Although the Sylva’s title-pages call for “121 fine plates,” there are actually 131 here. The three volumes are illustrated with an abundance of lithographic plates of delicately rendered images of leaves, branches, and fruits, done by the famed Pierre Joseph Redouté, Bessa, G. West, J.T. French, J.B. Butler, E.D. Long, and others, with highly skilled hand-coloring supervised by T.R. Jones. Tragically, the original lithographic stones that were prepared to accompany the text by Sinclair of Philadelphia were lost to a devastating fire. After that 1856 fire, editions of Nuttall bear illustrations different from those found here and in the other pre-fire editions.

As per their title-pages, these exquisite volumes were a three-volume supplement to Andrew Michaux’s work on the same topic and were issued with the three volumes of his work. But they also stand alone on their own for they contain the sylva “not described in the work of F. Andrw Michaux.” For example, they contain “all the forest trees discovered in the Rocky Mountains, the territory of Oregon, down to the shores of the Pacific, and into the confines of California, as well as in various parts of the United States.”

All three volumes are written in the first person and offer, beyond their botanical data, engaging vignettes and vistas of myriad American localities; further, by way of both professional and personal notes of thanks for specimens and observations, they document a grand network of corresponding scientists active in exploring and mapping the continent. We hear of a giant buttonwood measured “twenty years ago” by General Washington, and are told that fine chestnut furniture may be found at “Mr. Crout's cabinet warehouse in Sixth Street,” in Philadelphia . . .

Bindings: Publisher's deep green striped ribbed cloth; predominantly seen in the 1840s, never common, andparticularly unusual for volumes of this size. Front covers each with gilt-stamped morning glory vignette surrounded by a simple blind-stamped border and back covers with same entirely in blind. Spines each with gilt-stamped title, author, and volume number.

•  Sabin 56351; Reese, Stamped with a National Character, 21 (for 1850–51 ed.); Allibone 1445. On striped bindings, see: Krupp, Making a Case for Cloth, p. [11].   Bindings as above, corners with minor rubbing, vol. II with spine head pulled. The plates are slightly age-toned but otherwise in beautiful condition, save for one plate in vol. I with a small area of paper adhesion. Vol. II with intermittent mild foxing. A striking set of this classic of science, art, and American place-lore. (25305)

Provenance:  Manuscript ownership inscription of John Ray dated 1716 (on retained fly-leaf); ownership signature of Robert L. Wilson, New York, 1818 (on title-page); gilt supra-libros of Barzillai Slosson, dated 1829. Later in the Howell Bible Collection, Pacific School of Religion (properly released).

Binding:  American binding of dark blue goat, richly gilt, with wide floral border on covers and spine distinctively gilt using rules and floral roll. Board edges with a gilt roll; turn-ins gilt tooled. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. Gilt supra-libros of Barzillai Slosson as above. Unsigned.

Barzillai Slosson may have been related to the lawyer of the same name who was active in Kent, CT, at the end of the 18th century and into the fourth decade of the 19th, whose account books are in the Yale Law Library; perhaps, the Barzillai who graduated from Columbia College in 1818 and later moved to Geneva, NY, where he was active and successful in business and civic affairs.

•  Wing (rev. ed.) B2719. Darlow & Moule; 4702; ESTC R236848; Sowerby, Catalogue of the library of Thomas Jefferson, 1473.   Binding as above, lightly rubbed. Pages closely cropped in the 19th-century rebinding and some initial or final letters touched or lost. Very good.  (34786)

The work was limited to 100 copies, all printed on Japan vellum. It has an engraved vignette on the black and red printed title, small illustrations or vignettes on 50 text pages, 11 vignette borders or headpieces (three of them in color, 10 of them in anextra state), and 10 tipped-in color plates. The illustrations are by Henri Gervex, J.A. Gonzalès, L. Kratké, Albert Lynch, Adrien Moreau, and Félicien Rops.

Binding:  Full red crushed morocco with five raised bands. Covers with a triple-rule gilt border; spine gilt extra with gilt beading on bands. Triple gilt fillet on board edges. Wide turn-ins richly tooled in gilt and with cream and blue leather inlays that are also gilt-tooled. Blue silk pastedowns and free endpapers. Marbled paper fly-leaves. All edges gilt. Binding signed “David.”

Provenance:  Red leather bookplate of Cortlandt Field Bishop, the famed collector of the early 20th century and, at one time, owner of the TWO most important auction galleries in NY/USA.

Original full-color wrappers bound in.

