1890-1901.]. Large oblong album, 270 x 420 mm; ff. 33 leaves of thick paper 264 x 410mm; with 399 late Victorian calling cards, greeting cards, menus, invitations etc neatly mounted and organised, with a further 7 items loosely inserted, front and rear endpapers also used, four pages unused, and one calling card blank; a number of the cards signed or with manuscript messages of greeting, several of the mounted items with neat manuscript annotations penned below by Dietz; some light foxing, soiling throughout, with some offsetting and see-through caused by the glue, a few cards now a little faded, one or two slightly creased, and with a couple of small marginal tears; in the original ribbed brown publisher’s cloth, ruled in blind with ‘Souvenir’ in gilt on upper cover, lower joint split at tail, spine somewhat sunned, small loss of cloth on upper cover, rear cover crinkled and stained at tail, with some wear along upper margin, corners a little bumped and worn. An extraordinary turn of the century personally compiled album of printed calling cards and correspondence, received over a number of years by Catinka [also Cathinka] Mackenzie de Dietz (1813-1901), noted concert pianist and former pianist to the Queen of Bavaria. As such, it throws a fascinating light upon her social circle, forming a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of European Royalty and High Society, and made even more appealing by her acerbic and often slightly scandalous annotations!
The souvenir album houses predominantly elegantly printed calling cards, though Dietz has also retained and mounted a handful of greeting and Christmas cards, invitations, menus, and clippings. European Royalty are well represented, with several cards given by Princes, Princesses, Counts and Countesses, Viscountesses, and Barons. A high percentage of the cards have been given by other women. Others reveal her various artistic relationships, and as a whole, the album provides a wonderful snap-shot of social connections and late Victorian high society. A number have been inscribed by the giver with messages of esteem, whilst of particular appeal, Dietz herself has frequently added a little note below the card (usually in French, though sometimes English), and which often prove to be quite humorous and sometimes a little acerbic, adding some delicious flavour to this Who’s Who of the Belle Époque.
Under the card for ‘Le Comte de Barck’ she has written ‘c'est dangereuse de s'embarquer avec lui?; Alderman Wilson of Beckenham apparently gave very good dinners; Mrs Crawford Bromehead apparently ‘found the tenors kinder than her husband,’; Mrs Baker ‘was a prim lady’; Mrs R. E. Hamer ‘Her pretty face greeted her two husbands’; under the card for Lady Caroline Murray ‘Sa famille ne payait pas ses dettes’; under the card for M. & Madame Ernest du Fresnel ‘Out of sight, out of mind’; for the painter James Frutier she notes that he ‘sells spinach’; E. Nathan, ‘miaule sur son violoncelle et fait le tendre auprès du beau sexe’, whilst Camille Philipp ‘est sourd et pourtant la déesse de la mélodie lui prodigue ses faveurs’ (is deaf and yet the godess of melody lavishes him with favours). The lawyer Malioche apparently ‘does business with lost funds’, whilst she describes Georges Stigelli as ‘a heavy German who made himself an Italian singer by adding an i to his name’; whilst Albert Anschutz, a professor of piano, ‘gives music lessons, cleans, composes lullabies and prepares baths for Madame’.
Dietz ‘made her Paris debut on 7 February 1836 at the Salle Pleyel with the first movement of Hummel's Concerto in A Minor … Her career revolved around placements at royal courts. By 1840 she was pianist to the queen of Bavaria; the following year she played at the French court and was appointed pianist to the queen of the French in 1845. She composed salon pieces, played regularly for Queen Victoria, and was reported to have written an oratorio for which Queen Victoria accepted the dedication.’ (Katherine Ellis, Female Pianists and Their Male Critics, Journal of the American Musicology Society Vol. 50 2/3, p. 359). She married William Mackenzie Shaw, Managing Director of the Antwerp and Rotterdam Railways, dividing their time between Paris and Saint Germain, no doubt entertaining quite extensively, if the present array of cards is anything to go by. Amongst the small number of loosely inserted additional material, are the two black-edged mourning invitations printed by Catinka for her husband after his death on December 7th 1890.
For a general discussion on the study of Victorian card ephemera, see Barabara Rusch, The Secret Life of Victorian Cards, on the Ephemera Society of America’s website.

