Rare books from Heritage Book Shop, LLC

Paris, 1400. BOOK OF HOURS. Use of Paris)  In French and Latin, illuminated manuscript, on parchment France, Paris, c. 1400-1410 15 large miniatures by the Master of the Bible Historiale MS fr. 159 (as described by Les Enluminures) This beautifully executed and unusual Parisian Book of Hours was painted at the time of the Duke of Berry. The "realism" seen in the illuminations represents a special moment in Parisian art, one exemplifying its northern origins.  The miniatures are attributed to one of the artists responsible for the Bible Historiale also referred to as the Master of the Bible Historiale fr. 159 (Paris, BnF MS fr. 159).  The female patron who ordered the book appears twice in the miniatures. 224 folios, mostly in gatherings of 8 (i12), complete, pastedowns and two flyleaves at front and back, some catchwords, written in a dark brown ink  in a gothic liturgical script, on 14 long lines, by different hands, ff. 82-82v and ff. 219v-223v written by a slightly posterior  hand, ruled… Read More

Paris: Librairie de Charles Gosselin, 1835. De la démocratie en Amérique, par Alexis de Tocqueville, avocat à la cour royale de Paris, l'un des auteurs du livre intitulé: Du système penitentiaire aux États-Unis. Orné d'une carte d'Amérique. Paris: Librairie de Charles Gosselin, 1835-1840. First edition of Volumes I and II, second edition of Volumes III and IV of "one of the most important texts in political literature" (Printing and the Mind of Man 358 note). Presentation copy, inscribed by the author at head of half-title in Volume I: "à Monsieur Berrger/hommage de l'auteur/A d T." Four small octavo volumes. [4], xxiv, 367, [1, blank]; [4], 459, [1, blank]; [4], v, [3], 333, [1, blank]; [4], 363, [1, blank] pp. Hand-colored folding lithographed map by Benard after Tocqueville in Volume I. Bound at the end of Volume II is "Rapport fait au nom de la Commission chargée d'examiner la Proposition de M. de Tracy, relative aux Esclaves des colonies, par M.A. de Tocqueville, Député da la… Read More

Italy (Venice?), 1300. Italy (Venice?): 1300. Illuminated manuscript on vellum. Small quarto (8 x 5 9/16 inches; 203 x 142 mm.). 281 leaves, plus one blank leaf at front and two blank leaves at end (fols. 279 and 281 apparently conjoint with two blank vellum leaves, fol. 280 on a stub between the foliated leaves). Apparently complete. Two columns of thirty-four lines. Written by two Italian scribes in black ink in gothic bookhands between four verticals and thirty-five horizontals ruled in faint brown, the verticals extending across the margins. Justification: 5 1/4 x 3 7/8 inches; 133 x 98 mm. Faint early ink foliation. Horizontal catchwords within ink frames in lower right margin of final versos. Pricking along the upper edges. Rubrics in red, paragraph marks alternately of red or blue, alternately red or blue one-line initials for the list of contents (fols. 1v-2), numerous two-line initials alternately in red flourished with blue or blue flourished with red, with penwork usually extending for… Read More

Philadelphia, 1835. LEWIS, James Otto. The Aboriginal Portfolio]. [Philadelphia]: [1835-36]. First edition. Folio (17 9/16 x 11 1/4 inches; 448 x 285 mm). With seventy-two hand-colored lithographs (out of eighty) by Lehman and Duval and the original folio broadside advertisement for parts one through three bound in. Without the title-page as usual. Contemporary half red morocco over cloth boards. Front board with gilt pictorial centerpiece, an American Indian within an ovular foliate frame. Spine tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments. Coated white endpapers. All edges gilt. Endpapers slightly soiled and foxed. Old tape repairs to the verso of the plates entitled "Kee-O-Kuck", "Sun-A-Get", and "A Winnebago Squaw". Overall a fine copy housed in a half morocco clamshell. One of the rarest American color-plate books, Lewis's "Aboriginal Portfolio" was one of theearliest grand color printing projects in the United States and the first illustrated book to take on American Indians as its subject.… Read More

Lyon: Jacques Sacon, 1510. Le recueil des hystoires troyennes. ou est conte nue la genealogie de Saturne [&] de Jupiter... Cy comence le volume intitule le recueil des hystoires de troye compose par... Raoul lefevre prestre chapellain de tresredoubte seigneur monseigneur le duc phillipe de bourgoingne... Lyons: Jacques Sacon, 1510. Extremely rare 1510 illustrated edition (probably a unique example) of Le Fevre's famous Troy Book, first printed by Caxton at Bruges about 1473-4, that being both Caxton's first book and the first book printed in the English language. Caxton's second book was the same work printed at Bruges in French, which may be the first work of French literature ever printed, and one of the first of any texts in the French language. The first edition printed in France is reported as at Lyons in 1486. The second edition in France is reported as printed at Lyons in 1490, the woodcuts of which are also found in the present edition and that of the abridged reprint of 1544. One or the… Read More

