Search Results: America from ARTEM

Confidential diplomatic letter,
laying out the opportunities for a new Dutch-Cuban sugar trade company
Guillermo Lobé (1785-1883).
[Autograph letter signed].
Havana, June 18, 1827.
4to. 13, [3 blank] pp. Ink on laid paper, with a watercolour drawing on a larger 4to loose wove paper sheet dated 1827.
Important confidential manuscript letter by the Dutch-Spanish diplomat Guillermo Lobé, in which he lays out the commercial and geo-political situation of Cuba in detail. The letter is accompanied by a drawing that possibly depicts a valley in Cuba and is dated on verso in ink 1827.
In the densely written 12-page letter he writes to an anonymous "old family friend", who he met in Antwerp. Apparently this friend was was planning to establish a Dutch-Cuban sugar trade company or "Société du Commerce" and asked Lobé to provide him with information about the international trade in Cuba and Havana in particular. Lobé praises the commercial opportunities of the island and predicts a great future for its… Read More

Raynal on Central American colonial history
[Guillaume-Thomas François "Abbé" Raynal (1713-1796)].
Autograph manuscript.
No place, [after 1777-1796].
4°. 1 p. on laid paper with fleur-de-lis watermark. With a loose engraved portrait of Raynal.
Extensive autograph notes in French by Abbé Raynal on William Robertson's history of Central America in The History of America (1777), particularly discussing Mexican early colonial history. This autograph is not signed but based on matches with other signed autographs by Raynal we can safely attribute it to him.Raynal was a leading 18th century opponent of colonialism and slavery, best known for his Histoire philosophique et politique des établissements et du commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes (1770), a veritable encyclopedia of anti-colonialism in the 18th century in which he bitingly denounces slavery. The manuscript that we offer here is a striking example of his method of compiling other authors' works, in this case that of Robertson. Wiliam… Read More

Description of the world with 645 plates: a rare complete copy

Alain Manesson Mallet (1630-1706).
Beschreibung des gantzen Welt-Kreises, darinnen I. […] V.
Frankfurt, Anton Heinscheidt for Johann Adam Jung, 1719.
5 volumes in 2. 8°. (IX), (VIII), (IV), 263, (1); 276, (24); 170 (22); 519, (1 blank), (XLV), (1 blank); 418, (LXXXIV) pp. = complete with errata leaves.With 645 plates (618 numbered, 5 frontispieces, 17 portraits, 5 unnumbered or wrongly numbered plates). The main title in vol. 1 erroneously mentions 650 plates. See full index of plates below.
An exceptionally rare complete copy of Alain Manesson Mallet's "Description of the World". This remarkable work, here in the second edition of the German translation, provides the reader with a guide to countless places in the world, divided in four parts: Africa, America, Asia and Europe. This is preceded by an introduction to cosmography and geography. The illustrations show maps, cities, people and particularities of the places that are… Read More

Indigenous burial rites prohibited
Isidoro Sainz de Alfaro y Beaumont; Pedro Ocón.
Circular, que dirige el Senor Gobernador de la Sagrada Mitra á los Parrocos, Eclesiasticos y Fieles Cristianos del Arzobispado de Mexico, sobre Ereccion de Cementerios fuera de las Poblaciones.
México City, Oficina de Doña María Fernández de Jaúregui, 1809.
8°. [2], 36 pp.
Contemporary marbled paper wrappers.
First and only edition of an explanation of the rules and regulations for burying the dead in the Archdiocese of Mexico. The rules for the Christian way of burial were not well observed by the local population. The rules of Christian burial were not well observed by the local population and this prompted the Archbishop of Mexico to commission his cousin the Inquisitor to write the current work. Author Isidoro Sainz de Alfaro y Beaumont was Inquisidor and the cousin of Archbishop And Viceroy Francisco Javier de Lizana y Beaumont. To make his point, he cites examples from the Old Testament that emphasize the… Read More

Legal documents regarding the suspension of one of the Liberators from court


Anonymous [Jose Felix de Restrepo (1760-1832)].

Coleccion de documentos que publica la Alta Corte de Justicia Nacional en Manifestacion de su conducta oponiéndose a que la Cámara de Representantes diese asiento en su seno al Dr. José Joaquín Ortiz, suspendido de su empleo de ministro de la Corte Superior de Cundinamarca.

