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André Simon copy.- Gallo (Agostino) Secrets de la vraye agriculture, et honestes plaisirs qu'on recoit en la mesnagerie des champs, translated by François de Belleforest, collation: ã4 è2 a8 b-z4 A-Z4 Aa-Ee4 Ff2, woodcut printer's device to title, woodcut head-pieces and decorative initials, ruled throughout in red, occasional early ink marking, occasional spotting, a few very small stains, contemporary panelled calf, gilt, covers with central emblematic symbol, sympathetically rebacked, corners repaired, rubbed, 4to (225 x 163mm.), Paris, Nicolas Chesneau, 1571.⁂ Rare first French edition, with an impeccable provenance. Books three and four of this work on wine and the vine earned it its place the Simon collection. Provenance: André Simon; Bibliothèque de M. Delasize (bookplates). Rothamsted acquisition date 1932.Literature: Thiébaud 441; not in Simon BG.

Herbal.- Pena (Pierre) and Matthias de l'Obel. Stirpium adversaria nova, first English edition, collation: A2 B1 A-2P6 [2Q]1 3*2 *4, engraved title (dated 1570), first 2 leaves (dedication to Queen Elizabeth) supplied from a smaller copy and loosely inserted, last 6 leaves (index) misbound after title, woodcut illustrations, with 2 woodcuts on slips pasted in after A5 and C4 (lacking that which should be after N3), with woodcuts pasted on X6 verso and 2L2 verso both present, some water-staining, small repair to one index leaf, some dust-soiling, remboitage in old limp vellum with new endpapers, spine label and gilt lettered date, covers soiled, [STC 19595; Henrey 289], folio, exudebat prelum Thomae Purfoetii, ad Lucretie symbolum. Cum gratia Privilegii, 1571.⁂ Important work in the history of plant classification. It describes old as well as new world plants and contains the first published illustration of the tobacco plant (pasted woodcut on p.252, which also depicts a man's head smoking a long pipe). A loosely inserted letter from E.P. Goldschmidt (dated 1935) supplying the two missing dedication leaves.Provenance: John Hartby (ink inscriptions to title)Rothamsted acquisition date 1918.

Estienne (Charles) and Jean Liebault. L'Agriculture et Maison Rustique, collation: a-c4, 2a-z4, A-Z4, Aa-Yy4, woodcuts within text, woodcut decorative initials, title lightly soiled, occasional spotting, modern speckled calf, gilt, scarce edition, Paris, Jacques du Puys, 1572 § Estienne (Charles) and Jean Liebault. L'Agriculture et Maison Rustique, 2 parts in 1, collation: ã4 a-z4 A-Z4 AA-ZZ4 AAa-HHh4 2A-E4 F2, woodcuts within text, woodcut decorative initials, occasional staining, contemporary calf, gilt, covers with arabesque centre-pieces, rebacked, preserving original gilt backstrip in compartments, spine ends restored, corners worn, rubbed, Lyon, Jacques du Puys, 1576; and 3 other 16th century editions of the same, 4to (5) ⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1919.Literature: I: Thiébaud 344 II: Thiébaud 344.

Crescentiis (Petrus de) Ruralia commoda, collation: 2-36 a8 b-y6 z8, 148 leaves (complete with final blank), first quire numbered but not signed, text in 2 columns, 46 lines, type: 1:160G, 2*:91G, 3:91G, blank spaces for capitals, with printed letters, initials painted in blue and red, rubricated throughout in red, first leaf dust-soiled and with repaired tear, some light foxing and dust-soiling mostly to upper margins, modern calf over wooden boards, title and imprint lettered in gilt on front cover, spine with four raised bands, tabs in pink fabric, upper cover almost detached, folio (286 x 204mm.), Strassburg, [Printer of the 1483 Jordanus de Quedlinburg (i.e. Georg Husner)], 9 March 1486.⁂ First and only edition of Crescenzi's manual of rural economy published in Strassburg in the 15th century, issued from the printing house of Georg Husner, who was one of the leading printers active in the city between 1479 and 1505. Husner signed only a few books during his career, and the printing of the Ruralia commoda was in the past assigned to an eponymous press known as the 'Printer of the 1483 Jordanus de Quedlinburg', so named from its edition of the Postillae de tempore by Jordanus, which appeared in Strassburg in 1483 (see BMC I, pp. 130-131). Ernst Voulliéme was the first to argue in 1915 that Husner was indeed the owner of this press (see Zentralblatt für Bibliothekswesen, 1915, pp. 309-321), and this identification is now generally accepted.Provenance: verso of final blank with letters in red 'H.I.S.V.G.', written in an early hand; 'Liber Georgij Posch Sanctj Egidij Vratislaviens. ... Anno Iubel. Mill. Quingentesimo' (ownership inscription on front pastedown); 'Liber Ioannis Krefels a Volfseck' (ownership inscription on recto of first leaf); Alfred Ashworth of Horsley Hall Gresford, Denbighshire (1843-1910; ex libris on recto of first leaf); the English historian Frederick York Powell, by 1894 Regius professor of Modern History at Oxford (1850-1904; ownership inscription on front pastedown dated 1890).Rothamsted acquisition date 1917Literature: ISTC ic00968000; HC 5831*; GW 7824; BMC I 134; ; Bod-inc C-481; IGI 3264; Goff C-968; Klebs 310.5.

Tusser (Thomas) Five hundreth points of good husbandry united to as many of good huswiferie, collation: A-2A4, largely printed in black letter, title within woodcut border, just trimmed at fore-edge, a few small marginal defects, sig. L4 torn with slight loss of text, some soiling and light staining, contemporary sheep, worn, [STC 24375; Fussell I, p.8], 4to, Imprinted at London in Flete strete within Temple barre at the signe of the Hand & starre, by Richard Tottill, anno., 1573.⁂ Very rare first edition of this expanded work which originally appeared in 1557 under the title A hundreth good pointes of husbandrie. No complete copy of this edition has appeared at auction for over 50 years. ESTC records three issues from this year, this collating to 2A4 and without the signature 2B, unlike the other two issues. All are rare, with this issue located at the BL, Cambridge and Folger only, as well as this copy. "...arranged in calendar form and written in doggerel verse, probably with the idea that rhyme would be of assistance to the supposedly sluggish brains of the rural community, who would be glad to have this kind of help to mnemonics. It not only provides guidance to the farmer in the conduct of his business as it was practised in Essex and Suffolk then, but also that of his family life, and for this reason has been many times reprinted and written about." (Fussell)Rothamsted acquisition date 1923.

Hill (Thomas) The profitable Arte of Gardening, now the thirde time set forth, 2 parts in 1, collation: A4 B2 C-T4; Aa-Mm4, largely printed in black letter, titles within typographic border, woodcut initials and a few illustrations including one full-page on T1 verso of a knot for a garden, contemporary ink annotations (some trimmed), S1 corner torn, first few leaves with upper corner frayed away, slightly affecting title border, trimmed close sometimes affecting headlines and side-notes, some soiling and light water-staining, [STC 13493; Fussell I, p.18], Imprinted at London, by Henrie Bynneman, 1574.⁂ The fourth edition of what Fussell calls "except for herbals...our first book on gardening." Part 2 covers bees and bee-keeping with further sections on weather and planting and "graffing" trees.Rothamsted acquisition date 1930.

Dodoens (Rembert) Purgantium aliarumque eo facientium, turn et radicum convolvulorum ac deleteriamm herbarum historiae libri IIII, 2 parts in 1, including appendix, collation: A-Z8 a-i8, titles with woodcut printer's devices, numerous full-page woodcut botanical woodcuts, sig. C misbound, some water-staining (mostly at end), a few ff. soiled, contemporary limp vellum, lacking ties, lightly soiled, 8vo (170 x 103mm.), Antwerp, Christopher Plantin, 1574.⁂ Rare first edition. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1917.Literature: Hunt 116; Nissen 515; Pritzel 2657 & 7058.

