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Kbhvn., C.G. Glasings Efterleverske, 1756. 4to. (30x23 cm.). Pragtfuldt, yderst velbevaret samtidigt hellæderbind i flammet kalv. Ryg opdelt i 7 felter af 6 ophøjede bind. Felterne rigt forgyldt med blomsterværk. På begge permer en bred forgyldt ramme sammenstukket af stempler med elefanter, vildmænd, løver enhjørninger og adskilt af store rokokkostempler, en udsmykning karakteristisk for Jørgen Piper. Piper døde 1756, således er værket her et af hans sidste arbejder. På indersiden af forpermen et exlibris i guld af tre sammensnørede neg. Fribladet er forsynet med Oscar Davidsens opklæbede exlibris. Pragteksemplar af originaludgaven af dette hovedværk om Bornholms og Christiansøes historie og topografi.Eksemplaret er optaget i auktionskataloget over Oscar Davidsen's Specialsamling og forsynet med denne note: "Eksemplaret er meget stort og snehvidt. Indbd. i samtidigt brunt, marmoreret og glittet KalveskindsHelbind med meget smuk Dekoration i guld. Bogen kan ikke være i mere skøn og frisk Stand." (side 53 i auktionskataloget, 1940).

Copenhagen, 1930. No.1005 fol.in the royal collection in the Royal Library of Copenhagen. With an Introduction by Finnur Jonsson. . Folio. Orig.hvellum. (14) pp. and 448 pp. of facsimiles(photolithographs by Emil Pinkau & Co.,A-G, Leipzig). Corpus Codicum Islandicorum Medii Aevi,vol.I. - The work contains in full size reproduction this world-famous manuscript.

Paris, 1841. Folio. Bound in 2 modest cont. hcloth. Tear in lower part of back on volume II. Backs somewhat rubbed. (8),72,22-(6),116,8,32 pp. and 146 engraved plates (ca 40 x 22) cm). Stamp on titles. Vol. I occasionally slightly brownspotted. Scarce first edition (volume 1 in second issue), of this magnificent and highly important work on construction with iron, thoroughly explaining for one of the first times how to generally apply, use and cast iron for the construction of buildings and how to use ceramic pots and wrought-iron together in civil, military, and industrial buildings as well as bridges, rail-roads, etc. Already in the late 18th century, the great improvements in the manufacture of wrought-iron, following upon the introduction and development of the puddling furnace and the rolling mill, had led to the increased use of it in construction, and especially in France the use of hollow ceramic pots in combination with a wrought-iron framework had proved itself very effective in protection against fire in particular. It was not until a few decades later, though, that the manufacturing techniques of iron had become sufficiently effective for it to be widely used in various large-scale construction, and even during the first decades of the 19th century, almost only the French exploited this new technique. Eck's major work from 1841 plays a significant role in the spreading of the iron-construction techniques and provides us with important information on the earliest use of iron-construction. After Eck's seminal work, British architects really began understanding the benefits of this sort of construction, and within a few more decades it spread widely beyond the borders of France. In 1854 G.r. Burnel writes in "The Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal" (William Laxton edt.): "I would call your attention, and that of the members of the Institute, to a work I mentioned on the last evening; it is M. Eck's Traité de la Construction, Poteries, Fer, Fonte et Tôle, in two vols. fol. Paris, 1841; in which will be found many very remarkable illustrations of the application of those various materials to purposes which rarely are thought of in England. It is an extremely valuable work, and if it had been better known here, probably much money might have been saved preventing parties from taking out patents for systems already largely employed; and at any rate, the study of M. Eck's book would have suggested many valuable hints to both architects and engineers."

London, Bacon & Co. Ltd., 1899. Chromlithographed folded map (50 x 71 cm) in original printed covers (20 x 14 cm). 5 cm tear in horisontal fold in left margin. 10 cm long tear in spine of cover, but map and wrappers still firmly attached, otherwise a fine copy. A fine copy of Frederick Rose’s famous caricature map of Europe with each country depicted as an angler having various levels of success in catches colonies. Serving as an allegory for European colonial interference elsewhere, this type of map influenced and reflected popular opinion, much like a political cartoon. Political boundaries and power struggles define this work. The 19th-century “serio-comic map” caricaturizes each European country as a fisherman, holding a sack with its imperial catch, or about to lose what it has caught. Serving as an allegory for European colonial interference elsewhere, this type of “persuasive” map influenced and reflected popular opinion, much like a political cartoon. Despite the popularity of his posters and a considerable output, there has been some controversy regarding Frederick Rose’s exact identity, in part due to his common name. Recent research suggest that Rose was of honorable Scottish descent and spent most of his professional life working as a civil-servant at Somerset House in London (Inland Revenue at the time).

