Book History, Education, Learning & Printing / Bindings

JUSTINUS, Marcus Junianus. Trogi Pompei externae historiae in compendium ab Justino redactae.
Including:
PROBUS, Aemylius [recté NEPOS, Cornelius]. De vita excellentium imperatorum liber.
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS, Caius. Historiae Romanae duo volumina, ...
(Colophon: Florence, Philippo Giunta, 1525). 3 works published as 1. 8vo. With Giunta's woodcut device on the title-page and a nearly identical one on the verso of the otherwise blank last leaf. Set in an Aldine-style italic, with numerous spaces with guide letters where manuscript initials could be filled in (left blank in the present copy). Dark green gold-tooled morocco (ca. 1833?), the with AAR-monogram of Antoine Augustin Renouard, gold-tooled board edges and turn-ins, pink watered-silk endleaves, matching ribbon marker, gilt edges. Attributed to the Bradel family in Paris, probably Antoine Louis François Bradel. 15, [1], “103” [= 203], [1 blank]; [8], “105” [= 205]-267, [1] ll. Full description

KIRCHER, Athanasius. Ars magna sciendi, in XII libros digesta, qua nova & universali methodo ... [vol. 2 half-title:] Artis magnae seu combinatoriae sciendi, ... [titles on the frontispieces:] Ars magna sciendi sive combinatoria [vol. 1] Artis magnae combinatoriae [vol. 2].
Amsterdam, Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge and the widow of Elizaeus Weyerstraten, 1669. 2 volumes bound as 1. Royal folio (46 x 30 x 5.5 cm). With 2 richly engraved allegorical frontispieces, an engraved plate with a full-page portrait of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, an engraved plate showing all knowledge of the universe organised as a tree, 2 engraved volvelles (with 4 rotating dials), 20 further engravings on integral leaves and a couple dozen woodcut figures in the text. Contemporary richly gold-tooled red goatskin morocco decorated a petit fers, gold-tooled turn-ins, board edges and raised bands, giving a total of more than 1500 impressions of about 14 stamps and 3 rolls, edges gilt over red and blue squiggles. Janssonius van Waesberge, who published Kircher's books in Amsterdam from 1664/65 to 1682, arranged to have copies of several luxuriously bound for Kircher to present to leading figures and this is almost certainly one of them, presented to Giovanni Paolo Oliva, Superior General of the Jesuit Society. [18], 482, [10] pp. (including 2 integral frontispieces), plus 4 inserted tables & 2 plates. Full description

LAIRESSE, Gerard de. Groot schilderboek ...
Haarlem, Johannes Marshoorn, 1740. 2 parts in 1 volume. 4to. With an engraved frontispiece, both title pages with a woodcut vignette, title to part 1 printed in red and black, an engraved portrait of De Laraisse, and 64 engraved plates. 19th-century richly gold-tooled mottled calf (dated 1841). The work has been re-backed with the original spine laid down. [3], [1 blank], [52], 434, [33], [1 blank]; 400, [28] pp. Full description

LAIRESSE, Gerard de. Grondlegginge der teeken-konst, zynde een korte en zeekere weg om door middel van de geometrie of meetkunde, de teeken-konst volkomen te leeren. ... Tweede druk.Including: SEGNER, Johann Andreas. Beschryving van twee verscheide zeer bekwame en zuinige als mede het gezicht bewarende lampen, ...
Amsterdam, Gerrit Tielenburg, 1766. 4to. With a engraved illustration on title-page, 8 engraved plates (including one mezzotint) and 6 engravings in text, mostly after designs by the author, and ad 2 with 3 folding engraved plates. Contemporary richly gold-tooled calf, gilt edges. [16], 115, [1 blank]; [4], 16 pp. Full description

