Rare and antique physics books, chemistry & scientific experiments, alchemy treatises, optics, Newton, experimental physics

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 stamp appears on the first leaf, with the initials CA in a medallion (possibly Caroline Augusta of the Two Sicilies, Duchess of Aumale?).

Comprehensive alphabetical index at the end of the volume.

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 quarto edition, third issue (distinguished by the absence of the table of contents at the end; the other two issues present this table as 28 unnumbered leaves or 42 pages), cf. Polak 7161.

Each of the 23 books comprising the ordinance is separated from the preceding one by 8 blank leaves, likely intended for handwritten supplements or annotations, though these remain unused.

Full tan calf binding, spine with five raised bands, gilt compartments and tooling, tan leather title label, gilt rolls on the somewhat faded caps, name of a former owner gilt-stamped on upper board, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets partially faded along the edges, red edges. Contemporary binding.

Scuffing to the boards, joints restored, small tear on pages 167–68 without loss of text.

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.

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 statutes and a personalized "Diplôme provisoire" issued to a member of the Académie (Jean Antoine Barthe, architect and former inspector of Public Works: one folding plate). These two documents bear several autograph signatures, including that of César Moreau.
• 2) 8 pp. listing the members of the Académie.
• 3) First year: 154 pp. covering issues 1 to 12 (January–December 1831), 2 plates including 1 folding: "Pompe à comprimer l'air et les gaz inventée par M. Jobard" and 27 models of ploughshares and ploughs. Pages 105 to 122 (supplement to the first year) have been bound at the end of the volume.
• 4) Second year: 192 pp. covering issues 13 to 24 (January–December 1832). Issue no. 23 (pp. 161–176) is missing.
• 5) 72 pp. for the "Recueil supplémentaire des mémoires", 4 parts, issues I to IX.

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 pp., 11 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp. III. Minutes of the forty-ninth [eighty-sixth] meeting, 18 January 1934 [23 December 1935]: 4 pp., 6 pp., 8 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp., 5 pp., 6 pp., 11 pp., 6 pp., 2 pp., 5 pp., 4 pp., 7 pp., 8 pp., 3 pp., 4 pp., 7 pp., 2 pp., 6 pp., 5 pp., 27 pp., 12 pp., 5 pp., 7 pp., 8 pp., 11 pp., 6 pp., 6 pp., 5 pp., 9 pp., 8 pp., 6 pp., 8 pp., 2 pp., 2 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 8 pp. IV. Minutes of the eighty-seventh [one hundred fourteenth] meeting, 7 January 1936 [29 December 1936]: 4 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 7 pp., 5 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 10 pp., 6 pp., 3 pp., 2 pp., 6 pp., 5 pp., 2 pp., 2 pp., 3 pp., 5 pp., 5 pp., 5 pp., 2 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp., 2 pp., 4 pp., 4 pp., 3 pp., 2 pp.

First edition of the first of six publications addressing the state of the Corps of Bridges and Roads, presented to the National Constituent Assembly by Chaumont de La Millière (1746–1803), who served as director of the School from 1781 to 1792.

Contemporary half vellum binding with corners, flat spine with red morocco label, soft marbled paper boards showing some wear and losses from rubbing, yellow edges.

Two additional related publications have been bound at the end:

I. Supplément au Mémoire de M. de La Millière, sur le département des Ponts & Chaussées; ou Réponses à deux écrits relatifs à ce Mémoire, qui ont paru depuis sa publication. Paris, Imprimerie royale, 1790, title, 67 pp. (tear to the final leaf).

II. Observations de M. de La Millière, sur un écrit de M. Biauzat, député à l'Assemblée nationale, relatif à l'organisation des Ponts et Chaussées. [Paris], Imprimerie de Laurens aîné, n.d. [1791], 11 pp. Bound with: [LAPORTE (Hippolyte de):] Notice historique sur la vie de La Millière. Extracted from the Biographie universelle, vol. XXIX. [Paris], Imprimerie d'Éverat, n.d., 4 pp., text printed in two columns.

A clean cut to the final page of the second volume, minor and insignificant spotting to some leaves.

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 Laforest," in which he mentions the publication of his Plan organique, which appeared in 1805 followed this first work.

Ex-libris label of Waldemar Schwalbe, dated 1937, pasted on the front pastedown.

Handsome suite of 72 engraved plates of ornamentation, including the title page, printed on bluish paper. The first 64 plates feature decorative friezes and motifs characteristic of the Empire style—Neoclassical elements and the so-called “Retour d’Égypte,” adorned with laurel and oak wreaths, imperial eagles, etc. The final 7 leaves display interior arrangements in the style of the period.

Enclosed: the price list for the models offered by the manufactory of Joseph Beunat, recipient of a silver medal for patented inventions.

Contemporary temporary binding in marbled blue paper boards, flat spine with scuffs and small paper losses, red morocco title label, lower corners rubbed.

Pleasant internal condition despite some minor marginal foxing.

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 and pastedowns, some rubbing to joints, edges and corners. Contemporary bindings.

The atlas volume is bound in contemporary violet half calf over marbled boards, flat spine with gilt and blind fillets, joints split at head and foot, gilt roll-tooled head- and tailpieces, marbled endpapers and pastedowns. Contemporary binding.

Some foxing, mainly affecting the text volumes; corners of the atlas worn; small tear without loss on p. 81 of vol. I.

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, 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. Decree organizing the Forestry Service in Cochinchina, dated 31 July 1896 (1896, 16 pp.).
• - VIII. [MANUSCRIPT] Decree of 7 February 1901 [establishing a forestry service for all of Indochina] (1901, 6 unnumbered leaves).
• - IX. Decrees concerning forestry regulations in Tonkin (1904, 3 unnumbered leaves, 20 pp.).
• - X. Draft decree establishing penalties in forestry matters, applicable throughout Indochina (1904, 18 single-sided ff.).
• - XI. Decree organizing the indigenous staff of the Forestry Service (1906, 8 pp., bilingual text in French and Vietnamese).
• - XII. Decree regulating logging in protected forest areas. Terms and conditions (1905, 10 pp.).
• - XIII. Decree regulating the forest regime in Cambodia (1905, 13 pp.).
• - XIV. Decree regulating the forest regime in Annam (1906, 16 pp.).
• - XV. Decree promulgating in Indochina the decree of 11 July 1907 establishing the procedure and penalties applicable in forestry matters. 18 September 1907 (1907, 16 pp.).
• - XVI. Decree of 23 December 1907 revising forest royalties (1908, 3 pp.).
• Off-topic: [XVII]. Two-Year Military Service. Law of 21 March 1905, amending the law of 15 July 1889 on army recruitment and reducing active service to two years, promulgated in Indochina on 29 April 1905. Hanoi, F.-H. Schneider, 1905, 80 pp.