Bogotá, Impreso por F. M. Stokes, Plazuela de San Francisco 1826.



8°. 28 pp.



Collection of documents concerning the suspension of Dr. José Joaquin Ortiz, representative of the Popayan province at the Superior Court of Cundinamarca. The president of the High Court was Dr. Jose Felix de Restrepo. The origin of this matter was a sentence in a lawsuit between the Augustinian convent and Sebastian Lopez. To For the matter of transparency regarding this controversial issue that was settled by a tight vote, the High Court has decided to publish all documents that were used in the case. José… Read More

Founding document and constitution of the Republic of Colombia
Simón Bolívar (1783-1830).
Constitucion de la Republica de Colombia.
Rosario de Cucuta [but Bogotá], Bruno Espinosa, Impresor de Gob. Gral., 1821.- 11°.
4°. 66 pp. (lacks V pp. preliminaries). Collates: π, B-I4, [K1].
Later half calf with decorated paper sides.
First edition of the first constitution of Gran Colombia, known as the Constitution of Cúcuta. A monument of post-colonial liberty and arguably the most important book ever printed in Latin America. Gran Colombia consisted of current Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru, western Guyana and northwest Brazil. This is one of the very few copies that were printed of the first edition. A decree in this volume prints the order to reprint the constitution at Bogota in two or three thousand copies and to print one thousand copies of a Caracas edition. Rio and Philadelphia would also print editions in 1822.The publication of this document meant the realization of Simón… Read More

Extremely rare, significant and pretty Yucatan imprint
Francisco de Paula Toro (1799-1840).
Contestaciones Habidas entre los Señores General D. Francisco Toro, actual Gobernador de este Estado y el Ciudadano Juan de Dios Cosgaya su Antecesor.
Mérida de Yucatán, Imprenta del Gobierno, de la Propiedad de L. Segú, 1834.
8°. [2], 21, [1 blank] pp. Wit a woodcut illustrated title and two woodcut text illustrations.
Modern blue calf with gold-tooled title on front cover, new endpapers.
Unrecorded first and only edition of a politically sensitive work by the current Governor of the State of Yucatan, General Francisco de Paula Toro. He publishes here his correspondence from April 22 to May 31 1834 with the previous Governor, "citizen" Juan de Dios Cosgaya, who was removed from his post and imprisoned in the same year as this publication. Toro took over from Cosgaya with the backing of the new President Antonio López de Santa Anna, who was also his brother-in-law. In a 2-page instruction Toro addresses… Read More

Controversial manuscript on the expulsion of Jesuits from South America
["Ministro di Stato" (= Bernardo Tanucci (1698-1783)?].
Notizie Anecdote.
Italy (Naples?), 1759.
4°, 8 pp. Manuscript in black ink in a notarial hand on 18th century paper.
Ruthlessly anti-Jesuit manuscript, possibly by Bernardo Tanucci: prime minister of Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The text summarizes the events involving the Jesuits in the years 1755-1759, from the controversy over the Paraguayan Missions to the trials for the assassination of Joseph I of Portugal. This autograph is not signed but clues to the identity of the author can be found in a rare 1759 published analysis of the contents of this manuscript, titled Sposizione letteral delle notizie anecdote giustificative della condotta de' MM. RR. PP. Gesuiti nel Paraguai, e nel Portogallo per aggiungere al loro manoscritto di Napoli (Barcelona [= Naples?], Antonio Michele Cervellò). In the second edition of this work (1760, same publisher), editor Alfonso Nicolini… Read More

Bolivar improves medical services in Venezuela
Simón Bolívar (1783-1830); José Rafael Revenga (1786-1852).
Decreto sobre el rèjimen i gobierno del hospital militar.
[Caracas, April 23, 1827].
8°. 18 pp.
Recent paper covers.
Decree by Bolivar to improve the military hospital at Caracas, Venezuela and the medical infrastructure in general. Issued by his Secretary General José Rafael Revenga, this lists 19 articles to which the hospital and all other medical establishments should adhere to. The final pages states that this decree was "Given at my headquarters in Caracas on April 23, 1827-17°". Medical services had been largely the responsibility of religious organisations. Bolivar aimed to strip monastic orders of their influence and the present decree can be seen as an example of that development.This decree was issued just after settling, temporarily, the rebellion of Jose Antonio Paez in Venezuela. In 1826 Bolivar travelled to Venezuela to subjugate the resistance instigated by General Paez.… Read More