A Rouen, Iacques Cailloüe, 1627. 4to. Cont. full vellum. Spine w. a gilt green title-label. Title-page lightly browned and with a small rubberstamp. A few marginal dampstains. One leaf repaired in a corner. A fine, well preserved copy (4), (456), (4) pp. Having 84 large woodcut-illustrations in the text (each ab. 1/3 page large), showing apparatus and equipment for chemistry, mining, fireworks, metallurgy etc. Fourth French edition of this much-quoted work, mainly dealing with metallurgy (as the title in 16th-century Italian meant metallurgy) and all sorts of combustible materials, including fireworks e.g.: chapter IX, The Manner of compounding various incendiary compositions which are commonly called fireworks, chapter X, Methods of preparing fireworks called Girondoles, which were once customarily used in some Tuscan cities for magnificent displays for public Festivities on Solomon Feast Days. "Biringuccio's reputation derives from a single work, his Pirotechnica, published in 1540...As the first comprehensive account of the fire-using arts to be printed, the Pirotechnica is a prime source of many practical aspects of inorganic chemistry. Biringuccio emphasizes the adaptation of minerals and metals to use - their alloying, working, and especially the art of casting, of which he writes in great detail. The Pirotechnia contains eighty three woodcuts, the most useful being those depicting furnaces for distillation, bellows, mechanisms, and devices for boring cannon and drawing wire." (DBS II:142). - Chris Philip. A Bibliography of Firework Books. B 110.

Leipzig, M. G. Wiedmanns Erben und Reich, 1777. 8vo. Uniformly bound in two contemporary half calf binding with gilt lettering to spines. Gilt library stamp to both stamps and red library stamp to both title-pages. Deaccession-stamp (dated 20-1-1948) to both pasted down front end-paper. Some wear to extremities, leather on spine cracked and head of spines chipped. Internally very nice and clean. LVI, 784 pp.; XXVI, 834, (2) pp. Uncommon first edition of Tetens’ seminal work which was a major influence on Kant and his development of his synthetic a priori theory. Tetens has also been referred to as the "German Locke”. “(The present work) is essentially an investigation of the origin and structure of human knowledge and was the most important philosophical work written in Germany during the period immediately prior to the publication of the Critique of Pure Reason (1781) by Kant, who valued Tetens’ work highly. Kant reiterated Tetens’ emphasis on the importance of empirical foundations for philosophical studies. He was also influenced in the construction of his own theory of human knowledge by Tetens’ threefold division of consciousness into the faculties of feeling, will, and understanding. By the last category he referred to the faculty of forming and combining ideas.” (Encyclopedia Britannica). “Like the British empiricists, Tetens begin with an account of sensations and ideas. Ideas are described as due to the operation of the traces caused by sensations. He compares the relation of memories to sensations with the relation of visual after-image to the initial sensation, memories being due to continued activity in the eye. (…) He accepts two laws of association, namely, similarity and contiguity in time and space, but he rejects Hume’s third type of association, causality. He clears up Berkeley’s and Hume’s difficulties with general ideas, by distinguishing clearly between the idea (in the sense of image) and its meaning.” (Wolf, A History of Science Technology and Philosophy in the 18th Century, P. 690) Provenance: From the library of Danish philosopher and author Carl Henrik Koch.

Weimar, Geographischen Instituts, 1807-13. Folio-oblong. (38 x 48 cm.). Contemp hcalf. Spine a little rubbed. A paperlabel pasted on upper part of spine. Corners bumped. Stamp on "Netz-Karte"/ "Tableau". With 3 other "Netz-Karte" on verso of Sect. 3,11 a. 14. The engraved title-page (in French) present as Sect. 10. With all 204 engraved plates (203 maps). The maps clean and fine throughout.

Venetia, Pietro Dusinelli, 1586. Folio. Nice later (around 1950) half polished calf, raised bands, 4 compartments gilt. Titlepage with a beautifull renaissance caryatid border in woodcut and with the coat of arms of the Duke of Aragon. Title with 2 small stamps. (4),92 leaves + 2 unnumbered leaves (at sign. T) with illustrations. Having 6 full-page and 29 smaller woodcut-iullustr. and 2 unnumb. plates. Clean and fine, with the illustrations in strong impressions. The opening initial in the preface has been cut out, with a bit of loss of a few letters on verso. The very rare first edition, the only edition in the original form, of Collado's famous work, being "the first really detailed, well-illustrated technical manual on both the theory and practice of artillery" (A.R. Hall in Ballistics in the 17th century)."The greatest interest of this work as far as pyrotechnics are concerned is contained in Chapter 11 which is entitled, "Of...fires which can be adopted for use in times of festivity...The text of the 1586 edition describes these items (a line rocket, a vertical and horizontal wheel, and a device called Spanish 'Las Granadas'), but they are not illustrated. This book contains some of the earliest and fullest descriptions of recreative fireworks." (Chris Philip, C 070.4)."Very rare, and one of the earliest works, if not the earliest, dealing exclusively with artillery. The numerous types of cannon figured are of great interest, while the work itself represents a fine specimen of typography." (Sotheran, Bibliotheca Chemico-Mathematica, vol. I, no 6987.Cockle (No 664) calls it "Very rare; the only ed. of the original form of Collado's famous work, Ayala, nor having seen it, gives the trans. of the Spanish "Platica" as a reprint of it."(Cockle). The "Platica" is a Spanish translation from 1592.

