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Lot 789

Scotland.- Loch (James) An Account of the Improvements on the Estates of the Marquess of Stafford, in the Counties of Stafford and Salop, and on the estate of Sutherland, first edition, half-title, engraved folding map hand-coloured in outline and 39 plates and plans, 3 hand-coloured, light offsetting, library cloth, 1820 § Sinclair (Sir John) Hints regarding Certain Measures Calculated to Improve an Extensive Property, more especially applicable to an estate in the northern parts of Scotland, 2 folding engraved plans, light spotting, later calf-backed boards, [c.1802], 8vo & 4to (2)

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Lot 790

Re (Filippo) Nuovi Elementi di Agricoltura, 4 vol., second edition, engraved portrait, advertisement leaf at end of vol.3 & 4, contemporary sheep-backed baords, spines gilt, Milan, 1820-18 § Crescentiis (Petrus de) Del Trattato dell'Agricoltura, 2 vol., titles with woodcut device and lightly soiled, ink inscription "Mylne 1791" to head of first title, contemporary mottled calf, spines gilt, labels chipped, spines worn at head, upper joints split, Naples, 1724; another edition, 3 vol., engraved portrait, some spotting, later purple straight-grained morocco, gilt, spines gilt and slightly faded, Milan, 1805 § [Paoletti (F.)] Pensieri sopra l'Agricoltura, 2 vol., second edition, half-titles, 2 engraved plates at end of vol.1 and errata leaf at end of vol.2, later mottled calf, joints split, Florence, 1789, rubbed; and another on Crescentiis, 8vo (12)

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Lot 791

Dandolo (Vincenzo) Sulle Cause dell'Avvilimento delle Nostre Granaglie e sulle Industrie Agrarie..., first edition, half-title, engraved portrait, leaf with printer's note at end, contemporary half roan, spine gilt, marbled boards faded, Milan, 1820 § Beltrame (G.B.) Dottrina Agraria..., library cloth, uncut, Udine, 1789 § Ricci (Jacopo) Catechismo Agrario per uso dei Contadini e dei Giovani Agenti di Campagna, errata leaf at end, light spotting, original limp boards, uncut, Florence, 1815 § Ferrario (G.A.) L'Agente in Campagna..., library cloth, uncut, Milan, 1818 § Landeschi (G.B.) Saggi di Agricoltura, second edition, errata leaf, with another 20pp. work 'Cultura dell'Erba Medica e della Lupinella' bound in at end, browned, contemporary half calf, spine gilt, corners and head of spine worn, Florence, G.Piatti, 1807, 8vo (5)

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Lot 792

Manure.- Beatson (Maj.-Gen. Alexander) A New System of Cultivation, without Lime, or Dung, or Summer Fallows, 2 vol. (including supplement), 7 engraved plates, the 3 in supplement folding, foxing to plates, uncut in original boards, spines worn but labels mostly intact, 1820-21 § Bayley (Thomas B.) Thoughts on the Necessity and Advantages of Care and Oeconomy in collecting and preserving different Substances for Manure, later half calf, rubbed, Manchester, 1795 § Ruffin (Edmund) An Essay on Calcareous Manures, foxed, contemporary sheep, upper cover detached, Petersburg, Va., 1832 § Dacre (Rev. B.) Testimonies in favour of Salt as a Manure, uncut in original boards, worn, upper cover detached, Manchester, 1825 § Alexander (James) A Dissertation on Quick-Lime, modern boards, Glasgow, 1779 § Morley (John) Cheap & Profitable Manure, &c., third edition, list of subscribers to first and second editions at end, foxing, uncut in original boards, rubbed and soiled, Norwich, Stanhopian Press, 1812 § Essay (An) on the Utility of Soap-Ashes as a Manure, inscribed "from the author" at head of title and also in his hand "Only forty copies printed on this paper", fine paper copy, folding hand-coloured engraved frontispiece (laid down and soiled), 2 leaves near end with small repaired tears, modern cloth, 1812; and 6 others, similar, 4to and 8vo (14)

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Lot 793

Statistical analysis.- Playfair (William) A Letter on our Agricultural Distresses, their Causes and Remedies; accompanied with Tables and Copper-plate Charts, shewing and comparing The Prices of Wheat, Bread, and Labour, from 1565 to 1821. Addressed to the Lords and Commons, first edition, 3 hand-coloured folding engraved plates including 1 with aquatint, light spotting to title, library cloth, [Goldsmiths 23129; Kress C755], 8vo, for William Sams, 1821.⁂ A rare work by Playfair including fine examples of the graphical method of statistical representation which he had introduced to the economic field in his Commercial and Political Atlas (1786).

