Rare books from Robert McDowell Antiquarian Books

Lyon: Iohnnes Clein, 1515. Hardcover. See Description. [c.1515]. 4to. pp. [280]. p.[280 blank]. Colophon dated "nono kale[n]das Octobris" (23 Sept.). Title page printed in red and black inside woodcut architectural border. Woodcut printer's device (Sylvestre 132). Printed in Roman font with the surrounding commentaries printed in Gothic. Text contains decorative initials. Bound in contemporary blind stamped paneled calf boards; re-backed preserving original spine. Later antique endpapers with inscription on front-free endpaper dated "1925"; front and rear blank fly-leaves worn. Pages are generally clean with occasional marginalia in an old hand (i.e. several small inscriptions written on the title page); minor spotting; lower corner of leaf c7 clipped in margin; The hinges and inner margins to the first gathering are neatly strengthened / repaired. The outer edges to this same gathering show some wear - i.e. a few marginal tears (sealed), and light soiling. The bottom margins… Read More

Venice: Comin da Trino di Monferrato, 1558. Hardcover. See Description. Third Edition. 4to in 8’s. ff. [8], 168. Including decorative initials and 84 woodcut illustrations with the text. Title within woodcut border depicting a variety of metallurgical and mining equipment. Final leaf (recto) contains a printer’s device and colophon - "In Vinegia per Comin da Trino di Monferrato MDLIX" [1559]. Attractive copy. Pages are generally clean and fresh with occasional mild spotting / staining. An old bookplate from the "Royal Military College" is located on the inside front cover. The bookplate is stamped "Sold by H.M Stationery Office." Bound in original limp vellum (minus thong fore-edge ties). Minus binder’s blank fly-leaf in the rear. Vannoccio Biringuccio (1480-1539?) was a Siennese nobleman, engineer and metallurgist. His "Pirotechnia" (first published in Venice, 1540) is considered the earliest detailed hand-book on metallurgy. The work contains… Read More

Paris: Mathurini Du Puis, 1634. First Edition. . Hardcover. See Description. 4to. pp. [14], 853, [19], 126. Title in red and black with small crown vignette. Text is in Greek with Latin translation on opposite page. Bound in full red morocco (perhaps later 17th century) with spine gilt in 6 compartments - rubbed, chipped. Hinges and spine caps restored; careful repair to corner tips of front cover. All edges gilt. Pages contain minor scattered foxing and age toning. Inscription written in an old hand on verso of front blank. First printed edition of the "Excerpta Peiresciana" manuscript or "De Virtutuibus et Vitiis," part of a large Byzantine anthology of excerpts which were gathered from earlier Greek historical works and compiled under the direction of the emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (905-959 c.e.). The collection was arranged in 53 sections, 4 of which are extant - 1.) "De Legationibus" 2.) "De Virtutibus et Vitiis" 3.) "De Sententiis" 4.)… Read More

Paris: Michel Bobin & Nicolas Le Gras, 1673. Hardcover. See Description. Third French Edition, revised and corrected. 4to. pp. [38], 754. Decorative initials and ornamental head pieces at the beginning of each chapter. Contemporary calf boards (rubbed, corners neatly restored) re-backed including new hand sewn headbands. Original end papers are preserved but worn at the edges. Two names are written in a contemporary hand at the top of the title page (1 name is crossed out). Another name (also crossed out) is inscribed beneath the imprint; a small shelf number is written in the upper right corner. Pages are generally clean with occasional minor soiling and spotting. A narrow piece is missing from the upper margins of pp. 311-320 (4 cm. long x 5-7 mm. deep) - either from rough opening or from a manufacturing error; brown ink spot on fore-edge of text block; leaf T2 marked S2. Leaves remain untrimmed after last re-sewing. Descartes's "Meditations metaphysiques" was first published in… Read More

Etienne Charpentier, 1784. Hardcover. See Description. Tall folio (385 mm.). The entire book, including the text, was printed from engraved copper plates – 60 plates (an illustrated title page plate, 29 anatomical plates and 30 calligraphic letterpress plates). Bound in a contemporary or near contemporary binding with calf spine and decorative paste paper boards - rubbed, edges shelf worn, old ink stain on rear cover. Both the upper portion of the spine and the tail cap are carefully restored. Board corners are neatly repaired. Interior contains an occasional minor spots of marginal foxing; a couple of tiny holes or paper defects are present on the text plate opposite plate 20. The leaves are otherwise generally clean. Francois-Michel Disdier (1708-1781) was a professor of surgery and a drawing master at the Academy of Painting in Paris. His "Tableaux anatomiques", a deluxe anatomy book for physicians, was first published in 1758. Many of the plates were done by Crepy and Charpentier… Read More