1875-1876. Bound lined paper notebook, 4to; pp. [2] tipped in printed sheet ‘Instruction sur la tenue des cahiers de notes et des cahiers de problèmes’, 42, [2], 43 - 249, [250- 256 blank], folding table mounted on p. 66; [2] tipped in printed sheet ‘Instruction sur la tenue des cahiers de notes et des cahiers de problèmes’, 257 - 323, 225 (pagination error) - 400, (leaf excised at p. 349 due to correction with no interruption of meaning), 341 (pagination error) - 345, [1] blank, [2] tipped in leaf ‘Instruction sur la tenue des cahiers de notes et des cahiers de problèmes’, 347 - 490, (p. 457 glued together), [491-495, blank], [96] blank; penned in a single neat hand with numerous pen and ink diagrams and illustrations, often found on verso facing page; some occasional foxing and soiling, but otherwise good; in contemporary sheep backed marbled boards, spine ruled in gilt, with two black morocco labels lettered in gilt, with the initials ‘V.G.’ in gilt at tail, and additional gilt volume number, tail of spine slightly nicked, some light scuffing to spine and covers, extremities a little bumped and worn, book-block a little shaken, but otherwise good. Extensive and neatly transcribed lecture notes for the course on general physics taught by Professor Daniel at the École Centrale des Arts et manufactures, also known as the École Centrale de Paris, between November 1875 and June 1876, providing an insight into the curriculum of such courses, and the standards required. According to Guillet in ‘Cent ans de la vie de l'École Centrale des Arts et manufactures, 1829-1929’, Daniel was Chair of Physics from 1861-1881. This neat manuscript contains the entire course, and is composed of 25 lectures on heat, 21 on electricity, three on acoustics, and 11 lessons on optics. This course is very similar in structure to Daniel’s 1880 course described by Guillet, with a few variations. The notes have been richly illustrated with careful diagrams and explanatory drawings.
The initials ‘V.G.’ are found on the spine of the volume, the signature ‘M. Gueldry’ can be found at the end of a number of sections, alongside the initials ‘S.M.’ This could perhaps have been another professor, or perhaps the leading student of the class. Previously handled technical drawing albums or ‘epures’ exhibit similar ‘sign offs’ as sections were completed successfully.

1802. 4to, pp. iv, 60; outer margins of title-page and final leaf a little dust-soiled, fore-edge of p. 10 with loss through rough opening, extremities generally a little furled with some corners creased and folded, some light foxing and staining, but otherwise quite fresh and bright; uncut, stitched as issued in contemporary blue paste-paper wrappers, untrimmed, spine a little nicked in places, covers slightly soiled and spotted; a good unsophisticated copy. Uncommon first French edition of Sir Frederick Morton Eden’s important summary of his efforts and methods used to calculate population, Estimate of the Number of Inhabitants (1800). The work is believed to have been translated by Adrien Duquesnoy (1759-1808), the introductory note signed ‘Ad. D-Y, Paris, le 30 thermidor an 10’.
Written in the wake of his ambitious privately financed three volume inquiry, The State of the Poor (1797), the present tract draws upon the tables compiled in that previous work, and summarises his methods used to estimate the population. It was published as plans were being discussed in Parliament for the first official British census, born out of a concern that the population was declining in the wake of a series of ‘calamities’ and wars. The determination of the British population became a matter of state, rather than a private initiative. In the end Eden’s estimate of 16 millions for the British Isles came to within 1% of the 1801 census.
As the present translation reveals, depopulation debates were also taking place in France. As the translator notes in his introduction: ‘Wherever men are happy, they multiply; wherever they live with difficulty, their numbers diminish. I know of no historical fact that contradicts this opinion. Population is therefore a sign of the happiness of the greatest number’ (p. iii). ‘One important difference between the depopulation debates in England and France is that in the latter, there was no explicit exchange about how to calculate population. This difference had everything to do with the fact that the French arithmeticians held governmental positions and had access to similar sources of quantitative information about population. Thus, the kinds of debates about the local, fragmentary nature of individual parish registers that marked English writings on the topic, were, for the most part, absent from the French’ (Rusnock, Vital Accounts. Quantifying Health and Population in Eighteenth-Century England and France, p. 201).
The State of the Poor was a pioneering piece of social investigation and now considered one of the classical works in economical literature. ‘The published works of Sir Frederick Morton Eden on the pressing social issues of his day are arguably without precedent in their combination of scope, volume, and quality... The statistical findings reported in The State of the Poor, about population. housing, rent, taxes, prices, wages, food consumption, and much more, have been of considerable value to later economists. Even Karl Marx, not wont to praise others, hailed Eden as the only disciple of Adam Smith throughout the eighteenth century to produce work of any importance.’ (online Encyclopaedia of Mathematics). Francois-Alexandre-Frederic, La Rouchfoucauld-Liancourt (1747-1827), who translated the State of the Poor in 1800, is also sometimes cited as the translator of the present work.

