A selection of books for the California Virtual Book Fair March 4-6, 2021 - DEBORAH COLTHAM RARE BOOKS
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A selection of books for the California Virtual Book Fair
March 4-6, 2021
DEBORAH COLTHAM R ARE B OOKS
0044 (0)1732 887252
deborah@coltham.co.uk
1. ARESCHOUG, John Erh. ALGÆ SCANDINAVICÆ EXSICCATÆ Fasciculus primus [-Fascisculus
secundus], in quo continentur... Gothoburgi, excudit M. Prytz. Venditur Lundae apud C. W. K.
Gleerup. 1840.
Two parts in one volume, small folio; I. ff. [1] title-page, [1] blank, 25 samples on 13 leaves, sample 25 in small
paper envelope, sample 17 no longer present; II. ff. [1] title-page and ‘Fautori’, [1] blank, a further 25 samples (nos
26-50) on 12 leaves, samples 41, 47 and 50 in envelopes; each sample with small typed label mounted below; a
number of samples somewhat fragile, so only partially remaining, but predominantly intact; some offsetting caused
by samples, notably to first title-page; small hole in first blank, paper a little browned throughout with some
occasional minor finger-soiling; with a few small neat manuscript corrections in brown ink; in contemporary blue
paper-backed boards, title in ink on spine, head and tail of spine bumped, joints a little rubbed and worn with minor
loss of paper, most prominent at tail of upper joint, some minor dampstaining evident, covers lightly spotted and
scuffed, extremities a little rubbed and worn; three contemporary signatures on front paste-down, two dated 1843
and 1847, though neatly crossed out; a good copy. £850
A rare, albeit somewhat fragile, mid 19th century scientifically published album
of Scandinavian algae specimens, containing 50 mounted dried examples,
gathered by the noted botanist and phycologist John Areschoug (1811 - 1887),
Associate professor of botany in Lund from 1839, and professor of botany at
Uppsala from 1859, and who made a special study of algal flora of Scandinavian
coastlines and of the Bohuslän archipelago in particular. He was one of the first
at Uppsala to give practical lessons in microscopy. The red algae genus
Areschougia from the the family Areschougiaceae is named in his honour.
The delicate samples have each been carefully mounted on paper, with some
of the smaller examples folded into smaller paper envelopes for added
protection - 25, 41, 47 and 50, with 41 and 47 seemingly microscopic slide
preparations. Only sample 17 appears missing, though a number of samples are
only partially complete, emphasising the fragility of such collections. At the
bottom of each leaf has been mounted a printed label, giving the number, name,
physical and geographical location, and month in which they were collected: ‘1. Fucus serratus Linn.
Mollsund Bahsusiae – Aug’. For the most part, however, the specimens still retain their vibrant colour and
texture, a great variety of species on display, of various shapes and sizes, some being almost transparent,
others far more robust, with a couple partially calcified. They retain an elegance and beauty, and one can
easily imagine them once floating in the sea.
Further parts were to follow, all of which are scarce, the third part
containing samples 51-84 being published in the following year,
though which is not present here. In total, according to the University
of Auckland, the series ran to 12 volumes, concluding in 1879,
although we have so far found no other examples of later issues.
A contemporary review in Botaniska Notiser för å 1839 och 1840 (1841)
provides some interesting insight into the issues surrounding the
publication of such a work, stating that Areschough had previously
attempted to published a dried collection of Scandinavian algae, but
which did not reach ‘bookstores on the ground that he did not have a
sufficient number of instructive specimens of all the species’. He
therefore began a new collection, of ‘well-chosen’ specimens, in the
words of the reviewer.
He is probably best remembered for his 1850 work Phyceae
Scandinavicae Merinae.
See R.E. Fries, 1950, A Short History of Botany in Sweden; OCLC notes parts I-
III at the New York Public Library, with the New York Botanical Garden library
having 9 parts, and Auckland noting 12 volumes in 9, concluding in 1879.
Attacked by Goblins - psychotic hallucinations or Demonic possession?
2. BERBIGUIER DE TERRE-NEUVE DU THYM, Alexis-Vincent-Charles. LES FARFADETS ou
tous les demons ne sont pas de l'autre monde. Paris, Chez l'Auteur et P. Gueffier... et chez tous les
Marchands de nouveautés des quatre parties du Monde. 1821.
Three volumes, 8vo; pp. lciv, 1 - 176, 173-362; pp. 463, [1] blank; pp. 477, [1]; with three lithograph frontispieces
and a further 6 (one folding) lithographs; aside from some occasional light foxing and marginal browning, generally
clean and crisp, though with a couple of small burn holes (Vol. II, p. 15, and Vol. III p. 209), a small paper flaw
affecting upper blank gutter of Vol. I p. 281, with a few neat marginal repairs (Vol. I, p. 82, Vol. II, pp. 186-8,
265-7, 317-9, 461-4, and Vol. III half-title), with upper gutter of Vol. III pp. 67-69 nicked; recently rebound in
modern calf, with new labels in red and green on spine, lettered in gilt. £1,600
First edition of this extraordinary work, of note for the striking plates
drawn by Quinart and lithographed by Langlumé, and considered by many
to be one of the strangest publications of the 19th century. Alexis-Vincent-
Charles Berbiguier (1765-ca. 1851) ‘believed himself to be plagued by a
host of demons whom he referred to as farfadets (”goblins”). He claimed
not only to have been repeatedly victimized by these demons (among
other things, they were responsible for the death of his pet squirrel,
Coco), but he also allegedly carried out extensive correspondence with
them, both sending and receiving letters from the various emissaries of
Hell. Berbiguier wrote and illustrated his three-volume autobiography
and published it between the years of 1818 and 1821, for the benefit of
others who might learn how to battle with demons through his own
experiences. He titled the massive, rambling work, Les Farfadets...
(Goblins, or Not All Demons are from the other world)’ (Belanger, p. 69).
For some time he was treated by Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) at the famous
Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, but without success, indeed Berbiguier coming
to believe that Pinel himself, was a ‘representative of the Devil’ (Vol. I. p. 4), Pinel coming under frequent
attack throughout the work, and accused of colluding with occult forces. Limited to a small print run,
Berbiguier eventually destroyed almost all of the copies after publication, though whether from remorse or
from fear of retribution from the forces of evil, remains unknown to this day.
This rare and curious ‘autobiography’ has given rise to numerous studies and publications, both from a
medical and literary point of view. The work is discussed at length by Massimo Introvigne in Satanism: A
social History (ff. 74): ‘In 1821, Alexis-Vincent-Charles Berbiguier published a book... that few approved of
but many read. In elegant Paris of the Restoration, reading Berbiguier became almost an obligation.
