de La Tourette.”

First edition (cf. Polak 8547).

Rare copy preserved in its original stitching, in temporary cream paper wrappers.

A few marginal manuscript annotations on page 49.

This publication includes only the decrees issued between 7 Thermidor Year II [25 July 1794] and 9 Fructidor Year II [26 August 1794], although the mission of the Convention member Jeanbon Saint-André (1749–1813) in Toulon continued until March 1795.

An important document on the work of one of the reformers of the French navy during the Revolution.

First edition following the unobtainable mimeographed version produced by the author.
Inevitable minor wear along the edges of the covers and spine, restoration to the upper left corner of the front cover, newspaper clipping laid in. Barnes & Noble price sticker affixed to the front cover.
Commentary by Paul Krassner.
 
This incendiary pamphlet, issued by the marginal and modest Olympia Press, newly re-established in New York, was printed in only a small number of copies.
Gender discrimination, hate speech and incitement to genocide, a violent and unrepentant attempted murder of one of the most celebrated artists of the twentieth century, the advocacy of...

First edition of this treatise on the jurisdictional privileges granted to France by the Porte, a true system of exemptions benefiting French nationals.

Bound in full black cloth, spines smoothly restored, red morocco lettering-pieces, blind-ruled panels on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

In addition to reduced customs duties, those concerned were exempted from most local taxes and subject only to the jurisdiction of their consulates, rather than to Ottoman courts.

Small areas of discoloration to the covers, some scattered foxing.

New edition.
Contemporary binding in half green shagreen, spine in four compartments set with gilt stippling, gilt fillets and gilt fleurons in the corner pieces, multiple blind tooled frames on the boards, white iridescent paper endpapers, all edges gilt.
Some leaves shorter in the bottom margin.

Handwritten inscription signed by George Sand on the first endpaper: “à mon bon ami Edmond Plauchut. G. Sand".

Today the only outsider to the family buried in the cemetery of the Nohant house, is Lucien-Joseph-Edmond Plau
chut (1824-1909) who began an epistolary relationship with George Sand in the autumn of 1848 when he was a voluntary expatriate after...

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...

Original colour print, printed on laid paper and signed in the plate lower right.

Original engraving produced for the illustration of La Gazette du Bon Ton, one of the most beautiful and influential fashion journals of the 20th century, celebrating the talent of French designers and artists at the height of the Art Deco era.

First edition of this preliminary study to the monumental Historia fisica, politica y natural de la isla de Cuba (Paris, 1832-1861).

Cf Kress 26 754. Palau 284 794. Sabin 74 919.

Contemporary half calf, flat spine decorated with gilt fillets and fleurons as well as a large blind-stamped fleuron, gilt rolls at head and tail, marbled paper boards with some rubbing along the edges, a few small bumps to the extremities, sprinkled edges.

Headcaps rubbed, tear to leaves v–vi with loss of a few letters on the final leaf, title-page slightly soiled, a faint dampstain affecting the lower margin of the first few leaves.

Inscribed by Ramon de La Sagra to...

Very rare first edition. 

Some light foxing.

Contemporary 19th-century modest half-grained cloth binding, spine faded, marbled paper boards with surface abrasions, yellow endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges. 

Sole edition, uncommon, of this vindication by Jacob Spon (1647-1685) concerning his major travel account of the Levant (Voyage d'Italie, de Dalmatie, de Grèce et du Levant, fait aux années 1675 & 1676), published in 1678.

Very rare first edition illustrated at the end with 4 folding plates (cf Quérard VII, 190).

Modern binding in half mottled sheep with small vellum corners, smooth spine decorated with double gilt fillets, red morocco title-piece, marbled paper boards.

The author was a lawyer and architect in Lunéville.

Chapters on fire, the causes of fires, stoves and chimneys, floors, partitions, staircases, roofing, etc.

Pleasant copy.

Rare first edition illustrated, at the end of the volume, with 2 folding plates.

Unique edition, of the utmost rarity, rendered all the more so by the second dedication to Berthier, unrecorded elsewhere and evidently added later.