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Lot 794

Forestry.- Pontey (William) The Rural Improver; or, a Practical Treatise, on the Nature and Management of such Rural Scenes and Objects, 6 engraved plates, without list of plates slip sometimes bound in, some foxing and offsetting, contemporary half calf, a little rubbed, 1822; The Forest Pruner: or, Timber Owner's Assistant, 8 engraved plates, some folding or double-page, 4 hand-coloured, 4pp. advertisements at end, text foxed and soiled, library cloth, Huddersfield, 1805, first editions; and 2 others by the same, 4to & 8vo (4)

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Lot 795

Fossils.- Mantell (Gideon) The Fossils of the South Downs; or, illustrations of the Geology of Sussex, first edition, 42 engraved plates (2 folding) including the hand-coloured map, index at the end, plates lightly foxed and some a little damp-stained at foot, bookplate, contemporary half morocco, rubbed, 4to, Lupton Relfe, 1822.⁂ Provenance: George Titus Barham (1860-1937), milk wholesaler and collector (bookplate).

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Lot 797

Sheep.- [Fairbairn (John)] A Treatise upon Breeding, Rearing and Feeding Cheviot and Black-Faced Sheep in High Districts, first edition, half-title, errata slip at end, uncut in original boards, rubbed and soiled, spine chipped, Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the Author, 1823 § Lasteyrie (C.P.) An Account of the Introduction of Merino Sheep into the Different States of Europe and at the Cape of Good Hope, first English edition, translated by Benjamin Thompson, engraved frontispiece foxed and offset, some foxing and light browning, uncut in original boards, worn and broken, lacking backstrip, 1810 § [Hunt (Charles Henry)] A Practical Treatise on the Merino and Anglo-Merino Breeds of Sheep, first edition, 4pp. advertisements at end, uncut in original boards, printed paper label to upper cover, worn, 1809; and 3 others on breeds of sheep, 8vo (6)

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Lot 799

Russia.- Lyall (Robert) The Character of the Russians, and a Detailed History of Moscow, first edition, 13 hand-coloured aquatint plates, 10 plain plates and one large folding engraved plan of Moscow, library blind-stamps to title and plates, occasional spotting or offsetting, lacking half-title, endpapers browned, [Abbey, Travel 224], 4to, 1823⁂ An important work, which includes a fine folding panoramic view of the Kremlin palace from the river Moskva, a catalogue of plants found in the vicinity of the capital, an essay on Russian architecture and an account of Napoleon's burning of Moscow in 1814.