References to him by several contemporary authors show the popularity of Berbiguier, later usually listed
among the “cranks” or simply consigned to psychiatry... Les Farfadets...is, effectively, a paradoxical and
wonderful work, which deserves its fame. The portrait decorating the first of Berbiguier’s three volumes, a
marvellous lithography that became a rarity sought by bibliographers, portrays him as the “scourge of the
farfadets”. Farfadet in French, means “leprechaun”, but the author defined farfadets as “the élite secret
service of Beelzebub”. Although the demons themselves are occasionally defined by Berbiguier as farfadets
too, there is no doubt, through his three volumes, comprising almost one thousand five-hundred pages,
that most farfadets are human beings, who became “agents” of the Devil and Satanists.
The work of Berbiguier opens with an erudite introduction, a Preliminary Discourse that was probably
written by François-Vincent Raspail (1794-1878) who, together with lawyer J. B. P. Brunel (1789-1859),
edited Berbiguier’s manuscript giving it a literary form... Theology and experience, Berbiguier argued,
prove not only that the Devil does exist, but also that there are men and (more often) women who bond with
him through a demonic pact... Animated by the Devil, farfadets can manipulate nature, causing rain and
snow, and invisibly sneak into the houses of their victims. The can also modify the behaviour of animals
and even “animate” inanimate things. The pious man can however defeat Satanists through prayer and the
use of herbs such as laurel and thyme, where are feared by the devils themselves.
The first volume portrays the poor Berbiguier, who at the age of thirty-
two moved from his birthplace in Carpentras, where he was born in 1764,
to Avignon. He worked there as an employee for the Lottery, and then as
the bursar in the Hospice of Saint Martha. One of the housemaids
convinced him to consult tarot cards with a soothsayer known as “La
Mansotte”. This initial excursion into occultism was the event that “put
him in the hands of the farfadets” and was the source of all evils for
Berbiguier. The poor man never slept again from this moment on: the
Satanists, invisible, crept into his house and into his bed and tormented
him with every sort of offence... He approached for help both an exorcist
and several doctors in Avignon: among whom two named Bouge and
Nicolas who, unfortunately for him, were disciples of Mesmer and tried to
“magnetize” him. Berbiguier saw in magnetism and mesmerism, just like
in tarot reading, an artifice of the Devil, so he did not regard his declining
condition as a surprise... The pilgrimage to different doctors continued,
among others to the famous Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) of the Salpêtrière
Hospital. Pinel sent him to an exorcist priest, who however did not believe
in the diabolical nature of his ills. Pinel and his collaborators for a while
indulged Berbiguier, suggesting placebos and ceremonies both bizarre
and harmless to free him from spirits they regarded as imaginary, but eventually sent him away and treated
him as a lunatic. Berbiguier ended up believing that almost all doctors were farfadets and that Pinel was
actually the “representative of Satan” on Earth’ (Introvigne, and see Vol. I. p. 4).
Berbiguier provides extensive information about what he perceives to be the court of Hell, and
throughout the three volumes recounts numerous encounters between himself and other ‘Satanists’, both
male and female, including a failed priest, Étienne Prieur, a magician Adélio Moreau (1789-1861), and other
personalities including Marie-Anne Lenormand (1772-1843), the famous tarot card reader of the period,
and whom Berbiguier believed to be a leading Satanic Grand Mistress. ‘The most famous pages of the book
are those dedicated to the epic of the squirrel Coco, Berbiguier’s only inseparable friend, destined to a cruel
fate... The farfadets, in their nocturnal visits... in invisible form, lashed out at Coco, and finally killed him
by inducing him to go in between the mattress and the bed of his unhappy owner, who at the same time was
violently thrown on that bed by a farfadet, causing the immediate death of the little creature’ (ibid, and see
Vol. II. 78-79).
‘Berbiguier ruined himself by sending copies of his luxuriously bound text to sovereigns, newspapers
and libraries. He later had all the remaining copies burned, an action which makes his work today a
bibliographic rarity, we don’t know if out of fear of being considered a madman or of further persecution
by the farfadets. Although other sources considered him “healed” and dead in Paris in 1835, it appears that
in 1841 he was still chasing after farfadets, in spite of his miserable condition, in the Carpentras home for
the aged’ (ibid).
As Introvigne notes, some scholars have subsequently questioned
whether the whole work in fact that of the editors, hoping perhaps to
create a literary sensation and capitalise upon the 19th century fascination
with the occult. Barbier certainly seems to suggest that it is more the work
of Raspail and Brunel. Many contemporaries widely regarded him as a
madman, but a madman who told certain truths, and the work certainly
found a wide contemporary readership, and was cited by several authors
and known to the eminent demonographer Collin de Plancy, who cites the
work in the ‘Dictionnaire Infernel’. Today, it is widely believed that
Berbiguier was indeed suffering from some form of monomania or
psychosis, and indeed the Dictionnaire encyclopédies des sciences
médicales, of 1868-69 devote a passage to Berbiguier describing him as the ‘most famous of the
hallucinated monomaniacs’, who ‘devoted all of his time defending himself from the insults and attacks of
goblins, to hunting down these fantastic beings, to imprison them in boxes or in bottles, to prick them with
pine like butterflies’.
Of his name, Berbiguier notes that the addition of ‘de Terre-Neuve du Thym’ was not through some
improbably claim to nobility, but more simply from the idea that Terra Nova fishermen catch many fishes,
as he hoped to catch many farfadets, and from his desire to retire and cultivate thyme, a plant that was
effective in driving out demons (Vol. I, pp. xiii-xiv). A second edition was finally published in 1990.
Barbier, II. p. 14; Caillet, 973; Vicaire I, p. 338; for a detailed discussion see Massimo Introvigne, Satanism: A Social
History, ff. 74; see Belanger, The Dictionary of Demons, p. 69; see Grillot de Givry, Witchcraft, Magic & Alchemy, ff. 141; see
Ariane Gélinas, Le ‘Fléau des farfadets’, http://oic.uqam.ca/sites/oic.uqam.ca/files/documents/p-11-2-gelinas-
le_fleau.pdf; On Berbiguier as a psychiatric case, see A. Blavier, Les Fous littéraires, cit, pp. 467-468; and Jacques
Lechner, A. V. C. Berbiguier de Terre-Neuve du Thym, ‘L’homme aux farfadets, MA Thesis Strasbourg School of medicine, 1983.
