Search Results: Authors starting with B from Michael Laird Rare Books LLC

Oxford: Phaidon, 1986. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Quarto, 96 pages, original cloth with slightly creased dustjacket, trifle wear at head of spine on jacket, ownership inscription inside front cover. ¶ The indispensable monograph on the subject, profusely illustrated in color and black and white.

Richmond, VA: Clemmitt & Jones, 1876. Broadside (48 x 31 cm). Abrasions to outer edges in places, overall very good. STRIKING 1875 POSTER ANNOUNCING A "HUMOROUS" LECTURE ON VIRGINIA NEGROES, DELIVERED BY A POPULAR ANTI-NORTHERNER AND FORMER SLAVE-OWNER, GEORGE WILLIAM BAGBY (1828-1883). The editors of "Representative Men of the South" (writing in 1880) state that: "[Bagby's] lecture on 'The Virginia Negro, Past and Present,' was prepared for the North, where he delivered it; but, the general subject being in that section considerably less popular in the lecture-hall than on the hustings, he failed sufficiently to interes his audience, and consequently soon laid the lecture aside. The truth is, the negro, although he once lent himself easily to the purposes of literary art, and no doubt will thus lend himself again, is just at present the subject of quite too little illusion, standing out as a naked fact, uncovered by so much as a shred of romance or a fig-leaf of picturesqueness. A better time… Read More

Paris: J.B. Bailliere, 1824. First Edition. Softcover. Very good. 8vo. 14 pp. (of 16? -- see below), final page soiled. Recent plain wrappers. Early catalogue of medical books belonging to the firm of J.-B. Bailliere (1797-1885) who was to become one of the most important publishers of medical and scientific books in the world. The present catalogue is one of Bailliere's early catalogues, issued when the shop was located at 14, rue de l'Ecole de Medecine in Paris. The catalogue lists a small portion of his stock, principally from the years 1820-1824, but with some earlier imprints (e.g. 1808). Naturally Balliere's first publication, the "Medecine legale" by Lecieux and Renard (Paris, 1819), figures prominently. Bailliere's expansion as a publisher ran parallel to that of the field of French medicine in general, leading the firm to eminence, with subsidiary companies in London and in Madrid. Over the decades the firm of J.B. Bailliere has published more than 4,000 works in medicine and science. ¶… Read More

Washington DC: War Department, 1859. First Edition. Very good. Together two matted and framed chromolithographs (visible portion: ca. 245 x 190 mm; frame size: ca. 303 x 274). The are original prints, NOT reproductions! AN EXCELLENT PAIR OF ORNITHOLOGICAL CHROMOLITHOGRAPHS from the famed "Pacific Railroad Surveys" of 1853-1855. "The ornithological studies produced from the Railroad Surveys were of such outstanding quality that they were republished in 1860 under the aegis of the Smithsonian Institution. Entitled 'The Birds of North America,' the illustrations and text by Spencer Baird are still considered to be among the best of the early ornithological works on American birds." (Brown University, The Robert S. and Margaret A. Ames Collection of Illustrated Books, online). The plates here are: Vol. X, Plate XXXV: Mountain (a.k.a. Arctic) Bluebird; Vol. X, Plate XXXI: Hepatic Tanager (observed in the San Francisco Mountains of New Mexico).

Washington DC: War Department, 1860. First Edition. Very good. Together two chromolithographs (287 x 212 mm), loose in mylar L-sleeve (plate XVI with short marginal tear at top, not affecting image). Our prints have VERY LITTLE offsetting which almost invarably spoils the illustrations of this publication and is SUITABLE FOR FRAMING. The are original prints, NOT reproductions! AN EXCELLENT PAIR OF AMERICAN HAWK CHROMOLITHOGRAPHS from the famed "Pacific Railroad Surveys" of 1853-1855. "The ornithological studies produced from the Railroad Surveys were of such outstanding quality that they were republished in 1860 under the aegis of the Smithsonian Institution. Entitled 'The Birds of North America,' the illustrations and text by Spencer Baird are still considered to be among the best of the early ornithological works on American birds." (Brown University, The Robert S. and Margaret A. Ames Collection of Illustrated Books, online). The plates here are: Vol. XII, Book 2, Plate XI: Falco Nigricepsl… Read More

