Forum Rare Books

Large catalogue, tiny books: our new catalogue "Almanacs, Miniature Books, Songbooks, and more" is here! 100 interesting and often very rare items on a variety of subjects. Check out the pdf-version on our website (link in bio).

#rarebooks #bookcollecting #miniaturebooks #almanacs #songbooks

If you like #Bridgerton, you'll love this fun item from our upcoming catalogue "Almanacs, Miniature Books, Songbooks, and more": a beautiful, ca. 1840 French #ballbook in tortoiseshell wrappers, which can be fastened with the included pencil. Find out more on our website.

Coming up: new catalogue on Almanacs, Miniature Books, Songbooks, and more. 100 items, incl. this extremely rare early (1681) edition of popular Amsterdam almanac, compiled by Dirck Rembrantsz. van Nierop (1610-1682), in remarkable contemporary silver-tooled vellum binding.

#bookbinding #rarebooks

French astronomer Joseph-Jérôme le Français de Lalande is happy to pronounce Firsts' Online Book Fair open for business!

More about this #painting:
www.firsts-online.com/exhibitors/profile/846

At Asher you'll find more #rarebooks #manuscripts:
www.firsts-online.com/exhibitors/profile/66649

Less than 24 hours before Firsts' Virtual Book Fair opens. Here's another highlight from our booth: #firstedition of Jubilee masterpiece of renowned Provincia Flandro-Belgica administrative region of Society of Jesus. One of the finest books of the Officina Plantiniana under Balthasar Moretus.

Was this wonderfully illustrated (Ottoman-style) #binding, holding a 1648 edition of Lucius Annaeus Florus' "Epitome rerum Romanarum", really made in Venice in the 17th century, as stated in the 1911 sale catalogue of the great American collector Robert Hoe? Check our website for the full story...

Inschrijven voor de nieuwsbrief kan via dit formulier: www.firsts-online.com/contact. Communicatie gaat vanuit de ABA.

This week we'll be participating in #FirstsOnline 's Virtual Book Fair & here's a first highlight: a very rare Amsterdam edition, in a fine #binding, of the memoirs of Jacques Necker, the Genevan banker who served as finance minister for King Louis XVI in the years leading up to #FrenchRevolution.

Today's newsletter presents 12 recently described items, including this #masterpiece of 18th-century miniature book-illustration. To receive our newsletter, please fill in your details in the form you'll find at the footer of our website. There you'll also find more info on this classic #rarebook.

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone who is celebrating! As this is the Year of the Horse we'd like to highlight this original #drawing of a dignitary on horseback, part of a series of 4 (probably) Manchurian scenes mounted on Dutch paper from the period 1650-1660.

More on our website.

#China

New on our website: #firstedition (1601) of the famous "Grande Chronique" by Jean François Le Petit, an essential source for the history of the Dutch War of Independence (Tachtigjarige Oorlog). In the employ of William of Orange, the author was an eyewitness to many events he describes.

#rarebooks

Our #bookoftheday is extremely rare #firstedition (1839-40) of the author's dedication copy for Queen Anna Pavlovna of the Netherlands, of a novel advocating the emancipation of women: Joseph Dufeytte-Dilhan's "Les mémoires d'un ange, ou Les femmes vengées". Find out more on our website.

#feminism

Here's a #book that's exactly 4 centuries old this year: the 2nd edition (with new and more extensive illustrations) of one of the most noted Italian books on #hunting. Eugenio Raimondi's "Delle caccie" contains 13 beautiful full-page engraved illustrations showing the hunt of all kinds of animals.

Our book of the day is this graphically stunning 3-volume historical manuscript #atlas, made in France, dated 1851. It contains 23 graphically vibrant #maps, coloured in outline with subtly shaded washes in grey (for the coasts) & numerous bright colours (for political boundaries). More on website.

It's a joy to present our new catalogue: Printed and written in Antwerp in the 16th century:

www.forumrarebooks.com/catalogues.html

100+ interesting rare books, manuscripts, maps and prints from the 16th century from the Belgian city of Antwerpen. Pdf on our website.

