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Paris, Victor Masson, Imprimerie de Bachelier, 1848. 8vo. Contemp. hcalf, raised bands, gilt spine. Very light wear along edges. Small stamps on verso of titlepage and on verso of plate. In "Annales de Chimie et de Physique", 3me Series - Tome XXIII. 512 pp. a. 4 plates. (The entire volume offered). Pasteur's papers: pp. 267-294 a. pp. 294-295, 1 double-page folded engraved plate. A few marginal brownspots to P.'s paper. Otherwise fine and clean. First full exposition of Pasteur's first revolutionary paper on the discovery of "molecular assymetry" - also constituting his first published scientific paper. In order to secure priority, Pasteur announced his discoveries first in its preliminary form in a short paper of 4 pages in "Recherches sur le dimorphisme", Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l' Académie des Sciences, 20 mars 1848, XXVI, pp. 353-355. In the offered form it is the first full treatment of his discoveries."Pasteur came to the conclusion, on one hand, that all tartrates could be regarded as mutually isomorphic, but at the same time - based on Mitscherlich's work - that the sodium ammonium salts of both the tartaric and racemic acids also crystallized isomorphically, which in turn suggested that all racemic and tartaric salts would crystallice identically. An they do crystallice identically, albeit in a very special way Half the crystals of the racemic salts are characterized by a mirror-inverted form."(Hans-Werner Schütt in "Eilhard Mitscherlich")."Another discovery of great importence was made by Pasteur. In 1844 Mitscherlich had stated that the crystals of sodium ammonium tartrate and sodium ammonium racemate were identical, although solutions of the former were found to be active but those of the latter were inactive. Since this statement was contrary to his views on the relation between crystalline form and optical activity, Pasteur examined these salts and found, it is true, that the crystals of the tartrate resembled the other tartrates which he had examined i possessing hemihedral faces arranges in a similar manner. The crystals which was obtained from a solution of the inactive racemate, at the ordinary temperature, were also found, contrary to expectation, to have hmihedral faces...."(Alexander Findley in "A Hundred years of Chemistry", p.59-60).It is related that Pasteur, on making this discovery, rushed from his laboratory and, meeting the lecture assistant in physicss, embraced him, exclaming: "I have just made a great discovery! I have separated the sodium ammonium paratartrate into two salts of opposite action on the plane polarisation of light. The dextro-salt is in all rspects identical with the dextro-tartrate. I am so happy and overcome by suchnervous excitement that I am unable to place my eye again to the polariization apparatus.".Among other importent chemical papers the volume contains Gay-Lussac: Mémoire sur L'Eau Régale. Pp. 203-229.

Bruxelles, Fr. Foppens, 1699. Small 8vo (12mo). Bound in a beautiful later full calf (ca. 1800) w. five raised bands on back. Gilt back and blindstamped ornamental borders on boards. All edges of boards gilt, and gilt borders on inside of boards. Hinges cracked and boards loosening, inner hinges crudely repaired. A bit of brownspotting, but internally a very nice copy. The very rare Bruxelles-edition, published same year as the first edition (Paris, Barbin). Fénelon's main work, written when he was a tutor to the Duke of Burgundy in order to hold up Ulysses as an example for the young prince. Fénelon was a leader of the Quetism heresy, and in 1699, the year Télemaque appeared, Pope Innocent XII condemned his writings. The true first edition of Fénélon's Télemaque appeared in one volume in 1699 under the title "Suite du quatrième livre de l'Odyssée d'Homère, ou les Aventures de Télémaque, fils d'Ulysse", and containing only half of what we consider Télémaque today. According to Brunet, the first edition was suppressed, and Moetjens printed a pirate-edition (called the second edition) in Haag with the same year and date (June), and a bit later the same year, the second part appeared. Several editions appeared the same year, and Brunet mentions one without printer or Place (but Paris), and the Liége- and Bruxelles-editions. "Dans les différentes éditions que nous venons de décrire dans lesquelles il le soit sont celles de LIÉGE, 1699, et de BRUXELLES, FR. FOPPENS, même date, l'une et l'autre impr. en France, en 2 vol. in-12, et en dix livres." (Brunet II:1212). Foppens also printed an edition in Bruxelles 1700, but that is divided into 16 books. All early editions of this work are scarce, and the first edition is almost impossible to get a hold of. This main work of French literature has been printed numerous times after the author's death (1715), and editions printed before his death, are a great rarity. The later editions were corrected and divided into numerous books, not intended in the original manuscript."Une autre circonstance allait aggrever la situation de l'archevêque de Cambray. Peu de temps après sa condemnation, parut le livre qui l'a rendu le plus populaire et qui, après la "Bible" et l'"Imitation de Jésus-Christ", est un de ceux qui ont eu plus d'éditions: "Les Aventures de Télémaque". (N.B.G. 17:328). The controversial but highly popular work was, among other things, accused of satirically portraying Louis XIV, and thereby publicly humiliating him, -this was probably not the intention, but there is no doubt that the work was critical towards the reigning regime, and put forth many ideas not previously heard of. In true utopian political manner, Fénélon warns against overgrowth of the metropolis and preaches groundbreaking doctrines like free trade, international arbitration etc. He actually foresees the French Revolution as a result of the flourishing despotism so visible in France at the time. Lamartine (in his "Life of Fénélon") describes the saintly poet as the first Radical and the first communist of his century, though not to his own knowledge, and he directly traces the Utopias which produced the revolutions of 1793 and 1848 to his groundbreaking work, "The Adventures of Telemachus". Especially the part "Voyage en Salente" is considered very important for the study of utopian literature, but the entire work is characterized by the attempt to represent people as they might have behaved and might still be, were they governed by sages and saints and according to the laws of God. The work represents a religious ideal where God is always higher than man; it is greatly political, greatly influenced by the appreciation of ancient Greek life, and is designed to evoke the feeling of honour, responsibility and religion in the young prince. See Brunet II: 1210-1212. Graesse 2:563-64 (Paris- and La Haye-editions).