[LA SALE, Antoine de (attributed)]. Les quinze joyes de mariage, extraicts d'un vieil exemplaire escrit à la main, passez sont quatre cens ans.
Rouen, Raphaël du petit Val, 1596. 12mo (ca. 14x8 cm). With a woodcut printer's device on the title page, a woodcut illustration, and several decorated woodcut initials, and woodcut head- and tailpieces. 19th-century gold tooled dark brown goatskin, with the title and publication details lettered in gold on the spine, a central ornament on both boards surrounded by two single fillet borders, gilt edges, marbled end papers, and "Bound by F. Bedford" stamped in gold on the front-turn in. 186, [5], [1 blank] pp. Full description

LEMNIUS, Levinus. De habitu et constitutione corporis, quam Graeci "krasin", triviales complexionem vocant, libri II.
Erfurt, Esaias Mechlerus, 1582. 8vo. With a woodcut portrait of the author on the title page, several decorated woodcut initials and tail pieces. Contemporary blind-tooled pigskin over wooden boards, sewn on 3 supports with the corresponding raised bands on the spine, the first compartment of the spine has been painted red, a manuscript shelf mark ("E. 188") in red ink in the fourth compartment, the boards are richly blind-tooled with a central panel featuring Justicia (signed "HB") on the front, and Lucrecia (dated 1570) on the back, framed by a decorative border containing small portraits of classical authors, secured with two brass clasps and catches. [8], 167, [13] ll. Full description

LE PAUTRE, Jean. [Collection of 10 print series of 6 plates each with model designs for altars, church tabernacles, armorial trophies, chimney-pieces, monumental doorways, wainscoting, wall panels and ceilings].
Paris, Jean I Le Blond, Pierre II Mariette, [ca. 1655-ca. 1670]. 10 print series in 1 volume. Oblong small folio & oblong 4to (20 x 26.5 cm). With 60 engraved plates (plate size ca. 15 x 22 cm). 17th-century sprinkled, gold-tooled calf, each board with the same unidentified coat-of-arms in the centre. 3, [3]; [6]; [6]; 6; [6]; 6; 6; 6; [6]; 6 ll. (numbered in pencil: 4-63). Full description

LE PETIT, Jean François. La grande chronique ancienne et moderne, de Hollande, Zelande, West-Frise, Utrecht, Frise, Overyssel & Groeningen, jusques à la fin de l'An 1600. Receüillee tant des histoires desdites provinces, que de divers autres auteurs.
Dordrecht, Jacob Canin for the author (colophon volume 2:) printed in Dordrecht by Guillaume Guillemot, 1601. 2 volumes, Folio. With the title set within a richly engraved allegorical border, repeated for the title in volume 2, a full-page engraved portrait of the author, and 57 mostly full-page engraved portraits in the text, including one portrait in woodcut, and allegorical engraved plate of the States General of the Dutch United Provinces, by Christoph van Sichem. Further with several large woodcut decorated initials. Contemporary gold-tooled red morocco, with the small gold-tooled crest of Thomas Hutton and the title lettered in gold on the spine, gold-tooled board edges. [1], [1 blank], [38], "650" [= 656], [2], 240; [1], [1 blank], [14], "779" [= 788], [15], [1 blank] pp. Full description

LEU, Thomas de (or de LEEUW) [drawn by Marten de VOS]. [Engraved title:] Solitudo sive vitae patrum eremicolarum ...
[Paris], Thomas de Leu, 1606. Small oblong folio (19 x 25.5 cm). With an engraved allegorical title page, and 29 engraved prints. Gold-tooled blue goatskin morocco (ca. 1890?) bound by Bernard David (or his son Salvador David) in Paris. [1], 29 engraved ll. Full description

MANDEVILLE, John [= Jehan d'OUTREMEUSE]. The voyages & travels of Sir John Mandevile, Knight, ... to the Holy Land, and to Hierusalem: as also to the lands of the Great Caan, and of Prestor John: to Inde, and divers other countries: ...
London, Richard Chiswell, Benjamin Walford, Matthew Wotton, George Conyers, 1696. 4to. With a woodcut ship on the title-page and about 60 woodcut illustrations in the text (mostly about 5.5 x 8 cm) plus about 10 repeats. Gold-tooled, red goatskin morocco by Robert Riviere in London (ca. 1875/80), one of England's best binders. [4], “139” [= 135], [5] pp. Full description