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Catalogue 261 Early & Exotic Imprints |
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Section VI: The Rest of the World |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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Part III. The Rest of the World Icelandic Voyages, 207. [Icelandic Sagas]: SAGA LANDNAMA.... Skalholte, Iceland: Hendrick Kruse, 1688. [10],182,[20]pp., lacking leaves 1R1, 1R3, and 1S1. Woodcut titlepage printed in red and black. Woodcut border showing the Isle of Thule surrounded by five ships and a sea god, full-page woodcut of an armored knight. [bound with:] Thorgilsson, Ari: SCHEDA ARA PRESTZ FRODA UM ISLAND. Skalholte. 1688. [10],14,[2],26,[2]pp. Titlepage within woodcut border (defective with loss to lower border and imprint). Full-page woodcut insignia, woodcut capitals. [bound with:] Jonsson, Arngrimur: GRONLANDIA EDUR GRAENLANDZ SAGA UR ISLENDSKUM SAGNA BOOKUM.... Skalholte. 1688. [2],41,[5]pp., lacking leaf 3A1. Text of titlepage within woodcut border, full-page woodcut of Eric the Red in armor, full-page woodcut of a walrus, woodcut initials and headpieces. Small quarto. Contemporary tooled leather over wooden boards, rebacked in modern morocco, raised bands. Several leaves with significant paper restoration, usually along margins, affecting woodcut borders and printed marginal notes, a few letters or at times several words. Else a generally good copy of this rare work. A rare account of the earliest Icelandic settlements. Of chief interest in this volume is the third work, Jonsson’s Greenland saga, which provides an important early published account of this pre-Columbian voyage to North America. "Not until the late seventeenth century did a revival of interest in the saga literature lead to the publication of many of them by Danish and Icelandic scholars. [Jonsson’s] version of the Greenland Saga, illustrated with a woodcut of Eric the Red in armor very inappropriate to his era, was published by one of the two presses flourishing in Iceland at the time" – Reese & Miles. The remaining portions of the book are not without interest. The "Landnamabok" (translation: "Book of Settlement"), which records tales of early Norse voyages carried down by oral tradition from around the year 1000, incorporates additional material from later Icelandic historical works. The book includes information on the chief colonists, their origins, and the locations of settlements in the new country. The other work is attributed to Thorgilsson (1067-1148), who is credited with founding the famous historical school of Iceland, and for organizing the fragmentary oral tradition that was dying out in his time. This is considered "one of the two primary sources for early Icelandic history" – The Spread of Printing. A rare and important account of Icelandic settlement, recording a wealth of details concerning the early settlers, including the famous Greenland saga. Not in the NUC. Five copies are located in the United States, at Cornell (two copies), Harvard, the Library of Congress, and Yale (Jonsson). THE SPREAD OF PRINTING; ICELAND, pp.25-27. REESE & MILES, CREATING AMERICA 1. MILES & REESE, AMERICA PICTURED TO THE LIFE 31. $5000. An Exotic Account of Sea Battles 208. [Mauritius Imprints]: RELATION DÉTAILLÉE DE LA CAMPAGNE DE M. LE COMMANDEUR DE SUFFREN, DANS L’INDE, DU 1er. JUIN 1782. AU 29 SEPTEMBRE SUIVANT. Port-Louis [Mauritius: Nicholas Lambert or François Nicolas Bolle], 1783. [1],33pp. 12mo. Modern morocco, spine gilt, a.e.g. A fine copy. First edition of this very rare and early Mauritius imprint, published fifteen years after the first press was established there in 1768, recording French Admiral André Suffren’s actions against Sir Edward Hughes’ British Squadron in the East Indies during the American Revolution. These attacks, famed for their ferocity, provided Suffren with a unique standing among French admirals, and placed him in the front rank of sea commanders of the era. This pamphlet, possibly written by Jacques Jerome Antoine Trublet de Villejegu, documents two of Suffren’s four engagements with the British Navy in the Bay of Bengal. Although fought on the other side of the globe, these battles may be considered the final formal engagements of the Revolution which influenced Britain’s decision to end the war with the colonies. Suffren had previously been attached to the comte D’Estaing’s squadron throughout its operations in North America and the West Indies. These New World activities are also briefly mentioned in the text. An extremely rare 18th-century Mauritius imprint. The NUC records one copy at NYPL, while OCLC lists only the 1970 London reprint. TOUSSAINT, BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MAURITIUS 98. TOUSSAINT, EARLY PRINTING IN THE MASCARENE ISLANDS, p.97. NMM 1441. GEPHART 14523 (1970 ed). $12,500. Early Calcutta Imprint 209. [India]: ABSTRACT OF THE ARTICLES OF WAR; IN ENGLISH, PERSIAN, AND HINDOOSTANEE; THE LATTER IN NAGUREE, AND ROMAN CHARACTERS. Calcutta: Printed by order of the Hon’ble the Governor General in Council, 1796. 49pp. Quarto. Modern half morocco over marbled boards, spine gilt. Contemporary inscriptions and old library stamp on titlepage. Titlepage moderately soiled and dampstained, particularly in margins. Small chip in lower bottom corner of titlepage and following leaf. Old library stamp at bottom of pp.15, 23, 49. Occasional contemporary inscriptions in roman and non-roman letters in margins. Minor dampstaining and light age-toning in margins of pages as well as occasional minor soiling. Contemporary inscriptions in English on verso of final printed page. A good copy. Prints rules governing the conduct of officers and soldiers, printed "in English, Persian, and hindoostanee; the latter in Naguree, and Roman Characters." Footnotes provide pronunciation guides for English officers addressing native troops. A scarce Calcutta imprint. $1750. 210. [Encina, Francisco]: ARTE DE LA LENGUA ZEBUANA [caption title]. [Sampaloc? nd, but ca. 1801-1804]. 