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A seemingly unrecorded variant of an extremely rare, colossal ‘Headquarters Map’ of French Indochina (modern day Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) that was the blueprint for the imminent French colonial control takeover of Laos; the map was made in the immediate wake of the Third Mission Pavie (1889-91), led by the brilliant eccentric diplomat-explorer August Pavie that secured the pathway for…

A photograph of the Ibex Mine in Leadville, Colorado, by the local photographer G.B. Sanborn, made around 1900   Albumen silver print 16,5 x 21,5 cm (6.5 x 8.5 inches), originally mounted on grey card 25,5 x 30,5 cm (10 x 12 inches), with stamp of the author verso (margins little scuffed and stained, but overall in a good condition).…

A rare miniature Ottoman calendar for women was published in 1916 during World War I by the first Ottoman Muslim feminist press, which also printed a newspaper under the same name, Kadınlar Dünyası (Women’s World). 7 x 5,5 cm (2.8 x 2.2 inches), [64 pp.], calendar with blank pages verso, portraits of contemporary leaders and dignitaries, original illustrated covers mounted…

2 postcards. 9 x 14 cm (3.5 x 5.5 inches). Each postcard has Fabricius’s address on the front and a manuscript in black ink on the verso. One postcard is signed H. K., the other without a signature, but a continuation of the same topic in the same handwriting.

A lovely little gem – being an exquisitely rendered original manuscript guide to maritime navigation by the Spanish Navy Pilot (later Captain) José Ignacio de la Sierra, a veteran of the Argentine War of Independence; of the most elegant penmanship with a pictorial watercolour title and richly embellished with geometric diagrams and statistical charts, it outlines the principles of course…

A guestbook from a renowned Munich-based Cognac distillery and liqueur factory, formerly operated by the Jewish families Macholl and Landauer until the rise of the Nazis. Small folio, 63 sheets of thick paper with signatures in various inks and pencil, 87 blank sheets, two mounted black and white photographs, inserted sheets with signatures and data about visits, inserted typed and…

A seemingly unrecorded collection of cards featuring transparent illuminations that depict demons, illusions, and portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte, accompanied by sheets containing macabre tales and other stories, created during the height of gothic novels' popularity.   11 originally coloured engravings, each 7 x 6 cm (2.7 x 2.3 inches), 9 folded green sheets, each with printed title on the front,…

A rare first edition of a children's educational book on Buddhism, authored by Thai Princess Poon Pismai Diskul. Large 8º, title, VIII, 24 pp., original wrappers with illustrated cover, minor staining and foxing, small pencil annotations on the title page, otherwise in good, seemingly unread condition).

A gigantic time chart of the world, based on Sebastian Adams’s legendary map of the history of time, printed in Guadalajara and pertinent to Mexican history.   Colour lithography, originally mounted on linen and varnished, linen stripes on the joints between segments. 70 x 682 cm (27.6 x 268.5 inches), (tiny loss of margins, varnish chipped, one of the joints…

A rare and high quality separately issued map of Hispaniola, including the French colony of Saint-Domingue (today’s Haiti) and the Spanish realm of Santo Domingo (today’s Dominican Republic), issued by William Faden, the leading British commercial cartographer, to satiate the intense public interest in the ongoing British Occupation of parts of Saint-Domingue (1793-8), an epic endeavour that was planned to…

A portrait of Jean-Baptiste Riché (1780–1847), the president of Haiti between March 1, 1846 and February 27, 1847.   Watercolours on paper, mounted on larger piece of brown paper, 23,5 x 16 cm (9.2 x 6.3 inches), German (wrong) title in black ink on the bottom (light foxing).

[Greiz, Germany: 1930s - 1940]

The first edition of the acclaimed Cape Verdean novel by the esteemed author Baltasar Lopes da Silva.   8º, 298 pp., [2 pp.], original illustrated wrappers, old bookseller’s stamp and a pasted-down book-plate of Alfredo Ribeiro dos Santos on the inner side of the front wrapper (minor foxing, mostly to the wrappers, otherwise in a good condition).

A fascinating collection of 30 early Thai Cremation Volumes in near-mint condition.

A charming notebook containing useful information for Japanese immigrants in the United States was given as a New Year’s gift to regular guests of Aki Hotel, located in Japantown, San Francisco. The hotel also served as an unofficial home for the Japanese Consulate. The owner of the hotel, Ichiro Kataoka, who immigrated from Hiroshima, was the first Japanese man in…

Memories of Giambattista Scala, the Sardinian consul in Lagos, Nigeria, along with his travelogue to Abeokuta, located north of Lagos, depict the region at the end of the slave trade. During this period, merchants with new goods, Scala among them, began to move into the area. With a dedication by the author.   8º, [4 pp.] blank and title, 243…

A detailed insight into British-Portuguese trade of Port Wine from the 18th to the early 19th century, featuring a rare second part, bound in highly decorative contemporary Morocco binding.   Two titles bound in one volume, 8º, 171 pp., 30 pp., blank, contemporary yellowish-brown Morocco binding with gold tooling, gilt edges, contemporary marbled endpapers (binding lightly sun-toned in margins and…

A letter to Pope Innocent X from Sultan Jachia, the self-proclaimed Christian leader of the Ottoman Empire, requesting papal support at the onset of the new Venetian-Ottoman conflict and another attempt to convert the entire Ottoman Empire to Christianity.   Manuscript in brown ink in Italian language on laid paper with a watermark, 20,5 x 30,5 (8.1 x 12 inches),…

A delightful unique collection featuring a manuscript on sundials and two paper instruments, all contained in a contemporary marbled paper case.

An incredibly rare pamphlet featuring poetry specifically for boys and young men in the Georgian language, published by the Servites of the Immaculate Conception in Istanbul.   Large 8º, 59 pp., [2 pp.] list of publications, original yellow wrappers with lettering (pages and wrappers partly loose, small tears in margins, otherwise in good condition).  

The publication contains 15 contemporary treaties and trade agreements between the Ottoman Empire and various states.   Large 8º, 11 pp., 10 pp., 30 pp., 15 pp., 4 pp., 6 pp., 9 pp., 7 pp., 5 pp., 7 pp., 3 pp., 6 pp., 4 pp., 7 pp., 8 pp., 6 pp., 18 pp., contemporary marbled paper wrappers, brown cloth spine…

This manuscript broadside is a stunning example of artistry, seamlessly blending Armenian calligraphy with its distinctive letters and rich Christian symbolism that is deeply embedded in the nation’s identity. The inclusion of a traditional labyrinth form elevates the piece, serving as a profound tool for meditation and concentration.   Drawing and manuscript in various colours on paper, 62 x 44…

Large 4º, [92 pp.] with colour illustrations, illustrated wrappers with flaps, bound in later red faux-leather binding with gold tooling and lettering on the spine.

An ephemeral Japanese map illustrating Operation Barbarossa in September 1941 highlights the complex relations between Japan, the Soviet Union, and the Axis powers during World War II. Colour lithography, 53 x 75 cm (21 x 29.8 inches) (soft folds).