Contemporary red half shagreen binding with corners, flat spine decorated with triple gilt fillets, some rubbing to spine, joints split at head, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, a few tears to edges, bumped corners, original wrappers preserved (some with tears, losses or stains), period binding.

A very rare compilation.

First edition, illustrated with a portrait of the author after Sir Thomas Lawrence in the text volume, and, in the atlas volume, with 1 engraved map (numbered 1) and 74 lithographed plates (numbered 2 to 75; plate 27 misnumbered 17), including 8 hand-coloured plates: plates 28 (Fresco of Dieudonné de Gozon), 41 (Tomb of Fabrice Caretti), and 61 to 66 (Frescoes from the crypts of Our Lady of Philerme).

See Atabey 1056. Blackmer 1450. Loukia Droulia 1474. Weber, I, 163.

Text volume bound in contemporary green half shagreen, spine with four raised bands adorned with gilt garlands and floral tools, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers, rubbed corners; atlas volume in contemporary red half calf with corners, flat spine with gilt fillets, rubbed, marbled paper boards with scratches, some wear to edges and corners.

Some foxing, stains at foot of plate no. 10 in the atlas, and minor foxing on some other engravings.

Brunet, IV, 1415: "Ouvrage curieux et dont les planches sont fort belles".

The lithographs, after drawings by Witdoeck, depict the coastlines of the island of Rhodes, the harbour, fortifications, and principal buildings and monuments, some in ruins: the gates of Saint Catherine, Saint Paul and Saint John, the site and reconstruction of the Colossus, the interior of the palace, Fort Saint Nicholas, Garden of Auvergne, Street of the Knights, tomb of Robert de Julliac, castellany, convent, Lodge of Saint John, priories of France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and England, Church of Saint Mark, bishop's palace, façade and interior of Saint Stephen, Admiralty, watchtower of the Knights, Church of Our Lady of Philerme with its frescoes, etc. After studying at the University of Louvain, Bernard Eugène Antoine Rottiers (Antwerp, 1771 – Brussels, 1858) joined the Dutch army in 1789. He fought at the Battle of Jemappes and sailed to England in 1795 with Stadtholder William V. He then served in the British army before leaving for Russia, where he joined the Georgian army. Promoted to colonel, he later returned to the Netherlands. A man of letters and archaeologist, he was entrusted in 1825 with a scientific mission to the Levant: "In January 1826, I departed with one of my sons and my painter, Mr. P.-J. Witdoeck. After stopping in Santorini, we landed in Rhodes, and barely arrived, we began our work. It was as dangerous as it was laborious. The Turks had never permitted anyone, until us, to draw the monuments of the island, especially the interiors of churches and other buildings... These dangers recurred everywhere. We had to brave them again for the drawings of the fortifications, the harbour, the tombs. But the goal was well worth the risk to attain it..." (pp. 15–16).

Rare work.

First edition, illustrated with 69 full-page color plates.

Published under the authority of the Governor General of French West Africa, Mr. W. Ponty.

Includes a double-page general map of the buoyed section of the Senegal River, plans of the ports of Saint-Louis and Kayes, four signaling plates, examples of river marking, a flood gauge, and a detailed chart of the buoyage system across 57 plates, all in color.

Spine warped with black stains at midsection, a few small spots of foxing, black stains along the left margin of the lower cover with minor corner losses.

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... etc." (cf. Lalande).

Some light foxing, collector’s inkstamp on a blank endleaf, and a full page of pencil annotations facing the title page.

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 in its original state, unbound and without temporary wrappers.

Very rare first edition illustrated with 3 lithographed plates (including a frontispiece), (cf. Polak 4516).

Only two copies listed in the CCF (BnF and Caen). Other copies are reported in Bayeux and Granville.

Copy preserved in its original wrappers, with blue paper covers showing minor losses to the corners; dampstains affecting the lower margin of the second half of the volume, without any loss of text.

Bookseller's label pasted on the inside of the upper cover, printed stamp of the same bookseller on the title page, blindstamp of a bibliophile on the half-title and the verso of the frontispiece.

Rare account of the shipwreck off the coast of Newfoundland on 29 May 1826, of a vessel from Granville engaged in cod fishing. The author served as second-in-command on board. Other pamphlets circulated on the subject, most of them based on this present account.

First edition of the proceedings from the inaugural congress of the newly founded International Maritime Association, established on 16 January 1901.

Contemporary full black shagreen binding, spine with five raised bands framed by gilt fillets and adorned with triple gilt compartments, gilt roll tooling on the caps, covers framed with triple gilt fillets, large gilt armorial stamp and the inscription “A S.A.R. la princesse Waldemar” on the upper board, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dentelle borders on pastedowns, all edges gilt.

The congress, held in Monaco from 12 to 15 April under the high patronage of Prince Albert I, featured some thirty presentations on topics such as seafarers’ welfare, oceanography, maritime rescue, coastal lighting, yachting, and free ports. A sumptuous presentation copy for Princess Waldemar of Denmark.

Illustrated with in-text figures.

A rare and attractive copy, handsomely bound.

First edition, very scarce (see O'Reilly, Nouvelle Calédonie, 175. O'Reilly & Reitman 1246. Ferguson 16990-91. Hill p. 290. Forbes, Hawaiian National Bibliography, III, 2730. Martin, Hawai‘i, p. 48. Jenkins, Bibliography of Whaling, p. 150. Vaucaire p. 259).

Contemporary bindings in red half morocco-grained sheep over marbled boards, spines with four raised bands ruled in black, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved (except rear wrapper of vol. I), modern bindings.

Some foxing, mainly at the beginning of the first volume.

The chapter on New Caledonia spans pp. 257 to 350 of volume I; the one on Tahiti covers pp. 177 to 282 of volume II.

The author also visited and described Tasmania, the Chesterfield and Bampton Islands, New Zealand, Hawaii, and the Sandwich Islands.

See Forbes’ entry referencing the Hawaiian content: "Thiercelin made two Pacific voyages. The first was on the whaleship Ville de Bordeaux, which departed from Havre January 5, 1837, and returned January 5, 1841. He states (p. 284) that at the end of September 1839 the ship spent several weeks at Waimea, Kauai. This narrative concentrates on his second voyage on the Gustav, which departed from Havre, April 7, 1863, and returned in 1865. During the course of this voyage (particularly with respect to New Zealand and to Hawaii) the author describes conditions observed on his first voyage (…) A chapter titled Atouai [in vol. II] describes Waimea, Kauai (pp. 283-326)". Thiercelin had previously taken part in several whaling expeditions as ship’s doctor before embarking on this journey through Oceania and the Pacific. "[He] was greatly interested in the actual proceedings of a whale hunt and wished to experiment with new harpoons as a surer and speedier method of keeling whales (…) This book offers an interesting account of whaling vessels and their crews, a detailed description of the different types of whales, details of the actual whale hunt, and explanations of some of the newer whaling techniques such as poisoned harpoons and harpoons with explosive charges propelled by gun-like mechanisms" [Hill].