Obscure early lyrical poem about a Black American raging against slavery, promising "the revenge of a smoldering black revolution"
Doigny du Ponceau (1750-1830).
Discours d'un negre a un Européen, piece qui a concouru pour le prix de l'Académie Françoise, en 1775.
Paris, Demonville, 1775.
8°. 15, [1 blank] pp. Collates: A8. With woodcut head- and tailpieces.
Contemporary half calf with marbled sides, red title-shield, red edges.
[bound with 11 elogies].
First and only edition of a rare lyrical poem against slavery and racism by the little known author Doigny du Ponceau. It is set up as a fake contestant for the prize of the French Academy in 1775.This text falls within the theme of a speech of an enslaved maroon who, confronted with execution, accuses the Europeans of their oppression and threatens them with revenge. This is found in French lyrical poems closely related to each other, ranging from 1759 to 1790, begun in 1759 by l'abbé Guillaume Antoine Lemonnier, with his Discours d'un nègre… Read More

Rare Paula de Benavides imprint, from library of José Maria Andrade
Estevan García.
El maximo limosnero, mayor padre de pobres, grande arçobispo de Valencia, provincial de la Andaluzia, Castilla, y Nueva-España, de la orden de San Augustin, s. Thomas de Villanueva [...] Ofrecela al excell.mo señor don Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva, duqve de Alburquerque […].
Mexico City, viuda de Bernardo Calderon [= Paula de Benavides], 1657.
4°. [8], 85 [i.e. 95], [1] ll. ℗3, A3-C3, D2-I2, K2-N2, O2-T2, V2, X2
With a woodcut coat-of-arms and very attractive woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces.
Later quarter calf with marbled sides, gold-tooled spine.
Mexican biography of St. Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555), Augustinian ascetic, Archbishop of Valencia, after who Villanova University (Pennsylvania) was named. He seems never to have visited America but sent friars of his order to evangelise in Mexico in 1533. He is stated as a saint on the title page, a year in advance of his actual canonization. Author… Read More

Royal colonial decree to improve the vital gunpowder production in New Spain
José de Gálvez y Gallardo (1720-1787); Marques Carlos Francisco de Croix (1699-1786).
Ordenanzas de la Real renta de la polvora para este Reyno de Nueva España, y Provincias de su comprension, que se administra de cuenta de su Magestad.
Reimpresas en Mexico, en la Imprenta Nueva Madrileña de Don Felipe de Zuñiga y Ontiveros, 1777.
Folio. [II], 40 pp. With an attractive etched Royal Spanish coat of arms on the title, signed "Naxera Ft." and a woodblock capital letter.
Modern stiff marbled paper covers, in linen made-to-measure case with title on front.
First edition of the second Royal decree on the production of gunpowder in Nueva España. The decree provides instruction and ordinance for the Real Fabrica de Pólvora and contains LVII articles. Among them, one is dedicated to "Indios para los trabajos de la Fábrica", in which forced labour is decreed upon the inhabitants of the factory's surrounding villages. Refusal of… Read More

Introducing drugs from around the world
João Curvo Semedo (1635-1719).
Polyanthea medicinal. Noticias galenicas, e chymicas, repartidas em tres tratados [...] Quarta vez impressa […].
Lisboa Occidental, Na Officina de Antonio Pedrozo Galram, 1727.
Folio in 6s. [60], 312, 317-879, [1 blank], 32, [4], 11, [1 blank], [1], [1 blank] pp. = complete with the advertisement leaf at the end and the 3 plates: an engraved frontispiece showing the Portuguese Royal coat-of-arms by J. Gomez, 1727; a full-page engraved portrait of the Archbishop of Lisbon Luís de Sousa by Claude Duflos, 1701; and an engraved portrait of the author João Curvo Semedo also by J. Gomez, 1727.
Contemporary sheep with gold-tooled spine and raised bands.
An important pioneering Portuguese guide to medicine from around the world. This rare fourth edition is of particular interest because it includes the list of drugs from other continents: Memorial de varios simplices que da India Oriental, da America. & de outras partes do mundo vem… Read More

Amongst the greatest histories of the New World
This copy a rare complete second edition


Antonio Herrera de Tordesillas (1549-1626).

