Blackwell’S rare books ONE HUNDRED BOOKS CATALOGUE B168 Blackwell’s Rare Books 48-51 Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BQ Direct Telephone: +44 (0) 1865 333555 Switchboard: +44 (0) 1865 792792 Email: [email protected] Fax: +44 (0) 1865 794143 www.blackwell.co.uk/ rarebooks Our premises are in the main Blackwell bookstore at 48-51 Broad Street, one of the largest and best known in the world, housing over 200,000 new book titles, covering every subject, discipline and interest, as well as a large secondhand books department. There is lift access to each floor. The bookstore is in the centre of the city, opposite the Bodleian Library and Sheldonian Theatre, and close to several of the colleges and other university buildings, with on street parking close by. Oxford is at the centre of an excellent road and rail network, close to the London - Birmingham (M40) motorway and is served by a frequent train service from London (Paddington). Hours: Monday–Saturday 9am to 6pm. (Tuesday 9:30am to 6pm.) Purchases: We are always keen to purchase books, whether single works or in quantity, and will be pleased to make arrangements to view them. Auction commissions: We attend a number of auction sales and will be happy to execute commissions on your behalf. Blackwell online bookshop www.blackwell.co.uk Our extensive online catalogue of new books caters for every speciality, with the latest releases and editor’s recommendations. We have something for everyone. Select from our subject areas, reviews, highlights, promotions and more. Orders and correspondence should in every case be sent to our Broad Street address (all books subject to prior sale). Please mention Catalogue B168 when ordering. Front cover illustrations: Item 75 Rear cover illustrations: Item 83 One of only 52 copies, and bound with Flaxman’s plates 1. Aeschylus. TΡAΓΩΔIAI EΠTA.Glasgow:inaedibus Academicis,excudebatAndreasFoulis1795,ONEOF52 COPIES,engravedtitlepageand30engravedplatesby Flaxmanboundin,fourplatesshaved(twotouching image,twojustinsideborder),alittlespottinginplaces, afewtopmarginsdusty,pp.[iv],xii,[2],357,[1],folio, contemporarystraight-graineddarkbluemorocco, spinewithraisedbands,letteredingiltdirect,marbled endpapers,a.e.g.,alittlebitrubbed,spinejustslightly sunned,verygood(ESTCT87011&T160786;Gaskell699) £5,000 OneoftherarestandmostelegantproductionsoftheFoulis Press,withfewerthan65copiesofthiseditionofAeschylus printed,52onsmallpaperand11or12onlarge.‘Small’ copieslikethisonemeasurearound38cmtall,tallerthan eventhelarge-papercopiesoftheFoulisPressmasterpiece, the1756-8Homer.ESTCnotesthat‘somelargepapercopies havedrawingsbyJohnFlaxman’,whileGaskellsaysthatboth issues‘sometimeshaveasetofplatesbyFlaxman’,andMurray’sdetailsofpublicationsuggestthatthe bookretailedinthreeformats:smallpaper(3guineas),largepaper(10guineas),andlargepaperwith theplates(£20).Inanycase,onlyaminorityofrecordedcopies(thoughbothlargeandsmall)havethe plates,andthiscopydemonstratesthatinordertofittheplatesinasmallpapercopysomefoldingand trimmingwasnecessary. Item 1 1 blackwell’S rare books Thiseditionhastextualimportanceaswell:itrepresentsthefirstsubstantialpublicationofRichard