Rare books from Haec City / Also Books

... including Diagnosis of European Spongillidae by Prof. Franz Vejdovsky
Hardcover 8vo, in brown buckram with gilt leather spine label. iv, [157]-279pp+ 7 plates labeled Plate V-XII ("inclusive"), 1887. Bound with 5 offprints extracted from "The Microscope" originally collected in seafoam green wrappers titled "Fresh Water Sponges" and containing: (1.) –What They Are Not. (2.) What They Are [June 1890, with plate] (3.) What They Are [July 1890, with plate] (4.) How to Find and Gather Them [Sept 1890] (5.) The Determination of Species [with diagram].
Appears to be signed twice, with "from Edward Potts" annotated in Potts' hand beneath the ownership signature of Mr. S. R. [Sherwood Raymond] Roberts on the front blank of the monograph and the first page of the offprints pamphlet. Roberts was a colleague of Potts' and prominent member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, known for his work in conchology and collection of Cypraeidae that rivaled Potts' collection of fresh water sponges… Read More

Delhi: Government Manager of Publications, 1934. First edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Rare 1934 treatise featuring 11 monochrome plates and numerous in-text diagrams and illustrations. Small quarto (10 x 7.5 inches), 113pp. Green cloth with gilt-stamped cover and spine, Very Good with slight dent to the middle of the foredge (boards only). Mottling to boards and evidence of some water exposure to the foot of the spine, but discoloration appears minimal. Information on the mechanisms of wood seasoning, with annotated index of each species. A pioneering expert in his field, Kapur studied at University of Gothenberg, Germany and was an Associate Member of he Institution of Chemical Engineers. His research led to the development of wood products and substitutes used in manufacturing (especially rifles and furniture) in both public and private sectors. This manual remains the foundation of the Indian Standard Classification of Indian timbers based on refractoriness to seasoning still in use. With… Read More

New York: E. B. Treat, 1881. Cloth. Very Good. Original copyright 1880, identified in the addendum at rear as the fifth edition. "Enlarged by results of experiment." Rust brown embossed cloth 8vo, 108pp. + 6p ads (including one for forceps, "with an introductory account of the female pelvis." Decorative boards, a few illustrated ads. Very Good with rubbing and slight bumping to tips, a small little spot on the cover. Two signatures and a closed tear to the front flyleaf; contents clean and unmarked. Beard's psycho-spiritual-scientific treatise identifies sea sickness as both a "functional disease of the nervous system" and a simple "evil to be avoided." Rare work by the well-known physician who published on many ailments.

New York: Associated Press, 1966. Near Fine. New York: Associated Press, 1966 Near Fine Glossy black and white photo, 7 x 9 inches Near Fine with a touch of discoloration along the edge on the verso, where a folded press release is affixed "Nell Theobald, 22, a model from New York is helped away as handlers restrain lion About 150 persons watched as the lion, apparently confused by TV cameras and lights, turned on the model and bit her on the leg"

Paris: Chez J.-B. Ballière, 1843. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. ...Traduit de l'anglais par F. Roulin. Accompagné de 40 planches gravées et coloriées, et de 90 figures en bois intercalées dans le texte. First Edition, French language translation of Prichard's "Natural History of Man," published the same year as the English. 40 hand colored steel engravings and 90 woodcut illustrations throughout the text. Navy leather-backed with marbled boards with gilt stamped spines. 8vo, 416 + 406pp. Plates collated complete. Very good: rubbing and wear to joints and spine ends with tidy color restoration. Old catalog description affixed to vol. 1 pastedown and occasional offsetting, otherwise clean. Plates unblemished and still remarkably vivid, with tissue guards intact. "...a pre-Darwinian text that attempts to categorize all known races in the world in order to create an organized account based on the varying characteristics of the races. Prichard's work emphasizes the university of man as a… Read More

Softcover 4to, 359pp. Copiously illustrated with photographs, diagrams, and some very of-the-era graphics. Very Good: spine creased and with specks of abrasion, corners gently bumped. Mild foxing to the edges of the textblock only; pages remain clear. "Because, in time of war, a disaster situation could result from a nuclear, biological or chemical warfare attack, most of this book is devoted to a discussion of these potential man-made disasters--their characteristics, results and how to combat them. The remainder of the book deals with disaster control plans and bills, group protection, disaster control at advanced bases, and mutual aid and liaison with other agencies during disaster situations." Scarce.

Springfield, Mass.: Milton Bradley Co., 1923. Cloth. Near fine. Later printing, 1923 (First published 1908) Green cloth 8vo, np. 29 b&w plates with a facing page of text for each. Introduction by Walter Sargent. A progression of techniques for creating remarkably realistic blackboard drawings. Near Fine with minor scuffing to boards, a tight & clean copy.

France, ca. 1850. Very good. Explanation for constructing cylinder and helix forms, with four stunning illustrations. 2 leaves, each 8.25 x 6.25 inches, in acid-free mat and archival sleeves, 12 x 9 inches. The first leaf is matted single-side, the other with a double window to view the drawings on each side. Both mounted with mylar corners for easy removal and examination. Very Good condition with minor surface wear incurred by the original student while drafting. From a mid-19th century French student manuscript on architectural and mechanical drafting containing notes for computational and perspective drawing, studies on light and shade, reflection, etc.