London: Printed for H. Herringman, E. Brewster, and R. Bentley, 1685. Incomparably The Most Important Work In The English Language" The Fourth Folio Edition of 'Shakespeare's Plays' A Beautiful Tall Copy, With Seven New Plays SHAKESPEAR[E], William. Mr. William Shakespear's Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. Published according to the true Original Copies. Unto which is added, Seven Plays, Never before Printed in Folio: viz. Pericles Prince of Tyre. The London Prodigal. The History of Thomas Lord Cromwel. Sir John Oldcastle Lord Cobham. The Puritan Widow. A Yorkshire Tragedy. The Tragedy of Locrine. The Fourth Edition. London: Printed for H. Herringman, E. Brewster, and R. Bentley, 1685. The Fourth Folio edition of Shakespeare's plays, first state of the imprint (without Chiswell's name). Tall copy. Large folio (14 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches; 368 x 233 mm). [12], 96, 99-160, 163-254, 243 [i.3. 253]-272, [1], [1, blank], 328, 303, [3, blank] pp. (page 33 is numbered 23, 107 is numbered 109, 109 is 111,… Read More

1900. The Only Known Mathematical Manuscript of Alfred North Whitehead [Whitehead, Alfred North]. Mathmatical Manuscript Notebooks. Whitehead (1861-1947) Writing in manuscript. [Unsigned and undated, circa: 1900]. Two composition notebooks. Quarto (202 x 160 mm). 50 ff each, written primarily on rectos in black ink, with a few notes on versos, each page with approx. 15-20 lines of manuscript. Ruled paper self-wrappers, first and last leaves toned and worn, some chipping to edges, corners worn, lower right corner of last 2 ff in vol.I missing with some loss to text. Fragile. Two sequential notebooks, divided into three sections as follows: Part 1: 21 pp, on ff 1r-20r of first notebook. In black ink, written on versos. Treating Karl Weierstrass's 1858 "Über ein die homogenen Functionen zweiter Grades betreffen des Theorem." Part 2: 64 pp, on ff 24r-50r of first notebook, and 1r-32r of second notebook. Treating Karl Weierstrass's 1868 "Zu theorie der bilinearen und quadratischen Formen." Part… Read More

Paris: A. Levavasseur, 1831. Henri Beyle. Le Rouge et le Noir. Chronique du XIXe siècle. Paris: A. Levavasseur, 1831. First edition. A fine copy of Stendhal's masterpiece and one of the major literary works of 19th century France. A lovely copy, entirely untrimmed (pages 181 x 140 mm), with the original wrappers bound in to each volume (including the spine panels). Elegantly bound by Edouard Pagnant of Paris (1852-1916) in green half-morocco over marbled boards, spine with gilt titles and decorated columns, marbled end papers. Internal contents clean and fresh, quite rare and desirable with the original printed wrappers. Upper wrapper and titles with vignettes of Henry Monnier, engraved by Porret. Volume one vignette shows Julien Sorel appearing to Madame de Renal near a confessional; volume two shows Mathilde de La Mole holding the head of Julien Sorel. A fine copy. Stendhal's surprisingly modern bildungsroman about the rise and fall of the romantic Julian Sorel, who attempts to climb the rungs… Read More

London: Printed for the author, and sold by Mr. Sandby, 1765. Harrison, John. A Narrative of the Proceedings Relative to the Discovery of the Longitude at Sea; by Mr. John Harrison's Time-Keeper; Subsequent to Those Published in the Year 1763. London. Printed for the author, and sold by Mr. Sandby, 1765. First edition. Small octavo (6 7/8 x 4 9/16 inches; 175 x 115 mm). [2], 18 pp. Bound without half-title and final blank. Engraved initial and headpiece on page [1]. We could only find four copies of this at auction in the past 40 years, present copy included. Of these four copies, only one was complete with both the half-title and final blank. Pamphlet bound in half brown morocco over brown library cloth. Spine lettered in gilt. Drab dark blue endpapers. Title-page lightly soiled, otherwise internally very clean. Small stamp of The Birmingham Assay Office Library on newer front free endpaper leaf and on verso of title-page. Overall a very good copy. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell. "The… Read More

Basel: Per Ioannem Oporinum, 1555. Basel: Per Ioannem Oporinum, [1555]. Second and best folio edition (first published in 1543) of the most important anatomical treatise of the sixteenth century. With author's final additions and corrections as well as a renewed woodcut title-page and and initials. Large folio (16 x 10 7/8 inches; 407 x 275 mm). [12], 504, [1, folding table paginated "505"], [1, unpaginated leaf of figures to be superimposed], 507-824, [48] pp. Collation: a-z6 A-V6 X2 (including fold-out sheet) Y-Z6 aa6 bb8 (bb 6-7 is fold-out sheet) cc- zz6 Aa8 Bb-Ee6. Complete with woodcut title, woodcut portrait of the author on a6 verso, numerous woodcut illustrations (including nineteen full-page anatomical illustrations), two folding tables with woodcut diagrams, woodcut printer's device on verso of final leaf, and seven-to twelve-line historiated woodcut initials. Full 17th century paneled calf, boards paneled in gilt. Rebacked with early spine laid- down. Spine stamped in gilt. Red Morocco… Read More