Luxuriously produced celebration of famous ‘Wunderkammer’ Cabinet
3. BÖTTIGER, John. PHILIPP HAINHOFER UND DER KUNSTSCHRANK GUSTAV ADOLFS IN
UPSALA I - [IV]. [Übersetzung von Dr. Ernst A. Meyer Stockholm. Gedruckt in 200 Numerierten
exeplaren in der Hofbuchdruckerei idun in Stockholm...Heliogravüren, Klischees und pläne
ausgeführt in der Lithographischen anstalt des generalstabs]. Stockholm: Verlag der
Lithographischen Anstalt des Generalstabs. 1909-1910.
Four volumes, folio; I. pp. [x], 74, [1], with 8 text figures, and 10 heliogravures each with printed tissue sheet (nos.
1-10); II. pp. [x], 98, [1], [1] tipped in slip, with 101 text figures, 19 heliogravures with printed tissue sheets (nos.
11-29), two folding plates and 8 lithographs; III. pp. [xiv], 109, [3], [ii] half title, 24 of printed music, [1] tipped
in slip, with 51 text figures, and four heliogravures with printed tissue sheets (nos. 33-33); IV. pp. [xiv], [ii] ‘Bihang’,
[31], [1] blank, with 78 plates of mounted half-tones (nos. 34-108); aside from some very occasional minor foxing
or soiling, clean and crisp; a lovely wide-margined set, printed on fine laid paper, bound in tan half-goatskin over
marbled boards, spines in compartments with raised bands, ruled and lettered in gilt and black, some minor wear,
but otherwise a lovely copy. £1,500
First edition of this luxuriously produced and exquisitely illustrated limited edition, one of only 200 copies
(though unnumbered), celebrating the famous 17th century artistic curiosity cabinet created by the
Augsburg merchant, banker, diplomat and art collector Philip Hainhofer (1578-1647). One of a number of
specially commission Kunstschränke formed during the Thirty Years War, it was purchased by the city, and
handed over as a gift to King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, when he marched into Augsburg on April 24th
1632. The magnificent cabinet of curiosities and art objects was moved to Sweden in 1633 and set up at
Svartsjö Castle. The gift also included an attendant carpenter, to take care of the cabinet, and he remained
with the collection until his death in 1651. At that time it was moved to Uppsala Castle, and was donated by
King Charles XI to Uppsala University in 1694, and is now on display in a room in the Museum Gustavianum.
Hainhofer is considered to be one of the most important figures in the
sphere of art and collecting in the first half of the 17th century, due to his
diplomatic and political career, which enabled him to travel extensively
through Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. Fluent in several languages,
he conveyed political and cultural information, and even represented his
patrons at princely ceremonies such as baptisms and marriages, as well as
at political gatherings. Expanding his field of enterprise, he began to trade
in art and luxury items, including books, acting as agent for a number of
leading European princes. He began to develop his own personal
Kunstkammer, which came to play a part in his commercial activities,
curiosities being be exchanged or sold, between patrons. We have no
inventory of his own collection, but his enthusiasm with cabinets of
curiosities led him to visit several of the great princely collections of the
age, and his own collection, according to Boström was also visited by many
distinguished guests. ‘His truly original achievement lies in his pieces of
multi-purpose furniture, especially his great Kunstschränke. These Mehrzweckmöbel, manufactured under
his supervision by dozens of artists and craftsmen from various guilds, are, or were at least intended to be,
miniature Kunstkammern... these cabinets were made to commission’ (Boström, in Impey, Origins of
Museums, p. 92). ‘We are better informed about the Kunstschrank of Gustavus Adolphus. It was
manufactured between 1625 and 1631, remaining in Hainhofer’s house until the Swedish king’s troops
entered Augsburg in April 1632. The Lutheran councillors, who were reinstated by Gustavus Adolphus,
wished to welcome the king with a magnificent gift, so the council bought the cabinet from Hainhofer for
6,500 thalers. The presentation took place in the Fugger palace, with Hainhofer demonstrating it for the
king, whom he describes as ‘versed in all sciences and a master of all arts’. Hainhofer had played an
important role as mediator between Catholics and Lutherans prior to the surrender of Augsburg...
Hainhofer’s Kunstschränk give expression to the desire for an all-embracing documentation of the world
and of human activities. In the Uppsala cabinet the animal, plant and mineral kingdoms are represented,
the four continents known at that time and every historical period from antiquity up to Hainhofer’s own
day. Instruments fulfilling the needs of practical everyday life, of work and study, stand alongside those
supplying pastimes and aesthetic pleasure. As with the Kunstkammern, this quest for universality it
modified by a focus on the rare, the peculiar, the precious and, in the case of artefacts, on objects
characterized by artistic refinement, a high level of craftsmanship and the surmounting of technical
difficulties’ (p. 95).
Other notable Hainhofer cabinets include that of the Duke Phillip II of Pomerenia, for whom he created
the Pommerscher Kunstschränkt (Pomeranian curiosity cabinet), made in 1615-1617, and considered to be
the finest and most famous of all the examples. Sadly it was destroyed in a fire during a Berlin bombing
campaign at the end of WWII. Another Hainhofer cabinets, created for Augustus Duke of Brunswick-
Luneberg is preserved in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, with a further example found in Florence.
John Böttiger (1853-1936) was a noted Swedish art historian, and Royal Court archivist and curator from
1892 to Oscar II. The present beautifully produced description of the history of the collection and its rich
content, was one of a number of works published by Böttiger, to raise public awareness of, and interest in,
art history and treasures, having published another magnificent four volume work between 1895-1989
giving a history and descriptive list of the Swedish State Collection of Woven Wallpapers.
See Hans-Olof Boström, Philip Hainhofer and Gustavus Adolphus’s Kunstschank in Uppsala, Chapter 11 in The Origins of
Museums, edited by Oliver Impey and Arthur MacGregor.
‘The Matisse of Mathematics’
4. BYRNE, Oliver. THE FIRST SIX BOOKS OF THE ELEMENTS OF EUCLID in which coloured
diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners By Oliver Byrne
surveyor of her Majesty’s settlements in the Falkland Islands and author of numerous
mathematical works. London William Pickering [Chiswick, printed by C.Whittingham] 1847.
4to, pp. xxix, [i] blank, 268, with smaller 8vo four page publisher’s catalogue tipped in; with numerous diagrams,
symbols and letters printed in four colours (red, blue, yellow and black), wood engraved initials and decorations,
printed in Caslon using long s’s on wove paper; as usual, foxed and marginally browned throughout with some
offsetting, foxing quite prominent in places; upper edge untrimmed, with a couple of very small nicks in places;
bound in contemporary green linen backed publishers drab grey boards, with printed paper label on upper cover (a
little soiled), and smaller paper label at head of spine (slightly chipped), head and tail of spine a little bumped, covers
scuffed and scratched, extremities rubbed, with some wear along upper fore-edge, corners bumped and worn. £8,000
First edition of this renowned and remarkable Victorian four-colour
printed book, the innovative conception of the mathematician,
educator, civil engineer, and Her Majesty’s surveyor of the Falkland
Islands, Oliver Byrne (1810-1880). The familiar Euclidian diagrams
are transformed into Mondrian-like designs and the text is littered
with little coloured symbols representing angles, lines and points.
