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[London, Eyre and Spottiswoode], 1880, 27th November + 1882 + 1885 (1): 8vo. Unbound. With a recent, discreete paper spine. A few smaller tears to extremities. 4 pp. + 1 plate (showing electric light bulbs].(2): 8vo. Original self-wrappers. Stitched at spine. Near mint.(3): 4 pages 8vo. Scarce original printed patent for the seminal invention that is the incandescent light bulb. Though usually erroneously ascribed to Thomas Edison, it was in fact Joseph Swan who invented the light bulb and ended the dark ages. - Here sold together with the extremely scarce offprint of Swan's 1882 speech on his seminal invention as well as a highly important and interesting autograph letter on the same subject, namely "the new filament or "Artificial Silk" as I have been calling it", in which Swan also confirms his priority in invention and warns against letting the withsent speciman fall into the hands of lamp makers. Swan first publicly demonstrated his incandescent carbon lamp at a lecture for the Newcastle upon Tyne Chemical Society on December 18th 1878. However, after burning with a bright light for some minutes in his laboratory, the lamp broke down due to excessive current. By 1879 Swan had solved the problem of incandescent electric lighting by means of a vacuum lamp and he publicly demonstrated a working lamp to a larger audience. He was not completely satisfied, however, as there were still some fundamental problems attached to it that would make it impossible to consider the invention completed. By 1880, however, he had finally reached perfection. The striking improvements consisted in the carbonised paper filaments being discarded in favour of "parchmentised" cotton thread. Finally, he deemed his milestone invention worthy of filing a patent, and on that memorable day of November 27th 1880, he was granted that most important British Patent No. 4933, "Electric Lamps", marking man's final conquest of darkness. "My invention relates to electric lamps in which is produced by passing an electric current through a conductor of carbon so as to render it incandescent, said carbon conductor being enclosed in an air tight and vacuous or partially vacuous glass vessel.It is well known that the practical efficiency of the kind of electric lamp above described has hitherto been impaired by the want of homogeneity and compactness in the carbon conductors, and by the imperfection of the contact betwixt it and the metallic conductors which convey the electric current to it. I have found that an exceedingly solid, homogenous, and elastic form of carbon, peculiarly adapted for the formation of arches, spirals, or other forms of conductor for electric lamps, can be produced from cotton thread which has been subjected to the action of sulpuric acid of such strength as to cause a similar kind of change to take place in the thread to that which takes place in the bibulous paper in the well known process of making vegetable parchment." (Lines 6-19 in the present patent).From the time of his patent, Swan began installing light bulbs in homes and landmarks in England. His house, Underhill on Kells Lane in Low Fell, Gateshead, was the world's first to have working light bulbs installed. In 1881 he founded his own company, The Swan Electric Light Company and began commercial production of his light bulb.The invention of the light bulb is a turning point in the history of mankind, like the wheel or the invention of the printing press. As McLuhan put it in his groundbreaking main work, "a light bulb creates an environment by its mere presence." (p. 8). It does not have content in itself, as e.g. a newspaper, but it is a medium with a social effect strong enough to change the way we think, act, and behave. A light bulb enables people to create spaces during nighttime that would otherwise be enveloped by darkness. Electric light is "pure information" - a medium without a message. "Whether the light is being used for brain surgery or night baseball is a matter of indifference." Both activities, he explains are in some way the content of electric light, as they could not exist without the light. The medium that is electric light shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action. The question of who the actual inventor of the light bulb was has been greatly debated ever since those crucial years of 1879-80. Working on the invention at about the same time as Swan, but independently, was Thomas Edison. In America, Edison had been working on copies of Swan's original light bulb. Though Swan had beaten him to this goal, Edison obtained patents (November 1879) for a fairly direct copy of the Swan light, and started an advertising campaign that claimed that he was the real inventor. Swan, who was less interested in making money from the invention, but who had still established the first commercial manufacture of incandescent light bulbs, agreed that Edison could sell the lights in America while he retained the rights in Britain. They soon agreed, however, to work together.Following his successful laboratory experiments in 1878, Swan let two years pass before taking steps to patent his invention. It might be difficult to understand why Swan did not make more haste and let Edison beat him to it, but the answer seems to be fairly clear: "the principle of the carbon lamp had long been known. The fact that he had made this principle workable, was not in Swan's opinion capable of sustaining a patent." (The Pageant of the Lamp, p. 28). The patent that he saw fit to take out was that for the step in the process which made the light bulb perfectly functional and ready for commercial launch - only then did it make sense to take out the patent. In principle, Edison's earlier patent contains nothing new. Only with the patent by Swan, the true inventor of the light bulb, is the incandescent light bulb presented for the first time in it fully functioning form. Edison and Swan, both practical men, soon agreed to more or less simultaneous discovery of the light bulb, and they decided to cooperate. "As it was, the two inventors took the sensible view. Litigation would only have squandered their energies and resources; and in 1881 they wisely combined forces, their respective English companies being merged into the Edison & Swan United Electric Light Company Limited." (The Pageant of the Lamp, p. 29). "When the inventors united in a combination which gave them a virtual monopoly, it was Swan's parchmentised cellulose which glowed in the fine lamps of Edison and Swan." (The Pageant of the Lamp, p. 31).The Savoy in London, was the first public building in the world lit entirely by electricity. Swan supplied about 1,200 incandescent lamps, powered by an 88.3 kW (120hp) generator on open land near the theatre. The builder of the Savoy, Richard D'Oyly Carte, explained why he had introduced Swan's electric light: "The greatest drawbacks to the enjoyment of the theatrical performances are, undoubtedly, the foul air and heat which pervade all theatres. As everyone knows, each gas-burner consumes as much oxygen as many people, and causes great heat beside. The incandescent lamps consume no oxygen, and cause no perceptible heat."[15] The first generator proved too small to power the whole building, and though the entire front-of-house was electrically lit, the stage was lit by gas until 28 December 1881. At that performance, Carte stepped onstage and broke a glowing lightbulb before the audience to demonstrate the safety of Swan's new technology.THE INCLUDED LETTER reads: "I herewith send a specimen of the new filament or "Artificial Silk" as I have been calling it. It is as you are probably aware produced on the same principle as silk i.e. from a liquid which solidifies immediately after emission from aperture. Made thick it is very like silk-worm gut -- made thinner it is like hair. Very superior carbon filaments can be produced from it. I do not wish any of it to go into the hands of lamp makers. Therefore please return the specimen together with the lamp to the stand at the EXn (i.e. exhibition). I have told Howard Swan who has charge of my stand at the Exhn to let you have the Miner's Safety Lamp. I was the first to propose this application of the incandescent lamp & the first to actually make such a lamp. Very truly yours, J.W. Swan."

København, F. E. Bordings Bogtrykkeri, 1851. Small 8vo. Simple contemporary brown full calf with double gilt lines and gilt title to spine. Spine worn, especially upper capital, which is split and lacking a bit of the leather at top. Front hinge and corners work. Binding generally tight and solid, strictly contemporary, and unrestored. Front free end-paper with owner's inscription of "Edv. Munch", dated 1886, in pencil. First and last leaves with brownspotiing, but overall very nice and clean. Bound with the leaf containing the testimony of the three and eight Witnesses on recto end verso respectively. (8), 568 pp. Exceedingly rare first edition thus, namely the seminal first printing of the first translation into any language of the Book of Mormon. After the Prophet Joseph Smith's original translation of the Book of Mormon from the gold plates into English in 1829 and the return of those plates to the angel Moroni, no translations from English into any other languages appeared until this Danish translation of 1851. After this groundbreaking first translation, the Book of Mormon has been translated in its entirety into 95 languages (with portions of the book having been translated into another 20 languages) and has been printed in more than 150 million copies. The divine injunction states that "every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language" (D&C 90:11), and thus making the Book of Mormon available in other languages was regarded as highly important. Missions were opened on the continent of Europe in 1850 and 1851, and Church leaders in many of the newly opened missions quickly began attempts at translations. The Danish edition had already been contemplated in 1845, however, and was thus the very first to appear, meaning that Latter-day Saints in Denmark were the first to read the Book of Mormon in their native tongue.At a general conference in 1845, President Brigham Young appointed Apostle Erastus Snow and Elder Peter Olsen Hansen to work on this Danish translation of the Book of Mormon, which would open up the Book of Mormon to other-language speakers of the 19th century. Peter O. Hansen was a native Dane and was to do the actual translation, while Erastus Snow was to guide Hansen and be in charge of publishing . They both arrived in Copenhagen in May 1850 and precisely a year later Snow could report back that the Danish translation had been printed, in 3000 copies. Many of these are now lost or destroyed, and the first edition of the book is of the utmost scarcity. (See, Andrew Jenson: History of the Scandinavian Mission, 1927).

Venetiis [Venice], Cum Preivilegio [Paolo Manuzio], 1553. 8vo. In a contemporary unrestored vellum binding with three raised bands. Later paper labels pasted on to upper and lower part of spine. "Stracc. / de /Mercat." written in contemporary hand to spine. Upper and lower part of front hinge slightly cracked. "sum Marii D'Abbatis" written in contemporary hand to pasted down front free end-paper. Early oval stamp on verso of title-page with monogram. Aldine woodcut device to title-page (Ahmanson-Murphy device no: B2). Occasional marginal annotations and very light occasional marginal water-staining. Tiny wormhole in blank outer margin not affecting text. A very nice, clean, and completely unrestored copy. (40), 287, (1) ff. (with the four blanks 5+6-8 and 2N8). As usual with the typopgraphical errors: "63 '64', 85 '87', 87 '85', 102 '106', 165 '167', 174 '176', 176 '178'". These errors are to be found in all published copies. Exceedingly rare first edition of Stracca's highly important work on merchant-, economic insurance-, and insurance-law. With the present work, Stracca provided the first systematic exposition of commercial law, in particular maritime law, which he was the first to view as distinct from civil law. He was furthermore the first to consider these aspects of the law from a practical point of view, thereby breaking with the late Medieval scholastic law-tradition. Maritime law, often referred to as admiralty law, was developed in Venice in the middle of the 13th century, prompted by the extensive Mediterranean sea trade in which the republic engaged. Legal agreements concluded between consortiums were ad hoc and even though by the time of Straccha, the practice was both well-established and quite refined when one compares to the rest of Europe, no full and systematic exposition of the subject had been published, until Straccha wrote his influential treatise. The work was extremely influential and extremely popular with eight reprints in the 17th century (after the present first edition from 1553: 1555, 1556, 1558, 1575, 1576, 1595, 1599). Numerous reprints in the course of the 17th century bear witness to its longstanding influence. "In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, continental jurists began to regard the affairs of merchants as matter of sufficient interest to warrant special attention and separate treatment in legal writing. Beginning with Benvenuto Straccha's De Mercatura, seu Mercatore Tractatus published in Venice in 1553, a substantial literature on commercial law developed." (Rogers, The Early History of the Law of Bills and Notes, p. 151)Stracca's work deals with the merchant class and commerce in general; mercantile contracts, maritime law, and how to deal with bankruptcy. "His work contains information of interest to economists. He shows the usefulness of trade and navigation; discusses the restrictions on certain branches of trade, and expresses comparatively moderate opinions on the theory of usury." (Palgrave).The aspect of insurance was particularly important to Venetian traders, for whom the loss of a single ship could mean bankruptcy. Initially, smaller companies went into coorporation with other smaller companies and created consortiums in order to spread out the risk. Eventually, the practice of insuring oneself through such consortiums became commercialized which lead to the emergence of companies that profited from this line of business: "A separate sector in which there were many opportunities for making profit from money was insurance. In this sector the damnum emergens [ensuing expense] had a purely hypothetical basis, not a real one. Certainly the element of risk played a plausible role in the case of transport by sea: a subject that was particularly dear to the Ancona jurist Benvenuto Stracca, author of one of the first treatises on trade law and editor of a large collection of writings on mercantile doctrine and jurisprudence." (Palgrave).Not in BM STC Renouard 156:6. "Ce volume imprimé en petites lettres rondes est rare." Einaudi 5491. Kress 69. Goldsmiths 52. Adams S.1911.Ahmanson-Murphy 444Houkes p. 237

