engineering

Hydraulic engineering
& Flood control

Hydraulic engineering & Flood control
e-catalogue
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cover image: no. 19
v 1.0 · 03 Nov 2016

Two masterpieces of Dutch hydraulic engineering
1. BA R NA R D, John Gross. Report on
the North Sea Canal of Holland; and on the
improvement of navigation from Rotterdam
to the sea; to the chief of engineers, United
States army. (Professional papers of the corps
of engineers, U.S. army. No. 22).
Washington D.C., U.S. Government Printing
Office, 1872. 4º. With 12 plates numbered as
11 (all but 1 folding and 1 printed in red and
black). Further with a half title, title-page,
preface, and list of plates. Contemporary
brown half morocco, reddish-brown cloth
sides gold-blocked with the title and the coat
of arms of the United States Army Corps of
Engineers. € 875
A detailed and neatly arranged overview of the
construction works of the Nieuwe Waterweg and
the North Sea Canal, compiled by Brevet Major
General John Gross Barnard. Barnard´s report, no.
22 in the series of professional papers published by
the U.S. army corps of engineers, clearly presents
all technical details of these two major shipping
canals, whose construction was then nearing
completion.
With some tears in the plates (serious in plate 1)
but otherwise in good condition. A thorough and
well-illustrated report on two significant examples
of 19th-century Dutch hydraulic engineering.

Richly illustrated lectures on applied physics, by the Royal Society’s de facto curator of experiments
2. DE SAGU LIERS, John Theophilus. De natuurkunde uit ondervindingen opgemaakt... Uit het Engels vertaald door een liefhebber der
natuurkunde.
Amsterdam Isaak Tirion, 1751. 3 volumes. 4º. With 114 folding engraved plates. Contemporary half-calf. € 1925
Second edition in Dutch of a syllabus of lectures by a British natural philosopher,
reprinting the first two volumes and adding a third volume, appearing
here in translation for the first time. The son of Huguenot refugees, Desaguliers
(1683–1744) studied at Christ Church, Oxford and succeeded James Keill as
lecturer in experimental philosophy at Hart Hall. “Desaguliers’ practical
abilities aroused the Royal Society’s interest soon after his arrival in London…
at Newton’s suggestion, he was invited to repeat some of Newton’s experiments
on heat; before long he had become a de facto curator of experiments” (DSB).
Desaguliers was highly skilled in practical mechanics, improving numerous
devices, and described and demonstrated a great number of experiments. For
the benefit of his auditors, Desaguliers published a number of his lectures in
1717 and in 1719 other lectures were published in an unauthorized edition
which Desaguliers denounced. Only in 1734 did the first official volume of
lectures appear, including a simple treatment of Newton’s system of the world
and a description and a description of Ralph Allen’s railway in Bath. The
second volume appeared in 1746. “Desaguliers attributed the ten-year delay
before the appearance of his second tome to his desire to improve the treatment
of machines, especially waterwheels… Continuing with mechanics, in seven
lectures, he discussed impact and elasticity, vis viva and momentum, heat,
hydrostatics and hydraulics, pneumatics, meteorology, and more machines.
This second volume… entitles Desaguliers to be considered a forerunner of
the more advanced knowledge of machinery that characterized the Industrial
Revolution” (DSB).
Dutch translations appeared in 1737 (volume 1) and 1746 (volume 2). Both
volumes were reprinted in 1751, together with a third volume containing a
single lecture on hydraulics and a treatise on optics.
With some spotting throughout and the bindings rubbed. The privilige of volume 1 is bound after instead of before the contents; volume 2 with a small
wormhole in the lower margin not affecting the text and a hole in the lower margin on pp. 279–301. A good copy of this interesting work on applied physics
with attractive engravings.
Bierens de Haan 1178–1180; DSB IV, pp. 43–46; STCN (12 copies, 6 incomplete).