Primera parte de la historia general del Mundo, de XVII. años del tiempo del señor Rey don Felipe II. el Prudente, desde el año de M.D.LIII. hasta el de M.D.LXX.

Valladolid, Juan Godinez de Millis, 1606 (colophon: Valladolid, Juan Godinez de Millis, 1605).
4° in 8s. [8], 820, [42] pp. Collates: x4, A-2Z8, 3A-3B6, x-2x8, 3x4.

[includes:]

Segunda parte de la historia general del Mundo, de XV. años del tiempo del señor Rey don Felipe II. el Prudente, desde el año de M.D.LXXI. hasta el de M.D.LXXXV.

Valladolid, [Juan Godinez de Millis], 1606 (colophon: Valladolid, Juan Godinez de Millis, 1605).
4° in 8s. [6], 630, [2 blank], [38] pp. Collates: π3, A-2Q8, 2R, π-3π3, [1 blank].

[includes:]

Tercera parte de la historia general del Mundo, de XIIII. años del tiempo del señor Rey don Felipe II. el prudente, desde el año de 1585. hasta el de 1598. que passò… Read More

Rare study on monkeys and other mammals of Paraguay: important influence on DarwinJohann Rudolf Rengger (1795-1832).
Naturgeschichte der Saeugethiere von Paraguay.
Basel, Schweighauser, 1830.
8vo. XVI, 394 pp. 19,5 x 12 cm.
Contemporary half calf with gold-tooled spine.

First and only edition of Johann Rudolf Rengger's study on mammals of Paraguay, in which he first describes the giant otter and makes important behavioural observations on monkeys that would influence Darwin's philosophy. In 1818 Rengger, a Swiss doctor, embarked on a scientific journey to the understudied region of Paraguay with the aim to research the natural history of the region and to collect specimens. Though he amassed a large collection of flora and fauna much of it was later confiscated by the Paraguayan government. He made extensive trips during which he observed the physical-geographical as well as the social and ethnographic situation. In 1825 he returned to Europe. His findings were posthumously published in the… Read More

Founding Royal ordinance for the Corps of Invalids of New Spain
Antonio Maria Bucareli y Ursua (1717-1779, Viceroy of New Spain).
Reglamento formado para el cuerpo de invalidos de Nueva España por el Excmo. Sr. Bailio Fr. D. Antonio Maria Bucareli y Ursua Virrey Governador y Capitan General de ella, aprobado por S. M. en Real Orden de trece de Junio de 1773.
Mexico City, Joseph Antonio de Hogal, 1774.
Folio. [2], 19, [1 blank] pp. Collates: π, A-D2, π.
With the woodcut Royal coat of arms on the title. Signature of Viceroy Bucareli in ink on the final page.
Modern stiff marbled paper covers, leaves remargined in order to match the size of the volume. In linen made-to-measure case with title on front.
Very rare first and only edition of the founding document for the establishment of the Corps of Invalids in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This Royal ordinance marks a crucial step in the military organisation of the Spanish Americas and greatly expanded the colonial military presence there.The Cuerpo de… Read More

Very rare broadside announcing new taxes, this copy used in Cali


Francisco de Paula Santander (1792-1840).

Republica de Colombia. Francisco de Paula Santander etc. etc. S.E. el Libertador Presidente en ejercicio de las facultades estraordinarias con que está revestido por el decreto de 23 de noviembre último […].

Bogotá, [no name], diciembre 12 de 1826.

Folio. [3], [1 blank] pp.

With inscriptions in ink by the municipal political chief of the Cali district on the title and the back, with his autograph, dated January 17, 1827.



Broadside decree declaring the introduction of a new taxation fee. The Vice-President declares that the president has used the extraordinary powers with which he is vested by the decree of last November 23th, to order that a capitation of three pesos be required of all free men, without class exception, condition or status, and to mothers of families, from the age of 14 years onwards. The following 25 articles describe the method of collecting the tax, which was… Read More