HERODIANI HISTOR[IARUM] LIB[RI] VIII

[Geneva]: Henri Estienne, 1581

ESTIENNE'S SUPERB 1581 EDITION OF HERODIAN. The second part comprises the editio princeps of the Roman history by Zosimus, an early sixth century historian who wrote in Greek and is a key source for the period 395-410. Zosimus’ original Greek text is accompanied by Estienne’s own Latin version of Zosimus’ text. ‘For this edition of Herodian … Estienne has thoroughly revised, and made additions to, the popular Latin translation of Angelo Poliziano; he prints his corrections, additions, and textual comments in the margins.’ (Schreiber).

Quarto. Elegant 18th-century smooth calf, triple gilt fillet, spine gilt, two red morocco spine lables lettered in gilt, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Printer’s device on title. Clean throughout, a superb copy.

$3,900

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De Sesteritiis sev Subsecivorum Pecunia veteris Graecae & Romanae

FIRST EDITION. A key work on the monetary systems of ancient Greece and Rome. "Gronovius entered the University of Leiden in 1634 and completed his academic studies at Groningen. Upon matriculation he travelled throughout Italy, France, and England. During this period, he undertook extensive manuscript research which supplied him with abundant material for later editions of the Latin classics. While at Leiden he had studied with luminaries such as Daniel Heinsius, Vossius, and Grotius. Like many of his contemporaries, Gronovius had a preference for first-century Latin prose, and his editions of Livy, both Senecas, Tacitus, and Gellius met with much acclaim" (The Berlin Collection: Being a History and Exhibition of the Books and Manuscripts Purchased in Berlin in 1891 for the University of Chicago, 1979). 12mo. Bound in contemporary full polished calf, ruled in black on boards and spine, contemporary paper spine label. Title printed in red and black, woodcut printer's device on title; the text with some passages printed in Greek letter. A clean copy with only very minor occasional spotting and a few dampstains.

$500

Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums

FIRST EDITION. "With the publication of his masterpiece, the 'History of the Art of the Ancients', his fame had become widespread. This was indeed the first work in the German language to achieve universal acclaim. Winckelmann had drawn attention for the first time to the importance of Greek ideals for the modern world, and, with his unique acquaintance with the surviving examples of classical art, amplified by wide and specialized reading, his authority was unquestioned" (PMM). “Winckelmann’s History had a remarkable impact for a scholarly antiquarian publication. It presented a comprehensive synthesis of available knowledge about the visual artefacts of the ancient world... Four main sculptural traditions were discussed in detail – the ancient Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek and Roman. What particularly caught the imagination of Winckelmann’s contemporaries, however, and still assures the book a place among the classics of art history, is what Winckelmann himself envisaged as its core, the eloquent and hugely ambitious attempt to redefine the history and aesthetics of the ancient Greek tradition. –Alex Potts, Flesh and the Ideal: Winckelmann and the Origins of the History“[Winckelmann’s] magnum opus is in a class apart, for it completely revolutionized the study of art by treating it organically (Winckelmann was the first to do so) as part of the growth of the human race” –E.M. Butler Quarto. Beautifully bound in recent full sprinkled calf, elaborate gilt tooling to boards, elaborately gilt spine in 6 compartments. Title skillfully mounted, occasional toning and scattered foxing throughout. [With:] Anmerkungen ber die Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums. Dresden: Waltherische Hof-Buchhandlung, 1764 and 1767. 2 works in 4 volumes bound in one. (The text of Anmerkungen ber die Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums is quite toned, much more so than the primary volume.)

$4,500

Osservazioni Istoriche Sopra Alcuni Medaglioni Antichi

FIRST EDITION.“Buonarroti, the great-nephew of Michaelangelo the Younger who was himself the great-nephew of the artist, was born in 1661 and at the age of twenty left his native Florence to go to Rome, where he spent the next eighteen years or so devoting himself largely to antiquarian studies. He filled notebook after notebook with sketches, some rapid and some very careful, of coins, medals and other small objects, and he quickly earned the reputation of being one of the greatest antiquarians of his day... Through his membership of Queen Christina’s circle and later of the Arcadian Academy, he met many of the leading figures of the intellectual community and became closely involved in some of the most important scholarly enterprises of the time... In 1698 Buonarroti published his first book, which was devoted to medals belong to Cardinal Capegna, his principal patron... As might be expected from an author coming from such a cultivated background... he shows a greater feeling for quality than was usual among numismatists.” —Francis Haskell, History and its images: Art and the Interpretation of the past. Quarto. Early vellum. Engraved title vignette and additional title, 33 engraved plates, 3 folding, numerous engravings in text, wood-engraved initials. Wear with loss at spine head; generally clean throughout. A very attractive volume.