Madrid: Ibarra, Impresor de Camara de S.M., 1821. Very good. 8vo (183 x 125 mm). [1] f., xvi, 240, 99, [1] pp. With an engraved portrait of the author. Title-page with 6 inexplicable pin-sized wormholes, front flyleaf with one (present nowhere else in the volume). Contemporary Madrid binding by Francisco Cifuentes: sheep acid-stained in hues of green and brown, gilt roll border and a center device of Royal arms of Ferdinand VII, spine gilt extra (extremities and joints with some unobjectionable wear). Contents very fresh and clean, the binding suitable for exhibition and study. THE IDEAL COPY, BOUND BY FRANCISCO CIFUENTES, BINDER TO THE SPANISH COURT, BEARING THE ARMS OF FERNANDO VII KING OF SPAIN, AND PRINTED AT THE ROYAL PRESS BY THE HEIRS OF JOAQUIN IBARRA. THE BINDER Francisco Cifuentes is justly considered to be "one of the best binders in Madrid in the early 19th-century" alongside his contemporaries Santiago Martin and Antonio Suarez (Vicente Castaneda, "Etiquetas de Encuadernadores," in:… Read More

Chicago: [Western Book Manufacturing Co. for] Filley & Ballard, 1867. Second edition. Good. 8vo. 110 pp. (of 112, lacking final leaf which is the end of a poem and also has a small woodcut) including 8 (of 8) plates on pale yellow paper. Stiched, original illustrated front wrapper present, paper along spine and back wrapper perished (this had an illustration of the search party); lower blank portion of p. iv/v (Dedication / Preface) torn away. Edges worn and curled (SEE IMAGES), foxing and staining throughout as commonly. With stated condition problems, and priced accordingly. NOT ex-library! CONTROVERSIAL INDIAN CAPTIVITY NARRATIVE. Is J.Z. Ballard's account of the 1837 disappearance of William Filley "real" or "fake"? Certainly its authenticity has not been universally accepted, and numerous critics and historians have disparaged it, e.g. D.G. Brinton who immediately pronounced: "The work is fraudulent" and is an "impudent attempt at imposition by an illiterate vendor of nostrum" (Historical… Read More

London: Printed for the Company of Stationers, 1781. Very good. Together 7 almanacs in one volume, 8vo (165 x 90 mm), each almanac with 48 pp. (see below). Bound by John Baumgarten in London: contemporary red morocco, richly and elaborately gilt with arabesques and floral and foliate motifs on both covers surrounded by Greek key borders (rebacked with original spine laid down, recent sympathetic spine label, corners refurbished), marbled endpapers, a.e.g. AN ENCHANTING ROCOCO BINDING BY JOHN BAUMGARTEN WHO IS CREDITED WITH INTRODUCING THIS STYLE TO ENGLISH BIBLIOPHILES. A native of Germany, John (Johann Ernst) Baumgarten arrived in London in the 1760s, and thus was one of the first German bookbinders in the London West End. His technical skill and artistry made him internationally famous by 1770. Indeed, Thomas Jefferson acclaimed Baumgarten's work, and (of course) complained about his prices, writing in 1771 that books bound by Baumgarten in "fine Marbled bindings" cost 50% more than in plain… Read More

Paris and Lille: Delarue / Castiaux, 1820. Very good. 12mo. 1 f. ("garde"), 1 f. (colored frontispiece), 1 f. (title-page), [5]-178 pp., 1 f. ("garde"). With 8 color woodcut plates, all depicting two scenes identified in cursive lettering. Modern sturdy half morocco over comb-marbled boards. Portion of text torn away from p. 35/6 with loss. Unstudied children's morality stories, some of which are incredibly harsh; for instance, "La petite gourmande" (The Little Greedy Girl) presents the account of Julie who is often punished for stealing. One day her parents left her alone for only a few moments: the greedy girl placed a chair on top of a table to steal some sugar. Tragically, the sugar was meant for rats and mice and was laced with arsenic. When she was discovered by her mother she was administered milk to diminish the effects of the poison. A doctor was sent for, and evidently he saved her life, but the little greedy girl became an "imbicile," and suffered acutely from gastro-intestinal pains for… Read More

Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Library, 1991. First Edition. Softcover. Very good. Quarto, 75 pages. Covers a little marked and dusty, but a presentable copy. ¶ The indispensable guide to the subject with detailed descriptions of important manuscripts held by Princeton Library as well as the Princeton Art Museum.