Finely engraved wall map of the Rijnland water district, coloured by a contemporary hand
3. [DOU, Jan Jansz., Steven van BROECK HU YSEN
and Melchior BOL STR A]. ‘T Hooge Heemraedschap van
Rhynland.
[Amsterdam, Isaak Tirion], 1746. Very large engraved wall map
of the Rijnland water district in 12 map sheets and 1 title-sheet,
the title-sheet divided into 3 strips, the whole mounted on cloth
(measuring 185 × 169 cm as assembled). Coloured and shellacked
by a contemporary hand, with gold for the lettering of the title
and the coat of arms. With the water board’s coat of arms, and
two decorative cartouches listing the members of the water board
in 1687 and 1746. Framed. € 7500
Third state (extensively corrected and updated) of a finely engraved wall
map of the Rijnland water district in Holland, including the cities of
Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden and (on the district border) The Hague.
At a scale of about 1 : 30 000 it shows the entire district and some surrounding
land in great detail, with the fortifications and (outside the
cities) the individual houses, windmills, churches and other buildings
shown, besides the roads, paths, waterways, and the individual parcels
of land in the polders. In 1745 the Rijnland waterboard ordered the
surveyor Melchior Bolstra to correct the outdated map of Dou and
Broeckhuysen of 1647, which had been slightly revised in 1687. The
results of Bolstra’s new survey were engraved on the original plates by
David Coster.
Evenly browned, except along the edges of the sheets, and some small
smudges. Good copy of a large wall map of the Rijnland water district.
Donkersloot-De Vrij 715.

Ocean waves, flooding & hydraulic engineering, well-illustrated
4. EM Y, Amand Rose. Ueber die Bewegung der Wellen und über den Bau am Meere und im Meere. ... Mit 10 Kupfertafeln [sic].
Vienna, Ludwig Förster’s artistischer Anstalt (on reverse of title-page: printed by J.P. Sollinger), 1839. 8º. With 10 folding lithographic plates
(23 × 39 to 54 cm) with 75 figures showing diagrams of wave forms and motions, and plans and cross-sections of coasts, man-made barriers,
buildings, hydraulic devices, etc. 19-century blue cloth. € 350
First edition in German of a detailed account of
waves, concentrating on ocean waves. It covers both
practical and theoretical aspects, with chapters on
the motion of waves and of water within waves,
the theory of travelling waves, new developments
in wave theory, various phenomena, the influence
of the form of the sea floor on waves, the effects of
wind and causes of floods, their effects on the coast
and the silting of harbours, the theory and practice
of sea walls and other constructions, harbour
improvement, and a more detailed discussion of
various sorts of constructions. The illustrations
include diagrams illustrating the theory of wave
flow, cross-sections of various shapes of sea floors
and their influence on the waves, plans and sections
of protective constructions (wharves, dams, sea
walls, etc.) and hydraulic devices. It makes use of
specific historical examples, such as the destruction
of the dam at St. Jean de Luz in 1822.
A good copy, with the text leaves slightly wrinkled
and with some minor stains, and two leaves reinforced
along the edge. The plates are very slightly
browned. There are a few small holes in the binding
cloth. An interesting and uncommon practical and
theoretical treatise.
WorldCat (4 copies); cf. Sotheran, Second suppl. 17951.

Monograph on rivers, torrents and inland navigation
5. FA BR E , Jean Antoine. Essai sur la théorie des
torrens et des rivières, contenant les moyens les plus
simples d’en empêcher les ravages, d’en rétrécir le lit &
d’en faciliter la navigation, le hallage & la flottaison.
Accompagné d’une discussion sur la navigation
intérieure de la France; et terminé par le projet de
rendre Paris, port maritime en faisant remonter à la
voile, par la Seine, les navires qui s’arrêtent à Rouen.
Paris, Bidault, 1797. 4º (29 × 21.5 cm). With 8 folding
engraved plates, showing how to determine the drop of
a river, the contents of water, how to change currents,
how to create different effects with different dyke
constructions, etc. Contemporary mottled calf, goldtooled
spine, in the style of Bradel & Derôme. € 750
Rare work on rivers, torrents and inland navigation. Jean
Antoine Fabre (1749–1834), an hydraulic engineer, systematically
describes the origin, conditions of rivers and
torrents and offers advice on how to change their course
and/or prevent them from causing damage. He argues
against the deforestation of mountain slopes, gives advice
on how to cultivate agricultural areas on hillsides and
discusses different dyke constructions. In the third part
of his work, he deals with inland navigation and gives a
survey of the situation on several French rivers. He finally
launches a plan to transform Paris into an harbour by
forcing the current to deepen the rather shallow Seine,
thereby enabling larger ships to reach the capital.
A few leaves slightly foxed, pages 137–141 with lower
margins/corner damaged; binding slightly rubbed, some
repairs to spine. A well preserved copy with ample margins
of this intriguing work on hydrology and navigation.
Brunet II, col. 1148; Ward 765; for Fabre: Poggendorf I, col. 711.

