1750. 4to; pp. [2], [2] title-page, 104, 95, 1-27, 38-52, 58-137; with hand-coloured title framed within armourial border, 25 throw out plates drawn in pen and ink and shaded, and numerous neatly drawn text figures and illustrations, some full-page and decorative, a number hand-coloured or shaded, and three mounted corrected images; penned in a single hand throughout; some occasional foxing and soiling, one or two small paper flaws, some edgewear to fore-edge of plates; final endpaper missing; bound in contemporary full calf, spine in compartments with raised bands, tooled in gilt, with evidence of previous lettering label, head of spine worn exposing headband, general light rubbing and scuffing to joints and covers, covers a little sprung, extremities and corners bumped and lightly worn. A most attractively compiled, and seemingly early to mid 18th century manuscript course on practical geometry. Very much a practical work, full of day to day problems and examples, though with some occasional more whimsical and artistic illustrated section dividers (including flowers, and flower arrangements), the volume has the air of having been compiled by a either a French gentleman under private tutorship, or perhaps that of a student/apprentice surveyor or engineer.
The volume begins with an attractively hand-coloured title framed within an armourial border incorporating a crown, a battle-axe, and six flags adorned with a blue cross. The compiler concludes the volume with a further small armourial flourish. The volume has been divided into three parts, dealing in turn with ‘a treaty of practical geometry and practice of the compass’; ‘practical geometry or the measurement of surfaces’; and concluding with fractions. The whole volume is most attractively illustrated, containing numerous geometric figures, both within the text, and then 25 throw-out plates bound at the end of the volume. The majority have been rendered in pen and wash, though several have been hand-coloured, notably those at the beginning or end of a chapter.
As far as we can ascertain, there are no author citations within the manuscript, and so this does not appear to be a transcription of an already published work, and is very much practical rather than theoretical. Whilst the basic principles of geometry are outlined, and occasional remarks given, the focus is upon problems and examples to be solved, with no mention of theorems or corollaries. Having handled previous geometrical manuscripts, this does not feel, therefore as though it is following an academic course of instruction at a College. The name Chambaud appears on the first free endpaper, and with a further small signature of [?] Mercier found at the tail of the first page, possibly Jean-Henri.

1940. Mixed set, four volumes, 8vo; I. pp. 128, with unnumbered photograph on contents verso and 96 text diagrams, illustrations and photographs; II. pp. 125, [3] blank, with unnumbered photograph on contents verso and 80 text diagrams, illustrations and photographs; III. pp. 128, with unnumbered photograph on contents verso, four half page photographs and 66 text diagrams; IV. pp. 158, with unnumbered photograph on contents verso, 10 full and half page photographs and 14 text diagrams; all four volumes, aside from some occasional light foxing and minor soiling, clean and bright; each volume with contemporary ownership signature or label; all four in contemporary decorative publisher’s cloth, with series motif of swallow and butterfly on upper cover, in orange, green, red and blue, spines all a little sunned, head and tail of spines lightly rubbed and worn with some minor loss, with further light rubbing and surface wear; an appealing set. Offered together an appealing, though mixed, set of this series of biology text-books aimed at secondary school pupils. The series was begun in 1936, with the present set including two later editions of Books I and III (1940 and 1951), with what we believe to be first editions of Books II and IV (1938), although neither volume is dated. The books effectively take the students’ through four years of study, and deal with the life stories of animals and plants, their structure, function and concluding with the applications of biology to practical problems. ‘Demonstrations and lectures are not enough for children, and the whole book has been based on experiment and observation which they can make for themselves. If they follow out the scheme of “Things you can do at Home or at School,” they will not only be more interested in the work, but will be brought into direct contact with the creatures they are studying and will acquire regular habits of observation... We have particularly kept in mind the needs and conditions of schools in the industrial towns and cities, and have not assumed that every school has the advantage of a special Science room’ (Book I, p. 5). The final chapters of Book IV are devoted to the lives of some notable biologists, including Aristotle, Antony van Leeuwenhoek, Carl Linnaeus, Charles Darwin, Louis Pasteur, Lord Lister and Jean Henri Fabre. Reproduction is touched upon in Book III, but confined to animals and with no mention of human reproduction. The prefaces each make mention of the books leading up to a course of Hygiene, which may well have tried to address these more delicate matters.
Morgan was the author of a number of pedagogical works, including a series of mathematics for senior school girls entitled ‘Real-Life Arithmetic for Girls’ (1936), and ‘The teaching of mathematics in the secondary modern school’ (1959). In 1952 she had collaborated with J. Williamson to publish the ‘Arithmetic Tool Box’, which comprised of 244 cards, which dealt with the elementary processes in number, fractions and British Money, and which was followed by ‘The Decimal Tool Kit’ issued in 1964.

1903]. Large 8vo, pp. [vii], 126, [ii, plates half-title]; with striking chromolithograph frontispiece, 21 folding double-page chromolithograph plates mounted on guards, with a number of half-tone images and text diagrams in the text; title-page a little foxed, with further light foxing and soiling throughout, though otherwise clean and crisp; in a contemporary presentation binding of full dark calf, all edges marbled and with marbled endpapers, spine in compartments with raised bands, with deep tan morocco label lettered in gilt, elaborately tooled in gilt, with gilt armourial lozenge on upper cover, ‘Presbyterian Ladies College, Sydney’, head and tail of spine and joints somewhat rubbed and lightly worn, with further light rubbing to extremities, covers very lightly scuffed and stained, otherwise very good; with presentation book-plate on front pastedown from the College, ‘First Prize, the gift of the College Council, awarded to Marjorie Smythe for Latin Class I, Christmas 1905’. An attractive presentation copy of the uncommon first edition of this most attractively illustrated layman's guide to astronomy. The full gamut of 'heavenly knowledge' is covered by Heath, who was first assistant astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh. Most of the plates, including the celestial maps, are on a blue background. They are all attractively executed and informatively annotated. The particularly striking chromolithograph frontispiece depicts 'the total eclipse of July 28th 1851, Bue Island, Norway', and is taken from a drawing by Piazzi Smyth. This charming atlas has been bound for presentation by the Presbyterian Ladies College in Sydney, (established in 1888 and still running today), and awarded in December 1905 to Marjorie Smythe for her achievements in Latin. The copy later was in the collection of Richard Green, and was sold by Christie's at the sale of his scientific collection in New York on June 17th 2008 (part of lot 314).