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.

First edition of one of the final treatises by the eminent Sardinian jurist Domenico Alberto Azuni (1749–1827), one of the foremost maritime law experts of his time and a judge at the Commercial and Maritime Court of Nice (cf. Mc Culloch 126, Quérard I 144, not in Polak).

Contemporary full tree calf binding, smooth spine gilt with decorative rolls and typographic tools, gilt head- and tailbands, gilt tooling at the caps, gilt-tooled border on the covers framed with a dentelle fillet, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, yellow edges.

Minor defects to foot of upper cover, some soiling to the endpapers, otherwise a clean and appealing copy internally.

In the final years of his life, Domenico Alberto Azuni addressed the question of piracy at a time when Barbary corsairs still roamed the Mediterranean.

In this work, he advocates for a legal framework to regulate privateering, in order to secure free navigation for neutral ships during wartime and avoid hindering commercial activity.

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.

Second edition, illustrated with a figure of a ventilator at the end of the volume (cf. Polak 4846).

Copy preserved in its original blue paper temporary wrappers.

The first edition was published in 1817.

Pierre-François Kéraudren (1769–1858) served uninterruptedly as Inspector General of the Naval Medical Service from 1813 to 1845.

A pleasant copy.

Highly interesting collection attributed either to the geographer Georges-Louis Le Rouge (according to Polak), or to the civil engineer La Serre (based on a manuscript version held at the Municipal Library of Le Havre).

Contemporary half Havana calf binding, smooth spine richly decorated with five gilt fillets and blind-stamped naval anchors, some minor restorations to joints, small green vellum corners, marbled paper boards, endpapers and pastedowns marbled à la cuve. Binding dating from the mid-19th century.

The work comprises 35 engraved plates depicting the plans of 42 ports.

From north to south, and west to east: 1. Antwerp. – 2. Flushing. – 3. Ostend. – 4. Dunkirk. – 5. Gravelines. – 6. Calais. – 7. Boulogne. – 8. Dieppe. – 9. Valléry-en-Caux and Fécamp. – 10. Le Havre. – 11. Le Tréport and Honfleur. – 12. Rouen. – 13. Caen. – 14. Cherbourg. – 15. Granville. – 16. Port-Malo and Saint-Servan. – 17. Brest. – 18. Lorient. – 19. Port-Louis. – 20. Nantes. – 21. Les Sables-d'Olonne. – 22. Saint-Martin-de-Ré. – 23. La Rochelle. – 24. Rochefort. – 25. Concarneau, Mont-Saint-Michel and Oléron. – 26. Bordeaux. – 27. Bayonne. – 28. Saint-Jean-de-Luz. – 29. Port-Vendres and Collioure. – 30. Cette [Sète]. – 31. Marseille. – 32. Villefranche and La Ciotat. – 33. Toulon. – 34. Antibes and Saint-Tropez. – 35. Gibraltar.

Some minor and insignificant foxing.

First edition, without volumes III to V, which were published posthumously in 1957.

Volume I: Energy (points, meridians, circulation), illustrated with 100 plates, including 44 in two colors.

Volume II: The use of energy, with 17 illustrations.

The diplomat and sinologist George Soulié de Morant (1878–1955) introduced the practical application of acupuncture to France in 1929, overcoming considerable resistance from the academic establishment.

Endpapers slightly and marginally soiled; two repaired tears to the head and foot of the spine of the second volume; otherwise, a pleasing set.

Copy from the library of Maurice Peyrache, with his ink stamps on the endpapers.

Album of 50 full-page plates signed by Lange, each with captioned tissue guards (cf. Polak 6415).

Publisher's binding in red half shagreen, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt dotted rolls and black fillets, gilt naval anchors, gilt title and naval anchor on the upper cover in red cloth, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Some minor foxing, a few faded spots along the edges of the covers, a well-preserved copy overall.

A fine visual survey of the French navy at the end of the 19th century, featuring 44 warships and 6 merchant vessels (from the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, Messageries Maritimes, Chargeurs Réunis, Albert Méniér, and Ant. Dom Bordes).

First edition illustrated with 10 plates, including 9 folding ones.

Spine cracked and with losses despite some adhesive repairs; corner losses to the covers.

Section solely devoted to Cochinchina (the second volume, focused on Annam and Tonkin, was published in Hanoi). This series, issued since 1889, replaced the Annuaire de la Cochinchine (1865–1888). It was not until 1899 that the two separate parts of this colonial directory were merged into the Annuaire général de l'Indo-Chine française (1899–1925), later renamed Annuaire administratif de l'Indochine (1926–1943).

Scarce, though in a worn condition.

First edition, one of the 200 numbered copies on Hollande paper, the only large paper edition.
A stain on the front cover near the title, fading on the half-title page, shaded endpapers.
Rare copy with full margins.

First edition.

Official series not listed in Polak.

Full red morocco binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt Romantic arabesques, gilt roll-tooled bands at head and foot, elaborate gilt quadruple fillet frame, garland and lozenge design with gilt corner motifs on covers, gilt crowned monogram stamped in gilt at center of each board, blue moiré silk endleaves and doublures, gilt dentelle borders on doublures, gilt dotting on board edges, all edges gilt; a superb Romantic period binding.

Copy bearing the crowned monogram "FO" of Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1810–1842), eldest son of King Louis-Philippe. 

A very fine copy, beautifully preserved in an outstanding period Romantic binding.

First edition, illustrated with a frontispiece by Ozanne depicting the frigate *L’Aurore*, engraved by Haussard, four plates of instruments, and one folding map at the end of the volume (cf. Polak 2098).

Contemporary-style binding in bronze half calf, flat spine decorated with double gilt fillets, bronze morocco title label with some rubbing, marbled paper boards, modern binding.

In 1767, Coutanvaux was commissioned by the Académie des Sciences to undertake a voyage to the North to test various marine timekeeping systems.

Some light foxing, not affecting the text.

Very rare first edition.

Two small losses to the head and foot of the spine, printed wrappers slightly soiled.

The presentation of the report is signed by the Marquis de Lafressange, Antony Androuët, the Viscount de Mazenod, and Louis Lapierre.

First and unique edition of this work, illustrated with 9 plates engraved by Benard after drawings by Penevert (cf Polak 8371).

Binding in half mottled tawny basane with vellum corners, smooth spine decorated with gilt friezes, black basane title piece partially torn, some rubbing and small holes on the spine, marbled paper boards with small paper losses, contemporary binding.