Porson’sworkonthetextofAeschylus.PorsonwasinvitedbythesyndicsoftheCambridgeUniversity PresstoproduceaneweditionAeschylusin1783,buttheirrequirementsthatPorsonprintthe corrupttextofStanley’sedition(bythenoveracenturyold)withhisownnotes,andtheirrefusalof permissiontocollatetheLaurentianmanuscriptinFlorenceledtohimdecliningtheedition.Porson nonethelesscontinuedtocollectmaterial,andsomehow–storiesvarybutusuallyincludefoulplay –aportionofhisnotesfellintothehandsoftheFoulisbrothers.Porsonmayhavelenthisnotestoa friendinScotland,orhemayhavebegunacontractwithaprinterwhothenpublishedwithouthis finalapproval,orthismayallbespeculationonthebasisthathisnameappearsnowherewithin. Additionally,atwo-volumeoctavoeditionwithPorson’semendations(andagainomittinghisname) wasalsoprintedbytheFoulisPressineither1794or1796,butheldbackfrompublicationuntil1806, whenitwasissuedbyaLondonbooksellerwithcanceltitle-pages. Understandably,givenitssizeandlimitation,copiesofthiseditionareoftenfinelybound:theSykes large-papercopyboundbyStaggemeierandWelcherwaslistedinMaggs’BookbindingintheBritish Islescatalogueof1996,andtheSpencercopy,nowinManchester,issaidtobethefinestpieceofwork byRogerPayne(andcontainstheoriginaldrawingsfortheFlaxmanplates).Thiscopy’sbindinghasno binder’sticketorstamp,andthedesignismuchmorerestrainedthantheSykesorSpencercopies,but thematerialsandfinishingareofthehighestquality. New discoveries 2. Ampère (André Marie) and Babinet (Jacques) Exposédesnouvelles découvertessurl’electricitéetle magnétisme,deMM.Oersted,Arago, Ampère,H.Davy,Biot,Erman,Schweiger, DelaRive,etc.Paris:Méquignon-Marvis, 1822,FIRSTEDITION,withnumerous woodcutdiagramsandillustrationsin thetext,pp.[iv],91,8vo,drabwrappers, good(OvermierandSeniorp.127;notin GartrellorWheelerGift) £2,500 Aimportant,scarceandearlypublicationon electricityandmagnetism,a‘veryvaluable Treatise’(Mottelay).Ampère’scollaborator inthepresentpublication,JacquesBabinet, ‘didexcellentworkindifferentareasofphysics.Hewasanearlyadvocateofthewavetheoryoflight [and]producedimportantresultsinthetheoryofrefraction’(Ekelöfp.287).Anadditionalinteresting aspectofthepresentpaperisafirstoutlineofAmpère’sideasconcerninganelectrictelegraph(p.71). TheworkisinfactanoffprintfromtheSupplementtotheFrenchtranslationofThomasThompson’s SystemofChemistry:SystèmedeChimie.Traduit..parJ.Riffault.Thesupplementisentitled: Supplément..présentantcequiaétéfaitdenouveaudanscettescience..depuisl’époque(1819)où cettetraductionaparu,Paris1822(seeCole1283). Three rare Petits 3. Aquinas (Saint Thomas) InlibrumSalomonisq[ui]Ca[n]ticaca[n]tico[rum]inscribit[ur] dilucidissimaexpositio:q[uam]diligentissimenup[er]rimevisa:recognita:erroribusq[ue] purgata:&q[uan]tuannitiarspotuitfideliterimpressa...[colophon:]Paris,JeanPetit,17April, 1515,woodcutprinter’sdeviceonversooflastleaf,colophononrecto,textoftheVulgate Canticleinslightlylargertype,alternatingwithcommentary,sidenotes,onelargeandnumerous smallcribléinitials,somedamp-staining,mainlyintheupperfore-anduppermargins,ff.lxvi, [ii], [boundwith:] Gregory (Saint, the Great)I[n]septe[m]psalmospentite[n]tiales:explanatioadmodumvtilis, cu[m]tabulamateriarum.