It is known that the young Bonaparte, assigned to the artillery regiment of La Fère, had passionately learned his military trade at the Royal School of Artillery in Auxonne.

It is also known that he had studied in depth the Nouveaux principes d'artillerie by Benjamin Robins, on which he left notes.

This work must therefore have drawn his particular attention. The author long taught artillery in military schools, yet little is known about...

First edition, one of 20 deluxe copies on Holland paper, the only large-paper issue, reimposed in octavo format (the ordinary edition being in duodecimo).

Cf. Vicaire III, 305-306. Carteret I, 222.

Contemporary full stiff ivory vellum, smooth spine, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Fine copy.

Bibliographers mention 25 copies, which seems difficult to account for, as the limitation is clearly stated on the verso of the half-title. This procedure was customary for the author (Les Six aventures, 1857, was issued in the same dual printing).

Precious presentation copy inscribed and signed by Maxime Du Camp to the celebrated critic Jules Janin...

First edition.

Half blue shagreen, spine with four raised bands decorated with gilt floral tools within blind-ruled compartments, blind fillet borders on indigo percaline boards, boards with marginal soiling at foot, brown paper endleaves and pastedowns, modern bookplate affixed to a pastedown, contemporary binding.

Some scattered foxing, a black ink stain on the edge not affecting the text.

First edition, one of the review copies.
Preface by Raymond Queneau.
Rare and appealing copy.

Rare signed autograph presentation from Boris Vian to Marc Bernard.

First edition of the author's second work, one of 10 numbered copies on Holland paper, the only deluxe paper issue.
Bound in yellow half morocco with corners, spine with five raised bands, gilt date at foot, a small black spot at head of spine, floral and moiré patterned paper boards, pale green paper endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved, gilt edges, bookplate of Gérard Pesme Baron de Saint-Genies pasted on a pastedown, binding signed by Thomas Boichot.
Half-title entirely toned.
A fine copy, handsomely bound.

First edition, very rare. "Aucun exemplaire de ce livre imprimé aux frais de la duchesse d'Orléans avant 1814 ne fut distribué de son vivant (Tourneux, Bibl. de l'hist. de Paris pendant la Révolution fr., IV, 21752)

Cf Quérard, VIII, 258. Brunet, II, 1136. Tourneux, 21572.

Some leaves browned or foxed.

Contemporary Bradel bindings in full purple paper boards imitating long-grain morocco, spines slightly faded, decorated with gilt fillets, friezes, and fleurons, gilt crowned monogram at the head of the spines, entirely uncut, headcaps slightly worn, some wear to the corners of volumes 3 and 4, bindings contemporary to the publication.

Some leaves slightly...

Rare bilingual edition, in Italian with the Croatian text facing, of this study on the woods of Istria, with at the end of the volume a folding engraved plate on the timbers intended for naval construction "de sorte que les navires dureraient plus longtemps".

Disbound copy, the plate detached.

From the Bibliothèque économique Lasteyrie, with its stamp on the title page.

New edition illustrated with numerous engravings in the text: plants, animals, musical scores, geometrical figures, electrical devices, assorted objects, etc.

The table on p. 1323 presents the periodic classification of the elements; the figure on p. 1483 illustrates the path of light rays passing through lenses.

Publisher’s binding in half black percaline, spine titled in Chinese characters, sand-coloured boards slightly soiled at the margins, corners rubbed, endpapers partially toned.

The Cihai, or "Sea of Words," is a Chinese encyclopedic dictionary, work on which began in 1915 and which was first published in 1936.

First edition (a second edition appeared in 1896) illustrated with 6 facsimiles and a large folding map.

Not in Tailliart.

Foxing, spine cracked with small losses, a few corner defects to the boards, also lightly soiled at the margins.

Adolphe Hanoteau (1814-1897) pursued his entire military career in Algeria, attaining the rank of brigadier general; he devoted most of his work to the study of the Kabyle language, customs, and institutions. Tamasheq is a Tuareg language spoken primarily by the Tuaregs of Mali.

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...

First edition, printed on vellum paper in 260 numbered copies.