1933. 8vo, pp. 163, [1] blank; with 24 plates engraved and printed on transparent ‘diophane’ film; as usual, the work is somewhat foxed and browned throughout due to paper quality, though predominantly marginal, though unusually there is very little browning affecting the ‘diophane’ plates themselves, the soiling mainly to margins and inner gutters, although most are slightly creased and cockled; in the original linen backed card wrappers, incorporating the publisher’s outer hard translucent rhodoid (cellulose acetate) wrappers, the upper cover of which printed in black, with rear cover clear to reveal printed wrapper below, spine lettered in black, both joints with 2cm split at head, spine a little browned and soiled, as usual upper rhodoid cover quite bowed and has shrunk a little so yapp edge no longer covering fore-edge, though retaining both yapp edges aside from 2cm loss at tail of upper cover, card covers a little soiled with tear at inner hinge but without loss; despite faults still a good copy of an unusual and striking binding. First edition of this highly original and unusual work aimed at young children, describing and illustrating a number of possible future inventions. As such it can be considered as one of the first anthologies of science fiction illustration. Inspired by the works of H.G. Wells and Adolphus Huxley, Evans presents a mind-boggling array of weird and wonderful devices and inventions - some more far-fetched than others - including a tidal power generator, the rail-plane, space rockets and suits, a forgery detector, an anti-gas raygun, and aero-cycle, a "World League of Peace" (foretelling the United Nations), and a supercalculator (a proto-computer). Another section highlights a North Sea Reclamation scheme, whilst another predicts a mid-ocean airport. The Office of the Future is also illustrated, as is a new style church, and ‘London of the Future’ - a scene somehow reminiscent of the Imperial City in Flash Gordon! It was only fitting that Evans should employ modern techniques in the production of the book - the engravings being printed on transparent ‘diophane’ film, and the striking outer cover made out of the hard cellulose acetate ‘rhodoid’. The back cover boasts of the book's ultra-modern construction: "This is the first attempt to bring book construction into line with modern requirements... The binding is on the 'Neo-Nevett Tape Slot' principle... With THE BOOK OF TO-MORROW the jacket, which was soon destroyed, has become an integral part of the binding. The covers are made of translucent 'Rhodoid' on which the design has been printed, and this can be given any colour effect of variety of expression by the use of suitable endpapers. The yapp fore-edge also protects the book from wear and the whole cover is stainless and washable".
The use of such unusual materials, means that copies of the work are often somewhat browned, and as with previous copies handled, the diophane plates are a little creased and cockled, though are much brighter than often found.
Idrisyn Oliver Evans, F.R.G.S (1894-1977) was a South-African born civil servant, editor and writer. This was his first non-fiction work of science fiction, though he later specialised in the works of Jules Verne, many of which he translated. He was also a noted collector of cigarette cards.

1890. Large 8vo, pp. vii, 636; with twelve plates, of which 11 are mounted Woodbury types, and one engraved plate, together with numerous figures within the text; plate 3 without tissue guard; paper a little browned throughout due to quality, some light marginal dampstaining to preface and table of contents from p. 626, with further occasional light spotting and soiling including ink staining on p. 48; in contemporary half roan over marbled boards, spine in compartments with raised bands, slightly faded and sunned, head of spine lightly worn, with some scuffing to upper cover, extremities lightly rubbed and bumped; a presentation copy from the author and inscribed on the half-title to ‘Monsieur le Docteur Widal’. First edition, and a presentation copy, of this noted work on epilepsy, including 11 mounted Woodbury types, highlighting physical pathologies associated with epilepsy and epileptic seizures. The lithograph plate shows histological lesions of the cerebral cortex.
‘A monumental undertaking by an important member of the Charcot circle, this volume is a synopsis of all that was understood and documented on neurologic disorders up to the time of its publication in 1890. Féré cites case histories and observations from over 800 physicians and presents his own classification of hystero-epileptic disorders’ (Mark Rowley, artandmedicine.com). He goes on to suggest that the photographs may have been taken by Albert Londe (1858-1917), who had established a photographic laboratory at the Salpêtrière during Charcot’s tenure, and would no doubt have been known to Féré. ‘In 1890, for the first time, a monograph was published which addressed epilepsies in the plural... a classification appeared to be required to provide structure to the increasingly heterogeneous field. Féré distinguished primarily partial and generalised paroxysms and subdivided the latter into: 1) the complete attack; 2) the incomplete attack; 3) abnormal attacks; and 4) isolated symptoms’ (Peter Wolf, History of epilepsy: nosological concepts and classification, in Epileptic Disorders: International Epileptic Journals, Sept 2014; I6 (3): 261-9).
Féré began his medical studies at Rouen and completed them in 1882 at Paris. He interned in surgery but whilst assisting Jean-Martin Charcot at the Salpêtrière, changed to neuropathology. In 1887 he was appointed chief medical officer at the Bicêtre, where he remained for the rest of his career. A specialist of ‘hystero-epilepsy’, he published extensively with studies on the anatomy of the nervous system, sexuality, hypnosis, Darwinism, and criminology.
The work is inscribed to ‘Monsieur le Docteur Widal’ - either Henri Victor Widal (1826-1894), the military physician and member of the Academy of Medicine, or perhaps more likely to his son Georges-Ferdinand (1862-1929), the noted pathological anatomist, who published essays on the nervous system, and most notably on infectious diseases.