Berlin: Ad 1. Ad 2: Verlag Bruno Hessling, 1977. First Edition. Together 2 vols. Ad 1: xv, [5], 782, [2] pp. With 77 b/w illustrations in the text. Attractively (and very sturdily) bound in contemporary red quarter morocco over glazed red boards, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, all original wrappers bound in (sic!) -- Ad 2: 183 pp. With 43 illustrations in the text. Original publisher's orange cloth. Original edition. B.H. Breslauer copy of the justly famous catalogue of the vast collection of ornamental books and prints of the Kunstbibliothek Berlin, at one time the most comprehensive in existence in the field of decorative art and architecture. It comprised printed material from the late 15th to the early 19th century. The collection was based upon that of Hippolyte Destailleur, the great connoisseur, which was acquired in 1879, to which was added the extraordinary holdings of the Kunstgewerbemuseum and Kupferstichkabinett. The catalogue is a model of its kind, with complete descriptions and… Read More

Edinburgh: Assigns of Alexander Kincaid, 1787. Very good. Two works in two volumes. Large Octavo (211 x 130 mm). Collation: BIBLE: A-4A8, complete. PSALMS: A-E8, complete. Contemporary Scottish bindings: red morocco, elaborately tooled in gilt to a "Chippendale" motif, smooth spines gilt; marbled endpapers, a.e.g. (in vol. 1 the front joint expertly repaired and tape removed from inner hinges). Preserved in a protective cloth case. INNOVATIVE AND HIGHLY UNUSUAL SCOTTISH CHIPPENDALE ROCOCO BINDINGS, COMBINING CHINOISERIE AND NEOCLASSICAL ELEMENTS, EXHIBITING THE INDEPENDENCE OF SCOTTISH WORK AT THIS TIME. The present example is a striking hybrid of late 18th-century decorative art in Britain, the likes of which we have not encountered hitherto. Here "oriental" birds and peacocks are juxtaposed with patriotic depictions of Britannia (uncharacteristically surmounted by a fleur-de-lis), bold anchors, columns, sunbursts, dripping garlands, flowers, sheaves of wheat, and urns. Presented in the… Read More

London: John Bill and Christopher Barker, 1663. 8vo. Engraved title + A-4K8 [unpaginated]. 8vo. Bound by "Owen" in contemporary full black morocco, richly gilt all over with floral and leaf motifs, onlaid red and citron morocco pieces to covers and spines, a.e.g., fore-ege painted with flowers and "Search [the Scriptures]" two working silver clasps, joints beautifully repaired, fore-edge painting dulled and worn from clasps, some foxing throughout. Preserved in a protective cloth case. Suitable for exhibition and study. OF SIGNAL IMPORTANCE IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH RESTORATION BOOKBINDING: AN UNRECORDED AND UNPUBLISHED BINDING BY "OWEN" WHOSE WORK IS KNOWN FROM ONLY ONE OTHER EXAMPLE. In terms of 17th-century English bindings, this one in particular is of particular significance: the only other binding by "Owen" is in the Henry Davis Gift (British Library). Howard Nixon (English Restoration Bookbindings, p. 37 and plate 78) describes it in some detail: "It has been stated earlier that signatures… Read More

London: [Printed in Leipzig for] The British and Foreign Bible Society, 1895. First Edition. Fair. 8vo. 421 pp. Original green cloth embossed in black and blind, gilt lettering in Persian on front cover (some foxing and age toning, minor water-staining on the edges and endpapers, endpapers with old annotations in Ottoman inside front cover, bookseller's stamp on rear endleaf, lower hinge cracked; binding stained, worn and shaken). A rough-looking but complete copy, priced accordingly. Preserved in a fitted cloth protective case. FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST TRANSLATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT FROM THE GREEK INTO MODERN PERSIAN: THE ROBERT BRUCE TRANSLATION, "THE VERSION BY WHICH ALL LATER RENDITIONS ARE JUDGED." Published by the British and Foreign Bible Society, the text builds upon the 1845/6 translation of the New Testament by Mirza Sayyed Ali Khan / Henry Martyn, which was published with the Old Testament in a single volume (likewise by the British and Foreign Bible Society). This was the first… Read More

Edinburgh: [Printed for the EBS by George Waterston & Sons], 1913. First Edition. Very good. 4to. [8], 107 pp. Printed on fine, thick paper watermarked: "The Post Horn Vellum" / [within a shield: a post horn]. Original cloth, title gilt on upper cover, corners bumped, some minor soiling, front and back endpapers a little browned, t.e.g., others untrimmed. COPY NUMBER TWO OF 20 COPIES, reprinted from vol. IX of the EBS Papers. Our copy with a presentation inscription from Dr. W[illiam] Beattie, R.S.A. to Bernard Breslauer "with all good wishes," dated 3.iv.1943. Beattie was Keeper of Printed Books at the National Library of Scotland (1931-1953) and then Librarian (1953-1970). He was the author of the First and Second "Supplement to the Hand-List of Incunabula in the National Library of Scotland." In 1986-88 the NLS acquired his collection of bibliography and bibliographical papers (now "William Beattie Collection"). It is unclear how Breslauer came into contact with Beattie, and what he did to… Read More

