Asher Rare Books

Panoramic landscape of the Siege of Besançon, a refined drawing attributed to Pierre Puget

[PUGET, Pierre Paul]. The Siege of Besançon.
[France, late 17th century]. 46 x 58 cm. Brown and black ink and grey wash on vellum mounted on a wooden panel, heightened with gold. In a passepartout behind glass in a modern black wooden frame. Full description

€ 8,500

Art & Art History City Plans, Topography & Views Drawings & Watercolours France Military History (17th Century)

One of the greatest of English travel books: the first edition of the "Pilgrimes"
together with the fourth and best edition of the "Pilgrimage" - with many extra plates

PURCHAS, Samuel. Purchas his pilgrimes. In five bookes. ...
London, printed by William Stansby for Henry Featherstone, 1625.
With:
(2) PURCHAS, Samuel. Purchas his pilgrimage ...
London, printed by William Stansby for Henry Featherstone, 1626.
2 works in 5 volumes, the first in 5 parts, 4 volumes and the second in 4 parts, 1 volume. Folio. Ad 1 with the engraved frontispiece, 5 folding engraved maps, 58 half-page engraved maps by Hondius, 2 full-page engraved plates (including 1 folding), 5 half-page engraved plates, and numerous woodcut illustrations. Further extra illustrated with 94 engravings taken from various late 16th- or early 17th-century travelogues: 1 engraved frontispiece, 1 title-page (with an engraved world map on recto and an engraved portrait of Jacob le Maire on verso), and 92 engraved maps or plates (including 48 half-page and 18 folding). Ad 2 with 1 folding engraved map of China, 1 half-page engraved illustration, and 23 half-page engraved maps by Hondius in the text. Uniform 19th-century black tooled brown morocco (by Hatton, Manchester), spines lettered in gold, gold-tooled turn-ins, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. Full description

€ 110,000

Travel & Voyages Africa Travel & Voyages Asia Travel & Voyages North America Travel & Voyages South America

A kind Muslim, an English mummy snatcher and John Smith before Pocahontas

[PURCHAS, Samuel], John SANDERSON, Henry TIMBERLAKE and others. Seer gedenckwaerdige vojagien, van Johan Sanderson, Hendrick Timberly, en Capt. Johan Smith, door Europa, Asia en America. ...
Amsterdam, Joachim van Dyck, 1678. 4to. With engraved title-page, letterpress title-page with a woodcut floral ornament, 4 folding engraved illustration plates (including 1 with 4 small views). 18th-century half vellum. [12], 158 pp. including integral frontispiece. Full description

€ 4,500

Eastern Mediterranean & Cyprus Egypt North Africa Travel & Voyages Africa Travel & Voyages Europe Travel & Voyages Middle East Turkey & Ottoman Empire

Beautiful views of castles, ruins, monasteries, villages and towns of the Dutch Republic

RADEMAKER, Abraham. Kabinet van Nederlandsche en Kleefsche outheden.
Amsterdam, Isaak Tirion, [between 1728 and 1766]. 2 parts in 1 volume. 4to. With an engraved title page in each part, and 300 numbered engraved half-page views. Contemporary gold-tooled red morocco. [76]; [76] ll. Full description

€ 3,500

City Plans, Topography & Views Netherlands Prints & Print Series

Splendid ink and colour wash view of Valetta in Malta

[MALTA]. RADEMAKER, [Gerard?]. Malta. [View of the castle, fortifications and harbour of Valetta].
[Malta(?), ca. 1700?]. 14 x 44 cm. Ink and colour wash drawing, signed in the lower right corner: "Rademaker". Mounted in a rice-paper window kept under passe-partout. Full description

€ 12,500

City Plans, Topography & Views Drawings & Watercolours Fortification & Military Architecture Malta Mediterranean Regions Military History (18th Century)

Dutch edition of the voyage of Walter Raleigh and Laurence Keymis to Guiana,
describing the city El Dorado

