History of Ideas & Science

The first publication of Kepler’s third law, first edition of the Harmonices

First edition, first issue, of Kepler’s Harmonices, one of his most important and influential works, containing his third law of planetary motion, it “represents Kepler's attempt to discover God's archetypal model of the universe in the simple mathematical ratios embodied in the five regular polyhedrons, in the laws of musical harmony (based upon the seven ratios recently accepted as the basis of the 'just' scale), in his own theory of astrological aspects, and in the planetary system he had proposed in the Mysterium cosmographicum” (Norman).

Magnets, hydraulics, alcohol, perpetual motion machines: a beautiful, unrecorded 14th century scientific manuscript

A truly outstanding late medieval manuscript comprising six self-contained works on chemistry, medicine, mechanics, engineering, and applied physics, including "one of the most impressive scientific treatises of the Middle Ages" (DSB X, 537): Peregrinus's "Tractatus de magnete", "the first extant treatise on the properties and applications of magnets" (532), which is "considered the earliest known European work of experimental science, and the foundation of the study of electricity and magnetism" (Norman).

Unrecorded celestial atlas, made by a Jesuit missionary in China.

An unrecorded manuscript celestial atlas from the Sui dynasty, edited with an extensive commentary by the early 18th century Jesuit astronomer Antoine Gaubil, hailed by Joseph Needham as the “the interpreter general and father superior of Chinese astronomy”, of which this manuscript gives impressive evidence. The manuscript contains an unpublished translation of the “Bu Tian Ge” (a.k.a. “Songs of pacing the heavens” or “The song of the marches of the heavens”), a Sui dynasty (581-618 CE) star catalogue in verse by the Taoist hermit Dan Yuanzi, also known as Wang Ximing. Beyond the text of the star catalogue, Gaubil provides his ink- drawn copies of 31-star charts, including a fold-out celestial map of the north polar region. Gaubil provides an extensive commentary on the text, and a tabular catalogue of Chinese stars that allows us to determine the corresponding European stars based on their distance from the North Pole.

14th century English manuscript of the Polychronicon, the only copy of the text recorded in private hands, with a remarkable chain of provenance

Exceptional English medieval manuscript of Higden’s Polychronicon, one of the most popular English medieval works, comprising a topography of the world and a history from Creation to his own era, this is the only copy recorded in private ownership, which comes to us with a long chain of provenance. This copy records until the year 1352 and is apparently unique in having a diagram of the heavens.

The first English grammar of 'low' Tamil

First English edition of Beschi's grammar of colloquial (or "low") Tamil, first published in Latin by the Danish Missionary Press in 1738. This English translation by the German soldier and educator Christoph Horst (1761-1810) formed the subsequent basis for all following English-language attempts at a Tamil grammar.

Brahe´s most important astronomical work

First trade edition, which is virtually impossible to find, of Tycho Brahe´s most important astronomical work, which provides a description of his astronomical instruments at Hven; the work was first printed in 1598 at his own press at Heinrich Rantz's castle in Wandbeck in a run of 40 copies which were distributed privately, which are virtually impossible to find today.

The introduction of English in Colombo (Sri Lanka) in the 19th century, educating children in Colombo, including a vocabulary of the Cingalese

A collection of three early imprints from the Colombo mission press: a Sinhalese-English dictionary for schools by the missionary John Callaway, together with New Testament extracts in Sinhalese, and the Vocabulary in Cingalese, also by Callaway, all in a contemporary local calf binding. Callaway was appointed Superintendent of the Wesleyan Mission Press in 1818, so he would have been involved in the production of these books, not just as the author. All first editions except for the Vocabulary, which is a second edition.

The first English grammar of Sinhala

First edition, Chater's book is the first English grammar of Sinhala, the major language of Sri Lanka, and the first major book to be published in Sri Lanka under British rule; very rare, no copy appears to exist in any institutions in the United States.

Indigenous languages of Taiwan, from the Macclesfield Library

Very rare first, and only early, edition of one of the earliest, best and most extensive sources for the East Formosan Siraya language, a member of the Austronesian family native to Taiwan, now largely extinct. It appears here in the form of a bilingual, Siraya and Dutch, catechism, with the Siraya transcribed in the Latin alphabet. A distinguished copy, from the library of the Earls of Macclesfield.

Illustrated Late Ming Woodblock Edition of the "School Sayings of Confucius"

The second known copy: a rare and handsomely illustrated late-Ming woodblock printing of the "School Sayings of Confucius", a collection of conversations that the philosopher supposedly had during his lifetime. At least partly apocryphal, they cover such topics as Confucius's life and character, his discussions on governance, ritual, and ethics, as well as his views on his disciples. The twelve illustrations, apparently inspired by earlier illustrated editions, represent events in the philosopher's life, which swing between myth and reality. There are few Ming printings of the work, but almost none are known in western collections, and the only other copy of this edition is held by the National Archives of Japan.

Printed in Macao, a guide to writing Chinese characters in three styles, printed with the aid of Macao locals with little resources

The extremely rare first edition in folio of “the most important of Callery’s sinological works. The author states in the foreword how he set up his own printing office for this work, bought a small set of used types and, with the help of 6 natives, all inexperienced in Western languages, and with restricted funds and availability of materials, succeeded in producing this guide to writing Chinese characters in three styles, together with a trilingual dictionary (Chinese-French-Latin), and a collection of sentences in colloquial Chinese” (Löwendahl).

The King of Oudh’s Dictionary from his Royal Lucknow Press in a contemporary Indian binding and presented by a high-ranking British colonial official to the Signet Library
“Philology is the ruling principle and basis of all science as water is of life.”

First edition, an exceptional copy of this remarkable printing from Lucknow, housed in its contemporary binding and presented by George Swinton, Chief Secretary to the Government of Bengal, to the Signet Library.

First edition of Bergaño’s famously rare Vocabulary of the Pampanga language

First edition, extremely rare and important Pampanga-Spanish and Spanish Pampanga dictionary compiled by Diego Bergaño (1690-1747), Augustinian Provincial for the Philippines and Prior of the Convent at Bacolor. The Vocabulary is a companion to the more widely known Arte, however far rarer, presumably as it was meant for more practical use by missionaries, also because the Arte underwent two editions, whilst the Vocabulary only one.