Some restorations on the spine, corners rubbed.

This work is one of the volumes of the *Description des Arts et Métiers* published at the initiative of the Académie des Sciences.

Author of numerous works on navigation and ships, Romme was a professor of mathematics at the School of Marine Guards of Rochefort. He developed a new method for measuring longitudes at sea, which earned him election as a corresponding member of the Académie des Sciences in 1775.

The plates depict ships with their rigging, as well as various types of sails with the pieces that allow them to be maneuvered: ropes, pulleys, shrouds, etc.

The text is accompanied by numerous tables detailing the technical characteristics of the sails and ends with an explanation of the nautical terms used in this work.

Pleasant interior condition.

Second edition, illustrated with two large folding maps mounted on tabs (cf. Polak 1755).

Bradel binding in full marbled pink paper-covered boards, spine sunned with losses. Title and shelving labels affixed at head and foot of spine. Some scratches and paper losses to the boards, minor abrasions and small chips to the edges. Contemporary binding.

In addition to his significant maritime and political activity since the Seven Years’ War, Charles-Pierre Claret de Fleurieu (1738–1810) was the inventor of the first marine chronometer.

Printed stamp of the Imprimerie de la République at the foot of the title page.

First edition of this excellent maritime dictionary, later reprinted in 1780, 1797, and 1799.

The work is complete in all its parts and includes 31 engraved plates by Le Gouaz after the author's drawings.

Contemporary full mottled calf binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt compartments and floral tools, red morocco title label, headcap worn down, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, red edges, upper corners worn.

Small loss to the upper left corner of the front free endpaper, tears to the left margin of the title page, occasional foxing, otherwise a pleasant copy internally.

Born in Lyon on 5 November 1743, Daniel Lescallier entered naval service in December 1765 as a writer in charge of accounting at Môle-Saint-Nicolas in Saint-Domingue.

Appointed student-commissary in February 1767, then assistant commissary of ports and arsenals in February 1770, he sailed in 1773 aboard the ship *Le Languedoc*, before being sent by ministerial order to England, Russia, and Sweden. His travel account was published in 1775. Made commissary of ports and arsenals in January 1777, he was appointed in January 1780 as colonial commissary in Grenada, recently seized by d’Estaing, then in May 1782 as commissary in Demerara (British Guiana), recently occupied by Kersaint’s division. Appointed chief commissary in Cayenne in May 1785 and first councillor to the colony’s Superior Council, he endeavoured to rouse the colony from its lethargy before returning to France in July 1788. In 1789–1790, Lescallier travelled again to England and the Netherlands to study shipbuilding techniques. In August 1790, he became assistant to the Navy Committee of the National Assembly and, in February 1792, civil commissary in the Indian Ocean colonies. Captured by the English on 22 August 1793 after the capitulation of Pondicherry, he did not return to France until 1797. Head of the Colonial Bureau at the Ministry of the Navy from August 1797, he was appointed ordonnateur at Corfu but was unable to reach his post. Named colonial prefect of Guadeloupe in July 1801, he returned to France via the United States in April 1804. He was appointed maritime prefect of Genoa in February 1806 and of Le Havre from May 1808 to August 1810. In October 1810, he was made consul general to the United States, but was captured by the English en route. He escaped, returned to France at the end of 1815, left the service, and died in Paris on 14 May 1822.

Rich photographic album comprising the title page and 65 oval silver prints mounted on heavy paper, all on tabs.

Full bottle-green morocco binding, spine without lettering, raised bands framed with black fillets, double blind-ruled frame on covers, gilt roll tooling on the caps, gilt title stamped at the center of the upper cover, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, wide gilt dentelle borders on pastedowns, all edges gilt, one upper corner slightly rubbed, gilt fillets on board edges, an elegant contemporary binding signed by Thouvenin fils.

Minor surface scuffing.

One of the most renowned works by the photographer Alophe (1811–1883). A commemorative album featuring photographic portraits of all the delegates, along with two images of the Union's assembly hall: I. France (Adolphe Cochery – 2 portraits –, A. Besnier, Th. Ansault, Elie Roy, Martial Housez). – II. Germany (Stephan, Günther, Sachse, Hubert). – III. Argentina (Carlos Calvo). – IV. Austria-Hungary (Guillaume Dewez, Michel Gervay, E. Fritsch). – V. Belgium (J. Vinchent, F. Gife). – VI. Brazil (Itajuba). – VII. Chile (Alberto Blest Gana). – VIII. Denmark (J. L. Schou, Petersen). – IX. Egypt (Caillard, Chioffi). – X. Spain (Gregorio Villaamil, Emilio de Navasqües). – XI. United States (James Tyner, Joseph H. Blackfan). – XII. Great Britain (Adams, Page, Alan MacLean, Hogg, Ham). – XIII. Greece (N.-P. Delyanni, Mansolas). – XIV. Haiti (Charles Noël). – XV. Hawaii (William Martin). – XVI. Italy (Tantesio). – XVII. Japan (Nanobou Sameshima, Samuel M. Bryan, Muralt). – XVIII. Liberia (Léopold Carrance). – XIX. Luxembourg (Victor de Roebe). – XX. Mexico (Gavino Barreda). – XXI. Norway (Hefty). – XXII. Netherlands (Hofstede, C. W. Sweerts de Landas-Wyborgh). – XXIII. Peru (Juan de Goyeneche). – XXIV. Portugal (Barros, Ferreira dos Santos). – XXV. Romania (Robesco). – XXVI. Russia (Velho, Poggenpohl). – XXVII. El Salvador (Torres Caïcedo). – XXVIII. Serbia (Mladen Radoykovitch). – XXIX. Sweden (Roos). – XXX. Switzerland (Kern, Edmond Höhn). – XXXI. Turkey (Bedros Couyoumgian). – XXXII. Uruguay (Juan Diaz). – XXXIII. Venezuela (Antonio Parra Bolivar). – XXXIV. International Bureau (Eugène Borel, Moret, Recoing, Duparcq). Founded on October 9, 1874 during the International Postal Conference in Bern, the General Postal Union became, with the significant increase in membership, the Universal Postal Union in 1878.

A fine copy, beautifully bound in full morocco by Thouvenin jeune.

Rare first edition illustrated with a folding plan of the city of Saigon and a separate map showing the various cultivated products.

Minor stains and insignificant marginal tears on the covers.

A pleasing copy.

First edition, illustrated with a folding map bound at the end (cf. Quérard I 529).

Copy preserved in its original plain green wrappers,

uncut, some foxing to the map.

"Tableau des stations géodésiques et astronomiques choisies pour déterminer la mesure de l'arc du parallèle terrestre compris entre les tours de Cordouan et de Fiume, et qui doit s'étendre jusqu'à Orsowa en Transilvanie".

