Asher Rare Books

Muslim prayerbook from Quanzhou, glossed in xiaojing script

[MANUSCRIPT - CHINESE MUSLIM PRAYERBOOK]. Al-salaam alaykum. [= Peace be unto you].
Quanzhou, 990 AH [= 1582 CE]. Folio (ca. 20.5 x 30 cm). Arabic manuscript on paper. Black sini script in nine lines with red verse markers, titles in red, glossing in black. With beautifully illuminated full-page 'Unwan with Chinese influence on designs, in gold, blue, red, green, and black. 18th-century cloth and paper wrappers. 46 ll. Full description

€ 35,000

Book of Hours, Missals & Prayerbooks China Early Printing - 16th century Iran / Persia Islam & Qurans Manuscripts & Documents Religion (16th Century)

By order of the Pope: Jesuits and other missionaries in the Far East renounce the Chinese rites;
from the collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps

[MANUSCRIPT - CHINESE RITES CONTROVERY - Lourenço de SANTA MARIA E MELO et al]. [Collection of manuscript anti-Rites oaths, from the years 1746-1767].
[Goa?, 1746-1767]. Folio. With 19 manuscript documents (18 in Latin, 1 in Italian) in different sizes, some with a papered seal.
19th-century brown paper boards from Thomas Phillipps' Middle Hill Press, with the manuscript title on the spine. The work is housed in a clamshell box of gold-tooled quarter brown calf, with a red morocco title label on the spine, yellow cloth sides, and a brown paper lining. [51] ll. Full description

€ 75,000

China Church History & Missions Jesuits Manuscripts & Documents Religion (18th Century)

Remarkable logbook of the lesser-known part of l'Archimède's diplomatic mission to Asia

[MANUSCRIPT - EAST ASIA - LAGRENÉ MISSION]. [Ship's log of the "Archimède"].
At sea between Macao and Calcutta, 1846. 2 volumes. Folio (ca. 32 x 22 cm). With two pencil sketches on pp. 58 and 59. Contemporary blue cloth, blue sprinkled edges, pink paste paper endpapers. 65, [40 blank]; 76-106 [=30], [100 blank], [1], [2 blank], [2], [10 blank] pp. Full description

€ 8,500

China India & Sri Lanka Law & Politics Logbooks Manuscripts & Documents Southeast Asia Travel & Voyages Asia Travel & Voyages East Asia Travel & Voyages Southeast Asia Travel & Voyages Southern Asia

Very finely and richly illustrated manuscript pattern book containing about 210 illustrations of Chinese scenes, scenery and ornamental designs for ceramics

[MANUSCRIPT PATTERN BOOK - CHINESE CERAMICS]. [Chinoiserie decorations for ceramics].
[Denmark?], [ca. 1822-1834, with one note dated 1841]. Folio (ca. 33.5 x 21.5 cm). 31 blue paper leaves with approximately 210 illustrations, drawn on both sides of the leaves, all in brown ink, sometimes decorated with blue pencil, some with dates and/or captions in Danish written ini ink in a contemporary hand (the artist's?) with gothic influences. 45 illustrations show Chinese scenes and scenery, and 165 are showing ornaments, designs and patterns. Contemporary half calf, sewn on 4 recessed supports, shell-marbled sides. [31] ll. Full description

€ 15,000

Art & Art History China Manuscripts & Documents

Important work on China, witnessing the violent overthrow of the ancient Ming dynasty

MARTINI, Martino. Tartaros en China, historia.
Madrid, Joseph Fernadez de Buendia for Lorenço de Ibarra, 1665. Small 8vo (14.5×10 cm). Late 18th-century gold-tooled mottled goatskin. [40], 188 pp. Full description

€ 9,500

China Jesuits Law & Politics Travel & Voyages Asia Travel & Voyages East Asia

Anti-Catholic persecutions in China in 1784-1785; rare eye-witness account

MATTEI, Giuseppe. Compendio della storia della persecuzione mossa contro la Cattolica religione nell' impero della Cina l'anno del signore MDCCLXXXIV.
Florence, Gaetano Cambiagi, 1789. 8vo. Contemporary (?) vellum. 131, [1 blank] pp. Full description

€ 3,500

Catholicism & Eastern Orthodox Church China Church History & Missions

First edition of a report - with the rare folding map - from Commodore Perrys expedition containing directions for U.S. merchant ships navigating the coasts of China and Japan

MAURY, William Lewis & Silas BENT. Sailing directions and nautical remarks; by officers of the late U.S. naval expedition to Japan, under the command of Commodore M.C. Perry.
Including (with a divisional title): Fac-simile of the original treaty with Japan, with the English version.
Washington, A.O.P. Nicholson, public printer, 1857. Large 4to (ca. 29.5 x 23 cm). With a large folding map of the coast of China and of the Japanese and other islands, including the Marianas and the Philippines; and the facsimile of the 14-page treaty in Japanese printed on both sides of 7 integral leaves, with the English text printed letterpress on both sides of the following leaf. Original publishers half purple cloth, Spanish-marbled paper sides (grey with red, blue, black, yellow and white veins), letterpress paper label with the title in a built-up decorative border on the front board: "Sailing directions for the coasts of Japan and China". 22, [2], 14, [2] pp. Full description

€ 5,000

China Japan & Far East Navigation

A Swedish edition of John Meares's voyages to the North Pacific, China and Hawaii

MEARES, John. Tvänne resor från Ostindien till Americas nordvåstra kust, åren 1786, 1788 och 1789.
Stockholm, printed by J.S. Ekmanson for I. Utters, 1797. 8vo. 19th-century half scheepskin, gold-tooled spine with red morocco title label, marbled sides. [12], 404 pp. Full description

€ 1,250

Alaska China Hawaii North America Pacific Islands Travel & Voyages Asia Travel & Voyages East Asia Travel & Voyages North America Travel & Voyages Pacific

First edition of a very rare and little-known journal of an important voyage to the Pacific

MICHELENA Y ROJAS, Francisco. Viajes científicos en todo el mundo, desde 1822 hasta 1842; durante los cuales fueron visitadas ... Dedicados a la nacion Venezolana.
Madrid, I. Boix, 1843. 4to. With full-page author's portrait by Leopoldo Lopez, woodcut coat of arms on dedication, 12 full-page lithographed illustrations by J. Aragon after J. Abrial, and 2 large lithographed folding maps (showing Sydney and the route of the voyage). Contemporary gold-tooled half sheepskin. 408, [4] pp. Full description

€ 10,000

Australia China Hawaii Pacific Islands Philippines Southeast Asia Travel & Voyages Asia Travel & Voyages Australia Travel & Voyages East Asia Travel & Voyages Pacific Travel & Voyages Southeast Asia

The account of a voyage of a Swedish privateer together with a vivid account of travels in Germany

MORTIMER, George. Engelsmannen Joh. Hindric Cox Resa Genom Söderhafvet Till On Amsterdam, Marien-Oarna, O-Taheiti, Sandvichs-och Räf-Oarna, Tinian, Unalaska och Canton i China.
Nyköping, Peter Winge, 1798.
With: (2) RISBECK, Gaspard. Bref, Rörande Tyskland, Scrifne af en resande Fransos til sin broder i Paris. Ofwersättning. Andra Uplagan.
Götheborg, Samuel Norberg, 1797-1798. 2 works in 1 volume. 8vo. Contemporary half calf. 77, [3 blank] pp. Full description