Tokyo, Ichibe Yamanaka., Meiji 14. (1881). 8vo. 3 volumes, all in the contemporary (original?) yellow wrappers (Traditional Fukuro Toji binding/wrappers). Extremities with wear and with light soiling, promarily affecting vol. 1. Title in brush and ink to text-block foot. A few ex-ownership stamps. Folding plate with repair. A fine set. 46 ff; 70 ff. + 9 plates of which 1 is folded; 72 ff. "Vol. I contains prefaces to 1st and 2d editions of Descent of man Nos 936 & 944; vol. II contains chapter 1 and vol. III chapter 2. All published, intended to form 9 vols containing chapters 1-7 and 21." (Darwin-Online). The exceedingly rare first translation of Darwin's Descent of Man and the first (partial) translation of Origin of Species, constituting the very first translation of any of Darwin's work into Japanese and, arguably, being the most influential - albeit in a different way than could be expected - of all Darwin-translations. "The first translation of a book by Darwin was published in 1881: a translation of The Descent of Man, titled as Jinsoron (On the Ancestor(s) of Man; Darwin 1881). The translator was a scholar of education, Kozu Senzaburo (...). In spite of its title, the book was actually a hybrid, which included a mixture of chapters of the Descent (namely, chapters 1-7 and 21) together with other texts: the Historical Sketch that Darwin appended to the third edition of the Origin (1861), and some sections taken from Thomas Huxley's Evidence as to Man's Place in Nature (Kaneko 2000). So this book can also be described as the first publication including a partial translation of a text from the Origin" (Taizo, Translating "natural selection" in Japanese: from "shizen tota" to "shizen sentaku", and back?)Darwin's theories had a profound influence on Japan and Japanese culture but in a slightly different way than in the West: Darwinism was marked as social and political principles primarily embraced by social thinkers, philosophers and politicians to advocate the superiority of Japanese culture and society (and military) and not by biologist and zoologist. "It was as if Darwin's famous oceanic journey and the meticulous research into the animal and plant kingdoms that he spent his life undertaking had all been staged as an elaborate excuse for composing a theory whose true object was Victorian society and the fate of the world's modern nations." (Golley, Darwinism in Japan: The Birth of Ecology).The popularity of Darwin's works and theories became immensly popular in Japan: "Curiously, there are more versions of "The Origin" in Japanese than in any other language. The earliest were literary, with subsequent translations becoming more scientific as the Japanese developed a technical language for biology." (Glick, The Comparatice Reception of Darwinism, P. XXII)Darwin's work had in Japan - as in the rest of the world - profound influence on the academic disciplines of zoology and biology, however, in Japan the most immediate influence was not on these subjects but on social thinkers: "[...] it exerted great influence on Japanese social thinkers and social activists. After learning of Darwin's theory, Hiroyuki Kato, the first president of Tokyo Imperial University, published his New Theory of Human Rights and advocated social evolution theory (social Darwinism), emphasizing the inevitable struggle for existence in human society. He criticized the burgeoning Freedom and People's right movement. Conversely Siusui Kautoku, a socialist and Japanese translator of the Communist Manifesto, wrote articles on Darwinism, such as "Darwin and Marx" (1904). In this and other articles, he criticized kato's theory on Social Darwinism, insisting that Darwinism does not contradict socialism. The well known anarchist, Sakae Osugi published the third translation of On the Origin of Species in 1914, and later his translation of peter Kropotokin's Mutial Aid: A Factor of Evolution. Osugi spread the idea of mutual aid as the philosophical base of Anarcho-syndicalism." (Tsuyoshi, The Japanese Lysenkoism and its Historical Backgrounds, p. 9) "Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was introduced to Japan in 1877 (Morse 1936/1877) during Japan's push to gain military modernity through study of western sciences and technologies and the culture from which they had arisen. In the ensuing decades the theory of evolution was applied as a kind of social scientific tool, i.e. social Spencerism (or social Darwinism) (Sakura 1998:341; Unoura 1999). Sakura (1998) suggests that the theory of evolution did not have much biological application in Japan. Instead, Japanese applied the idea of 'the survival of the fittest' (which was a misreading of Darwin's natural selection theory) to society and to individuals in the struggle for existence in Japan's new international circumstances (see also Gluck 1985: 13, 265).However, at least by the second decade of the 1900s, and by the time that Imanishi Kinji entered the Kyoto Imperial University, the curricula in the natural and earth sciences were largely based on German language sources and later on English language texts. These exposed students to something very different from a social Darwinist approach in these sciences. New sources that allow us to follow" (ASQUITH, Sources for Imanishi Kinji's views of sociality and evolutionary outcomes, p. 1)."After 1895, the year of China's defeat in the Sino-Japanese War, Spencer's slogan "the survival of the fittest" entered Chinese and Japanese writings as "the superior win, the inferior lose." Concerned with evolutionary theory in terms of the survival of China, rather than the origin of species, Chinese intellectuals saw the issue as a complex problem involving the evolution of institutions, ideas, and attitudes. Indeed, they concluded that the secret source of Western power and the rise of Japan was their mutual belief in modern science and the theory of evolutionary progress. According to Japanese scholars, traditional Japanese culture was not congenial to Weastern science because the Japanese view of the relationship between the human world and the divine world was totally different from that of Western philosophers. Japanese philosophers envisioned a harmonious relationship between heaven and earth, rather than conflict. Traditionally, nature was something to be seen through the eyes of a poet, rather than as the passive object of scientific investigations. The traditional Japanese vision of harmony in nature might have been uncongenial to a theory based on natural selection, but Darwinism was eagerly adopted by Japanese thinkers, who saw it as a scientific retionalization for Japan's intense efforts to become a modernized military and industial power. Whereas European and American scientists and theologians became embroiled in disputes about the evolutionary relationship between humans and other animals, Japanese debates about the meaning of Darwinism primarily dealt with the national and international implications of natural selection and the struggle for survival. Late nineteenth-century Japanese commentators were likely to refer to Darwinism as an "eternal and unchangeable natural law" that justified militaristic nationalism directed by supposedly superior elites". (Magner, A History of the Life Sciences, Revised and Expanded, p. 349)"Between 1877 and 1888, only four works on the subject of biological evolution were published in Japan. During these same eleven years, by contrast, at least twenty Japanese translations of Herbert Spencer's loosely "Darwinian" social theories made their appearance. The social sciences dominated the subject, and when Darwin's original The Origin of Species (Seibutsu shigen) finally appeared in translation in 1896, it was published by a press specializing in economics. It is not surprising then that by the early 20th century, when Darwin's work began to make an impact as a biological rather than a "social" theory, the terms "evolution" (shinka), "the struggle for existence" (seizon kyôsô), and "survival of the fittest" (tekisha seizon) had been indelibly marked as social and political principles. It was as if Darwin's famous oceanic journey and the meticulous research into the animal and plant kingdoms that he spent his life undertaking had all been staged as an elaborate excuse for composing a theory whose true object was Victorian society and the fate of the world's modern nations." (Golley, Darwinism in Japan: The Birth of Ecology).Freeman 1099c

Paris, l' Imprimerie Royale, Plassan, 1749 - 1789. 4to (262 x 205 mm). Uniformly bound in 32 contemporary full sprinkled calf bindings with five raised bands and richly gilt spines. Leather tome- and title-labels to all volumes. Edges of boards gilt. Light wear to extremities primarily affecting head and foot of spines, corners bumped. Internally with light occassional, marginal brownspotting, but generally fine. With "J. Collin" (Danish zoologist Jonas Collin) to top margin of most front free end-papers. An overall nice set comprising the following:Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière (15 vols) - 578 plates and 2 maps.Supplément à l'Histoire naturelle (6 vols) - 141 plates and 2 maps.Histoire naturelle des Oiseaux (9 vols) - 257 plates.Quadrupedes Ovipares et des Serpens (2 vols) - 66 plates. A total of 1042 plates and 4 maps. Wanting the portrait. The complex collation of this work has not been accurately described by bibliographers. Nissen and Heilbrun differ in the listing of number of plates and misname the descriptions of the plates. First edition of this extensive landmark work in natural science. After his death several other volumes were published making the total number of volumes 44. Together with Diderot's Encyclopaedia, this work represents the peak of book printing of the French enlightenment. Buffon was the first to sum up an entire natural history, based on science instead of theology; It constitutes one of the first attempts to provide a comprehensive account of the natural world aiming at describing the entire known natural world - including plants, animals, and minerals - in a single work. Buffon based his work on first-hand observations and scientific analysis, rather than on second-hand accounts or mythological beliefs, making it a seminal work in the development of modern science. "Buffon's "Natural History, General and Particular" presented for the first time a complete survey of natural history in a popular form [...] he was the first to present the universe as one complete whole and to find no phenomenon calling for any but a purely scientific explanation. In 1739, he was appointed Director of the Jardin du Roi (now Jardin des Plantes). It would appear that the 'Natural History germinated in the preparation of a catalogue of the royal collection. Buffon then enlarged its scope to Aristotelian or Plinian proportions and finally transformed it into a conspectus of nature of a breadth and depth previously unknown". […] he was the first to present the universe as one complete whole and to find no phenomenon calling for any but a purely scientific explanation." (PMM). Buffon's work had a significant impact upon the field of natural history and influenced many other scientists, including Charles Darwin; In a part of the work, ("Des Epoqeus de la Nature" (Supplement vol. V, 1778, present here)), Buffon attacked several Christian doctrines on natural science. He saw man as a part of the animal world, he objected to earth being only 6000 years old, and he dismissed a rigid classification system thus paving the way for Darwin's thoughts a century later:"Georges Buffon set forth his general views on species classification in the first volume of his Histoire Naturelle. Buffon objected to the so-called "artificial" classifications of Andrea Cesalpino and Carolus Linnaeus, stating that in nature the chain of life has small gradations from one type to another and that the discontinuous categories are all artificially constructed by mankind. Buffon suggested that all organic species may have descended form a small number of primordial types; this is an evolution predominantly from more perfect to less perfect forms." (Parkinson, Breakthroughs). "Buffon's work is of exceptional importance because of its diversity, richness, originality, and influence. Buffon was among the first to create an autonomous science, free of any theological influence. He emphasized the importance of natural history and the great length of geological time. He envisioned the nature of science and understood the roles of paleontology, zoological geography, and animal psychology. He realised both the necessity of transformism and its difficulties. Although his cosmogony was inadequate and his theory of animal reproduction was weak, and although he did not understand the problem of classification, he did establish the intellectual framework within which most naturalists up to Darwin worked." (DSB) From the library of Danish zoologist Jonas Collin (1840-1905), who issued a new edition of Kjærbølling's "The Birds of Scandinavia" in 1875-1877 (See Anker 251) - a work most likely inspired by his knowledge from his (i.e. the present) copy of Buffon's "Histoire Naturelle".The 'Histoire Générale' was widely reprinted and translated. Sometimes only individual sections were produced, other times the complete work appeared. PMM 198.Nissen 672.Brunet I, 376.Dibner 193.Sparrow p. 23.Anker 6.

Kbhvn., 1835-47. Indbundet i et smukt nyere hldrbd.af rødt gedeskind m. rygforgyldn. i gl. stil, i kassette. Med nogle brugsspor og nogle blade fint opforede i bladkanter, indimellem tæt beskåret. Originaludgaven af H.C. Andersens første eventyrsamlinger hvis 6 hefter udgør 2 bind. - Her er de 2 hefter i 1. oplag., mens de 4 er i 2. oplag. De få eksisterende eksemplarer er næsten alle en sammenblanding af disse oplag, ligesom eksemplarerne har visse mangler mht. titelblade, smudstitelblade og indholdsfortegnelser.1. Hefte: Smudstitelblad, titelblad samt 1. blad i faksimile. 61 pp. samt indholdsfortegnelse. 1 oplag. 1835.2. Hefte: Titelblad, 76 pp. samt indholdsfortegnelse. 2. oplag, 1844.3. Hefte: Smudstitelblad, titelblad, 60 pp. samt indholdsfortegnelse. 1. oplag, 1837.Ny Samling - 1. Hefte: Smudstitelblad, titelblad, 58 pp. samt indholdsfortegnelse. 2. oplag, 1846.Ny Samling - 2. Hefte: Smudstitelblad, titelblad i faksimile, 53 pp. (pp.47-48 i faksimile) samt indholdsfortegnelse, 2. oplag, 1847.Ny Samling - 3. Hefte: SMudstitelblad, titelblad, 49 pp. (pp. 48-49 i faksimile). Indholdsfortegnelse på p. 49. 2. oplag, 1847.Printing and the Mind of Man, No. 299. - Birger F. Nielsen, Nr. 266-70, 276-79, 303-05, 325-28, 352-55, 408-11. Bound in a beautiful recent full leather binding of red goat skin. Back richly gilt in old style, in slipcase. Some traces of use and some leaves neatly restored at edges, occasionally rather shaved.The first edition of H.C.Andersen's first collections of fairy tales whose six parts make up two bindings. In the present copy two parts are first issues, while four are second issues. The few existing copies are nearly all a mixture of these issues and likewise nearly all copies have certain wants concerning title-page, half-title and tables of contents.First Part: Half title, title page and first leaf in facsimile. 61 pp. and table of contents. First issue, 1835.Second Part: Title page, 76 pp. and table of contents. Second issue, 1844.Third Part: Half title, title page, 60 pp. and table of contents. First issue, 1837.Ny Samling (New Collection) - First Part: Half title, title page, 58 pp. and table of contents. Second issue, 1846.Ny Samling (New Collection) - Second Part: Half title, title page in facsimile, 53pp. (pp.47-48 in facsimile) and table of contents. Second issue, 1847.Ny Samling (New Collection) - Third Part: Half title, title page, 49 pp. (pp. 48-49 in facsimile). Table of contents on p. 49. Second issue, 1847.These publications brought H.C.Andersen international fame. The critical world hailed the "eventyr" as a new genre.