Inscribed and signed by Joseph-François Nicollet on the title-page, addressed to a Monsieur Pouillet.

First edition, printed in a small number of copies.

The work primarily discusses the potential for exporting French goods to Tonkin and China, as well as public works in Annam and the railway along the southern borders of China.

Georges Fillion served as a correspondent for Agence Havas with the French expeditionary corps in Tonkin.

A rare and appealing copy.

Rare first edition, illustrated with a folding map bound at the end of the volume (cf. Backer & Sommervogel VIII, 827).

Only one copy recorded in the CCF (BnF).

Contemporary full black shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands adorned with blind-ruled fillets, minor rubbing to spine, covers framed with double and single blind fillets with corner volutes, some rubbing to covers, bumped corners, sprinkled edges.

Father Benito Viñes [Poboleda (Tarragona) 1837 – Havana 1893] arrived in Havana in 1870, where he was appointed director of the magnetic and meteorological observatory, a position he held until his death. His studies on Caribbean hurricanes remain authoritative works in the field.

First edition of the French translation established by P. Arsène Mousqueron, an employee of the French telegraph administration, with the collaboration of Manuel Rouaud y Paz Soldan.

Contemporary black half shagreen, spine with four raised bands decorated with blind-ruled fillets, restored to spine and joints, black paper-covered boards framed with blind tooling, yellow paper endpapers and pastedowns.

Some minor foxing.

This highly detailed geography of each Peruvian province also includes studies on the country's production and trade, merchant navy, political education, and territorial organization.

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).

First edition of the French translation, illustrated with two folding plates hors texte.

This is an abridged translation (unusually, this is stated) of the major work Reise durch Sibirien, published in Göttingen in 1751–1752 in four quarto volumes richly illustrated. It recounts a major scientific expedition to Siberia that took place from July 1733 to February 1743. Johann Georg Gmelin (1709–1755) held the chair of chemistry and natural history at the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Despite the erratic pagination of the second volume, the set is complete.

Contemporary full marbled tan calf, flat spines decorated with gilt compartments, red morocco title and volume labels, gilt rolls at head and tail, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, marbled edges, corners somewhat rubbed.

Some light foxing.

Armorial bookplates from the 18th century, with the handwritten note “Longeville.”

Uncommon first edition containing highly interesting observations on life aboard the Newfoundland fishing vessels (cf. Sabin 11020).

The chapters on whaling and seal hunting were overlooked by Thiébaut, Jenkins, and Vaucaire.

The author, Constant-Jean-Antoine Carpon (1803–1872), was a medical officer and surgeon in the merchant navy. He began his career in 1826 and continued until 1865, taking part in numerous fishing expeditions to Newfoundland.

Contemporary quarter maroon paper binding, flat spine slightly faded and decorated with blind-stamped fillets, brown paper boards with minor rubbing.

Some light foxing.

Inscribed by Constant-Jean-Antoine Carpon to Monsieur Lefevre-Deumier on the half-title page.

First edition published in the Bulletin de la Société des études indochinoises de Saïgon, no. 69.

Other contributions in this issue include poems, an analysis of Le Comte’s book, Lettres sur les moeurs des Chinois, and above all an insightful analytical index of the subjects addressed in the Bulletin of the Société des études indochinoises from its founding (1883) up to 1914.

Small losses and tears to the spine.

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only deluxe copies.
Bound in red half shagreen with corners, spine with four raised bands framed by blind fillets, sides covered in gilt-effect paper, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt on witnesses.
A handsome copy in an attractive binding.

Rare first French edition of the travel impressions of Prince Soltykoff, more an adaptation than a strict translation (cf. Vicaire, VII, 575. Schwab, 544. Only two copies listed in the CCF).

Illustrated with a two-tone lithographed frontispiece and 20 tinted lithographic plates by Trayer and Émile Beau after drawings by the author.

Contemporary green half-shagreen binding, flat spine decorated with double gilt fillets and broad blind-stamped fillets, dark green paper-covered boards, minor restorations and rubbing to head and foot of joints, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, period binding.

Some superficial wear and very faint foxing, otherwise a pleasant copy in contemporary binding.

Prince Alexei Soltykoff (1806–1859), a member of one of the most prominent Russian families, was sent on a diplomatic mission to Tehran in 1838 under the reign of Muhammad Shah. He spent nearly a year in Persia. Having no real calling for diplomacy, he abandoned the career soon after his return and settled in Paris to prepare for further travels in India.

A singular and even eccentric figure, Soltykoff had been fascinated with travel since childhood, and this mission provided him with his long-awaited opportunity to explore the Orient. Arriving via the Caucasus, he remained in Tehran until May 1839, which he observed and described extensively, particularly through the everyday lives of its inhabitants. The plates are of particular interest for their depiction of costumes (Saba, Bibliographie Française de l’Iran, p. 187 no. 211).

Very rare first edition illustrated with 40 lithographs (cf. Colas 1581, Mayfair, Algeria, 751, Tailliart, 1001, *Iconographie de l'Algérie*).

A few minor spots of foxing; the front free endpaper is slightly creased at the margin, not affecting the text.

The 40 plates, printed on 37 leaves, are arranged as follows: 37 black lithographs including one plan and one folding map (plates 11–12, [37–38], and [39–40] are printed on single leaves).

Among the rarest and most beautiful illustrated albums devoted to Algeria, this edition comprises 40 lithographic plates printed in black across 37 leaves. The map of the Regency of Algiers and the views of Algiers and Constantine, being in a larger format, each count as two. So rare is this album that even Esquer, author of the monumental *Iconographie de l'Algérie*, was only able to consult a copy containing 35 plates.

Contemporary binding in half green Russia morocco, flat spine with blind double fillets, marbled paper-covered boards with some light spotting, green vellum corners slightly rubbed.

Lithographed by Simon fils after drawings by Robert Jungmann, the plates depict costumes and views of Algeria. The author, who presents himself as a Polish refugee, explains in the preface that he served for nearly four years in the Armée d’Afrique and that the purpose of his work is "to provide a short but accurate account of Algiers and its surroundings, a region that is increasingly drawing our interest".

The text is divided into four chapters: Geographical overview; historical notes; costumes, manners and customs of the native populations, their methods of warfare, etc.; and the state of industry, commerce, arts and sciences. It includes precise descriptive information on Algiers, Blida, Médéa, Oran, Tlemcen, and Constantine, as well as commentary on history, climate, agriculture, and colonization. The illustrations include a map of the Regency of Algiers with hand-colored outlines also showing a large part of the Regency of Tunis; a portrait of Hussein Pasha, the last Dey of Algiers; picturesque views (View of Algiers, viewpoint near Mustapha Pacha in Algiers, partial view of Algiers' main square, Bab-el-Oued gate, marabout of Sidi-Yakoub, a fountain near Algiers, views of Constantine and Bône); and plates depicting inhabitants in traditional dress: Arab horsemen, Bedouins, Moorish women, Kabyles, Kouloughlis, Jewish men and women of Algiers, marabouts, Algerian corsairs, Zouaves, etc.