616,[15]pp. Modern red morocco, a.e.g. Printed on rice paper. Some browning. Neat closed tears throughout, a few short tears in outer margin. Leaf B4 cleanly torn (no loss). A near fine copy. The extremely rare first study of the language of the island of Cebu in the Philippines. The work was printed in secret, and without a titlepage, by the Augustinian missionary Encina. From notes by Encina in the text, Tavera suspected that an earlier edition had been published, but found no trace of an earlier printing. Palau and Retana differ on the date of publication, ranging from 1801 to 1804. A manuscript note on the fly leaf of the copy at Harvard indicates that the type used for this work is the same as that used for Martínez de Zuñiga’s Historia de las Islas Philipinas, printed in Samaloc in 1803. A near fine copy of an early, and extremely rare, 19th-century Philippine imprint. OCLC records copies at Yale, Harvard, and the University of New Mexico. As the work was published furtively, it is believed that the number of copies printed was quite limited, explaining in part the rarity of the work. MEDINA (MANILA) 396. PALAU 79565. PARDO DE TAVERA 135. RETANA 4133. OCLC 1412472. $12,500. 211. Barnstein, H., Rev.: DYAK SPELLING BOOK. PREPARED BY THE REVD. H. BARNSTEIN OF THE RHENISH MISSIONARY SOCY., AIDED BY A CONVERTED CHINESE. [Borneo. ca. 1820]. 20pp. 12mo. Early wrappers, manuscript title on upper wrapper and note on verso. Very good. A very early Dayak spelling book, perhaps the first attempt to codify the Dayak language. Derived from the Austronesian group of languages in the Pacific, Dayak was spoken in the Kalimantan region of Borneo. There is a standard list of days, months, and numbers, as well as a selection of verses from the Bible such as Mark 1:15 and John 3:16. There are questions about the date, as the Rhenish missionary society appears to have been active in Kalimantan from 1836 to 1859. Rare. $4500. The Earliest Obtainable 212. [Mauritius Imprints]: [SET OF THREE BOUND VOLUMES CONTAINING NINE EARLY MAURITIUS IMPRINTS, INCLUDING A RUN OF SIX ANNUAL ISSUES OF THE Recueil des Lois, PROCLAMATIONS, NOTES & AVIS DU GOUVERNEMENT, TWO OFFICIAL DECREES, AND AN ISSUE OF THE Mauritius Gazette]. [Port Louis, Mauritius]. 1826-1831. Three volumes. 205,[2],263pp. plus six folding leaves comprising an issue of the Mauritius Gazette; [2],127,[blank leaf],120,[2],320pp. plus sixteen folding leaves consisting of two official ordinances; [2],254,[2],264pp. Small quarto. Three-quarter antique calf and marbled boards, spines gilt, leather labels. Overall very good, generally very clean. These three volumes represent probably the earliest procurable English imprints of the important British island colony of Mauritius. Although the French established a press on the island in 1767 (among the earliest in the Indian Ocean region), the present offering is notable for including some of the earliest examples of printing in Mauritius after the British takeover in 1810. The island, which lies east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, was taken by the British from the French in 1810, but the inhabitants of the island were allowed to retain their own laws. In 1825 a new council of government was organized, and the British colonial government began to exert a tighter hold on the internal affairs of the island. The present collection of laws and imprints was issued shortly after this reorganization of the government, and consists largely of ordinances set forth by Gov. Gen. Galbraith Lowry Cole, Charles Colville, and others, respecting the system of taxation, agricultural premiums, internal improvements, shipping duties, laws respecting runaway slaves, the slave trade, etc. Although the island was allowed to retain its old French laws, these colonial ordinances effectively reshaped the legal system in accordance with the needs of Great Britain. The issue of the Mauritius Gazette contained in one of the volumes of the present collection, dated Sept. 16, 1826, includes the text of a royal proclamation regarding the establishment of an office for the registration of slaves. In addition, there are two folding royal ordinances for the amelioration of the condition of slaves. The extensive nature of these ordinances provides a wealth of details respecting the situation in Mauritius at that time. Through the influence of such officials as Sir Robert Farquhar, illicit slave trading and poor treatment of slaves were severely curtailed. Slaves were not emancipated in Mauritius until 1834, and up to that time the population of the island consisted only of Europeans and African slaves. The present documents are bilingual, in French and English. To this day, French is more widely spoken in Mauritius than English. The Dutch were the first Europeans to become interested in the island, taking possession in 1598. After exploiting the island’s dense forests for a century and introducing the cultivation of sugar cane and cotton, in 1710 the Dutch abandoned the colony. The French soon claimed it as "Ile de France," and the island remained under the control of the French East India Company until 1767. During the long war between France and England at the beginning of the 19th century, Mauritius proved to be an important strategic naval base, and as a result the British took charge of the island in 1810, and the Treaty of Paris confirmed official British possession in 1814. It remained an important sugar producing colony, and in the 20th century agricultural production was expanded to include tea, rice, and other produce. A remarkable assemblage of early British Mauritius imprints. The NUC locates only one example of earlier British colonial printing on the island, a set of laws from 1822 to 1824 now located at Harvard Law School. Although other sets of the present laws may exist, they are not noted in the NUC and are undoubtedly rare. $3750. 213. [Malacca]: THE SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ANGLO-CHINESE COLLEGE; MDCCCXXVIII. WITH AN APPENDIX. Malacca: Mission Press, 1828. 