Leipzig, Siegfried Lebrecht Crusius, 1769-79. Folio. Bound in one contemp. hcalf, 6 raised bands, gilt. Spineends professionally repaired. Part of title-label missing. Corners renewed. Large engraved title-vignette. (14),154;(2),88 pp., 2 half-page engraved vignettes. and 40 large folded (3/2-page) engraved plates, all finely handcoloured. Some fingermarks at lower right corners of the first leaves. A few scattered brownspots. Printed on good paper. A fourth part of volume 2 came out as late as 1810, having 14 plates and it is sometimes called volume 3. It is not present here. Scarce first edition of Schreber's classic work on grasses, which became of importance due to its very elaborate explanations of all aspects of the numerous grasses mentioned and depicted in the 40 plates, which are considered very well executed, both in regard to drawing, engraving, and colouring. Schreber (1739-1810) was a German physician and natural scientist. He became famous for his diverse knowledge and for his scientific works within botany and zoology. He studied medicine and natural science in Uppsala, Sweden, where he became doctor of medicine and made the acquaintance of Carl von Linné, whom he learned a lot from. In 1787 he became a member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences. In Germany he became professor of medicine, botany, natural history, and pharmacology at Erlangen, director of Erlangen botanical garden, and president of the Leopoldina. His work on grasses was considered fairly important, especially due to its very elaborate explanations of all parts of the particular grasses, its use, conditions, etc. etc. "Dr. Schreber, a pupil of the great Linnæus, and a son to one of the best writers on husbandry in Germany, is publishing in numbers a work on grasses: his plan we will communicate to the reader, as it bids fair to obviate the greater part of the enumerated difficulties, and greatly to promote the study of this useful branch of botany and husbandry. In an introductory discourse, Dr. Schreber describes all the different parts observable in grasses, their flowers and their fructification; so that this part may be considered as a "philosophia Agrostographia". He next observes the points which must be attended to in a good description of grass; and, lastly, he shews the extensive utility of this branch of botany. The first volume contains twenty-seven descriptions, and as many excellent drawings of grasses, on twenty coloured plates…" (a contemporary review of the work, from Smollett's "The Critical Review, or, Annals of Literature, Vol. 32). Schreber was obviously inspired by Linné, as will be seen from the systematic account of the different grasses described and depicted in the present work, although he refused to group the grasses under certain genera. We are provided with the first name of each grass represented as well as with all its varieties, and names in almost all European languages, whereafter follows an extensive description of that particular grass, containing everything that is known about it - where it grows, under which circumstances, in which soil, its time of flowering, when it brings ripe seeds, etc. We are also provided with extensive information as to its cultivation, on the cattle which like it best, on the authors who have written about it, on the medicinal use of it, etc. "The plates are very well executed in regard to drawing, engraving, and colouring. The second part of this work, the first number of which is published, will soon appear. The defects of the work are, its high price, its too great diffuseness, and the too minute detail the author frequently enters into, the prospect that many years will pass away before the work can be finished, and that it is written in German, a language very little understood in this country." ("The Critical Review, or, Annals of Literature, Vol. 32).Some of the excellent original drawings of the "Beschreibung der Gräser" are still to be found at Erlangen, where Scheber also had his private collection of numerous grasses(See Stafleu & Covan, V : p. 328 and No 11.127) Nissen: 1807. - Pritzel: 8395. - Not in Hunt.