1929. 8vo, pp. xii, 156; with one folding table, seven half-tone plates on four leaves, and one large folding engraved coloured map in pocket at rear (plate 1), with further illustrations, diagrams and tables within text; lightly browned and foxed with occasional dust-soiling, minor edge wear to final leaf; stapled as issued, in the original printed blue wrappers, spine and extremities a little sunned, some minor edge wear; a good copy. One of a number of collaborative publications by two former Bryn Mawr students of Florence Bascom (1862-1945), Eleanora Bliss Knopf (1883-1974) and Anna Isabel Jonas (later Stose, 1881-1974). Bascom is considered to be the first woman geologist in America, being one of the first to earn a Ph.D. in the subject, and the first woman to work for the United States Geological Survey. She established a pre-eminent geology department at Bryn Mawr, and was to teach and train a generation of young women who subsequently went on to have successful geological careers. In 1937, 8 out of 11 of the women who were Fellows of the Geological Society of America were graduates of Bascom's course, and her graduate programme was considered to be one of the most rigourous in the country, with a strong focus on both lab and fieldwork.
Under Bascom’s direction, Bliss and Jonas undertook a challenging dissertation on the geology of the Doe-Run-Avondale district, just west of Bryn Mawr. The two women followed similar career paths, both working as demonstrators in the Bryn Mawr geological laboratories, and later working for the United States Geological Survey, collaborating on a number of projects as here.
Bliss married fellow geologist Adolph Knopf, and moved with him to Yale, where she taught privately, and continued to take USGS assignments. Jonas too, married a fellow geologist whom she had met through the USGS, George Stose. Knopf was one of the first geologists to use stereotypically viewed airplane photographs for field mapping and to help her interpret geologic faults and folds, and is remembered for translating the work of foreign scientists and introducing new approaches in the United States’ (Profitt p. 295).
Jonas and Knopf eventually broke with Bascom ‘over the dating of the Wissahickon formation. In two major papers, they indicated that what Bascom and E. B. Mathews had referred to as Paleozoic were actually Precambrian. At that time, Anna Jonas began to collaborate with George Stose, who was very direct in his letters of disagreement with Bascom. The break with her students was complete’ (Ogilvie, II, p. 1243).

1872.]. 4to, with four large folding charts, each 247 x 685 mm, mounted on guards and with linen backed folds, each partially coloured; some occasional light soiling and staining, and with some minor creasing; in contemporary blue wrappers, with blue cloth back-strip, with printed paste downs, white printed label on upper cover, with a couple of small nicks to lower and outer margins, covers lightly soiled; with ownership signatures at head of upper wrapper; a good copy. A striking example of Victorian ‘infographics’. A later issue of this striking series of four engraved folding plates illustrating a chronology of British fossils: the tertiary division - pleistocene; the secondary division - cretaceous; Mesozoic; and palæozoic - permian. The final plates is the only one with an imprint, noting ‘Drawn by C. R. Bone, Compiled & Engraved by J. W. Lowry, London: Published by Edward Stanford, 12, 13, 14 Long Acre, W.C.’
According to the British Museum catalogue, the work first appeared in 1853 and was issued at that time by the CSPK, and were also available for purchase mounted on canvas and roller, varnished.
At some point, the noted map maker and seller Edward Stanford took over publication, possibly in 1872 based upon an advertisement from ‘The Teachers List’: ‘These diagrams, compiled by the eminent Scientific Men whose names are appended, and hitherto issued by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, will in future be published by Edward Stanford, 6 and 6 Charing Cross, London’ (advert from 1872 ‘The Teacher’s List’ p. 59). Growing in prominence, Stanford's moved to their print works to Long Acre in 1873. According to a list on the inside rear pastedown, this was the first in a series of published ‘Diagrams of Natural History’ published by Stanford.