Bradel binding in half vellum-style boards, smooth spine, gilt title running lengthwise, gilt fillet framing the marbled paper covers, top edge gilt.

A long orange offset to the margin of the lower cover on the vellum-style board, light orange offsets to the margins of the white endpapers.

Illustrated with 68 plates reproducing drawings by Max Liebermann in facsimile.

This copy retains the two original etchings by Max Liebermann, each signed by him in pencil.

First edition published in book form, expanded with the French translation established by G. Pauthier. (cf. Cordier, "Sinica", 1399-1340.)

A portion of the work had first appeared in 1832 in the "Revue Encyclopédique" of May–June, and was also issued separately in a 23-page printing.

The text is presented in French with a Latin version and the Chinese text facing.

The Chinese characters were produced using movable types engraved on steel punches and cast by Marcellin-Legrand, engraver to the Royal Printing Office.

A small angular loss at the foot of the lower cover required a minor restoration on the last page of the volume; slight, inconsequential tears at head...

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...

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...

First edition of this fine collection comprising 72 numbered copper-engraved plates. (cf. Katalog der Ornamentstichsammlung Berlin, 2744. Brunet, V, 199 lists the author's name as Scheult).

Contemporary half calf binding with vellum-tipped corners, recently rebacked with a smooth spine decorated with gilt ornamental rolls and fleurons, olive green morocco label. Some rubbing to the spine, marbled paper-covered boards.

Scattered foxing, light dampstain to the upper outer corner of most leaves.

Rare first edition of the French translation established by P.-F. Henry. (Gay 2683.)

Some occasional light foxing.

The work also includes an oblong quarto atlas, in which map no. 6 has been bound upside down, containing 33 engraved plates and maps (1 to 32 plus 1bis) based on the author's original drawings.

The illustrations comprise 8 maps or plans and 25 plates depicting a variety of subjects: views, portraits, inscriptions, buildings, hunting scenes, animals, etc.

As is frequently the case, our copy lacks the out-of-text plate in volume 2 showing ancient inscriptions.

In 1809, Henry Salt was sent on a diplomatic mission to Abyssinia to establish trade...

First edition of this correspondence recounting the journey of Joseph-François Michaud and Jean-Joseph-François Poujoulat through Greece, the Archipelago, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Egypt (cf. Atabey 807. Blackmer 1122. Contominas 465).

Minor losses to corners on some boards and spines, a pleasant set overall.

Our copy retains, at the end of volume II, the extremely rare map that is missing from most other copies.

First edition of this exceptionally rare complete set of twelve dance scores, each comprising a color-printed wrapper and five leaves (title page, four numbered pages of engraved music, and one blank leaf). All covers were lithographed and hand-colored using stencil techniques by Adolphe Cathelin, whose name appears on the title pages.

The musical works are by composers Alexandre Croisez, Alexandre Artus, Eugène Dupuis, Camille Michel, Alphonse Leduc, Émile Waldteufel, Voctir-Auguste Dolmetsch, Félix Joufferoy, and Antony Lamotte.

Contemporary half green calf binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt and blind-stamped fillets and dotted lines, joints rubbed; granite-patterned...

First edition of this highly important work, presenting the full text of all decrees and ordinances relating to trade with the Americas, primarily the West Indies (cf. Sabin 11812. Leclerc 113. Barbier I, 649 c. Ined 1038, 1783 edition).

Illustrated with two engraved frontispiece titles and ten maps (nine folding), depicting South America, North America (repeated in vol. 2), Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Domingue (2), Cayenne and its surroundings, Louisiana, the Guinea coast, as well as twelve engraved plates showing botanical specimens (sugarcane, cotton, tobacco, cocoa), genre scenes (a Black king dispensing justice, a slave market, turtle fishing), various tools and objects...

First edition of the second orientalist bibliography compiled by Henri Cordier (1849–1925), following his Sinica (1878–1895).

The first four volumes are bound in full red cloth, smooth spines (spine of the first volume slightly faded), marbled endpapers and pastedowns, modern bindings.

The fifth and final volume, published in 1932, is in original wrappers.

Copy from the library of the Indologist Émile Sénart (1847–1928), with his printed ownership stamps on the title pages of volumes three and four.

