Books

MAGNUS, OLAUS (1490 - 1557)
"Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus..."
The complete book with a woodcut map and c. 472 woodcut illustrations, small folio 27x19cm. Eighteen-century calf, the spine with five raised bands and sumptuously gilt, a title label and all edges painted in red The title page, 3pp "Rererendissimo...", 79pp index, numbered pages 1 - 814. Last leaf recto with the full-page woodcut containing Magnus' arms, this also repeated on the title of the twelfth book. ROME 1555
FIRST EDITION. A VERY FINE COPY IN A DECORATIVE BINDING OF THE VERY IMPORTANT DESCRIPTION OF THE NORTHERN PEOPLE.
This Rome edition together with the later re-issues in six different languages, were meant to fully complement "Carta Marina", the large woodcut map in 9 sheets from 1539. Today the early folio editions of Olaus Magnus' work are admired for the fine woodcut pictures which were meant to illustrate the lives and the manners of the northern people. The "Historia" is however an unbeatable source of information on all aspects of Nordic history and the people who lived there. The work is a corner stone in the Scandinavian cultural heritage.

Provenance: Bernard Quaritch, sold in their catalogue no. 722 in 1953, entry 343
The lower corner of the title page with a restoration, AII - AIV with small worm holes filed in, folio D6 index with a tear and a small paper loss. The bottom margin of the map trimmed to the map line.
(Ref: W. B. Ginsberg "Printed Maps of Scandinavia and the Arctic 1482 - 1601" Entry 14)
#743

HOLM, THOMAS CAMPANIUS
"Kort Beskrifning Om Provincien Nya Swerige uti America, Som nu förtiden af the Engelske kallas Pensylvania. Af lärde och trowärdige Mäns skrifter och berättelser ihopaletad och sammanskrefwen / samt med åthskillige Figurer utgivad af Thomas Campanius Holm"
Complete book. Small 4to, 18,9x14,7cm. Bound in full morocco binding, the spine gilt with four raised bands. All edges painted in red. Preserved in a morocco box. Frontispiece, letterpress title printed in red and black with woodcut printer's device, 5 maps (four engraved plates, one folded, and one woodcut map within the pagination), 2 engraved plates and 4 woodcut illustrations in text. Other woodcut illustr Printed by J. H. Werner, STOCKHOLM 1702
FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST AND BEST PRINTED ACCOUNT OF NEW SWEDEN, THE EARLIEST COLONIAL SETTLEMENT IN THE DELAWARE RIVER VALLEY IN TODAYS DELAWARE, PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW JERSEY.
We read in Sabin "A Dictionary of Books relating to America" volume 3 entry 10202: The author was never in America. His work is made up from verbal accounts received from his father, and notes left by his grandfather, to which he has added facts obtained from the manuscripts of Peter Lindström, an engineer - A very scarce work relating to the establishment of the Swedes in New Sweden, afterwards Pennsylvania".
The book contains valuable primary historical source material and is accompanied with important maps and views. Thomas' grandfather Johannes Campanius was chaplain of the Swedish colony from 1643 to 1648.
On the fly leaf several owner inscriptions from the 18th century until 1927, a few leaves and plates with minor strengthening restorations in the outer margin. Overall a very nice copy!
#745

PONTOPPIDAN, ERICH (1698 - 1764)
"The Natural History of Norway"
The complete book. Folio, 35,5 x 22,5cm Contemporary vellum (later front- and endpapers (?), vellum cracks to spine, gilt title label of a later date) Two parts in one volume. With 28 engraved plates and a large outline coloured folding map of Norway. LONDON 1755
A SPECIAL COPY WITH THE PLATES IN A PROOF STATE.
A decorative copy of an important "Norvegica book". Rarely seen in vellum binding. Erich Pontoppidan was a Danish-Norwegian theologian and served as a bishop in Bergen from 1747 to 1754. His experience from here influenced this comprehensive work. The English edition is based on the Danish first edition 1752 - 53, but with new engravings and expanded with a large map. The folding map "corrected by Martin Hubner" is based on Homann from c. 1712. Some of the prints are supposed to have been based on works by Mathias Blumenthal who lived in Bergen. In this copy most of the engraved plates seem to appear in a proof state before the printed numbers 1-28 and the printed pagination guide for the bookbinder. Instead the plates are numbered in ink by a contemporary hand.
Some old library stamps "York Subscription Library" and minor notes on the title verso, some leaves with a coat of arms blind stamp. The upper corner of page 51/52 torn off, a small discreet collector's stamp on each plate, these are also numbered in ink by a contemporary hand, the engraved plates in a proof state. Leaf pp 219/220 cancelled as usual.
(Ref: W. B. Ginsberg "Maps and Mapping of Norway 1602 - 1855" Entry 19).
#747