1851. Large Folio, 450 x 295mm, bound manuscript in a single calligraphic hand in a variety of colours, ff. 158; with watercolour illustration mounted on front paste-down (presumably a self portrait of Joly in local Saintongeois costume), with numerous section headings stencilled in black and block lettering (a number misspelt and with corrections), the first leaf heading surrounded by ornate garland in green, brown and ochre, with the copious calculations throughout embellished with underlining in green, brown or ochre; with neat pen illustrations depicting a number of instruments on ff. 113; lightly foxed and soiled throughout, with a few ink smudges, one or two minor marginal nicks and losses but nothing significant, very small square excised at tail of final leaf, presumably a correction?; seemingly self-bound and stitched in contemporary paste-paper card wrappers, with title in manuscript on upper cover, evidence of previous tear on upper cover neatly repaired, some small loss along spine at stitching points, covers a little soiled with dampstaining at head of rear cover; overall a little dog-eared, but nevertheless charming for its unsophistication. A charming, unsophisticated, and one of the most substantial manuscript exercise books we have handled, and the work of the young student Théophile Joly, from Lonzac, a commune of Haute Saintonge in the Southwestern department of Charente-Maritime.
Joly’s notebook is an appealing example of a cyphering book, i.e. a manuscript written either by a student or teacher and with a particular focus upon mathematical content. Printed books were rarely used, and teachers would compile manuscript sum books to be used as teaching aids, and from which the students copied, often embellished with calligraphic headings and flourishes, ink and wash sketches and diagrams, etc. The content often followed a prescribed pattern, containing rules, cases, problems, and solutions to exercises associated with a well-defined progression of mathematical (usually arithmetic) topics.
The present example very much follows this traditional format, though Joly refrains from overly embellishing his course-work - perhaps being of a less artistic temperament, or perhaps reflecting a more rigourous approach to learning instilled by his tutor. His headings are seemingly stencilled in black block lettering - several of which have been misspelt and which have then been corrected. Clearly worked quite hard, the volume contains very few introductions to the arithmetical processes under discussion, but instead is focused almost entirely upon the problems to be solved together with the calculations. Few illustrations are included, although one or two small diagrams are to be found, but a full page illustrations depicting ‘les instruments de la géometrie’ is found on ff. 113. Perhaps compiled in preparation for a trade or mercantile apprenticeship, the arithmetic processes and examples are derived from, or relate to, various professions, including banking, land surveying, brewing, notaries, and as such throws a fascinating light upon contemporary educational priorities of the time.
Joly has clearly given way to a few moments of light-relief however. An appealing water-colour depiction of a young man in local costume has been pasted onto the inside front cover - and which may well be a self-portrait. Furthermore, in a moment of boredom perhaps, at the tail of ff. 22 we find what appear to be five ‘brass rubbings’ depicting the faces of a 2 and 5 franc coin, and which are dated 1838 and 1839. He frequently signs his name throughout the work as well. Seemingly also self-bound, though perhaps a less sophisticated example than some previously handled, Joly’s notebook is in many ways all the more charming for this ‘home-made’ feel!

ca. 1920-1930s]. Green metal tin, 20.5 cm in diametre, 1.2cm in depth, containing within two pairs of revolving discs riveted in place, the upper made of printed green metal with a printed card disc below, the upper discs with 9 cut out windows and eight columns of numbers alongside a corresponding pin-holes; some foxing and soiling evident to card discs; with instructions printed on tin base; without the original stylus for turning the discs though still functional; tin somewhat soiled and scuffed, but otherwise a good and scarce survivor. A scarce and ‘delightful’ educational game ‘for speedily learning the facts of arithmetic’, produced by the Educational Device Company of Medina in New York. One of a series of ‘drill-tests now ‘ready’, the present example includes discs to help students with the manual calculation for ‘column addition’ and ‘part of numbers - Fractions’. ‘Work the problem at one of the windows. The answer to this problem is in the column to the right. Put the stylus in the hole beside the answer you think is the correct one, and push the upper disc as far to the left as it will go. There - if you have selected the correct answer, the stylus will drop into a hole in the lower disc. Keep the stylus firmly in this hole, and pull both discs as far to the right as the stop will permit. This will bring a new problem to the window. Work it as above, and keep on indefinitely until all the facts are learned’. (Instructions).
We are unsure as to whether the discs were intended to be interchangeable: the rivets seem to be immovable so perhaps not, but the instructions note that others were available, however, dealing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Far from ‘delightful’, the game appears rather devilish (though may perhaps not be revolving as fully intended). Google provides some tantalising snippets of contemporary reviews, which seem to suggest it was well reviewed in its day. ‘A very clever piece of work’ and ‘marvellous little machine’ according to the American Educational Digest: The School Executives Magazine of 1923 and 1924, that ‘simply won’t allow the child to make a single mistake. Think of it - every example done correctly and no papers to correct! It seems uncanny but it is true’ (Normal Instructor and Teachers World, vol 34). Surviving examples appear to be extremely scarce, however, with a possibly earlier variant existing that was housed within a wooden box. We have for far been unable to find any further information about Kuhn.

1760. Engraved and etched broadside, image 494 x 575mm; plate mark 503 x 584mm; sheet size 525 x 610mm; title at head in German and Latin, with 40 engraved figures; a little browned and foxed, with some dust-soiling, with central vertical fold, with discrete repairs along verso of central fold, and left-hand margin; old accession numbers on verso; a good impression; mounted ready for framing A striking broadside, no doubt intended to be hung in classrooms, outlining the principles of statics, produced by the noted firm of Homann Erben in Nürnberg, the leading German map publisher of the 18th century. Providing an accessible and popular introduction to mechanical knowledge, five ‘simple machines’ are depicted, demonstrating the concepts of force, equilibrium and statics. The forty illustrations, together with accompanying descriptions and calculations, show a number of gear mechanisms, counterweights and pulleys, explaining ways in which forces combine with each other so as to produce equilibrium.
Johann Baptist Homann and his family were the foremost German map publishers of the 18th century, offering a truly comprehensive range of maps of all regions of the world. Rivalling the publications of the Blaeu dynasty in the Netherlands, the Homann families' maps and charts are renowned for being well engraved and balanced in their execution. A separate series of three wallcharts highlighting the ‘important principles of friction’ (Richtige Grund=Sätze der Friction) was published around the same time, depicting in all some 50 figures illustrating various pulleys, hoists, levers, rollers etc., based upon the works of Amontons (1663-1705) and Bélidor (1698-1761). The first broadside in this series was signed ‘ C. W. F. Rost delin, J. M. Selig, fecit’. Carl Willhelm Felix Rost (fl. 1740-1760) lectured in mathematics at Nürnberg, and collaborated on further architectural publications with Homann, as well as publishing works on chemistry. Johann Michael Seligmann (1720-1762) was a noted copper engraver, printer and bookseller, renowned in particular for natural history engravings, and for being an early exponent of nature printing. Though the present broadside is unsigned, it seems likely that both may have also been involved.