Colophon: Pisauri (Pesaro), Hieronymum Concordiam, 1588. (Having the reprinted title-page: Venetiis, Franciscum de Franciscis Senemsem, 1589). Folio. Cont. limp vellum. Repairs to upper part of back and small nicks to back repaired. Edges of covers with tiny loss of vellum. Covers slightly soiled. Calligraphed title on back. Title-page with and old, partly erased stamp. Woodcut printer's device on title. Ff (3), 334 (332) (= 664 pp). Numerous woodcut diagrams and illustrations in the text. Printed on good paper, Ff 2-3 with an old repair to inner margin (no loss). F 2 browned, but otherwise remarkably clean with only a few brownspots. A few small worm-tracts to some margins. First edition of a work which constitutes the culmination of Greek Mathematics. This copy has the fresh title, but is the 1588-printing. - "Pappos was the greatest mathematician of the final period of ancient science, and no one emulated him in Byzantine times. He was the last mathematical giant of antiquity." (George Sarton, Ancient Science and Modern Civilization. p.82)."Pappus of Alexandria in ab. 320 composed a work with the title Collection (Synagoge) which is important for several reasons. In the first place it provides a most valuable historical record of parts of Greek Mathematics that otherwise would be unknown to us. For instance it is in Book V of the Collection that we learn of Archimedes' discovery of the thirteen semiregular polyhedra or "Archimedian solids". Then, too, the Collection includes alternative proofs and supplementary lemmas for propositions in Euclid, Archimedes, Appolonius and Ptolemy. Finally, the treatise includes new discoveries, and generalizations not found in any earlier work. The Collection, Pappus' most important treatise, contained eight Books, but the first Book and the first part of the second Book are now lost" (Boyer, A History of Mathematics p. 205). "Each book (8) is preceded by general reflexions which give to that group of problems its philosophical and historical setting. The prefaces are of deep interest to historians of mathematics and, therefore, it is a great pity that three of them are lost [...] Book VII is far the longest book of the Collection [...] [and here], we find in it the famous Pappo's problem: "given several straight lines in a plane, to find the locus point, such that when straight lines are drawn from it to the given lines at a given angle, the products of certain of the segments shall be in a given ratio to the product of the remaining ones". This problem is important in itself, but even so because it exercized Descartes' mind and caused him to invent the method of coordinates explained in his Geométrie (1637). Think of a seed lying asleep for more than thirteen centuries and then helping to produce that magnificent flowering, analytical geometry [...] The final Book VIII is mechanical and is largely derived from Heron of Alexandria. Following Heron, Pappos distinguished various parts of theoretical mechanics (geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and physics). The Book is considered the climax of Greek mechanics and helps us to realize the great variety of problems to which the Hellenistic mechanicians addressed themselves. If Book VIII is the climax of Greek mechanics, we may say as well that the whole collection is a treasury and to some extent the culmination of Greek mathematics. [...] The ideas collected or invented by Pappos did not stimulate Western mathematicians until very late, but when they finally did, they caused the birth of modern mathematics- analytical geometry, projective geometry, centrobaric method. That birth or rebirth from Pappos' ashes, occurred within four years (1637-40). This was modern geometry connected immediately with the ancient one as if nothing had happened between." (Georg Sarton op.cit.). - It is from Pappus we have the famous words of Archimedes: "Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth" (Se PMM No 72). - "Without pretending to great originality, the whole work shows, on the part of the author, a thorough grasp of all the subjects treated, independent of judgement, mastery of technique; the style is terse and clear; in short, Pappus stands out as an accomplished and versatile mathematician, a worthy representative of the classical Greek geometry." (Heath, A History of Greek mathematics Vol. II: p.358). - Adams P 224 (The sheets of the Pisauris edition with a fresh title).

Mainz, Balthazar Lipp, 1605. 4to. Bound in a beautiful 18th century full mottled calf binding with double gilt line-borders to boards. Edges of boards gilt. Expertly rebacked perfectly matching the boards and the gilding. With gilt leather title-label and gilt ornamentations. End-papers renewed. B2 and B3 defective in lower blank margins, not affecting text. A nice and clean copy. 53, (1) pp. + 1 folded plate and numerous illustrations in text. The exceedingly rare first edition of the first work to describe the construction of the adjustable proportional compass – the first work to describe both its construction and its application. The adjustable proportional compass became an indipensable tool for calculations and measurements for over three centuries. The proportional compass was a seminal calculating instrument in use from the end of the sixteenth century until the nineteenth century. Consisting of two rulers of equal length joined by a hinge, it was a precursor to the sector and could be used for solving problems in proportion, multiplication and division, geometry, and trigonometry, and for computing various mathematical functions, such as square roots and cube roots. The sector derives its name from the fourth proposition of the sixth book of Euclid, where it is demonstrated that similar triangles have their like sides proportional. Some sectors also incorporated a quadrant, and sometimes a clamp at the end of one leg which allowed the device to be used as a gunner's quadrant. “The device was apparently first developed by Joost Bürgi and first published by Levinus Hulsius (1604). Hulsius offered the instrument for sale and thus limited himself to instructions for its use and did not detail its construction. The present work provides construction details on the hindge and the creation of the scales.” (Tomash & Williams). The sector was invented, essentially simultaneously and independently, by a number of different people prior to the start of the 17th century. Credit for the invention is often given to either Thomas Hood (who did not claim priority himself), a British mathematician, or to the Italian mathematician and astronomer Galileo Galilei. Galileo, with the help of his personal instrument maker Marc'Antonio Mazzoleni, created more than 100 copies of his proportional compass design and trained students in its use between 1595 and 1598. Of the credited inventors, Galileo is certainly the most famous, and earlier studies usually attributed its invention to him. James Kynvyn, Robert Beckit and Charles Whitwell all at some point also seem to have claimed to priority of the invention.Giordano Bruno, shortly before his death, also saw its potential. It could measure the infinitesimal fractions of the angular degrees and calculate the proportions between lines, geometric shapes and solids, working on the proportionality and commensurability of angles and segments. This new precision in calculations confirmed Bruno’s thesis of the existence of the physical minimumas opposed to the Aristotelian thesis of the infinite divisibility. (see: Zaffino, Giordano Bruno and the Proportional Eight Spike Compass) The many claims of invention, however, do not deprive Horcher of being the very first to describe the actual construction of the instrument, thus being of seminal importance in its widespread use over more than three hundred years. Tomash & Williams H164

Napoli, Apud Iosephum Cacchium, 1570. 4to. Contemporary limp vellum with handwritten title to spine. Remains of old paper-labels to top and bottom of spine. Spine with loss of ab. 3x2 cm. of vellum to middle, not affecting the book block, which is sound and fine underneath. Some soiling to binding, but all in all fine and unrestored, albeit a bit loose. Some brownspotting to title-page (not heavy), otherwise just a bit of scattered brownspotting. All in all internally very nice and clean, and with good, wide margins. Old owner's name (Juliani Riccii) to front free end-paper and title-page, which also has his inventory number in neat hand: "no/ 634"). Telesio's woodcut title-device (a beatiful naked woman, all alone, far from the troubles of the world, illuminated by the sun, surrounded by a border carrying the saying in Greek: "mona moi fila" - presumably depicting the goddess of Truth), and numerous lovely, illustrated woodcut initials throughout. 95 ff. The rare and important first edition thus, being the much enlarged (by treatises on specific questions of natural philosophy) and revised second edition and the first edition under the canonical title "De Rerum Natura" (clearly referring to Lucretius's great work), of Telesio's revolutionizing main work, which established a new kind of natural philosophy and earned him the reputation as "the first of the moderns" (Francis Bacon). The work is a manifesto for natural philosophy emancipated from peripatetic rationalism, expressed clearly in the subtitle to the first book of the work: "the structure of the world and the nature and magnitude of bodies contained in it are not to be sought from reason, as the ancients did; they must be perceived from sensation and treated as being things themselves." (translation of the Latin of the present work, p. 2). "Taken as a whole, the book is a frontal assault on the foundations of Peripatetic philosophy accompanied by a proposal for replacing Aristotelianism with a system more faithful to nature and experience." (Copenhaver & Schmitt, p. 311). Telesio's "De Rerum Natuna" constitutes one of the first serious attempts to replace Aristotle's natural philosophy, and his seminal, novel theory of space and time anticipates Newton's absolute time and absolute space. It furthermore even seems that it is in the present work that the word "space" ("spatium") is used for the first time to determine what we now mean by space - thus Telesio has here created an entirely new terminology for one of the single most important phenomenons within physics, astronomy, philosophy, etc., giving to it a terminological precision that is unprecedented and which has influenced the entire history of science and philosophy. "[i]n some of his characteristoc theories, Telesio appears as a direct or indirect forerunner of Newton and Locke." (Kristeller, Eight Philosophers, p. 107). "Bernardino Telesio (1509-1588) belongs to a group of independent philosophers of the late Renaissance who left the universities in order to develop philosophical and scientific ideas beyond the restrictions of the Aristotelian-scholastic tradition. Authors in the early modern period referred to these philosophers as 'novateurs' and'modern'. In contrast to his successors Patrizzi and Campanella, Telesio was a fervent critic of metaphysics and insisted on a purely empiricist approach in natural philosophy-he thus became a forerunner of early modern empiricism. He had a remarkable influence on Tommaso Campanella, Giordano Bruno, Pierre Gassendi, Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes and authors of the clandestine Enlightenment like Guillaume Lamy and Giulio Cesare Vanini." (SEP).Telesio was born in Cosenza "and in a sense he opens the long line of philosophers through which the South of Italy has asserted its Greek heritage, a line that links him with Bruno and Campanella, with Vico in the eighteenth century, and with Croce and Gentile in our own time." (Kristeller, Eight Philosophers, p. 97). He was educated by his uncle, the humanist Antonio Telesio, in Milan and Rome, and he studied philosophy and mathematics at the university of Padua, where he got his doctorate in 1535. He had a great respect for the famous Aristotelian Vicenzo Maggi, with whom he discussed his magnum opus, obtaining his approval before publishing the seminal second version of it in 1570. He was closely connected not only with Maggi, but also with the other leaders of the most intelligent and official Aristotelianism of his age. But Telesio opposes the Aristotelianism of both his own and earlier times, claiming that they all erected arbitrary systems that consisted of a strange mixture of reason and experience. They created their systems without consulting nature, and thus they merely obtained arbitrary ideas of the world. What separates Telesio and his contemporaries from the great Renaissance thinkers that had gone ahead is not merely the passing of a few decades, but the emergence of a completely different intellectual atmosphere. "The tradition of medieval thought, which was still felt very strongly in the fifteenth century and even at the beginning of the sixteenth, began to recede into the more distant background, and it was now the tbroad thought and learning of the early Renaissance itself which constituted the tradition by which the new generations of thinkers were shaped, and against which their immediate reactions were directed." (Kristeller, Eight Philosophers, p. 91). Telesio belongs to a group of thinkers that we call the Renaissance philosophers of nature. They are considered a group by themselves, different from the humanists, Platonists, and Aristotelians that we usually group other Renaissance thinkers into. What distinguished these philosophers of nature, however, was not a different subject matter from that of the Aristotelians and the Platonists (of both contemporary and earlier times), but their clear claim to explore the principles of nature in an original and independent way, tearing themselves loose of an established tradition and authority that kept them in binds. They formulated novel theories andfreed themselves from the ancient philosophical authorities, especially Aristotle, who had dominated philosophical speculation, not least natural philosophy, for centuries. Telesio, of course, did not stand alone in this group of bold, original thinkers that we call the Renaissance philosophers of nature, and whose quest it was to make new discoveries and to attain knowledge unaccessible to the ancients, it also included for instance Fracastoro, Cardano, Paracelsus, and Bruno. But Telesio in particular protrudes, as his thought is distinguished by such clarity and coherence, and his ideas anticipate important aspects of later philosophy and science. His magnum opus, the extremely influential "De Rerum Natura", is that which by far best expresses his novel thoughts and that which most profoundly influenced the thought, philosophy, and science of the cnturies to come. "[b]y 1547 his ideas seem to have been in public circulation, and within a few years he was at work on his first treatise "On the Nature of Things According to Their Own Principles", one of the more incisisve titles in Renaissance philosophy and a clear allusion to Lucretius. [...] Pressed by his followers, he published the original two book version of "De rerum natura" [the title of this being "De Natura iuxta propria principia liber"] in 1563 [recte: 1565], having previously testing the soundness of his arguments in conversations with Vincenzo Maggi, a noted Paduan Peripatetic. Another edition followed in 1570; in 1575 Antonio Persio gave public lectures on the Telesian system in Venice, Padua, Bologna, and the south; and in 1586 appeared the definitive expansion to nine books. The author died two years later in Cosenza." (Copenhaver & Schmitt, p. 310). In the preface to the work, Telesio rejects Aristotle's doctrine as being in conflict with the senses, with itself, and with the Scriptures, and he claims that his own doctrine is free from these defects. As we have seen above, in the introduction, or sub-title to the first book, he furthermore insists that unlike his predecessors, he has followed nothing but sense perception and nature. He then proceeds to expound the principles of his natural philosophy, positing heat and cold as the two active principles of all things, and matter as a third, passive, principle. Having developed and applied these principles, he concludes the first work with a very interesting treatment of space and time. After having set forth his own position, he examines and refutes the views of earlier philosophers, expecially those of Aristotle, whom he considers superior to all others. "So far as Telesio's relation to Aristotle is concerned, we must admit that he shows considerable independence, both in his own theories and in his detailed criticism of Aristotle's views, and this independence is more valuable since it is based not on ignorance, but on a thorough knowledge of the Aristotelian writings, and is accompanied by a genuine respect for the relative merits of Aristotelianism." (Eight Philosophers, pp. 101-2). The only sources apart from Aristotle that Telesio quotes at length are medical, i.e. Hippocrates and Galen, from which he got his notions of human physioglogy. He does, however, draw upon other sources, borrowing notions, though not quotiong them (e.g. Fracastoco, the Epicureans, the Stoics, the Neoplatonists, Ficino). "These apparent borrowings from various sources should certainly not be overlooked, but one's final impression is that in transforming and combining these ideas, and in formulating some important new ones, Telesio was remarkably original. In his cosmology, the role assigned to heat, cold, and matter is chiefly of historical interest, since it is one of the first serious attempts to replace Aristotle's natual philosophy. We may give him credit, too, for apparently doing away with the sharp disinction between celestial and terrestrial phenomena, which was one of the chief weaknesses of the Aristotelian system. Of greater significance are his theories of the void, and of space and time. His assertion of an empty space was in a sense a return to the position of the ancient atomoists, which Aristotle had tried to refute; this position must have been known to Telesio, from Lucretius and also from Aristotle himself, but the evidence on which he based himself was partly new and, so to speak, experimental.Still more important is his theory of space and time. Whereas Aristotle had defined time as the number or measure of motion, thus making it dependent on motion, Telesio regards time as independent of, and prior to, motion, like an empty spectacle. He thus moves a long step away from Aristotle in the direction of Newton's absolute time. In the case of space, the change in conception is even more interesting. The Greek term "Topos", which we often translate as space has the primary meaning of place, and Aristotle's theory that the "topos" of the contained body is the limit or border of its containing body makes much better sense when we translate "topos" as place rather than space. Telesio seems to be aware of this ambiguity, for he uses not only the term "locus", which had been the standard Latin translation of Aristotle's "topos", but also "spatium", which is much more appropriate for his notion of an empty space in which all bodies are contained. Thus he again moves away from Aristotle in the direction of Newton's absolute space; but, more than this, I am tempted to believe that it was Telesio himself who gave terminological precision to the word "spatium" (space) and substituted it for "locus", a usage for which I do not know any earlier clear instances". (Kristeller, Eight Philosophers, pp. 103-4).Telesio's theories and entire world-view proved to be extremely influential, and his is considered a forerunner - directly as well as indirectly - of not only Newton and Locke, but also Descartes and Bacon, and a strong direct influence on Bruno, Campanella, and Patrizi. "Telesio dedicated his whole life to establishing a new kind of natural philosophy, which can be described as an early defense of empiricism bound together with a rigorous criticism of Aristotelian natural philosophy and Galenic physiology. Telesio blamed both Aristotle and Galen for relying on elaborate reasoning rather than sense perception and empirical research. His fervent attacks against the greatest authorities of the Western philosophical and medical traditions led Francis Bacon to speak of him as "the first of the moderns" (Opera omnia vol. III, 1963, p. 114). He was perhaps the most strident critic of metaphysics in late Renaissance times. It was obviously due to his excellent relationships with popes and clerics that he was not persecuted and was able during his own lifetime to publish his rather heterodox writings, which went on the index shortly after his death." (SEP)"Giordano Bruno speaks of the "giudiciosissimo Telesio" in the third dialog of "De la causa", whilst Francis Bacon based his own speculative philosophy of nature on a blend of Telesian and Paracelsian conceptions (Giachetti Assenza 1980; Rees 1977; 1984). Thomas Hobbes followed Telesio in the rejection of species (Schuhmann 1990; Leijenhorst 1998, p. 116ff.) The physiology of René Descartes in "De homine" shows close similarities to Telesio's physiological theories as they are presented in "De natura rerum" (Hatfield 1992). Telesio also had some influence on Gassendi and on libertine thinkers (Bianchi 1992)." (SEP)"His sense of empirical science, which included progressive ideas on space, vacuum, and other physical topics, grew out of a disenchanted world-view remarkable for its hard-headed clarity." (Copenhaver & Schmitt, p. 314). Adams: T:292; Thorndyke: VI:370-71.Paul Oskar Kristeller: "Eight Philosophers of the Italian Renaissance", 1964; "Renaissance Thought and its Sources", 1979.Eugenio Garin: "Italian Humanism. Philosophy and Civic Life in the Renaissance, 1965Copenhaver & Schimtt: "Renaissance Philosophy", 1992. Ernst Cassirer: "Individuum und Kosmos in der Philosophie der renaissance", 1927.D.S.B. XIII:277-80. ("Telesio also introduced concepts of space and time that anticipated the absolute space and time of Newtonian physics").