Byrne hoped that by replacing the identifying letters with colour
coded symbols he could simplify Euclid and make the theorems stick
in the memory more readily. Ruari McLean, in Victorian Book
Design, calls it ‘one of the oddest and most beautiful books of the
whole century... a decided complication of Euclid, but a triumph for
Charles Whittingham’. It was one of a very small number of British
books displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1851 - no surprise perhaps,
since Whittingham was on one of the Juries of the exhibition.
Each proposition is set in black Caslon italic, with a beautifully
engraved four-line initial vignette: ‘the rest of the page is a unique
riot of red, yellow and blue: on some pages letters and numbers only
are printed in colour, sprinkled over the pages lke tiny wild flowers,
demanding the most meticulous register: elsewhere, solid squares, triangles
and circles are printed in gaudy and theatrical colours, attaining a verve not
seen again on book pages till the days of Dufy, Matisse and Derain’
(McLean). This innovative graphic design and style ‘anticipates the pure
primary colors, asymmetrical layout, angularity, lightness of plentiful empty
space, and non-representational (abstract, “denaturalized”) shapes
characteristic of 20th-century Neo-Plasticism and De Stijl painting’ (Tufte),
so typified by Piet Mondrian and later Bauhaus.
The work was published by William Pickering and printed by Chiswick
Press, who as McLean notes, was at the time ‘the foremost name in Victorian
book design’, and ‘synonymous with good typography and printing’.
Chiswick Press was operated at that time by Charles Whittingham, nephew
its founder, and Pickering and Whittingham collaborated in a number of innovative publications around
that time. The initial letters for this edition were made by Mary Byfield, noted for her ornamental wood-
blocks in particular, and who worked regularly at wood-engraving for the
firm, together with Whittingham’s daughters Charlotte and Elizabeth.
Extremely difficult and expensive to produce, requiring exact registration
of the pages in order to print each colour, the typeface, and the vignettes,
only 1000 copies were originally published. Seen at the time as something
of a curiosity, the book was sold for an extravagant price, placing it out of
reach of the very audience whom Byrne hoped to reach. Consequently, it
did not sell well, and led to financial hardship for the Chiswick Press.
Whether or not Byrne’s efforts complicate or simplify Euclid has long been
a point for some debate amongst mathematicians. What is unquestioned,
however, is that Byrne’s depiction of Pythagoras is a classic, rightly feted
as one of the most innovative and visually stunning renderings of
Euclidean geometry ever produced and a landmark of Victorian colour
printing.
Keynes, Pickering, p. 37 & 65; McLean, Victorian Book Design, p. 70; Tufte, Envisioning Information, pp. 84-87; see the
Mathematical Association of America website for Susan Hawes and Sid Kolpas’ biography of Oliver Byrne,
https://www.maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/oliver-byrne-the-matisse-of-mathematics-biography-1810-
1829; see Julie L. Mellby’s online article ‘Euclid in Color’ on the Princeton Graphics Arts website.
‘Minds have no Sex’ - One of the first works on chemistry by a woman, aimed at women
5. [CHEMISTRY.] MEURDRAC, Marie. DIE MITLEYDENDE UND LEICHTE CHYMIE. Dem
löblichen Frauenzimmer zu sonderbahrem Gefallen. In Frantzösischer sprach beschrieben durch
Jungfer Maria Meurdrac, nunmehr in Teutsch übersetzt und zum zweyten mahl herausgegeben
von J. L. M.C. Sampt einem tractätlein wie man allerhand wolhriechende sachen künstlich
praepariren sol durch Johann Muffatz. Frankfurt, In verlegung Johann David Zunners, 1676.
12mo, pp. [viii], 312, [18] index, [2] approbation and blank; with woodcut head- and tail-pieces; quite prominently
browned throughout due to paper quality, some gatherings less badly affected; 3 cm horizontal worm-trail at head
of title-page though without loss of text, affecting the following pages through to p. 47 decreasing in prominence,
touching a few letters but without loss of meaning, with further worming to upper and lower outer margins of index,
again without significant loss, worming also evidence in both paste-downs and free endpapers; in contemporary
blindstamped vellum, ruled in blind (gilt having faded), title in manuscript on spine and with further manuscript
notes on upper cover and spine, with blocked gilt supralibros on both covers, ‘M.G.A.S. 1668’, the armorial device
of Archbishop Maxmilián Gandolf Küenburg (1622-1687); despite the faults an appealing copy. £2,500
Rare second German edition (first German 1673) of this important manual of chemistry, first published in
French in 1666 (Lachymiecharitable et facile, en faveur des dames, first issue however misprinted as 1656), and
here translated by Johann Lange (according to VD) and with additions by Johann
Muffatz. Containing receipts for producing all kinds of medicinal receipts as well
as for cosmetics and perfumes, the work is considered to be one of the earliest if
not 'the first major treatise on chemistry written by a woman since Maria the
Jewess 1600 years earlier' (Alic, pp. 95-6), and over recent years has become the
focus of much academic study.
'Her six-part work covered laboratory principles, apparatus and techniques,
animals, metals, the properties and preparation of medicinal simples and
compound medicines, and cosmetics. The treatise also included tables of weights
and of 106 alchemical symbols. She based her work on the alchemical precept
that substances were formed of three principles: salt, sulphur and mercury. In the
foreword of her book, Meurdrac described her quandary: When I began this little
treatise, it was solely for my own satisfaction and for the purpose of retaining the
knowledge I have acquired through long work and through various oft-repeated
experiments. I cannot conceal that upon seeing it completed better than I had
dared to hope, I was tempted to publish it: but if I had reasons for bringing it to light, I also had reason for
keeping it hidden and for avoiding exposing it to general criticism. I remained irresolute in this inner
struggle for nearly two years: I objected to myself that it was not the profession of a lady to teach; that she
should remain silent, listen and learn, without displaying her own knowledge; that it is above her station to
offer a work to the public and that a reputation gained thereby is not ordinarily to her advantage since men
always scorn and blame the products of a woman's wit … On the other hand, I flattered myself that I am not
the first lady to have had something published; that minds have no sex and that if the minds of women were
cultivated like those of men, and if as much time and energy were used to instruct the minds of the former,
they would equal those of the latter' (ibid).