1985. Series of four large wall charts forming the periodic table, each poster 60 x 85cm, with a total size of 120 x 170cm; offset printed in a number of colours and including a large portrait of Mendeleev; all four tables somewhat browned due to paper quality, each with a number of marginal nicks and tears though with more prominent tears of over 5cms affecting the left margins on two of the posters; despite obvious signs of wear, still a scarce and vibrant survivor. Four large and striking educational wall charts illustrating Dimitri Mendeleev’s famous periodic system, produced by the largest Soviet publisher of educational literature, and seemingly issued to coincide with the 150th anniversary of his birth in 1834. According to the imprint, the posters were printed in a run of 55,000 copies in 1984 and were available to purchase for 30 kopecks each.
Vibrantly printed, the posters include a striking portrait of the chemist, together with a quotation: ‘The future does not threaten the periodic table with doom, but only promises improvement and growth.’ A number of leading Soviet educationalists have collaborated on its production including: Evdokia Mikhailovna Sokoloskaya (1923-2010) a leading Soviet chemist who for many years headed the Department of General Chemistry at the Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University; Igor Evgenievich Shimanovich (1939-) the Belarusian chemist and professor; Vladimir Valentinovich Sorokin, an established biochemist and educator and the author of a number of works; and Viktor Filippovich Tikavy (1930-2002) was a prominent Belarusian chemist, who served as Dean of the Chemical Faculty at the Belarusian State University.

1835. Small folio, pp. [viii], 36, [2] duplicate leaf of pp. 35-6,[37]-44, [4] explanation to plates and vitae curriculum; with four engraved plates, one partially hand-coloured in blue and red, and signed ‘Franz Wagner del, C. Guinard sc’; title-page somewhat browned, with further browning and foxing throughout, plates quite prominently foxed and browned, corners a little furled, with a few small marginal nicks and tears, ink accession number at upper margin of title-page with very faint blindstamp at tail; sympathetically rebound in modern black marbled papers to style, with some light wear to joints and extremities. A detailed dissertation on pathological anatomy, focusing upon human and animal abnormalities, and in particular the various types of bone fissures. For a doctoral thesis it is surprisingly well produced in the larger folio format, using appealing typography and including four finely engraved plates illustrating the head of a young lamb or calf.
Conrad Meyer-Ahrens (1813-1872) was a Swiss physician and medical historian. He studied at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Berlin where he publicly defended the present dissertation. The dedication is to his teacher, Johannes Müller.

1951. 8vo, pp. xxiii, [i], 558; with a number of diagrams within text; pp. 224-5 creased with small tear at lower margin, p. 258 creased, gutter exposed at p. 383, lightly toned throughout; in the original blue publisher’s cloth, spine lettered in gilt, lower corner of upper board bumped, with the original grey price-clipped dust-jacket, spine somewhat browned with a few small chips and splits, preserved within protective glycine jacket; with the signature of Phyllis Fox and the date ‘Jan 31, 1956’ on front free endpaper; a very good copy. Second edition, and a nice association copy, of this classic textbook on applied mathematics, originally published in 1933, once belonging to the noted American mathematician and computer scientist Phyllis Fox (1923-2017), with her signature on the front free endpaper. The signature is dated January 31, 1956, Fox purchasing the volume while working on the numerical solution of partial differential equations for UNIVAC for the Computing Center of the United States Atomic Energy Commission at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences of New York University.
In addition to the present work, the English applied mathematician Louis Melville Milne-Thomson CBE FRSE RAS (1891–1974), is best remembered for his works on Theoretical Hydrodynamics (1938), and Theoretical Aerodynamics (1948), as well as for his work developing mathematical tables such as the Jacobian Elliptic Function Tables (1932). The Milne-Thomson circle theorem and the Milne-Thomson method for finding a holomorphic function are named after him. His works proved popular and went through several editions.

1838. 12mo, pp. 400; with 70 full-page engraved plates each with two images; plates clean and bright, with some occasional light marginal staining, text on differing paper stock, a little browned and foxed throughout, with some sporadic minor dampstaining affecting margins; in contemporary green pebble-grained cloth backed marbled boards, spine ruled in blind and lettered in gilt, head and tail of spine a little bumped, corners a little worn, but otherwise a good copy. Scarce later edition of this attractive mnemonical treatise, and the first work by the noted educationalist and author of several historical works, Mme Laure Boen de Saint-Ouen (1799-1838). It was in the first edition of 1822, that Saint-Ouen unveiled her eye-catching pictorial system, using small emblems designed to represent significant events: for example a small upright chariot or ship signified a victory in battle, whilst an upside down equivalent depicted a loss. A sword represented an assassination, in contrast to an hourglass signifying a natural death. Such was the success and positive reception to the work and this new and effective method of teaching history, that Saint-Ouen was to subsequently publish a number of similar works, notably an extensive history of England (1825), as well as a history celebrating the life of Napoleon (1833). This 1838 issue is accompanied by 70 engraved plates, each with a circular portrait of the monarch under discussion, together with an accompanying ‘mnemonic medallion’ comprising a combination of emblems symbolizing the events of their life. Throughout the work, Mme Saint-Ouen poses a number of exercises and questions to test the student.
Her novel method was described by contemporary reviewers as being ‘well-conceived and well executed’ and did much to revolutionise the way that history was taught in French elementary schools. Her initial plans to publish a series of European histories to include studies of Germany, Russia, and Spain, were curtailed by her untimely death.
Though the title-page describes this as the second edition, another issue was published by Colas in 1826. All editions of her works appear scarce.

