This book bears an ornate, emblematic engraved title-page, with portraits of St. Brendan and Boyl and more, and no fewer than 18 leaf-filling plates by Wolfgang Kilian. These plates, which mixfancy and realism in entirely engaging ways, include a portrait of Columbus, a scene of St. Brendan celebrating mass on the back of a whale, botanical images of the marvelous Peruvian potato, and numerous views of the missionaries’interaction with the natives, some friendly, and some not—the unfriendliest being notably violent and gory. Also, on p. 35–36 is given an example of purportednative American music, with both words and notation. This copy is one (probably the first) of two states of this sole edition (with only three leaves in the preliminaries), without the additional foldout plate found in some copies.

•  Alden & Landis, European Americana, 621/100; Sabin 63367; Palau 224762. Binding as above and shown at left (distortion noted), chipped on corners and at head and foot of spine. Small wormholes visible on inside of covers, running into margins of pages and plates, and a few closed tears, neither affecting print or plates. Engraved title remounted. Small stains, light spots of waterstaining, and light soiling. A very covetable illustrated Americanum of the early 17th century, in an enjoyable copy.

Provenance: Ownership signature of Fanny Shepherd, dated 1823; later signature of Ste. Mallinson, Jr.

•  ESTC T83878; Schweiger, I, 266. Contemporary calf, each spine with gilt-stamped leather title label and gilt-stamped volume number; bindings moderately worn especially over spines, with joints open on almost all volumes but sewing holding. Front pastedowns with early inked ownership inscriptions dated 1823, front free endpaper of the first volume only with another inscription dated 1893. Moderate offsetting to pastedowns; pages with occasional small spots but generally clean. Some plates are apparently lacking (though not obtrusively so); it is unclear exactly how many plates are called for.

•  Wellcome Catalogue, IV, 412; Graesse, Trésor de Livres rares, V, 398; Alden & Landis 725/158; not in Sabin; ESTC T111989; Pritzel 7258n; Junersforgg & Hasenkamp, Coffee, 1177– 1179.   Recent full calf antique-style with gilt concentric panels on covers and gilt corner devices on same; round spine with raised bands, each accented by gilt rules. Some plates closely trimmed at foremargin. A very pleasing copy.  (21774)

Provenance: With the printed and folding ex-proemium of J.J.S. van Goltstein van Hoekenburg, Jan. 1819.

•  DeBacker-Sommervogel, VI, 976. Binding as above. All edges marbled. A very good copy; text block very slightly skewed in binding.

"Porta's system . . . leads him constantly to conclusions of analogies between plants, animals and men. Similar humours are found in various apparently unrelated organisms. Plants and animals that correspond in shape are interrelated. A leaf formed like a stag horn shares the character of the deer. The horse is a noble animal, therefore it is a sign of nobility to walk erect with the head held high. Men who resemble a donkey are like that animal: timid, stupid, nervous. He who looks like an ostrich is akin to it in character: he is timid, elegant, vicious, stolid. A man who reminds us of a swine is a swine, eating greedily and having all the other characteristics, such as rudeness, irascibility, lack of discipline, sordidness, lack of intelligence [and] modesty. In a similar way, men who look like ravens are impudent; those who resemble oxen are stubborn, lazy, irascible; men who have lips shaped like those of a lion are hearty, magnanimous, courageous; others who make us think of a ram are timid, malicious and humble. When practising medicine, Porta had many occasions to observe his patients, and to study their character and complexion; the results of this studious inquiry are laid down in his book." (Seligmann)

This work was written in Latin and first published in 1586 under the title De humana physiognomia. It saw 19 editions before 1701, and has been translated into Italian (1598; translation by Salvatore Scarano), German (1651), French (1655), and English (1817). This tenth Italian edition is replete with a large number of intriguing (and humorous) woodcuts. The first is a portrait of Porta, and, while some of the rest show anatomical figures, the vast majority contrast the shapes of faces and bodies of animals and men. The title-page vignette is of Aesculapius, the Greco-Roman god of healing.

Appended to Della fisionomia humana are the Fisionomia naturale of Giovanni Ingegneri († 1600), the Physionomia of Polemon (ca. a.d. 88 – a.d. 145) in an Italian translation, Porta’s Della celeste fisionomia (a repudiation of astrology), and two short related treatises by Livius Agrippa and Luigi Settala (1552–1633). Della celeste fisionomia has a number of interesting woodcuts showing pagan gods and constellations.

•  Seligmann, The History of Magic, 319. On physiognomy, see: Thorndike, History of Magic and Experimental Science, VII, 448 & following. On Porta, see: Webster’s New Biographical Dictionary 811. Vellum over paste boards, soiled and cockled with a little chipping and front joint opening. Ex-library: paper labels on spine and rubber-stamps, including one on title-page. Pages cockled with traces of soiling on top edges; a few edges bumped. Plates in very clear, strong impressions.

•  Publisher’s cloth, spine with gilt-stamped title (attractively oxidized); cloth rubbed at extremities, spine with small spot of faint discoloration from a now-absent label. Front pastedown institutionally rubber-stamped (no other markings). Erratum slip tipped in. A cleaner copy than most seen on the market.

