Antiquarian Material from Samuel Gedge Ltd.

Reginald Augustus Warren, an Englishman who lived from 1820-1911, took an exciting journey in 1844-1845. He traveled from England to Egypt, and on February 25, began a journey by camel from Cairo to Jerusalem. He meets natives, other travelers, and thieves along the way, visits a convent, and keeps a diary. In it, he records what he sees, keeps a record of expenses, notes the weather conditions, and keeps an account of his purchases. Warren also made some drawings of the sites he encountered. Item 127 is his diary, written on the blank pages of “Richard's Daily Remembrancer.” £750 (US $1,182).

Item 69 is a most unusual set of 58 “Optical Cards,” put together by Mary Lewis of Birmingham (England) in December 1828. Each card contains some notes and a diagram pertaining to something related to optics. Titles of the cards include such as “a ray of light," “the angle of incidence,” “the angle of reflection,” and “a double convex lens or glass, seen edgewise.” The manuscript notes are written on the center portion of the cards, which have embossed floral borders. We have not been able to learn anything about Ms. Lewis but she evidently was a learned woman in an age when such scientific knowledge would not often have been supplied persons of her gender. £2,500 (US $3,941).

Samuel Gedge Ltd. Rare Books may be reached at +44 (0)1263 768 471 or rarebooks@samuelgedge.com. Their website is www.samuelgedge.com.