Rare complete set in five volumes.

First edition of this beautifully lithographed album after various artists, alternating picturesque views with architectural details. (Not listed in the Ornamentstischsammlung catalogue, Berlin.)

This splendid album contains 51 lithographed plates outside the text, our copy with two additional duplicate plates bound in.

Contemporary binding in half black morocco, smooth spine decorated with gilt typographic motifs, original black moiré paper boards with gilt title on upper cover preserved, original delivery wrappers bound in, corners rubbed, some marginal tears and wear to board edges, modern binding.

Some occasional foxing.

First edition of this significant publication issued by the Commission of Inquiry tasked with collecting all available data and documentation on the cultivation, production, and sale of tobacco.

Illustrated with numerous folding tables and a folding map of France, printed in lithography by A. Cabassol and bound out of text.

Apparently not recorded in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Contemporary half calf binding, flat spine rebacked and decorated with gilt fillets, morocco labels in light brown, some rubbing to the spine, marbled paper boards with minor marginal flaws, marbled endpapers, sprinkled edges.

Some spotting to top edge; an embossed ownership...

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...

First edition of both parts; the second includes a folding map at the end.

No copies of either text recorded in the CCF (Catalogue collectif de France).

Pale green cloth Bradel binding, flat spine with vertical green morocco label, original wrappers preserved for both volumes, green paper endleaves and pastedowns; modern binding.

These are the very first reports on the Central Asian expedition (Ladakh, Xinjiang) undertaken in 1913–1914 by Dr. Filippo De Filippi (1869–1938).

A rare and attractive set.

Rare first edition, printed in five-column format and illustrated with 27 color maps.

According to the CCF, only the BnF holds copies of this edition.

Some light foxing.

Publisher’s binding in green half cloth, plain flat spine in canvas, soft vellum frame on the upper cover, lower cover in full soft vellum, gilt title on upper board; damage to the lower right corner of the upper cover, restored binding.

Candido Mendes de Almeida (1818–1881), lawyer and politician, took a particular interest in matters of education.

Rare first edition (cf. Polak, 1808; Quérard, II, 133. Not in Crowne Library. Absent from Brunet.)

Contemporary full marbled calf bindings, spines with five raised bands framed in gilt fillets, gilt double compartments with decorative tooling, red morocco title labels, volume label with partly faded gilt on vol. II, some joints restored, gilt roll-tooled caps partially dulled, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dentelles, red edges.

Some foxing, final leaves in both volumes and endpapers lightly toned in margins.

First edition of this magnificent work, one of Gustave Le Bon’s (1841–1931) contributions to anthropology, in which he applied his pioneering theories to the Arab world. One of the few copies printed on japon paper, unrecorded in bibliographies.

Illustrated with 10 chromolithographs, 4 maps, and 366 engravings, including 70 large plates, after the author’s photographs or the most reliable documentary sources. Cf. Vicaire V, 134.

Contemporary half cherry-red shagreen, spine with five raised bands adorned with gilt fillets and double gilt compartments, double gilt fillet frame on marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt.

Minor...

New edition illustrated with 47 engraved and hand-colored costume plates (cf. Colas 2784).

This is a reissue, under the Metz imprint, of a portion (volume IV) of the Tableau Historique des costumes, des moeurs et des usages des principaux peuples de l'antiquité et du moyen âge, originally published in Paris and Metz between 1804 and 1809.

Rare and attractive copy preserved in its original publisher’s wrappers, with the original plain waiting cover and a printed title label affixed at the head of the spine.

Very rare collection comprising offprints of original editions of articles and reviews first published in the Journal des savants or the Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient.

Bradel binding in green bottle cloth-backed boards, flat spine decorated with a central gilt ornament and double gilt fillet at foot, red morocco title label, marbled paper boards, some original wrappers preserved, modern binding signed Boichot.

Most of the fascicles are by the Indologist Auguste Barth (1834–1916), one of the founders of the École française d'Extrême-Orient, and the originator of Indochinese epigraphy through his studies of Sanskrit inscriptions in Cambodia. He...