Ghent, 1470. BOOK OF HOURS. ANONYMOUS GHENT ARTIST. Book of Hours.[In Latin]. [Ghent, c.1470s-1480s]. Illuminated manuscript on vellum. Illuminated in Ghent in the 1470s-1480s, bearing the stylistic features of works painted by the great illuminators active in the city such as the Vienna Master Mary of Burgundy. According to Christie's apparently textually complete but likely lacking one or two full-page miniatures. (6 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches; 170 x 115 mm). [1], 110, [1] leaves. With modern pencil foliation. Text in 15 lines. With numerous rubrics in red, and one-line initials heightened in gold, blue and red. Many two-line initials in gold, on pink and blue grounds throughout. One four-line illuminated initial with partial border of acanthus and hairline tendrils with gold leaves, 7 six-line initials in gold leading to partial borders, 6 seven-line initials on gold grounds. Initials and text bordered in gild within full borders also featuring fruits, flowers, birds, animals and grotesques. Four of… Read More

New York: M. & N. Hanhart, 1878. SMIT, J.. New York]: printed by Taylor & Francis, published by the author for the subscribers, [1878-] 1883. Large folio. (23 1/2 x 19 inches; 600 x 475 mm). xvi, [2, plate list]. With all forty-three fine hand-coloured lithographic plates drawn on stone by Joseph Smit from drawings by Joseph Wolf, printed M. & N. Hanhart. Each plate accompanied by at least one leaf of explanatory letterpress text. The original blue printed upper wrappers of parts 1-11 bound in at the back. Beautifully bound by Zaehnsdorf in half green morocco over green cloth. Spine lettered in gilt. Top edge gilt, others uncut. MArbled endpapers. Some minor rubbing to board edges. A few instances of foxing to preliminary pages, but plates are extremely clean. Fore-edge with some foxing. Previous owner's bookplate on front pastedown. An excellent copy of the finest work on the cat family with magnificent hand-coloured plates after Joseph Wolf. Originally issued in eleven parts, the monograph… Read More

Bruxelles: Roger Velpius, Huberto Antonio, 1607. El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Bruxelles: Roger Velpius, Huberto Antonio, 1607. Full Description: CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de. El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Bruxelles: Roger Velpius, 1607. [Together with] Segunda Parte del Ingenioso Cavallero Don Quixote de la Mancha. Bruxelles: Huberto Antonio, 1616. First Brussels edition of both volumes. The second volume is also the second overall edition. Two small octavo volumes (6 3/8 x 3 3/4 inches; 161 x 95 mm). [24], 592, [8]; [16], 687, [1, blank] pp. With engraved head and tail pieces. Engraved and historiated initials. This edition is usually sold individually, and not as a set. In fact, other than this copy, the last copy of both volumes being sold together at auction was at Sotheby's in 1953. The second volume is the first edition published outside of Spain. and the "Velpius's edition, which introduced the text to Northern Europe, is based on Cuedra's second (with… Read More

Mainz: Johann Gutenberg, 1455. BIBLE IN LATIN; LEAF BOOK|GUTENBERG, Johann|NEWTON, A. Edward. A Leaf from the Gutenberg Bible- Numbers 21-23. The Story of Balaam, a Donkey and an Angel [BIBLE IN LATIN]. [GUTENBERG, Johann]. Leaf of the Gutenberg Bible, 1450-1455. [Biblia Latina] [Leaf 76, Numbers 21-23.] [Mainz: Johann Gutenberg, Johann Fust, and Peter Schoeffer, 1455]. Original large paper leaf from the Gutenberg Bible. Folio, (15 7/16 x 11 1/4 inches, 392 x 286 mm). [1] leaf of text, printed on both sides. Black gothic letter, forty-two lines, double columns. Two, two-line capitals, one printed in red, and one in blue. With page headings and chapter numbers in red and blue ink. Capital strokes in red. Leaf 76, containing one column and six lines of the end of Chapter 21, all of Chapter 22, and four lines of the beginning of Chapter 23. Edges stained red. A bit of light toning around edges and some residue from removal along one edges. Leaf in a mylar sleeve, viewable on both sides, housed in a… Read More

Venice: Vernardinus de Choris, de Cremona, and Simon de Luere, for Andreas Torresanus, 1491. Venice: Bernardinus de Choris and Simon de Luere for Andreas Torresanus, August, 13 1491. [And:] FICINO, Marsilio. Platonica theologia de immortalitate animorum. Venice: 13 August 1491. Second edition of the works of Plato. Folio (11 7/8 x 8 inches; 301 x 206 mm). [4], 444 leaves. Printed in Gothic type in double columns. With beautifully illuminated initials and border to the first text leaf. Numerous illuminated 7, 8, 9 and 10-line initials heightened in gilt with blue, red and green backgrounds. The initial letter will extend beyond the letter with illumination 5-7 lines both up and down. Additional 3, 4, 5 and 7-line initials in red, blue or gold. The first leaf of text (a1) with two large illuminated initials and a full illuminated border with red, green, blue and gilt scrolls, floral motifs and a shield surrounded by a wreath. This is the first edition to include Ficino's great work Platonica… Read More