RALEIGH, Walter and Lawrence KEYMIS. Grondige ende waerachtige beschryvinge van het groot end gout-rijck koninckrijck van Guiana, geleghen in America, by- noorden de groote rivier Orelliana, vanden vyfden graet by Zuyden totten vyfden graet by- noorden de middel-linie; in welcke beschrijvinge de rechte gelegentheyt vande groote ende rijcke hooft-stadt Manca, Macureguarai ende andere steden derselvigen koninckrijcks ende van het groot Souten Meyr Parime (zynde omtrent 200 Spaensche mijlen lang) verclaert wort: insgelijcks wat voor rijcke waaren daer te lande ende daer omtrent vallen.
Mitsgaders vande omlegghende rijcke landschappen Emeria, Arromaja ende Topago: in welck laetste krijgs-vrouwen (Amzones genoemt) hare wooninge hebben: as oock van 53 groote rivieren onder welcken Oronoque de voornaemste is, welcke spruyt omtrent 500 Duystche mijlen landwaerts in, niet verre van Quitio een vermaerde hooft-stadt in Peru. Alles ontdeckt beschreven in de jaren 1595-1596.
[Amsterdam, Johannes Janssonius], 1644. Oblong 4to. With a vignette built up from typographical ornaments on the title page, and a decorated woodcut initial. Later half mottled calf. [49] ll. Full description

€ 7,500

Brazil Latin America South America Travel & Voyages South America

16th-century travel account of a journey from Venice to the Ottoman Empire

RAMBERTI, Benedetto. Delle cose de Turchi. Libri tre. ...
(Colophon:) Venice, Bernardino Bindoni, 1541. 8vo. With a small typographical ornament on the title-page. Modern vellum, sewn on 4 tapes, laced through the joints. 37, [1], [2 blank] ll. Full description

€ 4,500

Balkan & Greece Islamic Art, Culture & Science Italy Travel & Voyages Europe Travel & Voyages Middle East Turkey & Ottoman Empire

Dutch scientific journal for craftsmen, with folding plates, 20 years before Diderot & dAlembert

RANOUW, Willem van. Kabinet der natuurlyke historien, wetenschappen, konsten en handwerken, geopent met de maanden January en February 1719. Verciert en opgeheldert met kopere plaaten.
Including: MEERSCH, Pieter van der. Register tot alle de deelen van het kabinet ... van W. v. Ranouw.
Amsterdam, Hendrik Strik; Zacharia Moelé and Johannes de Ruiter; Balthasar Lakeman, 1730; 1719-1727; 1732. 21 parts in 9 volumes. 8vo. With an identical engraved allegorical frontispiece in volumes 1-8, different woodcut vignettes on the title-pages and 49 numbered engraved maps and plates, all but one folding. Contemporary vellum, manuscript title on the spines. [16], 176, [2], 552, [8]; [4], 564, [8]; [8], 562, [6]; 570, [6]; 570; [9]; [8], 176, [2], 191-380, [2], 563, [6]; [8], 183, [1], 1-192, 1-192, [8]; [16], 176, 1-191, [1], [20], 1-151, [1]; [12], 690 pp. Full description

€ 3,950

Astronomy & Cosmography Fruit Culture Geology Horticulture Insects & Spiders Mineralogy & Gems Physics & Chemistry

A Danish traveller in Kuwait, Saudi-Arabia and Bahrain, meets Mubarak al-Sabah and Ibn Saud, presentation copy

RAUNKIAER, Barclay. Gennem Wahhabiternes land paa kamelryg. Beretning om den af det Kongelige Danske Geografiske Selskab planlagte og bekosterde forskningsrejse i Ost- og Centralarabien 1912.
Copenhagen, Gyldendalske boghandel, Nordisk forlag, 1913. 8vo. With a frontispiece showing the author in Arab garb, 88 illustrations in text, most of them reproductions of drawings and photographs by the author, and a folding map loosely inserted in a pocket at the end. Publisher's green cloth. [1], [1 blank], [2], 304 pp. Full description

€ 5,000

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States Kuwait Scandinavia & Arctic Travel & Voyages Europe Travel & Voyages Middle East Turkey & Ottoman Empire

Radical critique of European overseas expansion in 10 volumes. Extremely rare second Dutch edition

RAYNAL, Guillaume Thomas François. Wysgeerige en staatkundige geschiedenis van de bezittingen en den koophandel der Europeaanen, in de beide Indiën.
Amsterdam, Matthijs Schalekamp, 1792-1803. 10 volumes bound as 9. 8vo. With 2 different engraved author's portraits, 8 engraved plates (5 as frontispieces), 12 engraved folding maps and 23 letterpress folding tables. Contemporary half calf, gold-tooled spine. VI, [4], 469, [19]; [8], 533, [1 blank], 11, [1 blank]; [8], 508, [11], [1 blank]; [8], 427, [9], [2 blank]; [8], 365, [9]; [8], 426, [10]; [10], 501, [7]; [8], 458, [11], [1 blank]; [8], 339, [10], [1 blank]; [4], 432, [13], [1 blank] pp. Full description