THE MOST EXTENSIVE COPPER-PRINTED COLOUR PLATE BOOK OF NORWAY, A COMPLETE COPY OF FIRST ISSUE
EDY, JOHN W. (f. 1762 - died c. 1820) - BOYDELL, the publisher
"Boydell's Picturesque Scenery of Norway; With The Principal Towns From The Naze By The Route Of Christiania, To The Magnifficent Pass Of the Swinesund; From Original Drawings Made On The Spot, And Engraved By John W. Edy. With Remarks And Observations Made in a Tour through the Country, and revised and corrected by William Toole, F.R.S. Member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, and of the economical Society at St. Petersburgh. In two Volumes. London: Published by Hurst, Robinson, and co. Cheapside; Late Boydell and Co. 1820"
The complete plate book with text, large folio, 47,3x31,2cm. Contemporary sprinkled full calf. Gilt fillet borders on sides and edges. Spine richly gilt in compartments with two red title labels. Preserved in a red-brown morocco box inside covered with velvet Two parts with two title pages in one volume, prelimenary text, text to plates and 80 TONED AQUATINT PLATES, ALL FINELY FINISHED AND COLOURED BY A CONTEMPORARY HAND. LONDON (c. 1811 - 17), but 1820
EDY'S WORK IS THE FINEST COLLECTION OF NORWEGIAN CITIES AND LANDSCAPES IN THE 19TH CENTURY.
Along with William Fearnside, the English artist Edy made a tour along the coastline of Southern Norway from Lindesnes to Svinesund in 1800 in order to draw sketches for a colour
plate book-project initiated by the famous book publisher Boydell in London. It was war in Europe and four weeks after their arrival to Norway the two English gentlemen were arrested suspected for espionage. After a month they were released from the "custody" and were able to continue their journey. Based on Edy's drawings and sketches the publishing of the printed views could start in 1811 and continued to 1815 in parts before the completed work with text was finished between 1817 to 1820. It was published as a complete book the same year. A second edition of the work with trimmed margins were published c. 1830. As far as the small towns and places along the Southern Norwegian coast concern, Edy's views are the earliest printed.
Our copy is an impressive book in a very good condition and we are proud of being able to present this fine and decorative copy of the rare first edition.

Provenance: Accquired from the antiquarian trade in Oslo early 1970's. Private collection Norway.
Possibly very carefully cleaned at some point, but if it is, it must have been done earlier than c. 1970.
(Ref: Eiler H. Schiötz "Utlendingers reiser i Norge" no. 295a, Ulf Hamran "De to mystiske reisende", Eiler H. Schiøtz "Edy-Boydell's Norway fra bibliograisk synspunkt" - both articles in "By og Bygd Norsk Folkemuseums Årbok 1963 - 64, volume 17" Oslo 1964)
#746

