The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication

New York: Orange Judd & Co. , 1868

FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. In this work, Darwin first proposed his theory of pangenesis as the mechanism of heredity. The theory holds that body cells shed “gemmules” that collect in the reproductive organs, thus transmitting their characteristics to the next generation. Mendelʼs theory of genetics supplanted this theory in the early 1900s.

Octavo, two volumes. Original green cloth. Light wear at head of both volumes; light spotting to spine of volume II. Cloth generally clean. An attractive set.

$450

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[The Cologne Chronicle] Die Cronica van der hilliger Stat van Coellen

FIRST EDITION. The Cologne Chronicle is famous for a lengthy passage, on leaf 311 (verso), that provides the first printed account of the development of printing. "There are few ancient books which have been so frequently quoted, yet so rarely seen, as the present Chronicle. The possession of it is, indeed, essential to a Library like the one under description; since there is an important passage in it, relating to the invention of the Art of Printing with Metal Types, which merits very particular attention; and which has been referred to, or quoted, by bibliographers for nearly the two last centuries... The rarity of this Chronicle is sufficiently attested by bibliographers, even without noticing that Hartz and Buder... who wrote expressly upon German affairs, had no knowledge whatever of it; and Naudaus doubted its existence. I am disposed to think there are not three copies of it in this country..."–Dibdin Folio. Contemporary tooled half-leather over oak boards. 354 (of 368) leaves. This copy lacking first 12 leaves, containing the first title and the register (index). Second title toned and laid down. Some toning and staining. Woodcut illustrations throughout. A sound copy. VERY RARE.

$25,000

The Man With the Golden Gun

James Bond drank down the rest of his beer and got slowly to his feet. He walked towards Scaramanga and was about to pass him when the man reached out a languid left arm and caught him at the biceps. He held the snout of his gun to his nose, sniffing delicately. The expression in the dead brown eyes was far-away. He said, 'Mister, there's something quite extra about the smell of death. Care to try it?' He held out the glittering gun as if he was offering James Bond a rose...FIRST EDITION, second state (as usual), without the rare gilt golden gun on the front board. Octavo, original black cloth, original dust jacket. A FINE COPY.

$750

American Photographs

FIRST EDITION, with the original dust jacket. Inscribed and presented by the legendary Hugh Edwards, one of the most influential curators of photography in America. Edwards was one of the first curators to grant Evans solo exhibitions and is credited with elevating the Art Institute of Chicago’s department of photography to world class status.The identity of the recipient, Bobby Evans, is unknown. The inscription includes a lengthy quotation from Thomas Wolfe’s Of Time and the River.Small quarto, original black cloth, original dust jacket. Book near fine with a light spotting to a some plates, dust jacket very good; spine slightly toned; some wear with loss at spine head. A very good copy with a distinguished provenance.

$3,800

Experimenta circa effectum conflictus electrici in acum magneticam

FIRST PUBLISHED EDITION of one of the rarest and most important papers of modern science: Oersted's discovery of the connection between electricity and magnetism. Preceded only by the legendarily rare privately-printed pamphlet (of which only a few copies are known to exist, only one in private hands), the first journal printing is exceedingly scarce. Text in the original Latin."The 'Experimenta...' opened a new epoch in the history of physics. From it followed the creation of electrodynamics by Ampere and Faraday's 'Experimental Researches in Electricity" (DSB)."It was after lecturing to students in his own rooms in the Noerragade, Copenhagen, in 1819 or 1820 that [Oersted] invited a few of them to stay on to witness an experiment- the possible deflection of a compass -needle by an adjacent electric current. The experiment was successful; but only just; and Oersted repeated it many times before venturing on 21 July to proclaim the identity of magnetism and electricity in this four-page paper entitled 'Experiments relative to"The 'Experimenta...' opened a new epoch in the history of physics. From it followed the creation of electrodynamics by Ampere and Faraday's 'Experimental Researches in Electricity" (DSB). the Effect of the Contiguity of Electricity to a Magnetic Needle'."The results were as important as they were widespread. Oersted's paper was within the year reprinted in England, France, Germany, Italy and Denmark. In 1823 Ronalds and in 1833 Gauss and Weber constructed the first practical electric telegraphs. Faraday's momentous experiments with the sequels by Clerk Maxwell, Hertz and others bore further witness to its significance" (Printing and the Mind of Man, 282).Printed in the July, 1820 issue of Schweigger's Journal für Chemie und Physik. Less than a year later, "in 1821, volume 31 of the prestigious Journal für Chemie und Physik opened with an editorial announcing a change in format 'in part because a new epoch in chemistry and physics appears to have begun with Ørsted's important discoveries on the connection between magnetism and electricity.' A contributor wrote: 'Orsted's experiments regarding magnetism are the most interesting ones performed in more than a thousand years'" (Physics in Denmark, nobelprize.org).WITH: Neuere electro-magnetische Versuche, Oersted's succeeding paper on the interactions between an electric current and a magnetic field. In: Journal für Chemie und Physik. Hrsg. v. Schweigger u. Meinecke, Vol. 29, pp. 275-281 (Oersted in July issue); Neuere electro-magnetische Versuche, pp. 364-369. Nuremberg: Schrag, 1820. The whole volume offered. Octavo, contemporary three-quarter green morocco, marbled boards. Some wear to edges of binding, text clean. Provenance: with library and de-accession stamps on series title from the prestigious Gmelin Institute (after 1996, part of the Max Planck Institute). SCARCE.