21,[1]pp. Modern wrappers. Very good. Founded in 1818 by Robert Morrison, the Anglo-Chinese college was the first of its type. It encouraged the cultivation of Chinese and English literature, and its education program extended to the instruction of Chinese evangelists. In 1823 it printed Morrison’s version of the Chinese Bible. This pamphlet provides a roundup of the College’s activities and successes over the previous year. It also includes a list of subscribers and a disbursement of accounts. $1000. Early Laws of Australia, 214. [Australia]: PROCLAMATIONS, ACTS IN COUNCIL, GOVERNMENT ORDERS, AND NOTICES, ISSUED BY HIS EXCELLENCY LIEUT. GEN. RALPH DARLING, CAPTAIN GENERAL AND GOVERNOR IN CHIEF OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 1829. Sydney: Printed by R. Mansfield...Government Printer, [1829]. [2],5,[1],B1-4B,[2],C1-30C,[2],D27-38Dpp. [bound with:] [Australia]: ACTS AND ORDINANCES OF THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL OF NEW SOUTH WALES...1829-30. Sydney: Printed by R. Mansfield, 1830. [3]-18 [i.e. 17],[1],31,[5],C31-C41C,[1],D39-90D pp. Folio. Contemporary calf, gilt morocco labels. Boards lightly worn. Small chip in lower gutter throughout, else internally clean. Very good. A rare and valuable collection of the acts and laws of the government of New South Wales in the first few years after a central government was established in the territory. Included here are a great variety of laws and ordinances necessary for the development of a government in a new world, including those regulating the allotment of land in Sydney and other townships, setting up a system of courts and drawing up rules of judicial procedure, setting the value of the British pound against foreign currencies, and much more. There are several acts addressing religious issues, including one providing relief to Roman Catholic subjects, and another modifying the judicial oath so that Quakers and Moravians may testify in trials. One proclamation sets a regular day for the livestock market so as not to inconvenience the populace by having to drive animals through the streets of Sydney each day. Several other government orders deal with regulating the behavior of convicts, so plentiful in early New South Wales. Dozens of acts make appointments to various government offices. The most important aspect of the 1829 volume is its inclusion of the first published report of the famed Australian explorer, Capt. Charles Sturt, who had arrived in the colony in 1827 as an officer of the 39th Regiment. In late 1828, Gov. Darling sent Sturt to explore the sources of the Macquarie River. Sturt left Sydney on Nov. 10, discovering the river he named after Darling and exploring other rivers flowing into these. Sturt’s reports, written in diary form, appear on pages c3-8c and c11-20c. These mark the beginning and first publications of the career of one of the most distinguished Australian explorers. Sturt later described the expedition in his Two Expeditions... (London, 1833). The first legislative council of New South Wales was created in 1823, and the acts and ordinances of the governor and council for 1824 to 1826 were not published until 1827. Ferguson locates only three copies of each of these titles: his own as well as copies at the Mitchell Library in Sydney and the National Library in Canberra. No copies are located on OCLC. Ferguson notes that pages D1-26D are missing in all the copies he examined of the second title, as they are here. This copy, however, also lacks pages D27-38D. A rare and important set of documents on the early political and legal history of Australia. FERGUSON 1288, 1387. $8500. 215. [Singapore]: THE FIRST REPORT OF THE SINGAPORE CHRISTIAN=UNION, FORMED IN SEPT. 1827.... Singapore: Mission Press, 1830. 50,xxix,1pp. Original printed wrappers. Spine perished. Some minor dampstaining. Else good. Formerly known as the Singapore Committee, the Singapore Christian Union devoted itself to the spread of education and Christianity throughout the Malay archipelago. The Union pursued its aims by establishing schools and distributing tracts and scripture. Interestingly, the success of Singapore as a trading port conspired against its education program. Locals preferred to send their children to work rather than enter them into a "profitless education." $1500. 216. San Jose, Fray Francisco Blancas de: ARTE Y REGLAS DE LA LENGUA TAGALA. [Manila]: Don Jose Maria Dayot, 1832. 919pp. 12mo. Contemporary vellum, string ties. Front hinge broken. First five leaves with short, rough tears near top edge. One leaf nearly detached. Moderate to heavy worming throughout. Faint toning. Good. A 19th-century reprint of the first guide to the Tagalog language, after the first Bataan printing of 1610. That edition has the distinction of being printed by Thomas Pinpin, the first ethnic Filipino printer. Printing in the Philippines had been established just seventeen years prior, with the appearance of the Doctrina Christriana... by Juan de Vera in 1593. All of Pinpin’s imprints are extremely rare, no doubt related to the necessary employ of rice paper which, over time, becomes extremely brittle. Consequently, this edition is desirable for its relative attainability. As an indigenous tongue of a colonized region, Tagalog has survived where numerous other native languages have been either forgotten or absorbed. The aforementioned Doctrina Christriana... (which survives in only one copy, at the Library of Congress), makes early use of it, establishing a tradition upon which Francisco Blancas and Thomas Pinpin admirably built. That their collaboration was issued in a new edition 222 years later is a testament to their contribution to the linguistic tradition of the Philippines. The final edition of this seminal work as noted by Palau, and a scarce Philippine imprint in its own right. PALAU 292356 (note). OCLC 12936263. 