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Lot 8

Cato (Marcus Porcius) Varro, Columella & Palladius. Scriptores rei rusticae, second edition, edited by Franciscus Colucia and Georgius Merula, collation: A6 a8 b-c10 d8 e-g10 h8 i6 K-l10 m-z8 &8 [con] 8 [rum] 8 aa8 bb12 cc-dd8 ee-hh10, 302 leaves (complete with all blank leaves b1, i6, k1, and bb), text in single column, 40 lines, type: 96(107)R, Gk, blank spaces for capitals, on first leaves without guide letters, some initials painted in red, a few leaves rubricated, ff. A1, A6, HH1 and HH10 loose, penultimate leaf with marginal repair, final leaf with fore-margin restored, some light marginal foxing and dust-soiling, very big margins, 18° century limp boards, spine with paper label lettered in manuscript, rubbed, upper joint tearing, extremities worn, folio (332 x 235mm.), Reggio Emilia, Bartholomaeus de Bruschis, Bottonus, 5 June 1482.⁂ Second edition of this collection devoted to Roman agricultural writers. One of only three books published by Bartholomaeus de Bruschis in Reggio Emilia, where he was active between 1480 and 1482, in parternship until 1481 with his brother Laurentius. This edition is a substantial reprint of Scriptores rei rusticae of 1472, and also includes, with a few slight changes, the dedicatory letters by Georgius Merula and Franciscus Colucia, appended to Jenson's editio princeps. The leaf added by Bruschis to the last quire signed HH, and bearing the register, is usually lacking in recorded copies. In this copy, like the one in the British Library described in BMC VII 1086, the last word on fol. c2r is printed 'sterc9' and the last on fol. c4r 'ordine'. Provenance: Marquis Giuseppe De Terzi (ex libris on front pastedown; see Catalogue des livres rares et précieux provenant de la bibliothèque de feu M. le marquis De Terzi de Bergame, Paris, 11-23 March 1861, lot 165, "Bel exemplaire de cette édition, extrêmement rare").Rothamsted acquisition date not noted.Literature: ISTC is00347000; HC 14565*; GW M41059; BMC VII 1086; Bod-inc S-123; IGI 8854; Goff S-347; Klebs 902.2.

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Lot 80

Belon (Pierre) Les Remonstrances sur le default du labour & culture des plantes, & de la cognoissance d'icelles. Contenant, la manière d'affranchir & apprivoiser les arbres sauvages, collation: ã8 è8 ì8 A-K8, title with woodcut printer's device, full-page woodcut portrait of the author at the age of 36, some foxing, mostly light, but heavier to last few ff., attractive 19th century dark purple straight grain morocco, gilt, g.e., 8vo (169 x 101mm.), Paris, Guillaume Cavellat, 1558.⁂ The exceedingly rare first edition of Belon's last work. Here he gives a list of exotic species of trees that would be usefully introduced into France, as well as advocating that the medical profession of Paris open an establishment to grow exotic plants. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1924.Literature: Not in Adams; Pritzel 609.

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Lot 800

Irish famine.- [Smith (John, editor)] Report of the Committee for the Relief of the Distressed Districts in Ireland, appointed at a General Meeting held at The City of London Tavern, 7th May 1822, with an Appendix, first edition, 3 folding tables, errata slip, library book label, original boards, paper label to spine, loss to head of spine, 8vo, Printed and Sold by William Phillips, 1823.

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Lot 801

Grasses.- Sinclair (George) Hortus Gramineus Woburnensis..., second edition, half-title, 60 hand-coloured lithographed plates, some foxing, broken and loose in the original boards, uncut, rubbed, corners bumped, rebacked, 1825 § Knapp (J. L.) Gramina Britannica; or Representations of the British Grasses, first edition, 119 hand-coloured engraved plates, some a little browned, upper hinge weak, contemporary half calf, rubbed, upper joint split, 1804, [Nissen BBI 1850 & 1071]; and an 1824 edition of the first, 8vo & 4to (3)

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Lot 802

West (Sir Edward) Price of Corn and Wages of Labour with observations upon Dr. Smith's, Mr. Ricardo's, and Mr. Malthus's Doctrines, first edition, folding lithographed chart opposite title (slightly creased along folds), half-title, 2pp. of advertisements at end, slightly browned, endpapers a little spotted, original boards, corners bumped and worn, printed paper label on spine, label slightly chipped, edges uncut, [Goldsmiths' 24816; Kress C.1813], 8vo, London, John Hatchard, 1826.⁂ "West's The Price of Corn and Wages of Labour (1826), though written in India, was remarkably up to date in its deployment of recent accounts of distress in the British manufacturing districts. He used these to provide an alternative to Smithian, Malthusian, and Ricardian price and wage theory. West's was a demand theory, based in turn on the consumption of the manufacturing classes." - Oxford DNB.