Padua: Pauli Frambotti, 1651. Limp Vellum. See Description. Second Edition. 4to. pp. [18], 522, [24]. With extra engraved title page and a portrait of the author. Also includes 24 engraved plates by Giovanni Georgi - most of which are a full page. Lacks blank free end papers. Interior generally clean with mild scattered marginal foxing. Manufacturing tear on leaf Pp sealed and practically invisible. Some small binder's tears in the gutter of signature G are also carefully sealed. Bottom corner tip of the title page restored (10 x 14 mm). Original full vellum binding (rubbed, usual age-toning) with later gilt title on spine. Upper hinges near the head cap strengthened. Marco Auelio Severino (1580-1656) was a distinguished Italian anatomist and surgeon. In 1610 he was made Professor of Anatomy and Surgery at Naples. His work "Vipera pythia" discusses poisonous snakes, snake anatomy, snake venom, and the medicinal properties and virtues of snakes. Much information is given concerning the… Read More

Basel: Johann Froben, 1521. Hardcover. See Description. Folio. ff. [444] plus 6 extra leaves in this copy as signature G is repeated. Colophon: Basileae per Ioannem Frobeniu, Mense Maio. Anno M.D.XXI. Title page contains decorative woodcut border with 10 figures including images symbolizing the four evangelists, Peter, Paul and four early Bishops. Printer’s device also on title page and on verso of final leaf. The introductions to both part I and part II contain woodcut initials. The title to the second part reads: "Concordantiae partium sive dictionum indeclinabilium totius Bibliae." The main text is in 3 columns per page. Bound in period blind tooled pigskin over wooden boards - attractively age-toned. Metal corner pieces are present; clasps are lacking. Title page contains three tiny and unobtrusive worm holes. There is also an area of abrasion next to the printed title proper which affects a tiny area on the inner edge of the woodcut border. Small holes present in upper inner… Read More

Lugduni: Sebastianum Gryphium, 1552. Limp Vellum. See Description. Folio. pp. [36], Cols. 1-1218, pp. [3]. With printer's device on title page. The colophon (verso of final leaf) reads "Sebastianus Gryphius excudebat Lugduni, anno M.D.LII." and contains a large woodcut griffin device. Dual column text with fine decorative initials. Several diagrams are included with the text illustrating… Bound in full period vellum (rubbed). Title and shelf number are written on the spine in an early hand. An old ownership or institutional stamp is present on the title page, the second leaf, leaf T5, and also on the colophon page. Interior pages contain mild to moderate age-toning and periodic scattered foxing and spotting. Some pages are more uniformly toned. Raffaelo Maffei (1451-1522) was an Italian humanist, historian and theologian. His "Commentariorum urbanorum" (first published in 1506) is an encyclopedia of all subjects known at the time. The work is particularly notable for the importance given to… Read More

[ Paris ]: Vaenundantur ipsi Ascensio, 1530. Hardcover. See Description. Folio. 35 cm. ff. [22], 16, 323. Lacking final blank leaf. This copy does not contain the additional section printed a year later in 1531 (listed separately in Adams as L-1327), which included both the 5 missing books from the tenth decade, recently discovered by Simon Grynaus, and a chronology by Glareanus. Text is in Roman type with decorative woodcut initials. The title page contains a woodcut architectural border which surrounds Ascensius’s printer’s device depicting workers at a printing press. Some scholarly Latin marginalia is present, written in a careful early hand; signatures a-c, and signature p hold the heaviest annotations – including side glosses, micro notations between lines of text, and careful underlining of words and passages. Most pages throughout the book are free of notations. Tiny spots of worming are located on the first few leaves. Signatures a-f show a small area of worming - mostly… Read More

Paris: Chez Abel L’Angellier, 1599. First Edition. . Hardcover. See Description. First Blaise de Vigenère edition. Small 4to. ff. [4], 299. With an engraved vignette profile of Apollonius of Tyana on the title page. Text is decorated with woodcut initials. Bound in original full period calf with a gilt oval medallion center piece stamped on both front and rear covers. Re-backed preserving large portions of the original spine. The binding is well rubbed and shows lumpiness, discoloration and general wear. The leather contains areas of modern restoration and patching; the corner tips of the boards are carefully repaired. The gilt border lines (running along the edges of the front and rear covers) are also partially restored. Interior pages are generally clean but show occasional light spotting and toning; some periodic minor worming in the lower and inner margins is also present. The inside front cover displays the book plate of bibliographer Roger de Quiriele (1848-1924). This is the… Read More