First edition. (See Perret 2404. Not listed in Sabin.)

A handsome copy.

Contemporary midnight blue half shagreen bindings, spines with four raised bands adorned with gilt dotted rules and triple gilt panels with decorative tools, minor rubbing to the tail of the spine of the first volume, blind-stamped borders on the boards covered in midnight blue paper, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, two corners slightly bumped, the others very lightly worn, all edges gilt.

The first volume includes 28 plates out of text (2 in colour), 1 leaf of legend, 4 double-page coloured maps; the second volume contains 14 plates out of text (1 in colour) and 4 double-page coloured maps.

Major study of the respiratory effects of natural depressions and elevations in atmospheric pressure. Chapter III explores the altitudes of South America, Chapter IV focuses on Mexico. A particularly significant chapter details the experiments conducted by the author with Paul Bert. Denis Jourdanet practised medicine in Central America, especially in Mexico, where he studied the medical implications of altitude. As early as 1861, he published the results of his initial observations. In the mid-19th century, early high-altitude mountain ascents and balloon ascents gave rise to the need for in-depth research into the physiological impact of altitude. Jourdanet and Paul Bert collaborated on this topic: thanks to Jourdanet’s generous support, Paul Bert was able to equip his Sorbonne laboratory with two large cylindrical chambers in which air pressure could be raised or lowered at will. For a time, the two scientists considered publishing their findings together, "mais la réflexion nous fit bientôt voir que l'exécution de ce projet serait impossible (…) Il n'en est pas moins vrai qu'il reste encore entre nous deux, sinon dans les opinions intimes, du moins dans l'ensemble de l'œuvre, comme une solidarité qui ne permet pas qu'on nous sépare d'une manière absolue" (Appendix, vol. II, p. 293). Jourdanet's work offers the medical perspective, grounded in "longue pratique médicale au milieu de conditions exceptionnelles de pressions barométriques", whereas Paul Bert would go on to publish the experimental results and consequences of extreme barometric pressures in "La pression barométrique. Recherches de physiologie expérimentale", 1878.

Rare first edition of this highly practical manual intended for sanitary inspection, each of the 90 plates featuring detailed explanatory text alongside corresponding illustrations.

The foreword is missing from our copy.

Publisher's binding in grey cloth-backed boards, plain spine showing some rubbing, illustrated upper cover, light dampstain to lower right corner of the upper board, minor rubbing to the lower cover.

Eugène Aureggio (1844–1924), a military veterinarian trained at Alfort, was then in charge of inspecting butcher’s meat.

Rare original edition of this work, not listed by Renouard.

Disbound copy, internally well preserved.

First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a portrait of the author and 29 engraved plates depicting objects, ornaments, coins, plants, and animals (cf. Cordier, Bibl. Japonica, 447. Gay, 3151. Brunet, V, 850).

Contemporary full marbled calf bindings, flat spines richly decorated with gilt typographic tools, gilt roll tooling at head and tail, brown morocco title-pieces, dark green morocco volume labels, gilt roll-tooled borders on boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, yellow edges.

A Swedish botanist and naturalist, Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1828) studied medicine and natural history at Uppsala and became one of Linnaeus’s most brilliant pupils.

In 1771, he sailed as a surgeon aboard a ship of the Dutch East India Company. Upon arrival at the Cape, he remained in the colony for three years, exploring regions inhabited by the Hottentots and the Kaffirs while collecting specimens of plants and animals. In 1775, he traveled to Java, stayed in Batavia, and eventually reached Japan. He settled on the island of Deshima, in Nagasaki Bay, where the Dutch trading post of the Company was located. There he worked as a physician and obtained permission to botanize in the nearby mountains, where he collected a large number of rare and previously unknown plants, along with many natural history specimens. In 1776, he accompanied the Dutch Company’s director on a visit to the shogun in Edo (Tokyo), allowing him to explore further and gather more botanical samples. He returned to Sweden in 1779. The first volume recounts the voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, his stays at the Cape, and his first journey inland; the second volume describes his second trip along the Kaffir coast, return to the Cape, journey to Java, and arrival in Nagasaki; the third is entirely devoted to Japan: trade with the Dutch and Chinese, government, administration, religion, language, character and portrait of the Japanese, zoological observations, minerals, etc. The final volume continues with Japan: food, festivals, weaponry, agriculture, calendar, etc., followed by the account of the return voyage via Ceylon. It also includes Lamarck’s explanations of the eight natural history plates.

A rare copy of this important travel account.

Provenance: From the library of the Château de Menneval, with armorial bookplates on the pastedowns of each volume.

Very rare first edition of the French translation by J. Castéra, illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of the author (cf. Sabin 43417. Leclerc 756).

Stamp marks scratched out on the half-title and at the end of the volume, dated 22 August 1878, occasional foxing.

Contemporary half havana sheep binding, flat spine decorated with gilt fillets, fleurons and rose tools, red morocco title label, spine restored, marbled paper boards with marginal fading, one upper corner slightly bumped.

Pages 261 to 274 contain a Vocabulary of the Algonquin Language and that of the Knisteneaux, and pages 304 to 310 a Vocabulary of the Chipiouyane Language [Chippeway].

First edition, published by order of the Imperial Government of Brazil and illustrated with a folding color map at the end of the volume (cf. Garraux 169. Borba de Moraes I, 478).

Some light foxing, minor rubbing to the spine, a pleasing and scarce copy.

Contemporary binding in red half morocco-grained shagreen, smooth spine ruled in gilt with quadruple fillets, gilt coat of arms at foot of spine, small losses to head and tailcaps, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, period binding.

Emmanuel Liais, then Director of the Imperial Observatory of Rio de Janeiro, had been entrusted by Emperor Pedro II with various expeditions throughout the Brazilian territory.

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 collected edition of the author's works (see Quérard, V, 642; DSB, IX, 186–189; Poggendorff I, 85).

Printed in Dresden by George Conrad Walther ["Printed in Leipsic by Jean Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf"]

Full mottled fawn calf, spine with five raised bands richly gilt in compartments with floral tools, red morocco label, joints restored, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, red edges; contemporary binding.

Some occasional foxing; restorations to the joints, edges and corners of the boards.

First edition of the "Works" of Maupertuis. Pages 95 to 142 contain the "Mesure de la terre au Cercle Polaire"; pages 311 to 326 feature the "Relation d'un Voyage fait dans la Lapponie septentrionale pour trouver un ancien monument".

