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Early Printing & Manuscripts / Natural History & Science

Rare 1534 edition of a classic on palm-reading & physiognomy, with the woodcuts of the first edition

INDAGINE VON HAGEN (ROSENBACH), Johannes. Chiromantia 1 Physiognomia, ex aspectu membrorum hominis. 2 Periaxiomata, de faciebus signorum. 3 Canones astrologici, de judiciis aegritudinum. 4 Astrologia naturalis. 5 Complexionum noticia, juxta dominium planetarium.
(Colophon: Strasbourg, Johann Schott, 1534). Folio (31 x 21.5 cm). With a large woodcut portrait of the author on the title-page, the author's full-page woodcut coat-of-arms on the recto of the otherwise blank last leaf, about 93 woodblock illustrations (including 3 hand blocks and a few square astrological diagram blocks used repeatedly with varying content). 20th-century half maroon goatskin morocco. 126, [1], [1 blank] pp. Full description
€ 9,500
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Early manual on perspective, well illustrated

LENCKER, Hans. Perspectiva hierinnen auffs kürtzte beschrieben ...
Nürnberg, Dietrich Gerlach, 1571. Small folio (29 x 19 cm). With the title within a woodcut border, 10 full-page woodcuts within collation and 1 double-page woodcut within collation (the latter not included in page numbering). Decorated black and red boards (ca. 1900). [6], XXIX ll. Full description
€ 9,500
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Predicting the future: copy from the Broxbourne Library of the rare 1511 edition
of one of the most important prophetic astrologies of the 15th and 16th century

LICHTENBERGER, Johannes. Pronosticatio in latino rare & prius non audita: quae exponit & declarat nonnullos coeli ifluxus: & i[n]clinatione[m] certaru[m] constellationu[m] magne videlicet co[n]iunctionis & eclipsis: quae suera[n]t istis annis: quid boi maliue hoc tempore & in futuru[m] huic mu[n]do porte[n]dant: durabitq[uam] pluribus annis.
[colophon:] Venice, [Niccolò & Domenico dal Gesù = Nicolo & Domenico Sandri dal Jesus], 23 August [1511?]. 4to. With the large Dal Jesus white-on-black woodcut device, 45 half-page or nearly full-page woodcuts in the text, most with letterpress captions above or below, the first showing Ptolemy, Aristotle, the Sibyl, Birgitta of Sweden and Brother Reinhart receiving divine inspiration, with an explanation on the facing page in a 4-piece ornamental floral woodcut frame. Modern half red morocco. 39, [1 blank] ll. Full description
€ 15,000
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First Dutch edition of one of the greatest herbals, with approximately 2185 botanical woodcuts

LOBEL [also L'OBEL or LOBELIUS], Matthias de. Kruydtboeck oft beschrijvinghe van allerleye ghewassen, kruyderen, hesteren, ende gheboomten.
Antwerp, Christoffel Plantin, 1581. 2 volumes bound as 1, the second in 3 parts. Large folio. With an engraved title-page, the author's large "candore et spe" woodcut device on leaf *6r, approximately 2185 botanical woodcuts in the text. The medieval manuscript parchment pastedowns are rubricated in red and ink. The Latin legal text is written in a littera bononiensis (variant of the littera textualis) in brown ink. With three loosely inserted contemporary or near contemporary slips with manuscript notes, in Dutch regarding a recipe and other notes. Tanned sheepskin over thick wooden boards (perhaps partly contemporary but refurbished in the early 19th-century) with brass fastenings. Sewn on 5 double cords supports with corresponding raised bands on the spine creating 6 compartments, with a black morocco title label lettered in gold in the second compartment, and with medieval manuscript binding waste parchment pastedowns. [10], 994, [2 blank], "312"[=314, p. 294 + 2 blank], [2 blank], 15, [1 blank], [67], [1 blank] pp. Full description
€ 22,500
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Important poem on the magical and medicinal qualities of precious stones