1858. 8vo, pp. [iv], 104, with three large folding engraved plates; text and plates all a little foxed with some marginal dust-soiling, and small dampstain on half-title and title-page; uncut, in the original blue printed wrappers, spine discretely repaired, slight wear at head and tail of spine, covers a little soiled and stained, extremities a little bumped and rubbed; a good copy. First edition of this noted technical work on flood prevention, by the influential French civil engineer and economist, Jules Dupuit (1804-1866). The work was written in the wake of the catastrophic floods in the Loire valley region in both 1846 and 1856, promoting a national rethink of France’s hydraulic defence strategy. ‘In 1846 Dupuit witnessed major flooding on the Loire River. This turned his attention, at least in part, to flood hydrology. At that time there was little appreciation for the basic processes and erroneous concepts were common. Dupuit applied continuity concepts to both refute errors and to support his recommendations. In 1858 he published a pamphlet (Dupuit, 1858) that addresses problems that we still face today. He noted that dams decrease flood peaks and increase the flood period. However, retention structures flood large amount of land with considerable consequences for the inhabitants. He noted that small upland structures have limited Water Resources and Environmental History influence on floods on large rivers, and may be inefficient during long storms, while sites for large reservoirs are difficult to locate. Conversely, he observed river levees are effective, but prone to damage. He noted that the damage created by levee breaks was a function of their height, thus he urged that the government control their construction. Finally, returning to his economic interests, he argued that those who profit should pay for the financing of any flood control works. Dupuit both handed out and received considerable criticism on the issues of flood hydrology. However, his writings largely anticipated all future discussions in the field and his conclusions have been proved generally valid’ (Brown, p. [3]). His general conclusions were: that ‘Dams like Pinay have only a limited influence on floods of large rivers such as the Loire; small reservoirs erected in mountains demand extraordinary design and costs, are inefficient for large floods, and may behave adversely when filled during a long storm period; River dikes have proved to be effective, although several were damaged during floods. Dams should thus be incorporated with dikes to result in a combined flood defense; the height of dikes is related to the damage produced under a breach. The government should control these works. The finances required should be collected from those who profit, with a system of assurances’ (https://www.history-of-hydrology.net/mediawiki/index.php/Dupuit,_Jules).

1879.]. 8vo, pp. [iv], 182, 6 publishers catalogue for Delarue; with engraved frontispiece signed by Coste depicting a fortune teller addressing an audience, and smaller engraved vignette at tail of avant-propos signed by Duraud, and small title-page vignette; neat repair to tear p. [iii], and at margin of p. 175, browned and lightly foxed throughout due to paper quality; contemporary green sheep backed publisher’s cloth, spine in compartments with raised bands, tooled and lettered in gilt, with marbled endpapers, covers slightly soiled and scratched, extremities lightly bumped; a good copy. One of a myriad of fortune telling games aimed specifically at female audiences, versions of which were published by various Parisian publisher’s during the mid to late 19th century. Players had to choose one of 80 questions to be answered. A pin was then stuck into a printed dial. The number on the dial corresponds to a specific grouping of dots, that in turn leads the player to a page number on which the answer will be revealed.
A popular pastime across Europe, the present iteration claims to be the work of ‘Mlle Lenormant’. Mademoiselle Lenormand (1772-1843) was a famous card-reader in Paris, during the time of Napoleon, who made a successful career reading cards, palms and casting horoscopes for the great and good. After her death, her name lived on through decks of ‘Mlle Lenomand cartomancy cards’, sets of 36 tarot cards associated with playing card suites. The Catalogue Général de la Librairie Française in 1887 suggests the present work was published in 1879.

1871 and 1880. Together, two volumes, 8vo and folio portfolio; pp. [ii], 45, [1] blank; with five chromolithograph wall charts mounted on linen, 565 x 715mm, each with two eyelets in upper margin; text volume somewhat browned and spotted, plates also a little foxed and browned, with some staining to verso, but otherwise good; text in contemporary cloth-backed blue marbled boards, with title label mounted on upper cover lettered in ms, with library stamp on upper cover, extremities a little rubbed and worn; wall charts housed within the original drab grey cloth-backed card portfolio, with printed label mounted on upper cover, preserving the original cloth ties, head and tail of spine a little worn, covers lightly scuffed and stained; overall a good copy. Scarce, though mixed set, of the first edition of the text and the second edition of the charts, of this striking example of ‘infographics’, introducing the study of geology and prehistory via a series of large wall-charts, by the German geologist Oskar Friedrich von Fraas (1824-97). As such it provides a fascinating view of contemporary geological theory. Fraas was the geological curator at the natural history museum in Stuttgart, and had been strongly influenced by the success of Louis Figuier’s ‘La terre avant le Déluge’ published in 1863, and which prompted him to publish his own ‘Vor der Sündfluth!’ in 1866.
The second edition of 1880 was expanded from four to five wall charts, the first four depicting the geological profiles and landscapes of the Silurian to Permian period; the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous; the Eocene, Miocene, and Pliocene age; and the Pleistocene period. The final plate is a prehistoric chart illustrating the Stone Age.