On Maupertuis, see the extensive entry by Bentley Glass in the DSB: "A philosopher as well as a scientist, Maupertuis proved himself a powerful and original thinker in Essai de Cosmologie (1750). According to A.O. Lovejoy, he anticipated Beccaria and Bentham and, along with Helvétius, represents 'the headwaters of the important stream of utilitarian influence which became so broad and sweeping a current through the work of the Benthamites' (…) He rejected the favorite eighteenth-century argument in favor of God - the argument from design - and instead, like Hume, he formulated a view of adaptation based on the elimination of the unfit. He recognized that Newton's laws are insufficient to explain chemestry, and even more so life, and turned to Leinbiz for ideas about the properties of consciousness".

Contemporary manuscript ex-libris on the front flyleaf: "Claude Wendell Horton".

First edition, illustrated with numerous in-text tables.

Spine split with small losses, a restored tear at the foot of the upper cover, minor losses to the lower cover, internally well preserved.

Antoine-Paulin Pihan (1810–1879), who was proficient in Arabic, Turkish, and Persian, held the modest post of compositor in the Oriental Typography department at the Imprimerie Impériale. Yet the volume of his linguistic work reveals an orientalist of far greater depth than his official title suggests. This work documents a remarkable variety of numeral systems (see the alphabetical index at the end of the volume), ranging from Albania to Japan, and from Ethiopia to Mongolia.

New edition, illustrated with drawings by de Neuville and Benett.
Publisher’s gilt-pictorial cloth binding known as “à un éléphant, titre dans l’éventail”, with Engel’s signature at the foot of the front cover plaque, spine featuring a lighthouse, rear cover of type “i” as defined by Jauzac, all edges gilt.
Headcaps very slightly compressed, faint trace of a removed label to the verso of the front board.
A handsome copy.
Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours is an adventure novel. It tells the story of an English gentleman, Phileas Fogg, who wagers he can travel around the world_

First edition, printed in a small run of numbered copies.

With two photographic portraits: one of Charles Pathé and the other of his brother Émile, and a view of the Kodak-Pathé and Pathé-Cinéma factories.
3/4 beige sheepskin binding, spine with four raised bands decorated with black typographical motifs, date at foot of spine, marbled paper boards, endpapers and flyleaves.
Discrete restorations to spine, some rubbing to upper corners of boards.

Signed by Charles Pathé on his photographic portrait.

Rare first edition of this manual on film development.
Illustrated with 54 figures in the text and 6 folding plates at rear, containing 107 interest­ing samples of films negatives and celluloid.

With a frontispiece photographic portrait of Charles Pathé.

Skilfully restored brown half sheepskin pub­lisher's binding, smooth spine decorated with golden arabesques, small gaps filled at head of spine, marbled endpapers and past­edowns.

"In the early years of the twentieth century, the largest film production company was the Société Pathé Frères (Pathé Brothers Com­pany). Founded in 1897, the company was at its height in 1920s when it unveiled the first home movie projector, the Pathé Baby. [Le Film vierge Pathé] is one of the company's first publications explaining the secrets of processing 'virgin' film. Plates offer incredi­ble images of the mass production of thou­sands of silent movies, including the first newsreels, sports films, and animation. 107 examples of actual celluloid color film have been mounted in each volume." (Princeton University Library, Julie L. Mellby)

New edition, one of 30 numbered copies on Marais wove paper, the only deluxe paper issue.

A fine copy.

First edition of the French translation, illustrated with wood engravings, heliotypes, and vignettes.

Spine and covers slightly and marginally sunned.

Illustrated with 19 hors-texte plates reproducing works by Utagawa Hiroshige.

Our copy bears this signed autograph inscription from a member of the Japanese Embassy to an art lover: "Avec les vifs remerciements de l'Ambassade du Japon pour votre aimable concours. Soirée japonaise, le 11 février 1926, 2586e anniversaire de l'avènement de la dynastie impériale."

Complete year for 1787, with 50 issues, of this health journal with continuous pagination (pagination error between nos. 48 and 49).

Contemporary half marbled sheep, smooth spine, bronze sheep lettering-piece, rubbing to the spine, domino-patterned paper boards, a few scuffs to the boards, corners worn and small nicks to the edges, red edges, contemporary binding. 

The journal, founded in 1773 by Jean-Jacques Gardane, doctor-regent of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris, would run for 17 years, with one volume per year, except for the years 1773-1774.

Jean-Jacques Gardane distinguished himself in the establishment in Paris of treatment houses for the poor and in the diffusion of fumigation boxes intended to revive the drowned and the asphyxiated of all kinds.

From 1776 onwards the journal would be written “by a society of physicians,” and Pinel was probably among the new editors from the end of 1784.

The journal then played an important bibliographical role; scientific news was carefully reported, but the periodical is especially notable at this stage for its declared fight against charlatanism, and the section devoted to hygiene is particularly well represented; it is not impossible that it was written by Pinel himself (see Roselyne Rey in Dictionnaire des journaux). 

Manuscript annotations in black ink on the verso of the front board.

Rare illustrated first edition, with 4 plates at the end of the volume, including two folding maps.

Small tears neatly repaired to the spine, minor angular losses to the boards, heavy foxing.

Joseph Lartigue (1791-1876), a naval captain, distinguished himself through his work in nautical meteorology and cartography. 

Copy from the physicist Edmond Becquerel (1820-1891), member of the Académie des sciences, with an autograph signed presentation inscription from Joseph Lartigue at the head of the upper cover.

First edition (cf. Sinkankas 3165. Lorenz X, p. 8.)

Contemporary-style binding in half tobacco calf, smooth spine decorated with gilt and blind fillets as well as blind fleurons, black morocco title label, marbled paper boards, wrappers partially soiled and preserved, modern binding signed Laurenchet.

Some foxing.

Crystallization, the diamond in antiquity, characteristics, composition, origin, attempts at artificial production, deposits (India, Oceania, Brazil, the Cape, various mines), cutting, trade, paragons or principal known diamonds.

Henri Jacobs, born in Antwerp, was a diamond merchant in Paris.

First edition, no copy recorded in the CCF.

Modern bradel binding in full burgundy cloth, spine ruled in gilt.

First leaf restored to the right margin with an adhesive repair, some light foxing, dampstain to the upper margin of the opening leaves.

A native of the Briançonnais (Villeneuve-la-Salle), like many booksellers who settled beyond the Alps, Yves Gravier established himself in Genoa in the second half of the eighteenth century, first in partnership with Louis Fantin, and subsequently on his own.

His parents Jean, Thomas and Simon Gravier were likewise active in Italy (Thomas in Rome itself).

In 1839, the firm was placed into liquidation.