Rare collector’s head volume of this fascinating economic, agricultural, and industrial journal founded by economist and statistician César Moreau (1791–1860), who also established the "Société française de statistique" (cf. BNF, "Catalogue collectif des périodiques", III, p. 157. Not in Hatin.)

Text printed in three columns.

Contemporary half brown sheepskin binding, smooth spine gilt-ruled with decorative panels, joints rubbed and professionally restored, marbled paper-covered boards, corners worn, yellow edges speckled with red.
Issue no. 23 of the second year is lacking from our set, which collation is as follows:

• 1) 8 pp. comprising the society’s...

First edition of each volume.

No copy of this series listed in the CCF.

Contemporary bindings in quarter bottle-green or black sheep, flat spines decorated with double gilt fillets, marbled paper boards, endpapers and pastedowns of combed or tub-marbled paper; the first volume bound at the time of publication.

Some rubbing to the headcaps of the first two volumes.

 I. Minutes of the twenty-sixth [- thirty-ninth] meeting, 18 January 1932 [26 October 1932]: 6 pp., 7 pp., 9 pp., 11 pp., 5 pp., 3 pp., 3 pp., 4 pp., 2 pp., 6 pp., 9 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 4 pp. II. Minutes of the fortieth [forty-eighth] meeting, 7 February 1933 [21 December 1933]: 8 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp., 6...

First edition (cf. Grand-Carteret, Almanachs, 158; Saffroy, Almanachs et annuaires, 306.)

Bound in full old red morocco, smooth spine decorated with fleur-de-lis panels, gilt roll tooling on the caps, triple gilt fillet framing on covers, gilt tooling along the edges, corners slightly rubbed, all edges gilt, contemporary binding.

Date handwritten in black ink at the top of the upper cover.

This rather rare almanac was published continuously from 1744 to 1789.

Provenance: From the library of heraldist Olivier Le Bas, with his bookplate mounted on a pastedown.

First edition (Grand-Carteret, Almanachs, 158; Saffroy, Almanachs et annuaires, 306).

Contemporary full old red morocco binding, smooth spine decorated with fleur-de-lis panels, gilt roll-stamping on partially faded head- and tailcaps, triple gilt fillet borders on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, all edges gilt.

Spine heavily rubbed with worn decorative motifs; upper cover rubbed along the left margin at the level of the triple gilt fillets.

This rather uncommon almanac appeared continuously from 1744 to 1789.

First edition of the French translation of the compilation entitled Historia de la dominacion de los Arabes en España sacada de varios manuscritos y memorias arabigas (Madrid, 1820–21), cf. Playfair 528. Palau 59020.

Contemporary bindings in black half sheepskin, flat spines decorated with gilt garlands and blind-tooled floral ornaments, gilt library shelfmark numbers at foot, vellum-tipped corners, headcaps rubbed on two volumes, covers in mottled paper, bookplates pasted on the endpapers, a few small chips to the upper edges and corners of the third volume, sprinkled edges.

Scattered foxing, minor rubbing to the bindings.

Copy from the library of Vittorio...

First edition, printed in a very small number of copies, of this extremely rare offprint (cf. Tardy 338 for the complete edition. Not listed by Polak.)

Some minor foxing, a handwritten letter "R" in ink at the upper right corner of the front wrapper.

A pleasant copy.

Three-and-a-quarter-page manuscript written in black ink on a bifolium.

One vertical fold.

Manuscript detailing the nominal roster of the Spanish squadron that set sail under the command of Don Luis de Cordova, Don Antonio de Ulloa, and Don Miguel Gastón.

Rare first edition of one of the many promotional pamphlets extolling the virtues of the celebrated Aqua mirabilis, or "eau admirable", invented by Giovanni Paolo Feminis and produced through the distillation of grape spirits with neroli oil, bergamot, lavender, and rosemary.

Unless, of course, it is one of its many imitations.

Very rare first edition of the author's very first work, in which he clearly sought to draw attention during this period of revival of the national stud farms, abolished during the Revolution and officially reinstated in 1806 (see Mennessier de La Lance II, 138).