Scot (Reginald) A Perfite platforme of a Hoppe Garden, second edition, largely printed in black letter, collation: A-K4 (with A1 blank except for typographic device and signature, but lacking final blank leaf K4), woodcut initials and illustrations, occasional light foxing, early 20th century polished mottled calf, gilt, by Riviere & Son, g.e., [STC 21866; Fussell I, p.12], small 4to, Imprinted at London by Henrie Denham, dwelling in Pater noster Rowe, at the Signe of the Starre, 1576.⁂ An excellent copy of the second edition of the first English work on hops, first published 2 years earlier. It "...was an eminently practical treatise, illustrating the various methods of setting the roots, making the hills and ramming the poles, tying the bine, and its pulling up and preservation, with a number of curious cuts. It was the work of a practical man, written for practical men, and in this respect is far in advance of most of Scot's contemporaries, who were still much interested in the superstitions of the time, and the traditional pseudo-science of the Middle Ages." (Fussell)Rothamsted acquisition date 1919.

Copernicus.- Digges (Leonard) A Prognostication everlastinge of righte good effecte...to judge the weather by the Sunne, Moone, Starres, Comets, Rainebow, Thunder, Cloudes..., first edition with the translation of Copernicus, collation: pi2, A-L4, M2, N-O4, P2, (lacking blank leaf G4 and the folding woodcut following leaf 42), partially printed in black letter, large woodcut illustration on title depicting the signs of the zodiac in relation to the human body (Luborsky-Morley Ingram, Type B.1), woodcut of ship at sea bearing the arms of the dedicatee (see Luborsky-Morley Ingram, Type 1, state 1) to title verso , numerous woodcut illustrations and diagrams illustrating measuring instruments, mariners' cards, the geocentric universe, constellation Orion etc., sig.L1 folded at edges, trimmed close, occasionally with loss of headlines/pagination, side-notes or signatures/catchwords and to edge of 2 woodcut diagrams, loss of most of the author's name at foot of dedication leaf, small stain to title and last couple of leaves, early 20th century full tan calf, gilt, by R. Wallis, small 4to (177 x 127mm.), Imprinted at London by Thomas Marsh, 1576.⁂ A book of legendary rarity: the 1576 enlarged edition of Leonard Digges' work, supplemented by his own son Thomas with the first translation into a vernacular language ever to appear of the groundbreaking cosmological section of Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. A milestone in the history of astronomy and history of scientific ideas in England.The Prognostication everlastinge was originally published by the mathematician Leonard Digges in 1555. The work belonged to the long tradition of popular almanacks, calendars, and ephemerides, and enjoyed a wide circulation, being often reprinted in subsequent years. In 1576 his son Thomas Digges, one of the most esteemed English mathematicians of the Elizabethian age, published a new edition of his father's work, adding an Appendix entitled A Perfit Description of the Caelestial Orbes according to the most aunciente doctrine of the Pythagoreans, latelye revived by Copernicus and by Geometricall Demostrations approved. The volume is introduced by Thomas Digges's new dedicatory letter to Sir Edward Fines, High Admiral of England, a feature which could explain the presence on the verso of the title-page of the woodcut showing a warship bearing Fines's arms, which only appeared in this 1576 edition.The Perfit Description of the Caelestial Orbes is a translation, or a paraphrase, into English of the three chapters from Book 1 of Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium, first published in 1543. Digges translates in particular chapters 7-8, in which Copernicus rejected Ptolemy's and Aristotle's arguments against the motion of Earth, and chapter 10, dealing with the order of the celestial spheres. Digges also adds to Copernicus's text some highly significant passages of his own, in which he affirms the infinity of the heliocentric universe, a question which was widely debated among contemporary theologians and philosophers.This edition is of the greatest rarity: only 3 copies are recorded in institutional libraries - BL, Huntington and Folger.Rothamsted acquisition date 1925. Literature: STC (2nd ed.) 435.47; Bosanquet clxxx; Brüning Kometenliteratur 317; F. R. Johnson - S. V. Larkey, "Thomas Digges, the Copernican System and the Idea of Infinity of the Universe in 1576", Huntington Library Bulletin 5 (1934), pp. 69-117; A.R. Hall, The Scientific Revolution, London 1954, p. 104; P. D. Omodeo, Copernicus in the Cultural Debates of the Renaissance. Reception, Legacy, Transformation, Leiden 2014, pp. 171-175.

Crescentiis (Petrus de) Ruralia commoda, collation: a-r8 s6 A4, 146 leaves (complete with initial blank), text in 2 columns, 52 lines, type 6:88R, fol. a2r with woodcut illustration (60x147 mm) showing the author writing to the left, and King Charles II of Sicily to the right, blank spaces for capitals, with guide letters, lower and upper outer margin of the first leaf largely restored, with loss of some lines of text and a small portion of vignette border, a few marginalia in Italian, monogram combining the letters S, R, and M on verso of front flyleaf, water-stained throughout, heavy at beginning and end, slight worming towards end, ocasionally in text, 18th century sheep-backed decorative boards, spine ends worn and wormed, corners rubbed, folio (307 x 205mm.), Vicenza, Leonardus Achates de Basilea, 17 February 1490.⁂ Scarce second edition in Italian, a substantial reprint of the Florentine edition of 1478. The volume was issued by the Swiss Leonardus Achates (Leonhard Agtstein), who was the first printer active in Vicenza from 1474 to 1491.The text is headed by a large woodcut vignette showing the author himself writing to the dedicatee of the Ruralia commoda, King Charles II of Anjou. The same block was re-used by Achates in his Herbarius latinus of 1491. This 1490 edition is rare at auction, and numerous institutional copies are defective. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1915Literature: ISTC ic00974000; HC(+Add) 5838; GW 7827; BMC VII 1033; Bod-inc C-484; IGI 3267; Goff C-974; Klebs 311.2; B.IN.G 582; Sander 2234.

Astronomy.- Digges (Leonard) A Prognostication everlasting of right good effect, largely printed in black letter, woodcut astronomical illustration on title, woodcut illustrations, diagrams, initials and decorations, folding woodcut plate present and intact (between M2 and M3), soiled, some foxing, browning and light staining, title and first few leaves with corners restored, title also with tear repaired to verso, later half calf over marbled boards, rubbed, old catalogue description cutting pasted along spine and over label, [STC 435.59], small 4to, Imprinted at London by Felix Kyngstone, 1605.⁂ The rare 1605 edition of Digges's Prognostication everlastinge, the last to be printed, and offered here with the folding woodcut plate depicting the Copernican universe in all its heliocentric glory.This celebrated diagram, often lacking in recorded copies of all editions of the work, first appeared in the 1576 edition, and represents a sort of visual introduction to Thomas Digges' appendix A Perfit Description of the Caelestial Orbes. In effect, it portrays Digges's particular view of a heliocentric universe. Digges not only supports the Copernican theory, but in addition advocates cosmological infinity, a feature not explicitly affirmed by Copernicus. "Digges's illustrative and rightly famous diagram of planetary orbs is different from that in De revolutionibus in the significant aspect that it represents the orb of the fixed stars as open. Stars are in fact scattered beyond the sphere of Saturn. This diagram exerted great influence in England, where the infinity of the universe became part of the Copernican theory. Gilbert, for one, adopted this image in De mundo nostro sublunari philosophia nova (New Philosophy of Our Sublunary World, 1651), adding the remark that stars appear to us to be at rest because they are beyond the action of the Sun, which extends only up to Saturn" (P.D. Omodeo, Copernicus in the Cultural Debates of the Renaissance, p. 171).This folded diagram, the very first illustration to depict an infinite universe, was included in subsequent editions of the Prognostication, always re-using the same wood-block of 1576. Minor differences are detectable: the caption surmounting the diagram, in the types employed for setting it, and the division of lines. A copy of the 1605 edition, complete with the Copernican diagram as here, was sold at the Horblit's sale (Sotheby's 1974, lot 304).Rothamsted acquisition date 1930.

