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R I C H A R D C. R A M E R
Special List 538
Astronomy
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R I C H A R D C . R A M E R
Old and Rare Books
225 east 70th street . suite 12f . new york, n.y. 10021-5217
Email rcramer@livroraro.com . Website www.livroraro.com
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February 26, 2025
Special List 538
Astronomy
Items marked with an asterisk (*)
will be shipped from Lisbon.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED:
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and may be returned within a reasonable time
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s pe c i a l l i s t 5 3 8
Special List 538
Astronomy
1. ALBUQUERQUE, Luís de. Astronomical Navigation. Lisbon: Comissão
Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses,
1988 (i.e. Spring 1989). Folio (30.2 x 21.6), original printed wrappers.
Very good to fine condition. 140 pp., (2 ll.), illustrated. ISBN: none.
$35.00
First separate Edition in English. These texts appeared as two chapters in Armando
Cortesão’s History of Portuguese Cartography, volume II, 1971. Out of print.
*2. ALBUQUERQUE, Luís de. Astronomical Navigation. Lisbon: Comissão
Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses,
1988 (i.e. Spring 1989). Folio (31 x 22 cm.), contemporary red cloth, two
crimson morocco lettering pieces, original printed wrappers bound in.
Very good to fine condition. 140 pp., (2 ll.), illustrated. ISBN: none.
$75.00
First separate Edition in English. These texts appeared as two chapters in Armando
Cortesão’s History of Portuguese Cartography, volume II, 1971. Out of print.
Richly Tooled Contemporary Papal Binding
Subsequently Belonged to the Last King of Italy
3. CATUREGLI, Pietro. Ephemerides motuum caelestium ex anno 1833
ad annum 1836 quas ad meridianum Bononiae supputavit …. Bologna: Ex
Typ. Sassiana, 1832. Folio (30 x 22 cm.), contemporary red straight-grain
morocco (light wear, a few pinpoint wormholes at the joints), smooth
spine richly gilt, sides tooled in gilt with two rolls, “GREGORIO XVI.
P.O.M.” tooled on upper cover, gilt inner dentelles, cream silk endleaves,
red silk endbands and ribbon marker, all edges gilt. Engraved vignette
on title-page (perhaps the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna). Clean and
crisp. In fine condition. Letterpress shelfmark label (“Hà IV.—34.”)
and circular stamp (“G V P F”) on front flyleaf. From the libraries of
Pope Gregory XVI and King Umberto II of Italy. Engraved allegorical
frontispiece (allegorical female figure with starry crown studying an
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armillary sphere), vi, 340, 12, 23 pp., (2 ll.), 2 engraved folding charts.
Text consists almost entirely of tables.
$4,000.00
FIRST and ONLY EDITION of these tables of ascension and declination for the
sun, moon and stars, with formulas and tables for calculating the same for bodies not
included in this volume. The two engraved folding charts show the predicted paths of
the solar eclipses of 16-17 July 1833 and 15 May 1836. Caturegli (d. 1833) was professor
of mathematics and astronomy at Bologna.
Provenance: Library of Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846); later in the library of Umberto
II, King of Italy (1904-1983; reigned 9 May 1946 to 12 June 1946, although he had been de
facto head of state since 1944), parts of which were dispersed in Portugal.
❊ Not located in NUC. OCLC: 32507349 (giving same years in the title as this
copy, but a date of printing of 1882 [sic?], and a collation of 380 pp., at Bibliothèque de
l’Observatoire de Paris); 24155684 (years in the title are given as 1833 to 1837, date of
printing 1832-1836, collation as 2 volumes). ICCU: Biblioteca dell’INAF—Osservatorio
astronomico di Capodimonte—Napoli. Not located in Jisc.
4. DERYAUX, Antoine. Découverte de la véritable astronomie basée sur la loi
commune aux mouvements des corps. Vienna: Imprimerie et Lithographie
de Timon Frères, Monté des Capucins 3, 1855. 8°, original blue-green
printed wrappers (light soiling; slit of about 5 cm. at head of spine;
slight defect at foot). Some foxing, light dampstaining. Soiling on pp.
16-17. Overall good condition. Page of early manuscript notes laid in,
with an astronomical diagram. Signature on upper wrapper of José de
Saldanha (see below). At foot of spine, old paper tag with blue border
and faded manuscript shelfmark. 126, (2) pp., 2 very large folding
celestial maps.
$300.00
Third edition, following those of Paris, 1853 and Vienna, 1854. The large folding
plates show the positions of the zodiac and the solar system. The work includes chapters
on centrifugal and centripetal force, on tides, on predicting eclipses without training in
astronomy, Kepler’s Laws, and more.