Venice, Girolamo Franceschi, 1596. Folio (400x260 mm). Two parts bound in one later (presumably 19th century) sprinkled full calf with blindstamped geometrical ornamentations to boards. Leather on back board renewed. Engraved title-page neatly restored at inner margin, far from affecting imprint; old owner's inscription (""Ex libris Ludovici A. la..."), crossed-out previous owner's name, and traces after a stamp to title-page. With Medici arms at the top and those of Sirigatti at foot of title-page, repeated on title-page of part two. As with all other copies we have been able to locate, the title-page is trimmed, affecting approximately 1 cm of the allegorical depictions in margin. Large woodcut printer's device at the end of the volume. Light occassional discolouring, but overall in very fine condition. 1 f. (allegorical frontispiece), 3 ff. (of dedication and index), 43 plates numbered with parallel text, 1 f. (large woodcut printer's device), 22 copper engraved plates (including the title-page of the second part) numbered 44-65. I.e. 65 plates in total - fully complete. The rare first edition of this most important work on the art of perspective: "Questa e la più elegante delle edizioni di libri prospettici per i tipi, pei caratteri, per la carta" (Cicognara 860). Sirigatti's work is famous for being one of the very earliest thorough works solely dedicated to the art of perspective. Combining the visual language of the German book tradition of Lencker and Jamnitzer with the Italian tradition of linear perspective treated previously by Serlio and Barbaro and earlier that of Leon Battista Alberti (unillustrated), as applied to stage design and architectural theory, this is one of the seminal Italian works on the subject of perspective. Presumably this work functioned as basis for Galileo’s drawing technique. The book quickly became very popular and several Italian editions were reprinted in the 17th century; its reputation was so long-lived that an English translation was published no less than 160 years after the original. The work is divided in two parts: The first part is dedicated to the elementary rules of perspective to plane and solid geometric figures (which also contain musical instruments like the lute (plate 41 and 42)). The second part depicts architectural elements, facades of palaces and churches, in polyhedrons of various forms and regular Platonic solids, with several references to Luca Pacioli's "divina proportione". Furthermore, Sirigatti famously contributed to the study of theatrical perspective: "He is the first to mention that the full effect of the perspective frame, for instance in a stage set, can be enjoyed only by those sitting along the main axis. This is a fundamental aspect of absolutist theater that no doubt had been noticed by designers of princely entertainments earlier, but is first commented on in print by Sirigatti, whose observations were taken up more extansively by Pietro Accolti." (Millard).Two problems were endemic in perspective designs. First, because perspective scenery exploits the difficulty of the eyes in judging the sizes and distances of objects, it works best by assigning the spectator to a single point of vision and manipulating relative magnitudes to make small images represent objects that are larger and farther away. Second, the apparent magnitude and distance of painted objects tended to clash with the fixed size of live actors when applied to the theater, threatening to produce absurd combinations of scale when performers wandered upstage. Sirigatti was first to "acknowledge the problem of spectator position. Sirigatti proposed a way to combine a painted perspective backdrop with fixed three-dimensional scenery that diminished in size as it neared an upstage vanishing point". (Camp, The First Frame). Sirigatti was not only influential in the theory of architecture and stage design. "Galileo "most certainly studied" La pratica di prospettiva, which was published in Venice while Galileo was teaching nearbyby in Padova, and that when Galileo and Thomas Harriot simultaneously pioneered the use of the telescope to study the moon's surface, it was Galileo's training in chiaroscuro that led him to see mountains and craters where Harriot only saw "strange spottedness"." (The Partnership of Art and Science: The Moon of Cigoli and Galileo).Sirigatti was a member of the Academy of Drawing (Accademia del Disegno), a school for artists and engineers (where Galileo studied as a young man). Any young artist or mathematician working his way through Sirigatti and learning to create the spikes on a ring diagram such as this would master perspective and the handling of light and shadow (chiaroscuro). Each spike must cast an appropriate shadow, not unlike the patches Galileo would later discern through his "perspective tube" and interpret as the shadows of mountains protruding up from the surface of the Moon.Adams S-1224Cicognara 860Fowler 336Graesse VI,417 Macclesfield 1896Mortimer 479Millard 129 (the 1625-edition)

A la Haye, chez Isaac van der Klott, 1729-47. Large folio. (54 x 35 cm.). 3 uniform contemporary full mottled calf. Spine with 9 compartments, divided by 8 raised bands. Compartments richly gilt. Titlelabels with gilt lettering. Light wear to top of spine on volume I. Small stamp on title-pages. LXI,132; II,336;(6),357,(1) pp. 3 engraved titlevignettes, 10 half-page engraved headpieces and 101 fine engraved plates (10 maps, 12 battle-scenes 77 plans and views, 2 portrait-plates (one as frontispiece in Vol. III) mostly double-page (also triple-page or more). 6 tables, some folding. Internally fine and clean, printed on good paper. Wide-margined. First edition. Simultaneouly published in French and Dutch. This fine and monumental work describes and depicts the wars of Prince Eugene de Savoye, the Duke of Marlborough and the Prince of Nassau, in Italy, Hungary, Germany, The Netherlands and against the Turcs. The engraved maps are engraved by Hubert Iallot, Covens & Mortier, Guillaume de L'Isle etc. The very detailled panoramas of war scenes, include the fine and famous series made by Jan Huchtenburg (Huchtenburg, Pinxit et excudit). Prince Eugene's almost invariable success on the battle-field raised the reputation of the Austrian army to a point which it never reached either before or since his day. War was with him a passion. Always on march, in camps, or on the field of battle during more than fifty years, and under the reigns of three emperors, he had scarcely passed 2 years together without fighting.Graesse II:445. Brunet II:881. Cohen-Ricci 337. There is no standard collation of this work (varies between 90 and 102 plates).

The Hague, Liebers & Co, (1881). 8vo. Uncut in the original printed wrappers. Spine missing some of the paper and upper part of front wrapper and lower part of back wrappers detached. Wrappers brownspotted and previous owner's name in pencil to upper margin of front wrapper. Pp. 37-40 missing some of the paper in upper margin - far from affecting text, otherwise internally fine and clean. VII, 82 pp. The rare first Dutch translation of Marx’s “Lohnarbeit und Kapital” (i.e. "Wage Labour and Capital") here in the exceedingly rare printed wrappers, presumably being the only known copy in wrappers. This seminal work by Karl Marx, which, due to its aim to be a popular exposition of his central theories of capitalism and the economic relationships between workers and capitalists, became one of the most generally influential and widely read of Marx' works. It is widely considered the precursor to Das Kapital. "Wage Labour and Capital" was originally written as a series of newspaper articles in 1847 and was first published, however only fragmentarily, in the form of five articles in April 1849 in the "Neue Rheinische Zeitung". Because of the political conditions, the printing of the series had to be ended, and thus only these five articles appeared, as there was no sign of the rest of it between the papers of Marx that were found after his death. The work did not appear again until 1881. In 1891, Engels published a re-worked version of the article, which took into account Marx' later developments in his economic theory (for instance Engels inserted the distinction between "labour" and "labour-power", which Marx did not make in the original version), and during the 1890'ies the work appeared in numerous languages and in an enormous amount of editions. Marx' seminal theories that are made easily accessible in this important publication include his Labour Theory of Value, his Theory of Concentration of Capital, his Theory of Alienation etc., which were all later developed in the "Capital", three fundamental theories that have influenced all later economical-political thought. Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis (1846-1919), a Dutch socialist. "Originally a Lutheran pastor (1870-1879), he left the church, founded the socialist weekly Recht voor Allen (1879). He played a leading part in developing the Social-Democratic movement in the Netherlands; was elected to parliament for a term (1881-1891); disappointed in legislating social reform, he turned to anarchism (1890s). He authored a number of propaganda brochures." (Draper: The Marx-Engels Glossary, p. 154.)