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Lot 803

Graham (Sir James) Corn and Currency; in an Address to the Land Owners, first edition, half-title (duplicate of title and half-title), 6pp. advertisements at end, original boards, joint splitting, spine chipped in two places, rubbed, edges uncut, 8vo, 1826.⁂ "In 1826... [Graham]... published a pamphlet, Corn and Currency, which advocated a loosening of monetary policy and a corn tariff low enough to keep down prices and wages and hence maintain the productivity of the general economy." - Oxford DNB. George Smith (1765-1836), of Selsdon Park, Croydon, Surrey and 1 Upper Harley Street.

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Lot 805

Farm Buildings.- Waistell (Charles) & Joseph Jopling. Designs for Agricultural Buildings..., first edition, 12 engraved plates, original cloth-backed boards, uncut, worn, spine torn, upper cover detached, 1827 § Parker (Thomas N.) An Essay on the Construction, Hanging, and Fastening of Gates, second edition, 6 folding engraved plates, old boards, uncut, spine with gouge and worn at head, 1804 § Robinson (P.F.) Designs for Farm Buildings, second edition, 56 lithographed plates and plans, advertisement leaf at end, occasional spotting, original roan-backed cloth with roan label on upper cover, rubbed, 1837; and another on cottages and farmhouses, 4to & 8vo (4)

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Lot 806

Cobbett (William) The English Gardener, first edition, newspaper cuttings tipped-in and loosely inserted, slightly browned, manuscript recipes on extra ff. inserted at end, bookplate with name scratched out, contemporary diced calf, corners bumped, upper joint broken, gilt spine, rubbed, 1829; and 13 others, William Cobbett and a small quantity of Cobbett's Weekly Political Register, 1821-31, v.s., v.d. (qty).

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Lot 809

Fossils.- Mantell (Gideon) The Geology of the South-East of England, first edition, half-title, lithographed frontispiece and 5 plates (1 folding), folding hand-coloured map (a few short closed tears along folds), illustrations, plates lightly spotted, contemporary ink ownership inscription, original boards, loss to head of spine, joints starting, 8vo, 1833.⁂ Provenance: Elizabeth Doniville (ownership inscription).

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Lot 81

Taegio (Bartolomeo) La Villa. Dialogo, first and only edition, collation: A-P4 Q6 R-Cc4, woodcut device on title, woodcut portrait to verso, woodcut illustrations and initials, foot of title cut away and restored, no loss of text, some water-staining, stain to P2, occasional other foxing and staining, slight marginal worming to last 2 leaves, no loss of text, upper hinge broken, 18th century vellum, small nick to upper cover, 4to (189 x 140mm.), Milan, Francesco Moscheni, 1559.⁂ Extremely rare, no copy traced at auction. Rothamsted acquisition date 1915.Literature: not in Adams; EDIT 16 CNCE 47957.

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Lot 810

South America.- Hancock (John) Observations on the Climate, Soil, and Productions of British Guiana, first edition, library cloth, 1835; and 3 others including a 2nd edition of the same work, 1840, 8vo (4)

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Lot 811

Potato Famine.- Niven (Ninian) & James Macklin. Essay on the Recent Failure of the Potato Crop..., 2 parts in 1, 32pp., half-title, illustration, Dublin, 1835 bound after Sinclair (Sir John) Account of an Improved Mode of Raising Crops of Grain, by means of a Drill-Barrow, 16pp., engraved plate, with the final blank, Edinburgh, 1815 bound with Greg (Thomas) & others. Communication to the Board of Agriculture on the Application of Lime to the Infant Turnip, 20pp., title soiled, 1813 and Lance (Edward J.) The Cottage Farmer.., 34pp., lithographed portrait of Lord Kames (foxed), engraved plate, [c.1832], together 4 works in 1 vol., first editions, light spotting and soiling, modern cloth, 8vo⁂ All rare pamphlets: COPAC lists only one copy of the first (Senate House Libraries), 3 copies of the second, none of the third, and 3 of the fourth.