A summary on the title page and front wrapper states, “Cette importante découverte
peut profiter à la navigation, et elle sert de point de départ pour se rendre compte de
l’origine de tous les faits atronomiques qu’on voit effectuer aux corps célestes.—Jusqu’à
ce jour l’origine de ces faits était ignorée par tous les astronomes, anciens et modernes.”
The printed wrapper advertises, “Avec cet ouvrage on peut prédire les éclipses sans avoir
aucune connaissance en astronomie, et on connaît les vraies causes de tous les faits qu’on
voit effectuer aux corps célestes.…”
Provenance: most probably D. José de Saldanha Oliveira e Souza, who also used
the name José Luiz de Saldanha (1839-1912), was a son of D. João de Saldanha Oliveira
Juzarte Figueira e Sousa, 3º conde de Rio Maior, and brother of António José Luís de
Saldanha Oliveira Juzarte Figueira e Sousa, 4º conde and 1º marquês de Rio Maior. A
chemist and mineralogist, parliamentary deputy, and high government official, he studied
mathematics and philosophy at Coimbra University, wrote on subjects as varied as agri
culture, finance, and engravings, and amassed an important library. He was a devoted
proponent of progress in the national agricultural sector, which he considered one of the
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primary sources of public wealth. See Grande enciclopédia XIX, 402; Innocêncio XIII, 66-7;
Aditamentos, pp. 254-5. The Casa da Anunciada library of the counts of Rio Maior was
one of the best private libraries ever formed in Portugal. It was dispersed for the most
part not long after the April 1974 Portuguese revolution.
❊ OCLC: 457679265 (Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 128 pp.); 557956607 (British
Library, 126 pp.); 431497990 (Biblioteca Nacional de España, without collation); 457679250
for the 1853 edition (Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 41 pp.); 457679257 for the 1854
edition (Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 61 pp.). Jisc repeats British Library only.
First Appearance of Euclid in Spain
5. EUCLID. Los seis libros primeros dela geometria de Euclides. Traduzidos en
lengua española por Rodrigo Çamorano astrologo y mathematico, y cathedratico
de cosmographia por su Magestad en la casa de la Contratacion de Seuilla.
Dirigidos al jllustre señor Luciano de Negron, canonigo dela sancta yglesia
de Seuilla. Seville: En Casa de Alonso de la Barrera, 1576. 4°, contempo
rary limp vellum (ties missing, light stains), vertical manuscript short
author and title on spine, in a recent quarter brick-red morocco over
reddish-orange cloth folding box. Large woodcut arms of dedicatee on
title-page. Numerous woodcut geometric designs in text. Large (13-
line) woodcut initial on first page of text; a few 4- and 5-line initials.
Woodcut vignette tailpiece. Crisp. Light dampstain in lower blank
margin of final 20 leaves. In fine condition. Bookplate from the Landau
library, number 64704. 121, (1) ll., signed A4, B-P8, Q4, R2. A4 missigned
“4”, M2 missigned “M3”. Leaf 11 unnumbered, 51 misnumbered 42,
78 misnumbered 70, 84 misnumbered 76, 103 misnumbered 102, 105
misnumbered 108, and 116 misnumbered 108.
$18,000.00
First Edition in Spanish, and the only edition of this translation prior to a Salamanca
1999 reprint. It is also the first printing of any text by Euclid in Spain, in any language.
Zamorano (b. 1542) was professor of cosmography at the Casa de la Contratación de las
Indias, as well as an astrologer and mathematician. He later became piloto mayor to King
Philip II and wrote the official navigation manual of the Spanish Navy at the time of
the Armada. In the present book, he emphasizes the sciences of mechanics, astronomy,
and cosmography.
Thomas-Stanford comments that this volume has the appearance of a schoolbook,
which would account for its rarity, and notes that the few copies he had been able to
examine were rather worn (pp. 16-17).
Euclid’s Elements, a collection of definitions, axioms, theorems, and proofs in 13
books (of which six are included in this translation) is the oldest extant deductive treat
ment of mathematics, and played an important role in the development of logic and
modern science. One of the world’s most successful and influential textbooks, it was first
published in Venice, 1482, and has appeared in over a thousand editions.
❊ Thomas-Stanford 43. Adams E1018. BL, Pre-1601 Spanish STC p. 74 (British Library
copy with title-page mutilated). Palau 84721. Beardsley 95 (listing copies at the Biblioteca
Nacional de España and University of Michigan). Catálogo colectivo E903. Salvá 2570.
