Book History, Education, Learning & Printing

DESGODINS, Auguste. Essai de grammaire Thibétaine pour le langage parlé, avec alphabet et prononciation.
Hongkong, Imprimerie de Nazareth, 1899. 12mo. With the printing offices device (an Asian style temple with "Nazareth", "venite seorsum" and an "ME" monogram with cross) on the title-page and several tailpieces. Original publishers half tan morocco, sewn on 3 recessed cords but with 4 false raised band on the spine, with "GRAMMAIRE|THIBÉTAINE" in gold in the 2nd compartment and the printer-publishers "ME" monogram with cross at the foot of the fifth, "Gustav"-marbled sides (tan on yellow), decorated endpapers (printed in imitation of Spanish marbled paper), sprinkled edges. [9], 91, [1] pp. Full description

DIDEROT, Denis. Oeuvres de Denis Diderot, publiées, sur les manuscrits de l'auteur, par Jacques-André Naigeon, de l'Institut National des Sciences, etc. Tome premier[-quinzième].
Paris, Desray, Deterville (back of half-title, vol. I: printed by [Charles] Crapelet), an VI [=] 1798. 15 volumes. 8vo. With a frontispiece portrait of the author engraved by Charles Étienne Gaucher after a 1766 drawing by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 16 engraved plates and a folding letterpress table of all kinds of human knowledge for the Encyclopédie (52 x 37.5 cm). Contemporary, uniform half sprinkled calf, richly gold-tooled spines. [in total about 7500 pp.]. Full description

DILHERR, Johann Michael. Heilig-Epistolischer Bericht, Licht, Geleit und Freud. Das ist: emblematische Fürstellung, der heiligen sonn- und festtäglichen Episteln.
Nuremberg, Johann Andreas Endter and the heirs of Wolffgang der Jüngere, 1663. With engraved frontispiece and 85 large engraved emblems by M. Küsell after G. Strauch.
With: (2) DILHERR, Johann Michael. Augen- und Hertzens-Lust. Das ist emblematische Fürstellung der Sonn- und festtäglichen Evangelien.
Nuremberg, Johann Andreas Endter and the heirs of Wolffgang der Jüngere, 1661. With engraved frontispiece and 91 large engraved emblems by M. Küsell after G. Strauch. 2 works in 1 volume. Folio. Contemporary calf with the coat of arms of the Nuremberg patrician family Holzschuher Von und Zu Haszlach in gold in the centre of each board, gold-tooled spine, gilt edges. [8 blank], [30], 631, [33]; [8], 234, [4], 235-365, [31], [8 blank] pp. Full description

[DIPLOMATIC MISSION]. BRAECKLE, Jacques de. Memoires du voiage de Constantinople de Jacques de Bracle seigneur de Bassecourt.
[Various places, [1570 or very soon after]. 4to (main text & decorated paper) & 8vo (transcription & drawings) (21.5 x 14.5 cm). Manuscript in French, written in brown ink on paper in a Flemish bastarda gothic hand, with about 26 lines per page. With 8 contemporary half-sheet specimens of Turkish decorated "silhouette" paper (folded to make 16 leaves in 2 quires), a series of 28 drawings in brown ink and coloured gouaches, highlighted in gold (mostly costume figures, some showing the Sultan and other leading figures, others showing anonymous types from various ethnic and religious groups), plus a ca. 1800, transcript of the complete text and biography of the author (with his arms in colour). Modern sheepskin parchment. [2 blank], [34]; [5 blank], [62 incl. a few blank], [1 blank] pp. plus 8 double leaves of decorated paper and [36], [4 blank]; [2], [2 blank] pp. of 18th-century additions. Full description

DODOENS (DODONAEUS), Rembert. Praxis medica.
Amsterdam, Hendrick Laurensz. [printed by Jasper Tournay in Gouda], 1616.
With: (2) DODOENS (DODONAEUS), Rembert. Medicinalium observationum exempla rara. ....
Harderwijk, widow of Thomas Henricksz.; Amsterdam, Hendrik Laurensz., "M.D.XXI" [with a C added in manuscript to correct it to 1621]. 8vo. 2 editions in 1 volume. Contemporary vellum. [8], 618, [7], [1 blank] pp. Full description

OVIDIUS NASO, Publius (Lodovico DOLCE, translator). Le trasformationi, ... . In questa quarta impressione da lui in molti luoghi ricorrette.
Venice, Gabriele Giolito de Ferrari, 1557. 4to. With title in a richly designed architectural woodcut frame, a half-page woodcut hemispherical map of the Americas, Europe and Africa and 82 large woodcut illustrations (plus 2 repeats) with fine ornamental and grotesque borders at either side. Contemporary(?) Polish(?) blind-tooled calf. 17th- or 18th-century endpapers. [16], 309, [3] pp. Full description

DOLCE, Lodovico. Dialogo ..., nel quale si ragiona delle qualità, diversità, e proprietà de i colori.
Venice, Giovanni Battista & Melchiorre Sessa and brothers (colophon: 1565). Small 8vo (15 x 10.5 cm). With woodcut scrollwork Pegasus device on title-page, the word "Dilogo" in a woodcut scrollwork frame, 2 woodcut headpieces, 3 woodcut decorated initials (1 with a figure riding a griffon, 1 with a leopard(?)) and 3 fleurons. With the main text set in italic and preliminaries in roman. 18th-century half parchment (recased?). 87, [1] ll. Full description

DORN, Bernard. [21 autograph letters, signed, to Marie-Félicité Brosset].
Saint Petersburg, ca. 1840-1879.
With: (2) [Manuscript chronological numbered list of 34 publications by Dorn, 1843-1865].
[Saint Petersburg, ca. 1865].
8vo (letters, mostly 21 x 13.5 cm) and folio (list of publications). Letters in French with an occasional (Persian?) word in Arabic script, written in black ink on paper, some with the address on the outside and one with Dorn's (Persian?) red wax seal in Arabic script. 20 letters [4] pp. each (some including blanks); 1 letter [1, 1 blank] pp.; list of publications [4] pp. Full description

[DRAWINGS - BIRDS]. Konst tekeningen. [Detailed illustrations of birds].
[The Netherlands], binding dated 1784. Large folio (52 x 33.5 cm). With 18 large, beautifully hand-drawn and coloured illustrations of birds.Contemporary richly gold-tooled red morocco over boards, sewn on 8 supports, each board with a round, gold-tooled, green morocco inlaid centre piece, gold-tooled board edges, 2 pairs of green cloth ties, gilt edges, and block-printed paste-paper endpapers in red and yellow. The spine is also richly gold-tooled with 2 different rolls to frame the compartments and underline the leaf and flower stamps. The front and back boards match, except for the gold lettering: on the front board "konst tekeningen" and on the back board "anno 1784". The tooling shows 4 different rolls, used for multiple frames, and numerous stamps of leaves, flowers, vases, birds and other decorative elements. 90 ll. Full description

[DREESING, Harmanus]. [Drop-title:] Notitie van een groote party curieuse kanten, stokgronden en spiegeltralies...
Amsterdam, Marten Smets, [1724]. 4to (16.5 x 21 cm). Formerly sewn through 3 holes but never bound. [8] pp. Full description