18th-century manuscript map of part of the Lek River
6. H ATTUM, Dirk van. Kaarte en aftekening van het rivier vak beneeden het Tienhovense Veer met de aanleggende krib, en rijswerken.
[Netherlands], August 1792. Manuscript map in pen, ink and colour washes on paper (52.5 × 73.5 cm), with a compass rose (north below right),
the names of the regions, and a scale (ca. 1:2000) below left. € 1950
Large manuscript map of part of the Lek River, near the village of Tienhoven in Zuid-Holland. The map was surveyed and drawn by Dirk van Hattum,
the official surveyor of the water board of the Lekdijk Benedendams. In his map Van Hattum suggests the construction of a hydraulic works to improve the
navigability of part of the river and simultaneously protect an elementary river groyne downstream. Besides the extent, nature and ownership of the lands,
including the remains of former floodgates, much attention is given to the location, structure and improvement of the levee.
With some small tears along old folds and along the edges, and some minor soiling, but still generally in good condition.

Fine copy of splendid hydraulic engineering drawings
7. HOR ST, Tileman van der and Jacob POLLEY. Theatrum machinarum universale; of keurige verzameling van verscheide grote en zeer
fraaie waterwerken, schutsluizen, waterkeringen, ophaal- en draaibruggen.
Amsterdam, Petrus Schenk [II] & son (vol. II: Petrus Schenk [III]), 1757–1774. Imperial 2º (50 × 34 cm). With a double-page engraved dedication
plate and 41 double-page and 7 larger folding engraved illustration plates. Red half sheepskin (ca. 1800). € 3250
Second edition of both volumes of a remarkably
detailed set of scale construction drawings
(plans, sections, elevations, perspective views,
etc., including many detail drawings of individual
parts) of 18th-century Dutch waterworks,
with the accompanying letterpress descriptions
and notes. It includes locks, sluices, bridges,
pumps, pile drivers, an ice-breaker, an elaborate
water-bailing mill and more. Most of the plates
measure about 45 × 54 cm, with the folding ones
about 52 × 76 cm. At least most of the plates
depict existing works, and the text occasionally
gives some historical information. The drawings
are so detailed and give such a clear picture of
how the mechanisms functioned that one could
use them to reconstruct the works shown.
A fine copy, nearly untrimmed, with only some
false folds in the half-title and an occasional
minor defect in the paper. Plate 23 in volume 1
has no number, but it may have been trimmed
off at the head. The inside front hinge has partly
separated from the book-block, but the binding
is otherwise good. A fine copy of a magnificent
display of Dutch hydraulic engineering.
Bierens de Haan [3818.5] & [4839.5] (vol. II only, with later ed.
of vol. I); STCN (2 & 4 copies of the 2 volumes); not in Berlin
Kat.; Roberts & Trent, Bibl. Mechanica.

Important geological classic on the “subterranean world”
8. K IRCHER, Athanasius. D’onder-aardse weereld in haar goddelijk maaksel . . .
Amsterdam, heirs of Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge, 1682. 2 volumes bound as 1. 2º. With engraved frontispiece, engraved coat of arms
of the dedicatee, Thomas Ernsthuys, 15 engraved plates (mostly double-page) and numerous woodcut and engraved illustrations in the text.
Contemporary blind-tooled vellum, each board with a large centrepiece in a double panel of fillets. € 14 500
First Dutch edition of a major scientific work
Kircher, covering many branches of science,
including physics, geography and chemistry.
Kircher’s “subterranean world”, is an extensively
illustrated mixture of odd speculation
with genuine insight. It includes chapters on
the Andes mountains, the Iroquois Indians
in Canada, the Strait of Magellan and gold
& silver in America. “Major topics include
gravity, the moon, the sun, eclipses, ocean
currents, subterranean waters and fires, meteorology,
rivers and lakes, hydraulics, minerals
and fossils, subterranean giants, beasts and
demons, poisons, metallurgy and mining,
alchemy, the universal seed and the generation
of insects, herbs, astrological medicine, distillation
and fireworks’’ (Merrill).
With three owners’ inscriptions on the titlepage.
With frequent pencil marks, a leaf with
contemporary manuscript annotations tipped
in and another loosely inserted. With some
quires slightly browned and an occasional
marginal water stain or similar minor defect,
but otherwise in very good condition. Binding
soiled, joints and hinges professionally restored.
Alden & Landis 682/99; DSB VII, pp. 374–378; Hoover 483;
Sabin 37968; cf. Merrill, Athanasius Kircher 17 (Latin ed.).