Kent.- Lambarde (William) A Perambulation of Kent, first edition, black letter, woodcut initials, title within attractive woodcut border, full-page engraved map (laid down), occasional ink notes in a contemporary hand, very occasional spotting or soiling, final two ff. a little creased and with minor loss to corners, still a good, clean copy overall, 19th century blind-stamped morocco, a little rubbed, inner gilt dentelles, g.e., [STC 15175], small 4to, for Ralphe Nevvberie, dwelling in Fleetestreete a little about the Conduit, 1576.⁂ Provenance: James P. R. Lyell; Richard John Bell Glanville (bookplates).Rothamsted acquisition date not noted.

Surveying.- Leigh (Valentine) The Moste Profitable and commendable science, of Surveying of Landes, Tenementes, and Hereditamentes, first edition, largely printed in black letter, small woodcut device on title, woodcut diagrams and initials, with blank A4, folding table for measuring lands (two conjoined sheets) but lacking the other folding table in Latin (supplied in facsimile but with only one sheet of two, as confirmed in loosely-inserted T.L.s. from Bernard Quaritch Ltd. dated 1928), title with faint trace of early ink signature at head and small paper flaw hole to outer margin, lightly browned, eighteenth century sheep-backed marbled boards, a little worn and stained, spine ends chipped, [STC 15416; cf.Fussell I, p.7, variant Jennings imprint], small 4to, Imprinted at London for Andrew Maunsell, 1577.⁂ Scarce. ESTC records 6 locations (including this one) in the UK and 3 in America. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1928.

Surveying.- Leigh (Valentine) The Moste Profitable and commendable science, of Surveying of Landes, Tenementes, and Hereditamentes, first edition, variant issue, largely printed in black letter, small woodcut device on title, woodcut diagrams and initials, blank leaf A4 present, 2 folding tables in Latin conjoined to form one, ?lacking the folding table for measuring land (2 conjoined sheets), two lower corners defective but with no loss of text, early 20th century calf by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, small ticket of Myers & Co., [STC 15416a; Fussell I, p.7], small 4to, Imprinted at London for Miles Jennings, 1577.⁂ Scarce. ESTC locates 5 copies (including this one) in the UK and 2 in America. The other issue of this date has Andrew Maunsell in the imprint (see previous lot). ESTC calls for 3 folding tables in the Maunsell printing and only one in this one, but this would appear to be an error. The few auction records generally mention 2 folding tables but this is presumably because both are formed of 2 conjoined sheets.Provenance: John Bradshawe (contemporary signature on title).Rothamsted acquisition date 1918.

Heresbach (Conrad) Foure Bookes of Husbandry...Conteyning the whole arte and trade of Husbandry...Newly Englished, and increased by Barnabe Googe, first edition, collation: ()4 A-Z8 t8 Aa2 (*)4 (**)4, (lacking blank leaf (**)4), largely printed in black letter, full-page armorial woodcut on title verso, one woodcut in text (verso of R4), woodcut initials and decorations, signatures (*) and (**) misbound at end, small tear in sig. I6 just touching catchword, marginal finger-posts, marginal worming to last few leaves, some light water-staining, endpapers from a 16th century English black-letter folio by Richard Grafton, contemporary limp vellum, soiled and creased, [STC 13196; British Bee Books 9; Fussell I, p.12; Westwood & Satchell pp.116-117; Goldsmiths' 193], small 4to, Printed by Richard Watkins, 1577.⁂ The rare first edition by this Calvinist who was mentored by Erasmus. The four books cover arable farming, including harvest; gardens and orchards; cattle and other livestock, including veterinary matters; and bees, poultry and fish.The endpapers would appear to come from either STC 7819.10 or 9427.3, both of which are recorded in a single copy only held by the BL.Provenance: "Eliza: Lucy:" (name on front endpaper); "E.R." (initials dated August 16th, 1695 on rear endpaper)Rothamsted acquisition date not noted.

Bibliography.- Camerarius (Joachim) De re rustica opuscula nonnulla, lectu cum iucunda, tum utilia, iam primum partim composita, partim edita, collation: A-N 4 O2, large woodcut printer's device to title, large folding woodcut plate, small woodcut device on final f., title trimmed at head, just touching first 3 words, some water-staining at foot, occasional spotting, 17th century panelled calf, gilt, upper cover detached, lower cover starting, corners worn, rubbed, small 4to (191 x 157mm.), Nuremberg, Catharina Gerlach and heirs of Johannes Montanus, 1577.⁂ First edition "of the first agricultural bibliography ['Catalogus autorum' pp. 42v-53r] listing some 500 writers elaborately classified, e.g. Greek writers whose works are lost (over 150) or extant, Arabic writers in Latin translations, recent Latin writers not yet published, etc. For lost writers the exact source of citation is given. Camerarius, son of the well-known humanist of the same name, was a physician and botanist" (Breslauer/Folter). We can only trace the Breslauer copy at auction (Christie's, 2005, $10,200). Provenance: Gerard F.T. Leather (bookplate). Rothamsted acquisition date 1919.Literature: Adams C444; Breslauer - Folter 26.

Crescentiis (Petrus de) Ruralia commoda, collation: A8 B-Q6 R8 S-Z6 a-b6 j4, 158 leaves (complete with blank b6), text in 2 columns, 53 lines, type: 13:80G, 19:155G, 313 woodcuts in text, a few coloured by a contemporary hand, German names for plants described in an early hand in margins and near woodcuts, woodcuts numbered also in an early hand, some foxing, stains and soiling, final leaf with a couple of minor repairs, modern limp vellum with green silk ties (1 lacking), spine lettered in black, folio (262 x 185mm.), Speyer, Peter Drach, [c.1490-95].⁂ The rare first illustrated edition of Crescenzi's popular work, enhanced with over 300 woodcuts. One of the most attractive illustrated 15th-century books on natural history, and "its text and numerous cuts are a wonderful storehouse of country lore" (A. M. Hind, An Introduction to a History of Woodcut, p. 347).The edition was issued anonymously, without indication of printer, place and date, but the printing is assigned to Peter Drach, and generally dated to between 1490 and 1495. The Speyer printer also published (1st October 1493) the first translation into German of the Ruralia commoda, illustrating the text with the same woodblocks. The fine vignettes are in different sizes and depict husbandry and hunting scenes, plants, animals, and rightly famous are the woodcuts depicting winemaking. A group of illustrations shows the re-use of the woodblocks executed by the so-called 'Hausbuchmeister' for one of the most famous illustrated German books of the incunable age, the Spiegel menschlicher Behaltnis (Speculum humanae salvationis), likewise printed by Drach in 1496. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1922Literature: ISTC ic00969000; HCR 5826; GW 7825; BMC II 499; Bod-inc C-482; IGI 3265; Goff C-969; Klebs 310.6; Nissen BBI, 421; Simon Bibliotheca Bacchica, 36; Great Flower Books, p. 83.