Venice, Octavianus Scotus, 1525. Small folio. Bound in a lovely 18th century full green morocco binding with richly gilt spine, triple gilt line-borders to boards, double gilt lines to edges of boards, and inner gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. A few leaves a little closely shaven. Title-page and final blank slightly dusty/browned and last few leaves with a faint small, marginal damp stain, far from affecting text - otherwise a remarkably fine, clean, and fesh copy with only very minor occasional brownspotting. A beautiful printing with beautiful woodcut initials to almost all leaves. Large woodcut printer's device to colophon. A truly lovely copy, housed in a custom-made full leather box with gilt title to spine. 139 ff. The exceedingly scarce first edition of Pomponazzi's collected works, a milestone publication of Renaissance philosophy, which constitutes the authorized "opera" of Pomponazzi and brings together for the first time the known body of writing of arguably THE most important philosopher of the Renaissance, disseminating them to a wider audience. This seminal publication, printed in the year of Pomponazzi's death, remains to this day the standard edition of and the main source of reference to the works of "The last Scholastic and the first man of the Enlightenment" (Sandy, Randall, Kristeller). It greatly influenced the dissemination of his works and thought and came to directly influence philosophical and scientific thought of centuries to come. "Pomponazzi's thought and reputation were extremely influential in the centuries after his death. Even before it was printed, his treatise "On incantations" circulated widely in manuscript among philosophers, physicians and early modern naturalists (see Zanier 1975). Due to his mortalist theory of the soul, 17th-century "free thinkers" regarded Pomponazzi as one of their own, portraying him as an atheist (see Kristeller 1968; Paganini 1985). Enlightenment thinkers of the 18th century pushed to extremes his distinction between natural reason and faith, while 19th-century positivists, such as Ernest Renan and Roberto Ardigò, saw in Pomponazzi a forerunner of their own beliefs and a champion of naturalism and empiricism." (SEP).Pietro Pomponazzi (1462-1525) was an author of both commentaries and original philosophical treatises and also as such a key figure in the Aristotelian tradition of the Renaissance. Pomponazzi stood at a crossroad in the history of Aristotelianism - he still studied the great logicians and natural philosophers of the 14th century, which his Italian humanistic colleagues had given up (focusing instead on "man" and his place in the universe), but at the same time he had a highly original approach to the teachings of Aristotle and a unique uninhibited approach to the nature of the universe; as opposed to his contemporaries, he responded philosophically to the achievements of humanism, always seeking the truth and the "naturalist" explanation. With his wide-ranging works, published together here for the first time, Pomponazzi was a fore-runner of that difficult to define critical Aristotelianism, which sought to find the true meaning of the works of Aristotle, lay them bare and develop them further, in order to find the true nature of the universe - to explain how the world functions without any preconceived notions (like the belief in Christ, etc.). "This freedom from doctrinal orthodoxy - quite rare among Renaissance Aristotelians - was one of Pomponazzi's real contributions to the progress of scientific thought. By refusing to be bound by specific position, by constant testing and doubting. Pomponazzi brought the firm conclusions of the scholastic Aristotle to a dead end. And in doing so, he opened up a whole new philosophy of nature." (Pine, p. 19). As such, Pomponazzi occupies a truly unique position in the history of Renaissance philosophy. "Pomponazzi's thought, by combining Averroism and Alexandrism, could not be squeezed into one category or the other. Indeed all such divisions were too simple when applied to him." (Pine, p. 5). With his magnificent undoctrinal works of pure thought and reason, Pomponazzi inaugurated a tradition that was to become dominating in following centuries, founding an entirely new philosophy of nature and paving the way for the acceptance of a later mathematical view of nature. "During the twelve decades or so between Pomponazzi's arrival (1484) and Galileo's departure in 1610, the learned community that Shakespeare called "fair Padua, nursery of arts", achieved a distinction in scientific and medical studies unmatched elsewhere in Europe. Thus, Pomponazzi's career in northern Italy brought him close to the most exciting advances of his time in science and medicine. In keeping with the nature of his university appointments, he approached Aristotle from a perspective quite distant from Bruni's humanism or Lefèvre's theologizing. [...] Pomponazzi's Aristotelianism developed entirely within the framework of natural philosophy". (Copenhaver & Schmitt, p. 105).

London, 1929. 4to. Entire vol. X, 1929, bound in black full cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Hinges a bit weak and end-papers renewed. A few leaves loosening a bit. All in all a good, sound copy. Book plate of Frank J. Farrell to inside of front board. Pp. 226-228, (2 pp. - photographic illustrations), pp. 229-236. [Entire volume: VII, (1), 407 pp.]. Seminal first printing of the groundbreaking paper that announces for the first time one of the most revolutionizing discoveries of modern times, namely penicillin. Fleming's accidental discovery and isolation of penicillin in September 1928 (published here for the first time) marks the introduction of the age of useful antibiotics. This magnificent discovery would not only completely change the world of modern medicine, it would change the course of history, continually saving millions of lives around the world. "When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionise all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer. But I suppose that was exactly what I did." (Alexander Fleming). Fleming reported his great discovery in the present paper published in "British Journal of Experimental Pathology". An original offprint of the paper was also made, but that is of the utmost scarcity and possibly only one copy has survived (although some estimate three copies to be in existence). For a long time, a reprint from 1944 was thought to be the original offprint, but that later turned out not to be the case. The 1944 reprint was commissioned by Fleming himself, because he could locate no copies of the original. PMM 420a; Norman 798; Grolier 96.

Havniae (København), N. Möller (et Filii) og N. Christensen, 1788-1806. Folio. Bound in two contemporary half calf bindings (vol. 1-4) with single gilt lines to spines. Gilt leather-title-label. Small tear to upper part of one hinge of vol. I. Marbled paper over boards. Spines with light signs of wear. Four engraved title-vignettes. (2),VI,52; (4),56; (4),71,(1); (6),46 pp. + 160 engraved plates (complete). Both plates and text have been printed on thick, heavy paper and are in excellent condition. Vol. II, however has a bit of marginal brownspotting to the first text-leaves. A few plates with minor, vague, marginal brownspotting. Apart from the 160 plates in b/w as issued, there is an unusual "appendix volume" that contains the first 120 plates (I-CXX) of the work, corresponding to the plates of vols. I-III, in beautiful ORIGINAL HAND-COLOURING. Furthermore, the binding has belonged to our famous zoologist OTTO FABRICIUS (internationally renowned for his "Fauna Groenlandica" (1780) ). At the foot of every plate, Fabricius has added species- and figure-determination in his own hand, outside of the print. That these denominations are in Fabricius' hand is evident from a handwritten note on the front free end-paper: "The designations here written are added by the zoologist professor Otto Fabricius, at whose auction this work is bought by H.B. Melcior." ("De her anførte skrevne benævnelser ere tilföiede af Zoologen professor Otto Fabricius, paa hvis Auktion dette værk er kiöbt af H.B. Melcior."). Melchior was a teacher at Herlufsholm and founded the natural history collections of the school. On the front free end-paper there is a stamp from the library of the school (Herlufsholms Bibliotek). This collection is bound in a contemporary full mottled calf binding with richly gilt spine. Small holes to boards. Binding with some wear. The plates are fine and fresh. Complete copy (of all that appeared) of this extremely rare work, which constitutes the highlight of Danish zoological literature of the 18thy century. The work was meant to be a counterpart to Bibliotheca Danica, but it was never completed. Here we have the work with the Latin text and all the plates that were issued. The publishing began already in 1777, when Müller issued the plates for the first two volumes separately, with no text. The publishing history is complicated, but it is thoroughly described in Jean Anker's monograph about the work (1950). The work describes the marine fauna in Denmark and Norway, and according to Anker, it is a foundational work of marine biology. Müller was one of the first to make widespread use of a bottom scraper - "Müller must therefore be regarded as one of the real pioneers in marine biology" (Anker). There are only very few copies of the work which have all plates in hand-coloured condition. In the present copy, all issued plates are present in b/w, and in addition we have plates 1-120 in hand-coloured condition. Bibl. Danica II,168. - Jean Anker "Otto Friderich Müller's Zoologia Danica" (1950) - Nissen ZBI,2932.- Gosch, Afd. III, pp. 176-80.

(Josse Bade & Guillaume de Marnef), (on colophon:) August 6, 1515. 8vo. Wonderfully bound in a mid-19th century full morocco binding with broad gilt ornamental borders to boards, raised bands and richly and exquisitely gilt spine. Broad inner gilt ornamental borders to baords and gilt decoration to edges of boards. All edges gilt. Hinges expertly restored.With the gilt leather bookplate of Edward Hailstone to inside of front board and with the engraved armorial bookplate of C.L.F. Robinson to front free end-paper. Old printed private library number to verso of front free end-paper. Early owner's name to title-page and early, neat handwritten notes to first couple of leaves. Ff. 67-68 with a clean cut tear to the middle, no loss. First couple of leaves a little darkened. Overall in excellent condition with clear and fresh imprints. Title-page printed in red and black, with half-page woodcut ullustration and with Marnef-device. 107, (1) ff. Illustrated throughout with 115 magnificent woodcuts (including the one of the title-page), most of them ca 1/3 page, two of them full-page. Exceedingly scarce early edition of Badius’ great Navis Stutifere, his moral magnum opus and one of his most important works. The work was inspired by Brandt’s “Das Narrenschiff”, and like Brandts’ work, Badius’ Navis Stultifere (which uses the same title in Latin and refers to Badius on the title-page) is also a treatise on contemporary morals and the vices of man, written in Latin verse and with prose commentaries. This magnificent work is considered one of the most beautiful French books from the beginning of the 16th century. This is the fourth edition of the work, magnificently illustrated with the wonderful suite of the 114 original woodcuts from Brandt’s work (1494). The first edition was published in 1505 and the second and third in 1507 and 1513 respectively. All of the early editions are of the utmost scarcity. Badius’ Navis Stultifera must not be confused with his Stultiferae Naves from 1500, which Badius characterized as a supplement to Brandt’s work, directed at women, whereas the present work, which was first published in 1505, is a moral work in its own right, inspired by Brandt’s, together with Badius’ own prose interpretations, being a much freer, original, and personal. The work should also not be confused with a mere Latin translation of Brandt’s work, as this is Badius’ interpretation and original rendering of moral values inspired by Brandt, not an actual translation. If anything, it can be called an original reworking, with original prose commentaries, of Brandt’s “Narrenschiff”, caricaturing the human vices of different social classes. Badius has divided the text into 113 verse parts, each of them accompanied by a prose explanation differing significantly from Brandt’s text. Each verse chapter is also accompanied by one of the magnificent woodcuts as well as a poem. The poems are frequently drawn from the classics such as Virgil, Horace, and Juvenal, but also from Baptista de Mantua. As the frequent reprinting of it also points to, Badius’ great moral work was hugely influential. As Renouard suggests (I:164), the quotations and moral commentary, plus its frequent reprinting in the early 16th century, could point to its use as a school text. "The role of printers and the printing press as agents of cultural change in the period of transition between medieval and early modern times is generally considered to be of major importance. The development and spread of printing in the last decades of the fifteenth century and the first half of the sixteenth century was a significant factor in the diffusion of humanist thought and criticism. Some of the printers who presided over the publication of classical and contemporary works were active scholars and committed humanists themselves, supplying comments on the works that came off their presses. In France one of the most influential scholar-printers of the era was the Flemish-born Jodocus Badius Ascensius (1462–1535). From 1503 onwards, he ran his own printing office in Paris, where he published an impressive number of classical and humanist texts, often preceded by a preface in his own hand. Best known for his activities as a printer-publisher, Badius was also a renowned grammarian, poet, commentator and creative writer." (Anne-Marie De Gendt: On Pleasure..., p. (67)). This lovely copy has excellent provenance: 1.Edward Hailstone (1818-1890), Yorkshire solicitor and churchwarden, renowned British book collector and antiquary; fifth son of the botanist Samuel Hailstone (1767-1851). 2.Colonel Charles Leonard Frost Robinson, also a great book collector, who immigrated to America from England in 1907 and in 1911 became the president of the Colt Firearms Company in Hartford, Connecticut. Only 9 or 10 copies of the 1515-edition are listed in libraries worldwide, and the book, in all its early editions, is very rare in the trade. We have only been able to find very few copies at auction within the last 50 years. Brunet I, 1206; Renouard II, 84:6.