Proposal for reinforcing the dikes of West-Friesland
9. L A K ENM A N, Seger. Ontwerp van een onkostbaar en zeker middel, om de Westvriesche zeedyken... te stellen buiten eenig gevaar van
doorbrake...
Amsterdam, heirs of Johannes Ratelband and company and Hendrik de Leth, 1733. 2º. With 2 folding engraved plates, including 1 map of
North-Holland. Contemporary marbled paper wrappers, preserved in a blue cloth chemise. € 1875
First and only edition of a brief treatise by Seger
Lakenman on reinforcing the dykes of West-Friesland,
now the north of North-Holland, the Netherlands. The
dykes were impaired because the pillars were affected
by “sea worms”, who couldn’t be stopped from eating
the wooden pillars. In 1732 the States of Holland and
West-Frieslandcreated a contest for a better type of
dyke. Lakenman responded with the present work, suggesting,
among other things, the construction of a new
inner dyke, a so-called “inlaagdijk”, and also including
the estimated costs. His proposal, however, was rejected
by the States. On the title-page Lakenveld is mentioned
as the secretary of “Drechterland”, a small community
in the Dutch province of North-Holland.
Some marginal thumbing, a few small stains, and
the plates only slightly browned, otherwise in good
condition, with the edges wholly untrimmed. Edges
of the marbled paper wrappers slightly frayed, but
otherwise good.
V.d. Aa XI, pp. 40-41; STCN 184404789.

With designs for dyke construction
10. LISTINGH, Nicolaas. Incitamentum & Adiumentum. Dat is Opweckinge ende Aanleydinge, Tot het uytvinden van Bequaame Middeln
en Gronden Om de Zee-dycken, In Hollandt en West-Vrieslandt, tegens ... te beschermen en the bevreyden.
Amsterdam, heirs Paulus Matthysz, 1702. With 8 large folding engraved plates of dykes and construction designs, 1 view of Muiden by Stoopendael.
With:
(2) LISTINGH, Nicolaas. Incitamentum & Adiumentum Secundum, dat is Een Tweede Opwecking en Aanleiding, ... van de oude magteloose
Muyder-zee-dyk.
Amsterdam, heirs of Paulus Matthysz, 1705.
(3) LISTINGH, Nicolaas. Na brief.
Amsterdam, August 25 1704. 3 work in 1 volume. 4º. Contemporary half calf, repairs to the spine. € 3400
Rare and interesting work on dyke construction, illustrating the continuing battle of the Dutch against the sea. On April 5 1702, the dyke between Amsterdam
and Muiden was breached (see plate 1). The Amsterdam advocate Nicolaas Listingh designed a new construction for the dyke to prevent the sand being washed
away by the pounding of the waves. Listingh proposed the construction of partitions that were placed in oblique angles. Each partition consisted of a row
of piles driven into the ground. The oblique corners would break the battering of the waves and prevent erosion. Among the 6 engravings in the first work
is a view on Muiden by Stoopendael from
De Zegepraalende Vecht . In the second work,
Listingh describes another device, a so-called
“sea forcer,” aimed to break the waves before
they hit the dyke. The large folding plate
(59 × 49 cm), depicting this construction, is
engraved by Stoopendael. Listingh defends his
construction on the grounds that it is cheaper
and more effective than the other proposals.
The final four pages contain a letter by Listingh
on dyke construction.
Bookplates with text “Majorat Meuselwitz”
on inside front cover; some browning and
staining; plates 1,4,5 with minor tears on folds
where they are attached to book with some
restorations.
Bierens de Haan 2784–2786; Cat. NHSM, p. 329; cf. v.d. Aa
IV, p. 162.