Bound in at the end are three further lists issued by the same bookseller:

I. Catalogue des livres de mathématique, marine, physique, minéralogie, et sciences, et arts qui en dépendent, etc., qui se trouvent chez Yves Gravier (..). S.l.n.d. [Genoa], 28 pp.

II. Catalogue des livres de jurisprudence, de droit public, et d'économie politique. S.l.n.d. [Genoa], 8 pp.

III. Médecine, chirurgie, botanique, physique et histoire naturelle. S.l.n.d. [Genoa], 8 pp.

First edition of the final work devoted to the Canary Islands by the zoologist and ethnographer Sabin Berthelot (1794-1880), whose first stay in the islands dates back to 1820.

From that time onward, he resided for the most part in Tenerife and devoted himself to the study of his adopted country.

At the end of the volume, the work is illustrated with 20 plates printed outside the text, some with coloured subjects.

A few minor spots of foxing.

First edition illustrated with 1 plate printed outside the text (graph), cf. Vicaire 85. Frère I 96.

Bradel binding in full pebble-grained paper boards, smooth spine, black oasis leather title label, original wrappers preserved though spotted, modern binding.

Scattered foxing.

Bergasse, a learned lawyer and no less distinguished magistrate, born in Lyon on 22 September 1792, died in Paris on 6 July 1853. A member of the Académie de Rouen, of which he served as president, he enriched the proceedings of that Society with several interesting memoirs" [Frère].

The present work provides valuable information on the economic condition of the butchery trade of wide distribution in the middle of the last century: determination of the number of animals intended for consumption, law of 10 May 1846, origin of slaughtered livestock, statistics, Parisian butchers, provisioning of the capital, rivalry between Normandy, Anjou and Poitou, purchase prices of live animals, retail prices of meat, price of bread, slowing or acceleration of consumption in Rouen, necessity of complete freedom for the meat trade, etc…

The final section, pp. 174 to 182, is devoted to the trade and consumption of fish

New edition, partly original, constituting a revised and expanded version of the author’s doctoral thesis.

A few minor spots of foxing. 

Contemporary full fawn calf, smooth spine gilt with decorative friezes and floral tools, slight rubbing to the joints, red shagreen title label, gilt rolls to the spine ends, marbled endpapers, marbled edges, gilt fillets to the board edges, period binding. 

A military physician, the author took part in the Russian campaign and was attached to the Imperial Guard field hospitals in Vilna under the command of Larrey. 

First edition illustrated with a folding lithographed plate.

No copy recorded in the CCF.

Minor tears with small losses to the margins of the boards and to the spine.

Autograph inscription, in French, by José Vicente Barbosa do Bocage on the half-title.

José Vicente Barboza (Barbosa) du (do) Bocage (1823–1908), Portuguese statesman and zoologist, served as director of the National Museum of Zoology in Lisbon. He is unrelated to his namesakes, the French geographers of the Barbier du Bocage family.

Bound in, and by the same author: "Noticia acerca da descoberta nas costas de Portugal d'um zoophyto da familia hyalochaetides, Brandt (hyalomena Lusitanica nob.). Memoria presentada a Academia real das sciencias de Lisboa", printed in Lisbon in 1864.

Expanded new edition including a notice and an appendix providing a catalogue of the principal violin makers from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, a description of the most sought-after violins, their dates of manufacture, their market value, and the distinguishing features by which they may be identified, by L. de Pratis.

Half chocolate-brown morocco binding with corners, spine with five raised bands ruled in black, gilt date at foot, marbled paper sides, marbled endpapers and doublures, illustrated wrappers and spine preserved (with a small loss at foot), gilt top edge, signed binding by H. Blanchetière.

A fine copy attractively bound in a signed binding.

First edition, illustrated with in-text and full-page black-and-white and colour drawings by Albert Robida.
Publisher’s original illustrated cloth binding in full green percaline, signed Engel, smooth spine, featuring a large polychrome illustration heightened with gold and palladium by Souze extending across the spine and boards; the original front cover in colour preserved; all edges gilt.
"Ceci qui va suivre sous un titre ambitieux pris simplement comme une étiquette en chiffres, n'est, bien entendu, pas une histoire, ni un tableau, ni un résumé, c'est une série d'esquisses, de croquis à la plume et à la mine de plomb, de portraits familiers de notre Siècle à différentes époques de sa vie tourmentée. [...] ce Siècle, s'il nous a fait connaître des jours noirs, a eu de bons moments et des rayons de gai soleil. Ce livre est une revue à grandes lignes des périodes sombres ou joyeuses de la pièce à grand spectacle qui s'est jouée sous nos yeux, des évènements importants et des menus faits, des hommes et des choses, des types naissant, prospérant et disparaissant, des modes et des caractères, — un voyage en somme ou plutôt une croisière de cent années sur le fleuve éternel de la vie." (préface)

Some light foxing to the endpapers, otherwise a very fine copy.
Copies in the publisher’s original illustrated bindings are scarce and sought after.

First edition.

Full marbled calf binding, spine with five raised bands and decorated rolls, red morocco title label, boards ruled in blind, marbled paper pastedowns and endpapers, a slight dampstain to corner of first few leaves, a tear to first folding plate and one of the ensign plates not affecting either illustration. 

With a frontispiece by Lamsveld and 31 superb plates all hand-colored except the last two of the ensigns, numerous woodcuts throughout.

Rare first edition of this naval dictionary, the first in France to contain a definition of the yacht (exh. cat. Loisirs sur l'eau : histoire de la plaisance en France 1640–1940). The full-page plates are finely heightened in colours and include ten different vessel types, navigational instruments, diagrams, naval ensigns, details of fastenings and construction, and a handsome plate with the arms of the dedicatee.

First edition, one of 170 numbered copies on pure rag paper.

Shadowed endpapers; a small loss at the head of the upper board of the original front cover.

A pleasant copy, preserved in its double wrapper.

First edition of the French translation by Grauert from the 1835 German first edition, specially revised by the author (hence the somewhat ambiguous designation of "new edition" on the title page and front board, as there was no previous French edition).

Illustrated with five engraved plates and eight vignette illustrations.

Contemporary half black calf with corners, spine with four raised bands decorated with gilt and blind fillets, slight rubbing to the spine, gilt fillet frames to the marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original pink wrappers preserved, bookplate pasted to a pastedown, contemporary binding signed J. Pernot at the foot of the spine.

Scattered foxing.

Founder of the municipal library of Trier, Johann Hugo Wyttenbach (1767–1848) was a local scholar deeply involved in the documentation of Moselle heritage.

Copy from the library of the Ghent bibliophile Théodore de Valenzi (1813–1855), who had a particular preference for macaronic and burlesque writings, with his bookplate pasted to a pastedown.

Copy preserved in a contemporary binding by J. Pernot.