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Heredia 4494. Steck III, 88. Duarte, Euclides, Arquimedes, Newton pp. 46, 48. Honeyman
1011. Riccardi, Bibliografia euclidea, 1576 (1). Not in HSA. NUC: MiU, MB. OCLC: 23621006
(Burndy Library, Indiana University, Houghton Library-Harvard University, University of
Michigan, Brown University, Cambridge University, National Library of Wales), 560851127
(British Library); 266086700 (Cambridge University); 57317460 (microfilm copy: Center
for Research Libraries, ProQuest). CCPBE locates sixteen copies. Not located in Rebiun
(which cites Salamanca 1999 and Mairena del Aljarafe 2006 editions). Jisc repeats the two
copies at Cambridge University. Not in Orbis (which lists the Salamanca 1999 edition
at SML). KVK (51 databases searched) adds one copy at Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale-
Roma, and one at Biblioteca Casanatense-Roma.
Encyclopedic Work on Oriental Languages and Cultures
6. HERBELOT DE MOLAINVILLE, Barthélemy d’. Bibliotheque Orien
tale ou Dictionaire Universel contenant Generalement tout ce qui regarde la
connoissance des Peuples de l’Orient. Leurs histoires et traditions veritables
ou fabuleuses, leurs religions, sectes et politique. Leurs gouvernement, loix,
coütumes, moeurs, guerres, & les révolutions de leurs empires. Leurs sciences,
et leurs arts. Leurs théologie, mythologie, magie, physique, morale, médecine,
mathématiques, histoire naturelle, chronologie, géographie, observations
astronomiques, grammaire, & réthorique. Les vies et actions remarquables de
tous leurs saints, docteurs, philosophes, historiens, poëtes, capitaines, & de
tous ceux qui se sont rendus illustres parmi eux, par leur vertu, ou par leur
savoir. Des jugemens critiques, et des extraits de tous leurs ouvrages, de leurs
traitez, traductions, commentaires, abregez, recüeils de fables, de sentences, de
maximes, de proverbes, de contes, de bons mots, & de tous leurs livres écrits
en Arabe, en Persan, ou en Turc, sur toutes sortes de sciences, d’arts, & de
professions. Paris: Par la Compagnie des Libraires, 1697. Folio (38.5 x
26.5 cm), a distinguished binding in a sorry state: early full mottled
calf (scuffed, edges much worn), gilt spine with raised bands in seven
compartments (crude repairs to spine, especially at head and foot, both
joints cracking), gilt-tooled arms on spine of Rohan-Soubise (see below).
Title page printed in red and black; elaborate woodcut headpieces, tail
pieces and initials. Scattered foxing and light browning; paper defect
in margin not affecting text on Rrr iii; tear in text without loss on Hhhh
ii. Internally very good; overall in good condition. Bound for Charles
de Rohan, Prince de Soubise et d’Epinoy, duc de Rohan-Rohan (1715-
1787) (see below). Scattered early marginal notes in various hands. On
title page, a three-line purchase inscription dated 1921 and four-line
purchase inscription from Santos (?), dated 1922, noting offer to Salazar
(?). Engraved frontispiece portrait, (16 ll.), 1059 (1) pp., with frequent
mispagination (see below).
$1,400.00
FIRST EDITION of an encyclopedic work on oriental languages and cultures: Herbelot
de Molainville read Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Aramaic, Syriac, and Hebrew. An ambitious
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work 3 decades in the making, the Bibliothèque orientale was completed and published
posthumously by Antoine Galand. It is largely a translation of the Arabic bibliography
of Hadji Khalfa, but incorporates many other Arabic and Turkish compilations: about
100 are cited as sources in the preliminary leaves. It is written in the form of a diction
ary, from “Ab” to “Zouzeni,” with a supplement (pp. 941-1032) and a lengthy subject
index (pp. 1033-59). As set out on the title page, the Bibliothèque covers topics ranging
from poetry, fables, mythology, and morals to mathematics, medicine, and astronomy.
Brunet noted that from 1697 to 1776 no new compendium had been written, so
that although it was somewhat out of date, the Bibliothèque continued to be “toujours
très-recherché.” It was printed again at Maastricht, 1776, with a supplement of 1780 by
Claude de Visdelou. Editions also appeared in Paris, 1781-84, and The Hague, 1777-99.