Some confusion has existed over the dates of original publications. It is now widely accepted that,
although the Ferguson Collection copy is dated 1656, this was in fact a misprint for 1666, the work soon
being re-issued with a cancel title to make the date correction. The error was perpetuated in many
bibliographies however. Similarly, Ferchl notes that the first German edition was 1665, but again this
appears to be erroneous, with no copies located on OCLC. We previously handled a copy of the 1673 edition,
and which at the time we stated as being the second German edition, based upon Ferchl. The present copy,
which has been completely reset, is clearly stated as being the second edition on the title-page. A third
edition was published in 1689. Meurdrac’s book appeared in twelve European editions, including an Italian
edition in 1682. ‘Except for the first French edition, her text had a publisher, thus suggesting that her book
was of continuing value’ (Grolier, p. 93).
‘Marie Meurdrac... was one of two girls born into an aristocratic French family in north-central France.
While her older sister took pleasure in riding and hunting, Marie, more serious, involved herself in
community life, serving as godmother to several village children. Records indicate that in 1625 she married
Henri de Vibrac, commander of Charles de Valois’s guard unit, and that she lived in the château of Grosbois.
Except for Meurdrac’s friendship with the Countess de Guiche, a woman of illustrious lineage who
welcomed her into the château - and to whom Marie would later dedicate her treatise - little is known about
Meurdrac’s life. The historian JeanPierre Poirier suggests that Meurdrac was not satisfied simply overseeing
the management of the château. The widowed countess, similarly restless,
recognized a kindred spirit in Meurdrac and became her benefactress,
supporting her decision to dedicate herself to the study of chemistry and its
benefits for the women in the community. Meurdrac and the countess
endeavoured to improve the lives of less fortunate women. Self-taught,
Meurdrac began be reading contemporary pharmaceutical works... apparently
she performed a large number of chemical experiments, and the results
provided the source material for her chemical book... Her decision to publish
was rooted in her unwavering belief that her practical book was useful in
remedying women’s illnesses as well as a guide to the preservation of their
health. Unquestionably an early feminist who broke ground in an area where
few women dared to tread, Meurdrac felt that no sharing knowledge that could
ameliorate the lives of others would be a betrayal of the Catholic principle of
charity as well as incompatible with her inquisitive temperament’ (Grolier, p.
93).
Alic, pp. 95-6; Anders, 33 Alchemist Innen, ff. 80; Brüning, Bibliographie der
alchemistischen Literatur 2344; Cole 935 (for the first Italian edition); see Duveen p.
402 for 1674 and 1687 French editions); Ferguson II, p. 92 (this edition); Ferchl 394 (seemingly erroneously stating
1665 as the First German edition); Grolier, Extraordinary Women, pp. 93-94; Hurd-Mead p. 426; Ogilvie, II, p. 889;
Neville II, p. 167 (first French edition of 1666); Proffitt, p. 390; VD17 14:630105Y; VD17 23:305334B for 1673 edition,
which though calling for a plate notes that neither Wolfenbüttel or Weimar have one: a digital copy at Dresden does
reveal an image at the end of the work - but it is an appealing engraving by Melchior Hafner of six cherubs - with an
inscription about childhood below and which has clearly been added to the copy by a private owner at some point and
is unrelated to the work; Waller 11196 (this edition); for a detailed discussion see Lucia Tosi (2001) Marie Meurdrac:
Paracelsian Chemist and Feminist, Ambix, 48:2, 69-82, DOI: 10.1179/amb.2001.48.2.69; see also Sandy Feinstein,
‘Chemistry by a Lady for Ladies: Education in the Alchemical Arts’, Chapter 5 ff. 53 in ‘Dominant Culture and the
Education of Women, edited by Julia C. Paulk, 2008.
6. [COMPUTERS.] GOLDING, Henry Albert. HORSE POWER COMPUTER FOR STEAM, GAS &
OIL ENGINES. London, Charles Griffin & Company, Ltd., Exeter Street, Strand. 1908.
Boxed set, comprising square varnished thick card calculator 167 x 167mm, with three moving circular pieces of
graduating size fastened centrally with brass rivet, retaining original tissue guard;together with accompanying text
pamphlet of pp. 12, stitched as issued; calculator a little browned and stained, some minor marginal browning to
outer margins of pamphlet; housed within the original white paper-covered card box, quite significant loss and wear
to one edge, with a couple of further small nicks to lid edges; some minor soiling but otherwise good. £200An original and sophisticated circular slide-rule/ logarithmic calculator, or computer, designed for solving
the numerous problems connected with the power, size and speed of steam engines of all kinds. The
calculator has four parts, fastened with a brass rivet, each with a printed scale, which rotate and line up to
allow the reading of pipe diameters, the stroke of pistons, cylinder diameters, the BHP of an engine, the
IHP of an engine, and all manner of engine design requirements. Whereas the instrument only works for
steam engines, the twelve page booklet and the given examples therein are extended to three sources of
energy: steam, gas and gasoline/petrol, and diesel oil. ‘The computer is an ingenious form of mechanical
calculator for solving the numerous problems connected with the power, size, and speed of steam engines
of all kinds. Its action is based upon the well-known principle of logarithmic calculation, the operations of
multiplication and long division being effected mechanically by the addition and subtraction of distances
proportional to the logarithms of the quantities represented...’ (Introduction).
Not in Origins of Cyberspace.
Striking Metallotherapy device
7. [ELECTRO-GALVANIC PENDANT.] [MORON, Edouard and Eugéne LEGRAS.] MÉDECINE
NOUVELLE PLAQUES DYNAMO-DERMIQUES Epithème Vitaliste. Brevetées S.G.D.G. Paris, 19
Rue de Lisbonne. n.d. but ca. 1890-1900.
Oval composite plaque made from brass and nickel?, 70 x 115 x 1 mm, with horizontal central moulding, both sides
engraved; together with pp. [4] folded explanatory leaflet 212 x 135 mm, further folded down into four; paper a
little browned; plaque slightly burnished; retained within the original printed card box, 120 x 80 x 7 mm, box a
little foxed and soiled, with minor rubbing and wear to extremities; a very good example. £485
A scarce medical curiosity - a French Vitalist-Mettalotherapeutic device from the turn of the century, made
from brass and seemingly nickel, patented and made by the Société Électrogénique, established in the mid 1890s
by Eugène Legras (1856-?) and Édouard Moron (1850-1909). Particularly appealing, the device is housed
within the original card box, and retains the printed explanatory relief, which guarantees the user of its
authenticity and not a counterfeit. Recommended for the treatment of all pain by application to sensitive
areas, and by extension supposed to cure all internal diseases, the plaque, sold for 4 francs, and was
designed to be attached to clothing, and in particular night-gowns, patients recommended to keep between
3 and 7 plates close to the skin during the night, the number depending on the severity of the ailment.