1792. 4to, pp. 4; with woodcut head-piece; a little foxed and spotted with some dust-soiling (mainly marginal), and some light finger-soiling visible to fore-edge; with contemporary inscription above head-piece ‘Bon pour imprimeur chez M. Descamps Douay le 12 avril 1792’; stitched in later marbled wrappers, and with plain paper outer dust-wrapper, title and date in manuscript florid calligraphic hand, believed to be in the hand of Quarré-Reybourbon, with his book-label ‘Collection Quarré-Reybourbon, Lille’ on inside cover of front marbled wrapper; very good. First edition of this important legal document announcing the approval for use of a mechanical beheading device, first called a ‘louisette’, but more infamously later renamed after Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (1738-1814). Whilst not the first such capital punishment device, the guillotine became synonymous with the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, although it was invented with the intention of making executions more humane and less painful, in accordance with Enlightenment thought.
Guillotine first proposed the use of a more humane device on October 10th 1789. A death penalty opponent, he sought to persuade Louis XVI to implement a less painful alternative, and proposed to the National Assembly that capital punishment should always take the form of decapitation ‘by means of a simple mechanism’. It was, however, the French surgeon and Royal physician Antoine Louis (1723-1792), together with the German engineer Tobias Schmidt (1755-1831), who built the first prototype, Louis as Perpetual Secretary of the Academy of Surgery having been appointed as head of a committee to investigate the matter. The eventual machine was deemed successful, and soon replaced the more traditional methods of beheading by sword or axe, or hanging.
The present pamphlet announces the passing of the decree on March 20th 1792, and transcribes Dr. Louis’ text, Avis motivé sur le mode de la décolation: ‘The mode in use in the past to cut off the head of a criminal exposes him to a more dreadful torture than the simple deprivation of life... The execution must be done in an instant and only one blow... It is easy to have such a machine built, the effect of which is unmistakable, the beheading will be done in an instant...’
Of possible interest to printing historians, is the contemporary inscription found above the woodcut head-piece ‘Bon pour imprimeur chez M. Descamps Douay le 12 avril 1792’, and noting ‘1400 placards, 1500 in 4to’, suggesting that the present copy was used as a template for a provincial impression. There is a further signature - ‘Delval Lagache’, whom we believe to be Antoine Joseph Delval Lagache (1749-1822), at the time a Paris appointed administrative figure in Douai, and who would no doubt have been in charge of the distribution of National Assembly decrees throughout the region (see Duthilloeul, Galerie Douaisienne, 1844, ff. 96). François Descamps (1760-1794) was a printer in Douais. Initially rallied to the ideals of 1789, he subsequently became disillusioned with the anti-religious policy of the Revolution and began publishing critical essays and verses. In 1794 he was denounced by the revolutionary committee of Douai, and was put to death - by guillotine - on April 21.
Provenance: Once in the collection of the noted French historian and collector Louis François Quarré-Reybourbon (1824-1906), who amassed an impressive collection of objects and works relating to the département du Nord, Hainaut and Artois.

1785-90.]. Partially hand-coloured engraved map mounted on wood and backed with plain paper and then dissected, cut loosely into 53 pieces in the shape of the coastline of England and Wales, approximately 46 x 52 cms, a little browned and dust-soiled, with some spotting in places, pieces interlocking though a couple not very close fitting, with possible loss of one tiny lug of an area of sea, otherwise exceptionally fine and complete; pieces housed within the original oak box 18 x 19 x 5cms, with mounted engraved pictorial label on sliding lid (somewhat browned and faded), with the key sheet of a square engraving bearing the imprint of Sayer mounted on the inside of the sliding lid; an extremely scarce survivor. A most attractive early dissected puzzle: dissected maps, from the first period of the English jigsaw are extremely rare, and the present example seems to be a so far unrecorded variant.
Hannas records only one example of this dissection (author’s collection), and which appears to be a variant. The date on the box label is 1st Jany. 1786, and the pieces are not interlocking. The dimensions reveal that her example was presented as a square, and that it used a variant issue of Rocque’s map, including a cartouche of a coach and four horses, with two further riders seen visible below the imprint. The Library of Congress appears to hold the same version. It seems almost impossible to determine which dissection precedes the other. As Shefrin highlights, an advertisement from a 1775 Sayer print catalogue, noted that: ‘Any of the foregoing maps may be had dissected on boards, for the use of such as are learners of geography; whereby they may readily learn the situation of every kingdom, state, or division’ (Shefrin p. 20). ‘The wording of the advertisement implies that puzzles could be made up on request from existing sheet maps rather than necessarily being available for sale in the shop already mounted and dissected, and some dissected maps appear to have been sold this way, produced from stray maps on hand’ (ibid). The present example has clearly been deliberately cut close around the coastline. Rocque’s Traveller’s companion map was originally issued in 1760 and went through various states. The copper plate was acquired by Robert Sayer after Rocque’s death, and appears to have made some modifications himself to the cartouche.
The earliest examples of what we now call jigsaw puzzles were such dissected maps, originally intended as educational games to teach geography. John Spilsbury (1739-69) is associated with some of the earliest examples which he produced during the 1760s, and is thus regarded as one of the first commercial producers of puzzles. How successful he might have been is uncertain, as he died at the age of 29 in 1769. By the 1780s a number of other printers had taken up the mantel, with early manufacturers of ‘jigsaws’ including William Darton & Son, John Wallis & Sons, Elizabeth Newbery and Robert Sayer (as here). Throughout the Victorian period the number of puzzle makers increased, with names such as John Betts, Arthur Parks and William Spooner coming to the fore.
Early puzzles were usually cut using a silversmith’s saw, and the attendant difficulty of turning the saw accurately in small circles meant that fewer interlocks or dovetails were employed. All manner of subject matters were used, though maps and religious scenes were the most popular, although a number relating to historical subjects were created. The word ‘jigsaw’ wasn't applied to these puzzles until 1909. By the 1810s John Wallis was proclaiming himself their inventor, Spilsbury’s claim having fallen by the wayside. During the lockdown, UK sales of jigsaw puzzles grew nearly 40% and were turning over nearly £100 million. A far cry from the humble origin in Spilsbury’s printmaker’s shop off Drury Lane.