Paris (Imprimerie de Ducessios), Louis Janet (Vve Magnin & Fils), (1875?). Small 8vo (binding: 14,8 x 11,2 cm.). Original full red cloth with gilt title to front board. All edges gilt. Very neatly rebacked. A splendid copy, with only minor occasional, light brownspotting and nice and bright text-leaves. One leaf of text (pp. 115-16) has had the lower corner torn off, so a part of that text-leaf is missing. Plates are in splendid condition - nice, clean, and crisp -, and all moveable parts present, fully intact and fully workable. XV (including the handcoloured title-page with moveable parts), (1), (137) pp. + 12 magnificent plates in wonderful original hand-colouring and with moveable parts. Incredibly scarce third issue (with the original plates and moveable parts of the first issue) of one of the most important and rarest children's books ever produced, namely the first printed book with pullable parts, sometimes called "the first interactive book". In all, three issues of the work appeared. All three are of the utmost scarcity, as only 20 copies (apart from the present) in all, from either of the three issues are known. And of these 20 copies, at least five are incomplete. Of the three issues, the third is the scarcest, as only two or three other copies apart from the present are known. Two of these are in institutional holdings, and a third, which is possibly the third issue, is in a private collection in Japan. The first issue of the work is thought to have appeared in 1831 and the second around 1837. The three issues are quite easily distinguishable, although some variants appear. The first issue was printed by Doyen, and the second and third by Ducessois. Magnin, the successor of Janet, adopts the name "Veuve Magnin et Fils" in 1867, and the copies that bear this imprint on the title-page thus belong to the third issue. Saint-Alban argues that it was printed in 1875. But the setting seems to be exactly the same as the preceding issue (which has the preliminary leaves reset in comparison to the first issue), and the plates and moveable parts are certainly those of the first issue. Possibly, only the first three leaves (half-title and title-pages) are actually in a new printing, with new publisher and printer, and the rest are the same as the second issue. And possibly, only the 15 first pages differ from the first issue, so that the rest is actually the same printing throughout all the issues. In the introduction to this wonderful book, the author explains to his young readers - whom he addresses directly - that he has invented the present "mechanism" in order to rediscover the magic of the metamorphoses caused by the fairy wands and "to bring into action" the scenes from the history". The book is truly splendid, in both beauty, detail, and innovation. Brès is known as the creator of some of the most beautiful children's books ever produced, accompanied, by wonderful coloured engravings. In the present work, he excelled completely and introduced an entirely new way of creating children's books, which was far ahead of its time. In fact, the kind of interactive book that Brès here introduces, pioneered the interactive books that were to appear in the 1930'ies.

Oxford, E Theatro Sheldoniano, 1681. Folio. Nice contemporary full calf with five raised bands and single gilt line-decorations to spine. Gilt title-label and gilt lettering to spine. Double blindstamped borders to boards. All edges of boards gilt. A bit of wear to hinges and capitals, but overall very nice. Internally very clean and fresh with only minimal, light occasional browning. With the book-plate of Gaddesden Library to inside of front board. Engraved device to title-page. (14), 312; (4), 88 pp. Rare first edition of the founding work of Western medieval philosophy, the main work by "the one important philosophical thinker to appear in Latin Christendom between Augustine... and Anselm." (Encycl. of Phil.). This magnum opus of medieval thought is considered the "final achievement" of ancient philosophy (Burch: Early Medieval Philosophy, 1951) and is one of the few true defining moments of medieval philosophy. It not only marks the beginning of Western medieval philosophy, it also anticipates German idealism. Kolakowski identifies "De divisione naturae" as the archetype of Hegel's Phenomenology of Mind (see "Main Currents of Marxism"), the Hegelians considered him the father of German idealism, and Hegel states that "Scholastic philosophy is considered to begin with John Scotus Erigena who flourished about the year 860, and who must not be confused with the Duns Scotus of a later date... With him true philosophy first begins, and his philosophy in the main coincides with the idealism of the Neo-Platonists." (From Hegel’s Lectures on the History of Philosophy: Part Two. Philosophy of the Middle Ages). As the dialectical reasoning in the “De divisione naturae” prefigures Hegel, its theory of place and time as defining structures of the mind anticipates Kant. As Gordon A. Leff also points out, Eriugena stands out as the one original thinker in the period from Boethius to Anselm. He is responsible for a revival of philosophical thought which had remained largely dormant in Western Europe after the death of Boethius and creates the only philosophical system to emerge in more than half a millenia. He is the forerunner to speculative idealism, considered a “Proclus of the West” (Hauréau, 1872) and the “Father of Speculative Philosophy” (Huber, 1861). According to The Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, Eriugena is "the most significant Irish intellectual of the early monastic period. He is generally recognized to be both the outstanding philosopher (in terms of originality) of the Carolingian era and of the whole period of Latin philosophy stretching from Boethius to Anselm"; Gersh praises his notion of structure, which places him amongst modern writers rather than medieval ones, stating also that "(i)n some respects, Western medieval philosophy can be viewed as beginning with the brilliant and controversial ninth-century thinker JohnScotus Eriugena." (Gersh, p. 125). His magnum opus "synthesizes the philosophical accomplishments of fifteen centuries and appears as the final achievement of ancient philosophy" (Burch). Eriugena became extremely influential throughout the later Middle Ages and directly influenced Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard van Bingen, and Nicolas of Cusa. He also anticipates Thomas Aquinas in saying that one cannot know and believe a thing at the same time, and exercised a direct influence on modern philosophy. After the rediscovery of his magnum opus, which was printed for the first time in 1681 (the present work), his astonishingly modern train of thought and his immensely important philosophical system came to directly influence some of the most important thinkers of the modern era, most significantly probably Hegel. Eriugena is often referred to as “the Hegel of the 9th century”, and he thus also became a primary influence upon Marx’ dialectical form. Schopenhauer stresses the importance of the rediscovery of Eriugena with the present publication and says in Parerga and Paralopomena (vol. I) “ After Scotus Erigena had been lost and forgotten for many centuries, he was again discovered at Oxford and in 1681, thus four years after Spinoza's death, his work first saw the light in print. This seems to prove that the insight of individuals cannot make itself felt so long as the spirit of the age is not ripe to receive it.” “In the later Middle Ages both Meister Eckhart of Hochheim (c.1260–c.1328) and Nicholas of Cusa (1401–64) were sympathetic to Eriugena and familiar with his “Periphyseon”. Cusanus owned a copy of the “Periphyseon”. Interest in Eriugena was revived by Thomas Gale’s first printed edition of 1687 (recte: 1681). However, soon afterwards, Thomas Gale’s first printed edition, the “Periphyseon”, was listed in the first edition of the “Index Librorum Prohibitorum”, and remained on it, until the Index itself was abolished in the 1960s. In the nineteenth century, Hegel and his followers, interested in the history of philosophy from a systematic point of view, read Eriugena rather uncritically as an absolute idealist and as the father of German idealism. The first critical editions of his major works were not produced until the twentieth century (Lutz, Jeauneau, Barbet) [...] Eriugena is an original philosopher who articulates the relation between God and creation in a manner which preserves both divine transcendence and omnipresence. His theory of human nature is rationalist and intellectualist but also apophatic. His theory of place and time as defining structures of the mind anticipates Kant, his dialectical reasoning prefigures Hegel. But above all, Eriugena is a mystic who emphasizes the ultimate unity of human nature and through it of the entire creation with God.” (SEP). Eriugena - who Bertrand Russel also considered "the most astonishing person of the ninth century" - had been commissioned by Charles the Bald to translate the writings that were then thought to be by Dionysius (the learned pagan converted by St. Paul). Eriugena had taught himself Greek and succeeded in an excellent translation. "He went on to translate various other Greek Christian texts, by Gregory of Nyssa and the seventeenth-century Maximus the Confessor. All these influences along with his wide reading of the Latin fathers (especially Ambrose and Augustine) and his enthusiasm for logic.. are combined in his masterpiece "Periphyseon ("About Nature"; it is also sometimes known as "De divisione naturae", "On the division of nature"), written in the 860s. The "Periphyseon" has been seen by some as continuing a tradition of Greek Neoplatonic thought, and by some as anticipating nineteenth-century German Idealist philosophy". (Stephen Gersh, Johannes Scotus Eriugena and Anselm of Canterbury, p. 121. In: Marenbon, Medieval Philosophy, 2004). Although the beautiful Oxford-imprints from the second half of the seventeenth century are usually not rare in themselves, the present work is very scarce indeed. A reason for this might be that the book was placed on the “Index Librorum Prohibitorum” right after publication and remained on it, until the Index itself was abolished in the 1960s. This editio princeps of Eriugena’s main work also contains Eriugena’s translation of one of the works that influenced him the most, namely the “Scholia Maximi in Gregorium Theologium”, which also appears here in print for the first time. Johannes (c.800–c.877), who signed himself as “Eriugena” in one manuscript, and who was referred to by his contemporaries as “the Irishman” (scottus—in the ninth century Ireland was referred to as “Scotia Maior” and its inhabitants as “scotti”) is the most significant Irish intellectual of the early monastic period. He is generally recognized to be both the most outstanding philosopher (in terms of originality) of the Carolingian era and of the whole period of Latin philosophy stretching from Boethius to Anselm… Eriugena’s uniqueness lies in the fact that, quite remarkably for a scholar in Western Europe in the Carolingian era, he had considerable familiarity with the Greek language, affording him access to the Greek Christian theological tradition, from the Cappadocians to Gregory of Nyssa, hitherto almost entirely unknown in the Latin West… Eriugena’s thought is best understood as a sustained attempt to create a consistent, systematic, Christian Neoplatonism from diverse but primarily Christian sources. Eriugena had a unique gift for identifying the underlying intellectual framework, broadly Neoplatonic but also deeply Christian, assumed by the writers of the Christian East… Overall, Eriugena develops a Neoplatonic cosmology according to which the infinite, transcendent, and “unknown” God, who is beyond being and non-being, through a process of self-articulation, procession, or “self-creation”, proceeds from his divine “darkness” or “non-being” into the light of being, speaking the Word who is understood as Christ, and at the same timeless moment bringing forth the Primary Causes of all creation. These causes in turn proceed into their Created Effects and as such are creatures entirely dependent on, and will ultimately return to, their sources, which are the Causes or Ideas in God. These Causes, considered as diverse and infinite in themselves, are actually one single principle in the divine One. The whole of reality or nature, is involved in a dynamic process of outgoing (exitus) from and return (reditus) to the One. God is the One or the Good or the highest principle, which transcends all, and which therefore may be said to be “the non-being that transcends being”. In an original departure from traditional Neoplatonism, in his dialogue Periphyseon, this first and highest cosmic principle is called “nature” (natura) and is said to include both God and creation. Nature is defined as universitas rerum, the “totality of all things”, and includes both the things which are (ea quae sunt) as well as those which are not (ea quae non sunt). This divine nature may be divided into a set of four “species” or “divisions” (divisiones) which nevertheless retain their unity with their source. These four divisions of nature taken together are to be understood as God, presented as the “Beginning, Middle, and End of all things”.” (SEP).