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Lot 812

Wheat.- Le Couteur (John) On the Varieties, Properties and Classification of Wheat, first edition, 5 engraved plates, folding table, library cloth, [Fussell pp. 170-171], Jersey, 1836 § [Loudon (John Claudius)] A Treatise on the Culture of Wheat, first edition, light browning, original boards, upper cover detached spine chipped, [not in Fussell], 1812 § Banks (Joseph) A Short Account of the Cause of the Disease in Corn, called by Farmers the Blight, the Mildew, and the Rust, second edition, lacking half-title, folding engraved plate, spotting, contemporary half calf, rubbed, [Fussell p.54], 1806 § Some Remarks on the Mildew of Wheat, and the Choice of Seed Corn, Particularly in Reference to an Hypothesis of Sir Joseph Banks, light surface soiling to title, later boards, Norwich, 1811; and 5 others, wheat and corn, 8vo & 4to (9)

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Lot 813

Pamphlets.- [Mackenzie (Sir Francis, of Gairloch)] Hints for the use of Highland Tenants and Cottagers [Beachd-Chomhairlean airson feum do Thuathanaich 'us Choiteran Gaidh'Lach], text in English and Scots Gaelic, presentation inscription from the author to title, 6 engraved plates (a little browned), Inverness, Robert Carruthers, 1838 bound after Washington (George) Letters from His Excellency General Washington, to Arthur Young, Esq. F.R.S. Containing an account of his husbandry, with a map of his farm, first edition, half-title, engraved folding map of Mount Vernon by Neele after a drawing by Washington (offset and a little spotted), advertisements, [Sabin 101719], 1801 and Beatson (Major General Alexander) A New System of Cultivation without Lime, or Dung, or Summer Fallows, second edition, half-title, 4 engraved plates, 1821, together 3 works in 1 vol., 19th century limp morocco, gilt, spine slightly faded, rubbed, 8vo.

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Lot 814

Grain.- Jorio da Paterno (Filippo) Della Coltivazione delle Cereali..., first edition, half-title, Naples, 1838 bound with Carfora (Aniello M.) Cenno Intorno alle Sorgenti della Ricchezza nella Sicilia Citeriore..., inscribed by the author at head of title (slightly cropped), Naples, 1838, together 2 works in 1 vol, some foxing, contemporary roan-backed marbled boards, spine gilt § Pecorari (Vincenzo) Saggio sulla Economia de' Grani, woodcut head-piece, later boards, Naples, 1789 § Trinci (Cosimo) L'Agricoltore Sperimentato..., 2 vol., seventh edition, 4 woodcut and 2 engraved plates, all folding, foxed, later half roan, spines a little faded, Venice, 1805, rubbed; and another on wheat, 8vo (5)

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Lot 816

America.- Colman (Henry) First [- Fourth] Report on the Agriculture of Massachusetts, 4 parts in 2 vol., large folding table illustrating the growth and pupation of the silk worm, some very light foxing, contemporary calf, gilt, Boston, 1838-41 § Volney (C.F.) View of the Climate and Soil of the United States of America, 2 engraved folding maps and 2 plates, some very light offsetting, upper hinge broken, library cloth, 1804; and 3 others America, 8vo (6)

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Lot 817

Mineralogy & Geology.- Agricola (Georg Andreas) De re metallica, translated from the first Latin edition of 1556...by Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry, illustrations, original vellum, uncut, a little soiled, The Mining Magazine, 1912 § Phillips (John) Illustrations of the Geology of Yorkshire, first edition, hand-coloured lithographed map, 9 lithographed cross-sections (most hand-coloured) and 14 plates, foxing to plates, tear to front free endpaper (repaired), modern cloth-backed boards, York, for the Author, 1829; and 2 others, v.s. (4)

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Lot 84

Palladius (Rutilius Taurus) La villa di Palladio... tradotta nuovamente per Francesco Sansovino..., collation: *4, A-Z4, including the final blank, woodcut printer's device to title and at end, woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces, title a little browned, occasional light foxing, or finger-soiling, late 16th century vellum over boards, title in ink to spine, covers lightly soiled, later endpapers, [Wellcome I 249; Simon 325; Simon Bibliotheca Bacchica II, 612; B.IN.G. 1422], Venice, 1560-61 § Britannus (Robertus) Agriculturae encomium, collation: A-I4 (fol. E1 signed D), woodcut printer's device to title, woodcut historiated initials, title spotted and browned, damp-staining to lower margin, spotting and foxing, ink ownership inscription to verso of title, modern blue boards, covers worn, spine becoming loose, loss to extremities, Paris, Chrétien Wechel, 1539; and 2 others, similar, 4to (4)⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1925.