Berlin, Verdrucht auf Rosten des Forfatters, 1798. 4to. Bound in 2 contemporary half calf. Spine with gilt leather title-label. Wear to extrimities, especially to spine: Loss of top 2 cm of spine and upper half of back hinges loose on volume 2. With library stamps to title page. Internally with occasional brownspotting, all the plates are, however, very nice and clean. (6), 296 pp + 24 hand coloured engraved plates; (1), VIII, 325, (4) + 23 hand coloured engraved plates. Second printing of German architect David Gilly's seminal and famous work on country and rural architecture. The present work is one of the most successful examples of architecture integrating urban and regional planning and architecture and is probably the most important contribution to the development of Prussian Classicism. Gilly had extensive technical knowledge particularly of wooden roof structures. "One of the trendsetters within the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century electorate was David Gilly (1748-1808), a second generation Huguenot whose family had come from Provence. He established the theory and practice of rual architecture in Brandenburg-Prussia; functionality and utility were paradigms by which he desgined buildings. Through his son (1772-1800), Gilly influenced the famous romantic-classicist Klarl Friedrich Schinkel and his school." (Finney, Seeing Seeing beyond the word: visual arts and the Calvinist tradition, p. 272). David Gilly built the two castles Paretz (1796) and Freienwalde (1798) for the king of Prussia.

Paris, P. Dufart, 1828. Large8vo. In a very nice full morocco binding (Anker Kyster) with with five raised bands and gilt lettering to spine. Gilt frames to boards and top-edge gilt. Lower left corner of front board with small waterstain. With light occassional brownspotting, an overall nice and clean copy. 49 beautifully handcoloured engraved plates printed in colours and finished by hand by Chardin, Langlois, Lemaire and others after Redouté, with accompanying text. First volume of the third edition, being the “most complete edition”, of arguably the most celebrated and reproduced of all flower books. The work proved to be not only outstanding in terms of its beauty but also for its scientific merits and is widely regarded as being one of the most successful examples of art employed in the service of science Redoute's "stipple engravings printed in color command the admiration of both natural historians and artists. Working directly from the flowers, Redoute arranged his compositions to show all their significant aspects without the sacrifice of aesthetic value." (Ray French). Thory cultivated his own collection of roses, and together with the Malmaison gardens he contributed the majority of the specimens illustrated in his collaborative work with Redoute. "Redoute and Thory knew, described and figured almost all the important roses known in their day. Included were many of the key ancestors of our present-day roses. The plates in Les Roses have artistic value, both for the species and cultivars still surviving and for those that have disappeared" (Gisele de la Roche, quoted in the introduction to the Antwerp facsimile edition of Les Roses, 1974-78). Redoute is widely considered the finest 19th century botanical illustrator, if not throughout history. Dunthorne 233 Great Flower Books p. 71 Hunt Redouteana 19 Nissen BBI 1599 Ray French 89 Stafleu & Cowan 8748

Paris, Guillaumin et Cie, Victor Masson et Fils, 1862. 8vo. In contemporary half calf with gilt title to spine. Very light minor brownspotting to a few pages. Previous owner's name to half title. A fine copy. LXIV (incl. half-title), I-XXIII + (24-) 712. pp. and 1 folded plate (between pp.160 a. 161). Fully complete. The scarce first French edition of Darwin's masterpiece, one of the most important books ever printed. The "Origin" started the greatest of all intellectual revolutions in the history of Mankind.There were some difficulties with the first French edition. Mlle Royer, who Darwin described as 'one of the cleverest and oddest women in Europe' and wished 'had known more of natural history', added her own footnotes. He was not really happy until the third translation by Éduard Barbier appeared in 1876. (Freeman). Freeman No 655 (Freeman does not mention the plate, which is present here).

Basel, Io. Bebelium, 1534. Folio. Later full vellum. (18th cent.). Some minor cracks to hinge. A few brownspots to title-page and last leaf. Titlelabel with gilt lettering. Fol. (16),189, (1, verso with printers woodcut device) . First leaf of text w. a broad woodcut frame, made after Holbein. Many woodcut initials. Small stamp on titlepage and in one margin. A large exceptional clean copy The rare Basel-edition of Saxo. It is the second Saxo-edition, but it is rarer than the first. Ther present work constitute the first full history of Denmark for posterity and to this day the most important of all Danish historical publications. This magnificent work contains the first known written narrative of the legend of Hamlet and served as the basis for Shakespeare's play. Adams S,631. - Lauritz Nielsen, 241.