Barthélemy d’Herbelot de Molainville (Paris, 1625-Paris, 1695) was one of the leading
scholars of oriental languages of the seventeenth century. After studying Asian languages
at the University of Paris, he sought to gain fluency by speaking with Asians in Italian
seaports. After living on a pension in Fouquet’s home, he was appointed secretary and
interpreter of Eastern languages for the king of France. Grand-Duke Ferdinand II of
Tuscany tried to lure him away, but Colbert persuaded Herbelot to return to France. In
1692 he became chair of Syriac at the Collège Royal.
The volume includes numerous errors in pagination and quire signatures: pagination
skips 305-306 but text follows. Page 324 misnumbered as 316. Page 461 is misnumbered
as 469. Leaf Rrr iij is not signed. Leaf Yyy iij is missigned as Zzz iij. Pages 800-801 repeat,
but text follows. Page 871 is misnumbered as 863. Page 1040 is misnumbered as 1400.
Leaf Zii is misbound following Ziii.
Provenance: gilt-tooled arms on the spine are Olivier plate 2034, Stamps 8 and 9.
Charles de Rohan was a bibliophile who led an impressive military career and rose to
the rank of Marshal of France. He was an intimate of King Louis XV and Madame de
Pompadour.
❊ Brunet II, 664. Zischka 15. Graesse II, 376. Hamilton, Europe and the Arab World, 36:
“one of the landmarks in Arabic studies.” Not in the Atabey sale, which had the editions
of Maastricht, 1776 and Paris, 1781-84 (lots 563-564).
7. INSTITUTO GEOGRAPHICO E HISTORICO DA BAHIA. Revista
commemorativa do Quarto Centenario do Brazil. Anno VII, Vol. VII, N. 23.
Bahia: Typ. e Encadernação Empreza Editora, 1900. Large 8°, original
illustrated wrappers, printed in green and gilt (front cover detached,
some chipping and spotting). Small coat of arms on title page. Decorative
headpieces, initials, and ornaments. Light browning. Overall in near-
good condition. Old oval stamp (illegible) with inked date “23/6/1900”.
Old paper tag on back wrapper with red border and penciled shelfmark
(“922”). 77 pp., a few illustrations in text (a constellation, an astrolabe,
a king’s signature).
$40.00
Single issue of this periodical published to celebrate the fourth centenary of Cabral’s
voyage. It includes reprints of a letter by one of Cabral’s crew (pp. 4-11); a letter dated
1500 from Mestre João, a royal physician who was also on the voyage (like the previous
letter, much concerned with navigation, pp. 11-14); a translation of Cabral’s letter on
the discovery of Brazil, translated from Italian (pp. 31-36), a letter of Pero de Magalhães
Gandavo on the discovery of “Santa Cruz” (and why it was not named “Brazil”, pp.
37-40); and accounts of the discovery of Brazil from P. Simão de Vasconcellos, Gabriel
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Soares de Souza, Ramusio, Camões and other poets, plus more recent sources such as
Varnhagen. The illustrated wrapper shows Indigenous Americans watching the arrival
of European ships.
❊ Not located in OCLC. Not located in Porbase. Not located in Jisc. Not located in
KVK (51 databases searched).
8. MATA, José Melitão da. Compendio do calculo da latitude no mar pela
observação meridiana dos astros. Lisbon: Na Officina de Simão Thaddeo
Ferreira, 1789. 4°, recent olive Oasis morocco, spine with raised bands
in five compartments, gilt letter, marbled endpapers. Finely engraved
vignettes on title-page and p. 1; 58 engraved diagrams in text (see
below). Some minor staining and soiling. Overall clean and crisp, in
very good to fine condition. (1 l.), 134 pp.
$1,200.00
FIRST EDITION. Gives rules for fixing one’s position at sea by the stars, with sample
diagrams and calculations.
The title-page vignette shows Poseidon and an allegorical female flanking the
Portuguese coat of arms; behind them are a row of columns topped by Muses and
the ocean, with a tall ship approaching and seagulls. On the first page, the half-page
vignette shows three putti holding navigational tools at the lower left; at the right are
two tall ships and a castle (the Torre de Belém?); at the top of the semicircular frame is
the sun. Outside the frame, two putti supply wind to move the ships. The 58 diagrams
demonstrate how to calculate latitude at sea; each shows the zenith and the globe with
meridians and compass directions, plus one other factor (e.g., the position of the sun,
moon, or a star) that is required to calculate the latitude. Among the stars used are the
North Star, Procyon (the brightest star of Canis Minor), Rigel (Orion constellation), Spica
(Virgo constellation), Aldebaran (Taurus constellation), Castor (Gemini constellation).
Mata (d. 1809) taught navigation in Lisbon and wrote several other handbooks
for pilots.