Contemporary full marbled fawn calf, flat spine richly gilt with garlands, Greek keys, floral tools and geometric motifs, green morocco title labels, gilt rolls on the almost faded caps, gilt ornamental borders on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillet on edges, worn corners, sprinkled edges.

Facing the title page, signed autograph inscription by Louis de Maleden to "Messieurs Talendier et...

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 of this significant travel account, which retraces a major circumnavigation with key stopovers including Île Bourbon, Pondicherry, Singapore, Manila, Macao, Tourane, the Anambas Islands, Java, Surabaya, Port Jackson, Santiago, Valparaíso, and Rio de Janeiro.

The atlas volume contains 56 plates and maps, 13 of which are hand-colored (cf. Sabin 6875; Borba de Moraes I, 115; Ferguson 2236; Nissen ZBI, 483; British Museum (Natural History) II, 605).

The text volumes are bound in contemporary navy blue half calf, flat spines faded and decorated with gilt and blind-ruled fillets, gilt roll-tooled head- and tailpieces, marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers...

First edition of the French translation by Father F. Le Comte (cf. Cordier, Bibl. Indosinica, 1046. Streit BM, V 1719. Sommervogel V, 583).

Contemporary full mottled brown calf, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt garlands and double gilt panels adorned with gilt floral tools, speckled edges.

Spine expertly restored; pages 181–184 repeated; pagination jumps from 284 to 289 without loss.

The first part (pp. 1–327) contains the “Relation du Royaume de Tunquin,” and the second, the “Relation du Royaume de Lao” (pp. 329–436). The Italian Jesuit G. F. de'Marini (born in Taggia [Genoa] in 1608 – died in Macao in 1682) set sail for the Indies in 1638, preached the...

Very rare first edition, illustrated with 73 plates outside the text, including a frontispiece portrait and two folding plates (see Gelli, 436-437).

No copy recorded in the CCF (French collective catalogue).

Our copy, with wide margins, is preserved in its original blue paper wrappers, untrimmed and with a reinforced spine.

Some minor spotting, slight loss at the corners of the plain wrappers, a faint dampstain to the lower left corner of the title page, and a small defect to the final page of the table of contents, not affecting the text.

Only edition of this fencing manual, compiled from both French and Italian sources.

Little is known of J. de Saint-Martin...

New edition printed in 55 copies only (see publisher's foreword).

Only one copy of this edition listed in the CCF (BnF).

Contemporary temporary binding in full cherry paper boards, flat spine without lettering, minor rubbing to the binding.

Foxing, restorations to the head and tail of the spine, lower corners worn, a dampstain to the lower outer corner of the final leaves.

The text of Horace is in Latin only.

This rare folio edition was preceded in 1815 and 1818 by two small-format printings intended for student use.

The aim was to bring together in a single small volume the two principal sources of taste in versification, as upheld by classical...

Attractive promotional album, complete with its 600 sepia-toned photographs (small prints, each approximately 7 x 5 cm), produced by the La Corona cigar brand. Each vignette was originally included inside the brand's cigar boxes and was meant to be collected and mounted in the album, following a well-established marketing model that remains in use to this day.

Publisher’s original flexible boards with black cloth tape along the margins; some scuffing to covers, corners rubbed.

First edition (cf. Polak 2791).

Contemporary half purple calf binding, smooth spine darkened and decorated with gilt fillets, garlands and fleurons, marbled paper boards, hand-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, red edges. Corners rubbed. Period binding.

Small restored loss to the title page, two scuffs to the foot of the upper board.

The author, a former graduate of the École Polytechnique, was a professor of navigation.

First edition of this exceedingly rare pamphlet, written by a certain Le Mée from Haiphong, primarily describing the economic resources of Tonkin.

Work illustrated with a large folding map.

No copies recorded in the CCF.

Head and foot of spine chipped, a few minor spots of foxing.

First edition of this work written in collaboration with Christian Funck-Brentano and Marcel Bousser.

"L'Institut des hautes études marocaines a cru opportun de faire réunir en volume les tirages à part de la Bibliographie marocaine, publiée régulièrement dans la revue Hespéris."