MARBODE (MARBODIUS) of Rennes. De gemmarum lapidumq[ue] pretiosorum formis, naturis, atq[ue] viribus eruditu[m] cu[m] primis opusculu[m], ... scholiis q[uo]q[ue] illustratu[m] p[er] Alardu[m] Aemstelredamu[m].
Cologne, Hero Alopecius [Fuchs], 1539. 8vo. With a woodcut illustration on the title-page, representing a Jewish priest behind a board with the names of 12 stones which represent the 12 tribes of Israel. 17th-century gold-tooled red morocco, richly gold-tooled spinel, gold-tooled fillets and small cornerpieces on both boards, gold-tooled board edges and turn-ins. 124, [2] ll. Full description
€ 12,500
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Six lively dialogues by a Spanish humanist from Seville, bound for the Landgrave of Hesse

MEXIA, Pedro. Coloquios o dialogos compuestos por el magnifico cavallero Pero Mexia, vezino de Sevilla, en los quales se disputan y tratan varias y diversas cosas de mucha erudicion y doctrina. Al illustrissimo senor don Perasan de Ribera Marques de Tarisa &c.
Antwerp, widow of Martinus Nutius, 1561. Small agenda 12mo (14 x 6.5 cm). With Nutius's woodcut device on the title-page. 17th-century(?) blind-tooled overlapping vellum, each board with the coat of arms of the Landgrave of Hesse, gilt edges. 165, [3 blank] ll. Full description
€ 2,950
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First edition, beautifully produced, of a very popular and influential book of secrets

MIZAULD, Antoine. Memorabilium, utiliu[m], ac jucundorum centuriae novem, in aphorismos arcanorum omnis generis locupletes, perpulchrè digestae.
Paris, Fédéric Morel, 1566. 8vo. With Morel's woodcut tree device on the title-page, 2 woodcut headpieces and 7 woodcut decorated initials (plus 3 repeats), the headpieces and initials in an unusually delicate design, finely executed. Set in italic types with the preliminaries in roman, and incidental Greek. 17th-century limp sheepskin parchment. [16], 136 pp. Full description
€ 2,250
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An early treatise on sundials, together with an influential work on geography

MÜNSTER, Sebastian. Compositio horologiorum, in plano, muro, truncis, anulo, con concavo, cylindro & variis quadrantibus, cum signorum zodiaci & diversarum horarum inscriptionibus: ...
Basel, Henricus Petrus, 1531 (changed in manuscript to 1535). With woodcut on title-page showing sundials of various kinds, Petri's woodcut device on last page, large folding woodcut plate (31.5 x 40.5 cm) of a wall sundial, and 56 woodcut illustrations in the text (many full-page).
With: (2) GLAREAN(US), Heinrich. De geographia liber unus, ab ipso authore iam tertio recognitus.
Freiburg im Breisgau, (colophon: Joannis Faber), 1533. With Faber's device on title-page with a larger version on last page, and 21 woodcut illustrations in the text (several full-page). 2 works in 1 volume. 4to. Contemporary sheepskin parchment. [8], 198, [2] pp.; 35, [1] ll. Full description
€ 19,500
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One of the earliest works on hunting and hawking written in Spanish

NUÑEZ DE AVENDAÑO, Pedro. Aviso de Cazadores y Caça.
Madrid, Pedro Madrigal, 1593.
With: (2) [bound before ad 1] NUÑEZ DE AVENDAÑO, Pedro. De exequendis mandatis regnum Hispaniae, quae rectoribus civitatum dantur, & hodie continentur in titulo.
Madris, Pedro Madrigal, 1593.
2 works in 1 volume. Folio (27 x 18.5 cm). With the woodcut printer's device on the title-page of ad 1, and two decorated woodcut initials. Further with the woodcut coat-of-arms of Habsburg Spain on the title-page of ad 2, numerous decorated woodcut initials, a woodcut headpiece at the start of the work, and headpieces made up of typographical ornaments in the first few chapters. Later limp vellum, sewn on 2 vellum tapes laces through the joints, with the manuscript title on the spine, remnants of ties. [8], "555" [= 553], [1], [2 blank], [40]; 34 pp. Full description
€ 12,500
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43 books found / Show all