1610 edition: ADUARTE II, p.412. RETANA II, p.101. TERNAUX-COMPANS N1038. MEDINA (MANILA) 8. $1850. Mountain Climbs in Mauritius 217. [Mauritius]: [DOCUMENTS, PRINTS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS RELATING TO THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN PIETER BOTH IN MAURITIUS, INCLUDING SEVERAL MAURITIUS IMPRINTS]. [1832-1865]. Three items. Autograph manuscript: 17pp., 800 words, quarto, sewn in brown paper wrappers. Two uncolored lithographic plates (19½ x 12½ inches) with accompanying folio broadsheet. Printed book: 15pp. plus six mounted photographs, 12mo., half brown morocco gilt with marbled boards, small tear in lower cover, inscription, with accompanying leaf from The Illustrated London News, Feb. 4, 1865. All contained in a large folio brown cloth folding case. A noteworthy collection of items documenting and illustrating attempts to climb Pieter Both, an unusually shaped mountain located near Port-Louis in Mauritius. Included are several interesting and quite rare Mauritius imprints. The earliest item is an autograph manuscript by Lieut. Arthur Taylor, "Account of the Ascent of the Peter Both Mountain, Mauritius, on the 7th of September 1832." Written in letter format, it details Taylor’s climb, the first British expedition to successfully reach the top (a French group led by Claude Peuthé is thought to have scaled the peak in 1790). The party, which had suffered an unsuccessful attempt the previous year, included Taylor, Capt. Lloyd, Lieut. Phillpots, and The Hon. Thomas Keppel. Taylor’s account, which includes a small sketch of the "head" of the mountain, lists previous attempts, doubting the veracity of the French attempt in 1790, and recounts the difficulty of the climb, particularly a long sheer cliff face passable only by a narrow ledge. When the summit was reached in the afternoon, the party celebrated with a bottle of wine and spent the night on the mountain with brandy and cigars. Next are two lithographic plates, titled in both French and English. The first is "View of Peterbot, from the Moka side," and the second is "Ascent on the peak of Peterbot on the 24st May 1848." They were drawn by Lieut. Swinny in situ, and lithographed by V. Devreaux in Port Louis. Accompanying the plates is a broadsheet, Ascent of Peterbot, Island of Mauritius, printed in Port Louis on the June 15, 1848, which recounts the second successful ascent of the mountain by an English party led by Swinny, sixteen years after Taylor. TOUSSAINT A617. The third item is a printed book titled The Ascent of Pieterboth Mountain and published in Mauritius by E. Dupuy and P. Dubois (undated and without author). The book contains the first photographic record of a Peterboth climb, shot during an expedition by Capt. Johnston and Mr. Symons of the 2/24th Regiment and others. Although accompanied by Mr. B. Greene "who had with him a camera and everything requisite to take photographic views," the weather did not permit him to do so. The photographs were taken a few days later by Mr. G. Burgman, who was able to ascend the mountain on a fine day. The photographs include the "head" of the mountain, the ascent of the "Ladder Rock," and a view of Port Louis. The inscription present on the front pastedown testifies to the difficulty of the climb: "I tried to climb the Pieterboth in 1865 with a party from the troop ship Tam[ar]. Owing to a heavy fog when near the top the ascent failed. P.H. Leith 11th regiment." TOUSSAINT A783. Accompanying this item is a leaf from the newspaper, The Illustrated London News of Feb. 4, 1865. It includes the text of this item as an article titled the "Ascent of the Peter Botte Mountain, in the Mauritius," and three wood engravings based on Burgman’s photographs. A splendid collection that features several rare Mauritius imprints and pays tribute to the indomitable spirit of mountain climbing. TOUSSAINT A617, A783. $7500. Sir John Franklin as Governor of Tasmania 218. [Tasmania]: PROCLAMATIONS, GOVERNMENT ORDERS, AND NOTICES, ISSUED BY HIS EXCELLENCY, SIR JOHN FRANKLIN, K.C.H.R., LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF VAN DIEMAN’S LAND. 1837. Hobart Town: Printed by William Gore Elliston, 1838. 263,xxi pp. Contemporary three-quarter roan, skillfully rebacked. Titlepage soiled, else very good. The famous Arctic explorer, Sir John Franklin, served for a time as the acting governor of Tasmania. This volume, a fairly early Tasmanian imprint, covers his activities during the first year of his administration, from his arrival there on Jan. 6, 1837, through the rest of the year. He ultimately held the post for seven years, leaving to embark on his final, fatal Arctic voyage. DNB VII, pp.635-36. FERGUSON 2660. $1750. 219. Stronach, John: THE BLESSEDNESS OF THOSE WHO DIES IN THE LORD, A SERMON OCCASIONED BY THE DEATH OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER.... Singapore: Mission Press, 1843. 35pp. Two photographs laid in. Later wrappers. Text annotated throughout. Very good. Possibly the author’s copy, as the text is heavily annotated with notes for a second edition which was never published. Samuel Dyer (1804-44) left England in 1827. He was one of the earliest missionaries in China and spent time in Malacca and Singapore. He spent sixteen years in the East and was a colleague of Robert Morrison. In addition to missionary activities, Dyer was an important figure in the printing of Chinese vocabularies and the development of printing Chinese and Malay characters. This sermon includes a brief sketch of Dyer’s life written by his widow. $1750. Early Burmese Imprint 220. [Maulmain Missionary Society]: EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MAULMAIN MISSIONARY SOCIETY, AUXILIARY TO THE AMERICAN BAPTIST BOARD FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS. WITH A BRIEF ABSTRACT OF THE THIRTIETH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PARENT SOCIETY. Maulmain, Burma: American Baptist Mission Press, 1845. 40pp. including errata slip. 12mo. Dbd. Very good. Maulmain, the nexus of British power in Burma in the mid-18th century, was also the headquarters of the American Baptist Mission in the region. The mission at Maulmain was founded in 1827 by Adoniram Judson (1788-1850). A press was established there in 1830 and was kept busy printing the Bible in various languages and dialects, along with grammars, textbooks, and books on mathematics, until it was transferred to Rangoon in 1862. Judson spent more than thirty years working in Burma, returning briefly to the United States in 1845, the year in which this pamphlet was produced. This report provides information regarding the activities of the Baptist Mission Society throughout Burma, the progress made at the Theological Seminary at Karen, an accounting of the funds of the Society, and their constitution. Although OCLC lists several 19th-century issues from the Maulmain press, scattered among many institutions, no copy of this pamphlet is listed. $500. 