The archivist Pierre Hellouin de Cénival (1888–1937) had served as curator of the Archives and Library of the French Protectorate in Morocco, based in Rabat, from 1918 to 1927.

Spine slightly faded with minor tears skillfully repaired at head and foot; clean and attractive interior.

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.

An important and exceedingly rare collection of administrative documents relating to the forest management system established by France in Indochina.

- I. Decree reorganizing the Forestry Service in Cochinchina (1892, 20 pp.).

II. Decree reorganizing the Forestry Service in Cochinchina (1894, 12 pp.).

• - III. Decree of 17 October 1905, amending that of 7 April 1904, regulating the forest regime in Cochinchina (1905, 8 pp.).
• - IV. Decree setting forest tariffs for the year 1895 (1895, 12 pp.).
• - V. Loi nghi dinh phép dang lam (1894, 22 pp.).
• - VI. Decree concerning penalties in forestry matters (1895, 8 pp.).
• - VII...

Rare first edition of this predominantly folkloric and literary work: the Forest of Bréchéliant, also known as the Forest of Paimpont, is traditionally identified in Breton folklore with the mythical Forest of Brocéliande from Arthurian legend.

Illustrated with 14 full-page plates in the first volume and 21 in the second.

Our copy was uniquely extra-illustrated at the time with 59 postcards and 2 original photographs mounted on thin cardboard and bound into the volumes.

Contemporary half black shagreen bindings, flat spines with gilt compartments and decorative gilt typographic motifs, marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns...

Very rare first edition.

No copies listed in the CCF or WorldCat.

Official recognition by the Peruvian Senate of the rank of Rear Admiral granted to Antonio Ambrosio de La Haza Rodriguez (1825–1891), one of the most distinguished naval officers of the Andean Republic.

He served as Minister of War in 1877 and as Commander-in-Chief of the naval forces in 1878–1879.

A handsome copy.

First edition.

Bound in full cherry red morocco, smooth spine richly gilt with romantic typographic ornaments, gilt roll tooling on the caps, boards framed with double gilt fillets and interlaced motifs with gilt corner fleurons, gilt AO monogram stamped at the center of the boards, gilt garland border on the pastedowns, moiré sky-blue silk endpapers and pastedowns, trace of a removed bookplate on one pastedown, gilt fillets on the edges, all edges gilt, contemporary binding.

The sections relating to the colonies are as follows: Martinique, pp. 199–203; Guadeloupe and dependencies, pp. 204–209; French Guiana, pp. 210–212; Bourbon, pp. 216–220; French settlements in Oceania...

Extremely rare reissue of this journal. None of the institutions consulted hold this edition (see Palau, 71807).

Contemporary full ivory vellum binding with overlapping edges, flat spine with calligraphic title running lengthwise, boards slightly soiled.

The book was most likely reinserted into its original binding; a few small stains.

The first Spanish edition was issued the same year in Seville by Sebastián de Armendáriz - bookseller, publisher, and forerunner of Spanish journalism - at the press of Thomas Lopez de Haro.

It appears that the document used as the basis for Armendáriz’s account was a report by an eyewitness to the events, Count Paolo...

First edition, illustrated with 6 folding plates at the end of the volume (cf. Polak 5375).

Contemporary Bradel binding in full red boards, flat spine, black shagreen label with gilt lettering, the upper cover stamped in gilt with the monogram of Prince Eugène de Beauharnais, stepson of Napoleon. Lower corners a bit rubbed. Period binding.

A few minor spots, not affecting legibility.

Only two copies listed in the CCF (BnF and École Polytechnique).

The only edition of this insightful analysis of French naval doctrine at the close of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, significantly bearing the motto on the title page: Delenda est Britannia. Charles-Louis-Victor...

First edition with all first printing  features, one of the press copies.

Exceptional presentation copy inscribed by the author to the famous singer Yvette Guilbert, to whom Céline himself sang and offered one of his scandalous compositions, “Katika la putain,” [Katika the Whore] later renamed “À Nœud coulant” [With a Slipknot"] "A madame Yvette Guilbert en témoignage de ma profonde admiration. LFCéline.” 