•  Vicaire, VII, 924.   Uncut copy. Bound as above with original wrappers bound in; joints abraded and front one tender. A luxurious production and very pleasing provenance.   (26675)

Binding:  17th-century vellum, covers framed in a delicate and complicated gilt rolls with gilt-tooled corner fleurons surrounding a large gilt-tooled lozenge-shaped medallion; spine with gilt rolls creating four compartments, devices in three of these and information identifying the volume (now faded) in the fourth. Stations for attachment of ties clearly defined; gilt supra-libros and date as below.

Provenance:  Front cover gilt-stamped “M.B.V.K. 1641.” Front pastedown with small bookplate of 20th-century collector Harry C. Goebel (his vine design).

•  Brunet, II, 1765.   Bound as above, some rubbing and thinning of vellum; spine title mostly effaced and closures now lacking. Bookplate as above, front pastedown also with early inked inscription; front free endpaper with remnant of paper slip once adhered, back pastedown with affixed printed slip regarding content. Front endpapers and fly-leaf (only) with small instances of worming; rear endpapers with faint corner waterstainings not reaching text; general age-toning and scattered mild foxing. A solid, aesthetically pleasing copy with intriguing provenance.  (41560)

Uncommon outside of Great Britain.

•  ESTC T113913; Brunet, I, 26; Lowndes, I, 5. Contemporary treed calf, spines gilt extra, with gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels; leather worn at edges and moderately rubbed with joints cracking. Front pastedowns with private bookplates and signs that a plate was removed on front free endpaper (one vol. endpaper holed); impressions of old pencilled shelf numbers on title-pages (and one lightly inked old date). First two leaves of vol. III with upper margins stained and final leaf browned; some pages with a few spots of faint foxing, most clean and crisp.  (13107)

Evidence of Readership: An early reader has underlined and added some marks of emphasis and words in an early hand to seven leaves of text, all excerpts taken from the Gospel of John.

Provenance:  Two ownership and one duplicate release rubber-stamps appear on the title-page verso, the first from the Universitätsbibliothek München dated between 1800 and 1826; most recently in the library of American collector Albert A. Howard, small booklabel (“AHA”) at rear.

•  VD16 E 4570. Not in Adams; not in Index Aurel.   Bound as above, rubbed and cracked with losses of leather and board extremities; bands and sewing tabs visible. No pastedowns; front free endpaper creased, front fly-leaf with pencilled note. Light age-toning with marginal and gutter waterstaining of varying darkness throughout; a few chipped edges, creased corners, or uneven edges; one short marginal tear. Provenance and readership indicia as above, else clean. Well used and in fact the more interesting for that.  (38914)

Provenance: Front fly-leaf with inked inscription of J.[F.?] Mackarness, dated 1839.

•  Dibdin, I, 266–67 (for first ed.); NSTC A1179; Schweiger, I, 26.   Binding as above, joints and extremities with variable rubbing. Pages gently age-toned with occasional offsetting from engravings or faint spotting, otherwise clean. A desirable copy of this extremely attractive production.  (40741)

Provenance:  From the library of American collector Albert A. Howard, small booklabel (“AHA”) at rear.

•  Kelly, Checklist of Books Published by William Pickering, 1851.10; Keynes, William Pickering (rev. ed.), p. 75; NSTC 2A11311.   Binding as above, recased, spine slightly darkened with mild cracking to leather, light wear to extremities, small scuffs to back cover, hinges expertly refurbished. Previous cataloguing slip laid in. Pages clean and crisp. A lovely copy of the infrequently seen first edition. (40597)

The Summa, completed shortly before his death, is divided into four parts: the first is concerned with the soul and its faculties, passions, sin, and law; the second addresses different types of sin and redress; the third considers various states and professions in life, with treatises on ecclesiastical offices and censures; and the fourth contemplates the cardinal virtues, religious morals, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Although the text draws heavily on earlier theological works by St. Thomas Aquinas, among others, it is regarded as“a new and very considerable development in moral theology” (NCE online), and it containsa wealth of matter for the student of 15th-century history.

Printed in Gothic type, double-column format, with most capitals supplied in red or blue manuscript in plain style, the text here has red markings to aid in reading and navigation. Topics addressed in these volumes include sin, penance, canon law, will, original sin, privilege, lying, pride, avarice, anger, and infidelity, among several others.

Goff and ISTC find only one complete set of all volumes in American libraries — at the Countway in Boston. All other U.S. libraries, save the Newberry, report owning one or two of the volumes. The Newberry has volumes I–IV.

Provenance:  Old illegible European library stamp in lower margin of first leaf of vol. I; in 20th and early 21st century in the library of the Pacific School of Religion (properly deaccessioned).