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Lot 85

Pinet (Antoine du) Historia Plantarum, collation: a-z8 A-R8 aa-qq8, first edition, title within woodcut architectural border, numerous woodcuts of plants within text, title little wormed at head, occasional staining, lightly browned, contemporary calf, gilt, sympathetically rebacked, rubbed, 16mo (120 x 70mm.), Lyons, Gabriel Cotier, 1561.⁂ One of the first pocket herbals. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1918.Literature: Hunt 85; Nissen 565; Pritzel 2539.

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Lot 86

[Sansovino (Francesco)] "Giovanni Tatti". Della Agricoltura, second edition, collation: *4 A-Aaa4, woodcut decoration and device on title, device repeated on otherwise blank final leaf, woodcut decorations and initials, numerous woodcut illustrations, some light water-staining towards end, generally clean and crisp, contemporary limp vellum, 4to (203 x 143mm.), Venice, Appresso F. Sansovino, 1561.⁂ A very good copy of this work, first published a year earlier, which covers soil and grain, wine, gardens and flowers, fruit trees, insects and other pests.Rothamsted acquisition date 1934.Literature: Cleveland Collections 88; Hunt 87 (1st ed.); EDIT 16 CNCE 31059.

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Lot 89

Magnus (Olaus) Historia delle genti et della natura delle cose settentrionali ...nuovamente tradotta in lingua Toscana, collation: *4 a-b8 c6 A-MM8 NN6, Roman letter, woodcut printer's device to title and verso of final f., full-page engraved map of Scandinavia, with partial early hand-colouring, numerous charming woodcuts within text, little marginal worming to first and last few ff., occasional water-staining or spotting, 20th century half vellum, folio (320 x 212mm.), Venice, Domenico Nicolini for the heirs of Luc'antonio Giunti, 1565. ⁂ First illustrated Italian edition and second overall Italian edition of Magnus's important ethnographical and geographical survey of Scandinavia. He discusses warfare, trades and occupations, animals and hunting, amongst many other aspects of Scandinavian life. The work earns its place in Simon for its discussion of wines, mead, bees, agriculture, bread-making, and the flora and fauna used for food.Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1931.Literature: Simon, BB xx, 479; Simon, BG 1117; Schwerdt II, 4; Camerini, Giunti, 689; Mortimer, Italian, 270; EDIT 16 CNCE 27290.

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Lot 9

Crescentiis (Petrus de) Ruralia commoda, collation: a-n8 o6 aa-kk8 ll6, 195 leaves (of 196, lacking initial blank), text in 2 columns, 41 lines, type 1B**:89/90G, blank spaces for capitals, copiously annotated by an English hand, giving accounts of monthly gardening operations, a few notes in a contemporary hand, some dust-soiling, mostly to first few leaves and elsewhere in margins, front free endpapers detached, 18th century calf, worn, spine with 5 raised bands, much of backstrip missing or peeling, corners repaired, folio (268 x 199mm), Louvain, Johannes de Westfalia, [c.1483].⁂ Rare second edition of Crescenzi's agricultural handbook to be printed in the Low Countries, the first having been issued by the printer and bookseller Johannes de Westfalia in December 1474.Both the 1474 and 1483 editions are set, as the colophon states, in a 'modern' type, the matrices or punches of which Johannes de Westfalia, then in parternship with Dirk Martens, had bought in Venice in 1473, the font very similar to that used by Nicolas Jenson in his Ruralia commoda of 1472. "When Johannes De Westfalia purchased this type [...] it gave him and his associate the opportunity to produce books that looked as if they were made in Venice [...] in fact entering into competition with the Venetian printers for the market in north-west Europe" (L. Hellinga, Incunabula in Transit, Leiden 2018, p. 44).Provenance: Anglican clergyman and biblical scholar Anthony Scattergood, editor of the Royal Bible of 1679 (ownership inscription on fol. a2r); on same leaf a monogram combining the letters T S N R and K. Rothamsted acquisition date 1922.Literature: ISTC ic00966500; BMC IX 145; Bod-inc C-479; GW 7822; IGI 3262; Klebs 310.4.