Leipzig, Grosse & Gleditsch, 1691. 4to. Contemp. full vellum. Faint handwritten title on spine. a small stamp on titlepage. In: "Acta Eruditorum Anno MDCLXXXXI". (8),590,(6) pp. and 13 (of 15) folded engraved plates. The 2 first plates lacks, but they do not belong to the papers listed.Leibniz' papers: pp.277-281 a. 1 plate, pp. 435-439. Johann Bernoulli: pp. 274-276 a. 1 plate. Huygens: pp. 281-282. - Jacob Bernoulli: pp. 282-290 a. 1 plate. All papers first apperance. All 5 of extreme importence in the development of the Calculus. Leibniz' 2 papers on the catenary curve (paper 1-2 offered here) was written at the instigation of Jacques Bernoulli. Following the example of Blaise Pascal, who had initiated, in 1658, a contest for the construction of the cycloid, Leibniz also provoked the geometers of his time, by challenging them to submit, at the fixed date of mid-1691, their geometric method for the construction of the catenary curve. Leibniz later provided the answer, followed by Johann Bernoulli and Huygens.'These two papers are a historical account of the origin of the study of this transcendental curve, and, at the same time, the first physical-geometric construction showing the species-relationship between the catenary and the logarithmic curves, as two companion curves; one arithmetic, the other geometric. All of the differentials of the catenary curve, are arithmetic means of corresponding differentials of the logarithmic curve; and, all of the differentials of the logarithmic curve, are geometric means of the catenary.'"The Catenary is the form of a hanging fully flexible rope or chain (the name comes from "catena", which means 'chain'), suspended on two points. The interest in this curve originated with Galileo, who thought that is was a parabola. Young Christiaan Huygens proved in 1646 that this cannot be the case. What the actual form was remained an open question till 1691, when Leibniz, Johann Bernoulli and the then much older Huygens sent solutions to the problem to the "Acta" (Jakob Bernoulli, 1690, Johann Bernoulli 1691, Huygens 1691 and Leibniz 1691), - these 4 1691-papers offered here - in which the previous year Jakob Bernoulli had challenged mathematicians to solve it. As published, the solutions did not reveal the methods, but through later publications of manuscripts these methods have been known. Huygens applied with great ( paper 4) virtuosity the by then classical methods of 17th century infinitesimal mathematics, and he needed all his ingenuity to reach a satisfactory solution. Leibniz ( the papers 1-2) and Bernoulli (paper 3), applying the new Calculus, found the solutions in a much direct way. In fact, the catenary was a test-case between the old and the new style in the study of curves, and only because the champion of the old style was a giant like Huygens, the test-case can formally be considered as ending in a draw." (Grattan-Guiness in "From the Calculus to Set Theory, 1630-1910.").The paper by JACOB BERNOULLI ( no. 5 offered here) is a milestone papers as it marks the invention of the "SYSTEM OF POLAR COORDINATES" with points located by reference to a fixed point and a line through that point. Although newton had earlier also devised such a coordinate system (in 1671), his work was not known, so that the credit for the discovery generally goes to Bernoulli. (Parkinson, Breakthroughs (1691).Further papers contained in this volume of Acta Eruditorum:DENYS PAPIN: Mecanicorum de Viribus Motricibus sententia, asserta a D. Papino adversius C.G.G. L. (Leibniz) objectiones. pp. 6-13. The plate lacks. - and Dion. Papini Observationes quaedam circa materias ad Hydraulicam spectantes. Pp. 208-213 a. 1 plate. This importent paper is part of the LEIBNIZ-PAPIN-CONTROVERSY.JACOB BERNOULLI: Specimen Calculi Differentialis in dimensione Parabolæ helicoidis, ubi de flexuris curvarum in genere, carundem evolutionibus. Pp. 13-22. The plate lacks. - and J.B. Demonstratio Centri Oscillationis ex Natura Vectis, reperta occassione eorum, quæ super hac materia in Historia Literaria Roterodamensi recensentur, articulo...Pp.317-321.LEIBNIZ: O.V.E. Additio ad Schediasma de Medii Resistentia publicatum in Actis mensis Febr. 1889. Pp. 177-178. and O.V.E. Quadratura Arithmetica Communis Sectionum Conicarum quæ centrum babent,...Pp. 178-182 a. 1 plate.TSCHIRNHAUS: Singularia Effecta Vitri Caustici bipedalis, quod omnia magno sumtu hactenus constructa specula ustoria virtute superat, per D.T. Pp. 517-520

Paris, Librairie de Challamel Ainé, 1861-1897. 8vo. 128 volumes, all except 7 volumes bound in uniform contemporary half calf with gilt lettering. Remaining 7 volumes in half cloth. Two volumes with detached spine. All volumes with gilt stamp to front board and a few volumes with paper label pasted on to pasted down front end-paper. Spines with a bit of wear, internally very fine and clean. With numerous folded maps and charts. A fine set, all volumes first editions, of this important travel- and exploration journal, being the official French journal on maritime and colonial exploration in the last half of the 19th century containing numerous papers, maps and charts of hitherto unexplored territory.