Kolombo (Colombo, Sri Lanka), 1821. 8vo. Original blank blue wrappers. Insignificant wear to edges of wrappers. Light toning, but a fine copy. (2),16 pp. First (and only) edition of the first Singalese grammar in a Western language, Rask's highly importent work, in which he "identified Sinhalese as a speech belonging to the same class as Sanskrit and added that Tamil belonged to a different class. Since then the subject has been studied and discusses by various scholars, and it is established beyond doubt that Sinhalese is an Indo-Aryan language."Rasmus Rask is one of the absolutely most prominent and famous Danish philologers and is very well esteemed worldwide. He was the first to systematically study the ancient Nordic languages and is the discoverer of the relations between the consonants in the Indo-European languages. This discovery served as the foundation of the rules Jacob Grimm later formulated, underlying the Germanic and High-German soundshifts. In PMM, Rask is identified as "one of the founders of the modern science of language." (PMM 266).

Stockholm, Uppsala, 1878-1988. Indbundet i hpergamentsbd. og hldrbd., 18 bind ialt er heftede. Rygge på enkelte af pergamentsbindene lettere beskadigede.

(Paris, Gauthier-Villars), 1901. 4to. No wrappers. In: "Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de L'Academie des Sciences", Tome 133, No 5 and No 23. Pp. (969-) 1044 and pp. (909-) 966. The papers: pp. 276-279 + pp. 931-934 (both from vol. 133, and entire issues offered) + Tome 135, No 20. Pp. (821-) 880. (Entire issue offered). The paper: pp. 857-59. + Tome 136, No 4. Pp. (181-) 262. (Entire issue offered). The paper: pp. 223-226. First printing of these four papers, constituting a revolution in time measuring, as Pierre Curie here defined a STANDARD FOR THE ABSOLUTE MEASURING OF TIME ON THE BASIS OF RADIOACTIVITY, and hereby departing from the relative measurements in geology and archaeology.After the discovery of Polonium and Actinium (1898 a. 1899 ) further discoveries followed. "First came the announcement in 1899 by Marie Curie of induced radioactivity, brought about by the action of polonium or radium on inactive substances. The induced radioactivity persisted over a considerable period of time, a phenomenon of great concern to Pierre Curie. He took up the question with Debierne, with whom he published two papers in 1901(the first two papers offered); their experiments could be explained by Rutherford’s theory of emanation (radon), a radioactive gas emitted by radium. With J. Danne, Curie measured the diffusion coefficient of radium emanation in the air and proved, as Rutherford had done, that it liquefies at - 150°C. In order to clarify the nature of the emanation he studied the law of diminution of the activity of a solid after having removed it from a chamber in which a radium salt was present. In two notes presented to the Academy on 17 November 1902 and 26 January 1903 (the third and fourth papers offered), Curie showed that this activity diminishes according to an exponential law characterized by a time constant that, for the emanation, is equal to 5,752 days, regardless of the conditions of the experiment. The importance of this discovery, which marks the point of departure for all modern measurements of archaeological and geological dating, did not escape his, for at a meeting of the Société Française de Physidque in 1902 he defined a standard for the absolute measurement of time on the basis of radioactivity. Almost immediately Rutherford and Soddy showed that the exponential diminution was caused by the transmutation of radioactive elements." (DSB. Pierre Curie).

Bremen, Hermann Jäger, 1730. 4to. In contemporary full vellum with yapp edges. Title in contemporary hand to spine and all edges coloured in red. A magnificent copy. (32), 454, 200, (16) pp. + 1 large folded map (with small repair in upper margin, not touching the map) and 34 engraved plates. A very nice copy of the first edition of Pontoppidan’s famous precursor to his extensive seven volume topographical description of Denmark. Biblioteca Danica II, 600

Kiøbenhaffn, Laurentz Benedicht, 1597. Lille 8vo. Velbevaret 1700-tals helbind i kalveskind med spejl. Smal guldbort i yderste permfelt. Rig rygforgyldning. Forgyldt titel på ryg. 420 blade, hvoraf de 3 er i gammel facsimile (blad 1-2 og sidste blad). Ganske velbevaret, nøstsidste blad med en reparation i nederste indre margindel med tab af liniedele. Af største sjældenhed idet Lauritz Nielsen kun anfører 8 bevarede eksemplarer i offentlige biblioteker. Det er sandsynligt, at der kun eksisterer 2 eksemplarer i privateje, begge, som foreliggende, med nogle mangler. Medelby var slotspræst i København, senere biskop på Gotland.Lauritz Nielsen, 1152. - Thesaurus I, 139. - Paulli, lorentz benedicht, nr. 218.