1697. Folio, two parts in one volume, with two further supplements; pp. [ii] engraved title-page, [68], 152; pp. [2], 259,[1] errata; pp. [iv]; pp. [iv]; with woodcut head and tailpieces and 48 engraved plates by Jan and Caspar Luiken, Georg Christoph Eimmart and Christoph Weigel, and two further double-page engraved plates; title printed in red and black with 2 large woodcut historiated initials, the plates comprising either nine or 12 panels including two title panels flanking top central image giving the millennium and century; narrow horizontal worm hole in blank outer margins of first 20 leaves (touching a few words and edge of one plate but with no significant loss), small hole with loss upper gutter of final leaf, some minor foxing and spotting throughout, mostly marginal, and with some soiling and foxing to plates, a few with some browning to verso margins, light dampstain to margin of final two leaves; front free endpaper detached; with 19th century owner's inscription dated 1851 on front flyleaf, who has clipped the top corner of same flyleaf to remove earlier provenance, remains of further label on rear endpaper and of old label on rear paste-down; in contemporary speckled calf, spine in compartments with raised bands, with old title label, tooled in gilt, head and tail of spine worn exposing head-bands, with loss at head, upper joint cracked and head and tail but holding, covers somewhat scuffed and scratched, corners bumped and worn; a good copy. First edition of a striking educational compendium - a superbly illustrated mnemonic history of the world from Creation up to 1697, the work of the noted engraver Christoph Weigel (1654-1725), and with text by Gregory Andreas Schmidt (1655-1696) and Samuel Faber. The beautifully etched and engraved plates provide a chronological summary of universal history, and are presented mnemonically broken down into the six millennia before and after Christ, then into the centuries and also by decades. A general ‘table’ is given summarising each millennium, with 37 special tables for the 37 centuries of the two millennia before Christ and the two after, each with 10 illustrations depicting events from a given decade. The small beautifully executed copperplate engravings vividly demonstrate Weigel’s mastery, and no doubt would have captured the imagination of the young readers. As an iconographic memory tool, it is in the great tradition of symbolic and emblematic books of the period.
‘In 1697 there appeared in the bookshop of Johann Daniel Tauber in Nuremberg a large tome, richly illustrated with 48 folio copper plate engravings and titled Sculptura Historiarum Et Temporum Memoratrix. The book, which presents the principal events in universal history since the creation of the world in the form of a chronological summary, does not simply follow a strictly chronological order but is shaped on mnemotechnic principles... History is thus conceived as a list of the principal events in history. This virtual list is embodied first and foremost in sets of illustrations on 48 panel engravings each of which depicts a millennium—or a century as the case may be—which in turn are divided into ten panels; these last illustrate either a century (as a subdivision of a millennium) or a decade (as a subdivision of a century). The plates, as such, can thus be viewed as pictorial lists. This became fully apparent when in 1700, poorer-quality copies were made and published on their own, with no explanatory text, under the title Die Welt in einer Nuß (’The world in a nutshell’).’ (Abstract from: ‘Le Monde dans une noix’, Markus Meumann, online facsimile of the reprint of 1700; without appendix here present - https://doi.org/10.4000/mcv.5803).
The present copy is also bound with two supplementary mnemonical double-page engravings, both of which appear to be rare, and we believe were printed before the book edition was published. The first, Gedächtnuß-hülffliche Bilder-Lust der merckwürdigsten Begebenheiten des 1696ten Jahrs’ describes 12 events in 1696 and announces the publication of the main work available by "nechkünfftige Michaeli" (feast of St. Michael, September 29). It is accompanied by two leaves of printed text ‘Memorabilia historica anni millesimi sexcentesimi nonagesimi sexti. Oder historische Denckwürdigkeiten des 1696ten Jahrs’.
This is followed by a second similarly rare broadside, Gedächtnuß-hülffliche Bilder-Lust der merckwürdigsten Begebenheiten des 1697ten Jahr’ with the VD 17 locating only a single copy at Munich. As usual it describes 12 contemporary events including a view of Cartagena in Columbia, South America as well as a view of Barcelona. The heading is: ‘Memorabilia historica anni MDCXCVII. Sive continuatio prima ad annum praecedentem MDCXCVI. Das ist: historische Denckwürdigkeiten des 1697sten Jahrs. Oder: Die erste Fortsetzung auf das vorhergehende 1696ste Jahr’. The Raid on Cartagena in Columbia was a successful attack by the French on the fortified city of Cartagena de Indias, on May 6, 1697, as part of the War of the Grand Alliance. By 1695, the French Navy had declined to the point that it could no longer face the English and Dutch in an open sea battle and therefore had switched to privateering. The account provided includes a detailed list of the loot together with two leaves of explanatory text.
Of further Americana interest, p. 206 under 1492 notes Columbus's New World discoveries and voyages to the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola, including later explorations in 1497 and 1506 with Americus Vespucci; page 273 notes battles in 1621 Brazil between the Dutch and Spanish; the Spanish Silver Fleet in 1628 from the Americas; on pages 258-9 appears an illustrated account of William Penn, the great Quaker. (Not in Landis, European Americana).
Christoph Weigel's (1654-1725) ‘fame rests not so much upon his own work as engraver as upon the mighty works which he issued as publisher. The height of his career was reached in 1698 when he settled in Nuremberg.’ (Faber du Faur, German Baroque Literature p. 469).