•  ISTC ia00878000; Goff A878; BMC, I, 109; GKW 2192.   Contemporary calf over bevelled wood boards, recently rebacked and new endpapers supplied; lacks a blank and a title leaf. Leather of boards elaborately and richly tooled in blind using rolls, rules, and individual stamps of a rose, a fleur de lis, and a saint; small area of leather on front board missing and substitute leather inserted. Evidence of bass and leather clasps, remnants of vellum guide tabs. Text and boards of binding wormed, mostly with many pinhole wormholes, and text with some meandering; no great losses. Some small tears in a few margins and one lower margin with an old repair; stamp as above; browning to many margins. A good, solid volume, one with some condition issues but at the same time a good example of these productions and the era's printing.  (33734)

On the verso of the last leaf are the signatures of “custodians” of the archconfraternity in Rome below which are two paper and wax seals (one lacking the paper) with the seals' owners' names below, attesting to the completion of the application process and the grant ing of the petition.

Binding:  Contemporary crimson morocco, covers lavishly gilt-tooled. The center panel is richly filled with floral motifs and small stars surrounding a center emblem of the hands of St. Francis within a circular border of flames. Surrounding the center panel are four outer frames created by variety of large and small rolls. Marbled paper pastedowns in an unusual “patchwork” style.

•  Binding as above, manuscript recased, without the original ties. Some text rubbed and illegible, clean cracks in fourth leaf, crudely repaired hole in last leaf causing text loss. Curious green tarnishing of the gold. A most attractive binding, a beautifully painted manuscript, an interesting artifact of Catholic social history, anda great tool for teaching about conservation concerns.  (39295)

A gift inscription tipped to the front fly-leaf reads, “From the Wardroom Officers of the Joint A/S [i.e., Anti-Submarine] School & Barracks, Londonderry — with their congratulations and best wishes for a long & happy married life,” signed E. Hart Dyke, Commander, and dated 31 August 1946.

Binding:  Full olive green textured calf, spine gilt extra, boards with simple gilt double-rule borders and zig-zag gilt decoration along their edges; gilt floral roll to generous turn-ins and marbled paper pastedowns. All edges gilt. A tiny stamp on a front endpaper indicates this copy was bound by Bayntun-Riviere of Bath, England.

•  Bound as above, mild rubbing to rear board only and light soiling along edge of tipped-in inscription (perhaps from the glue). Binding and interior very clean. A lovely copy with a pleasing provenance.  (37324)

The Grandeza was Balbuena's first published work, appearing from the Ocharte press in Mexico in 1604. A descriptive epic poem about Mexico City at the close of the 16th century, paying homage to its external material aspects and to its spiritual, political, and social ones as well, it is a major work of Novohispanic literature. The Siglo de Oro was the author's second published work; it first appeared in Madrid in 1608 and is composed of a series of 12 eclogues.

Binding:  Contemporary acid-stained sheep (Valencia style) in hues of green and brown, covers with a gilt roll border and a center device of the Spanish royal coat of arms, spine gilt extra.

•  Palau 22339; Simón Díaz 2286; Maggs, Spanish Books, 71a. On Balbuena, see: Archivo biográfico de España, Portugal e Iberoamérica, fiche 90, frames 7–16.   Bound as above, joints and extremities mildly rubbed. Title-page with spots of pinhole worming, front fly-leaf with one such. Pages clean, portrait handsome.  (38393)

Provenance:  Front pastedown with bookplate of eminent philanthropist and bibliophile Henry Benjamin Hanbury Beaufoy (1786–1851); front fly-leaf with monogram of Edwin Wolf II, and his bibliographic notes.

•  Brunet, I, 652; Copinger 211; Willems 452.   Binding as above, rebacked some time ago with calf a little less red in hue, spine gilt extra; joints and extremities rubbed, board edges darkened. Bookplate as above; front free endpaper and fly-leaf with later pencilled annotations, fly-leaf also with inked monogram. Light waterstaining to upper outer corners of first three signatures, page edges slightly darkened throughout, foxing in upper portion of engraved title-page; all these things less striking in hand than in description. A binding of distinction, as well as a copy with excellent provenance. (41622)

Sadleir's analysis suggested to him the following probable sequence:  a) the private edition, b) copies of the public edition with p. 236 in the same form as it appears in the private edition, c) copies of the public edition with p. 236 blank; and d) copies of the public edition with the complete new version of the text on p. 236.

However, the remnants of the binding preserved at the back of the present first volume — see note below andimage above — are red moiré silk (as opposed to the brown cloth of the public edition), with the side panels and spine ornately blocked with a gilt design and the title within the gilt frame (the spine is rather worn, but legible). This suggests that only some of the twelve private copies were bound in leather, and others, or at least one, bound in this special silk cloth, gilt extra.

