Rare books from Argosy Book Store

1845. hardcover. 33 pages, 8vo, original suede and calf (spine worn, covers rubbed, two pages soiled with some loss of text, a few blank pages lacking at the end, inner hinges strengthened). Pages are dated from 1845 through 1861.<br/><br/> Account book used by this unit to keep track of purchases and balances of the unit's funds. Each purchased item is listed and the total cost. Many purchased in multiple quantity also have listed the cost per item. From 1846 to 1848, B Company served in the Mexican War including time in Mexico City and Northern Mexico. After the war, the unit was stationed at various Great Plains forts including Fort Snelling in Minnesota. From 1854 to 1858, the unit was stationed at Fort Laramie. There they protected pioneers on the Oregon Trail from Indian attacks. In 1858 the unit was stationed in Salt Lake City for several months. That same year they went to Benicia Barracks in California. Company B remained in California, at various forts, through… Read More

Basilae: Sebastianum Henricpetri, 1611. hardcover. very good. Illustrated with a medallion portrait and numerous woodcut diagrams in the text; printer's device on title and verso of final leaf; initials throughout. [80], 1148, [4] pages. Very thick 8vo, old vellum (well-rubbed but sound; spine darkened; 3 blank preliminary pages are replete with contemporary ink notations in Latin, otherwise internally clean). Basilae: Per Sebastianum Henricpetri, 1611. A very nice copy of this uncommon scientific work, with small ownership signature of art historian Meyer Schapiro.<br/><br/> According to professor Schapiro's note, Book IV contains information on painting and colors; Book XVII is on the arts. "Apologia" at end of volume is an answer to Jules-Cesar Scaliger's Exoterimus de subtilitate ad Hieronymum Cardanum, Lutetiae, apud Mich. Vascosan, 1557.<br/><br/>

Venice: Vincenzo Valgrisi, 1561. hardcover. very good. Venice: Vincenzo Valgrisi, 1561. 3 parts in 1 volume: "La Geografia" by Ptolemy, Ruscelli's "Espositioni et Introduttioni Universali" and "Discorso Universale di M. Gioseppe Moleto mathematico". Short, thick 4to bound in full contemporary vellum with red speckled edges, modern description pasted on spine. Features 64 double page maps: 27 Ptolemaic maps (showing the ancient world as Ptolemy knew it, including one world map), 37 "modern" maps (with two world maps) and several woodcut diagrams, illustrations and decorative initials. First Italian edition. Binding well-worn at edges. Small wormholes in a few pages of text. Library stamp, manuscript notes, and seal in red ink on title page. Marginal dampstains and occasional foxing, with small pencil and contemporary ink notations in margins and on some maps. In general maps are clean and bright. Bookplate of Otto Orren Fisher and ink inscription dated… Read More

framed. very good(+). Landscape painting. Oil on canvas. Unframed measures 52" x 36", frame measures 55" x 39".<br/> <br/> Beautiful landscape of trees on a cliff in Northern Minnesota, circa 1890. Thomas Mower Martin (1838-1934) was an English-born Canadian painter known for his inspiring depictions of the wild and dramatic landscapes of the North. Called the "Father of Canadian Art", Martin traveled widely throughout Canada by selling rights to his pieces to the Canadian Pacific Railroad. His paintings are now in collections across Canada, New York and England.<br/> <br/>

London: Faber & Faber, 1939. Limited. hardcover. very good(+). Tall 8vo, original brick red cloth, top edge gilt, other edges uncut. London: Faber & Faber, 1939. Limited First Edition.<br/> <br/> Number 356 of only 425 numbered copies signed by Joyce. There is some residue from tape on the front & back fly-leaves, otherwise a nearly fine copy, in the original yellow cloth box which has very slight wear on the front edges.<br/> <br/>

New York, 1792. unbound. The New York Presidential Electors Endorse the Ratification of "The Presidential Succession Act of 1792," the first comprehensive law establishing a line of succession to the Presidency of the United States, written in part due to George Washington's health crisis the previous year. Many historians refer to this amendment as the most important document guaranteeing the uninterrupted service of American Government. Outstanding and historically important original draft autographed document signed with five words corrected, comprising Sections: 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 of the original amendment, endorsed by all eleven Presidential Electors from New York State, including signer William Floyd. Legal format with run-on sentences, 4to, 2 pages, 1792, New York. In part: " . . . Whereas it is provided by an act of the United States entitled "An act relative to the Election of the President and Vice President of the United States and declaring the officer who shall act… Read More

London: Richard Tottell, 1569. First. hardcover. near fine. [xxxii], 444 [i.e. 442] leaves. Some engraved decorative initials throughout the text; pages quite clean. Thick 4to, contemporary brown calf with decorative crest on covers, neatly re-cased and re-cornered in similar leather. London: Richardum Totellum, 1569. First edition. "The first printed edition of the entire work was published by Richard Tottell in 1569, with a preface by one T.N. (whose identity has never been determined), in which credit is taken for a careful recension of the text"--DNB. Errors in foliation: leaf 362 is misnumbered 360; 439 is misnumbered 437; 173 and 174 are omitted in the numbering. Occasional staining in the gutter margins, but otherwise a remarkably clean, tight and full-margined copy. Near fine.<br/><br/> [The Laws and Customs of England] is the first modern treatise on English law. A systematic work, divided into five well-indexed books, it emphasizes the separation of procedural and… Read More