1770-1775. Complete set of playing cards, comprising engraved title card, engraved seller’s advertisement card and 52 engraved pictorial cards bearing details of mythological characters; three cards hand-coloured, all good strong impressions, seller’s card on different stock somewhat browned and with small abrasion and manuscript number ‘42/6’ in top right-hand corner, ‘Morpheus’ card on same variant card stock, also somewhat browned, remaining cards with general soiling and browning but generally clean and bright; housed within the original card box, with engraved label on upper cover (somewhat faded), one side of box split with loss, with heavy wear to all sides; despite box wear, a fine and scarce set. Extremely scarce and striking educational game introducing children and young adults to Greek and Roman mythology through a series of 52 engraved pictorial cards giving the details of famous mythological figures and scenes. The title card promises that even those of a more mature age may find them amusing. Each card is divided into two halves, with double line borders. An elegant neo-classical engraving adorns the top half, representing a deity, hero, or memorable event selected from myths and religions of antiquity. Each deity is distinguished by the emblems which are usually associated with them. Brief explanatory notes are found below. Both epic heroes and Olympians are highlighted, together with a wealth of supporting characters. Thus we are introduced to: ‘Circe, Perseus, Vulcan, Charon, Europa, Adonis, Neptune, Bellona, Arachne, Mars, Ulysses, Ajax and others, and incidents such as Apollo's transformation of Prince Cypariss into a cypress (sic) tree, and the Nine Muses' transformation of the Nine Daughters of Pierus, King of Macedonia, into magpies’ (Cotsen). There are two cards for two characters (Ceries and Iphis) both different, referring to separate incidents. Three of the cards have been hand-coloured by a previous owner, evidently at an early date. Willerton’s advertisement card includes an image of Mount Olympus.

1905. 8vo, pp. [ii], [461]-508, [8] list of publications; with 17 half-tone plates, and large folding engraved ‘geologic map’ printed in green, red, blue, brown and orange, housed within pocket on rear pastedown; map a little creased at one fold, but otherwise good; lightly browned throughout with some minor dinking to fore-edge in places; stapled as issued in the original printed wrappers, staples rusted, and both inner hinges cracked, with evidence or previous attempt to re-glue spine to book-block, spine somewhat browned and soiled, 3cm tear to rear cover where inside pocket has slightly pulled away; a sound copy. The Ph.D. dissertation of the noted U.S. geologist, glaciologist and educator, Ida Helen Ogilvie (1874-1963), earned whilst at Columbia University, under the guidance of her advisor, the petrologist James Furman Kemp (1859-1926). Ogilvie's dissertation was the geologic mapping of the Paradox Lake Quadrangle in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Fifteen-minute quadrangle maps were only just becoming available for this part of the United States, and hers was the first quadrangle report on rocks from the Adirondacks published by the New York State Museum in 1905.
‘Ida Ogilvie’s wealthy parents had expected their daughter to be socially prominent and allowed her to travel extensively before she attended college... However by the time she reached Bryn Mawr, she had no intentions of pursuing the life of a society matron. She studied geology with Florence Bascom, then went to Columbia University to complete a doctoral degree (1903).
After completing this degree, she took a position at Barnard College, where she founded the department of geology. Not content with working only with undergraduates, she wanted to teach graduates at Columbia as well. However, they were well stocked with professors in her areas of expertise. She found, nevertheless, that they had no one to teach glacial geology. Interested in the subject since her time at Chicago, she read extensively and prepared herself to teach it. Ogilvie was an excellent lecturer and spent a considerable amount of time organizing and preparing for her classes. She worked extensively on the geology of New York State and the glaciers of Alberta, Canada. The second woman to be admitted to the Geological Society of America, one of the three women first admitted to the Columbia Chapter of Sigma Xi, and vice-president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Ogilvie was active professionally. She used a portion of her inherited wealth to support geology students at Bryn Mawr, Columbia and Barnard’ (Ogilvie, II. p. 958).
Ogilvie was one of the first students of Florence Bascom, who set a generation of women from Bryn Mawr onto careers in geology. Ogilvie’s hiring at Barnard College began one of the few geology programs at elite women’s colleges, with others started by Elizabeth F. Fisher at Wellesley College, and Mignon Talbot at Mount Holyoke. Maps in the 15 Minute Quadrangle series were made in the period between the 1890s and the 1950s and were created by the Map Division of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), to provide a detailed topographic map coverage of the entire United States at the same scale. The term Quadrangle refers to the sides of the maps which are 15 minutes of latitude and longitude in length. The series was gradually replaced by the 7.5 Minute Quadrangle series. The 15 Minute Quadrangle maps provide vital geographic, historical, and topographic information that can be used in understanding the nature of a place.

1940s.]. Boxed set, 130 x 110 x 75mm including a heavy cast iron model with moveable internal barrel, a set of 24 colour retinal images on 12 circular card discs housed within a separate lidded box 85 x 45 x 65, a small key card explaining the individual discs, and a stapled sixteen page instructional pamphlet by Dr Fisher, now folded into four, with the final page damaged and torn (through rubbing against the cast iron model), with some loss of the text though meaning still discernible; also retained an old and somewhat grubby optical cloth; two edges of eye disc box torn and split with further light wear; in the original drab cardboard box with printed label on one side, box a little scuffed and worn, with some edgewear; overall a good example of a seemingly scarce survivor. A seemingly later version of this ‘schematic eye’ model, designed by Dr William A Fisher (1860-1944), Professor of Ophthalmology and President of the Chicago Eye, Ear and Throat College, and designed to help students study ophthalmoscopy - the examination of the back part of the eye (fundus - including the retina, optic disc, choroid and blood vessels). Fisher first introduced his model in 1907, earlier models being more cylindrical, often made of brass, and including a stand. This ‘improved model’ is now made of heavy cast iron. It consists of one barrel working inside of another in such a manner that a long or short eye can be produced. The viewer has a lens to represent the crystalline lens of the human eye, and a diaphragm shutter to represent the iris that when fully open represents a pupil of 30 millimetres. When one of the 24 retina simulation disc is placed in the three pronged viewing holder, the student with an ophthalmoscope can then look inside the viewer as if looking into an eye. Though a little damaged, the set retains a copy of Fisher’s instructional booklet, which discusses each of the conditions represented on the discs and thus diagnosable with the Fisher eye. An unusual survivor.