❊ Not in Innocêncio; cf. V, 74-75. Ticknor Catalogue p. 521. NUC: NN; a copy with the
date [1788] is cited at MB, but the Ticknor Catalog gives the date as 1789. OCLC: 39555943
(New York Public Library). Not located in Porbase. Not located in Jisc.
Who’s Afraid of a Comet?
9. [MORGANTI, Bento]. Breve discurso sobre os cometas, em que se mostra
a sua natureza, sua duraçaõ, seu movimento, sua influencia, e a sua Regiaõ
&c. Escrito por B.M. Lisbon: Na Officina de Francisco Borges de Sousa,
1757. 4°, twentieth-century half tan sheep over machine-marbled boards
(slightly warped), smooth spine blank; on upper cover, red leather let
tering piece with gilt border and lettering. Woodcut ornament on title
page. Woodcut headpiece, six-line woodcut initial on p. 3. Browning.
Overall in good to very good condition. 21 pp., (2, 1 blank pp.).
$800.00
FIRST EDITION, published to counter the idea that a comet predicts a major disaster
or disasters. The work explains that comets are natural phenomena, giving a good idea
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in lay terms of their astronomical significance, and explains that they have no influence
on earthly events. Halley’s Comet duly appeared in 1759. The printing of a second edi
tion in 1818 coincided with the appearance of a different comet, and was also meant to
quiet rumors of impending doom.
Morganti was born in Rome in 1709. He had a degree in canon law from Coimbra
University, was a secular presbyter, and had a benefice at the Basilica de Santa Maria.
❊ Innocêncio I, 350 (calling for only 21 pp.), XVIII, 249. Fonseca, Pseudónimos, p. 102.
Coimbra, Miscelâneas 6439, 8053. OCLC: 64234425 (Houghton Library, Newberry Library,
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek). Porbase locates three copies at the Biblioteca Nacional de
Portugal (with 21, [2] pp.) and a Lisbon, 1818 edition (Breve discurso sobre os cometas, em
que se mostra a sua natureza, a duração do tempo da sua apparição, sua nenhuma influencia sobre
o mundo, e nos diversos acontecimentos que no mesmo se observão) at the Biblioteca Nacional
de Portugal. Not located in Jisc.
Comets do not Influence Events on Earth
10. [MORGANTI, Bento]. Breve discurso sobre os cometas, em que se mostra
a sua natureza, a duração do tempo da sua apparição, sua nenhuma influencia
sobre o mundo, e nos diverso acontecimentos que no mesmo se observão. Lisbon:
Na Impressão Regia, 1818. 8°, recent buckram, in a blue morocco fold
ing case by Invicta, lined with marbled paper. Woodcut on title-page
depicting the Sun, Earth, and four comets (or possibly a single comet in
orbit around the sun, at four positions). In very good condition. Color
abstract pictorial bookplate of Joaquim Pessoa. 31 pp.
$500.00
Second edition? The work was first published in 1757 to counter rumors that a
comet would predict a major disaster or disasters; the case of the Lisbon earthquake of
1755 is discussed (p. 28). The work explains that comets are natural phenomena, giving
a good idea in lay terms of their astronomical significance, and explains that they have
no influence on earthly events. Halley’s Comet duly appeared in 1759. The printing of a
second edition in 1818 coincided with the appearance of a different comet, and was also
meant to quiet rumors of impending doom.
Morganti was born in Rome in 1709, had a degree in canon law from Coimbra and
was a secular presbyter. He had a benefice at the Basilica de Santa Maria.
Provenance: Joaquim [Maria] Pessoa (1948-2003), poet, artist, publicist, student of
Portuguese pre-history, and book collector, was the author or co-author of many Portu
guese television programs, and for six years (1988-1994) was director of the Sociedade
Portuguesa de Autores. He also founded the artistic cooperative Toma Lá Disco, with
Ary dos Santos, Fernando Tordo, Carlos Mendes, Paulo de Carvalho and Luiz Villas-
Boas, among others. See Álvaro Manuel Machado in Machado, ed., Dicionário de literatura
portuguesa, p. 379.
❊ This edition not in Innocêncio (see I, 350 for the 1757 edition). Not located in
Houzeau & Lancaster. Not located in OCLC. Porbase cites a single copy of this edition
in the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal, as well as three copies of the original edition at
the same institution. Not located in Jisc. This edition not in Hollis, which lists the 1757
edition. Not in Orbis. Not in Melvyl. Not in Llibrary of Congress online catalog. Not in
Josiah. Not in Catnyp.