Kiøbenhafn, Peder Hake - Jørgen Holst, 1656. 4to. Samtidigt helldrbd. med ægte bind på ryggen. Lidt tab af skind i nederste rygfelt udbedret. nederste hjørne på forpermen stødt. Rygtitlen i gl. håndskrift. Kobberstukket titelblad og bogtrykt titelblad. (20),359,652 pp. samt upaginerede registre (48 pp.) incl. de 4 titelblade (ialt 1116 pp.). Side 323/24 i stort format og foldet (oversigt over Norges inddeling, med en revne, uden tab). Det kobberstukne titelblad lidt tæt beskåret forneden og med et par smårifter i ydre margin. Det bogtrykte titelblad med et indhak i nederste højre hjørne, uden teksttab. Trykt med varierende papirkvalitet, nogle læg lidt brunede og med brunpletter, dog mest marginalt. Originaludgaven. Værket udkom med trykkeårene 1650, 1651 og 1652 og med fællestitelbladet dateret 1656. Titelkobberet af Simon de Pas med forskellige landskaber og fæstningen Varberg samt forfatterens portræt og våben. Værket er et vægtigt kildeskrift idet forfatteren selv berejste store dele af Danmark og Norge.Bibl. Danica I:9. - Birkelund nr. 41 - Thesaurus II: 376.

Lemgo, Meyerischen Buchhandlung, 1766. 4to. Contemp. hcalf. Raised bands. Some cracks in leather along joints. Wear to spine ends. Spine rubbed.Titlelabel with gilt lettering. Stamp on title-page. XVI,344 pp., 2 folded engraved maps and 5 engraved plates. Plate I and II having each two illustrations are divided, and the illustrations are inserted at the places where they are treated in the text. Internally clean and fine. First German edition of one of the fundamental texts of Siberian scholarship. With detailled accounts of the zoology, geography and botany of the region as well as on the language and culture of the Itelmen and Koryak peoples.

Paris, no printer, 1778. + Paris, l'Imprimerie de Moutard, 1781. Folio. (43 x 30,5 cm.). Contemp. hcalf. Raised bands, compartments gilt. Titlelabel with gilt lettering. Wear to spine-ends. Spine rubbed. (2),82 pp. and 9 fine engraved plates (numb. 1-7 a. A-B) + (2),68 pp. and 8 fine engraved plates. Internally fine and clean. Both works first edition and dealing with rigging, sails and sailmaking on large ships.Poggendorff II,684.

Paris, 1679. 4to. Cont.hvellum. Engr.frontisp. (26),448,(66),88 pp. and 43 fine engravings in the text. Tear in one leaf rep., no loss. - Houzeau & Lancaster 1037. A good large copy with a few pencilnotes.

Versailles, Dept. de la Marine, 1768/1773. 4to. Contemp. boards, later backed with calf. Spine with gilt lettering. Title-page with stamps on foot. Engraved title-page dated 1768. Printed title-page dated 1773. (8),152 pp., large engraved vignette, 34 engraved maps mostly folded, numb. I-XXXIV (XXXIV bound opposite p.111). A faint dampstain at upper part of 2 plates. A few scattered brownspots at end. Otherwise fine. First edition. Collates as in Sabin, 4552 with the 2 title-pages, where Bellin's name only occurs on the engraved title.

Kopenhagen, Nicolaus Möller, 1774. 4to. Near contemp. hcalf. Gilt spine. Gilt lettering. Mild cracking along front joint, but holding (inner joints strenghtened). Engraved titlevignette. XVI,504,(1) pp.,1 large folded map, outlinecoloured "Tabula Iteneraria... Terrae Yemen... 1763." and 72 engraved maps, plans, plates, several folding. (Plate LXXI is inserted between pp.304 and 305). 5 leaves in the middle with a faint dampstain in right margin. A few marginal brownspots. Internally clean, printed on good paper. The first volume of the scarce first edition of Niebuhr's great travel account of Arabia. Like his "Beschribung von Arabien", his "Reisebeschreibung von Arabien" "provided a mass of new geographical, regional, and historical information... Among is many exact maps and plans, the map of the Red Sea and of Yemen served as the most reliable information for more than 50 years."

