Paris: Chez Poinçot, 1789. Hardcover. A collection of 44 beautiful handcolored botanical plates of which 38 are of various flowers and 6 comprise a visual dictionary of botanical terms. Each plate is accompanied by a page of text describing the plant and its qualities. The plates are in near fine condition but unfortunately the leather binding is not. It is chipped, scuffed, and bumped, and the top half of the spine is missing. The front board is almost detached although the text block is firm. Endpapers have spotting and the title page has browning to edges. Small octavo. Unpaginated. NATURE/072021. More

Dublin: Geo. and Alex. Ewing, 1755. Hardcover. Part I: Being a true and ample Description of its Situation, Greatness, Shape, and Nature....written by Gerard Boate, late Doctor of Physick to the State of Ireland; Part II: A Collection of such Papers as were communicated to the Royal Society, referring to some Curiosities in Ireland; Part III: A Discourse concerning the Danish Mounts, Forts, and Towers in Ireland never before published, by Thomas Molyneux, M.D. in England. Part II is dated 1726 and Part III is dated 1725. An interesting and detailed account of all aspects of Ireland's natural history is to be found in this scarce eighteenth century title. Gerard Boate (1604-1650) was a Dutch physician who settled in London. Boate had never visited Ireland, but materials for his natural history were furnished by his brother Arnold and by some of the English who had been ejected from Irish lands sometime occupied by them. Boate commenced the ‘Natural History’ early in 1645 and completed it within the year, but its publication was deferred. Boate attained a position as a physician in Ireland and arrived there at the latter end of 1649,but he survived only a short time. He died in January 1650. Boate's papers and his ‘Natural History’ left behind him in London came into the hands of Samuel Hartlib who published it in 1652. It bore the title: ‘Ireland's Naturall History. Being a true and ample description of its situation, greatness, shape, and nature; of its hills, woods, heaths, bogs; of its fruitfull parts and profitable grounds, with the severall ways of manuring and improving the same; with its heads or promontories, harbours, roades, and bayes; of its springs and fountaines, brookes, rivers, loghs; of its metalls, mineralls, freestone, marble, sea-coal, turf, and other things that are taken out of the ground. And lastly of the nature and temperature of its air and season, and what diseases it is free from or subject unto. Conducing to the advancement of navigation, husbandry, and other profitable arts and professions. Written by Gerard Boate, late Doctor of Physick to the State in Ireland, and now published by Samuel Hartlib, Esq., for the common good of Ireland, and more especially for the benefit of the Adventurers and Planters there.’ A quarto edition of the ‘Natural History’ by Boate was published at Dublin in 1726, and reissued there in 1755 [Dictionary of National Biography].Thomas Molyneux (1661-1733) was the first professor of physic in Ireland's new medical school. He was a Trinity graduate, having studied for his BA from 1676 to 1680. Medical studies followed between 1683 and 1687, when he spent time in England, Leiden and Paris. While he was at Leiden he compiled a catalogue of two collections for the Royal Society and contributed to their Philosophical Transactions. Molyneux was active in the Dublin Philosophical Society and his contributions to it included the first scientific studies of the Irish elk and the Giant’s Causeway [historyireland]. Bound in later three quarter brown leather with marbled paper boards. The top of the front cover is sunned, leather with minor scuffing. Interior pages are generally clean and bright. With several illustrations, many of them foldouts, in parts II and III. Ownership signature dated 1855 on title page. Very good condition. Octavo. 213 pages. IRE/071321. Very Good. More

