Early to Very Early European Books from Bruce McKittrick Rare Books
- by Michael Stillman
Antiquarian books from Bruce McKittrick.
Bruce McKittrick Rare Books, of Narberth, Pennsylvania, recently issued Catalog 57. There is no stated topic for the material offered. What we can say is that despite their being located near a center of early American history - Philadelphia - the books in this catalogue are European in origin. Indeed, a great many of the items come from the days before there was a Pennsylvania, or a William Penn. This is a catalogue of material that ranges from old to very old, including incunabula. Many could only have come from Europe. Here are a few of the items we found.
Item 1 is a piece of incunabula, and McKittrick describes it as "the first printed book on architecture." The title is De Re Aedificatoria, by Leone Battista Alberti, published in Florence in 1485. This is a first edition of a book that has been described as the first Renaissance piece on the art of building, the first printed example of town planning, the first description of the ideal Renaissance church, and the first printed proposals for hospital design. Interestingly, Alberti advocated small, private rooms in hospitals, rather than large wards, something that took almost 500 more years to become the standard. The book also discusses, "frescoes, marble sculpture, windows, staircases, prisons, canals, gardens, machinery, warehouses, markets, arsenals, theaters…" It is, "a cornerstone of the Renaissance." Priced at $125,000.
Item 15 combines fields not often found together - architecture and chemistry. This is the first architectural work by a Brazilian writer, and the interest in chemistry arose from the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Author Mathias de Eca was concerned with the chemistry of building materials as well as building design because of the strength issues displayed by the earthquake. The title is Problema DeArchitectura Civil, and the author discusses the chemical composition of building materials and adds a 140-page dictionary of chemical terms, likely the first such dictionary in the Portuguese language. This is the 1777 middle of the three issues of the book's only edition. $4,500.
Item 37 is Avstriaci Caesares Maria Anna, by Hortensio Pallavicino. It is a festival book, celebrating the visit of Maria Anna, the young daughter of Hungarian King and Holy Roman Emeperor Ferdinand III. She was passing through Milan on her way to Spain to marry her uncle, King Philip IV. The idea here was to keep the alliance between Spain and Austria intact, though the inbreeding would take its toll. She was originally betrothed to her cousin, Philip's son, but after both he and Philip's first wife died, it was decided that Philip should marry Maria Anna. They had three sons, but only the youngest, who was both mentally handicapped and physically deformed, survived. He became Phillip's heir. When Philip died while he was just three years old, her son became King Charles II. Due to both his young age and limitations, Maria Anna would serve for many years as Regent. $7,500.
If you collect portraits, here is your perfect book: Chronologie Et Sommaire Des Sovverains, Pontifes, Anciens Peres… This is a 1631 scrapbook collection of sheets displaying the faces and brief descriptions of over 2,000 notable figures from history. Some are undoubtedly accurate representations, though some must have been fanciful as they include Hebrew Patriarchs and even Pagan Gods and Goddesses. There are also numerous kings and queens and popes, jurists, and famous Frenchmen, this set having been compiled in Paris. Item 39. $22,000.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: APRES DE MANNEVILLETTE Le Neptune Oriental
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: CASSAS Eaux fortes de la Sicile et quelques vues d’Espagne
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: CASSINI DE THURY Carte générale et particulière de la France.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: JOUY; GARNERAY Vues des côtes de France dans l'Océan et dans la Méditerranée
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LA PÉROUSE Voyage autour du monde
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LE GENTIL DE LA GALAISIERE Voyage dans les Mers de l’Inde
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LICENT Hoang Ho, Pai Ho, Loan Ho, Leao Ho. Itinéraires suivis dans le bassin du golfe du Pei Tcheuly
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: FRENCH SCHOOL FROM THE 19th CENTURY Panorama d’Athènes
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: PEETERS Description des principales villes, havres et isles du golfe de Venise
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: PÉRON; FREYCINET Voyage de découverte aux terres australes
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: STACKELBERG La Grèce : vues pittoresques et topographiques.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: VALENTINER Atlas des Sonnensystems.
Forum Auctions Online Sale: The Detective Fiction Collection of John Cooper Ending 7th November, 2024
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). The Thirteen Problems, first edition, The Crime Club, 1932. £15,000 to £20,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Dumb Witness, first edition, 1937. £3,000 to £4,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Cards on the Table, first edition, The Crime Club, 1936. £2,000 to £3,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: [Carr (John Dickson)], "Carter Dickson" and John Rhode. Drop to his Death, first edition, Heinemann, [1939]. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: Berkeley (Anthony). Jumping Jenny, first edition, Hodder and Stoughton, 1933. £800 to £1,200.
Forum Auctions Online Sale: The Detective Fiction Collection of John Cooper Ending 7th November, 2024
Forum, Nov. 7: Marsh (Ngaio). Overture to Death, first edition, The Crime Club, 1939. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: [Day-Lewis (Cecil)] "Nicholas Blake". The Beast Must Die, first edition, 1938. £750 to £1,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Brand (Christianna). Green for Danger, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, John Lane the Bodley Head, 1945. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Murder is Easy, first edition, signed by the author, 1939. £3,000 to £4,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Sayers (Dorothy L.) Lord Peter Views the Body, first edition, Gollancz, 1928. £6,000 to £8,000.
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 11,135 USD
Sotheby’s: Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven and Other Poems, 1845. 33,000 USD
Sotheby’s: Leo Tolstoy, Clara Bow. War and Peace, 1886. 22,500 USD
Sotheby’s: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1902. 7,500 USD
Sotheby’s: F. Scott Fitzgerald. This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and Others, 1920-1941. 24,180 USD
Freeman’s | Hindman Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana November 14
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: LEROUX, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. FIRST AM. ED, FIRST ISSUE IN THE VERY RARE DUST JACKET. 1911. $6,000 – 8,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: GOULD, John. A Monograph of the Trochilidae...Humming-Birds. L., [1849-] 1861. $60,000 – 80,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: A COMPLETE RUN of Limited Editions Club publications, v.p. [mostly New York], 1929-2010. $50,000 – 60,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: ORWELL, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. Lon., 1949. FIRST EDITION IN A VERY FINE DUST JACKET. $6,000 – 8,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: GOULD. A Monograph of the Ramphastidae...Toucans. L., [1852-] 54. SECOND ED. $35,000 – 45,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14:The Federalist. NY, 1788. FIRST EDITION, THICK PAPER COPY. $60,000 – 80,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: SELBY. Plates to Selby’s Illustrations of British Ornithology. Edin., [1833-] 34. $20,000 – 30,000.