Leide, Pierre van de Aa, 1706. 8vo. Uniformly bound in three contemporary full calf bindings with five raised bands and richly gilt spines. Edges of boards gilt. Small paper-label pasted on to top of spines. Wear to extremities, boards with scratches with some loss of leather. Internally with a few small worm-tracts but generally a good copy.Vol. 1: (16), 275 pp. + Engraved half-title, engraved half-title and 43 plates (out of 45)Vol. 2: 277-554 pp. + Engraved half-title, engraved title-page and 49 plates (out of 55).Vol. 3: 555-718, (62), 9, (1) pp. + Engraved half-title, engraved title-page and 46 plates (out of 50). First edition of this rare and important travel guide to Italy - the first in what became a travel guide series in small format. Despite its popularity and the numerous editions in which the work was published not much is know about Alexandre de Rogissart Pieter van der Aa was a Dutch publisher, cartographer, and bookseller. Van der Aa is best known for his cartographic works and atlases, which were highly regarded for their accuracy and detail. Brunet IV, 1354Graesse VI, 147.

Wästerås, Joh. Laur. Horrn, 1772. Nyere hldrbd. med en ornamenteret rygforgyldning, som passer til tiden. (16),150,(2- Advertisements);(10),(3-)173,(3) pp.samt 4 kobberstukne plancher. Første titelblad med lidt svage brunpletter, ellers ren. Den yderst sjældne anden udgave af den første svenske oversættelse af "Travels into several remote Nations of the World...". På første binds titelblad anføres "Andra Upplagan", men ikke på andet binds titelblad. Renhorns oversættelse udkom første gang 1744-45.I slutningen af andet bind (pp. 161-173) foreligger en kritik af Mandevilles "Fable of the Bees" med titlen "Herr Silhouettes Undersökning öfwer Mandevilles tankar, som skriwit Sagan om Bien, hwaruti han påstår at odygden är för Samhällan nyttig".The scarce second edition in Swedish of Swift's "Travels into several remote Nations of the World..." Bound in a fine recent hcalf, gilt spine.

Madrid, Imprenta real.Iuan Garcia Infancon, 1677. Small folio. Later hcalf. Spine gilt, titlelabel with giltlettering. Corners bumped. Some wear to edges. Spine a bit rubbed. Bits of marbled coverpapers gone at edges. Engraved frontispiece, title-page in red/black. (22),817,(15) pp. Some engravings in the text. Small nicks to margins of frontispiece, no loss of image. A faint dampstain to upper right corners on the first ab. 50 leaves and on a few leaves at end. Otherwise clean. Printed in double columns. In Spanish. A small stamp on foot of title-page, frontispiece and front free-endpaper. Scarce first edition of this important chronicle of the events which took place in Seville from 1246 to 1671.Brunet IV, 244.

Paris, Les Éditions de la Roseraie, 1926. 4to. Uncut and unopened in the original wrappers. Slight fading to spine and minor, very light soiling to wrappers. Otherwise very fine. With the ex libris of "Henri Barthélemy" to front free end-paper. Laid in two leaves of the author's manuscript. No 7 of 12 copies "sur japon imperial" (prémier papier), out of a total of 250 copies. This magnificent copy includes 11 original lithographs in colour, 1 suite of lithographs on "japon" in colours, 1 suite on "japon imperial" in black, 4 plates showing 4 states of one plate, 2 plates showing 2 states of one plate. Furthermore is laid in 2 pp. in 4to., closely written, of the author's manuscript (numbered in his hand pp. 38-39), in his own hand, with additons and corrections. These 2 pages constitute the original manuscript for the last 4 pages of the printed book, i.e. chapter X. The manuscript leaves are signed at the end "Raymond Hesse".One of the 12 fabulous copies with the extra suites of what is considered Vertès best work. Marcel Vertès (1895 -1961) was a magnificent and very versatile artist. He was a costume designer, portraitist, muralist, satirist, ceramicist, author and illustrator, perhaps most generally known as the academy award winning costume designer for John Huston's "Moulin Rouge" from 1952 and for his classic murals at the Café Carlyle at the Carlyle Hotel in New York. Vertès was Born in Budapest in 1895. After serving his country in World War I, he abandoned plans to study law and made his way to Paris to become an artist. In 1940 he left Paris for New York where he set up a studio on West 57th Street. In the late 1950'ies, he returned to Paris, where he died in 1961, having served on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival.