Heresbach (Conrad) Foure Bookes of Husbandrie, collation: ()4 (*)4 (**)4 A-Z8 et8 Aa2 (with blank leaf (**)4 present, several preliminary leaves misbound), largely printed in black letter, woodcut decorations on title, full-page woodcut arms on verso, woodcut illustration on R4 verso, printer's device on verso of final leaf, decorations and initials, top edge trimmed close, occasionally affecting headline, small tear in et7 into headline, another short tear in M2 just missing side-note, title lightly soiled, slight staining and foxing to last few leaves, a few ink annotations, 19th century vellum boards, soiled, [STC 13197], small 4to, Printed for John Wight, 1578.⁂ Second edition of what Fussell calls a "comprehensive work", published a year after the first. "This work, written in the form of a discussion between four persons, aims at collecting all the available information from classical and Biblical sources, and adding to that the information that more modern writers had gleaned, together with the experience of various friends of the author, who may have been practical farmers as he claims, although several of them seem to have been primarily soldiers who held various government posts." (Fussell)Provenance: "My Neigh...David Lampe..." (contemporary inscription to title, trimmed with loss).Rothamsted acquisition date 1925.

Surveying.- Leigh (Valentine) The Moste Profitable and commendable science, of Surveying of Landes, Tenementes, and Hereditamentes...Newly Imprinted and corrected, second edition, largely printed in black letter, small woodcut device on title, woodcut diagrams and initials, with blank A1, 2 folding tables (each 2 conjoined sheets), light water-staining at head of a few leaves and to first table, otherwise an excellent clean copy, cloth, [STC 15417; cf.Fussell I, p.7, 1577 edition], small 4to, for Andrewe Maunsell, 1578.⁂ 5 UK copies on ESTC, including this one, and 4 in America.Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1932.

Estienne (Charles) Siben Buecher von dem Feldbau, first German edition, collation: ):(6 A-Ggg6 Hhh4 Iii-Kkk6 (lacking final leaf, probably blank), gothic letter, title printed in red and black within woodcut border, woodcut portrait of Melchior Sebizius on ):(6 verso, woodcut illustrations, woodcut oval vignette on verso of final leaf, some worming at beginning, mostly to inner margin but affecting title and some text, leaves at beginning and end on guards, contemporary ink annotations to front free endpaper, contemporary bare wooden boards, rebacked, lacking clasps, folio, Strassburg, B. Jobin, 1579.⁂ The Schwerdt copy (with bookplate) of this extremely popular and oft-reprinted work. This edition does not appear very often at auction, the last copy being in 1980.Rothamsted acquisition date 1939.Literature: Schwerdt I, p.167; VD 16 E 3999.

America.- Monardes (Nicolas) Joyfull Newes out of the newfound world, wherein are declared the rare and singular vertues of divers and sundrie Herbs, Trees, Oyles, Plants, & Stones, second edition in English, collation: *4, A-2Y4, 2Z2 (lacking initial blank), largely printed in black letter, title and one divisional title within woodcut typographic border, woodcut initials and illustrations, *4 with marginal repairs, occasional marginal pepperpot worming, a few early ink annotations, some light staining, early 20th century dark green crushed morocco by Riviere & Son, g.e., inner gilt dentelles, [STC 18006; Sabin 49945; Pritzel 6366; Hunt 137], small 4to, Imprinted at London, in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Quenes Armes, by William Norton, 1580.⁂ Lovely copy of the scarce second English edition, the first of which was published three years earlier. Monardes "was the first physician to write of the vegetable poison curare, and his lengthy description of an even more famous American plant introduced to Europe the name 'tabaco' and 'nicotain'..." (Norman). The opening sentence mentions Christopher Columbus; there are also descriptions of the cultivation of quinine, cassava, rhubarb and ginger. This copy has the uncorrected state of f.163 v with catchword "the".Provenance: Percival Willughby (ink name at foot of title), presumably Sir Percival Willoughby, MP, landowner and entrepreneur who invested in the Newfoundland Company, sending one of his sons there to explore the mining potential. Rothamsted acquisition date 1949.

Prudent le Choyselat. A Discourse of Housebandrie. No lesse profitable then delectable, second English edition, collation: A-D4, largely printed in black letter, woodcut device on title, woodcut initials and decorations, upper edge trimmed with slight loss to first two words on title and some other leaves, mostly headlines, stains to first half dozen leaves, some light foxing, later calf, gilt, very slightly rubbed, [STC 20453; Fussell I, p.10], 4to, Imprinted at London by Jhon Kyngston, for Myles Jennynges dwellyng in S. Paules Church-yard, at the signe of the Bible, 1580.⁂ Excessively rare. Auction records show only one copy of the first edition (1970) and none of this, which appeared three years later. A note on the front free endpaper by Williamson of Quaritch, who was instrumental in providing many of the early printed rarities to the Lawes Library, states "Very scarce, the only copy I have known for sale, a very valuable book." ESTC locates copies in BL and Harvard only, in addition to this one.Provenance: William Forsyth (name on verso of title, dated 1810); Harrison Weir, animal painter and author (name and address, dated 1890, on front free endpaper).Rothamsted acquisition date 1915.

Tedaldi (Giovanni Battista) Discorso sull' Agricoltura, manuscript on paper, i + 94+ i leaves (fols. 60v-94v blank), text written in brown ink in a neat cursive, the same hand throughout, foxed, contemporary limp vellum, spine with inked title in a contemporary hand, lacking ties, 4to (210 x 159mm.), Italy (?Florence), [second half of 16th century].⁂ This manuscript preserves the complete text of the Discorso sull'Agricoltura by the Florentine senator Giovanni Battista Tedaldi (1495-1575), who was also active as an administrator in Arezzo, Pistoia, and Pisa.Tedaldi's work is divided into 69 chapters and reflects the vogue for the practice of agriculture, horticulture, and gardening in Medicean Florence, a tradition developed from the time of Lorenzo the Magnificent. The Discorso is replete with Tedaldi's personal experiences and observations made in his villa in the Tuscan hills, but its exact date of composition is unknown, as are the reasons why the work remained unplished for two centuries. The Discorso was in fact only first published in 1776 by the renowned Italian botanist Marco Lastri, who based his edition on manuscripts housed in Florentine libraries. The 18th-century publication also contains Tedaldi's dedicatory letter to Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, dated 2 February 1571, possibly an attempt to gain patronage. This letter is not included in this manuscript, which is more an individual compilation of agricultural writings containing, besides Tedaldi's Discorso, "più cose alla spezzata cauate di più luoghi intorno all'Agricoltura", i.e. a selection of pieces of advice taken from various sources, relating to peaches, broad beans, and Damascus rose plantations (fols. 57v-60r). Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1922Literature: G.B. Tedaldi, Discorso sull'Agricoltura, ed. Marco Lastri, Firenze 1776; Gamba 1690 (for the 1776 edition); EDIT 16 CNCE

Tommasi (Francesco) Reggimento del padre di famiglia..., collation: a-k4, A-Z4, Aa-Zz4, Aaa-Zzz4, Aaaa6, woodcut printer's device to title and a variant device at the end, woodcut historiated and decorative initials, some some watr-staining, spotted, 19th-century half, vellum, marbled boards, lightly soiled, rubbed, Florence, Giorgio Marescotti, 1580; and a 1566 edition of Gallo, 4to & 8vo (mentioned 215 x 151 mm.) (2)⁂ First edition of this domestic handbook. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition dates 1915 & 1928.Literature: EDIT 16 CNCE 28918.

Silkworms.- Rimini.- Corsuccio (Giovanni Andrea) Il Vermicello dalla seta del Corsuccio da Sascorbaro. Nuouamente venuto in luce, collation: †4 A-N4, title and text within woodcut typographical borders, title with woodcut of silkworm cocoon on title, woodcut historiated initials, and head- and tail-pieces, woodcut printer's device to final verso, K1v couple of words inked out, some water-staining at end, occasional spotting, 19th century vellum, red leather label to spine, 4to (204 x 138mm.), Rimini, Giovanni Simbeni, 1581.⁂ Rare first and only edition of Corsucci's treatise on the harvesting of silk from worms, along with a history of silk manufacture, which was an important part of Rimini's trade. The preliminaries include a poem in praise of the city. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1918.Literature: EDIT 16 CNCE 13564.

