Rare books from Schilb Antiquarian Rare Books

1499 Mantuanus Poetry + 1507 Satires of Persius Post-Incunable Satyrae ROME Roce

Along with Juvenal, Persius was one of the greatest 1st century Roman satirists. His works consisted of elements of stoicism and were greatly influenced by Horace and Juvenal, in fact the satires of both Juvenal and Persius are often found published together. In his 'Satires', Persius sought a few major philosophical ideas:
·
important questions to ask the gods
·
the meaning of life
·
the importance of gaining knowledge
·
freedom through Stoicism
·
the proper use of money

This 1507 post-incunable printing of Persius's 'Satyrae' was published in Paris by Jean Barbier and Denis Roce. This edition was edited by Giovanni Britannico, a 15th-century grammarian who is best known for his edition of Persius.

This book is bound with another early Roce printing of Baptista Mantuanus poetry. Mantuanus was a Carmelite poet whose 15th-century works were influential during the Protestant… Read More

1588 HUGE FOLIOS Pope Gregory Catholic Church Sacraments Miracles Vatican Sixtus

"There are some so restless that when they are free from labour they labour all the more, because the leisure they have for thought, the worse interior turmoil they have to bear."
― Gregory the Great

Pope Gregory I was one of the most important figures of the establishment and growth of the Catholic Church. He wrote several important works on his views of the church, sacraments, purgatory and heaven, antichrist, miracles, heresies, and much more. His book 'Regula Pastoralis' or 'Pastoral Care', is a work clearly explaining and describing the responsibilities of the clergy. It is often considered the most influential and important work written on the topic of the role of preachers and ecclesiastical fathers.

This impressive 16th-century edition of the works of Pope Gregory was published at the Vatican in 1588 during the papacy of Sixtus V.

Item number: #8788
Price: $3500
GREGORY I, Pope
Sancti Gregorii Magni Papae… Read More

1810 RUSSIA Costume of Russian Empire Color Illustrated Clothing Travel Voyages

An extremely valuable and important illustrated account of history of costumes and clothing from the Russian Empire. Published in 1810, Edward Harding gathered English and French descriptions of impressive, aquatint engravings. The first edition of this work was published 1803 but is considered inferior to this edition because of the lack of engraved title and shorter explanations of the illustrations.

Item number: #8792
Price: $2950
HARDING, Edward [publ.]
Costume of the Russian Empire
London: Printed by T. Bensley for John Stockdale, 1810.

Details:
·
Collation: Complete with all pages
o [154], 72
o 72 hand-colored engravings + frontis
·
Provenance: Armorial Bookplate
o
Campbell of Succoth, Bart.
Sir Ilay Campbell, Lord Succoth FRSE LLD (1734–1823) was a Scottish advocate, judge and politician.
Founding member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1783)
Director of the Highland Society… Read More

1723 Scheuchzer SWISS ALPS Voyages Illustrated Switzerland Zurich Bern Travel

Johann Jakob Scheuchzer was an early 18th-century Swiss scholar who is best remembered for his incredible travelogues. Beginning in 1702, Scheuchzer traveled to nearly every corner of Switzerland focusing his excursions on natural studies, mountains, and glaciers. And while most of the work was scientifically accurate, he does include anecdotal evidence of dragons! According to Fischer, Scheuchzer was the first to make the nature of Switzerland be the focus of any comprehensive research.

This report was published under the title 'Itinera Alpina' – an itinerary of his adventures in the Swiss Alps. This 1723 Leiden edition was published by Vander Aa, and is notable for its exquisite full-page illustrations of cities views, natural bridges and waterfalls, and Swiss relics. This example is the first two volumes of Scheuchzer's famous travel work.

Item number: #9594
Price: $2950
SCHEUCHZER, Johann Jakob
Ouresiphoitēs… Read More

1785 ENORMOUS Works of VOLTAIRE French Science Physics Newton Kehl ed 60vols
"Let us read and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world."
― Voltaire
Voltaire was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, and historical and scientific works. He wrote thousands of books and letter and frequently made use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma, and the French institutions of his day.
This enormous set of 60 volumes was published in Kehl and contains many of Voltaire's most famous works. It also contains his physics studies and correspondence, much of which had never been published.
Item number: #17869
Price: $3500
VOLTAIRE
Oeuvres completes de Voltaire
[Kehl]: De l'imprimerie de la société littéraire-typographique, 1785-89.