Bln., Voss, 1767. Two nice, cont., uniform full calf w. five raised bands on backs, coloured title- and tome-labels and richly gilt backs. Traces of use, especially to the bands. Some gilding and part of title-label on vol. one worn off. Internally a bit of soiling, but a good copy on good paper. Old owner's name on t-p. (M. Harboe). Woodcut title-pages and vignettes. First edition of Lessing's first collection of "Lustspiele", containing the first printing of "Minna von Barnhelm".Lessing (1729-1781) is the most important literary writer of the Age of German Enlightenment; with him this period is fulfilled as well as overcome."Minna von Barnhelm" is one of Lessing's most important and successfull works and is considered one of the absolute best of his plays. "Es war die erste deutsche Dramatische Dichtung, welche nicht gemacht, sondern erlebt war." (Hettner, Geschichte der deutschen Literatur im 18. Jahrh., II: 310). Lessing himself wrote in a letter that should "Minna of Barnhelm" not turn out to be the very best of his plays, he would be very disappointed, and never have anything to do with the theatre again. " "Minna von Barnhelm" ist unbedingt die vollendeste dichterische Leistung Lessings." (Hettner, II: 310). Goethe also considered this work a masterpiece; he found it the most sincere thing to have come out of the Seven Years War and a work of immense importance and impact. With this work we find the genres of drama and comedy fulfilled."Nach ein paar Wanderjahren kehrte er nach Berlin zurück, wo 1766 un 1767 zwei seiner Meisterwerke erschienen: der "Laokoon" und das Lustspiel "Minna von Barnhelm". (Bücher die die Welt verändern, # 213). See PMM 213.Has belonged to Th.E. Petersen and M. Harboe.

London, Richard Taylor, 1834-35. 4to. No wrappers as extracted from "Philosophical Transactions" 1834 - Part II. and 1835 - Part I. Both titlepages to the volumes present.Pp. (2),247-308 a. (2),95-144. Both papers clean and fine. First appearance of these two groundbreaking papers in which Hamilton carries further the dynamics of Lagrange by expressing the kinetic energy in terms of the momenta and the co-ordinates of a system, and discovers how to transform the Lagrangian equations into a set of differential equations of the first order for the determination of of the motion. The Hamilton principle is also called The Principle of "Least Action". The Hamilton Principle as stated in the papers offered here "was the first of his two great "discoveries". he second was the quaternions, which he discovered...1843 nd towhich he devoted most of his efforts during the remaining 22 years of his life."(DSB).Maupertouis, Euler, and Lagrange introduced the principle of "Least Action" covering the science of dynamics, and now Hamilton brought the principle into a form which was capable of expressing all the laws of Newtonian science in a representation as minimum-problems, that is, all gravitational, dynamical and electrical laws could be represented as minimum problems. In 1925 Heisenberg, Born and Jordan showed, that the Hamilton equations are still valid in quantum theoryAlthough formulated originally for classical mechanics, Hamilton's principle also applies to classical fields such as the electromagnetic and gravitational fields, and has even been extended to quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, relativity and criticality theories. Its influence is so profound and far reaching that many scientists regard it as the most powerful single principle in mathematocal physics and place it at the pinnacle of physical science.

Paris, Estienne Michallet, 1688. Cont. full calf. 5 raised bands on back, back richly gilt, all edges of boards gilt. Lacking leather at capitals, front-hinge cracked, so cords are showing. Second or third printing of the original edition. The title-page states "seconde edition", but it is probably the third, printed in the same year as the first and second, being a page-by-page re-impression of the second, except for the fact that corrections have been made and the errata-leaf is thus not printed in the third. Both the second and third original editions are from the same year and by the same printer as the first. "La seconde édition, également impr. en 1688 n'offre que quelques légers changements..., et la troisième, sous la même date, ne qu'une simple réimpression de la seconde." (Brunet III:720). This work includes the first French translation of Theophrast's Characters (and probably the first translation into any modern language?). "Theophraste a eu le grand honneur, comme on sait, d'être ttraduit au XVIIe siècle par La Bruyère: et c'est pourquoi, en France plus que dans tout autre pays, en dehors même du cercle des érudits, son nom et son opuscule sont populaires." (navarre, Budé-edition of "Caractères", Paris, 1920).Jean de la Bruyère (1639/1644 - 1996) was a very famous French moralist and writer. "C'est au commencement de 1688 que parut la premiere édition des "Caractères de Théophraste traduits du grec, ou les Mæurs de ce siècle." L'auteur mettait ses propres observations sur la société moderne sous le patronage d'un ancien." (N.B.G. p. 427). The "Characters" gave La Bruyère quite a few enemies and created furor in the learned world. In Denmark Holberg calls him "trivial and simple" (Epistle 404). "Mais si en effet la malignité contemporaine, applaudissant aux traits satiriques de l'ouvrage, a peu contribuer à sa vogue, le jugement de la postérité l'a consacré comme un des meilleurs livres de notre langue." (N.B.G. p. 427). This work is thus still considered to be one of the greatest French books. Voltaire writes in "Siecle de Louis XIV, c. XXXII": "On peut compter parmi les productions d'un genre unique les "Caractères" de La Bruyère. Un style rigide, concis, nerveaux, des expressions pittoresques, un usage tout nouveau de la langue, mais qui n'en bless pas les règles, frappèrent le public". Bruyère's work with the translation really did cause astonishment and had an immense impact on late 17th century Europe and onwards; it created a new literary genre in Europe, and the age of Enlightenment was delighted with the short, precise characterizations of people and their customs. For an analysis of the contents and the impact on the time of La Bruyère see Nouvelle Biographie Generelle (N.B.G. pp. 426-39). Brunet V:798 + III:721, Graesse 4:61.