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Lot 90

Trees.- Here begynneth the Boke of the Arte or Crafte of Graffynge and Plantyng of Trees, first and only edition, collation: A-B4, printed entirely in black letter, fine woodcut on title depicting two men hewing trees, all leaves with marginal restoration, soiled, some early ink annotations, modern calf, [STC 5954.2], small 4to, Imprinted at London in Lothbery over against S. Margarets church by me Wyllyam Copland, [?1565].⁂ The only recorded copy. From a bookseller's catalogue description it would appear this copy was purchased from Maggs in 1936 for £52.10s (subsequently rebound and repaired). "This little piece is of excessive rarity. One copy is recorded in Pollard's "Hand-Lists of English Printers" as in a Private Library, and there is a reference in a note in Dibdin's "Typographical Antiquities"...Outside these two references we have been unable to trace any record of this little work." (Maggs). ESTC 91551 locates this copy only; not in Worldcat. Rothamsted acquisition date 1936.

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Lot 91

Gallo (Agostino) Le dieci Giornate della vera agricoltura, collation: a8, b4, A-Z8, AA-HH8, woodcut printer's device to title, woodcut historiated initials, water-stained, some spotting, a few small holes, contemporary vellum, Venice, Domenico Farri, 1565; and 4 others, 16th century Italian, v.s. (5)⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1928.

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Lot 93

Mizauld (Antoine) Memorabilium, utiliu[m], iudicundorum centiriae novem, collation: a-b8 A-R8, title with woodcut printer's device, woodcut head-pieces and decorative initials, some ink marking of passages, occasional staining, 19th century boards, spine with green morocco label, Paris, Frederic Morel, 1566; Hortorum Secreta, Cultus et Auxilia..., collation: A-R8 S4, title with woodcut printer's device, woodcut head-pieces and decorative initials, some spotting or foxing, lightly browned, Paris, Frederick Morel, 1575; and another, by the same, 8vo (3)⁂ A good group of works by this French astrologer and physician. Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1920.Literature: I: cf. Adams M1505 II: M1503.

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Lot 98

Alonso de Herrera (Gabriel) Agricoltura tratta da diversi antichi et moderni scrittori, collation: (8, A-Z8, Aa-Nn8, Oo4, woodcut printer's device to title, numerous woodcuts of plants and fruit, 12 woodcut vignettes depicting farming tasks relevant to the time of the year, woodcut head-pieces and decorative initials, final f. blank, Venice, Francesco Sansovino, 1568; and 4 others, 16th century Italian, v.s. (5)⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1916.

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Lot 10

Columella (Lucius Junius Moderatus).- Laetus (Pomponius) Hortuli commentarium, sive In de re rustica Lib. X commentum, collation: [a6, b4], 10 leaves, text in single column, 35 lines, type: 4:86G, blank space for one capital, with printed guide letters, on recto of first leaf, some light marginal water-staining and spotting, 19th century red morocco-backed marbled boards, gilt, spine lettered in gilt, 4to (207 x 141mm.), [Rome, Bartholomaeus Guldinbeck], [c.1485].⁂ Rare edition of this commentary on the tenth book (entirely devoted to gardening) of De Re Rustica by Columella, the most systematic of all treatises of Roman writers on agricultural affairs, which first appeared in Rome in about 1472. This commentary is without the text, and was circulated in manuscript around 1467. On the basis of a comparative study of the surviving manuscripts, authorship can be attributed to the famous Roman humanist Pomponius Laetus (1428-1498). "Laetus apparently did not edit the text, and the commentary is concerned with the explication of mythological, geographical, and botanical points [...] much of his material comes from Cato, Varro, and Pliny the Elder" (V. Brown, "Columella", p. 181).Only 14 copies of the Hortuli commentarium are recorded in institutional libraries, including the Rothamsted one. The edition was issued entirely anomymously and without date, and is now generally assigned to the printing house established in Rome by Bartholomaeus Guldinbeck. Provenance: Rothamsted acquisition date 1915 Literature: ISTC ic00765000; H 5494*; GW 7188; Bod-inc C-390; BMC IV 73; IGI 3068; Goff C-765; Klebs 288.2; V. Brown, "Columella, Lucius Junius Moderatus", in CTC III, pp. 175-176, 181-184.