Crescentiis (Petrus de) De Agricultura, collation: aa4 a-l8 A-L8, 180 leaves, text in 2 columns, 43 lines, type 3:108R, 9:81R, title with large woodcut of a farm, 39 smaller woodcuts within text, woodcut decorative initials, small section of corners of title and final f. repaired, F5 lower corner repaired, some light marginal browning and finger-soiling, 4to (220 x 160mm.), [Venice], [Matteo Capcasa (di Codeca)], [MLCCCCV, but 31 May, 1495]. ⁂ A complete copy of this rare edition, institutional copies of which are often defective. The Ruralia commoda of 1495, the last 15th-century Venetian edition to appear, was printed by Matteo Capcasa from Codeca (near Parma), and is highly praised for its illustrative apparatus, including a large and very interesting woodcut on the first leaf showing a contemporary Italian farmstead. A number of the other vignettes illustrating the text were newly designed for this edition and depict different agricultural practices as well as architectural details and garden structures. The woodcut showing a scene in a garden, with a vine pergola in the background (Book VIII, ch. 2) is particularly noteworthy for its depiction of a typical pleasure garden of the Italian Renaissance. On the other hand, some vignettes illustrating the work are not related to the content, being re-issues of woodblocks executed for previous works from Capcasa's printing house, such as the Fior di virtù of 1490. This copy belongs to a small group with the date in the colophon misprinted as 'mlcccv'. Provenance: Rothamsted acquistion date 1934 (from the booksellers Davis & Orioli, with letters loosely inserted)Literature: ISTC ic00975000; HCR 5839; GW 7828; BMC V 486; IGI 3268; Goff C-975; Klebs 311.3; Essling 842; Sander 2235.

Alonso de Herrera (Gabriel) Libro de agricultura, que tracta de la labrança, y criança, y de muchas otras parricularidades y provechos del campo, collation: A6 B-Z8 Aa8, double column, title in red and black and with very large woodcut printer's device, final f. blank, some worming within text to first few sigs., some spotting or foxing, lightly browned, later vellum, an important edition, folio (281 x 191mm.), Medina del Campo, Francisco del Canto for Juan Boyer, 1584.⁂ Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1934.Literature: Palau 114098.

Camden (William) Britannia, sive Florentissimorum Regnorum, Angliae, Scotiae, Hiberniae, et Insularum...descriptio, 2 parts in 1, first edition, collation: A-Nn8 Oo4, woodcut device on titles, woodcut initials and decorations, some foxing and soiling, some side-notes trimmed, 18th century reversed calf, rubbed, foot of spine defective, [STC 4503], 8vo, Per Radulphum Newbery, 1586.⁂ Fine association copy, with signature of the antiquarian Thomas Hearne, dated 1720, on title and front pastedown. Rothamsted acquisition date 1925.

Livestock.- Mascall (Leonard) The first booke of Cattell, 3 parts in 1, first edition, collation: A2 B-N4; O-T8 U4; Aa-Cc8 Dd10 Ee-Ff8 Gg4 (lacking first leaf, blank except for signature), largely printed in black letter, woodcut title border to second and third parts, numerous early ink annotations, small burn-hole to margin of last few leaves, not affecting text, some marginal worming, modern limp vellum with ties, [STC 17580; Fussell I, p.9 for 1596 ed.], small 4to, Printed by John Wolfe, 1587.⁂ Very rare. Of the three copies we have been able to trace at auction, none has been complete; this is the nearest to it with only the initial leaf missing. ESTC cites only the BL copy in UK (curiously, not this copy) and 3 in America (Folger, Huntington and Michigan State). Fussell calls the work "important, but, in common with most of the writers of his and the succeeding century, Mascall had no hesitation in borrowing from earlier writers, and I doubt if he ever challenged their authority."Provenance: Henry Yates Thompson (bookplate).Rothamsted acquisition date 1941.

Cato (Marcus Porcius) Varro, Columella & Palladius. Scriptores rei rusticae, collation: aa6 a6 b-i8 k4 l-y8 z4 &6 [con]8 [rum]8 A-K6 L4 M6, 270 leaves (of 272, lacking fols. o1 and o8), text in single column, 52 lines, woodcut printer's device at end, woodcut decorated initials in different sizes, blank spaces for capitals, some water-staining, mostly marginal but quite heavy to corner of first few leaves and slightly encroaching on text block, first and last leaf soiled, fol. a6 with fore-margin torn away and another tear just touching a couple of letters of text, 18th century mottled sheep, spine gilt in compartments with 5 raised bands, extremities worn, covers scuffed and abraded, folio (295 x 190mm.), Reggio Emilia, Dionysius Bertochus, 18 September, 1496.⁂ Rare fourth edition and the first book issued by the skilled printer Dionigi Bertocchi alone. This 1496 edition is a reprint of the Scriptores rei rusticae edited by the humanist Filippo Beroaldo the Elder (1543-1504), which first appeared in Bologna in 1494 from the press of Benedetto Faelli. The text is introduced, as in the Bolognese edition, by Beroaldo's dedicatory letter, and the Enarrationes Philippi Beroaldi in XIII Columellae (De arboribus).Provenance: the Edinburgh Priory, belonging to the Dominican order, and destroyed in 1559 (contemporary ownership inscription on fol. b1r); the legal writer and judge Dodgson Hamilton Madden (1840-1928; ex libris on recto of front flyleaf). Bibliographical note by Wright on verso of front flyleaf, dated 27 November 1723.On first leaf ownership inscription dated 'ano 1589 die Junii 18. Lugduni in Bat'.Rothamsted acquisition date 1926Literature: ISTC is00349000; HC 14569*; GW M41055; BMC VII 1090; Bod-inc S-125; IGI 8856; Goff S-349; Klebs 902.4.

Bellot (James) The Booke of Thrift, containing a perfite order, and right methode to profite lands, and other things belonging to Husbandry, first edition, collation: A4 B-D8 E4 (complete with blank leaves A4 and E4), largely printed in black letter, woodcut device on title, woodcut initials and decorations, top edge trimmed occasionally slightly affecting headline and pagination, early 20th century polished mottled calf, gilt, g.e., upper cover cleanly detached, [STC 25007.3; Fussell I, p.14], 8vo, Printed by John Wolfe, 1589.⁂ One of only 3 recorded copies, the other two at Glasgow University and Folger. This copy with distinguished provenance, bearing the bookplates of both Donald McDonald and Francis Henry Cripps-Day, and being the copy mentioned at length by Fussell: "James Bellot was a gentleman of Caen who came across an old manuscript of Walter of Henley and of the anonymous thirteenth-century tract Hosebondrie." Only one appearance at auction, in 1983, described as "wormed...much of last leaf lost."Rothamsted acquisition date 1932.

Surveying.- Blagrave (John) Baculum Familliare, Catholicon sive Generale. A Booke of the making and use of a Staffe, newly invented by the Author, called the Familiar Staffe, first edition, collation: A-K4 (lacking final blank K4), largely printed in black letter, woodcut illustrations to title and other woodcut illustrations and diagrams to text, woodcut initials and decorations, title soiled, a few marginal repairs, modern cloth, [STC 3118], small 4to, Printed by Heugh Jackson dwelling at Fleete Bridge, at the signe of S. John the Evangelist, 1590.⁂ Blagrave (1561-1611) was an English mathematician perhaps best known for his 1585 work The Mathematical Jewel.Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1916.