Details:
· Collation: complete with 60 volumes (of 70)
o Wanting volumes 52-61
o 15 engravings + 3 portraits of Voltaire
· Language:… Read More

1742 1st Astronomy by Roger Long ZODIAC Planets Comets Navigation Newton Physics
Roger Long was an 18th-century English astronomer from Cambridge. While little is known of his life, he is certainly best-known for his book 'Astronomy' – a thorough treatise studying all aspects of astronomy. In this treatise, Long covers the surface and phases of the moon, planetary orbits, the rings of Saturn, comets and meteors, behavior of sunlight, the zodiac and astrological signs, as well as the importance of astronomy on navigation.
While the contents of this book are extensive, the full-page and folding engravings set this work apart from other astronomy texts of this era.
Item number: #18660
Price: $2950
LONG, Roger
Astronomy : in five books
Cambridge: printed for the author: 1742-1764 (i.e. 1784). First edition.

Details:
·
Collation: Complete with all pages; 5 books in 2 volumes
o
Vol. 1 (Books 1-2) – xvi, [8], 356
o
Vol. 2 (Books 3-5) – iv, 357-728, [14]
o Illustrated with 97 full-page… Read More

1534 1ed Apian Instrumentum Astronomy Mathematics Alchemy Durer ART Trigonometry
Peter Apian was a 16th-century humanist who is remembered for his studies in astronomy and mathematics. One of his best known works was his 1534 mathematics treatise 'Instrumentum Primi Mobilis'. This book was Apian's studies in trigonometry, and, according to Tomash & Williams,
"Apian published a table of sines that, for the first time, was based on a circle with a radius of a power of ten, in this case one hundred thousand. The values of the functions were thus decimal and were easily adapted to any situation in which the defining circle was a decimal power."
This 1534 first edition is exceedingly rare and valuable. It contains the expected sine charts as well as numerous woodcut illustrations depicting protractor and arc readings. Note that this incredible work includes the original title page, which features a woodcut after Albrecht Durer.
Item number: #19895
Price: $2950
APIANUS, Peter
Instrumentum primi mobilis :… Read More

1554 Petrarch Poetry Triumphs Italian Il Petrarca Venice Vellutello Woodcuts MAP

Petrarch was a 14th-century Italian humanist known for his discovery of the letters of Cicero and establishment of the study of humanism. He wrote sonnets and poems, many of which were the model of poetry during the Dark Ages. This exceedingly rare 1547 edition of the works of Petrarch includes his 'Triumphs' with commentary and notes by Alessandro Vellutello, a 16th-century Venetian author who was perhaps best-known for his commentary on Petrarch which first appeared in 1525.
Item number: #20229
Price: $2500
PETRARCH, Francesco
Il Petrarca
In Vinegia : Per Giouan. Griffio, 1554.

Details:
· Collation: Complete with all pages
o [16], 214 leaves, [4]
o Numerous woodcut vignette engravings and illustrated initials throughout
· References: USTC 847854
· Language: Italian
· Binding: Vellum; tight and secure
· Size: ~8.25in X 6.25in (20.5cm x 15.5cm)
· Exceedingly rare and… Read More

1559 1ed John Froissart Chronicles Medieval Hundred Years' War Chivalry Sauvage 4v

The 'Chronicles' of Jean Froissart have continually been perceived as an important work on medieval history for centuries since its inception in the 14th-century. While some of the subjects covered are repetitive and insignificant, many topics are of utmost importance including famous battles, deaths of monarchs, and the Catholic Church Great Schism. According to Adams in the "Manual of Historical Literature,"
"Froissart might be called the great interviewer of the Middle Ages. He lived from 1337 to about 1410, and wrote chiefly of contemporaneous events. The 'Chronicles' are universally considered as the most vivid and faithful picture we have of events in the fourteenth century. As a picture of the most favorable side of chivalry, the work has no equal"

This 1559 first edition was translated and edited with commentary by Denis Sauvage, printed in an impressive vellum-bound folio!

Item number: #22092
Price: $2950… Read More

1519 Paolo Emili FRANCE De Rebus Gestis Badius FOLIO p Incunable Chronicle Kings

Paolo Emili was a 15th-century Veronese humanist known for his histories of France and the Gauls. First published in 1515 and appearing in multiple parts, "De Rebus Gestis Francorum" was written to chronicle the lives and reigns of the French kings from Pharamond through Charles VIII. However, Emili died in 1529 before he could complete the work and it was finished by numerous contributors into the early 17th-century.

This printing from Josse Badius was published around 1517-1519 as Badius did not publish any other editions of Emili after.

Item number: #22725
Price: $2950

EMILI, Paolo

Pauli Aemilii Veronensis De rebus gestis Francorum, libri IIII [i.e. IX]

Venundantur in aedibus Iodoci Badii Ascensii, [Paris: between 1517-July 1519 and Feb 1520].