The binding is full marbled sheep (pasta española) with gilt-stamped red spine-labels and raised bands accented with gilt rules.

•  Limited Editions Club, Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by The Limited Editions Club, 1929–1985, 275. Original red slipcase; rubbed, chipped and splitting along edges, with some paper loss at corners; case spine sunned. Spine leather a bit darkened, bottom of front joint starting. A very good copy, in a good slipcase.

For the LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB,  click here.

Edmund Dulac created the book's enchanting illustrations, consisting of 10 full-page and six in-text watercolors, a two-color decorative title-page, and decorative head- and tailpieces, and initials, also in two colors. Ernest Ingham designed the book using a monotype Poliphilus font.

The binding is full Russian-red cloth with apolished brass design of a cockerel set in the front cover and a gilt-lettered title on the spine. This edition is limited to 1500 copies and this offering includes the monthly mailing notice.

•  Limited Editions Club, Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by The Limited Editions Club, 1929–1985, 205.   Binding as above. In a glassine wrapper with shallow edge tears and chips, contained within a chemise covered with Russian-red paper with gilt cockerel design with gilt-lettered spine; spine sunned and paper chipped. The whole in an unevenly sunned slipcase, with slight loss of paper to top edge at mouth and spine. A fine book, in a good+ slipcase.  (22314)

•  NSTC 2R11677; Lowndes 2099; Hugo, The Bewick Collector, 434.   Contemporary half dark green morocco with red marbled paper sides, spine with gilt-stamped title; some rubbing and with a bit of green discoloration to paper of front cover. Minor offsetting to frontispiece and title-page; mild to moderate foxing in first third of volume and to last few pages.  (21934)

“Personal” this is, both in construction and in style; it is written in accessible language and with wonder given full rein. But it is real science.  (Robertson-Miller published in agricultural and other scientific journals.)

Binding:  Publisher's sage green cloth, front cover and spine stamped in olive, black, and pale green.

•  Bound as above with lower edge of front cover darkened, corners and spine extremities lightly rubbed. Front hinge slightly tender. Pages clean.  (22214)

Click the image at right for an enlargement.

•  Shoemaker 40547. Not in Rosenbach, Early American Children's Books.   Publisher's printed yellow paper wrappers, front wrapper lacking, back wrapper stained with edges nicked, spine overstitched at a later date. Moderate spotting and staining to pages; corners bumped. Slightly tattered: first few leaves with short tear from outer margin, not touching text; title-page and subsequent two leaves with short tear from inner margin, extending into text without loss.  (24545)

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  NSTC 2R15787. Recent moiré cloth–covered boards. Title-page with small inked numerals in upper outer corner and with minor chipping to outer edge. Short edge tears to outer margins of many leaves, not touching text.

The book is illustrated with 100 engraved plates and numerous in-text engravings, as well as a frontispiece map of the Holy Land in each volume. The plates are mostly figural illustrations taken from paintings in catacombs and on sarcophagi, illuminated manuscripts, mosaics, ivory figurines, murals, etc. The title-pages are printed in black and red ink, and decorated with an engraved vignette.

•  Publisher's red cloth, stamped in gilt on the spines and front covers. Spines sunned and front cover of vol. II slightly sunned along fore-edge also; cloth of spines frayed at extremities and chipped in other places. Hinges (inside) of vol. I a little weak, stitching exposed; corners bumped with cloth damage; pages very shallowly bumped. Ex-library, with shelf labels on spines, institutional bookplates on front pastedowns, pressure-stamp to title-pages and one other page in each volume. Paper very good; pages clean and bright.  (24688)

José-Ignacio Roquette (1801–70), a Franciscan friar and professor at the patriarchal seminary in Lisbon, also wrote a History of the Discovery of America and works on natural history and philology. First published in 1844, this is the fifth edition of this rare work: We were unable to trace any copies via NUC Pre-1956, OCLC, or RLIN.

Single-click the chromo, for an enlargement.

•  Contemporary mottled calf, spine handsomely gilt with floral devices and with a gilt-lettered red leather label; scratched and abraded with some loss on edges and corners. Marbled endpapers, a little rubbed. Light foxing and some spots of light soiling; a few tears in margins of pages and plates. A book apparently used by members of its intended audience, though not put through truly gruesome maltreatment.

•  Sewn; in original printed wrappers. Front cover illustrated with scenes of children playing. Publisher's advertisement on back cover. Foxed. Numerous chips and short tears, limited to margins; one long tear (1.5") to pp.15 and 16, intruding upon text and engraving. One corner of back cover chipped. A child has colored most of the engravings. A somewhat worn copy. (4845)

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                    ILLUSTRATED,  click here.

The promotional map of Manhattan focuses on the Fair but also locates night and dinner clubs, theaters, movie houses, museums and other points of interest; a large map of automobile routes is given, as is a smaller map of the subway system. The map is contained in itoriginal color-printed protective folder stamped “With the compliments of Ralph C. Bulkley . . . The Seaboard Insurance Company of Maryland.”

•  Folder darkened and spotted; two exterior map panels slightly faded, map otherwise clean and bright.  (24644)