1776. 8vo, pp. [xxiv], 594, [14]; without the four page dedication, which is sometimes present; with 109 naive woodcuts within text, and large woodcut vignette on final verso; lower corner of page 84 torn with loss of paper not text, and with neat discrete paper repairs to pp. 341-42, 359-60, 413-14 and 541-42, stain affecting pp. 433-437, the whole text lightly foxed and browned, with some occasional minor marginal dampstaining, otherwise clean; in contemporary half calf over marbled boards, spine in compartments with raised bands, ruled in gilt, with orange paper lettering label, spine slightly cracked, with both joints starting but holding firm, with slight loss to rear joint, covers a little scuffed, and recornered to style; with the bookplate of Lennart Ragnemark on front pastedown; a good copy. Second edition of this ‘introduction to the knowledge of animals’ by Magnus Orrelius (1717-1794), of particular appeal for the numerous charming woodcuts, which though perhaps not all original, are believed to have been done by the author himself. The work was first published anonymously in 1750-1751 in weekly parts as Historia animalium, and is considered to be Sweden’s first vernacular zoological handbook.
The Royal Swedish Academy was founded in 1739, on the initiative of Linnaeus amongst others. One of the aims was to promote the economic benefits of the natural sciences, a principle which naturally favoured botanical and zoological research, with the hope that the discovery of new animal and plant species could be of use to man. Up to this time, little had been written about the plant and animal kingdom, with most published being in Latin, and so a number of manuals and textbooks were published to fill this void, and disseminate knowledge more widely. Linnaeus himself, famously published his Fauna Svecica, the first Swedish natural fauna, in 1746, though this was once again published in Latin, and whilst ground-breaking, was not really a handbook for general use.
In October 1749, advertisements appeared in Stockholm for a work on the history of animals written ‘in the Swedish tongue’, to be published by subscription in parts to make it more affordable and cheaper to print. The anonymous author borrowed the title Historia Animalium from Conrad Gessner’s famous work. According to Martin Biinsow, when Linnaeus saw the advertisement he was greatly perturbed, fearing plagiarism of his popular lecture notes. ‘In a letter to the Academy of Sciences' secretary, Wargentin, Linné writes that, if there is plagiarism, he will withdraw not only from the fauna, but from all work. However, the great man could breathe a sigh of relief when the work started to come out. There was no question of any plagiarism, even if the author had picked up a lot of facts from Linné’ (Biinsow, I Var Herres Hage, Svensk zoologi i Kunskapskallan, p. 5 a google translation). Indeed, for this second edition, a letter of recommendation by Wargentin himself is included on the verso of the title-page – a sign of Academy approval no doubt.
The author, in fact, was Magnus Orrelius (1717-94), a member of the Moravian Brethren in Sweden, active as a writer, translator and woodcutter, though not part of traditional academic circles. From an impoverished background, and born as Mans Fanberg, he funded himself to study at Uppsala, at which point he changed his name. His poor financial situation meant that his studies were fragmented and he never took his degree. He worked as a personal tutor, and then as an accountant, but made most of his living as a writer, as well as penning a number of pamphlets and articles on social issues such as child-rearing, and population decline.
The Historia Animalium was his first work, and whilst it claimed to describe all animals existing on the globe, was confined principally to mammals, including man, Orrelius adopting Linnaeus’ classification and system. This second edition has been substantially revised and enlarged when it comes to the number of species described, but for cost reasons the descriptions were kept shorter and are limited, as previously, to mammals. As acknowledged in the preface, the work draws upon a number of sources, including Pliny, Aristotle, Olaus Magnus, as well Linnaeus. Whilst clearly aiming to be a serious scientific treatise, Orrelius often trying to distance himself from some earlier myths and legends, (notably the unicorn an Aristotelian invention according to Orrelius), the information provided is often of varying reliability. Far from being an objective commentator, his own moral judgements and opinions pervade the work, which often make for entertaining reading. His theological leanings ensure too, that in line with fellow 18^th century scholars, his work very much recognises and celebrates the wonders of Creation, stressing how an appreciation of the beauties of nature can lead to a greater understanding of God.
Focusing more upon behavioural traits than anatomical descriptions, Orrelius often imparts human qualities to the animals under discussion, seeing animals as images of human characteristics. About the ‘natt-människan, homo nocturnus, troglodytes’ (the orangutan, p. 41), Orrelius notes that ‘they speak in a whispering manner, think and draw conclusions like rational creatures, imagining that the whole globe was created for their sake, and that they once will come to his former power over the inhabitants of the earth’. He describes the ‘lurfwige bawianen’ of Sumatra (p. 51), as whilst not ugly, ‘is nevertheless terrifying in appearance, after that he always grinds his teeth, and gives signs of anger. It is sometimes the meanest and rudest of all animals’. Mammals from all corners of the globe are described, from Africa to America, including elephants, rhinocerus, whales, lions, camels, sloths, porcupines, domestic beasts such as dogs and cattle, as well as the walrus (p. 94) and the racoon (p. 262). The animals are frequently described as being greedy, or ferocious, or blood-thirsty, and though perhaps not believing in unicorns, he does subscribe to various traditional ‘forest’ myths, superstitions and beliefs.
The work includes 109 charming if somewhat naive woodcuts of mammals, believed to be the work of Orrelius himself. In discussing the first edition, Biinsow notes that a number of the woodcuts appear to have been copied for earlier works by Olaus Magnus, as well as Albrecht Dürer (notably his 1515 woodcut of a rhinocerus), and some from Johnston’s Historiae naturalis (1650-1654). It is interesting to note that all appear to have been revised and re-engraved for the present second edition, the similarities not nearly so obvious. Much less refined, they have a charming, naive quality. An important, if less well known contribution, to the zoological canon.