Paris, Crochard, 1825. 8vo. 2 contemporary half calfs w. richly gilt spines. Light wear at top of spines. Minor scratches to upper compartments of spines. Small stamps on verso of title-pages and verso of plates. In: "Annales de Chimie et de Physique, Par MM. Gay-Lussac et Arago.", tome 29 a. 30. - 448 pp. and 3 folded engraved plates + 448 pp. and 2 folded engraved plates. (The entire volumes offered). Ampère's papers: pp. 381-404 (tome 29) + Suite pp. 29-41 (tome 30) + "Lettre à Gerhardi": pp. 373-381 (tome 29). Clean and fine throughout. First appearance of this famous memoir, in which Ampère presented his collected results on electrodynamics to the French Academy, creating the foundation of 19th century developments in electricity and magnetism. In the words of James Clark Maxwell, "We can scarcely believe that Ampère really discovered the law of action by means of the experiments which he describes. We are led to suspect, what, indeed, he tells us himself, that he discovered the law by some process which he has not shown us, and that when he had afterwards built up a pefect demonstration he removed all traces of the scaffolding by which he raised it."The offered memoir was published BEFORE the famous "Theorie mathématique des phénomènes électro-dynamiques uniquement déduite de L'expérience", which did not appear until 1827. That 1827-Memoire incorporates, together with a new presentation of Ampère's results from 1820, 1822, 1823, the offered memoir (1825). (Horblit: 100 - Dibner: 62)."From 1814 until 1820 Ampére did not perform the kind of research that would have made it into the annals of the histrory of science, but on September 11, 1820 when he heard Francois Arago speak about Oersted's work, he got fresh inspiration and started the work that made him famous. Arago related how Oersted had found that a steady electric current influences the orientation of a compass needle. After a weak Ampère had determined experimentally that that two straight, parallel, and current-carrying, wires execute a force on each other. The magnitude of the force is inversely proportional to the distance between the wires and proportional to the strenghts of the current..... During the following years he continued his researches, both experimentally and theoretically. he built an instrument for measuring electricity that later was developed into the galvanometer. Finally in 1825 he presented his collected results to the Academy IN ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED MEMOIRS IN THE HISTORY OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY (The paper offered)." (Citizen's Compendium, p. 2). - Norman No 47.The volumes contain many other notable papers by: Wöhler, Fresnel, Marcet, Berzelius, Felix Savart, De la Rive, Braconnet, Boussingault, Magnus, Poncelet, Vaugelin, Poisson, Gay-Lussac, Faraday, Laplace etc.

Venice, Vincenzo Valgrisi, 1555. 8vo (209 x 146 mm). In a bit later full calf binding with five raised bands. Spine with gilt lettering and ornamentation. Extremities with wear. Boards with scratches and capitals and hinges with minor loss of leather. Printer's device to title-page. Full page woodcut illustration at beginning of each "Giornata" (included in the pagination). Title-page with light soiling and a few holes to outer lower corner, far from affecting text. Pp. 277-296 with a rather heavy dampstain. Pp. 411-416 with a few words crossed out in text with offsetting from ink. P. 289 with small hole in outer lower corner, slightly affecting text, otherwise internally fine. [Blank], (10), 487, (82), [2 Blanks] pp. Second Valgrisi-edition of Ruscelli's famous translation of Boccaccio’s The Decameron – here in the rare variant with 1555 printed on the title-page but 1554 on the separate title-page for the supplemented ‘Vocabolario generale di tutte le voci usate dal Boccaccio’. The first Valgrisi-edition was printed in 1552 and was reissued in 1554,1555 and 1557. It is widely considered one of the finest 16th century editions of Boccaccio’s work. It was intended to compete with the popular Giolito-editions, hence the stunning full-page illustrations preceding each of the ten days and the fine architectural borders. Girolamo Ruscelli, Italian Mathematician and Cartographer active in Venice during the early 16th century and especially famous for his present translation of The Decameron, had his books printed by Valgrisi. Lodovico Dolce had his translations printed by Giolito and was a fierce competitor to Ruscelli. The controversy between Ruscelli and Dolce arose from a wish on both parts to be considered the better translator of the classics and the best commentator. Their controversy was also reflected in the fact that the two scholars published their works with two rival Venetian printers:“Ruscelli even ends his address to the reader with a disparaging reference to the Giolito editions. In illustration as in text, this edition had to compete with those of Giolito. Valgrisi’s artist took the theme of the Giolito illustrations – the ten scenes of the company at a villa – and almost doubled the height of the blocks to include more architectural details and views” (Mortimer 73) Brunet I, 1001 ("Il y a des exemplaires de l’édition de 1554, dont le frontispiece porte 1555"). Adams B-2154 Mortimer 73 (The first 1552-edition).Grässe, vol. I, 450. (The first 1552-edition).