Livestock.- Mascall (Leonard) The First Booke of Cattell, 3 parts in 1 vol., black letter, titles to parts 2 and 3 within woodcut architectural boarders (trimmed), lacking A7 and S8, title laid-down, damp-staining, first f. (blank) trimmed and restored with loss, several ff. remargined, a few wormed at outer margin, ink notes in a contemporary hand, blindstamp to title, bookplate, 20th century half calf, spine faded, [STC 17581], small 4to, Printed by Iohn Wolfe, and are to be solde by Iohn Harrison the elder, at the signe of the White Grayhound in Paules Churchyeard, 1591; sold not subject to return. ⁂ A rare edition in any condition, we can trace only 2 copies at auction including this one, the other was also defective.Provenance: Timothy Ellyots (ink ownership inscription); Francis Henry Cripps-Day (blindstamp and bookplate).Rothamsted acquisition date 1936.

Wine.- Bussato (Marco) Giardino di Agricoltura, collation: a4 A-B4 C-H8 (lacking final blank), title with woodcut printer's device, near full-page woodcuts within text, A1 with repaired tear within text but without loss, water-stained, some spotting, lightly browned, recased in contemporary vellum, 4to (199 x 139mm.), Venice, Giovanni Fiorina, 1592. ⁂ Rare first edition. 'A treatise on viticulture with interesting plates showing different ways of grafting and pruning the vines: the author deals with the vintage and the care to be given to newly made wine.' (Simon). Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date not noted.Literature: cf. Simon BG 274 (1599 edition); EDIT 16 CNCE 7993.

Cato (Marcus Porcius) Varro, Coulmella & Palladius. Scriptores rei rusticae ("Opera Agricolationum"), collation: aa10 a-s8 t-u6 x-z8 &8 [con] 8 [rum] 8 A-C8 D6, 244 leaves, text in single column, 44 lines, fol. a1r title and nine-line woodcut initial and 2 smaller initials printed in red, numerous decorated initials on black ground in different sizes, woodcut printer's device at end, first leaf possibly from another copy, early annotations on recto of front flyleaf, marginalia and reading marks in the same hand, a few slightly trimmed at time of rebinding, some marginal staining, final leaf with marginal repairs and restoration, modern calf, blind tooled in antique style, folio (304 x 195mm.), Reggio Emilia, Franciscus de Mazalibus, 20 November 1499.⁂ The last Italian edition of the Scriptores rei rusticae printed in the 15th century, after those which appeared in Venice in 1472 (see lot 5), in Reggio Emilia in 1482 (see lot 8), in Bologna in 1494, and again in Reggio Emilia in 1496 (see previous lot). "This is a good example of the rivalry between the prototypographers, five Italian incunabula of the Scriptores rei rusticae, by five different printers, in three cities; three editions by three different printers in one of them, Reggio Emilia [...] After that the tradition of the four Scriptores was common" (G. Sarton, Hellenistic Science and Culture in the Last Three Centuries B.C., Cambridge, MA, 1959, p.388).The 1499 edition was issued from the press of Francesco Mazzali, active as a printer in Reggio Emilia between 1494 and 1504, and closely follows the 1496 Bertocchi edition. Provenance: the Milanese lawyer, politician, and art collector Michele Cavaleri (1813-1890; his stamp 'Museo Cavaleri' on fol. aa2r). Rothamsted acquisition date 1930.Literature: ISTC is00350000; HC(+Add) 14570*; GW M41062; BMC VII 1089; Bod-inc S-126; Goff S-350; Klebs 902.5; B.IN.G 1798; Simon Bibliotheca Bacchica 1.45.

Della Porta (Giambattista) Villae Io. Baptistae Portae, Neapolitani, Libri XII: 1, Domus 2, Sylua caedua 3, Sylua glandaria... Adiecto Inventario quam copiossissimo, collation: )(4 A-Z4 Aa-Zz4 AA-ZZ4 AAa-ZZz4 AAA-ZZZ4 AAAa-CCCc4, woodcut printer's device on title, woodcut decorated initials, diagram on fol. Bb3r, browning and foxing throughout, water-stains and spots to lower margin, more prominent to last quires, a few paper flaws, wormtracks to gutter (especially to quires K-M, occasionally affecting one or two letters), single ink stain to title, contemporary vellum, yapp edges, holes for ties to fore-edges, binding detached, 4to (212 x 161 mm.), Frankfurt am main, Heirs of Johann Wechel, Claude de Marne, and Iohann Aubry, 1592.⁂ The first edition of this encyclopedic treatise by the eclectic Neapolitan scientist and philosopher Della Porta (1535-1615), entirely devoted to husbandry, and based on his travels through Europe. The work was published outside Italy, owing to the author's clash with the Inquisition. It is replete with astrological references, and many passages recall the 'mirabile natura' described in his famous Magia naturalis of 1558. Provenance: the Austrian historian Karl Andrian (ownership inscription dated 1649 on recto of front flyleaf); another ownership inscription on title, barely legible but dated 1778.Rothamsted acquisition date 1924.Literature: Adams P-1942; VD16 P-4332.

London.- Norden (John) Speculum Britanniae. The first parte, An historicall & chorographicall discription of Middlesex, first edition, collation: [A]4 B-G4 H2 (lacking H2, leaf with commendatory verses), engraved title by Pieter van den Keere, dedication to Elizabeth I with her full-page engraved arms on verso, 3 double-page engraved maps, a little soiled, Middlesex with small ink stain, woodcut armorial illustrations, early ink annotations, mostly somewhat faded but those on verso of engraved title with some show-through, modern blind-stamped calf, [STC 18635; Howgego 5.1], small 4to, [Eliot's Court Press], 1593.⁂ The map depicts Middlesex, and the two plans show London and Westminster, the former within a border of coats-of-arms of the great twelve Livery Companies.Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1925.

Bussato (Marco) Giardino di agricoltura, second edition, collation: a4 A-I8 K2, woodcut printer's device on title, 20 full-page woodcuts (some repeats), 12 smaller vignettes showing the tasks for each month of the year, woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces, tear at lower corner of fol. A1 skilfully repaired without loss, a few marginal spots, mostly to last leaves, some annotations in a contemporary Italian hand to margins of chapter LXI concerning citrus groves, later vellum, 4to (198 x 114mm.), Venice, Bartolomeo Carampello, 1593.⁂ The second edition of this important Italian work on gardening, horticulture, and vines, which first appeared in 1592.Rothamsted acquisition date 1928.Literature: Mortimer Italian 95; B.IN.G. 363; EDIT 16 CNCE 7994.

Plat (Sir Hugh) The Jewell House of Art and Nature, 3 parts in 1, first edition, collation: A-O4, A-G4, H2, A-I4, K2, woodcut title to each part, numerous woodcut illustrations including full-page coat-of-arms on verso of first title, some light soiling and spotting, 17th century sheep, scuffed, rebacked and recornered, [STC 19991; Fussell I, p.15; Westwood & Satchell 171], small 4to, Printed by Peter Short, dwelling on Breadstreet hill, at the signe of the Star, and are to be solde in Paules Churchyard, 1594.⁂ Platt's most valuable contribution to husbandry, which includes much on domestic matters including preserving fruits, distilling, cookery and cosmetics. The second part includes important notes on manure, whilst the third also covers angling.Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1925.

P[lat] (Sir H[ugh]) Sundrie new and Artificiall remedies against Famine, first edition, woodcut device on title, woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces, final f. with large portion of loss to lower half, not affecting text, a few ff. with very minor worming, occasional damp-staining and light surface-soiling, 20th century half calf, a little rubbed, [STC 19996; not in Bitting, Cagle, Oxford, Simon or Vicaire], small 4to, Printed by P. S[hort] dwelling on Breadstreet hill, at the signe of the Starre, 1596.⁂ A rare work that provides a number of thrifty recipes to help survive in times of famine including methods of baking bread with a scarcity of flour, "Sweete and delicate cakes made without Spice, or Sugar" and the brewing of beer without hops. The author also mentions helping supply a recent expedition of Sir Francis Drake as well as ill-fated first English expedition to China in 1596.Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1915.