221. Ham, Thomas: HAM’S SQUATTING MAP OF VICTORIA, (PORT PHILLIP DISTRICT, NEW SOUTH WALES) CAREFULLY CORRECTED TO THIS DATE FROM THE COLONIAL GOVERNMENT SURVEYS, CROWN LANDS COMMISSIONERS & EXPLORERS MAPS, PRIVATE SURVEYS &c. Melbourne. 1851. Folding map, 18 x 28¼ inches, with period outline color. Map backed by cloth and bound into 12mo. limp green cloth boards. Cloth faded and worn, especially along spine. Very good. A rare, early separate map of Victoria and the neighboring Port Phillip District of New South Wales. The map is filled with a great wealth of detail. Settlement and counties are almost completely confined to the southwestern portion of Victoria, with many parts still completely unknown. Southeastern Victoria is labeled "Unsurveyed Country," for example; and a part of neighboring New South Wales is described as "Supposed Hilly Country." Topographical notations are given throughout: "Dense Mallee Scrub," "Forest & Scrubby Country," "Extensive Grassy Plains," "Unsurveyed Country High Ranges & Scrub," and so forth. A lengthy reference at lower left identifies "Rivers Surveyed by Government," "Rivers Unsurveyed by Government," "Lands Purchased from the Crown," "Lands open for location," "Road-side Inns," "Squatting Stations," and much more. The map is dedicated to "His Excellency Sir Chas. A. Fitz Roy, Knt., Governor of New South Wales." $3000. 222. Griffith, William: ...ICONES PLANTARUM ASIATICARUM. PART IV. DICOTYLEDONOUS PLANTS.... Calcutta. 1854. [2],xii pp. plus 311 plates. Large quarto. Original green printed wrappers bound into modern vellum. Very good. The fourth volume only of Griffith’s posthumously published work on Indian botany, arranged by John M’Clelland and printed by the government of Bengal. Griffith (1810-45), a physician and botanist, served in the British Colonial Service in Bengal and as assistant surgeon at Madras, and contributed greatly to the herbarium of the East India Company. An interesting illustrated work from a 19th-century Indian press, complete in itself in treating this class of botany. TAXONOMIC LITERATURE 2169. NISSEN 759. PRITZEL 3568. $950. Statistics of Tasmania 223. [Tasmania]: STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF VAN DIEMAN’S LAND, OR TASMANIA, FROM THE DATE OF ITS FIRST OCCUPATION BY THE BRITISH NATION IN 1804 TO THE END OF THE YEAR 1823.... Hobart Town, Tasmania. 1856. 164pp. plus 6pp. manuscript bound in front of the printed material. [bound with:] STATISTICS OF THE COLONY OF TASMANIA FOR THE YEAR 1867. Hobart Town. 1868. xxviii,172pp. [bound with:] STATISTICS OF THE COLONY OF TASMANIA FOR THE YEAR 1868. Hobart Town. 1869. xxvi,198pp. Three-quarter calf. Scuffed. Internally very good. This collection of Tasmanian reports was bound for Gov. Charles DuCane, who entered office in 1869. It is inscribed by Hugh Hull, the compiler and clerk of the House in Tasmania, in March 1870. A wealth of statistical information on Tasmania and an unusual imprint. $900. Early Caroline Island Imprint 224. [Caroline Islands]: [PRINTED SHEET OF ALPHABET AND SYLLABLES]. [Ponape, the Caroline Islands. 1858?]. Single printed sheet. Very good. A very unusual imprint. This sheet was printed by the first mission press in the Islands, evidently for the use of students on the Gilbert Islands, far to the east. Ponape is an island in the central Carolines, south of Guam and due east of the southern Philippines. A press was established there in the 1850s, but it was not until 1863 that one was set up in the Gilberts. Hence this item was printed in Ponape and shipped. E.F. KUNZ, ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF LANGUAGES OF THE GILBERT ISLANDS (Sydney, 1959). $650. 225. Bunce, Daniel: LANGUAGE OF THE ABORIGINES OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA, AND THE AUSTRALIAN DISTRICTS. Geelong: Published by Thomas Brown, 1859. xii,60,[2]pp. Original cloth-backed printed boards. Slightest staining in extreme lower forecorners, almost negligible; else a fine, bright copy. The second edition of this scarce Australian aboriginal vocabulary, containing words and phrases listed in double columns (with parallel translations), helpful sentences, and a section on the variations in seven lesser dialects. Bunce, a botanist, also published Hortus Tasmaniensis. FERGUSON 7665. $600. Early Filipino Lithography 226. [Philippines]: ILUSTRACIÓN FILIPINA [caption title]. [Manila: Imprenta y litographia de Ramirez y Giraudier, 1859-1860]. Twenty-eight issues of varying pagination. 172; 24,38-96,109-120pp. (lacks issues three and nine from 1860). Plus twenty-two (of twenty-eight) tinted or colored lithographs. Numerous illustrations in text. Text printed in double columns. Folio. Modern crushed red morocco, spine gilt, a.e.g. Incredibly clean internally. Fine. Twenty-eight of the first thirty numbers (a total of forty-four were ultimately issued) of this remarkable and lavishly illustrated Filipino periodical, the first illustrated periodical published in the Philippines. Of this nearly complete run of the first thirty numbers, only issues three and nine for the year 1860 are missing. Six of the issues are missing the lithograph that should accompany them. Ilustración Filipina first appeared on March 1, 1859 and ran until Dec. 15, 1860. It appeared roughly twice each month, and each issue included one tinted lithograph. The images were drawn by an Englishman, C.W. Andrews, and were lithographed by Baltasar Giraudier, the archipelago’s first lithographer. The text, printed in Spanish, mostly concerns local history, geography, ethnography, and certain vital statistics, while the illustrations offer lively images of seascapes, landscapes, village life, costumes, portraits, and more. Of particular importance is the consistent visual contrast between the Philippines’ remote rural areas and tribes, and a developing urban landscape and "civilized" culture. Published at a time of growing resentment to Spanish rule, the focus on the Filipino people as apart from the Spanish or mestizos (half-breeds) is especially notable. The lithographs are among the earliest executed in the Philippines, and the project as a whole is the most ambitious in terms of size and scope produced in Manila to date. It was issued by subscription and produced in limited numbers. Though less political in nature than Mexico’s seminal La Orquesta..., the