Carlsruhe, Chr. Gottlieb Schmieder, 1784-1804. (I-II: 1794, III-IV: 1784, V-VI: 1798, VII: 1804). 8vo. Bound in five beautiful, uniform cont. hcalfs w. 5 raised bands, single gilt line-ornamentations and gilt leather title-labels to spines. Some traces of wear, and som minor bumping to corners. Internally occational minor brownspotting. Ab. 7 leaves of first vol. w. marginal fire-damage, not affecting text. Vol 3 (Theil IV w. 6 leaves of contents written in cont. hand. A beautiful set housed in a custom-made marbled paper slipcase. Title-vignettes to all five title-pages, engr. frontispiece, 14 full-page engr. or woodcut plates (13 engraved by Chodowiecki and Schellenberg, one woodcut), 3 engr. and 8 woodcot illistr. in the text, 2 pp. of music. Signatures on plates in Theil 3 erased (from plates). Matthias Claudius (1740-1815) was a German poet, who is now mostly known for his "Wandsbecker Bothe", the famous newspaper that between 1771 and 1775 appeared as the first popular periodical to also contain stories and articles presented for a wider audience belonging to different educational levels.Claudius had studied theology and political science and later became the private secretary of Count Ulrich Adolph. The Count sent him to Copenhagen, where he stayed for a number of years and made the acquaintance of Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, who stimulated his literary longings. From 1768 he worked as an editor for Klopstock's brother in Hamburg, where he met Herder and Lessing, two of the most influential thinkers of the time. In 1771 he went on to Wandsbek, where he came to edit the newspaper of commerce, "Der Wandsbecker Bothe", which had been initiated by Schimmelman. It is under the editorship of Claudius that the paper becomes famous all over Germany, and it is he, who turns it into the first popular newspaper of the country. The paper only ran from 1771 till 1775, and after that Claudius published his own writings under the name of "Der Wandsbecker Bote" and the pseudonym "Asmus".This is a beautifully printed and illustrated work that contains many famous pieces.

København, (1888-1889). 4to (bd. 1-2) + 8vo (bd. 3). Indbundet i tre samtidige, ensartede, nydelige grønne halvlæderbind med rygforgyldning. Slitage ved kapitæler og ved false. Hjørner stødt. Indvendig pæn og ren. I 2det Bind af dette tidsskrift findes originaltrykket af den først publicerede del af en af den moderne litteraturs hovedværker, Hamsuns "Sult". Heri trykkes for første gang de berømte linier "Det var i den Tid, da jeg gik omkring og sultede i København", indledningen til den roman, der gjorde Hamsun berømt og til det værk, der indvarslede en ny litterær epoke i Europa. "Sult" kom først i bogform to år senere, i 1890, og det er med publikationen af denne del, at Hamsuns ry som en forfatter i verdensklasse bliver slået fast."Knut Hamsuns debutroman fra 1890 er en af de bøger, der har sat skel. Den har virket med til at forme et nyt menneskesyn og en ny skrivemåde. Hamsun hentede stoffet fra sine egne trængselsår, da han uden slægt og venner gik arbejdsløs i Kristiania og kæmpede mod skuffelser, nederlag og sult." (Johannes V. Jensen).Som 27-årig i 1886 blev Hamsun for anden gang reddet fra en sultende tilværelse og sendt til Amerika, denne gang til Chicago, hvor han bl.a. arbejdede som sporvognskonduktør. Da han blev fyret fra dette job og vennerne havde skilliget sammen til en billet hjem, tog Hamsun i forsommeren 1888 tilbage mod Norden, -men han stod ikke af i Kristiania, han tog skibet videre til København. Da han stod og så skibet sejle fra Kristiania, tænkte han på sine nederlag i denne by, og en af den nyere litteraturs vigtigste sætninger indfandt sig i hans hoved: "Det var i den tid, da jeg gik rundt og sultede i Kristiania", -kimen til et af det 20. århundredes litterære hovedværker var lagt, og Hamsun satte sig med det samme på den nærmeste skibskiste og begyndte at skrive. Påvirket af Nietzsche og Dostojevski sad Hamsun i sit loftsværelse på Nørrebro og arbejdede døgnet rundt på sit første mesterværk. Efteråret 1888 stod den første del af monumentalromanen "Sult" færdig, men da Hamsun ikke turde risikere en afvisning fra Danmarks førende kulturperson, Georg Brandes, opsøgte han dennes bror, Edvard, som var chefredaktør på "Politiken". Edvard Brandes fik således æren af at være den første, der anerkendte Hamsuns talent. Til den stærkt forhutlede forfatter sagde han som den første: "Der venter Dem en meget stor Fremtid!" og om det manuskript, han præsenterede ham for: "det var ikke bare talentfuldt som så meget andet, det var mere, noget, der rystede mig." Edvard Brandes var ikke i tvivl om, at dette manuskript skulle trykkes, og da det var for langt til at stå i "Politiken", blev det trykt i tidsskriftet "Ny Jord", og med ét kunne alle, der tidligere havde afvist Hamsun og hans tidlige litterære forsøg, se, hvor stor en forfatter, de havde at gøre med. De tre bind af "Ny Jord" giver et fantastisk indblik i den Nordiske tidsånd i slutningen af det 19. århundrede. Vi finder hér, ud over både førstetrykket af "Sult" og Hamsuns "Kristoffer Janson" ligeledes den første del af den første danske oversættelse af Nietzsches "Saaledes talte Zarathustra", diskussioner og oversættelser af Darwin, bidrag af Strindberg , Høffdings "Om vor Tid og dens Ungdom" etc, etc.