Mascall (Leonard) The first Booke of Cattell, 3 parts in 1, collation: A-T8 U4 (lacking initial leaf, probably blank), largely printed in black letter, woodcut device to titles, woodcut initials and decorations and one illustration (of a hog's head) on S7 verso, some gatherings browned, foxing and some staining, occasionally trimmed close to side-notes, later blind-stamped calf, rubbed, [STC 17582; Fussell I pp.9/10], small 4to, Printed by John Wolfe, and are to bee sold by John Harrison the elder, at the signe of the white Grayhounde in Pater noster Rowe, 1596-1600.⁂ ESTC locates 5 copies of this edition, including this copy, only one of which (Harvard, Houghton) is in N. America. Part 2 of this work covers Horses and is undated; part 3 covers "Sheepe, Goates Hogges, and Dogs" and is dated 1600. 16th century editions of Mascall's important work seldom appear on the market.Provenance: Vincent Boneskyn (ink name on title).Rothamsted acquisition date 1915.

Forestry.- Manwood (John) A Treatise and Discourse of the Lawes of the Forrest, first published edition, title within woodcut ornamental border, black letter, lacking blank Z8, damp-staining throughout, neat ink ownership inscription to title, contemporary calf, rebacked, [Goldsmiths' 284; Kress 207; Schwerdt II, p.7; STC 17291], small 4to, Thomas Wright and Bonham Norton, 1598.⁂ The author was a barrister of Lincoln's Inn and gamekeeper of Waltham Forest who, in 1592, issued privately a work entitled A Brefe Collection of the Lawes of the Forest... This was later revised, enlarged and published as the present work, and thereafter in many editions, remaining the standard work on forest law until at least the nineteenth century. It includes sections on hunting and hawking.Provenance: Ex Libri Asini (ink inscription to title). Rothamsted acquisition date 1916.

Imperato (Ferrante) Dell'historia naturale libri XXVIII, collation: a2 [*]2 b6 c4 A-Z, Aa-Zz, Aaa-Vuu6, title with woodcut crocdile device of Imperato, double-page woodcut plate of Imperato's museum, 73 woodcut illustrations (49 full-page) of minerals, gems, plants, reptiles and insects, some spotting, 18th century English calf, gilt spine in compartmetns and with red morocco label, 4to (285 x 193mm), Naples, 1599.⁂ First edition of this account of the famous natural history museum formed by the Neapolitan apothecary Ferrante Imperato and his son Francesco, one of the earliest museums in Italy. They are probably depicted in the fine woodcut plate of their museum or 'Wunderkammer'. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1928.Literature: Adams I84; Hoover 440; Mortimer Italian 240; Pritzel 4433; Sinkankas (2d ed., 1673) 3108-3109.

Geometry.- Pomodoro (Giovanni) Geometria Prattica. Tratta dagl'Elementi d'Euclide et altri Auttori... dichiaratu da Giovanni Scala, first edition, first issue, collation: [π]2, A-M4, N6, [χN]1, 57ff., engraved title incorporating arms of the dedicatee Cardinal Aldobrandini within scrollwork border, 51 full-page engraved illustrations of instruments, geometry and surveying, woodcut initials and tail-pieces, final leaf with plate VII bound before N6 (plate VI/colophon) and not called for on title but correct, some leaves mounted on stubs, browned, some soiling and water-staining, a little wormed and frayed at edges, A1 creased causing tear to image, D1 torn affecting plate (old repair but lifting), later boards, rubbed, spine worn, folio, Rome, Stefano Paolini, 1599.⁂ Very rare illustrated manual of Euclidian geometry, with 44 plates by Pomodoro and a further 7 added by Scala following Pomodoro's death. The work was meant for practical use and some of the plates depict figures in contemporary civilian and military dress (and some undressed) carrying out measurements. This is the first issue, it was reissued in 1603 with new preliminary leaves. COPAC lists only 2 copies (BL and Wellcome), and WorldCat 5 copies in America. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1935.Literature: EDIT 16 CNCE 28377; Harvard Italian 394; Riccardi I (2), 300.

Dubravius (Janus) A New Booke of Good Husbandry, very pleasaunt, and of great Profite both for Gentlemen and Yomen, first edition, black letter, lacking K gathering (4ff.), woodcut device to title, woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces, shaved at head affecting some running titles and the first line on title page, occasional soiling, ink inscriptions in an early hand including 4 recipes, 20th century half calf, [Fussell p.19; Westwood & Satchell, p.81; Kress 213; STC 7268], small 4to, By William. White, dwelling in Cow-lane, 1599; sold not subject to return.⁂ Rare in any condition, the manuscript recipes include "mending a broken glasse" and "to keepe tame rabbits".Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1918.

Serres (Olivier de, Seigneur du Pradel) Le Theatre d'Agriculture et Mesnage des Champs, first edition, collation: a4 e4 A-5K4 5L2 5M4 5N6, engraved title by Mallery, 8 woodcut vignettes as headings to each book, 16 woodcut illustrations of parterres, woodcut decorations and initials, good margins, damp-staining to lower margin especially to last third of book, 19th century vellum boards, soiled, corners bumped, [Pritzel 8630; Schwerdt II, p.156; Vicaire 788; Kress 236; Mortimer French 494], Paris, Par Jamet metayer Imprimeur ordinaire du Roy, 1600; and 3 other editions of the same, v.s. (4)⁂ First edition of the first major work on French agronomy. It is divided into eight books including viticulture, gardens, food, crops and livestock. Serres (1539-1619) was an early advocate of crop rotation, and in Paris had 20,000 mulberry bushes planted in the Tuilleries Gardens in order to increase the breeding of silkworms.Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1919.

Plat (Sir Hugh) The new and admirable Arte of setting of Corne: With all the necessarie Tooles and other Circumstances belonging to the same, first edition, collation: A-D4, woodcut title vignette, woodcut initials and decoration, early 20th century calf, gilt, [STC 19993], small 4to, Imprinted at London by Peter Short, dwelling at the signe of the Starre on Bredstreet hill, 1600.⁂ Rare. ESTC locates 3 other copies in British Isles (BL, Lincoln Cathedral and Bodleian) and only one in N. America (Mass. Hist. Soc.). Two appearances traced at auction - in 1995 bound with another work; and before that, in 1937.Rothamsted acquisition date 1915.

Law.- Littleton (Thomas) Tenures in English, largely printed in black letter, woodcut device on title, a few leaves at beginning and end with restoration, mostly marginal and not affecting text, early 20th century polished calf, gilt, by Lloyd, Wallis & Lloyd, g.e., inner gilt dentelles, [STC 15777], Imprinted at London by Thomas Wight, 1600 § Manwood (John) A Treatise of the Lawes of the Forest, largely printed in black letter, first 2 leaves with marginal restoration, lacking initial and final blank, contemporary calf, rebacked, [STC 17292], Printed for the Society of Stationers, 1615 § Selden (John) Fleta, first edition, title in red and black, foxing, contemporary calf, rebacked, rubbed, [Wing F1290], Typis M.F. Prostant apud Guilielmium Lee, Mathaeum Walbancke, & Danielem Pakeman, 1647; and 5 others, legal interest, including volumes of pamphlets relating to Tithes and other agricultural matters, 4to and 8vo (8)⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1915.

Estienne (Charles) and Jean Liébault. Maison Rustique, or the Countrie Farme...also a short collection of the hunting of the Hart, wilde Bore, Hare, Foxe, Gray, Conie; of Birds and Faulconrie..., translated by Richard Surflet, first edition in English, lacking A1 (blank but for signature "A1"), woodcut device on title, ornaments, initials and illustrations, some full-page including 20 of knot gardens, title lightly soiled and with small ink stains, water-staining to some leaves but otherwise a good copy, E2 and O3 with tear to outer margin, contemporary and later ink manuscript notes to endpapers (remedy "to fasten loose teeth", recipe for "a salve" etc.), later panelled calf, rubbed, corners worn, rebacked, [STC 10547; Fussell I p.13], 4to, by Edm. Bollifant for Bonham Norton, 1600.⁂ Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1915.