Details:
· Collation: Complete with all pages
o CCLXXXVII leaves
o Signatures: a-s6 t-z8 A-H8 I6 K-Q8 R6 S8 x2
· References: USTC 187359
·… Read More

1595 HOLY LAND MAPS 1ed Zuallart Jerusalem Voyage Crete Cyprus Bible ART Israel

Jean Zuallart was a 16th-century Belgian politician who, in 1586, took a voyage to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. The travelogue and memoirs of the pilgrimage proved to be one of the most popular and oft-translated works on the Holy Land of this era. First published in 1587, this work provides some of the earliest descriptions of Crete and Cyprus, as well as Jaffa and Venice, and other places in-route to Jerusalem. Zuallart taught himself to draw so that he could illustrate his own book – illustrations which appear in this 1595 first Italian edition.

Item number: #24077
Price: $3500

ZUALLART, Jean

Il devotissimo viaggio di Gierusalemme : fatto, e descritto in sei libri

In Roma: Appresso Domenico Basa, 1595. First edition.

Details:
· Collation: Complete
o 351, [15]
o 50 engravings
o Signatures: A-Z8
· References: Blackmer 1873; Adams Z 190; USTC 864467
· Language: Italian
·… Read More

1649 ELEPHANT FOLIO Martin Luther BIBLE German Biblia Illustrated MAPS Noah Ark
A rare ENORMOUS 17th-century Martin Luther German Holy Bible printed in Nurnberg. Luther Bibles have always maintained their popularity throughout the centuries both in German and non-German speaking areas, and this particular example is no exception. This Nurnberg edition was published by Christoph Endters and features both the Old and New Testaments along with the Apocryphal books. Though, it should be noted that aside from the size of this tome, the stunning full-page engravings make this edition highly desirable!
Item number: #24290
Price: $2950
LUTHER, Martin [Holy Bible transl.]
Biblia, Das ist, Die gantze H. Schrifft, Altes und Newes Testaments Teutsch, D. Martin Luthers: Auff gnädige Verordnung deß
Nürnberg: Christoph Endters, 1649.
Details:
· Collation: Complete with all pages
o Old Testament/Apocrypha – [38], 11 leaves, [66], 1118
o New Testament – [2], 416, [28]
o Illustrated throughout
5 double-page… Read More

1741 FAMOUS Colmenar Annals of SPAIN & Portugal CUBA Haiti MAPS Barcelona 4in2
Juan Alvarez de Colmenar's "Annals of Spain and Portugal" is a rare 18th-century history of the Iberian Peninsula and the political and military struggles between Portugal and Spain. Colmenar describes the current state of affairs, the influences of Spain and Portugal on the rest of Europe, and a chronological history beginning in the earliest tribes and Roman occupation. This work also served as a travel guide to 18th-century travelers in Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Burgos, Toledo, Seville, and many other cities.
This impressive 1741 edition is profusely illustrated with more than 160 engravings, plus 3 large folding maps. The maps display a city view of Barcelona, a map of Haiti and the Island of Hispaniola, and view of Cuba and the West Indies.
Item number: #24401
Price: $3500
COLMENAR, Juan Alvarez de
Annales d'Espagne et de Portugal, contenant tout ce qui s'est passé de plus important dans ces deux royaumes & dans les… Read More

1676 Dapper CHINA Hong Kong Spanish Portuguese JESUIT Missions Illustrated RARE
Olfert Dapper was an important 17th-century Dutch physician who made his name from his geography books, even though he never left the Netherlands. He published important histories of Asia and Africa, with the most important perhaps being his description of Kangxi Emperor and the Qing Dynasty. It includes information on 17th-century Portuguese and Spanish Jesuit missions in China and Hong Kong including Alvaro Semedo in Guangzhou. The impressive illustrations throughout this work make it highly desirable.
Item number: #24409
Price: $2,950
DAPPER, Olfert
Gedenkwürdige Verrichtung Der Niederländischen Ost-Indischen Gesellschaft in dem Käiserreich Taising oder Sina, durch ihre Zweyte Gesandtschaft An den Unter-könig Singlamong Und Feld-herrn Taising Lipoui Ausgeführet durch Joan van Kampen, und Constantin Nobel
Amsterdam: Jacob von Meurs, 1676. 1st Dutch edition
Details:
· Collation:
o Gedenkwürdige Verrichtung… Read More

1773 Benjamin Franklin 1ed Electricity Science Politic Philosophy Americana RARE

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."
― Benjamin Franklin

PMM: "the most important scientific book of eighteenth-century America"

Known as one of the most important and prolific founding fathers of America, Benjamin Franklin wrote several works that have left a legacy in American history. In 1773, the works of Franklin were published (in French) for the first time. It was, at the time of publishing, the most complete early edition of Franklin's works of science, not just in French, but in any language. It included impressive illustrations depicting his science and social experiments. These works include studies on electricity and magnetism, art of swimming, meteors and astronomical wonders, medicines for common diseases, and much more.

This 1773 first French edition includes two volumes in one tome and features all twelve impressive illustrations.

Item number: #25126
Price: $2500… Read More