ca. 1880-1900.]. Chromolithograph decorative lidded box, 405 x 320 x 50mm; interior divided into three compartments, the larger containing three large chromolithograph playing boards, each with a sliding graduating scale on which the bear can slide, the two side compartments containing a pink cotton drawstring bag of bone tokens, two card ‘faux crocodile skin’ die shakers and two bone die; some signs of wear to all three playing boards, with some minor loss of paper in places, all three somewhat browned and aged; with mounted rules on the inside lid; in the original decorative box, with chromolithograph scene mounted on upper lid depicting the Jardin de Plantes, with a large group of spectators looking down into bear pit, lid a little darkened and soiled, with some darkening and soiling around the edges, some slight scuffing and loss of paper to base, some edge-wear as to be expected; an appealing complete example of a rare and fragile item. A striking game of chance, though very much of its time, ‘celebrating’ the famous bears of the Paris Jardin du Roi. A speed race comprised of three playing boards, each player chooses a bear - either Martin, Coco, or Lebernois, and taking turns to throw the dice moves their bear up the graduated ‘pole’ according to the numbers thrown. Like all games of chance, players risk landing on forfeit squares, printed in red and green, which will force either a return to the start, or to slide several places back down the pole. The first to the top (40) wins and claims the stake pot.
The game is similar in style to another Saussine production, ‘Jeu du Mat de Cocagne’ another race game, this time carnival based and racing three male climbers up a greased pole. The present game was reissued during the 1920s.
The Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris was famed not only for its collections, but for its ménagerie located within the botanical gardens of the Jardin du Roi. Formalised in 1794 after the revolution, guide books for the museum and the gardens soon became popular, published regularly, and which took visitors on a walking tour of the various notable attractions, including cages of ‘ferocious beasts’, an aviary, a monkey gallery, the famous rotunda housing large herbivores, including giraffes and elephants. Bear pits were first created in 1805, and early residents were confiscated from bear trainers, and soon gained a reputation for their ferocity, after two visitors (in 1814 and 1820) were killed having rashly entered the enclosure. Indeed the latter incident prompted something of a public outcry, the first ‘Martin Bear’ (‘L’ours Martin’ so named after Saint-Martin, protector of the poor and ‘bear hunter’) effectively put on trial for his crime. This ‘homicide’, whilst treated by some as a legitimate crime, also became the focus of various parodic pamphlets, putting humanity itself on defence for wrongly ‘oppressing’ others of Martin’s kind, who were only acting according to nature. These tragic incidents nevertheless helped to create public sympathy for the bears, and they became a popular attraction, entertaining generations of families through both their antics and ferociousness. As the present end of the century games suggests, they were still a major attraction, the animal collection seen as a positive way to broaden the horizons of Parisians and those from further afield.