$23,500

Opere di Galileo Galilei Nobile Fiorentino Accademico Linceo

Second edition of Galileo's collected works; an important edition containing a wealth of material (nearly all of volume 3) not included in the 1655-56 first collected edition. The first two volumes are essentially a reprint of the 1655-56 Bologna edition, while the third volume contains previously unpublished material. Sometimes referred to as the "first complete edition", although this edition does not include the Dialogo nor the Letter to the Grand Duchess Cristina, both of which were still on the Index Prohibitorum. Edited by Tommaso Buonaventuri.Quarto, contemporary full vellum with leather labels; edges speckled red. Three volumes. With engraved frontispiece portrait of Galileo, engraved vignette with view of Florence on first title page with title page printed in red and black, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, woodcut diagrams, folding engraved plate. A few cosmetic cracks to vellum at joints. Faint evidence of stamp removal on title pages, two small spots of dampstaining on top margin of first few leaves of vol 1; tiny worming on first few leaves of vol 3. Text extremely clean with wide margins. A beautiful set.

$5,900

The Fables of Aesop and Others Translated into Human Nature

"The Design which forms the Frontispiece to this book, and which is therefore presumed to be somewhat typical of the intention of Fable, represents Man tried at the Court of the Lion for the ill-treatment of a Horse. It will be seen that Man has the worst of it..." Quarto. Hand-colored wood-engraved frontispiece, title and 22 plates by Swain after Charles Bennett. Finely bound in near-contemporary maroon calf. Light wear to spine and extremities; internally clean and nearly fine. A handsome and very appealing copy.

$450

Outside Over There

FIRST EDITION OF SENDAK'S THIRD BOOK, SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY SENDAK. Gilt lettered red cloth, original dust jacket ($12.95 on front flap). Outside Over There is Sendak's story of Ida, a pre-adolescent girl who must contend with sibling jealousy, new responsibilities and goblins who kidnap her young sister. A splendid copy, with Sendak's enchanting illustrations.

$275

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Monumenti Antichi Inediti Spiegati ed Illustrata

FIRST EDITION, illustrated with 208 beautiful copper-plate engravings and numerous in-text illustrations and vignettes.Winckelmann is best known for his monumental Geschichte der Kunst des Altertums (History of the Art of Antiquity, 1764), which enjoyed tremendous popular success and permanently reshaped aesthetic criticism. The Monuments, his last published work, stands by itself as "a masterpiece of interpretation and explanation" and "a pioneering work in the field of archaeological methodology" (Catholic Encyclopedia; Lappmann). Significantly, it is also the only one of Winckelmann's works published in his lifetime to be extensively illustrated. Folio, contemporary vellum with original red leather label, decorated endpapers. Two volumes in one. Text in Italian. Bookplates. Light wear to binding, very small library number on dedication leaf, small tear to endpaper. Occasional light foxing. Plates very clean. A superb, wide-margined copy in contemporary vellum of the beautifully-illustrated first edition.

$7,000

Comédie et actes Divers

First French edition, SIGNED BY BECKETT on title page; one of only 112 copies printed on "bouffant select marques" and reserved for the publishers. A collection of six short plays, translated from English by Beckett. Octavo, original printed wrappers; glassine. Unopened. A FINE COPY.

$950

1939-1962 Photographs

FIRST EDTION, THE EXTREMELY RARE HARDCOVER ISSUE; one of an estimated fifty copies bound for presentation. “[T]his is an almost perfect monograph. It begins and ends with Sommer’s exquisite abstractions, and includes some of the best examples of Sommer’s work in portraiture, collage, landscape, and still life to date. Every two-page spread reveals something more about the images through their juxtaposition. And then there is the text. It is very unusual to have writing at this level, uninfected with either sentimentality or pomposity, from an American photographer, but what’s more unusual is to have an artist who makes images and text and can combine them in a way that deepens and extends the effects of each. This early enactment of Sommer’s ideas about the workings of linguistic and pictorial logic is a gem” (David Levi Strauss. The Book of 101 Books). Roth 101.Complete with 30 black and white photographs. New York: Aperture, 1962. Small folio (235x205mm), original white cloth with black lettering. Only a few spots of soiling to cloth. A magnificent copy.

$3,500

“Space-Time Approach to Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics“ (Reviews of Modern Physics 20 pp. 367-387, 1948)

Feynman's path integral formulation of quantum mechanics. Also contains "A Generalized Theory of Gravitation" by Albert Einstein (pp. 35-39).Volume beautifully bound in cloth and boards in pristine condition inside and out.

$900

DARWIN, CHARLES