Collection of 6 maps of the Beemster polder 1644–1979
11. FLOR ISZ . VA N BERCK ENRODE , Balthasar and Daniel van
BREEN. Beemsterlants caerte... [with a second title at the head:] Ware afbeeldinge
vande bedyckte Beemster-landen... M.DC.XLIIII.
Amsterdam, 1644 [reprinted ca. 1769?]. Engraved map in 6 sheets (each 56 × 44
cm).
With:
(2) [FLOR ISZ . VA N BERCK ENRODE , Balthasar] and Daniel van BR EEN.
Beemsterlants caerte…
Amsterdam, 1658. Engraved map (43.5 × 58 cm).
(3) Beemster landts kaarte, aenwijsende de hoogte vande ringhdyck.
[Amsterdam(?), ca. 1696]. Engraved map (28 × 35.5 cm).
(4) DORLAND, C. [2 maps of the Beemster].
Amsterdam, Tresling & Co., March 1908. 2 nearly identical chromolithographed
maps (ca. 28 × 36 cm), the first partly and the second wholly coloured.
(5) Waterschap de Beemster.
February 1970, updated to 1979. Large map (64 × 50 cm).
Collection of 6 maps (the first in 6 sheets). Bound in modern cloth (57.5 × 47 cm). € 3750
Interesting collection of maps of the Beemster polder, which in the 16th century was an eight by nine kilometre inland sea north of Amsterdam. Its reclamation
in the years 1607 to 1612, financed largely by the Dutch East India Company, was one of the most ambitious of the early 17th-century drainage projects.
Dykes were built and the water was pumped out by 41 windmills, creating a large polder with sorely needed residential and above all farming land near the
rapidly expanding city of Amsterdam.
Including: (Ad 1:) Apparently the last reprint, not reported in the literature, of a magnificent map of the Beemster Polder, on a scale of about 1 : 11 500, which
“may be called the finest water-authority map of this era” (Fockema Andreae, Gesch. Kartografie Nederland, p. 36). The land was surveyed and the map drawn
in 1640 by Balthasar Florisz. van Berckenrode and engraved in 1644 by Daniel van Breen. (Ad 2:) Rare reduced version, in its first state, of the map of the
Beemster by Balthasar Florisz. van Berckenrode and Daniel van Breen. It was issued in a second state in 1769, revised by Jan Switsers. (Ad 3:) Rare surveyor’s
map clarifying the state of the dyke of the Beemster polder. (Ad 4-5:) Three modern maps of the Beemster. A few small tears along the edges (ad 3) and a minor
dampstain in two leaves (ad 1). Collection of maps of the Beemster in very good condition.
Ad 1: cf. Donkersloot-De Vrij 130; Hameleers (1984) 13; De Vries, Beemsterlants Caerten 10 (none mentioning this printing); ad 2: Donkersloot-De Vrij 130 note; De Vries, Beemsterlants Caerten 12A (5 copies); ad 3:
De Vries, Beemsterlants Caerten 13 (5 copies).

Manuscript atlas and ownership records of parcels in the Prins Willem polder,
northeast of Oostburg, in the southwest corner of the Netherlands
12. GER SOM, Gerrit van. Caerte en omlooper van Prins Willem Polder. Bedijkt anno 1650 en 1651. Bij een versamelt en na neerstigh.
ondersoek t’samen gestelt door Gerrit van Gersom dijkgraef van desen polder, anno 1723.
[Oostburg?], 1723. Royal 2º (41 × 27.5 cm). With a hand-coloured title-page, a large folding map of the dikes along the border of the polder, a large
folding general map of the polder showing the numbered parcels at a scale of about 1 : 18 000, and 17 folding detail maps showing the individual
plots within the parcels at a larger scale, all executed in brown ink and watercolours and tipped onto the fore-edges of 19 of the 144 numbered
text leaves. Contemporary sheepskin parchment. € 9500
Extraordinary manuscript atlas and register of land
ownership for the “Gecombineerde Prins Willem
Polder” (combined Prince William polder) in
Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (the parts of Flanders situated
in the province of Zeeland in the Dutch Republic),
north and west of the town of Oostburg, in the
southwest corner of the Netherlands. It documents
the individual plots of land within the polder and
records the owners who acquired each plot when
the polder was first laid out in 1650 and 1651, and
the owners in 1723. Atlases of this type were drawn
up by land-owning corporations or polder authorities
for the proper administration of land taxes,
and provide one of the most complete and accurate
records of land ownership. They generally remained
in the archives of the institutions until destroyed or
turned over to the governmental archives, so that
they rarely come on the market. The present atlas
of the Generale Prins Willempolder in Zeeland is
therefore an extremely rare primary source for the social, economic and topographic history of the region, the history of the Dutch battle against the sea and
the genealogy of the land owners. It was compiled by Gerrit van Gersom, then dijkgraaf (the official charged with oversite of a polder and its dikes) for the
Prins Willempolder.
Most of the first map is detached and several have tears, creases or tattered edges, sometimes crudely repaired, but most remain in good or very good condition.
The paperboard core of the front board is lost, leaving the limp sheepskin, and the binding is soiled and tattered, with some tears, chips and broken sewing
supports. An essential primary source for the history, topography and genealogy of the Prins Willempolder in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, in the southwest corner of
the Netherlands, near the coast and the Belgian border.