Beneath Céline's inscription, the actor Fabrice Luchini added: “A Yvette Guilbert in memoriam. FLuchini” ; and on the half-title, actor Jean-François Balmer wrote in turn: “Merci en bon...

First edition, profusely illustrated with in-text figures.

Contemporary red half shagreen binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt fillets and triple gilt compartments, gilt initials at the foot of the spine, some rubbing to the bands, boards framed with blind-stamped fillets, marbled endpapers and pastedowns. A binding of the period.

A rare and appealing copy.

Uncommon first edition (cf. Polak 8200).

Modern binding in light blue cloth, smooth spine, speckled edges, original wrappers preserved and mounted on tabs.

The work was written at a time when the abolition of privateering was increasingly being discussed—a measure that would later be enacted in the Treaty of Paris of 1856.

First edition, illustrated with three wood-engraved astronomical diagrams in the text (cf. Houzeau & Lancaster 10737; Lalande, Biblio. astronomique, 419-420; Polak 6542 for the second edition).

Full marbled blond calf binding, smooth spine gilt-tooled with floral motifs (some faded), gilt title in long, some rubbing to spine and boards, triple gilt fillet framing the covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt roll border on pastedowns, gilt fillet on board edges, bumped corners, all edges gilt, contemporary binding.

"This work contains analytical formulas for determining latitude, declination, the time of day, sunrise and sunset, the equation of altitudes, refractions...

First and only edition of this technical pamphlet, detailing numerous experiments conducted on ships using "spalme," a mixture of pitch and cement (in Le Havre, Honfleur, Nantes, etc.), with sworn statements from ship captains and references to merchants (in Le Havre and Rouen) supplying the miraculous coating—giving the work the appearance of a promotional brochure. The term "spalme" gave rise to the verb "espalmer" (from the Italian "spalmare"): to clean a ship’s hull and coat it with tallow using the palm (Latin "palma") of the hand.

A fleur-de-lis vignette bearing the word "spalme" as a tailpiece. Polak 6262.

Some minor foxing to the title page.

Rare copy preserved...

Extremely rare volume illustrated with 12 fine full-page lithographs by Ferdinand Perrot.

Contemporary binding in aubergine half shagreen, flat spine decorated with gilt fillets and dotted lines, some rubbing to the spine, marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, corners slightly bumped.

Scattered foxing, some leaves toned due to paper acidity, author's name handwritten in white ink at the head of the spine.

Bookplate of A. Hennique mounted on a blank endpaper, with the motto "la vie est un voyage".

Rare first edition illustrated with a folding plate (cf. Polak 666).

Disbound copy.

One of the practical applications to navigation of Daniel Bernoulli’s (1700–1782) research on motion.

Second edition illustrated with two folding plates (cf. Polak 1048).

The first edition was published in 1729.

A hydrographer and mathematician, son of Jean Bouguer, Pierre Bouguer (1698–1758) would later gain recognition for his work on light and geodesy.

Disbound copy.

Very rare first edition of this work, never reprinted.

Only one copy listed in the CCF (Versailles).

Contemporary bottle green half shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands ruled in gilt and adorned with double gilt compartments and gilt floral motifs, gilt title at foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges.

Some foxing; Mexican peddler's stamp on title page.

Only edition of this collection presented from a Mexican perspective, with an introduction by José Maria Lafragua Ibarra (1813–1875).

Name R. Criado stamped in gilt at foot of spine.

Very rare first edition of the principal work by archaeologist and anthropologist Ernest Chantre (1843–1924), specialist of the Caucasus.

Spine of the first volume  restored and replaced; a vertical scratch to the upper cover of volume one; some lacks to several spine-ends; some foxing; occasional lacks to the boards; a tear with some leather lacking to the rear endpaper of vol. 4.

This foundational work is composed of four parts in five volumes:

I. Prehistoric period, with in-text illustrations, a colour map, two tissue-guarded portrait plates, and six lithographs with facing captions. –

II–III. Protohistoric period, illustrated with 78 lithographs numbered...