Rare books from Abbey Antiquarian Books

Amsterdam: Joannis Ravesteyni 1st Complete edition, a few chapters had appeared earlier, 1655. Hardcover. Very Good-. Printed by Guilielmi van der Hoeve 1655 at Gouda (to colophon) TP woodcut of Elijah fed by the Ravens + foliated headpiece & a few foliated initials. Folio (in 4's) near Contemporary English sprinked calf with blind ruled & one decor roll on 5 raised bands with burgandy gilt label (tips sl.worn/head of spine bit worn but very neat original state) Red sprinkled edges TP (2p)+737pp + (1p)=blank) +(22p)=index. About a dozen corners torn away but never near to the text, else unmarked and clean. An interesting Scottish perspective on English history by a Edinburgh scholar who came to London after the Scottish King James VI became James I of England. Deals also with Irish affairs and affairs on the continent. With an Evelyn book label to pastedown this is a lovely crisp copy.

Amsterdam: Daniel Elzevir, 1667. Hardcover. Very Good-. Elzevir Printer's mark to Titlepage. . Duodecimo (132x67mm) 18th century roan spined marbled boards (upper hinge repaired/head of spine chipped/tips worn) All edges rouged. Titlepage +[6] +424pp. Coat of arms bookplate & location on front end-paper otherwise completely unmarked crisp copy. *The only Elzevir edition. These essays are the first edition of Boyle's work in Latin to be printed on the continent. Physiologica in this sense included discourses on physics, chemistry, meteorology, medicine & related subjects as well as observations that we would still classify as physiology (eg. dog's digestive system). There are accounts of purely chemical research. According to Fulton "the importance of this work lies in the fact that in a very real sense it was a prologue to the Sceptical Chymist since it continued the attack on the alchemists began in New experiments, and actually it was as much of a landmark in the history of chemistry" [as those… Read More

London: Tim. Childe 2nd edition, 1703. Hardcover. Good. Octavo panelled sprinkled calf on 4 raised bands with red gilt spine title label (rebacked but one cover now detached/top compartment of spine damaged/edges slightly worn) Titlepage +[14]pp Dedication & Preface +203pp +[8]pp index. The 4 contents leaves that presumably belonged at the front are misbound after page 194. Coat of arms book plate of G.W.F. Gregor on pastedown. Index and a few leaves with pale marginal damp mark but all leaves, clean, crisp & supple. *The author complains that the price of drugs has increased rapidly and without cause during his tenure at St. Barts. That there is mis-prescription and fashion in drugs when there are perfectly good remedies available for much less money. This was also a territorial dispute between physicians and apothecaries who, during the late 17th and early 18th centuries had encroached on doctor's rights to prescribing and making up of their own medicines. Practices at this time included feeding… Read More

London: Dodsley 1st first edition, 1780. Hardcover. Good. Two Volumes octavo 19th century half calf with 5 faux raised bands gilt and tan title labels (tips slightly rubbed) xxxiv +412pp (ii)+432pp +[208]pp of index for both volumes. Titlepage of first volume is damp marked and the following three leaves of dedication and the last 8 leaves marginally so. The last two leaves also slightly browned but all paper supple and strong. There is sporadic & pale marking with volume 2 having a marginal ink spot to pp311 sl.offset to 310 and marginal damp to approx 10 leaves + the index. Ownership E.Kensington and note to pastedown that it was given my Mrs Bell in remembrance of her husband. *Madan was a loose-living lawyer when he attended a service by John Wesley, this led to his reform and he became a convert and took holy orders serving as chaplain of a Charity - Lock Hospital. He sympathized with the Lady Huntingdon and George Whitfield faction of Methodism but after 30 years this very controversial work… Read More

Amsterdam: Henricus & Widow Theodor Boom, 1681. Hardcover. Very Good-. Engraved title of a surgery scene, patients waiting and examination table + 60 copperplate engravings in the text + 5 woodcuts.. Octavo old sprinkled boards with gilt spine label (recased and spine underlaid, tips bit worn, newer end-papers. Engraved title +Printed title with woodcut printer's mark Apollo & Pegasus in a landscape +[12]pp +392pp +[6]pp index & blank. Nice name C.? Michaelis to blank area of printed title. *This is the first Latin translation by the medical student Abraham Blasius of the 'Heel-en Geneeskonstige Aanmerkingen' of the Dutch physician Job van Meek'ren, illustrated by cases from his own patients. Four leaves have 2mmx10mm paper faults to fore edge and 8 leaves with marginal damp mark not touching text. An entire and particularly crisp clean copy with good margins, strong paper and no underlining/marginalia of these well illustrated medical observations.