Chicago, 1922. Hardcover. Very good. Hardcover double-ring binder, 10 x 8 inches. 26 pages of illustrations, often with multiple drawings on a page, plus 3 charts. Several pages of experiments and notes on food and diet interspersed. Complete, according to the handwritten index, and ca. 1922 based on the Typhoid "death by disease" chart, which ends in 1921. Bottom corner of the front board is worn off and many of the pages are torn at the hole punch and have sustained some edgewear from the haphazard placement, but the pages clean with no interruption to the drawings. Each drawing is stamped by the instructor, J. L. Neil. An incredible group of folk styled biological and anatomical drawings done in ink and colored pencil by Chicago high school student Dorothy Lipsich.

Springfield, MA: Milton Bradley Company, 1916. Good. A new and interesting means of industrial occupation embodied in the most pleasing pastime known to childhood. They teach the child how to make dresses in just the same manner as its own little dresses are made, and assist her to cultivate subconsciously a really educational discrimination in the selection of material, color schemes, and styles." Includes: instruction booklet, top panel of the box (7.5 x 10 inches, no sides), 3 dolls, 18 sheets of patterned paper (8 with pieces cut out), 5 intact sheets of paper patterns, 3 cut out "background" patterns, envelope with blue tissue cutouts, 10 drawn-on dresses, and 10 collaged dresses from the supplied paper (including a few with little buttons!) The large doll has a few small areas of abrasion and is creased at the ankles, abrasion to the box lid and booklet, minor discoloration and wear. A nice example with patterns created using multiple methods at different skill levels.

Boston: Prang Educational Company, 1894. Hardcover. Very good. First thus, 1894. Cloth 8vo, 176pp. Very Good with light soil, rubbing to the corners and spine ends, a few instances of discoloration or soil from use. Previous owner's signature to the front flyleaf, else clean and unmarked. The book popular art education exercises modeled after the Froebel gifts, including paper folding and cutting, stick laying, blackboard drawing, and clay modeling. It also offers a thorough course for teaching color that incorporates visual, tactile, and language exercises. Despite espousing the superiority of art education that did not rely on rote copying exercises, Turner accepted the job of producing a new version of White's Course in Art Instruction for the American Book Company in 1891, along with four young art educators--Nathanial Berry, Elizabeth Perry, Jessie Prince--who referred to themselves as "the syndicate." Bailey was a state agent with influence over art education in Massachusetts, where a… Read More

University of California, 1932. Paperback. Very good. 1932 University of California Botany Notebook by a student of Richard Holman, head of Botany at UC Berkeley and co-author of the influential 'Textbook of General Botany' (with Wilfred Robbins, 1924). 39 labeled plates: Plant Cell (5), Plant (2), Plant Tissues (6), Stem (4), Root (2), Leaf (4), Flower (7), Fruit (3), Seed (6). Approx. 20 sheets of notes on seed experiments, some with application to agricultural practices. Graphite drawings on thick card stock in UC branded cover, fastened with brads. A few grading marks on the written notes, drawings remain clean and crisp, very fine work. See: 'Botany at Berkeley: The First Hundred Years' by Lincoln Constance, 1978. https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/history/botanyatberkeley/

Boston: L. Prang & Co., 1889. First Edition. Paperback. Good. Softcover 8vo, 9 x 7 inches, 30pp. Printed wraps with ad for "The Modern Priscilla" on the rear panel. In Good condition; pages slightly creped from handling and wraps worn around the edges, including some splitting at the spine. Small chip to the bottom corner of the wrap and related closed tear to the pages behind it, faint tidemark in that corner. Delicate but intact. Remarkably intricate (and profuse!) diagrams of the traditional lace weaving technique, with emphasis placed on the care and patience required to realize the beauty of the art.. Later reissued by the Priscilla Publishing Co., this first issue by Prang is rare. 5 copies in OCLC.

Boston: James R. Osgood, 1872. First Edition. First edition, 1872. 8vo, 398pp + (4) ads, including for drawing books by Osgood and Prang’s drawing models. A Good copy with soil and foxing to the plates. One of the plates has a repaired tear and is reattached in place with Japanese paper. Fraying to the cloth with shallow loss at the spine ends, hinges starting. 1874 signature plate of William Shaw Bowen, doctor turned “yellow” journalist whose East Greenwich, RI mansion was featured on postcards, to the front pastedown. Contents unmarked. Collated complete. Walter Smith was a successful English sculptor who promoted a rigid system of linear drawing that could be taught by a generalist teacher, avoiding the need for specially trained art teachers. His aim was to improve the quality of draftsmanship in the labor force which had become an increasingly important aspect of manufacturing and industry. He did not believe in a fundamental difference between “light-headed art students, who frothily… Read More

France, 1918. None. Very good. (1.) Large orange broadside poster, 32 x 24 inches, promoting the “Brown v. Hennessy” YMCA boxing rematch exhibition at the A.E.F. 2nd Aviation Instruction Center on June 16, 1918. (2.) A single issue of the cadet-run weekly paper published in Tours [and] (3.) A torn ticket stub from the first Brown v. Hennessy match on May 15, 1918. (1.) Large orange broadside poster, 32 x 24 inches, promoting the “Brown v. Hennessy” YMCA boxing rematch exhibition at the A.E.F. 2nd Aviation Instruction Center on June 16, 1918. Printed by Deslis Freres and Co, Tours. The main event was a rematch between K. O. Brown and J. Hennessy, who fought a 6-round draw the previous month—and would go another 8 rounds during this match. The event also featured windup matches Abie Bernard vs. Shorty Oliver (“two scrappy bantams”), Joe Driscell vs. Porkey Hanna, and four other matchups promising to “give you all the fun you want.” The fights are chronicled in The Wing Slip, a weekly… Read More