Paris: Apud Ambrosium Girault, sub pellicano in via Iacobea, 1545. Hardcover. See Description. Small 8vo. ff. [16], 247. Lacking final blank leaf. 20 Woodcut illustrations depicting imagery from the "Apocalypse of John" accompany the text. Occasional woodcut decorative initials are also present. The title displays Ambroise Girault’s woodcut printer’s device. A clipped area (1.7 x 6 cm) in the upper outer margin of the title page is carefully restored using matching period paper (difficult to notice at first glance). The title is also marked with the addition of red hand-ruled panel lines, well executed, (perhaps done at an early date) imitating a style sometimes seen in 17th century English Bibles and prayer books. Interior contains occasional spots of foxing; the title shows some scattered foxing; a couple of words of extremely faint marginalia are present in the outer margin of the third leaf and p. 107 (Oiii). Bound in full modern off-white vellum over boards after an early… Read More

Basel: Verlegung Ludwig Königs, 1621. Hardcover. See Description. Small folio. Third German edition of Agricola’s most famous mining book ("De Re Metallica"). ff. iv, pp. ccccxci, [7]. Title page is printed in red and black and displays a vignette depicting an assayer working at a muffle furnace. 273 woodcut illustrations by Hans Rudolf Manuel Deutsch accompany the text, including two fold out plates. Many of the woodcuts are almost a full page in size. Bound in full period vellum with usual age-toning, soiling and wear. Ribbon ties are lacking. Two small areas of careful repair are visible on the inner front cover, near the joint. The bottom tail cap contains minor restoration. Interior pages show scattered foxing, browning and age-toning in varying degrees. A couple of minor carefully sealed marginal tears are present. A neatly sealed tear (6.5 cm) is located on the upper portion of the title page, difficult to notice at first glance; a name is written unobtrusively in an old… Read More

Venice: Andrea Muschio & Barezzo Barezzi, 1594. Hardcover. See Description. 4to. pp. [32], 383, [25]. With a 2 page engraved map. Text is printed in Italic type with decorative woodcut initials and head and tail pieces. Bound in modern quarter leather over 19th century marbled boards. Remnants of an early spine label are preserved. End papers are renewed in quality laid paper. Interior pages are generally clean but show occasional light toning, wear and scattered spotting/staining. The title page contains mild discoloration; the inner margin is neatly strengthened (hardly noticeable); M. Maturin’s name is written in a miniscule hand on the upper margin. The map reveals mild spots of discoloration; a small chip and a neatly sealed tear (1 cm) are present on the outer margin; another sealed tear (2.5 cm) on the lower edge is accompanied by a couple tiny worm holes slightly affecting the printed border area. Giovanni Tommaso Minadoi (1545-1618) served as personal physician to Teodoro Balbi,… Read More

London: Thomas Creede, 1598. First English language edition. . Hardcover. See Description. Small folio. Lacking preliminary blank leaf, thus pp. [10], 310, 292, [4]. Page numbering is erratic. Leaf Ee3 is mis-signed as F3, but all leaves are present and in order. The title page contains a woodcut vignette/device. Each chapter begins with a woodcut decorative head piece and an initial. Bound in full dark brown modern calf with blind tooled borders and stamps after an early period style. The upper part of the title page is age-toned / tanned; a professionally sealed 7 cm. tear runs from the gutter part way across the upper portion of the title and is difficult to detect on first sight; a couple of tiny chips on the top edge are restored. Interior pages are generally attractive but with occasional mild age-toning and periodic faint marginal damp staining. A small repair patch is present on the inner margins of leaves A6 and V6. A tear on leaf V6 (also carefully sealed) extends vertically about 8.5 cm… Read More

Basilae: Per Ioanem Oporinum [ 1558 ], 1558. Hardcover. See Description. 8vo. pp. 499, [13]. Bound in later full red morocco with gilt border fillets on front and rear covers. All edges of the book block are gilt. The binding contains areas of rubbing and wear; minor careful restoration is present to the head cap of the spine and to the corner tips of the boards. The upper corner tip of the front blank fly leaf is restored. Interior pages show some light age-toning and scattered mild foxing but are generally clean. This is a Latin translation from the Greek of the seven tragedies of Sophocles - Ajax Flagellifer, Electra, Oedipus Tyrannus, Antigone, Oedipus Coloneus, Trachiniae, Philoctetes. The translation and notes are by Thomas Kirchmeyer (Naogeorgus) 1508-1563, was an influential dramatist, humanist and Lutheran theologian. The preliminaries include a dedication to Johannes Jacob Fugger and also contain short verses by the educator Johannes Sturm, the Latin poet and theologian Johann Seckervitz… Read More