Early Printing & Illustration

The 1568 Munich Ducal Wedding Fête Book, a fine copy in exceptional contemporary color

First edition and a superb copy fully coloured by a contemporary hand, of this remarkable Bavarian Fête book, considered to be one of the rarest, most significant and most lavish produced in 16th century Europe, the copy of the Court Library at Donaueschingen. It is illustrated with delicate copperplate engravings of festival scenes at the Court of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria, (1548-1626) staged for his marriage to Renée, Duchess of Lorraine (1544-1602).

A work at the forefront of Renaissance ethnography, with woodcuts by Burgkmair

A pioneering work of Renaissance ethnography, in its rarer revised and augmented form, including the "Aggiunta" and additional woodcuts by the great German printmaker Hans Burgkmair that depict fantastical and legendary creatures believed to inhabit the far reaches of the world, as well as indigenous peoples of foreign lands in Africa, Arabia, etc. Arabia is pictured on both the Asia and the Africa map. An excellent copy of a pioneering work at the forefront of Renaissance ethnography and woodcut art.

The most important work about Spanish guitar of the 17th century and one of the best records we have in baroque guitar

First complete edition, of the “most comprehensive guitar treatise of its time” (TNG, xvi, 486), and the second book on guitar published in Spain, following a short treatise by Amat; to-date, an important record of what we know of classical guitar repertory and techniques. The first and second parts were published independently on 1674 and 1675; this is the first appearance of the third part and as a complete work.

Rare first edition of a magnificent series of armed riders in action, commissioned by Prince Maurice of Orange

Very rare first edition of this magnificent series of cavalrymen and lansquentes in various positions, bound for Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (1598-1612) with his coat-of-arms on the boards.

Jean-Baptiste Colbert's Breydenbach: the first printed travel report of the Middle East, including the first Arabic alphabet in print

Editio princeps of the first modern account of a journey from Venice to the Holy Land: Jean-Baptiste Colbert's copy, preserved in its elegant, 17th century marbled vellum binding, and later in the library of the Earls of Macclesfield.

One of the most important works ever published in Manila

First edition. A true testimony to the excellence of the Manila printing industry, titles in red and black, woodcut floral borders, text in double columns, engraved vignettes, and the famous plate of the 23 Gloriosos Martyrios, printed in Manila. The plate shows the martyrdom of San Pedro Bautista along with his 22 other companions in Japan (1597).

Graphically outstanding Württemberg Festbuch: author's copy

Graphically outstanding and highly rare Festbuch, a superb example of early Baroque festival books: the monumental pictorial record of the Württemberg court celebrations for the baptism of Prince Ulrich, son of Duke John Frederick of Württemberg (1582-1628), and the wedding festivities for his brother Louis Frederick with Magdalena Elizabeth of Hesse. The double occasion, celebrated in Stuttgart over five days in July 1617, was elaborately staged with a ceremonial pageant, tournament, and splendid allegorical display. Guests of honour include Princess Elizabeth of England and her husband Friedrich, Elector of the Palatine. This was the last Württemberg court festival before the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War.

One of the outstanding woodcut books devoted to Kabuki actors

An outstanding and extremely rare actor book: Asakusa Ichibito's "Yakusha awase kagami", illustrated by Utagawa Toyokuni, is one of the finest surviving colour-printed kabuki books of the early nineteenth century. This complete copy is particularly remarkable for its freshness of impression and colour.