Different metals are known to generate small electric currents when brought together, and this was
thought to confer healing properties when held against the skin. The French physician Victor Burq, in
around 1849, discovered that placing various metals on the bodies of female patients being treated for
hysteria, triggered various physiological, muscular and nervous reactions, and in a number of instancesseemed to offer some kind of cure. Thus ‘mettalotherapy’ was born, and Burq’s work soon became quite
influential and was adopted by many contemporaries. Innumerable electro- or magnetotherapeutic
pendants and devices were developed by physicians, chemists, and businessmen at the time, often without
much medical knowledge, and were widely marketed across both America and Europe at the end of the 19th
century when electrotherapy hit its peak. We have previously held pendants patented by E. Osselin and
Joseph Raspail.
In late 1881 Charles Pinel (1828-1895, son of Scipion, and brother of
Philippe), founded the first l’Institut d’Electrothérapie together with a
colleague, with the commercial aim of distributing metal plates for
medical use, called ‘dynamodermic plates’, so called because of the
reactions they caused during application to the skin. An exponent of
vitalism, the company expanded rapidly, but Pinel died unexpectedly in
1895, at which point Eugène Legras and Édouard Moron, neither men
physicians, became involved. Moron appears to have used a number of
pseudonyms, including Doctor Édouard de Monplaisir (named after a
district of Sainte-Radegonde where his parents lived), Doctor Sosthène
Faber (used in particular at the Rochecorbon Sanitorum they established
in 1901), E. de Salerno, and De la Palette. Legras, whose name appears at
the end of the present instruction leaf, oversaw the financial side of the
business, which seemingly was renamed the Dynamodermic Institute and
later the Electrogenic Society. Clearly two entrepreneurial men, the
business became very successful, thanks to prominent advertising in
local, national and international newspapers, the creation of Le Médecine
Nouvelle Journal, and through a prestigious establishment in a Paris mansion at ‘19, rue de Lisbonne’, where
as the instruction leaf reveals, free consultations were available from both ‘Dr. Péradon’, chief vitalist
physician, who would also give correspondence consultations, as well as from the Director, ‘Dr. Dumas’.
Personal consultations were given every day between 10am and 5pm. The sale of devices such as the present
‘plaque dynamodermique’ no doubt helped to pay for this free service. Demand was so strong that a
production plant is established in Vernou-sur-Brenne, as noted on the present example. Priding itself on
relieving and even curing a multitude of both nervous and physical diseases (including tuberculosis and
cancer), the company prospered for more than 20 years, eventually opening their famous Rochecorbon
Sanitorium in 1901, in Château de la Tour, on the outskirts of the town. Fortunes quickly changed however,
and by 1905 the company had been declared bankrupt, although Legras and Moron, under the pseudonym
of Doctor Sosthéne Faber, continued to run the Sanatorium until 1909, when Moron died. Despite attempts
by Legras to keep the sanatorium going, it had closed by the start of WWI, when it was used as a military
hospital.
Later examples of the ‘plaque dynamodermique’ were engraved ‘Rochecorbon’, and were used
extensively as part of treatment plans.
See https://phare-rochecorbon.org/2013/08/28/le-sanatorium-vitaliste-de-rochecorbon/8. ESSER, Johannes Fredericus Samuel. BIOLOGICAL OR ARTERY FLAPS OF THE FACE With
420 plates and a list of the Author’s Publications. Published by: The Editor of the “Institut Esser de
Chirurgie structive”. Monaco. [n.d. but ca. 1934-5].
Large 4to, with somewhat erratic and complicated pagination, pp. [ii], 7, [ii] preface, [9]-20, 21-22 large folding leaf,
23-26, 27, [i] blank, 28-29 one folding leaf, 31-32, 33, [1] blank, 34-35 one folding leaf, 37-38, 39-40 one folding
leaf, 41-42 one folding leaf, 43-44, 45-46 one folding leaf, 47-49 one large folding leaf, 51-52, 53-54 one folding
leaf, [ii] unnumbered, 55-57, [ii] blank, 58-60, [i] blank, 61-68, [i] blank, 70-73, [i] blank, 74-76 one folding leaf,
77-78, 79-81 one folding leaf, [i] blank, 82-90, 91 - [92] one folding leaf, 93-95, [ii] blank, 96-99, [ii], 100-102,
[ii] blank, 103-6 one folding leaf, 107-9, [ii] blank, 110-112, [113]-114 folding leaf, 115-117, [i] blank, 118 folding
leaf, 119-125, [ii] blank, 126-132, 133 folding leaf, 134 folding leaf, 135-138, [ii] folding plate, 139-144, [ii] blank
on which tipped 147-148 folding leaf, 149-151, no pp. 152-3 as usual, 154-155, [ii] blank, 156-176, [iv] including
red and black printed leaf listing the members of the Institut’s ‘Grand Conseil’; with eight line drawings (of which four
on one folding leaf), three small half tone figures on p. 85, and 54 plates (of which 17 are folding) depicting 402
images; plates usually included in pagination, though not always, and not all blanks included; some occasional light
marginal foxing and finger-soiling, leaves all slightly cockled suggesting possible dampness at some point, though no
evidence of water-staining; uncut in the original full tan goatskin, upper cover and spine with title stamped in gilt,
spine a little sunned, surfaces a little spotted and scratched, extremities quite rubbed and lightly worn; with binder’s
ticket ‘Encuadernación F. Fernandez Libras Madrid’ on front paste-down. £2,000
Scarce first English edition of this graphically illustrated, privately printed,
and little-known work on facial plastic surgery by the noted Dutch plastic
surgeon, art dealer, merchant and champion chess player, Johannes "Jan"
Fredericus Samuel Esser (1877- 1946). The work was published and sold
not only to highlight his pioneering work in the field of plastic surgery, but
also in an effort to raise funds to establish his proposed 'Institut Esser de
Chirurgie Structive', an independent training centre for plastic and
reconstructive surgery where the wounded and deformed could be treated
regardless of their financial situation or citizenship. As far as we can tell,
all were produced by hand in limited numbers, making it therefore one of
the most scarce items in the plastic surgery canon.