-1870s.]. 8vo, carte de visite photograph album, ff. 15 leaves of thick card, with images on both recto and verso, and comprising a lithograph introductory text within a garland border, followed by 28 numbered albumen print photographs of comical drawings, also within matching garland borders, each with lithographed text mounted below, the ‘windows for each surrounded by chromolithograph triple gilt ruled border; somewhat dust-soiled throughout with some marginal staining, first window previously torn but now repaired, the photographs all a little faded, more so towards the end, top corners of each card clipped for easier insertion into windows, small tear at tail of ff. 2, with further light wear and occasional minor tears to each, and cards a little awkward to remove; bound within the original elaborate blindstamped red morocco album, though now considerably darkened appearing almost brown, upper cover lettered in gilt 'The Club Adventures of Alderman Akeinside', sympathetically newly rebacked to style with new endpapers and later morocco label, spine with raised bands, all edges gilt and with inner gilt dentelles, with remains of brass clasps; a most unusual and appealing ephemeral item. A wonderful and somewhat curious piece of mid to late Victoriana, and seemingly a rare production. We have so far been unable to find any record of ‘B & Co. London (Wholesale), and have only found two copies held by Institutions, and none in the UK.
Presented as a carte de visite photograph album, the work contains 29 ‘cartes’, the first of which is a lithograph introductory text, followed by 28 numbered albumen print photographs of comical drawings illustrating the gluttonous night-out of Alderman Akeinside at his club, his inebriated return home, and his final consultation with Dr. Sloe and Mrs. Akeinside. Though slightly hard to remove from their ‘windows’ (each framed by a gilt ruled border), each card has the imprint 'Published by B. & Co. London (Wholesale)', within a circle on the verso, though undated. Harvard hold what is presumably the original manuscript version, and which they date to 1850, and which contains ‘pen, pencil and watercolour’ drawings, each signed ‘GB’ or ‘GBR’. Toronto holds a copy of the present later version including the albumen carte-de-visite prints, most probably photographs of the original album held at the Houghton, and which they date to 1860.
From the Introduction: 'August ye 12th. 18-- Dine at the Club tomorrow ? Of course I shall, whoever heard of such a thing ? Mrs. A. wont eat turtle, never did: I dont like Ice: because I once fell into the Serpentine: no wonder she dont know the difference between Turtle and boiled Goose!! Some people dont know the difference between a sheeps head and a Carrot!'.

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. 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, though we have sadly been unable to discern the first name, but it could be Jean-Henri.
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. 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 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.

1814. 8vo, viii, [iv], 236; with folding engraved plate; lightly browned and foxed throughout; with ex-libris on front free endpaper ‘Bücherie Johannes Cotta’ and stamped date ‘21. Dez. 1925’; bound in contemporary red marbled paste-boards, with yellow and green paper labels on spine lettered in gilt, head and tail of spine and joints rather rubbed and worn, with further light scuffing to surfaces, extremities a little bumped and worn; still a good copy. Scarce first edition of this compilation of historical facts and events, popular beliefs, and spurious anecdotes, and the work of the Austrian bibliographer Franz Arnold Gräffer (1785-1852). The folding engraved plate (sometimes bound as a frontispiece though here found at the end of the work) is extremely striking and rather curious depicting as it does a rider on a horse, composed out of various other animals.
Gräffer’s ‘cabinet’ includes an impressive range of ‘curiosities’ from the fate of Jean d’Arc (was she really burnt at the stake?), the riches of Rome (with full accounts), to a listing of automatons and famous kisses. The reader learns too about the household accounting instructions of Mme de Maintenon and her helpful money-saving tips such as get yourself invited to dinner.
The son of the bookseller August Gräffer (d. 1816), after first studying art, Franz subsequently joined his father’s business. For a time librarian to Prince Moritz von Liechtenstein and Count Karl Harrach (1761-1829), he later devoted himself to the publishing and antiquarian business, though after losing most of his fortune in the process, he turned to literary pursuits, writing some 60 works, predominantly relating to Viennese literary life. Together with Johann Jakob Czikann (1789-1855) he published ‘Oesterreichische National-Encyklopädie’.

1960-70s. Elephant folio, 730 x 527mm, ff. [10] leaves including four coloured double-sided plastic overlays, with both front and rear boards also acting as anatomical plates, thus 24 ‘plates’ in all; the two plates before and after the overlays printed in colour; all plates with a hole in upper margin for hanging; inside front and rear covers somewhat foxed, with some foxing and soiling throughout, tear to upper margin of final leaf at hanging hole, but otherwise clean and bright; in spiral-bound pictorial coloured boards, with grommets in the upper margins for hanging, head and tail of spine worn, with further wear visible along spine, covers a little foxed and soiled, and some edgewear, so whilst a little dog-eared, generally very good for a but otherwise very good for a work often found in poor condition. A scarce and remarkable anatomical atlas, illustrated with plastic overlays and which display a front and back view of the human organs, in proper relation to each other, whilst most of the paper pages are devoted to detailed views of specific organs and systems. It was hoped that this new way of presenting anatomy to students, by effectively giving a visual representation of the various 'layers' of the human body, would help them to create a mental picture of each region.
C.S. Hammond & Co., was founded in 1901 by Caleb Stillson Hammond (1862-1929), and became one of America’s leading map making and printing firms, second only to Rand McNally in volume, producing a variety of wall maps, atlases, educational material and globes.