[colophon:]Paris:JeanBarbierforJeanPetit,nd.,withPetit’sdevice onthetitle-pageandBarbier’sattheend,ff.lxxii,[vi], 2 ONE HUNDRED BOOKS [and:] AUREUM DE PECCATIScapitalibus eorumspeciebusopusculum, inquosimulexplicanturmala queexeisdimanantetremedia quibusrepelluntur.[Editedby ConstantinusLepus].[Paris,Jean Petit,nd,]gatheringDmisbound beforeC,last8leavesrepairedat upperoutercorner,withlossof foliation,ffxxiiii,[viii],16moin 8s,thethree(havingbeentogether before-seebelow)recently rebound,re-usinganoldpiece ofvellumovermodernboards, contemporaryownershipinscriptionontitle(nameinGreek,mottoinGerman,partiallycrossed out)withvariousannotationstothetextinthesamehand,alaterinscriptionatfootoftitle, preservedinamoroccobackedchemiseandslip-incase,good £2,000 ThreesmallPetits,allrare:thethird,inparticular,islocatedonlyintheBLbyCOPAC,withonlyone furthercopyintheFrenchUnionCatalogue.Thefirstworkisdefinitelydated,andtheothertwoare probablythesame,giveortakeafewyears,havingappearedalreadyin1511:howeverthesethreehave alwaysbeentogether,aswitnesstheannotationsinthesamehandinallthree,andtheshareddamp- staining;theconsistentedge-sprinklingalsoseemstopre-datethecurrentbinding. ThefirstworkissupposedlyAquinas’lastcomposition,notwrittendownbyhim,butdictatedas helaydyingattheCistercianAbbeyofFossaNuova.Theworkdidnotappearinprintuntil1505,in Venice,ofwhichthiseditionseemstobeareprint(orapiracy).‘On6December,1273,helaidaside hispenandwouldwritenomore…inJanuary,1274…hefelltothegroundnearTerracina,whencehe wasconductedtotheCastleofMaienza,thehomeofhisniecetheCountessFrancescaCeccano.The CistercianmonksofFossaNuovapressedhimtoaccepttheirhospitality...Attheurgentrequestofthe monkshedictatedabriefcommentaryontheCanticleofCanticles’(CatholicEncyclopedia).However, ithasalsobeensuggestedthatthisattributionismistakenandthecommentaryisinfacttheworkof Aquinas’scontemporaryAegidioColonna. The most important dreambooks 4. Artemidorus of Daldis, et al. ArtemidoriDaldiani& AchmetisSereimiF.Oneirocritica.Astrampsychi& NichephoriversusetiamOneirocritici.NicolaiRigaltiiad ArtemidorumNotae.Paris:ApudMarcumOrry,1603, EDITIOPRINCEPSoftheAchmet,title-pageprintedinredand black,thetextlargelyGreekandLatininfacingcolumns, twoleavesofthelastpaginationrepeatedbeforethefinal page(pp.27-30,thesecondinstanceaslightlydifferent settingoftype,apparentlyasissuedbutperhapsanintended cancel),earlyownershipinscriptionofStephanusJoann. Stephaniusontitle-page,pp.[xii],269,[23],20,65,]1],274, 27-30,p.275,[17],4to,seventeenth-centurypanelledcalf, spinewithfiveraisedbands,redmoroccoletteringpiece, compartmentsborderedwithadoublegiltfillet,centre- piecesofdrawer-handletoolssurroundedbysmallsunbursts,pearlspears,&c.,boardswitha centraldecorativecircleofsimilartools,a.e.r.,slightchippingtoheadofspine,alittlerubbed, spinelightlysunned,good(Atkinson,MedicalBibliography,Ip.21) £1,500 AselectionofthemostimportantancientandByzantineworksondreaming,collectedandeditedby NicolasRigault.Twoarethemostsubstantialsurvivingdreambooks,onefromantiquity(Artemidorus) andonefromtheByzantineperiod(Achmet)–whichherehasitsGreektextprintedforthefirstand 3 blackwell’S rare books onlytimebeforethetwentiethcentury–whiletheothertwoareshorterverseworksandone,the Astrampsychus,isinfactaselectionofmarginalversesfrommanuscriptsoftheother,theNicephorus.