Barham began writing the short pieces making up this series as contributions to his friend and classmate's Bentley's Miscellany. The subject matter was “at first derived from the legendary lore of the author's ancestral locality in Kent, but soon [was] enriched by satires on the topics of the day and subjects of pure invention, or borrowed from history or the ‘Acta Sanctorum’. . . . The success of the ‘Legends’ was pronounced from the first, and when published collectively in 1840 they at once took the high place in humorous literature which they have ever since retained” (DNB).

Provenance: With R.H.D. Barham’s signature as noted above, and with the armorial bookplate of Sir David Lionel Salomons (1851–1925) in each volume.

•  NCBEL, III, 365; Sadleir 156a; Tinker 216 (public edition); Carter, Binding Variants, p.92. Bindings a bit darkened and slightly discolored at extremities, light rubbing to joints, some foxing to the prelims of the first volume, with an old tide-mark in the lower gutter areas of the plates; a tipped-in bookseller's description in the first volume. A very good, very interesting example of a very rare thing.  (18236)

Bindings: Contemporary signed bindings by E.P. Dutton & Co., of red morocco with covers framed in gilt triple fillets; spines with raised bands, gilt-stamped titles, and compartments framed in gilt double fillets. Board edges gilt-ruled, gilt inner dentelles. Upper page edges gilt. Original cloth covers and spines bound in at the back.

•  Sadleir 156b, e, & f; NCBEL, III, 365. Bindings as above, spines and upper board edges darkened with a bit of rubbing; free endpapers with offsetting from turn-ins. One volume with lower part of cover stained and the lower inner margin of the title-page and plates (not the text leaves!) waterstained. One plate evenly age-toned.  (12844)

Binding: This copy is bound in ornately blind-tooled and -stamped alum-tawed sheep over wooden boards, the front cover with three of its original etched corner bosses and with its two etched clasp-catches. (Bosses of back cover no longer present, remnants of clasps.) A martial portrait is centered on each cover; unfortunately these are now so worn that they are no longer identifiable. Perhaps they belong to the electors of Saxony who safeguarded the Lutheran faith in its infancy.

•  Binding as above. Covers abraded and worn, some scraping to back upper board, leather peeling back from fore-edge of front cover and opening at ends of joints, most notably at bottom of front one. Front free endpaper with inked inscription, in German, dated Philadelphia, 1852. Frontispiece with a fore-edge chip (not into image) and tears in from bottom margin and at gutter, with small loss to plate area at bottom inner corner. A number of pages with tears extending into text, a few places with chips to bottom outer corners with loss of words but not of sense. Scattered foxing, with occasional darker small stains. Last leaf (of Confession, NOT Bible), only, lacking. Despite faults, a grand volume both usable and inspiring. (2802)

•  Adomeit, Thumb Bibles, B16 (see also p. xvi); ESTC N64949; Opie L 25.   Binding as above, slightly (expectably) sprung, spine gilt showing one crack. Dates inked in an early hand as above; frontispiece for New Testament affixed to final page of Old Testament. Pages and plates very clean.  A remarkable copy of a desirable item.  (41004)

Provenance:  Bookplates of Casimir L. Stralem, Clarence E. Clark, and Brian Douglas Stilwell.

WorldCat locates only six U.S. libraries reporting ownership ofall eight volumes as present here (NYPL, Cornell, Seton Hall, Holy Cross College, New York Historical Society, UC-Berkeley Law) and two libraries reporting ownership of incomplete sets (Harvard Divinity [vols. 1, 2 only], University of Dayton [vol. 3 only]).

•  Darlow & Moule, III, 6263; Jammes, Les Didot, 25.   Bound as above, some joints (outside) showing cracking but all intact. All volumes housed in light marbled-paper open-back cases, some with tape repairs. Very good. (40318)

Binding: Contemporary red straight-grain morocco, covers framed in gilt rolls, spine gilt extra, front cover gilt-stamped “John Bradley.” All edges marbled.

•  Shoemaker 31685. Binding as above, sides darkened, corners and spine rubbed, joints cracked with sewing holding but quite fragile. Fly-leaves with early pencilled ownership inscriptions and annotations. Light to moderate foxing. Separate title-page for second section (only) lacking.  (20597)

Binding:  Contemporary embossed rich cordovan-colored morocco cathedral binding featuring inter alii the Holy Ghost (in Pentacostal dove–form), the Agnus Dei, and stained/leaded glass “windows” both pointed and rosette. Spine additionally with gilt-stamped title; turn-ins with blind-roll design. All edges brightly gilt.