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 armorial 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).

1885. 8vo, pp. [viii], ff. [10] explanatory leaves of text facing an accompanying chromolithograph plate (thus 10 plates); title-page a little browned, with further light marginal browning and foxing throughout; gutter exposed in a couple of places but holding firm; with contemporary signature on title and final verso; in contemporary maroon publisher’s cloth, spine and upper cover lettered in gilt, head and tail of spine a little rubbed, covers a little soiled, extremities lightly bumped and worn. First English edition of this graphically striking atlas of the cutaneous nerve supply and distribution of the human body, first published in German in the previous year as ‘Atlas der hautnervengebiete’.
Jacob Munch Heiberg (1843 - 1888 Christiania) was a Norwegian doctor and anatomist. After studying he worked as a volunteer and unpaid doctor on the German side in the Franco- Prussian War of 1870 - 1871. He subsequently studied at clinics in Berlin, Rostock, Königsberg, Dresden, Leipzig and Vienna, before returning home where he opened an Eye Clinic in May, 1873. In 1878 he became professor of anatomy, histology and embryology at Oslo and in 1881 was the only professor in the medical faculty who voted for women to be allowed to study.

1848. Single sheet, 315 x 217mm; with engraved arms at head, partially completed in neat manuscript in brown ink; with evidence of seals, some light soiling along horizontal fold, with some minor furling to extremities; a good example. A standard maritime ‘Bill of Health’, issued to guarantee the health of the ship and its crew, and granting onward passage from Uruguay to Brazil for the Brig Frederica. ‘I Martin Tupper Hood, Her Britannic Majesty’s Acting Consul General to the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay, do hereby certify to all quarantine Officers and others whom it doth or may concern, that by the Mercy of God this City, its Harbour and Vicinity, are entirely exempt from every degree of Plague or other contagious disorder’. The document has been signed by the Vice Consul, a slightly illegible signature but possibly Vernon Hunt.
As such it provides a fascinating insight into cross-boundary maintenance of public health in the first half of the 19th century, especially in the light of the recent cholera pandemics. Major efforts were being made to restrict the spread of disease, with highly organized measures being put in to practice and laws written to enforce these. Ships and sailors, with their easy mobility, were considered chief contributors to the international spread of disease, thus becoming prime culprits and easy scapegoats. The ‘Bills of Health’ nullified this threat. Issued in various places in their own individual formats, they nevertheless followed a standard pattern, were official printed forms, and were signed and dated by specific ‘qualified’ individuals. They acted, therefore, as guarantees: without them the ship could not sail or be allowed to dock: with them the citizens of port towns could feel that their good health was secure.

1847. Large oblong folio, pp. [iv], 24, [2]; with 22 letterpress tables (20 double-page), each with line-engraved geometric projection, and three further engraved plates; paper a little browned throughout due to paper quality, some light foxing to the engraved plates; an attractive, seemingly deluxe copy in contemporary red morocco, all edges gilt, spine in compartments ruled and lettered in gilt and blind, covers with central gilt garland within blind and gilt ruled borders, with gilt dentelles and attractive embossed floral endpapers, head and tail of spine a little worn, extremities of covers slightly darkened with some minor surface wear and soiling, corners a little worn; a most attractive copy. First edition of this detailed and practical computational work for civil engineers, providing cubic metric tables to assist in the volumetric calculation of earthworks in relation to railway, canal and road cuttings and embankments. This attractively produced work is dedicated to Baron James de Rothschild, the banker par excellence of the industrial era, and founder of the Compagnie du chemin de fer du Nord in 1845.
According to Hughes, this is the first work of its kind, published at the behest of Rothschild, and in response to the civil engineering challenges being posed by the rapid expansion of the French transport infrastructure. His aim was to ‘make the calculations required by these major works faster and more reliable’ (dedication). ‘The ability to be able to calculate in a prompt and reliable manner, the volumes of cuttings and embankments in the construction of a railway, canal, road, etc., is so generally desired that we hope that practical men will favourably receive a work which, by its use, will bring great speed combined with great accuracy to their operations.’ (preface)
This appears to be a deluxe edition, with the tables printed on one side only to enable them to be bound as double-page plates for ease of use. Contemporary catalogues of the publisher Mathias note that the price of this edition was 23 francs, as opposed to 18 francs for an ordinary edition. The three engraved plates are from drawings by the author, who was himself a civil engineer - although we have so far been unable to find any further biographical information.
The Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Nord operated the railway network in Northern France from 1845 to 1938, and was founded by Rothschild and his associates on the 20th September 1845. It operated the state concession of lines from Paris to the Belgian border via Lille and Valenciennes, together with associated branch lines. It retained the name Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Nord despite the absorption of other companies in the Northern France sector. It soon attracted a high volume of traffic, and served as a model for other major companies.

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!