(Antwerp, Gerard Leeu, undated but between August 2, 1487 & 1489) 4to (204 x 141 mm). In 19th-century half vellum over marbled paper covered boards. Old paper-label stating "Bernadus" pasted on to lower part of spine. Light wear to extremities, spine slightly discoloured and boards with a few scratches. First 6 ff. reinforced by fragments of a 13th-century manuscript on vellum. Ex-libris pasted on to back free end-paper. Title woodcut illustration depicting the Annunciation (belongs to a quarto series of 68 blocks by the "Second Gouda Woodcutter", specifically to the 44 blocks copied from Israhel van Meckenem’s smallest Passion series. The present impression is the sixth - see Bibliothek Otto Schäfer, vol. 1, p. 165). Title-page slightly soiled. Lower margin of title-page with annotation in contemporary calligraphed hand "Liber monasterij bemensis premonstratensium ordinis huesden" (see below). Lower blank margins throughout carefully washed and pressed. Housed in a green slipcase. 30 ff. Provenance: - The Abbey of the Prémontrés of Berne (near Heusden, Netherlands); contemporary manuscript inscription: "Liber monasterij bemensis premonstratensium ordinis huesden". (15th/16th century).- Portsmouth/Bishophouse (United Kingdom), Virtue & Cahill Library (Christie’s 5-7-1967.) Nr. 8, bought by Breslauer.- 1968: Sold by Breslauer to:- Otto Schäfer Collection, Schweinfurt (Federal Republic of Germany), with its "OS" stamp. Exhibited at “Druckgraphik des 15. Jahrhunderts”, organized by Mr. Otto Schäfer in 1973 for the Fränkische Bibliophilen-Gesellschaft, Schweinfurt (N° B.83, described p. 64 of the catalog). Katalog der Bibliothek Otto Schäfer Schweinfurt, no. 42. Second - being the first illustrated - edition of Bernard of Clairvaux’s seminal work on the Virgin Mary, her virtues, her role in salvation and her theological significance. It is structured as a commentary on the passage from the Gospel of Luke (1:26) where the angel Gabriel announces the Incarnation to Mary. Bernard was a produtive writer on various aspects of the Bible and Christianity. As a devoted Mariologist, he emphasized Mary's central role in Christian theology and preached effectively on Marian devotions, making the present publication one of the most representative and influential of all his works. It was pivotal in shaping Medieval and Renaissance Marian devotion. Antwerp rapidly emerged as a dominant center for illustrated books in the late 15th century, with Gerard Leeu, the printer of the present work, at the forefront of this movement. He was among the most prolific printers of his time, using over 850 different woodblocks across his works:"Antwerp rapidly became the main centre for illustrated books in the Low Countries and Gerard Leeu was without doubt the most prolific printer of them, with more than 850 different woodblocks used in the books he produced. He collaborated with anonymous engravers, whose names came from their place of activity: from the First and Second Gouda woodcutters, to the Master of Haarlem and the First Antwerp Woodcutter. Leeu also obtained many other engravings from colleagues such as Jacob Bellaert (fl. 1483-1486) from Haarlem, or Heinrich Knoblochtzer (c. 1445-1500) from Strasbourg. As evidence of his good relationships with certain other printers, Leeu did not hesitate to lend them woodblocks, as, for example, he did with Johann Koelhoff (c. 1502) in Cologne and Arend de Keysere († 1489) in Ghent. After his death, his collection of woodblocks was dispersed amongst several printers, such as, in Antwerp, Adriaen van Liesvelt (fl. 1494-1500), Dirk Martens, Roland van den Dorp († c. 1500) and Henrick Eckert, as well as the Zwolle-based Peter Os van Breda (fl. 1480-1510). Leeu is a perfect example of a printer who used all available means to get hold of the materials required to illustrate his editions, and, in contrast to some others, he never resorted to using less competent engravers who would simply copy woodcuts that appeared in the publications of competitors." (Adam, The Emergence of Antwerp as a printing centre, p. 21). The present work has a most fascinating provenance. The earliest recorded ownership of this book places it in the Abbey of the Prémontrés of Berne, located near Heusden in the Netherlands. It was most likely placed in this library immediately or shortly after printing, judging from the inscription on the title-page. The Abbey of Prémontré was among the monasteries suppressed after the French Revolution and it was demolished in 1790. At some point, the book crossed the North Sea and found its way to England. By the mid-20th century, it was housed in Portsmouth, specifically at the Bishophouse, and became part of the Virtue & Cahill Library collection. The book was later sold at Christie’s auction on July 5–7, 1967 (catalogued as Nr. 8), where it was purchased by Bernard Breslauer. In 1968, Breslauer sold the book to Otto Schäfer, the noted German collector and industrialist. Schäfer’s collection in Schweinfurt was renowned for its focus on early printed books and illustrated incunabula. During its time in the Schäfer Collection, the book was exhibited in 1973 as part of the “Druckgraphik des 15. Jahrhunderts” exhibition, organized for the Fränkische Bibliophilen-Gesellschaft in Schweinfurt. BM 15th century IX, p. 193 Goff B400 Hain-Copinger 2864-2865 Schäfer 42 ISTC: ib00400000 OCLC only listS one copy in the US (Cambridge MA, Harvard University, Houghton Library)

London, Darling & Son, 1891. 8vo. Disbound. Stamp to p. 1. 1 .p + 1 plate. Scarce original printed patent for the world's first energy-generating wind-mill, the "Blyth Turbine", being the first wind turbine used to convert wind energy into power.Blyth's seminal invention marked the dawn of wind turbine development. Although previously credited with being the first to use a wind powered machine to generate electricity, it is now an accepted fact that the American inventor Charles Brush came second to Blyth and his wind mill. There were, of course wind mills before the time of Blyth, but these were used to pump water or grind grain, and Blyth's groundbreaking invention, described and patented for the first time here, is the first used to convert wind energy into power. Blyth experimentend, prompted by his friend Lord Kelvin, with three different turbine designs, which ultimately resulted in a 10-meter-high, cloth-sailed wind turbine, which was installed in the garden of his holiday cottage at Marykirk in Kincardineshire. He used the electricity it produced to charge accumulators, and the stored electricity was used to power the lights in his cottage, which thus became the first house in the world to be powered by wind-generated electricity. The wind turbine in Blyth's garden is said to have operated for 25 years."The first person to harness the wind to produce electricity was a Scotsman, James Blyth ('America reaps the wind harvest', 21 August). He first consulted his colleague, Lord Kelvin, about the possibility of using a windmill for the purpose. Kelvin thought it would be possible and urged Blyth to set up a large horizontal windmill at his holiday home in Marykirk near Montrose in 1888. Blyth lit his own house and offered to light the streets of Marykirk, but his offer was not accepted because the villagers thought electricity was the work of the devil. He did, however, provide emergency power for the local asylum." (Price, Trevor J.: James Blyth - Britain's first modern wind power pioneer, Wind Engineering, Volume 29, Number 3, May 2005 , pp. 191-200(10)).

Nürnberg, Homannischen Officin, n.date (maps ca 1720-39). Large folio. 54,5x32 cm. Contemporary, probably original, limp full calf with flap ("portmanteau"). (Only 4 maps with dating: 2 with 1732, 1728 and 1739).Cover with blind-tooled frames inside which a crowned monogram and the number 50 (= number of plates). Binding worn at edges, covers and back somewhat rubbed. Flap torn and partly with an old repair. Fine allegorical engraved hand-coloured title, printed title with Index (these 2 leaves strengthened in lower margin, no loss of image), and all 49 engraved maps, all in fine original hand-colouring and in double-folio. In excellent condition, with large cartouches (cartouches uncoloured). A few maps with insignificant small tears in folding. The title-page engraved by Michael Rössler, pointing to an early issue of the atlas, and before the publishing house had its name changed to Homann Erben (from 1730). A fine, complete and early atlas from the famous Nürnberger map-maker and publisher, J.B. Homann, geographer to the Kaiser (Emperor). The atlas comprises: Engraved Title. The hemispheres. Europe. Asia. Africa. America. Spain & Portugal. France (Galliæ). England. Holland & Belgium. Belgia etc.. Holland. Schweitz. Italy. Savoye. Milano etc.. Florenz. Naples. Sicily. Germany. Austria. German Provinces 18 maps. Slesvig. Holstein. Scandinavia. Denmark. Sweden & Finland. Poland. Preussen. Russia. Hungary & Greece. Palestine.

Paris, Imprimerie de la République, an VIII [i.e. 1800]. 4to. Bound in a lovely full mottled calf binding with fine, gilt ornamental borders to boards, double gilt line-borders to all edges of boards and a richly gilt spine. Spine with gilt red leather title-label and with the gilt monogram of Joséphine and Napoléon - "JB" - to lower spine. Neatly rebacked. With a handwritten inscription for Napoleon to title-page "Au Citoyen Bonaparte/ premier Consul de la République francaise/ De la part du Conseil [de]/ L'Ecole Polythechnique", with a signature underneath and the stamp of the Ecole Polytechnique. The inscription is slighly cropped at the outer margin. A bit of brownspotting here and there. (4), VII, (1), 477, (3) pp. First edition, original offprint from Journal Polytechnique, Tome III, Cahiers 7 & 8, of Prony's magnum opus "Mécanique phlilosophique". The three parts here are all that appeared, as the planned two parts announced on the verso of the extra title-page never appeared. A truly splendid copy from Napoleon's library, with the gilt monogram of him and Joséphine from the library at Malmaison and with a presentation-inscription for Napoléon, which is rare. Books from the library at Malmaison do occasionally appear on the market, although they are rare. They are usually taken to be mainly Joséphine's, as she spent more time there. This, however, is a rare exception. First, we know that Napoléon actually did spend time at Malmaison at the time that he was given the present volume, around 1800, second, it bears an inscription for him, which is rare, determining for a fact that this was one of his books, not Joséphine's. Together with the Tuileries, Malmaison was the French government's headquarters from 1800 to 1802, exactly the time that Napoleon will have been given the present book and incorporated it in his library. Many of the books at the Malmaison library were books on things like gardening that Joséphine cared a great deal about. These were clearly her books. And some of the books, like the present, were clearly those of Napoleon himself. Napoleon was a voracious reader and he spent much time in his library studying his books. He had a personal librarian, always travelled with books, and took pride in constructing portable libraries as well as the rooms for his own actual library. On 9 July 1800, he gave the commission for a study to be built in place of the three small rooms situated on the south corner pavilion of Malmaison. Fontaine removed the partition walls and commissioned the Jacob brothers to make the teak woodwork. On 18 September, Fontaine wrote: “Everything is now in place, and even though the First Consul found that the room looked like a church sacristy, he was nevertheless forced to admit that it would have been difficult to do better in such an unsuitable space”. The paintings of the great ancient and classical authors which surround Apollo and Minerva on the ceiling were probably executed by Lafitte. Napoleon had been an avid reader since he was quite young, and when he began studying at the École Militaire in Paris, he continued to read classics, literature, and philosophy, as he would throughout his life, but he also read more scientifically and strategically aimed books. “His appetite for reading books continued as he rose in power. In 1798, about to depart on the Egyptian campaign, he gave Bourrienne a list of books he wanted in his camp library. These included works in Sciences and Arts (e.g., Treatise on Fortifications), Geography and Travels (e.g., Cook’s Voyages), History (e.g., Thucydides, Frederick II), Poetry (e.g., Ossian, Tasso, Ariosto), Novels (e.g., Voltaire, Héloïse, Werther and 40 volumes of “English novels”), and Politics and Morals (the Bible, the Koran, the Vedas, etc.)” (Shannon Selin: Bonaparte the Book Worm), giving us a great insight into his preferences at the time. Prony, with his great Mechanical Philosophy, will have fallen perfectly amongst these great writers, when Napoleon returned to Malmaison, combining politics, science, and philosophy. It is not difficult to see how Napoleon will have been intrigued by mechanical philosophy, which is a form of natural philosophy that compares the universe to a large-scale mechanism. Mechanical philosophy is associated with the scientific revolution of Early Modern Europe, and one of the first expositions of universal mechanism is found in the opening passages of Hobbes’s Leviathan. Prony, in the present work, argues that mechanical principles in the practical arts themselves call for philosophical analysis. Baron Gaspard de Prony (1755-1839) was a French mathematician and engineer. He was educated at the Benedictine College at Toissei in Doubs. From there, he entered the École des Ponts et Chaussés in 1776, where he studied engineering until graduating in 1779. “In 1780 he became an engineer with the École des Ponts et Chaussés and after three years in a number of different regions of France he returned to the École des Ponts et Chaussés in Paris 1783. This was the same year he published his first major work in the Académie des Sciences on the forces on arches. Monge was impressed with this paper and realised that de Prony was someone of great potential. In 1785 de Prony visited England on a project to obtain an accurate measurement of the relative positions of the Greenwich Observatory and the Paris Observatory. Two years later he was promoted to inspector at the École des Ponts et Chaussés. Around this time he was involved with the work on the Louis XVI Bridge in Paris which is now called the Pont de la Concorde. Further promotion in 1790 was followed the next year by his being appointed Engineer-in-Chief of the École des Ponts et Chaussés. This promotion was as a result of the opening of the Louis XVI Bridge. Also around 1791 de Prony was working on geometry with Pierre Girard. Then in 1792, de Prony began a major task of producing logarithmic and trigonometric tables, the Cadastre. With the assistance of Legendre, Carnot and other mathematicians, and between 70 to 80 assistants, the work was undertaken over a period of years, being completed in 1801. […] In 1794 the École Centrale des Travaux Publics was founded by and was directed by Carnot and Monge. It was renamed the École Polytechnique in 1795 and de Prony was certainly one of the main lectures by this time. He is listed among the first teachers at the university […] In 1798 de Prony refused Napoleon's request that he join his army of invasion to Egypt. Fourier, Monge and Malus had agreed to be part of the expeditionary force and Napoleon was angry that de Prony would not come. It did mean that de Prony was to fail to receive the honours he deserved from Napoleon but de Prony's wife was a close friend of Joséphine and this probably saved de Prony from anything worse. In 1798 de Prony achieved his ambition of being appointed director of the École des Ponts et Chaussés. His desire for this post was almost certainly a main reason for his refusing to join Napoleon. As director he began producing a number of important texts on mathematical physics.” (From University of St. Andrews scientific biographies). The present book and its presentation to Napoleon comes from this time, linking the two even closer. After Napoleon was defeated, the reorganization in France included a reorganization of the École Polytechnique, which was closed during 1816. De Prony lost his position as professor there and was not part of the reorganization committee. However, as soon as the school reopened, de Prony was asked to be an examiner so he continued his connection yet only had to work one month per year.