Wine.- Soderini (Giovanni Vittorio) Trattato della Coltivazione delle Viti, 3 parts in 1, first edition, woodcut ornament to title, woodcut printer's device at end, water-stained, spottted, 20th century half vellum, [Simon BB 622 and BG 1398], Florence, Filippo Giunta, 1600; and 2 others, 18th century Italian wine, v.s. (3)⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1916.

God Speede the Plough, first edition, 8 leaves, woodcut device and decoration to title, some ink annotations, early 20th century calf, gilt, by Coverley, g.e., [STC 11925.5], small 4to, Printed by John Harison, dwelling in Pater noster row, at the signe of the Gray-hound, and are to be solde, 1601.⁂ Extremely rare, only 2 other copies recorded (BL and University of Wisconsin-Madison). Only two copies are recorded on Rare Book Hub - unsold at auction in 1971 and a copy being offered by Francis Edwards in 1966 at £600.Rothamsted acquisition date 1915.

Crescentiis (Petrus de) New Feldt und Ackerbaw...in xv Buecher beschrieben, title in red and black with woodcut device, numerous woodcut illustrations in text, foxed and browned, light water-stain to lower margin, later vellum, [Nissen ZBI 988], Strassburg, Lazarus Zessner, 1602.⁂ Second German edition of a compilation of Crescentiis' work with that of Estienne & Libault and Jacques du Fouilloux, which first appeared in 1583 with different woodcuts. Includes many illustrations of distillation and herbs.Rothamsted acquisition date 1931.

Crescentiis (Petrus de) Le livre des prouffitz champestres et ruraulx, collation: a8 b-z8 A-H8 J8, double column, title with small grotesque letter and large woodcut printer's device, large woodcuts within text, stained and spotted, 20th century half calf, small wormholes, a few marginal repairs, folio (270 x 190mm.), Paris, [Thomas du Guernier pour Jacques Huguetan], 1505; and another early 16th century French edition of the same, lacking title, folio (2)⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1932.

Surveying.- N[orden] (J[ohn]) The Surveyors Dialogue. Divided into five Bookes: Very profitable for all men to peruse, that have to do with the revenues of Land, or the manurance, use, or occupation thereof, both Lords and Tenants, first edition, a few woodcut diagrams, initials and decorations, initial leaf (blank except for signature "A") present but laid down, a few other marginal repairs, good margins, modern red morocco, spine faded, old vellum covers and spine bound in at end, [STC 18639; Kress 279], Printed [by Simon Stafford] for Hugh Astley, dwelling at S. Magnus corner, 1607.⁂ First edition of this work "important because of Norden's clear account of the operation of the court of survey and because of his efforts to reconcile the differences between surveyor and tenant." (A.W. Richeson, English land measuring to 1800, 1966).Rothamsted acquisition date not listed.

Vinet (Elie) and Antoine Mizauld. La Maison Champestre, woodcut device on title, woodcut decorations and initials, woodcut illustrations and diagrams including 3 folding plates, several of knot gardens, water-stained, sometimes heavily, contemporary limp vellum, lacking ties, Paris, Chez Robert Fouet, 1607 § Liger (Louis) Le Nouveau theatre d'Agriculture, 29 engraved plates, musical notation, occasional foxing and light browning, contemporary sheep, spine gilt, head repaired, Paris, 1723; Oeconomie Generale de la Campagne, ou Nouvelle Maison Rustique, 2 vol. in 1, second edition, titles in red and black, woodcut illustrations, contemporary calf, extremities worn, Amsterdam, 1701; and 6 others French, 4to and 8vo (9)⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1935.

Rationing.- Orders Appointed by his Maiestie . . . for the preuenting and remedying of the dearth of Graine, library cloth, [STC 9217], Robert Barker, 1608; [Another edition], light damp-staining, library cloth, [STC 9242.5], by Bonham Norton, 1622; [Another edition], first and final f. darkened, 20th century half morocco, [STC 9250.7], Robert Barker, 1630, all with initial blanks with signature within woodcut border, titles with woodcut ornamental borders or devices, woodcut royal arms, head-pieces and initials, small 4to (3)⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1928.

F. (N.) The Husbandmans fruitfull Orchard, first edition, largely printed in black letter, woodcut initials and decorations, slight worming to first few leaves affecting some text, modern calf-backed marbled boards, [see Fussell I, p.31; STC 10652], 4to, Imprinted for Roger Jackson and are to bee sold at his shop in Fleet-street neere the conduit, 1609.⁂ Scarce variant of the reissue (1608) of The Fruiterers Secrets, 1604. Sometimes attributed to Gervase Markham.Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1939.

*** Please note, the description of this lot has changed ***Water-Meadows.- Vaughan (Rowland) Most Approved and Long experienced Water-Workes, first edition, variant with author's promissory note dated 29th November on verso of final leaf (S4), with the very rare folding engraved plan coloured by a contemporary hand, lacking the second folding plan (as usual), plan with some tears but dissected and laid down on canvas, mounted on stub at beginning, lacking initial blank, very light spotting and soiling to title and with small portion torn away from lower inner margin, one or two small rust-spots but otherwise very clean, later calf, red roan label, rubbed, joints split, spine chipped at head, [Fussell pp.32-33; STC 24603], small 4to, George Eld, 1610.⁂ An excellent copy of a rare work, and usually lacking the plan. "The idea of water meadows was original to Vaughan. . . He saw 'a spring breaking out of a mole-hill with the grass very green where it ran', and that gave him the idea that a definite set of drains with sluices to cause and control flooding would be good for grassland...The work also contains one of the earliest refernces to a mechanical saw-mill...There are three copies in the British Museum, but all want the original plate...the copy at Rothamsted has a coloured map on canvas." (Fussell). Provenance: The Gough-Heber copy (ink inscription "Extremely scarce with the map on canvas. Gough Sale 1810  [£]2.15.0" at head of front free endpaper and note in pencil "purchased at Heber sale by Evans" added). Rothamsted acquisition date 1915.

Trees.- Churche (Rooke) An Olde Thrift newly Revived. Wherein is Declared the Manner of Planting, Preserving, and Husbanding yong Trees of divers kindes for Timber and Fuell, first edition, largely printed in black letter, trimmed close in places, just touching headlines on occasions, occasional light foxing, folding woodcut plate, woodcut illustrations and diagrams, initial blank leaf present, later polished tan calf, gilt, by Riviere & Son, g.e., [STC 4923; Fussell I, p.33], small 4to, Printed by W.S. for Richard Moore, and are to be sold at his shop in St. Dunstanes Churchyard, 1612.⁂ Sometimes attributed to Robert Chambers and R. Churton, ESTC records 3 variants: this copy has "Surveyors are odious to Farmers" on D3, line 21. The work is written in the form of a dialogue between a surveyor, woodsman, gentleman and farmer.Rothamsted acquisition date not noted.

Familiar Dialogue (A) betwixt one Physiologus a gentleman student of Athens and his country friend Geoponus, wherein he doth make manifest to him many secrets of nature in the soyling, plowing, and sowing of the earth, whereby it may bring forth fruit in more aboundance, first and only edition, small woodcut armorial device on title, woodcut initial and decorations, soiled and with some marginal repairs but no loss of text, modern calf, [STC 19896.5], Oxford, Printed by Joseph Barnes, 1612.⁂ The only recorded copy. An inscription to front free endpaper reads "From the Evelyn Library". Ink name on title "C. Cacale" and at foot another contemporary inscription dated August 1665.Rothamsted acquisition date not noted.