Book History, Education, Learning & Printing

MARSDEN, William. A dictionary of the Malayan language, in two parts, Malayan and English and English and Malayan.
London, printed for the author by Cox and Baylis, 1812. 4to. Set in roman and Arabic types with incidental Devanagari and italic. Modern blue cloth with a morocco spine label, retaining the nonpareil-marbled edges from the previous contemporary binding. [1], [1 blank], XV, [1], 589, [1], [2 blank] pp. Full description

MARSHMAN, Joshua. Elements of Chinese grammar, with a preliminary dissertation on the characters, and the colloquial medium of the Chinese, and an appendix containing the Ta-Hyoh of Confucius with a translation.
Serampore, printed at the mission press, 1814. Large 4to. With one woodcut illustration of a suanpan (abacus of Chinese origin) on p. 318. Text is set in roman type (Latin alphabet) and Chinese characters and occasionally in Bengali characters. Contemporary half red calf and black cloth sides with the title in gold on the spine. [1], [1 blank], [1], [1 blank], XVI, VII, [1 blank], 2, 566, 56 pp. Full description

MARTIALIS, Marcus Valerius. [Epigrammata].
(Colophon: Venice, Aldus Manutius, December 1501). 8vo (16 x 10 cm). With 15 (mostly 6-line) spaces with printed guide letters left for manuscript initials. Except for an occasional word in Greek, the book is set entirely in the world's first italic printing type (with small upright capitals, which are also used, usually letterspaced, for running heads, headings, the opening line of each liber, etc.). Francesco Griffo cut it for Aldus, who uses it here 8 months after he introduced it in his Virgil. Tanned sheepskin (ca. 1700?), gold-tooled spine and board edges. [381], [3 blank] pp. Full description

MECHELEN, Hans van. Perill[ust]ri. ac reverend[issimo]. d[omi]no D. Michaeli Ophovio ex. ord. praedic. Episcopo Buscoducensi S. Dominicum Gusmannum eiusdem ordinis fundatorem D.D.
[Antwerp], Hans van Mechelen, [ca. 1629]. 24mo (11 x 7 x 0.6 cm). Wholly engraved print series printed on vellum, comprising an engraved title page and 12 engraved scenes from the life of Saint Dominic. The title page cartouche and all 12 scenes coloured by a 17th-century hand and highlighted in gold. 17th-century richly gold-tooled armorial black morocco, each board with a Lante della Rovere coat of arms, gold-tooled board edges. [I], [12] ll. Full description

[MEDICAL MANUAL AND RECIPE BOOK]. Examen: vor ein neuer angehender Chirurgus, der sich will examiniren lassen, daß er in seinem examen bestehet, und wohl erfunden wird, so muß er dieses alles auswendig lernen, daß er antworten kann, über dasjenige was ihm gefragt wird. Anno 1806.
Franconia and Alsace (Augsburg, Nuremberg, Strasbourg), 1800-1826. 4to (17 x 23 cm). German (and Latin) manuscript by various hands. Contemporary boards with vellum corners and modern cloth spine. [47], "286" [= 285], [47] pp. Full description

MELDER, Gerard. Korte en klare instructie van regulare en irregulare fortificatie, met hare buyten-wercken. Te gebruycken defensive en offensive. Een compagnie, een regiment, een leger te voet en te peert te logeren, en in verscheyde soorte van bataillons te stellen... By gevoegt 50 lustige questien, met hare solutien.
Including: MELDER, Gerard. Appendix aen de instructie vande fortificatie en bataillons, met een korte wederlegginge der sustenu van H. Ruse over de hedendaeghsche fortificatie.
Utrecht, Jan van Waesberge, 1658. 2 parts in 1 volume. 8vo. With engraved title-page, letterpress title-page, 13 woodcut folding fortification plans, and numerous woodcut illustrations and figures in text. Contemporary vellum. [12], 208, [4]; 40 pp. Full description

MELDER, Gerard. Korte en klare instructie van regulare en irregulare fortificatie, met hare buyten-wercken. Te gebruycken defensive en offensive... By-gevoegt 50 lustige questien, met hare solutien.
Including: MELDER, Gerard. Appendix aen de instructie vande fortificatie en bataillons...
Amsterdam, Johannes van Waesberge, 1664. 2 parts in 1 volume. 8vo. With an engraved frontispiece (dated 1658 from the first edition), folding letterpress table, 41 numbered woodcut illustrations in text (31) and on inserted leaves (10), numerous unnumbered woodcut illustrations in text, and 2 folding woodcut plans, signed A and B, in the Appendix. Contemporary vellum. [16], 208; 40 pp. Full description

MELON, Jean-François. Mahmoud le Gasnevide, histoire orientale. Fragment traduit de l'Arabe, avec des notes.
Rotterdam, Jean Hofhoudt, 1730. 8vo. Contemporary marbled calf, gold-tooled spine, boards, board edges and turn-ins, both boards with the gold-tooled coat of arms of Louis Marie Alexandre, Duc d'Aumont, gilt edges. [2], VI, 162, [4] pp. Full description

MESA, Sebastian de. Jornada de Africa por el Rey Don Sebastian y union del reyno de Portugal a la corona de Castilla.
Barcelona, Pedro Lacavalleria, 1630. 4to. Each page framed with thin printed rules. Contemporary gold-tooled leather (blackened and flaking), each board with the helmed and mantled arms of the Mazarin family in the centre. [2], 169, [1] ll. Full description

METEREN, Emanuel van. Nederlantsche historien ofte geschiedenissen inhoudende den gantzen staet, handel, soo va[n] oorlogen als vrede-handels in onsen tyden begin ende eynde ... Mede vervattende eenige haerder gebueren handelinge. ... oversien verbetert ende vermeerdert tot dese[n] tege[n]wordigen wtgank des jaers anno 1611.
Including (vol. 2): Belgische ofte Nederlantsche oorlogen ende gheschiedenissen beginnende van t'jaer 1595 tot 1611, ... oversie[n] verbetert e[n]de vermeerdert ...
[Copy imprint to vol. 2:] "Schotland buyten Danswyck" [= Amsterdam], "Hermes van Loven" [= Nicolaes III Biestkens?] for the author, 1611 [-1612]. 2 volumes. 4to. With 2 engraved title-pages, both coloured and highlighted in gold by an early hand. Further with a full-page engraved portrait of Van Meteren, and 21 smaller woodcut portraits in the text attributed to Christoffel van Sichem. Mottled, gold-tooled calf (ca. 1665), gold-tooled spines, 18th-century(?) gold-tooling on the boards. [6], 568, [20]; [2], 118, [4], 413, [10] ll. Full description