New York: Lockwood, 1870. hardcover. very good(+). 3 volumes. Illustrated with 155 glorious hand-colored lithographic plates, protected by tissue guards. xvi, 383, [1 blank]; [iv], 334; vi, 348 pages. Royal 8vo, bound in original full brown morocco with ornate blind-stamped decorative covers and spines; marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. (Beautiful bindings are slightly rubbed; virtually spotless interiors). New York: George R. Lockwood, (no date, circa 1870). Fourth octavo edition.<br/><br/> The folio edition containing 150 plates was published between 1845-48. A supplementary volume with only 6 plates came in 1854. These were hastily followed by the octavo in 31 parts (1849-51-54), "A miniature copy of the large edition" as the Audubons described it. The bound octavo edition has the same dates and contains 155 plates, being all those from the original folio, plus 5 of the 6 from the supplement. This edition, circa 1870, is published by Lockwood who took possession of the… Read More

Venice: Luce Antony de Giunta, 1517. hardcover. very good. Illustrated with a fine woodcut headpiece showing St. Thomas teaching; many decorative initials and in-text diagrams throughout, and printer's device at end. [6] 147 leaves with black letter Latin text printed in double columns. Folio, later vellum-backed boards. Venitijs, Impensis domini Luce Antonij de Giunta Florentini, 1517. A tear in the title page has been carefully mended, still a very good tight copy with some contemporary ink marginalia.<br/><br/> Scarce. OCLC lists only 5 copies, including those at Cambridge, NYU and University of Pennsylvania. An early edition of Saint Thomas Aquinas' [1225-1274] "great commentary on Aristotle's physics - the most important scholastic commentary on this seminal text of ancient science. Aquinas the philosopher is forever entwined with Aristotle, as the former came onto the scene just as the Aristotelian corpus arrived in Latin translation, and questions of the relation… Read More

London: T. Bowles, 1731. framed. Map. Copper plate engraving with original hand outline color. Image measures 40.75 x 24.75 inches. Floating in original frame with conservation glazing.<br/> <br/> Beautiful early map of North America. The 'Beaver Map' as it is affectionately known was first published in 1715 to document the colonial boundary disputes in North America between Britain and France as outlined in the Treaty of Utrecht. France ceded Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, the Hudson Bay territory, and the island of St. Kitts to Britain. There are 5 insets including at lower left a map of Louisiana and Florida, a large map of South Carolina, and a plan of Charleston, and an early view of Niagara Falls, with a colony of beavers at work. - Third Issue or State C. Some toning along original folds but overall a beautiful map. Of German or Dutch origin, Herman Moll (c. 1654-1732) settled in London in the 1670's where he worked as an engraver for Moses Pitt. By the turn of the century,… Read More

Boston: Page, 1908. First. hardcover. very good. Illustrated by M.A. and W.A.J. Claus. 8vo, pinkish gray cloth, pictorial cover label. Boston: Page, 1908. First Edition.<br/><br/> First issue, dated April, 1908 on the copyright page, with 8 page publisher's catalogue at the rear. Variant binding, most copies being in green or tan cloth. The binding is lightly rubbed & soiled and there is an ownership signature, but this is a solid, internally fine copy of the very rare first issue of Montgomery's first novel.<br/><br/>

Rome. 71 exquisite copper plates. Lacks title page and text. The 71 plates include figured frontispiece, 66 double page etchings, 4 single page design ideas with shells and clocks. Elephant folio. Rebound in half tan calf and marbled boards. (Rome, 1769). Although lacking the text, the plates are clean and bright, the first two plates have light stains in the margin.<br/> <br/> This deluxe book was designed to inspire Europeans with new decorating style for interiors. Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), was best known for his printmaking skills. He was first trained as an architect but it was his love for architecture discipline that propelled his meticulous, yet imaginative etchings of interior design.<br/> <br/>

Philadelphia: Henry, 1825. unbound. very good. Map. Engraving with hand coloring. Measures 44.25 x 59 inches. In very good condition.<br/><br/> Tanner's large scale map of North America is one of the most significant maps of the continent of the 19th century. It combines the information garnered from a host of important expeditions, such as Lewis and Clark, Pike, and James, into a single map that shows the extent of North America in 1825. Some of the most notable portions of the map include the Mississippi and Missouri River Valleys, the Columbia River Basin, the Rocky Mountains, Texas, and the Oregon Territory. Copious informational notes throughout give further insight into the knowledge held of this region at the time of the map's publication. In addition to its cartographic achievement, the map also boasts a magnificent title cartouche that combines the North American landmarks of Niagara Falls and Natural Bridge with wildlife native to different parts of the region, such as… Read More

London: Smithers, 1899. Limited. hardcover. very good. [16], 214 pages. Square 8vo, original lavender cloth with gilt decorations on covers, uncut edges. London: Leonard Smithers 1899. Limited First Edition. Some minor soiling & bubbling on the cover but still a very good(+) internally clean copy of this exceedingly rare book.<br/> <br/> One of Wilde's most frequently produced plays. Number 38 of only 100 large-paper copies, signed by Wilde. Preserved in a 1/4 leather clam-shell case.<br/> <br/>

Paris: Black Sun Press, 1930. Limited. hardcover. near fine. Laurencin. Illustrated with 6 color lithographs by Marie Laurencin printed by Desjobert of Paris. Oblong 4to, 3/4 red morocco binding over patterned boards, gilt spine lettering and decorations, with a small inset of a white rabbit on the side panel, top edge gilt. Paris: Black Sun Press, 1930. Limited Edition.<br/> <br/> Of an edition of 790 copies, this is one of only 20 copies with a duplicate set of plates in sanguine. Five of the extra plates are signed in pencil by Laurencin, who has also signed the colophon page, which states that this is number 19 of the American Edition. Although the binding is unsigned it was likely done by the Bennett Book Studio which did a number of similar ones. Fine, in a leather-tipped slipcase which is missing the top edge.<br/> <br/>