Portland, OR: Anne Greenwood. Number 10 of the 12 deluxe copies. The Lunar Maria (pl.) or Mare (sing.) are large dark basaltic plains on the Earth’s Moon formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. These plains Oceanus (Oceans), Mare (Seas), Lacus (Lakes), Palus (Marshes), and Sinus (Bays) were named by Giovanni Battista Riccioli in 1651 after states of mind and conditions of water. I have editioned three decks of 44 oracle cards named after the Lunar Maria: one wool hand-embroidered original, twelve cotton digitally printed, finished w/ hand-stitching, and 100 paper digitally printed. All the decks include a letterpress printed, hand-bound booklet, and indigo dyed bag and cloth with machine stitched text. The booklet describes how to use the cards and includes 44 poetic fragments that correspond to each basaltic plain and embroidered image. The booklet was designed, printed and bound by Daniela Del Mar. This project was conceived in the midst of studying magical tools and practices with Colette Gardiner in her Blue Iris Mystery School in Portland, Oregon, working as an artist-in-residence at the Icelandic Textiles Center in Blönduós, Iceland and learning from Carmen Spagnola's Numinous School of Intuition Development. The combination of these experiences helped me further understand, connect and embed my ancestry, place and natural world within my art practice. Ten percent of all sales from this deck, and funds generated from any readings will be donated to The Chúush Fund: Water for Warm Springs which directly benefits the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon as they work to restore their access and infrastructure for clean water. Edition size: 12 5.5”x 7.5”x 2” finished bag w/ contents, 4”x 5.5” cards & booklet, 20”x 20” cloth. In fine condition. ARTB/080221. More

Lyon: Chez Bruyset Ainé & C., 1796. Hardcover. Fourth edition of this exhaustive treatise on the botany of European plants and flowers. The title translates: "Elementary Demonstrations of Botany. Containing the general principles of this Science, the fundamentals of Methods, and the elements of plant physics. The description of the most common, the most curious, the most useful Plants, arranged according to the Method of Tournefort & that of Linnaeus. Their uses & their properties in the Arts, the rural economy, in Human & Veterinary Medicine; as well as an instruction on harvesting & desiccating plants." The title page notes that this fourth edition adds to the notices of the principal authors, adds descriptions of nearly twelve hundred species not included in the previous edition, and draws up to form a complete body of doctrine, embracing the history of almost all of Europe and of those which have been naturalized there by culture. We have added the figures of nearly 400 alpine, southern or northern plants drawn under the direction of Richier de Belleval and under that of Linnaeus, those of the most common grasses in Europe, mosses and the like, accompanied by a commentary and a critical discussion. The author Jean-Baptiste François Rozier (1734 -1793 ) was a French botanist and agronomist. With his friend Claret de la Tourrette, he wrote Démonstrations élémentaires de botanique, foregrounding the virtues of plants and combining the principles of Tournefort and Linné. In 1786 Rozier became director of Lyon's agriculture school. He assisted in the early stages of the French Revolution, asking the first two assemblies to create a national agriculture school. He became curé constitutionnel of Sainte-Polycarpe parish in Lyon during the Revolution and was killed in his bed by a bomb during the siege of Lyon [Wikipedia]. Bound in brown quarter leather with green marbled boards and gilt titling to spine. Bindings are scuffed, bumped and rubbed. the top of the spine of Volume 2 is torn and chipped. The free front endpapers of the first two volumes have the top half torn away. the free front endpapers to volumes 3 and 4 are missing. Stamps to title page of Stl Alphonsus Church, New Orleans. No other ex-library signs. Volume 1 has eight foldout plates and Volume 4 has two. Despite flaws still a good, sound set of this classic work. Small octavos. Volume 1 has 512 pages followed by pages 721-735. It is unclear whether a section was removed during binding. Volume 2: 752 pages; Volume 3: 776 pages; Volume 4: 735 pages. NATURE/072021. Very Good -. More

London: Henry G. Bohn, 1851. Hardcover. First edition of this comprehensive view of the landscape and fauna of the Selborne region, written as a series of letters. With forty black and white plates illustrating the diversity of mammals and other wild life. Bound in modern green cloth with gilt titling to spine. New endpapers and missing the called for frontispiece. Generally clean with scattered spots to some text pages and plates. A nice copy of this work that was later reprinted several times. Measures 4.5 x 7.5 inches. 416 pages. NATURE/072821. Very Good. More