Rio de Janeiro: [Editorial Imperio, Lisbon, for]: Ministerio da Educacao e Cultura, 1956. First Edition. Very good. 4to. 1 f. (blank), [5], 9-377, [8] pp. With 9 plates. Original publisher's stiff wrappers printed in black and red, edges uncut (spine darkened and with one small stain; some minor soiling to covers). NOT ex-library! Important and extremely detailed catalogue of 187 incunables from the BN Rio de Janeiro. "Handsomely printed in Portugal from type specially made in England, this compilation meticulously collates 187 items. Following the example of major catalogues of incunabula, particularly the Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke, the author gives all the data that should be necessary to identify the volumes concerned and to compare them with other known copies. Details on place, date, pagination, type and provenance when known are followed by excerpts from selected pages" (B.M. Woodridge in: Romance Philology, vol. XIII, no. 1, August 1959, pp. 94-5). To give but example: No. 160 describes… Read More

Paris: Bibliotheque nationale de France, 1992. First Edition. Very good. 5 vols., 4to. Original wrappers (spines of Fasc. "H-L" and "M-O" a little faded with unimportant wear along joints). "Additions et Corrections" 16 ff. (ca. 250 entries), stapled as issued. WITH: 2 ff. half-title and title-page for Tome II, loose as issued. NOT ex-library! The extraordinary, almost heroic catalogue of incunabula in the BnF (CIBN), exhaustively describes ca. 8,000 titles/editions, many of which are unique. As Bernard ("Barney") Rosenthal notes in his critical review of the methodology of CIBN, notes "the sheer mass of incunabula described, the astonishing listing of multiple copies with their provenances and minor variants, the generous doses of well documented information concerning textual contents, the citation of a wide range of scholarly literature beyond the purely bibliographical works and journals, the promptness with which new data are incorporated in the descriptions, the almost fanatical (but unevenly… Read More

Amsterdam: By de weduwe van Joannes van Someren, de erfgenaamen van Joannes van Dyk, Hendrik en de weduwe van Dirk Boom, 1690. Hardcover. Very good. Broadside, 305 x 470 (visible image size), professionally matted and framed. ¶ A huge and extraordinary 17th-century anatomical engraving, justly celebrated by anatomists and artists alike for over 330 years. For obvious reasons the Surrealists found it particularly fascinating. Our example is beautifully framed. ¶ "This stark dissection -- with ragged flesh fully displayed and hands bound with a cord -- signals a commitment to a higher level of realism. To our eyes, the picture may suggest a distressing indifference to, or even pleasure in, human suffering" (Dream Anatomy, National Library of Medicine, 2003). ¶ "Govard Bidloo was born in Amsterdam in 1649 and became professor of anatomy at The Hague from 1688 to 1694, when he took the same position at Leyden. He was later appointed the physician of William III of England, who was originally Dutch,… Read More

New York: Julius Bien & Co. (for the U.S. War Dept.), 1890. First Edition. Good. Original lithograph: folio map (image size: 29" x 18") unframed. Edges with some chipping or loss in the margins (SEE IMAGES), tear along fold at top edge extending ca. 4.5"). An informative map of the Coast of Texas which itself contains ten maps, the largest of which covers the coast of Texas from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Orange, the easternmost city in the state. In the largest maps there is an inset in the upper right corner, showing minor details for 14 individual forts (these are numbered on the main chart). This is Plate LXV extracted from "Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies 1861-1865" (Washington: GPO, 1890) lithographed by Julius Bien. Metadata from David Rumsey: "Coast of Texas and its defenses, Capt. Tipton Walker, Chief of Topographical Bureau of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, drawn by P. Helferich, Asst. Engr. 1864. (with) Engineer Office, 10th Army Corps,… Read More

New York: Crown Publishers, Inc, 1978. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. Quarto, 123 number pages, original cloth with original dustjacket. Some water damage to jacket. Ownership inscription on verso of front flyleaf. Exceptionally vibrant color illustrations on every page. ¶ The first reproduction of an exquisite manuscript held by the Austrian National Library, and a description of the famous love story contained within. This is a celebration of the outstanding artistry of the original work, and the first to trace its provenance to Jean de France, duc de Berry.