#earlyprinting #bookhistory

Another #highlight from our upcoming catalogue "Printed and written in Antwerp in the 16th century": extraordinary copy of #firstedition of famous Moerentorf #Bible in vernacular Dutch language, printed in 1599, with vivid contemporary hand-colouring and in richly blind-tooled contemporary binding.

Coming up: large new catalogue with 110 #rarebooks and other items printed in the city of #Antwerpen.

A first highlight: 1542 edition, printed by Antonius Dumaeus [= Anthonis van der Haeghen] of Pliny's letters in an exceptionally well-preserved contemporary pigskin binding. More on our website.

Here's a fun item from our new short list with 12 recently catalogued #rarebooks: complete set of "Le cuisinier moderne" (The Hague, 1742), the famous cookery book by Vincent La Chapelle, which strongly influenced the cuisine of the British aristocracy in the 18th century.

#cookbooks

In our next short list we will present 12 newly described #rarebooks, incl. this third, enlarged Dutch edition of famous model book by Francois Perrier (1590-1650), depicting 100 of the most beautiful of Roman classical sculptures. Many not suitable for posting here, you'll find them on our website.

Our #bookoftheday is the #firstedition of Dutch translation of the journal of general Lafayette's 1824-1825 Farewell Tour of all 24 United States.

Lafayette was the French officer in Washington's Continental Army and a commander the decisive Battle Of Yorktown (1781), which secured US independence.

Less than 2 days before opening of Stuttgart Antiquarian Book Fair and here's another interesting item from our catalogue: an eighteenth-century work of private devotion, written by a woman in very clear and legible hand, containing more than 30 German songs and prayers. More info on our website.

Pleased to present our catalogue for the Stuttgart Rare Book Fair (Jan.23-25). 75 interesting #rarebooks #manuscripts from period between 1400-1870, including many recently described items. Pdf on our website. Subjects include Cartography, Early Printing, History, Travel. etc.

We'll be in Booth 32.

Gold-tooled red binding for #bluemonday. This beautiful and rare copy of "Executoria de hildaguia de los Echeniques y Aguirres, y de sus descendientes" (1664) is a first highlight from our upcoming catalogue for the Stuttgart Antiquarian Book Fair. More info on our website.

#rarebooks #bookfair

We have just sent the newsletter on our new short list #Medicine & Pharmacy. If you haven't received it, you can subscribe by filling in the form in the footer of our website!

Depicted here is 1st substantial #book on #childbirth to appear in the Dutch language, by Hendrik van Deventer (1701).

Our next short list will be on #Medicine, and here's a 1st highlight: Dutch translation of collected works (Amsterdam, 1649) of famous French surgeon Ambrosius Paré (1517-1590), great renovator of surgery in France, who also profoundly influenced practice of surgery throughout Europe.

#rarebooks

The man who introduced the word 'gas' into our vocabulary was born in Brussels #onthisday in 1580. In our online inventory we currently have a fine binding holding Elzevier editions of 2 classic works Jean Baptiste Helmont, who is seen as the founder of pneumatic chemistry.

#rarebooks

Have you already signed up for our #newsletter? If you have, expect our short list Fine bindings in your inbox any moment now.

You haven't? Check the footer of our website.

Want to find out right away about these bindings? Check the highlight section of our website!

#rarebooks #finebindings

A definite highlight in our upcoming short list Fine Bindings is this rare first poetry collection of child prodigy Clara Feyoena van Sytzama (1729-1807), published when she was seventeen, in a deluxe presentation binding by the so-called "Groningen Bird Bindery."

#womenhistory #rarebooks #poetry

Best wishes for the new year!

Our first short list of 2026 will be on #finebindings & includes this beautifully produced and controversial 1629 work on the history of the Council of Trent (1545-1563), dedicated to king Charles I of England (1600-1649), whose arms are on both boards.

#rarebooks

For our last social media post of 2025 we have selected a highlight from one of our first catalogues of 2026. It's a 1587 Plantin edition of the revised Roman Missal following the directives of the Council of Trent. Stay tuned for more information.

Happy holidays from everyone at Forum Rare Books!