$1,200

Television (Seeing by Wire or Wireless)

Dinsdale's Seeing by Wire or Wireless was the first book entirely devoted to subject of television. Dinsdale gives and account of the demonstration of John Baird's successful television system in January 1926, details similar previous experiments, and describes the mechanics of television. Overall, the history of television is well-documented in Dinsdale's work, and Baird's system paved the way for future developments in television, leading to the first high-definition broadcasting system in 1936. First edition. Original wraps, no dust cover; in clamshell box.

$1,700

Roma Sotteranea, or an account of the Roman Catacombs

"New Edition, Rewritten and Greatly Enlarged". Two volumes. Octavo. 23 chromolithographs, folding plan of the Cemmetary in pocket of rear board, numerous wood-cuts (1 folding); Woodburytype frontispice in volume II. Includes Northcote's EPITAPHS OF THE ROMAN CATACOMBS. A superb set: cloth clean, gilt bright, occasional trivial to extremities.

$650

The Works of the Learned Sr. Thomas Brown

FIRST EDITION. "Seventeenth-century readers approached Thomas Browne as an encyclopedic polymath with wide-ranging opinions of general interest in science and religion." –Claire Preston Reid Barbour, Sir Thomas Browne: The World Proposed Folio. Bound in full early calf, skillfully rebacked. Small repair at top margin of title, generally a sound, attractive copy.

$950

Some Famous Sailing Ships and their Builder, Donald McKay

FIRST EDITION. "McKay's skills as a shipbuilder were only exceeded by his chutzpah. He was the Stradivarius of clipper ships. McKay started the race to build ever bigger clippers and gave his ships such chauvinistic names as Sovereign of the Seas and Great Republic. In the first four years of the California gold rush, McKay's yards turned out 160 examples of what became known as "extreme clippers". His ships quickly dominated the trade to Hawaii, China, Australia, and the East Indies." –Richard F. Selcer, Civil War America, 1850-1875 Octavo. Deluxe original half morocco over marbled boards, marbled endpapers. With 10 color plates and 48 additional illustrations. Minor rubbing at corners. Neat contemporary inscription (frontispiece verso). Clean throughtout. An attractive volume.

$275

Ulysses S. Grant: Vellum Document Signed

SIGNED BY ULYSSES S. GRANT AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.Partly-printed vellum document signed, “U.S. Grant,” as president. Military commission appointing H. Schuyler Ross a First Assistant Engineer in the Navy. Countersigned by George M. Robeson as Secretary of the Navy. Washington, 1873. Approximately 19 1/2x16 inches; slightly faded signature, usual folds, minor soiling, seal intact.

$1,700

Manuel du Libraire et de l'Amateur de Livres

SECOND EDITION. "The best and last of the general rare book bibliographies... Brunet's annotations about the scholarly and commercial value of the books he listed are often still unsurpassed. There is hardly any other bibliography in which the wide range of its author's knowledge is more favorably displayed."–Grolier Club Octavo. Contemporary full-calf bindings in very good condition, spines with five raised bands and elaborate blind stamping, all edges marbled.

$1,000

A Dictionary of the English Language

The sixth edition and first (authorized) quarto edition. The text is based on Johnson's revised fourth edition of 1773. “The [1785] quarto is set in three columns, with rather heavy column rules. The original folio design is followed, except that all the illustrative quotations are set in small type, and the differentiation of verse from prose quotations by the use of a deeper indent is not observed... the 1785 design combines clarity with relative compactness.” –Paul Luna, Anniversary Essays on Johnson’s Dictionary Two volumes. Quarto, contemporary tree calf expertly rebacked preserving the original spine; spine elaborately gilt (in six compartments with red and black leather labels), marbled endpapers. Some foxing to portrait and title of volume I, some occasional spotting, generally clean.

$2,500

Veteres arcus Augustorum triumphis insignes

FIRST EDITION. A splendid work beautifully illustrated with 48 superb engravings (on 46 sheets) depicting bas-reliefs of triumphal arches in Rome. Folio. 18th-century calf, spine elaborately gilt with gilt-stamped spine label, marbled endpapers. Engraved portrait of dedicatee (Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni), 48 engraved plates. Binding lightly rubbed with moderate wear at spine head; clean throughout. A lovely wide margined copy.

$8,000

The Photographic History of the Civil War

"The grandfather of pictorial histories, this mammoth work is a necessary part of any Civil War library. The work contains 3,389 images that constitute an important source on the war's appearance—its battlefields, common soldiers, officers, forts, diseases, camp scenes, army movements, and materiel." Eicher, The Civil War in Books 771."The greatest single collection of Brady illustrations" (Allan Nevins). The Mathew Brady photographs represent the first instance of a comprehensive photo-documentation of a war. New York: The Review of Reviews, 1911. Quarto, original blue cloth gilt. Ten volumes. An exceptional set, gilt uncommonly bright. Only occasional trivial wear to bindings. Very rare in this condition.

$1,250

HERODIAN