quality of the illustrations and the promotion of a specific native culture bears some comparison. OCLC locates eight runs of unspecified completeness. A superlatively rare Filipino periodical, remarkable for its early lithographs and pronounced sense of Filipino nationalism. PARDO DE TAVERA 1345. RETANA 4472. RETANA TABLAS CRONOLOGICA Y ALFABÉTICA DE IMPRENTAS É IMPRESORES DE FILIPINAS 164. OCLC 10657477. PALAU 118306. $9000. Very Early Album of New Zealand Views 230. [New Zealand Photographica]: DUNEDIN 1860 [cover title]. [Dunedin, New Zealand: Frank Coxhead, 1860-1863]. Ten album cards, each with a vintage albumen photograph mounted on recto and verso, for a total of twenty photographs. Each image measuring 8¾ x 6¾ inches. Oblong quarto. Contemporary green cloth, rebacked with original backstrip laid down, gilt-stamped title on cover. Moderate spotting on cards, affecting a few images. Photographs captioned on images. Very good, with small promotional bookplate of Frank Coxhead on front pastedown reading: "We invite inspection of our superior collection of Photo Views of the West Coast Sounds, and other Views, before purchasing elsewhere." A wonderful assemblage of New Zealand views by Frank Coxhead, one of Dunedin’s best early photographers. Despite the assertion made on the cover, the present images were taken over a three-year period, from 1860 to 1863. Active in Dunedin from the 1860s through the 1890s, Frank Coxhead’s work here details an important phase in the rapid growth of the city. It is likely that Coxhead issued this album, employing his original negatives, at a later point in his career. The images, which depict the port, mercantile areas, and certain residential districts, are listed below:
In 1861, while Coxhead was composing these photographs, gold was discovered in New Zealand, and the rush that followed prompted a rapid change in the physical environment. Coxhead’s work provides an excellent record of this early boom phase that vaulted Dunedin to the status of New Zealand’s leading economic center by the end of the 19th century. Among the earliest attainable New Zealand photographic albums and exceedingly scarce. There is no reference work devoted to New Zealand photography, but, by comparison, the standard bibliography for Australian photographic books lists its first entry as 1864. $22,500. 231. [McKinlay, John]: McKINLAY’S JOURNAL OF EXPLORATION IN THE INTERIOR OF AUSTRALIA. (BURKE RELIEF EXPEDITION.). Melbourne. [1862]. Title-leaf, 136,[8]pp. plus three folding maps in rear pocket. Original cloth, rebacked, printed paper label. Cloth sunned. Tanned, slight foxing, else very good. From the libraries of J.W. Gregory (with his ms. ex-lib.) and Hans Peter Kraus (with his bookplate). First edition of the diary of Australian explorer John McKinlay (1819-72), written during his expedition to locate the Burke party. His search was unsuccessful, finding only the remains of Gray, the first victim of the expedition. Under the impression that he had found the graves of all the expedition leaders, he carried out the second part of his instructions and explored the country between Eyre’s Creek and Central Mount Stuart. His party was reduced to dire straits and barely escaped starvation, having had to eat all their pack animals. He carried out more explorations for the South Australian government, saving his party from extinction by his great ingenuity and perseverance. Contains eight pages (including pastedowns) of quaint illustrated ads for local and British merchants. FERGUSON 12057. WANTRUP 177. $1500. All the Stats on Greenland 232. [Greenland]: NALUNAERUTIT SINERÍSSAP KUJATÂNE MISIGSSUISSUT PIVDLUGIT.... [Godthaab: Lars Møller, 1862-1872]. 172,[32],87,[1],54,[2],28pp. plus twenty-five lithographic tables. Modern half red calf and boards, gilt-lettered spine. Internally bright and clean. Very good. The complete four-volume series on southern and northern Greenland local councils. Of the four volumes, three discuss the southern councils and one treats those in the north. Each was produced separately, though intended to form a complete work. The folding lithographic plates include various local statistics pertinent to the councils. A bevy of information on regional Greenlandic government. Like most early Greenland imprints, quite rare. KNUD OLDENDOW, THE SPREAD OF PRINTING. WESTERN HEMISPHERE. GREENLAND (Amsterdam: Vangendt & Co., 1969), p.37. $4500. A Long Run of the Great ATUAGAGDLIUTT, 233. Berthelsen, Rasmus, and Lars Møller: ATUAGAGDLIUTT. NALINGINARNIK TUSARUMINASASSUNIK UNIKÂT. [Nuuk, Greenland: Hinrich Rink, 1862-1946, lacking the years 1884-91, 1894-95, 1901-3]. Eighty-five volumes. Replete with illustrations, many in color. Some issues loose. First volume in original limp patterned cloth. Second volume in cloth-backed printed boards, spine repaired. Third volume in cloth-backed boards, spine worn. Fourth volume with lower half of spine and titlepage lacking. Of the remaining volumes, sixteen are in cloth-backed boards and sixty-five are in original wrappers, spines generally worn. Second volume with contemporary manuscript index, possibly by Møller. Overall very good. A tremendous run of this landmark Greenland newspaper, equally celebrated for its remarkable quality, range of content, and longevity. The fourth volume of the this set is enhanced by a presentation inscription from Lars Møller, the longtime editor and noted native lithographer, to Hinrich Rink, proprietor of Greenland’s first regular press and founder of the paper. Further, the plates in the fourth volume have been hand-colored, presumably by Møller in Rink’s honor. Atuagagdliutt..., translated literally as "distributed reading matter," stands alone when evaluating the impact of a single printed periodical on a native culture. The catholic editorial taste of Berthelsen and Møller not only brought the world’s great literature to the doors of native Greenlanders, but did so in a manner that accomplished dual milestones in Greenlandic cultural history. First, by printing entirely in the native language, they transmitted the worldly canon, much of it for the first time, in a manner readily understandable by their readership. This resulted in a near instant removal of substantive cultural