Kjøbenhavn, Chr. Mackeprang, (1893?). Folio. Samt. hldr. med ophøjet ryg og rig rygforgyldning. Den løse ryg er dekoreret i rokkoko-stil med rig forgyldning. Titelblad meget brunplettet og med lille revne. 61+ 35 + 8 tavler + 2 unumm.. Alle håndkolorerede. Nummereret I-LV (LIV-LV mrk. supplementtavle), + 2 unumm. + 1.ste.suppl. 1-35, + 2det.suppl. 1-8. Ialt 106 tavler. Enkelte tavler med brune pletter, men i øvrigt pæne og smukt dekorerede. Anker 252 (kollationering som Anker 250).

London, Macmillan & Co, 1908. Royal8vo. Bound in publisher's pictorial cloth. Gilt lettering and Nature's logo to spines and front board. In "Nature", May - October, 1908, Vol. LXXVIII [78]. Entire volumes offered. "Emmanuel College" in gilt lettering to spines. Two library stamps to title-page and first index page. A small tear to top of spine and signs after removal of label to spine. Very slight wear to extremities, otherwise a fine and clean copy. Rare in the publisher's binding. P. 151; Pp. 105-6. [Entire volume: LII, 686 pp.]. First printing of this seminal publication in the history of television; it is generally considered the earliest and most important paper in the early development of television. It constitutes the first description of an electronic method of producing television.Responding to an article in the June 4, 1908 issue of Nature by Shelford Bidwell entitled "Telegraphic Photography and Electric Vision," A. A. Campbell Swinton wrote a letter to the editor of Nature proposing a solution to the most pressing problems in achieving "distant electric vision": "This part of the problem of obtaining distant electric vision can probably be solved by the employment of two beams of kathode rays (one at the transmitting and one at the receiving station) synchronously deflected by the varying fields of two electromagnets placed at right angles to one another and energised by two alternating electric currents of widely different frequencies, so that the moving extremities of the two beams are caused to sweep simultaneously over the whole of the required surface within the one-tenth of a second necessary to take advantage of visual persistence." (SWINTON)."The final, insurmountable problems with any form of mechanical scanning were the limited number of scans per second, which produced a flickering image, and the relatively large size of each hole in the disk, which resulted in poor resolution. In 1908 a Scottish electrical engineer, A. A. Campbell Swinton, wrote that the problems 'can probably be solved by the employment of two beams of kathode rays' instead of spinning disks. Cathode rays are beams of electrons generated in a vacuum tube. Steered by magnetic fields or electric fields, Swinton argued, they could 'paint' a fleeting picture on the glass screen of a tube coated on the inside with a phosphorescent material. Because the rays move at nearly the speed of light, they would avoid the flicker problem, and their tiny size would allow excellent resolution. Swinton never built a set (for, as he said, the possible financial reward would not be enough to make it worthwhile)..." (Britannica). Siers & Siers, Early Television no 366.