(Copenhagen, DMI, 1893-1930). Small folio. The issues 1893-1915 are all bound with all the original printed wrappers (stating that they are off-prints) for every issue (except for the front wrapper for the first issue) in four near contemporary blue half cloth bindings with gilt titles and years to spine. The issues 1916-1930 are all present in the original printed wrappers and housed in three custom-made slipcases identical to the four preceding volumes. Ste back wrapper of the 1924-issue is loose. Otherwise the set is generally in excellent condition, with stamps from the Danish Meteorological Institute, in the holdings of which it has been until the present day. With numerous charts and maps throughout. Scarce run of the important first Arctic Sea Ice Charts from the Danish Meteorological Institute, all in off-prints from the Meteorological Year Books of Danish Meteorological Institute, constituting a continuous run, from its very beginning in 1893, of the first 38 years. These earliest Arctic Sea ice measurements and charts are absolutely fundamental for the monitoring of sea ice and, for our ability to determine the extent of the acceleration of global warming, and for the possibility of potentially changing climate patterns. "...the maps from the Danish Meteorological Institute. These are remarkable for their information value and because they represent a cooperative international effort to report ice conditions in a systematic way that was sustained over decades." (Florence Fetterer: Piecing together the Arctic's sea ice history back to 1850, in: Carbon Brief). "These charts, created by the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), provide observed and inferred sea ice extent for each summer month from 1893 to 1956. From 1893 to 1956, the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) created charts of observed and inferred sea ice extent for each summer month. These charts are based on compiled observations of ice conditions reported by a variable network of national organizations, shore-based observers, scientific expeditions, and ships as detailed in each report; in cases where no observations were available, the lead mapmakers extrapolated further ice cover using their knowledge of ice movement." (DMI - Danish Meteorological Institute). The early surveillance of the Arctic Sea Ice has been of immense importance to the development of climate change science. It is the cause of the determination of global warming and the primary proof we have of the deterioration of sea ice, the heating of the oceans and the rice of Arctic temperatures. These seminal charts constitute one of the very most important sources to our understanding of this world-threatening phenomenon. "Over the last three centuries, geographers, oceanographers, geophysicists, glaciologists, climatologists, and geoengineers have shown great interest in Arctic Ocean sea ice extent. Many of these experts envisaged an ice-free Arctic Ocean. This article studies three stages of that narrative: the belief in an ice-free Arctic Ocean, the potential for one, and the threat of one. Eighteenth and nineteenth century interest in accessing navigable polar sea routes energised the belief in an iceless polar sea; an early twentieth century North Hemispheric warm spell combined with mid-century cold war geostrategy to open the potential for drastic sea ice loss; and, most recently, climate models have illuminated the threat of a seasonally ice-free future, igniting widespread concerns about the impact this might have on Earth's natural and physical systems. This long narrative of an ice-free Arctic Ocean can help to explain modern-day scepticism of human-induced environmental change in the far north." (An ice-free Arctic Ocean: history, science, and skepticism).

London, Robert Young, 1628. 12mo. Bound in a worn contemporary full calf binding. Gilt lines to spine and boards. Spine and boards rubbed and cracked, and corners bumped, but binding tight and sturdy. Notes to front free endpaper in a near-contemporary hand. Engraved title-page, nearly detached and torn through the center (reinforced from verso). Evenly browned, otherwise clean internally. (25), 445,(18) pp. The exceedingly scarce second complete edition of the English poet and colonist George Sandys' celebrated translation of Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' (the first being London, 1626). In 1621 Sandys took up the post of treasurer of the colony of Virginia. By the time he reached Virginia, he had already completed a translation of the first five books (out of 15) of the 'Metamorphoses', which - according to tradition - was published in 1621; but with no surviving copies of this edition, its existence remains a matter of speculation. In 1947, however, a copy of what appears to be the second edition of this 'ghost', also printed in 1621, was found 'in a barrow in front of an obscure bookshop' (McManaway, 1948, 'The First Five Bookes of Ovids Metamorphosis, 1621, "Englished by Master George Sandys"'). During his treasurership, he translated the remaining ten books and published a full translation in 1626 with William Stansby in London, the edition upon which the present is based. With the exception of the first five books, translated before he reached the US, Sandys' translation thus constitutes the earliest significant poetic output written in the New World. With only 11 copies recorded by OCLC, the present edition is by far the most uncommon of the complete editions.