gaps between Greenland and Europe. Second, foreign epics and tales were often set alongside traditional native legends, equating their value with those of the outside world. In result, the success of Atuagagdliutt... was a point of national pride. Avidly consumed by its readership, its pages were shared, clipped, and culled to the point of near extinction. To date, five (at most) complete runs exist, entirely in public institutions in Denmark and Greenland. One additional set resides in private hands. Only nine institutions in the United States possess comparable runs, to varying degrees of completeness. The founders of Atuagagdliutt... include some of the most prominent men in the history of Greenlandic printing. The prime mover behind its creation, Hinrich Rink, first came to Greenland from Denmark in 1848, quickly rising to the position of royal inspector for South Greenland. In 1855 he began printing small pamphlets from a late 18th-century press left behind by Greenland’s "first" printer, Jesper Brodersen, whose total known output is one small pamphlet done in 1793. In 1857 he installed a new press imported from Copenhagen, in effect becoming Greenland’s first regular printer. Rink was soon joined by Rasmus Berthelsen, a native Greenlander who proved a quick study talented enough to become the paper’s first editor when it was launched in 1861. Apprenticed to Berthelsen was Lars Møller, the son of a carpenter who, under the tutelage of Berthelsen and Rink, learned nearly every facet of the printing trade, including lithography. It was Møller who printed the Atuagagdliutt... from its earliest days, and he was responsible for a majority of the numerous lithographs. Accomplished as he was, the success of Møller’s lithographs was due entirely to the instinctual talent of the original artist, the legendary Aron of Kangeq. While bedridden with tuberculosis, Aron received a visit from Rink, who had heard of Aron’s considerable talent from other natives. According to Oldendow, "Rink...sent him paper, coloured pencils, and the necessary tools for woodcutting and with no instruction what so ever Aron produced over two hundred woodcuts and watercolors." His ability to illustrate both foreign and native legend alike secured his reputation, and his contributions were an invaluable addition to the paper. Berthelsen continued as editor for twelve years until 1874, when Møller succeeded him. The combined talents of the paper’s staff notwithstanding, success, let alone survival, was far from assured. Working in the forbidding Greenland climate, Rink and his assistants were faced with numerous shortages and hurdles that make their considerable accomplishment all the more remarkable. Ink was often wanting, substituted frequently with a homemade variety made from boiling varnish and soot. Paper needed to be moistened to accept the ink, but often it would freeze before it could be put to use. Most serious of all was the large language barrier between Møller and Rink which, fortunately, was overcome thanks to Møller’s diligent study and a well-timed training trip to Denmark. Despite disadvantageous circumstances, the small crew was determined, and when they found themselves without, they improvised. This steadfast dedication was due, above all, to Rink’s abounding love of his adopted home and its people. From the moment of his arrival, Rink sought to learn as much as possible about native culture. He undertook countless overland and boat journeys throughout the land, staying with local families whenever possible. He began to develop an idea of what a Greenland periodical could be, and tried to convey this notion in the advertising leaflets he issued prior to publication. When publication began in January 1861, it was clear Rink had imbued the young Berthelsen with the same enthusiasm, and after Møller assumed editorship, this cultural fervor erupted. Year after year the newspaper contained "innumerable articles written both by and for Greenlanders – on hunting conditions and famous lives, on public events and memorable occasions at home and abroad, novels and stories translated into Greenlandic, legends, articles, official decrees..." (Oldendow). Equally important was how Møller stretched the language to fit his needs. When a foreign object or idea lacked a Greenlandic equivalent, Møller invented one. The cultural consequences of the publication of Atuagagdliutt... are extreme, as its longevity attests. That this venture, unique among indigenous cultures, took root in a North American language is significant and offers ample opportunity for comparison to other frontier native language presses, such as those at Park Hill and Harbor Springs. What is immediately clear is that Atuagagdliutt... brought world and native culture to life in vivid detail, free of religious constraints and with no overt didactic purpose. This circumstance alone makes Atuagagdliutt... a North American language production of the greatest interest. "The results were slow in coming, but come they did, and Atuagagdliutt’s finest achievement would seem to be that quietly and gradually it caused the Greenlanders to grow as a people; it welded them together into a whole, until little by little they learned to notice things outside their immediate daily life and the narrow boundaries of their isolated land. Throughout its many years of publication it helped the Greenlanders to develop from an Esquimo community into a people" – Oldendow. KNUD OLDENDOW, THE SPREAD OF PRINTING. WESTERN HEMISPHERE. GREENLAND (Amsterdam: Vangendt & Co., 1969), pp.46-57, passim. $47,500. Among the Earliest Greenlandic Lithographs 234. [Greenland]: THE LAKE OF KUGSSUAK AT TASERMIUT, GREENLAND. [with:] KAJUTAKS – FJELD I GODTHAABS FJORD. [Godthaab: Lars Møller], 1863-1864. Two handcolored lithographs, each 15½ x 12 inches. Mounted on board. Minor edge wear. Faint dampstain on second title. Color generally bright and clean. Very good. Archivally matted, protected with mylar sheet. Two superlative early lithographs by Greenland’s first professional lithographer, Lars Møller. The lithographs were done as part of a series of Greenland landscapes, and were based on original artwork by the father of Greenlandic printing, Hinrich Rink. "These lithographs depict