A FINE COMPLETE SET OF THE MOST EXTENSIVE LITHOGRAPHED WORK ON SCANDINAVIA, SPITSBERGEN, RUSSIA AND THE BALTIC COUNTRIES.
GAIMARD, PAUL
"Voyage de la Commision scientific du Nord , en Scandinavie, en Laponie, au Spitsberg et aux Feröe pendant les années 1838, 1839 et 1840, sur la corvette La Recherche...M. Paul Gaimard"
3 oblong folio volumes, 35x54cm + 1 large folio volume, 50x34cm + The 26 text volumes "Livraisons" in 8vo. The plates are bound out of order according to the printed indexes. The 26 text volumes "Livraisons" in 8vo. The three oblong volumes uniformly bound in contemporary calf, spines richly gilt and with titles (light rubbing to the bindings). The fourt 311 lithographed plates (one plate of Tromsöe not called for in the index) + 139 plates in lithographs and a few aquatints, some of those partly or fully coloured. PARIS c. 1842 - 1856
3 oblong folio volumes, 35x54cm "Atlas historique et pittoresque" with 311 lithographed plates (one plate of Tromsöe not called for in the index) and 1 large folio volume, 50x34cm containing "Atlas de physique, de gèologique, de zoologie" with 139 plates in lithographs and a few aquatints, some of those partly or fully coloured. The plates are bound out of order according to the printed indexes. The 26 text volumes "Livraisons" in 8vo.
FROM THE COLLECTION OF ERICKSBERG'S CASTLE, SWEDEN.
This French expedition to the north has later been called "The Gaimard Expedition" named after its leader Paul J. Gaimard who was a doctor. Another name on the expedition is "La Recherche Expedition". La Recherche was the headquarter ship for the expedition participants. For further description of the expedition we will recommend the two books published in 2002 by Knutsen and Posti and Schiøtz I and II, see below.
AN IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION OF PLATES. There are large topographical views, maps, tables, animal plates and fishes, geological illustrations and other scientific material. The text volumes describe and explain many of the illustrations. A huge number of people was involved in the project. The topographical parts were mostly based on drawings made on the spot by Auguste Mayer, Charles Giraud, Barthelemy Lauvergne and F. Biard.
The first three volumes contain the general topographical views and cover from south: Hamburg, Denmark, Faero Islands, Norway with 98 views from Christiania to the North Cape, Spitsbergen (Svalbard) and Beeren Island 27 plates, Sweden, Finland, Russia with Moscow, Poland and the Baltic countries. THE COMPLETE SET OF 450 PLATES. SOME OF THE NATURAL HISTORY PLATES FINELY COLOURED BY HAND. ACCOMPANIED WITH ALL THE 26 TEXT VOLUMES IN THE ORIGINAL BOARDS. The set is in very good condition. The lithographs are in general clean, except some plates which have the usual browning (some plates were obviously printed on a type of paper which almost always has been affected by some browning). One of the North Cape plates creased. In this set the 12 plates of the Madelaine Bay and Bell Sound are joined to form two panoramas (strengthened) which make them to two impressive views of Spitsbergen. Instead of beeing bound in according to the index our set is thematically bound. The text volumes are in excellent condition in the original bindings. A complete "Gaimard" set consisting of all the plate volumes and the text books is today uncommonly offered for sale. It has been estimated that the print run was approximately 150 copies and today, many copies are housed in public collections.
Provenance: Baron Carl Jedvard Bonde, Ericksberg's Castle in Södermanland county near Stockholm. His bookplate in each of the four plate volumes.
(Ref: N. M. Knutsen and P. Posti "La Recherche, En ekspedisjon mot nord" Tromsø 2002, E. H. Schiötz "Utlendingers reiser i Norge" no. 353 and additional information in part II)
#749

GINSBERG, WILLIAM B.
Printed Maps of Scandinavia and the Arctic 1482 - 1601.
4to. Hard cover, full shirting, dust wrapper. xviii + 214 Septentrionallium Press, New York, N.Y. 2006
The complete reference work of printed maps of Scandinavia and the Arctic from 1482-1601.
#498

The indispensible reference book on Norway maps
GINSBERG, WILLIAM B.
Maps and Mapping of Norway 1602 - 1855.
4to. Hard cover, full shirting, dust wrapper. xiv + 317 pp. Septentrionallium Press, New York, N.Y. 2009
The author, William B. Ginsberg, has undertaken a significant amount of original reserach, during which he has discovered a number of new maps and variant states that are recorded for the first time. In addition to the formal cartobibliography, three essays - on county, route and local maps - explore the richness of maps of Norway!
With 328 pages and more than 300 illustrations the book is a treat for the eye as well as for the mind.
#499