1823. 8vo, pp. [iv], ii, 248; with woodcut publisher’s monogram on title-page; small tear at head of half-title and front free endpaper but without loss, text lightly browned and foxed throughout, but generally clean and crisp; in publisher’s full red morocco, spine ruled and lettered in gilt, with gilt monogram on upper cover, and tooled floral border, inner gilt dentelles, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, some light wear to head and tail of spine, some minor surface wear; an attractive copy. First edition, and a most attractive copy, of this work intended to help students prepare for their philosophy examinations, the study of which was a required component of the Bachelor of Arts degree in France at the time. The ‘Bachelier ès-lettres’ was the first ‘grade’ available to students upon leaving school, and included the study of Latin and Greek, rhetoric, history, and philosophy (divided into logic and metaphysics). The passing of this largely oral exam was a condition for all further study in subjects such as theology, law, science and medicine.
We have so far found very little biographical information about the author, though he wrote a number of similar works aimed at aspiring students. He divides his work into two sections dealing in term with logic and metaphysics, each further subdivided into numbered ‘thèses’. These are presented in dialogue form, comprised of a series of questions and answers and thus resembling an oral examination.

1911. Five volumes, large 8vo: I. pp. [ii] ‘legende’ to plate, [ii] half-title, [ii] cancel title-page including ‘Turin 1911’, viii, 782, [ii] blank, [iv] explanatory leaves to movable plates, copiously illustrated throughout with half-tone illustrations and diagrams and with three chromolithograph plates incorporating movable flaps (one bound at the front and two at the rear including one on rear pastedown), and with 29 of 30 plates in all comprising 2 double-page chromolithograph astronomical plates, one chromolithograph double-page map, three chromolithograph plates, and 23 black and white plates on 19 leaves (four leaves with plates on recto and verso, and three with text on verso); missing one chromolithograph plate at p. 208 depicting volcanic activity; II. [ii] ‘legende’ to plate, [iv], 771, [1], with one chromolithograph plate incorporating movable flaps, three chromolithograph plates, four double-page chromolithograph plates, and 25 black and white plates (one double-page); III. [ii] explanatory leaf to plate, [iv], 739, [1], copiously illustrated throughout, and with one chromolithograph plate incorporating movable flaps, six double-page chromolithograph maps, three chromolithograph plates and 17 black and white plates (two double-page; IV. pp. [ii] explanatory leaf to movable plate, [iv], 746, copiously illustrated throughout, with one chromolithograph plate incorporating movable flaps, 15 chromolithograph plates, 9 double-page chromolithograph maps, and 20 uncoloured plates on 15 leaves; V. pp. [ii] explanatory leaf, [iv], 829, [3] blank, xxvii general index, [1] blank, copiously illustrated throughout and with one chromolithograph plate incorporating movable flaps, 26 chromolithograph plates (two with printed overlays), 6 chromolithograph maps, and 10 black and white plates; uniformly bound in half brown morocco over tan cloth, spines ruled and lettered in gilt, upper covers with gilt vignette, lettering in white, and with blind-stamped decoration, all volumes with some light scuffing, rubbing and surface wear, and due to weight, all a little shaken; a good sound copy. DUE TO WEIGHT ADDITIONAL SHIPPING COSTS LIKELY. Seemingly the second edition, second issue with cancel title page reflecting the additional Gold Medal awarded at ‘Turin 1911’ (first 1907). A comprehensive and copiously illustrated home encyclopaedia which presents the state of knowledge at the beginning of the twentieth century. The French publisher Aristide Quillet was well-known at the time as a specialist in the publishing of detailed and richly illustrated scientific, medical and educational encyclopaedias, and ‘Mon Professeur’ is another striking example of his prolific output, as well as being a further collaboration with Philippe Hettinger, Professor at the University of Paris and ‘Directeur de la Collaboration Scientifique et Professionnelle’. Hettinger was himself the author of a number of popular works, several of which adopted the use of movable parts. Indeed ‘Mon Professeur’ includes a number of chromolithograph ‘flap’ plates, illustrating a large telescope, a colliery, an extracting machine, a dog rose, a frog, a diplodocus, and a telegraph machine.
Aristide Quillet was a passionate educator, and firmly believed that social advancement and ‘liberation’ was only possible through access to knowledge and culture. His published works, therefore, were aimed in particular at the general populace, and those who may not have had access to extensive schooling. ‘Mon Professeur’ provides a systematic introduction to a number of general topics, including astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, botany, anatomy and physiology, geography, history, mathematics, art and design, and language and literature. Including numerous black and white, half-tone, and chromolithograph illustrations and maps, it provides an invaluable resource. It was later reprinted in 1932 in three volumes.
The present set is lacking one chromolithograph plate in volume one, and is without the separately published supplementary volume sometimes found.