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The History of the Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards

FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH of Antonio Solis' exceedingly popular and quite romantic version of the conquest of Mexico. "It has been translated into the principal languages of Europe; and such is the charm of its composition, and its exquisite finish as a work of art, that it will doubtless be as imperishable as the language in which it is written..." – William H. Prescott. Folio. 18th century panelled calf, elaborately gilt spine in 7 compartments, red spine label. Armorial bookplates on front pastedown. Engraved portrait of Cortes by G. Vertue, 8 engraved plates and maps including the folding panorama of Mexico City. Sabin 86487.Joints cracked but firm; corners lightly bumped. Light paste-action in margins of first and last leaves; engraved portrait lightly toned. A fresh and appealing copy, clean throughout. Provenance: Henry Duke of Kent (bookplate); Thomas Philip Earl de Grey (bookplate).

$4,000

Observations upon the prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John

FIRST EDITION of Isaac Newton's posthumously published theological interpretation of the Biblical prophecies."It has generally been assumed that the work was a product of his old age, as the treatise published was. Nevertheless, references to the prophecies filled his early theological notebook. Already in the 1670s, he believed that the essence of the Bible was the prophecy of human history rather than the revelation of truths beyond human reason unto life eternal. Already at that time he believed what he asserted later about Revelation: 'There [is] no book in all the scriptures so much recommended & guarded by providence as this.' He put that belief into practice by composing his earliest theological study. It proved to be more than a passing interest. His first full discourse contains many insertions in later hands, showing that he referred to it frequently. He composed numerous revisions of it, one of which was probably the last thing on which he was at work when he died more than fifty years later." (Richard Westfall, The Life of Sir Isaac Newton). Quarto, period style boards. Uncut, a superb copy.

$5,000

Poema aureum eiusdemque epistole

SECOND (FIRST DATED) EDITION OF SIDONIUS, AN EXCELLENT COPY FROM ULRICH SCINZENELER'S MILAN PRESS. Sidonius, a diplomat, poet and bishop, is one of the key sources from 5th-century Gaul. Sidonius married the daughter of the Roman Emperor Avitus. The Golden Poems in this volume were written in honor of the Avitus. He was rewarded with a bronze statue in Tranjan's library. Chancery folio (283 x 194mm.), 144 leaves, 57 lines commentary surrounding text, Roman and Greek letter, woodcut initials. 18th century full-leather binding, expertly rebacked preserving original spine (except for lower spine panel which is done to style), gilt ornaments to boards, spine gilt, marbled endpapers. Bookplates at front pastedown. (Gerald P. Mander, Walter Goldwater). A clean copy with wide margins; light dampstains at lower margin of first 30 leaves, occasional dampstains throughout; repair at lower portion of title page (not affecting text).  This is the first edition with a commentary by Joannes Baptista Pius and the second printed edition, preceded by the exceedingly scarce 1474 edition. Hain Copinger 1287; Goff S 494.

$12,000

An Examination of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Chapters of Mr. Gibbon's History, BOUND WITH: Gibbon's A Vindication Bound w/Davis' "Reply"

FIRST EDITION. With 'Advertisement' after the title page. BOUND WITH: Davis, Henry Edwards.  A Reply to Mr. Gibbon's Vindication of Some Passages in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Chapters of "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." London: J.Dodsley, 1779. First edition. Octavo, bound in recent 3/4 calf over marbled boards preserving early spine. Internally clean and sound throughout; a very attractive volume of this rare edition. In 1778 three people, including Henry Edwards Davis, a tutor of Balliol College, Oxford, wrote treatises publicly attacking Gibbon in hysterical terms for the anti-Christian remarks in the fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of his 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire', which contain remarks condemning the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire. The philosopher David Hume had warned Gibbon that this might happen. It gave Gibbon the opportunity to overmatch Davis with a public reply (here included) which was quite devastating in its superior learning, and its contrasting coolness. Gibbon had it printed in octavo so that it could not be bound with his (quarto) 'History'. Davis' further reply is also included here.

$3,500

Opera Omnia

THE STEPHANUS EDITION OF CICERO. The text of this folio edition is based on the 1543-1544 octavo edition by Robert Estienne. 4 volumes bound in 2. Folio. 18th century calf recently rebacked; double gilt fillets round sides, gilt dentelles; marbled endpapers, armorial bookplate (Edward Wake). Large woodcut device on titles (small device on titles of volumes III & IV), small woodcut arms of the Cardinal of Lorraine, the dedicatee, on title of volume II, with the final errata leaf in volumes II and IV. Title of vol. II repaired at inner margin; occasional light dampstaining. Provenance: Edward Wake (eighteenth-century armorial bookplate). Adams C1647.

$5,500

Admiranda Romanarum antiquitatum ac veteris sculpturae vestigia

SECOND EDITION. Oblong folio, 19th-century quarter-roan over boards. Complete with 84 engraved plates including title and dedication. Skillful repair at head of spine, minor rubbing at spine bottom. Uncut, clean throughout. A beautiful copy.

$5,000

Nouveaux voyages de Mr. le Baron de Lahontan, dans l'Amerique Septentrionale

FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. 4 engraved frontispieces, titles printed in red & black with woodcut vignette on each, 3 engraved maps, including 2 folding, 22 folding plates, later bookplate, contemporary speckled calf, spine gilt compartments within raised gilt bands, a few small abrasions and cracks. 12mo. Two volumes bound in one.

$12,000

The Anatomy of Melancholy

LIMITED EDITION, one of 750 copies. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Times; color: #424242; -webkit-text-stroke: #424242} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} All I can say is that most modern books weary me, but Burton never does...His writing is like talk, learned but earthy, and once he starts, he is hard to stop...That he was a humorist in our sense of the word we need no biographical facts to attest: The Anatomy of Melancholy is, by a magnificent and somehow very English irony, one of the great comic works of the world.— Anthony Burgess   Two volumes. Quarto. Original vellum-backed decorative
boards. Printed on Dutch paper. An excellent set, clean throughout. 

$500

Miscellaneous Works

FIRST EDITION. Two volumes. [A third volume was published in 1815]. Quarto. Silhouette portrait frontispiece; errata leaf in volume II. An attractive, sound copy in contemporary half calf over marbled boards, original flat spines lettered in gold and with blind stamping and gold embellishments. Some minor rubbing to spine, abrasion to front board of vol. II; text clean.

$1,000

Romanorum antiquitatum libri decem ex variis scriptoribus summa fide singularique diligentia Collecti

FIRST EDITION. Folio. Superb retrospective binding in English hand-dyed calfskin, elaboratedly blind-tooled in late 16th century Continental style, 5 raised bands on spine. Title and first leaf expertly remargined; occasional toning throughout, generally a handsome copy.

$4,500

[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

King Jesus

FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING. Octavo, original cloth, original dust jacket. A fine copy in a lightly soiled dustjacket.

$150