Oxford: Ric. Davis 2nd edition Printed by Hen: Hall, 1674. Hardcover. Good. Folio contemporary calf on four raised bands, blind rules and fleurons to corners with 2 (later) red spine labels (lower cover nearly detached/upper held by inner hinge/tips worn spine damaged, remnants of some sort of single clasp). Titlepage in Red and Black +[12]pp Dedication, Preface & Contents +[2]pp with vertical Title +247pp +[2]pp blank. Name Roberts to upper margin of title later partially overwritten by Rachel Dowding, West Dulwich. Pastedowns have been covered by tan silk. Final blank lacking corners and some offsetting from the last printed page. Some pale foxing thoughout. Side notes giving references and dates.

Paris: Des Ventes De La Doué, 1767. Hardcover. Very Good. Folding copperplates (18) illustrating scientic experiments. . Two Volumes duodecimo contemporary marbled calf, 5 raised bands, spine compartments and titles gilt (tips and spine-edges rubbed & 4cm patch of leather missing from font cover of Vol I) marbled end-papers & armorial bookplates with eagle & sailing-ships, top corner of 1st EP torn off All Edges Marbled. Sporadic light spotting and traces of light marginal waterstain to first 30 pages, otherwise very clean & crisp throughout, [1]Half-title & Avis au Relieur +[2]1st titlepage & blank +xv (inc 2nd titlepage) +[1] +424 +[2]pp errata +12 folding copperplates, [4](inc Vol II titlepage) +501 +[3]pp +6 folding copperplates. *Sigaud de Lafond was a pupil of the Abbé Nollet who produced an earlier work with the same title. Splendid folding copper-plates in pristine condition all illustrating scientific experiments.

London: Printed by T.H. and are to bee sold by Nathaniell Butter., 1640. Hardcover. Good. Octavo contemporary sheep with later gilt label & ornamentation of spine, front board detached. Small scarlet embossed bookplate of cat with motto and modern ownership label John Lawson. Philip Bliss' copy, with his "P" mark and date of purchase (1840) on B1, edges slightly browned and occasional spotting, 213pp. *The second edition, first published posthumously in 1607, of a work by the classical scholar Henry Cuffe, professor of Greek at Oxford and later adviser to the Earl of Essex, after whose fall he was executed for treason in 1601. Bacon calls him a great scholar, and "a notable traitor by the book, being otherwise a turbulent and mutinous spirit against all superiors". In this work he "shows wide reading in the writings of the Greek philosophers; a belief in astrology, and faith in a divine providence" (DNB). This copy belonged to Philip Bliss (1787-1857) antiquary and book collector, whose library was… Read More

London: Printed at St. John's Gate, for D. Henry, and sold by F. Newbery, 1774. Hardcover. Good. Copperplates (5 of 10 called for in Vol 1, 10 of 11 in Vol 2. Plates present include Head of a New Zealand Chief curiously Tataowed, newly discovered frescoes at Herculaneum, portrait of Louis XV who has died (missing plates are mainly of planned Canals i. Two Volumes each containing 6 monthly issues, plus Supplement for the Year 1774 in Vol 2. Contemporary leather-spined marbled boards (spine leather worn bits missing, date & title neatly inked in). Text complete: iv (general titlepage for year & preface) +628pp +[16]pp index. Each monthly issue has a "titlepage" with a view of St. John's Gate. Very clean nice copies internally with paper strong & supple. *Includes detailed description of Lieut Cooke's Voyage round the World, arrival at Terra Australis incognita, favourable account of landing & circum-navigation of New Zealand (Originality of the Arts in that Country which no other People had ever… Read More

Paris (Lutetiae): Robertus Stephanus Cum privilegio Regis, 1551. Hardcover. Very Good. Nice Estienne printer's device on titlepage of basilisk wound round vine and floral headpiece and initial on first page of life of Pompey the Great.. Small quarto (23.5x14mm) half 19th century morocco on 5 bands gilt ruled with Greek title and brown marbled boards, marbled endpapers with neat Greek Athens bookseller's label, 357pp +[3]pp Variae Lectiones & Errata. Beautifully clean and crisp, handsome Greek typography. *Editio princeps of the epitome of Dio's Roman history, abridged in the 11th century by Joannes Xiphilinus, the only source for Dio's lost books 61-80, dealing with events from 47 B.C. to 235 A.D. Robert Estienne issued this epitome to compliment his folio edition of Dio Cassius of 1548. Printed in the gros-romain font of the "grecs du roi", cut by Claude Garamond.