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Lot 100

Mascall (Leonard) A booke of the Art and maner, howe to plante and graffe all sortes of trees, first edition, collation: A-P4 Q2, largely printed in black letter, woodcut title-vignette, decorations, initials and illustrations, that on C4 of grafting tools full-page, some minor soiling, early 20th century brown crushed morocco, gilt, by Riviere & Son, [Fussell I, p.10, this copy; Henrey 15; not in ESTC], small 4to, Imprinted at London by Henry Bynneman for John Wight, 1569.⁂ Extremely rare with only one other copy traced at auction found in a sammelband of 9 16th and 17th century works, sold at Bloomsbury Auctions in 2014. ESTC does not list any copy although Copac cites the BL copy, incomplete (lacking the first 4 and last 2 leaves). Henrey locates the same incomplete BL copy, this copy and another at Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge only. A pencil note at the back of this copy states that it was bought at Sotheby's, lot 283 on 3rd April 1935. Rothamsted acquisition date 1938.

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Lot 103

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.

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Lot 104

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.

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Lot 107

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.

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Lot 11

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.

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Lot 111

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.

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Lot 112

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.

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Lot 113

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.

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Lot 117

Gallo (Agostino) Le vinti giornate dell'agricoltura, et de' piaceri della villa... Nuouamente ristampate. con le Figure de gl'Istrumenti pertinenti..., collation: *8, **4, A-Z8, Aa-Ee8, woodcut printer's device to title, woodcut initials and nineteen full-page illustrations, spotting tot title, occasional foxing and browning, last few ff. trimmed at foot, occasionally affecting illustrations, bookplate of Robert W. Webb, 17th century mottled calf, spine gilt in compartments, spine a little chipped, minor scuffing to covers, [Adams G-157], Venice, Camillo, and Rutilio Borgomineri, 1575 § Falcone (Giuseppe) La nuova, vaga, et dilettevole villa... Estratta da tutti gli autori Greci, Latini, & Italiani, che sin'hora hanno scritto di tal materia, lacking final blank, woodcut printer's device to title, woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces, Venice, Guiseppe Imberti, 1628 bound with Rimedii... Dove s'insegna molti, & varij secreti per medicar Bue, Vacche, Cani, Cavalli... Nuovamente ristampati..., woodcut printer's device to title, Venezia, Giuseppe Imberti, 1628, together 2 works in 1 vol., 19th century calf-backed boards, spine a little faded, covers rubbed; and 2 others, similar, small 4to & 8vo (4)⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1920

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Lot 118

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.

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Lot 119

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.

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Lot 12

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.

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Lot 121

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.

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Lot 122

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.

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Lot 123

Cato (Marcus Porcius) Methodus rustica Catonis atq; Varronis Preceptis aphoristicis per Locos communes digestis..., collation: α8, β4, a-z8, A-I, K4. Woodcut printer's device to title, woodcut diagrams in text, occasional 17th century ink marginalia, some foxing and occasional browning, contemporary vellum, little worn, Basel, Pietro Perna, 1576; and 3 others, Continental, 8vo (4)⁂ Provenance: first mentioned Rothamsted acquisition date 1937.Literature: Adams C1126.

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Lot 124

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.

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Lot 125

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.

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Lot 126

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.

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Lot 127

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.

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Lot 13

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.

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Lot 130

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.

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Lot 131

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.

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Lot 132

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.

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Lot 133

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.

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