•  Not in Herbert.   Binding as above, in beautiful condition. First front fly-leaf with early inked familial gift inscription (including an explanation of one brother's having opted out of the group present!); second front fly-leaf with inked dedicatory poem.  (22266)

Binding: Straight-grained red morocco amply gilt in the Regency style: Front corners with a wide gilt-stamped foliate frame enclosing a narrow blind-ruled frame. Spine with raised bands, a broad foliate gilt roll on each band, second and fourth compartments gilt-lettered within, rest with gilt frames. Gilt inner dentelles and board edges. Red and white silk head bands. Marbled endpapers in a stone pattern. All edges gilt.

Provenance: Presentation inscription on front fly-leaves: Preston(?) S. and Francis M. Lincoln, to their grandmother, Hannah Shepard, 1835. Small booklabel of Michael Zinman on front pastedown.

•  Hills 733; O’Callaghan 208. Binding as above, edges and joints with minor rubbing, front joint of vol. II opening from foot, bindings showing a few light or small abrasions. Lacking frontispiece for vol. I and possibly a frontispiece for vol. II: O’Callaghan gives this edition as having a frontispiece for each volume, while Hills cites two copies, one this size with a frontispiece for vol. I only, and a large paper copy with a frontispiece for each volume. A few closed tears into text without loss; some pages, especially towards the end of vol. I, shallowly chipped without loss of impression; light foxing throughout with occasional darker browning or staining. Inked ownership inscription on the recto of the first fly-leaf of each volume.  (8254)

Binding:  This copy is exquisitely bound in full black leather in good imitation of morocco, elaborately stamped in gold on the covers forming a five-element frame or border, with gilt tooling on the board edges and with gilt inner dentelles. The spine has slightly raised bands and elaborate gold stamping in its compartments. This is the second copy of this Bible that we have had and we are convinced that this is a publisher's deluxe leather binding.  A choice of colors was apparently available, for the other copy we had was of an olive-green color.

Provenance:  The name “Sarah B. Leverett” is lettered in gilt on the front cover, and the same name is given in precise gothic calligraphy on the front free endpaper.

•  Not in O'Callaghan; not in Darlow & Moule.   Bound as above, corners a little bumped with a bit of long ago refurbishing thereto, dulling outermost elements of gilt border (only) on front cover, just at those corners. Evidence to endpapers of the volume's once having been sewn into a chemise or wrapper; old notes just discernible (not really readable) in a minute hand on front free endpaper (i.e., “behind” Sarah's name); see our image. Faint waterstaining in lower inside area for the first few pages (only). The whole very attractive and well preserved.  (2666)

Provenance:  Tipped-in leaf with inked inscription: “Hannah M. Williams / Presented by directive from her grandmother Williams when on her death bed with this injunction to be read with careful attention”; in pencil below is “A precious legacy.” Williams (or a contemporary) apparently took the directive seriously; there are several instances of pencilled bracketing, marks of emphasis, and marginalia in the “precious legacy” hand.

Binding:  Contemporary diced-grain red sheep, covers framed in gilt roll surrounding gilt-stamped acanthus and acorn design, spine with gilt-stamped title (“Polyglott Testament”) and decorative motifs, board edges with gilt roll. All edges gilt.

•  See Hills, English Bible in America, 768 for 1831 ed.; 1841 not listed.   Bound as above, rubbed at joints and extremities with front hinge (inside) cracked yet sound. Front pastedown and free endpaper with pencilled inscriptions dated 1853; inscription leaf as above; one front fly-leaf with pencilled annotations (and with hole in lower center). Additional annotations as above; one plate with “My Saviour” pencilled in lower margin. Intermittent mild foxing and a bit of other staining; a few corners bumped. Worn, yes — still luminous in its own way, and an interesting example of two early 19th-century women's engagement with the Bible.  (35204)

Binding: Signed reddish-brown morocco binding by Root & Son, with covers and spine gilt extra; extremely wide and handsome turn-ins elaborately gilt tooled — these last are illustrated in our last image here.

•  Not in Darlow & Moule. Leather with light restoration; front pastedown with traces of a now-absent bookplate. Small area of front joint (outside) expertly resealed/repaired; the weight of this substantial volume dictates storage on the volume's back, not its lower edge. A lavishly produced Victorian New Testament, in an impressive binding.  (13347)

Provenance:  From the residue of the stock of the F. Thomas Heller bookselling firm (est. ca. 1928).

Searches of NUC and WorldCat find no U.S. library reporting ownership and precious few in Europe.

•  Bindings as above, joints and edges rubbed, gilt dimmed or darkened in spots. Occasional light to mild foxing, pages otherwise clean. An attractive and interesting production. (39910)