Leipzig: Printed Johann Eric Hahn for Jo. Fritsch & Jo. Fr. Gleditsch, 1682. Hardcover. Very Good. Engraved frontispiece includs the portrait of author in allegorical frontispiece by Johann Jacob de Sandrart + figures in the text + many foliated initial capitals & head- & tailpieces.. Folio vellum with black leather gilt spine label (tips rubbed) fine armorial bookplate with motto Tuum Est. Engraved f rontis + printed title +28pp prelims +1032pp + doublepage genealogical table. The titlepage in black only and title without the additional "cum commentariis absolutissimis et instructissimis indicibus nunc primu`m editum" on the titlepage. This edition thus without the index which seems to go with the red & black titlepage. Precedence unknown but usually the index is the last item typeset as the book has to be printed to allow page numbering so probably the those without index are the earlier state. Some inscriptions in Greek, most in Latin many now lost or indecipherable. A very clean, crisp copy of… Read More

London: Ernest Nister/ E.P. Dutton New York Printed in Bavaria No. 853, 1897 approx.. Hardcover. Good. Doublepage pop-up scenes (5) full of children - blind man's buff, boating, bicycling, farmyard etc.. Folio cloth spine pictorial boards (spine worn to head & foot/covers edge worn) 31pp. Titlepage torn without loss but with old cellotape marks, gutters of 3 leaves reinforced with newer linen tape, a few edge tears never touching printed or pop-up areas but 3 with old tape removal marks (less than 1" into margin). The pop-ups are all complete and in working order with only part of one stag's horn in facsimile. One pony's tail re-attached from the back & a few wrong folds strengthened on back (invisibly). All sorts of fragile pieces such as duck heads, ribbons flying, fingers etc are all intact. The text page edges have fared less well with some edge fingering and some edge chips but never affecting any print. The pop-up leaves are on thicker and better quality paper and have edge rubbing but no… Read More

Amsterdam: Apud Henricum & Viduam Theodori Boom, 1688. Hardcover. Fair. Folding copperplate portrait of Gallé signed R. de Hooge [Romeyn de Hooghe] 1686 + engraved titlepage + 10 of 14 copperplates + a few text illustrations.. Quarto contemporary calf tooled lacking most of spine (covers detached/corners very worn). Folding portrait, engraved title, title page +[12] +[24] +658pp +[26]pp indexes. Appears to lack 4 of the plates of Sibyls. Some gatherings coming loose from spine. Text in Latin with brief passages in Greek, some Greek text with parallel Latin translation. *Imperfect copy, in need of binding repair, priced accordingly.

Frankfurt: Andreas Wechel first edition, 1578. Hardcover. Very Good. Printer's mark of flying horse over cornucopia & hand from cloud holding caduceus to titlepage + same printer's mark slightly larger to verso of last leaf + floral, foliate & historiated head- & tail-piece & initials.. Folio handsome 18th century gilt ruled and sprinkled calf with 6 raised bands, the compartments & bands gilt but without a title on the spine (small chip out of head of spine/edges sl.rubbed). All edges sprinkled with red dye [8]pp prelims + 320pp + [28]pp index, publisher's imprint and large Wechel printer's mark. Some marginal damp marks to top corner but not affecting the strength and crispness of the paper nor the text. Name Fletcher to top of titlepage. A very few notes or marks to margin. *History of Louis XI & Charles VIII by de Commynes, shortened history of memorable events by Froissart and a further work, by de Seissel. Scarce volume of Medieval French history OCLC locates only 6 copies.

Lyons: Bartholomeus Vincentius, 1572. Hardcover. Very Good. Emblematic publisher's device on titlepage VINCENTI + a few foliated capitals + printer's device on colophon, Joannes Marcorellius.. Octavo (175x115mm) fine stamped vellum, central portrait with text, floral borders and inked-in initials ARW + date 1592, central coat of arms on rear board, spine on 6 cords, clasps missing with marginal tear showing old MS on underlying vellum, [32],601,[7]pp (collated complete a-b A-2P). Worming without loss of text in margin of front board and on 1st few pages. Old library stamp with MS nr on front pastedown, stamp "Bibl. Gymn. Goth" on TP verso, very neat early Latin marginal notes on about 150pp, else clean & crisp throughout. This book supposedly gave Nevizzano a reputation as a misogynist. *Rare early medical text book on marital sex and related Canon & Roman Law, only 5 copies noted in British libraries.