different Greenland landscapes...The young Lars Møller did them immediately after returning from his eight months period of training in Denmark, and they are therefore the handsome result of his newly acquired craft. They are, too, the best work he ever did, for after this his work slowly and gradually goes downhill, perhaps because he lacked inspiration and competition. Nevertheless his work as a craftsman and lithographer was of immense and immeasurable importance for two generations of his picture-starved countrymen...The pictures were on sale in the Greenland shops...Since some of the pictures are provided not only with a Danish and Greenlandic caption they may have been used as presents to be sent abroad or possibly even sold abroad" – Oldendow. Consistent with Oldendow’s description, the present pairing represents well both Møller’s talent and Greenland’s dynamic landscape. The first image, presumably the original of which Rink signed, since his initials are reproduced in the lower left corner, shows the serene Lake Kugssuak against a backdrop of mountains. The second, captioned in Danish and Greenlandic, shows Godthaab’s famous fjord. Together they offer a wonderful showcase of Møller’s nascent skill. Two of the best early lithographs by a native Greenlander, indicative of an ambitious and increasingly influential press. KNUD OLDENDOW, THE SPREAD OF PRINTING. WESTERN HEMISPHERE. GREENLAND (Amsterdam: Vangendt & Co., 1969), p.37 (ref). OCLC 44405170. $2500. 235. [Greenland]: MEDDELELSER VEDKOMMENDE FORSTANDERSKABERNE I NORDGRÖNLAND...1868 – 1871. Godthaab: Lars Møller, 1872. 39pp. plus folding lithographic table. Contemporary plain wrappers. Spine perished. Last leaf and rear wrapper detached, folding plate nearly so. Moderate edge wear. Overall internally clean. Good. An apparent continuation of Møller’s four-part series on regional Greenland local councils. The fourth part discusses the northern councils from 1863 to 1867, and this pamphlet resumes where that installment leaves off. Each was produced separately, though intended to form a complete work. The large folding lithographic plate includes various local statistics pertinent to the councils. An early Greenland imprint and quite rare. Not mentioned by Oldendow. KNUD OLDENDOW, THE SPREAD OF PRINTING. WESTERN HEMISPHERE. GREENLAND (Amsterdam: Vangendt & Co., 1969), p.37 (ref). $1500. 236. Lee, Joseph W.: THE INDIAN MUTINY, AND IN PARTICULAR, A NARRATIVE OF EVENTS AT CAWNPORE, JUNE AND JULY, 1857...SUPPLEMENTED BY THE NARRATOR’S TRAVELS AND VISIT TO ENGLAND AND AMERICA IN 1883, TOGETHER WITH THE MANNER IN WHICH HE WAS RECEIVED BY HIS RELATIVES IN DIFFERENT PLACES AND SOME AMUSING LETTERS FROM THEM AFTER THE LAPSE OF 40 YEARS IN INDIA [wrapper title]. Cawnpore, India. [nd, ca. 1885]. [4],xi,[1],[24],35,[2],40pp. Original printed wrappers. Wrappers rather fragile, chipped at extremities. Internally clean and very good. A rare account of the Sepoy Rebellion in India of 1857-59, which resulted in the transfer of the administration of India from the East India Company to the Crown. Lee had served in the 53rd Shropshire, Regiment of Foot, and later became the proprietor of the Railway Hotel in Cawnpore. Also includes an interesting account of travel in the United States, with visits to New York City, Niagara, etc. The NUC locates only one copy of this edition (New York Public), apparently the first, and three copies of an edition dated 1890 (Library of Congress, Harvard, and Yale). $500. Beautiful Chromolithographs of New Zealand 237. Wakefield, Edward: NEW ZEALAND ILLUSTRATED. THE STORY OF NEW ZEALAND AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ITS CITIES AND TOWNS...ALSO...THE NATURAL WONDERS OF NEW ZEALAND (PAST AND PRESENT). Wangnanui: A.D. Willis, 1889. [4],[39]pp. One large folding and thirteen other fine chromolithograph plates, and one uncolored lithograph plate with three images. Oblong folio, 28.5 x 49 cm. Original morocco backed boards, the upper with a large chromolithograph panel. Near fine. A beautiful album of chromolithographs of scenes in New Zealand. "Chromolithographs by W. Potts from photographs by J. Martin, S. Carnell, Burton Bros., Wrigglesworth & Bins, Tyree, etc., except for the eruption of Tarawera, a magnificent choreographic extravagance by Blomfield. The quality and clarity of the reproductions is heightened by the neo-primitive conventionalised representation of figures, trees and the facades of buildings" – Bagnall. The plates are captioned as follow: "Auckland Harbour, N.Z."; "Napier, N.Z."; "City of Wellington, N.Z."; "Wanganui, N.Z."; "New Plymouth, N.Z."; "Nelson, N.Z."; "Greymouth, N.Z."; "Lyttelton Harbour, N.Z."; "City of Christchurch, N.Z. (From the Cathedral)"; "Oamaru, N.Z."; "Dunedin, N.Z."; "Pink Terrace, Rotomahana, N.Z., (Destroyed by the Eruption of Mount Tarawera, June 10, 1886.)"; "White Terrace, Rotomahana, N.Z. (Destroyed by the Eruption of Mount Tarawera, June 10, 1886.)"; "Mount Tarawera in Eruption, June 10, 1886 (From the native village of Waitangi, Lake Tarawera, N.Z.)" (large folding chromolithograph); "The Waitomo Caves, N.Z. (The Blanket. Mair’s Cave. The Blanket...)" (uncolored chromolithograph). The chromolithograph on the upper board is entitled "Queenstown, N.Z." Bagnall mentions an extra illustrated titlepage, with the chromolithograph of Queenstown used on the upper board; however, we have been unable to find another copy which includes this. Not in Hocken. BAGNALL, NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY 5786 (ref). $6750. 238. Wade, Henling Thomas, ed: WITH BOAT AND GUN IN THE YANGTZE VALLEY. Shanghai: Shanghai Mercury, 1895. [3],187,[5]pp. Errata slip. Large quarto. Original cloth. Very good. A comprehensive and detailed guide to shooting in the lower reaches of the Yangtze, intended chiefly for the Shanghai expatriate community. Wade sounds a warning note in his introduction that some popular destinations in the vicinity of Shanghai have already been "shot out" in the fifteen years since the first edition was published. Including chapters on yachts, houseboats, and topographical notes, as well as Chinese methods of game-hunting by various authors. CORDIER 126 (1st ed). $2500. |
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