Paris, 1932. 8vo. Original grey printed wrappers with signs of reading, but overall very good. A bit of wear along hinges (with very neat, barely noticeable professional restoration), a few smaller creases to front wrapper and an old owner's inscription in red crayon. A small closed tear to back wrapper. Many notes and underlinings (by Mijolla - see note below) and inlaid are sevaral leaves with notes. Inscribed to half-title. (14), XIII, (1), 381, (3) pp. Housed in a custom-made blue cloth box with see-through front board and gilt lettering to spine. Very rare first edition, presentation-copy with an exceptional provenance, of Lacan's groundbreaking doctoral thesis, which constitutes the foundation of all his later work and inaugurated a new era in psychology and psychiatry. The copy is inscribed and signed by Jacques Lacan to professor Hesnard - highly important fellow psychiatrist famous for introducing Freud in France - in November 1932 ("à monsieur le professeur Hesnard en signe de ma respectueuse sympathie, Jacques Lacan, Ce 26 novembre 1932"). Furthermore, the copy has been in the possession of the important psychoanalyst and historian Alain de Mijolla (1933-2019) and bears his extensive notes and underlinings. Lacan, who is often referred to as "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud", "the father of French psychoanalytical thinking", and a towering intellectual giant of the twentieth century, plays as dominant a role in modern psychology and the development of psychological thought as Freud. It is his doctoral dissertation (the present work) that constitutes the inaugural moment in his work. "Lacan's theoretical engagement with psychosis constitutes a central platform for his ventures into psychoanalysis; from his doctoral thesis on paranoia in the 1930s through to his seminar on Joyce in the 1970s, the question concerning the psychoanalytic treatment of psychosis was at the forefront of his clinical work." Aimée, Lacan's patient and subject of his thesis, bears the same importance for the history of psychology as Anna O., the patient in Freud and Breuer's "Stydies of Hysteria". Aimée was a thirty-eight-year-old woman, who had tried to stab the celebrated actress Huguette Duflos and was thus imprisoned, in April 1931. The story immediately reached the press, and "Aimée" (Lacan's pseudonym for her) became famous in the whole country. Lacan began to see her one month later at the Sainte-Anne Hospital. Through biographical inquiry, Lacan established a classic picture of her and noticed a development that would come to play a central role in his psychological theory: after three weeks of incarceration, Aimée was almost completely out of her delusional state, which Lacan considered evidence of the acute nature of her paranoia. This connection, which according to Lacan meant that she found consolation only in her punishment, not in the act itself, caused Lacan to propose a new diagnostic category, namely "self-punishment paranoia." "It [i.e. "De la Psychose Paranoïaque"] took on the importance that had previously been accorded to studies in hysteria in the rise of the international movement. Just as Freud had given hysteria its patents of nobility in endowing it with full-fledged existence as an illness, so Lacan, forty years later, gave paranoia, and more generally psychosis, an analogous place within the French movement" (E. Roudinesco: La Bataille de cent ans, l'histoire de la psychanalyse en France, Vol. 2, p. 114). With Lacan's doctoral dissertation, Aimée quickly became a cause celebre for the surrealists. In the "De la Psychose Paranoïaque", Lacan also included a selection of Aimee's copious writings, which were produced at the height of her psychosis. This also contributed to the immediate importance of the work and to the spreading of Lacan's novel theories. "Certainly it was this feature which was seized upon by its first surrealist readers, and which gave to this medical thesis right from the start a position in contemporary, even avant-garde thinking, which was markedly different from the usual dustgathering oblivion that is the fate of such work." (Olga Cox-Cameron: Lacan's Doctoral Thesis: Turbulent Preface or Founding Legend?) "Jacques Lacan is regarded as the father of French psychoanalytical thinking. He trained in mainstream psychiatry and his doctorate thesis was supervised by Gaétan de Clérambault. After the Second World War he became a cult figure in French intellectual circles, mixing Freudian ideas with social comment. As with many French intellectuals, he founded an ephemeral one-man movement with many followers" (Preface to the English translation (1986)). "Jacques Lacan (April 13, 1901 to September 9, 1981) was a major figure in Parisian intellectual life for much of the twentieth century. Sometimes referred to as "the French Freud," he is an important figure in the history of psychoanalysis. His teachings and writings explore the significance of Freud's discovery of the unconscious both within the theory and practice of analysis itself as well as in connection with a wide range of other disciplines. Particularly for those interested in the philosophical dimensions of Freudian thought, Lacan's oeuvre is invaluable. Over the course of the past fifty-plus years, Lacanian ideas have become central to the various receptions of things psychoanalytic in Continental philosophical circles especially." (SEP). Provenance: Angelo Louis Marie Hesnard (1886-1969) was an extremely important early French psychonanalyst and psychiatrist famous for his contributions to French sexology in the 30'ies and his groundbreaking early studies on Freud. He was a founding member of the Société psychanalytique de Paris, founded in 1926, and he occupies a central role in the history of modern psychoanalysis, being the co-author of the first French work on psychoanalysis and the person who introduced Freudian psychoanalysis to France. In the fifties he debated with Jacques Lacan over the meaning of Freud's saying "Where It was, shall I be"; but when debarred by the IPA from the roster of training analysts as a representative of the chauvinist wing of French psychoanalysis, he followed Lacan into the École Freudienne de Paris in 1964. "HESNARD, ANGÉLO LOUIS MARIE (1886-1969)A psychoanalyst, doctor with the French Navy, and professor at the École Principale du Service de Santé de la Marine... He was coauthor of the first French work on psychoanalysis and one of the founding members of the Société Psychanalytique de Paris (SPP). He was the son of Angélo Théodose Hesnard and Lélia Célénis Rosalie Blancon, from a family of judges. His brother Oswald, who had a degree in German, helped him understand Freud's writings.After completing his studies in Pontivy, he entered the École de Santé de la Marine et des Colonies in Bordeaux on October 20, 1905. A student of Albert Pitres, then of Emmanuel Régis, he wrote his dissertation in 1909 on "Les troubles de la personnalité dans lesétats d'asthénie psychique," in which there is a reference to Freud. He continued his military career in Toulon, then, from 1910 to 1912, on the armored cruiser "Amiral Charner" in the Middle East.Upon his return in 1912 he was appointed assistant at the Clinique des Maladies Mentales at the University of Bordeaux, where he rejoined Emmanuel Régis, who encouraged Hesnard to study Freud. On January 2, Freud wrote to Karl Abraham, "Today I received a letter from a student of Régis, in Bordeaux, written on his behalf, apologizing in the name of French psychiatry for its present neglect of Ya." According to a letter to Ernest Jones on January 14, the reference is to the "apologies from the French nation" that Freud received. This was followed in 1913 by the publication of "La doctrine de Freud et de sonécole" by Emmanuel Régis and Angélo Hesnard in "L'Encéphale"." La Psychanalyse des névroses et des psychoses " appeared in 1914. It was a lengthy précis-and as faithful as it was possible to be at the time-of Freud's principal theories, as Sándor Ferenczi noted in the review of the book he wrote in 1915. This was followed by an examination of the criticisms the theories had received from various authors, and finally by several commentaries, of which Hesnard claimed, after Régis' death, that he-Régis-was the principal author.They recognized that "Freud's system seems to constitute, regardless of what one may say, one of the most important scientific movements of the current psychological period." Nonetheless, their remarks essentially referred to what appeared to them to be no more than "ingenious assumptions" that were both original and well understood, since-and this is an argument that would be repeated for decades to come-"Freud's method of conception is based on that of Janet, whom he has constantly been inspired by. Transforming the term 'psychological analysis,' employed by Janet, into psychoanalysis has changed nothing in the method used by both students of Charcot." The causal importance given to sexuality or symbolism was also criticized. While Freud, in his "On the History of the Psychoanalytic Movement" (1914d), concluded that "Régis and Hesnard (Bordeaux) have recently [1914] attempted to disperse the prejudices of their countrymen against the new ideas by an exhaustive presentation, which, however, is not always understanding and takes special exception to symbolism," he reproached Hesnard for years for this type of finding. In France the work remained the only extensive essay on psychoanalysis for nearly twenty years and was reprinted in 1922 and 1929." (Encycl.). Alain de Mijolla (1933-2019) was a psychoanalyst in the Societe psychanalytique de Paris in 1968, and by 2001 a training analyst there. He also created and chaired the International Association of History of the Psychoanalysis (AIHP) and received the Mary S. Sigourney Award in 2004 (stating about him: A renowned author and lecturer, editor and influential researcher of the history of psychoanalytic ideas, Dr. de Mijolla conceived and has directed and edited an authoritative Dictionnaire International de a Pysychanalyse in French and now in English. This dictionary, which has received widespread acclaim in Europe, is an extremely important undertaking for the whole psychoanalytic community. More than four hundred scholars have contributed to this dictionary, which is a landmark in its field. This dictionary of analytic concepts and terms includes commentaries on international psychoanalysis as well as brief biographies of the major pioneers of psychoanalysis. He has also contributed widely in the field of psychoanalytic history and is President of the International Association for the History of Psychoanalysis, which received a Sigourney Award in 2001.He wrote numerous articles and important works in the history of phychoanalytic and edited psychoanalytical collections at several publishers, including the three volumes of the "International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis." He is famous for his studies of Freud that shed new light on the history of psychology and on Freud himself, and he drew Freud into contemporary times, famously stressing the difficulties of representing the psychoanalytic setting in cinematic terms. The first edition of "De la Psychose Paranoïque" is of great scarcity, especially in wrappers and fully complete as here, with the half-title and the 7 unnumbered leaves with printed dedication to family, friends, and mentors. Furthermore, presentation-copies of this landmark work are of extreme scarcity, and the provenance of the present copy is very hard to beat.

London, The Modern Press, 1883. Royal8vo. Entire volume present, in the original olive green full cloth binding with gilt lettering to spine. Front board with black line-borders, black vignette, gilt lettering and gilt ornamentation depicting the sun. Spine with small mark and professional repairs to head and tail of spine. Light occassional brownspots to first leaves, otherwise a fine and clean copy. (Capital:) Pp. 57-68; 145-150. (Entire volume:) IV, 600 pp. Housed in a cloth clamshell box with gilt lettering to spine. The exceedingly rare first British translation of any part of ‘Das Kapital’ and the first English translation of any part of the work to be published in Britain. When Karl Marx was finalizing the first volume of “Das Kapital”, he was already planning an English translation; British socialism was dominated by trade unionism and Marx wanted to propagate his ideas among the British working class. It would take 16 years, however, before the present translation was published and a full 20 years before the first full translation of the first volume of Das Kapital was published. The present work is of the utmost scarcity and we have not beeen able to find a single auction record of it. Marx' research for ‘Das Kapital’ was in large part carried out in the reading room of the British Library, and the British working class during the industrial revolution in the late 18th century and early 19th century was highly important to Marx' class analysis. Consequently, Marx was eager to have an English translation published and for years, Marx and Engels tried to find an English translator and an editor for “Das Kapital”. While several unauthorized translations were planned and even begun, nothing came of it in Marx’s lifetime. The present book is the first volume of a journal, edited by Ernest Belfort Bax & James Leigh Joynes, which specialized in the publication of free-thinking and radical works. It was published from 1883 to 1889, and To-Day's guiding principle was to 'shake itself free from all fetters, save those of truth and taste'. Its political stance is indeed bold and not entirely unfitting for a first translation of ‘Das Kapital’: 'the equal rights of every human being to health, wealth, wisdom and happiness shall be our watchword'. Two sections of ´Das Kapital´, namely: I. The Serfdom of Work; II. The Lordship of Wealth. According to the heading, the second installment is being translated from the French edition of 1872, but a footnote states: “this chapter is translated from the second and third sections of chapter X of the original". The first complete English book edition appeared in 1887, under the title Capital: A Critical Analysis of Capitalist Production. It was translated by Samuel Moore and Edward Aveling (the partner of Karl Marx's daughter Eleanor), overseen by Engels.

S.-Petersburg, 1899 [recte October 1898]. 8vo. Bound in an excellent newer red half morocco in perfect contemporary style, with five raised bands and gilt author and year to spine. Marbled edges and beautiful marbled en-papers. Old owner's stamps to title-page ("Biblioteka Aleksandova, S. 1873 F.", "Iz knig Avrutina M.V.", and the number "21162"), otherwise also internally very nice and clean. (4), 290 pp. Very rare first edition of Lenin's first published book, the seminal miscellany of his economic papers, which constitute the first outline of his revolutionary ideas. The work consists in five economic essays/studies, four of which are published here for the first time ("The Handicraft Census of 1894-95 in Perm Gubernia and General Problems of "Handicraft" Industry"; "Gems of Narodnik Project-Mongering"; "The Heritage We Renounce" - all three written in exile in 1897 - and "On the Question of Our Factory Statistics", written in 1898), and one of which ("A Characterisation of Economic Romanticism") had been published the previous year, in installments, in the magazine Novoye Slovo, April-July 1897. Before the present publication, only very few of Lenin's papers and articles had been published, and none of them in book form. The present publication brings to light Lenin's elaboration of the tasks of the Russian Marxists (both as to their programme, their tactics, and the organization as such) ("The Heritage We Renounce") and gives us the basis for his take on Marxism. Much of the original material published here was used by Lenin, both directly (e.g. the "Handicraft Census") and indirectly (forming a basis for the work) in his later published book "The Development of Capitalim in Russia" (1899), which established his reputation as a Marxist theorist. Furthermore, the present publication constitutes Lenin's earliest economic writings directed against the Narodniks. As a whole, the present publication gives us the first rounded picture of Leninist thought and provides us with the basis for Leninist economics and politics. That which Lenin develops in the present studies and essays forms the basis for the capitalist and Marxist thought that he is later to present and which becomes the standard introduction to the Russian economy for later generations of Marxists. The work is of great scarcity and was presumably printed in very small numbers.