Johannes 'Jan' Esser (1877-1946) was a prolific author and published
extensively during his career in a number of scholarly journals. He travelled
world-wide disseminating on the basis of his own personal experience and
observations, the possibilities of plastic and "structive" surgery, especially in Europe and both Americas,
for the surgical treatment, rehabilitation and return to society of mutilated war victims, and subsequently
those in the wider society with facial disfigurements who were often regarded as outcasts. Esser conceivedof the idea to establish some kind of independent centre of plastic and reconstruction surgery, where all
could be treated regardless of their financial situation or citizenship, under the banner of the 'L'Institut
Esser de Chirurgie Structive'. To this end many of his publications, finely produced on high quality paper
and attractively bound, were issued as a way to raise funds for the Institut, although ultimately his dream
was never realised, even if his work at the time did much to convince international experts of the importance
of the emerging discipline in the wider sphere of surgery. His achievements, however, appear to have been
somewhat overlooked by later historians
Esser was one of the first physicians in Holland to have studied
both dentistry and medicine, a unique and fortunate combination
that lead him to invent the skin graft inlay technique: an operation
that is still named after him. After two years of training with
Professor Laméris in Utrecht, he spent half a year studying in Paris
with Hippolyte Morestin (1869-1919), a French surgeon who had
specialized in plastic surgery, and who made important
contributions, especially in the field of facial malformations. When
the war broke out, Esser offered his services as a surgeon to the
governments of several of the belligerent countries. The Austro-
Hungarian government accepted his offer, provided he would bring
his own nursing staff with him. During the entire war, Esser devoted
himself to the treatment of wounded soldiers, first in various
hospitals in Austria, finally in Berlin. During this time he became
known for his use of a dental impression compound, to aid in facial
reconstruction, a technique first invented by the English dentist
Charles Stent (1807-1885) in 1856. In 1917, in his Studies in plastic
surgery of the face, Esser used the term ‘stent’ to describe his use of the technique; since no earlier written
appearance of the term has been found, Esser is credited with having coined it.
'In the International literature on plastic surgery he is quoted as
being one of the pioneers and inventors of reconstructive surgery, of the
same stature as Joseph and Lexer in Germany, Gillies and Kilner in
Great-Britain, Morestin in France, Burian in Czechoslovakia and Staige
Davis in the United Statesof America. Yet in his native country, Holland,
he was barely noticed. He travelled all over the world with the aim of
spreading, on the basis of his personal experience, the possibilities of
plastic and "structive" surgery, especially in Europe and both Americas,
for the surgical treatment, rehabilitation and return to society of the
mutilated war victims who were regarded as outcasts of society... The
development of the Esser-inlay, published in both the German and
American surgical journals, marked the beginning of an era in plastic
surgery and was used extensively throughout the First and Second
World War. His discovery of the "biological" arterial flap, used then as
a pedicled flap and more recently as a free flap has revolutionized
reconstructive surgery. Another of his innovations, the bilobed flap, it
still used extensively for the reconstruction of certain facial and nasal defects' (preface, Haeseker).
To achieve his aim of the international dissemination of his methods, and the benefits and importance
of plastic surgery, Esser had the work translated into a number of languages, with further Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian, and Hungarian editions published, and all of which are themselves scarce (if indeed
they all made it into print). A shared trait with that of the English edition, is the somewhat erratic pagination
and collation, with amendments made to the number of plates included, and how they are bound in (some
folded, others tipped in). All give the impression of the books being individually put together and bound,
emphasising our view that all were produced in limited numbers. As the present copy reflects, however, 'his
dexterity and love for manual craftsmanship is reflected in his beautiful leather bound collection of atlasesof war injuries, made by the old master book-binders in Antwerp' (Haeseker). The Madrid Binder’s ticket
on the present copy suggests that he also reached out to other European craftsmen.
What becomes clear from a study of not only the present edition, but of
subsequent translations into French, German, Dutch and Spanish, is that
it is a somewhat complicated bibliographically. Confusion seems to exist
as to when exactly this original edition was published, with projected dates
ranging from 1928 through to 1935. A number of libraries on OCLC
suggest 1928, but both the bibliography included here and in a later Dutch
edition handled of 1938, lists a work of 1929 under the title 'Artery Flaps
with 407 plates' and which according to the Dutch edition was reissued in
1932. An article with a similar title was published in a journal in 1933 (the
final item 92 in the bibliography included here). According to the Dutch
bibliography the present English edition was first published in Monaco,
under the auspices of the Institut de Esser de Chirurgie Structive, in both
1934 and apparently reissued again in 1935 (Edition complétée), although
with no obvious identifying variant issue points as far as we can establish,
we are unsure as to quite how these two issues differ, if at all. The date of
1928 must therefore be erroneous given that the bibliography included ends in 1933. Further more at the
end of the work is a page entitled in red and black Gothic type 'Institute Esser de Chirurgie Structive Grand
Conseil', followed by a long list of names under various sub-titles. Under the sub-title "Conseil Grand" a
number of nobel prize winners are identified, including Arthur Harden and Sir Frederick G Hopkins who
both won in 1929 (as did Prince Louis de Broglie though it doesn't specify the year in his case). It also cites
Einstein as being a Professor of 'Paris, Madrid, U.S.A.'. Einstein spent much for 1930-31 as California Tech.
All editions are scarce.
See Barend Haeseker, Dr J.F.S. Esser and his contributions to Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Thesis 1993); see also Jan
M. Hilert and Johannes F. Hoenig, The Plastic Surgeon Johannes Fredericus Samuel Esser (1877 to 1946), M.D., D.M.D., and his
unknown period during 1917 and 1925 in Berlin, Germany in Eur. J. Plastic Surg (2009) 32:127-130; OCLC locates copies at
Oxford, Cambridge, UCLA, Michigan, Minnesota (1934/35), and the Wellcome, British Library, Wisconsin, Columbia
(dated 1928 but bearing similar imprint and collation).
With the bookplate of Joseph Claude Anthelme Recamier on front pastedown
9. [FAUX BOOK OR ‘BLOOK’.] NINETEENTH CENTURY MUSIC BOX HOUSED WITHIN A
HOLLOWED OUT VOLUME OF ‘JOURNAL DE MEDECINE, CHIRURGIE, PHARMACIE, &c, ...
par M. Vandermonde... Janvier 1760, Tome XII. A Paris, Chez Vincent, Imprimeur-Libraire de Mgr
le Duc de Bourgogne, rue. S. Severin...’ 1760.
Later seemingly 19th century music box, the mechanism housed within hollowed out 8vo, with the winding key located
at the rear of the book; in the original mottled calf, spine in compartments with raised bands, expertly repaired andrebacked, with attractive gilt floral endpapers; ex-libris bookplate on front pastedown, ‘Ex Bibliotheca Joseph-Claudii-
Anthelmi Recamier, Doctoris magni Parisiensis nosocomii Medici’; a most appealing example. £1,500
An unusual example of a faux book, ‘buch atrappe’, ‘faux livre’, or ‘blook’ (the term coined by Mindell
Dubansky for her own collection of ‘things that look like a book, but aren’t’), in this case housing what we
believe to be a 19th century music box mechanism, added to a hollowed out and customised volume of the
18th century French medical ‘Journal de Medecine, Chirurgie, Pharmacie’, from January 1760. The winding
key is located in at the rear of the volume, and once turned, the music plays when the front cover is lifted.