Amstelodami (Amsterdam), Johannes Jacobi Schipperi, 1657. Folio. Bound in one later (ca. 1800) hcalf w. marbled boards, uncut. Back w. six raised bands and coloured title-labels. Hinges, capitals and corners w. traces of use. First 12 leaves of "De Piscibus" w. repair to lower margin (ca. 4 x 10 cm. and decreasing) w. waterstaining around it, neither repair nor waterstaining affecting text or illustrations. Otherwise internally nice and clean. Engr. t-p. and 48 engr. plates (most of them depicting between 7 and 20 animals that live in water), 5, (3), 160 pp. (De Piscibus) + woodcut title-vignette and 20 engr. plates (most of them depicting between 10 and 20 shell-fish etc.), 58, (2) pp. Second edition of both works. The "Exanguibus Aquaticis" is in accordance with Nissen's description of the second edition (Nissen 2134), the second edition of the "De Piscibus", however, is described in Nissen without year and as containing 47 plates, as the first edition, whereas this copy has 48 plates (all numbered), place and printer are the same. The first editions were both printed in Frankfurt in 1650. Johnston (1603 - 1675) was born in Poland and of Scottish descend, he was primarily a medic and natural historian. His works are usually seen as compilations of information with no personal judgment accompanying it. None the less his works of natural history were of great importance to the growing interest in this field of the time. "For example four of his dictionary-style works on fish, birds, quadrupeds, and insects -published between 1650 and 1653 with excellent illustrations- were widely read and translated" (D.S.B. VII:164). Though he relied a lot on the writings of others (e.g. those of Aldrovandi), his works became of great importance, first of all because of their new educational approach, but they were also of paramount importance to the development of natural history in Japan. The first collected edition in Dutch of the Historia Naturalis published at Amsterdam in 1660, was presented as a gift to the Japanese ruler Shogun Yoshimune. It was the only source of knowledge of western natural history in Japan, until in 1750. "Jonston's writings were a useful contribution to seventeenth-century thought, although he was not in the forefront of changing concepts of the time." (D.S.B. VII:165).These two works are the separate volumes three and four of Johnston's six-volume work "Historia Naturalis". All the beautifully executed plates are by Merian, who printed the first edition. Wood mentions this 1657-edition as the "editio princeps" (Wood p. 409). Nissen 2133 + 2134.

Kiøbenhavn, F.C. Godiche, 1774. Nydeligt, velbevaret samtidigt hldrbind. Ophøjede bind på ryggen. Rig rygforgyldning. Skindtite. Øverste kapitæl slidt. Eksemplaret har tilhørt forfatteren Adolph Engelbert Boye, som i 1826 på ny udgave Kierlighed uden Strømper. Med hans navnetræk "Boye" på indersiden af forpermen og på fribladet. Med enkelte ortografiske rettelser i teksten, sandsynligvis i Boyes hånd Aldeles som førsteoplaget (1772) af største sjældenhed. Dette "Andet Oplag" adskiller sig kun fra førsteoplaget ved tilføjelsen på titelbladet "Andet Oplag" og ved, at en større vignet er erstattet med en mindre for at få plads til "Andet Oplag". Trykker og udgiver er de samme.

Paris, De Bure, 1740. 4to. Contemporary half calf, raised bands, richly gilt spine and and red speckled edges. Leather title-label to spine. Corners neatly repaired. Title in red/black. (2), III-XXX, (2) Errata, 148 pp., many diagrams. The "Preface" and the first 18 leaves of the text with a foxing to lower margin and right corners. The "Preface" is an historical account of Newton's method "la sublime méthode", written by Buffon. Without the leaf "Extrait des Registres". The influential first French edition of Newton's important work, which constitutes the most extensive description of the mathematical method he used in his famous "Principia", the method of infinitesimals, which was already written about 1671, but not published until 1736, i.e. posthumously, with the title "Method of Fluxions and Infinite Series...". In this work "Newton stated clearly the fundamental problem of the calculus: the relation of quantities being given, to find the relation of the fluxions of these, and conversely. In conformity with this problem and the new notation, Newton then gave examples of his method....In this book Newton introduced his characteristic notation and conceptions. He regarded his variable quantities as generated by the continuous motion of points, lines and planes, rather than as aggregates of infinitesimal elements, the view which had appeared in "De analysi"...The rate of generation Newton called a "fluxion", designating it by means of a letter with a dot over it, a "pricked letter", the quantity generates he called a "fluent".( Boyer, The History of the Calculus.).Colson (in his preface to the first edition from 1736) says: "I gladly embraced the opportunity that was put into my hands, of publishing this posthumous work, because I found it had been composed with that view and design. And that my own Country-men might first enjoy the benefit of this publication, I resolved upon giving it an English translation, with some additional remarks of my own, I thought it highly injurious to the memory and reputation of the real Author, as well as invidious to the glory of our own Nation, that so curious and useful a piece should be any longer suppress'd and confined to a few private hands, which ought to be communicated to all the learned World for general Instruction.It was through the French translations of his works that Newton came to play the seminal role as the most important of mathematicians that he did in France, and particularly the years around 1740, when the present work appeared in French for the first time were seminal to the scientific development in France, where the likes of Voltaire had only just made the nation acquinted with the work of the great mathematician. Gray No 236. Babson No 173.