The tune is frustratingly familiar, and as yet unidentified, though possibly a Strauss Waltz.
The volume has an interesting provenance, having the bookplate on the front paste-down of Joseph Claude
Anselme Recamier (1774-1852), the noted French gynaecologist and a pioneer in the study of cancer
metastasis. A unique example.
How to Prevent hospital cross-infection
10. [NURSING.] NIGHTINGALE, Florence. INTRODUCTORY NOTES ON LYING-IN
INSTITUTIONS. Together with a proposal for organising an Institution for Training Midwives and
midwifery nurses. London: Longmans, Green, and Co. 1871.
8vo, pp. xvi, 10; with fiven engraved architectural plans (one folding), and smaller plans within text, and numerous
statistical tables; a number of early preliminary leaves discretely strengthened at gutter; lightly browned throughout,
a couple of the plates slightly shaved along fore-edge clipping a couple of letters; ex-libris from Battersea Public
Library, with their stamp on verso of plates, and at head of p. 1, tail of p. 99, and on final leaf; in modern blackcloth, with red morocco label lettered in gilt on spine; with later book-plate of Margaret Yvonne Williams mounted
on verso of title-page. £2,200
First edition of this rare volume. In 1860 Nightingale laid the foundation of
professional nursing with the establishment of her nursing school at St
Thomas’ Hospital in London. It was the first secular nursing school in the
world, now part of King’s College London. The following year Nightingale
secured funding to train midwives for service among the poor, and arranged
for suitable young women to receive six months practical training in
midwifery by professional physician-accoucheurs. This training
programme continued for six years but was abandoned after an epidemic of
puerperal fever – the greatest post-natal killer of the nineteenth century. A
vicious and usually fatal form of septicaemia, puerperal or childbed fever
was known to occur in maternity hospitals far more frequently than at home
births, and to spread faster in crowded wards than in those with fewer
patients. Its cause was unknown.
Already interested in hospital design, this unfortunately event, along
with the discovery that no trustworthy statistics of mortality of ‘lying-in
institutions’ existed, prompted Nightingale to embark on gathering the facts presented in the current rare
volume. From 1868 she constantly badgered Douglas Galton, Sutherland, Farr and many others to obtain
the necessary facts and data to produce this, the most detailed work on the subject to have been published
up to that time. In this precise statistical analysis of the facts, gathered from several sources across the major
cites of Europe, Nightingale explores the mystery of puerperal fever and its possible causes. The work
discusses the maternal death statistics of lying-in institutions and makes suggestions, with accompanying
plans, for changes to hospital layouts to help prevent cross-infection between patients, and thus reduce
maternal deaths, in particular stressing the necessity of good ventilation and condemning those hospitals
with overcrowded wards. Published in 1871, just before Pasteur’s work on germ theory proved that the
problem could be all but eradicated if doctors washed their hands more rigourously, this work remains
clear, scholarly and engaging, and was widely well received, and proved instrument in helping popularise
the graphical presentation of statistical data.
Bishop & Goldie, Bio-Bibliography of Florence Nightingale, 102.
11. [PARIS - JARDIN DU ROI.] BOITARD, Pierre. LE JARDIN DES PLANTES Description et moeurs
des mamifères de la ménagerie et du Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle... précède d’une introduction
historique, descriptive et pittoresque par M. J. Janin. Paris, J. J. Dubochet et Ce Éditeurs, rue de
Seine, 55. 1842.
Large 8vo, pp. [vi] including initial blank, lxvi, [ii], 472, [ii] blank; with four full-page hand-coloured
ornithological plates (retaining tissue guards), two wood-engraved portraits of Buffon and Cuvier by Karl Girardet,
one folding aquatint plan (somewhat foxed and cropped close at head shaving title), 51 full-page wood engravedplates, and with coloured title-page vignette and a further 214 charming coloured wood engraved head and tail-
pieces; small nick with loss at title-page gutter, and small dink at head of p. 373, some foxing and soiling
throughout to both text and plates, the plates at p. 92, 313, 373 and 428 very browned being printed on different
paper stock; with old accession numbers in ms at head of front paper, and also stamped at lower corner; small paper
pocket mounted on front pastedown, to house original engraved entrance ticket for four people, and signed in a
contemporary hand ‘P(?) D, de Blainville’; in contemporary green morocco backed pebble cloth, covers ruled in blind,
spine attractively tooled and lettered in gilt depicting birds, flowers, trees, a bear, giraffe and monkeys, all edges gilt,
with moiré endpapers,inner hinges starting but holding firm, both upper and lower joints cracked at head, with 6cm
split to upper joint, surfaces a little rubbed, corners bumped with signs of previous minor repairs; housed within later
red paperbacked card slip-case. £775
Rare deluxe hand-coloured edition of this copiously
illustrated guide to the menagerie within Paris Natural
History Museum. The work of Pierre Boitard (1789-1858),
with an extensive historical introduction by Jules Janin (1804-
1874), the work appears to have been originally published in
weekly parts in the magazine ‘Le Pantheon populaire illustre’
the previous year, before being published in book form in
1842.
A two volume companion work, under a similar title, was
also published between 1842-43, and which described the
plants within the famous gardens themselves, penned by
Pierre Bernard, Emmanuel Le Maout, and published by L. Curmer (see Grolier 65 and 66).
Brivois, Bibliographie des ouvrages illustrés du XIXème, p. 213; Carteret III, Le Trésor du bibliophile, p. 97; Nissen
ZBI 454; Vicaire I, Manuel de l'mateur de livres du XIXème, 837.
Luxurious Art Deco commemorative album produced for the Colonial Exhibition of 1931
12. [PARIS METRO.] METRO - LE CHEMIN DE FER METROPOLITAN DE PARIS [Cet ouvrage a été
édite par Les Ateliers A.B.C. 52, rue Mathurin-Régnier Paris (15o) en Avril 1931.]
Large 4to, pp. 60; with four ‘faux’ mounted colour paintings on dark green paper, 13 vibrant chromolithographs
on seven leaves (including one double-page), and numerous heliogravures and graphs within the text; paper very
lightly browned throughout, with some occasional light foxing and soiling otherwise clean and crisp; in the original
striking silver gilt boards, lettered in black, and with depiction of the Paris Metro system in red, black, white and
blue, with notable Art Deco inspired paste downs by Débatier, covers a little stained, scratched and scuffed, extremities
bumped and lightly rubbed; a lovely copy. £350You can also read