Berlin, Gebrüder Paetel, 1891. Large8vo. In a nice contemporary half calf binding with 5 raised bands and gilt lettering to spine. In "Deutsche Rundschau", Band 67, 1891. Green leather title-label and red leather tome-label to spine, Small paper label pasted on to top left corner of front board. Two stamps to first leaf and one stamp to P. 476. Light wear to extremities, internally very fine and clean. Pp. 357-390. [Entire volume: IV, 480 pp.] The Exceedingly rare first (and only 19th century) translation of Darwin's first published work "Letters on Geology" from 1835. The pamphlet was initially published without Darwin's consent and he was "a good deal horrified" when he learned about the publication, which explains the posthumous translation. The work contains extracts from ten letters written by Darwin to John Stevens Henslow (1796-1861) during his five-year voyage on the Beagle. Henslow, the charismatic and well-connected Regis Professor of Botany at Cambridge, was Darwin's close friend and first mentor in natural history and responsible for obtaining for Darwin his position as ship's naturalist aboard the Beagle. Henslow had this pamphlet printed without Darwin's knowledge for distribution amongst the members of the Cambridge Philosophical Society "in consequence of the interest which has been excited by some of the Geological notices which they contain, and which were read at a Meeting of the Society on the 16th of November 1835" an act which secured Darwin's reputation with the scientific community even before his return to England in October, 1836. "It has always been assumed that it was issued, to members of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, in December 1835 and this is probably so , but I have not seen a copy with a dated ownership inscription, or accession stamp, for that year" (Freeman).The original pamphlet was reprinted in facsimile in 1960, again for private circulation in the Cambridge Philosophical Society and for friends of that Society. Only two translations has been made: The present first and a Russian from 1959 (Freeman 7).Freeman No. 6.

Holland, 1921-29. Textvolume with 25 parts in small folio (31 x 21 cm.) and bound in contemp. hcalf. Gilt spine with gilt lettering. Ca. 300 pp. On good paper. Clean and fine. - Atlas in Imperial folio-oblong. (52 x 72 cm.). Contemp. hcalf. Some tears to spine. With 36 engraved plates (gravee door Schweickhart) with many construction-details. Clean and fine. Stamp on title-page. + Atlas in folio-oblong (Ordonnanzen) (38 x 53 cm.). Contemp. hcalf. Titlelabel on upper cover with gilt lettering. Title-page with a stamp. With 18 engraved folio-plates with many figs. Clean and fine.

Paris, Crochard, 1820. 8vo. Without wrappers, as extracted from "Annales de Chimie et de Physique", Volume 15, pp. 59-76 and pp.170-218. Five engraved plates accompanying the memoires showing the experimental equipments. Half-title and title-page to volume 15 present. First edition of the first announcement of Ampère's discoveries on electromagnetism. Ampère first heard of Ørsted's discovery of electromagnetism on the 4th of September when Arago announced Ørsted's results to the Paris Academy of Sciences. In Ørsted's experiment a current-carrying wire is held over, and under, a compass needle - the result being that the needle is positioned at 45 degrees in respect to the wire. Ampére immediately saw that this result made no physical sense and realized that the true nature of the effect could not be observed until the force of terrestrial magnetism was somehow neutralized; what Ørsted had observed and reported on was the resultant of the force from the wire and that from the earth's magnetic field. Ampère discovered that the compass needle sets at 90 degrees to the current-carrying wire when the effect of terrestrial magnetism is eliminated. He also observed that current-carrying wires which are formed as spirals act as permanent magnets, and this lead him to his theory that electricity in motion produces magnetism and that permanent magnets must contain electrical currents. And thus, Ampère laid the foundation of the new field of electrodynamics.Ampère announced his theory and experimental results, for the first time, in a series of memoires read before the Paris Academy of Sciences in September and October 1820. These memoires were first published in the September and October issues of Arago's "Annales de Chimie et de Physique" (the offered items). In November, Ampère had a separate printing of his findings published under the title 'Mémoires sur I'action mutuelle de deux courans électriques, sur celle qui existe entre un courant électrique et un aimant ou le globe terrestre, et celle de deux aimans I'un sur I'autre.' (Dibner 62, Norman 43). On the title-page of this publication it is stated 'Extrait des Annales de Chimie et de Physique' and therefore this publication is often identified as an offprint of the two offered papers (see the Norman sales catalogue for an example). This is, however untrue, since it contains considerable changes and additions in comparison with text of the journal issues (see Williams: What were Ampère's Earliest Discoveries in Electrodynamics? ISIS, volume 74, p.492).Honeyman 82, Barchas 51, Wheeler 762. Sparrow, Milestones No 8.

Amsterdam, Petrus Schenk, 1757-74. Large folio. (55 x 34,5 cm.). A large uncut copy in contemp. marbled boards, spine gone and later backed with buckram, original corners in leather a bit bumped. Stamps on foot of first title-page. Halftitel, title-pages in red/black with engraved vignettes. (2),2 engraved leafs with dedications, 14;(2),8 pp. and 25 + 24 large double-page or triple-page folded engraved plates + 6 additional plates (only sometimes present). With a total of 55 plates. On thick, heavy paper, wide-margined and internally fine and clean. Second edition. "Tileman van der Horst and Jan Schenk produced the Theatrum Machinarium Univesale, one of the most celebrated works on the construction of all those elements so necessary to keeping life dry in Amsterdam (the place of the book’s publication). It was perhaps the most important work then produced on dikes, sluices, dams, weirs, canals and swing-bridges, the very elements of existence in Holland. Jan Schenck was the engraver of this work, which may also be the most accurate and the most sumptuously illustrated book of its type in Holland in the 18th century - the technical aspects of the rendering was just superb." - Brunet V,1082 - Graesse VII, 258.