Managing water flow and levels in rivers and canals
13. MINA R D, Charles Joseph. Cours de construction des ouvrages qui établissent la navigation des rivières et de canaux, professé a l’école
des ponts et chausses de 1832 à 1841.
Paris, Carillan-Goeury & Dalmont (printed by Fain & Thunot), 1841. 2 volumes. Royal 4º (text) & Imperial 4º (plates). With 36 double page
plates. Dark green half calf, Spanish marbled paper sides, blue sprinkled edges. € 875
A work on managing water flow and levels in rivers and canals, in two volumes, the first being a text volume and the second consisting of 36 double page
plates. The text volume is divided into two parts, devoted respectively to rivers and canals. With chapters on the construction of locks, dykes, dams, tunnels,
aqueducts, and bridges. By the French engineer Charles Joseph Minard (1781–1870). The text volume includes a 27-page explanation of the plates, an 8-page
index and a list of errata.
Re-backed with original backstrip. A very good copy, with only the text volume slightly foxed throughout.
Poggendorff II, col. 154; WorldCat (9 copies).

The North Sea Canal and waterways in and around Amsterdam
14. [NORTH SEA CANAL]. [Collection of works relating to the Noordzeekanaal, the Amsterdamsche Kanaal-Maatschappij and various
waterways in and around Amsterdam].
Amsterdam, The Hague and Haarlem, 1827–1880. € 3250
Collection of 21 books and pamphlets (plus 2 duplicates) and a large folding chromolithographed map, relating to the Noordzeekanaal (North Sea Canal),
the Amsterdamsche Kanaal-Maatschappij (Amsterdam Canal Company) and various waterways in and around Amsterdam, including the IJ and the canals
in the city itself. Also with an unissued 1868 bond with separate printed conditions, from the Amsterdamsche Kanaal-Maatschappij.
When the Noordhollandsch Kanaal (North Holland Cannal), built in 1824, wasn’t any longer able to handle the growing boat traffic from the North Sea to
Amsterdam, it was decided to construct a new canal reaching the North Sea in IJmuiden, the Noordzeekanaal. This concession for this canal was given to the
Amsterdamsche Kanaal-Maatschappij and it was constructed between 1865–1876. To raise capital for this project the company issued bonds.
All in good condition, but some wrappers damaged. The bond and its conditions with some minor tears and folds. Full list of contents available on request.
3 not in P.H. Kemper, Repertorium der literatuur van den waterstaat van Nederland (1888).

1598 ordinance for clearing trees around windmills, signed by Johan van Oldenbarnevelt
15. OLDENBA R NEV ELT, Johan van. [Ordinance forbidding the planting of trees around windmills in the Land van Arkel (in the
southwestern corner of the province of Holland) and requiring the removal of existing trees].
The Hague, 14 December 1598. Manuscript document in Dutch in brown ink on the skin side of a single piece of sheepskin parchment (36 × 48
cm, folded to 14 × 19 cm). € 2950
Original official ordinance by the knighthood, noblemen
and cities of the province of Holland representing the
States of Holland (signed by the great statesman Johan van
Oldenbarnevelt), giving a detailed picture of the careful
balance that had to be struck between individual rights and
general good in maintaining the reclaimed Dutch polder
lands in the 16th century, in this case concerning water
control in the Land van Arkel, a region around the towns
of Arkel and Gorinchem and some villages and polder
lands to their north and east. The officials had already
taken all measures they could independently, improving
the existing windmills and building new ones to pump
the rising water up into the rivers, but the windmills were
unable to perform optimally because willows, orchards
and other planted trees on private properties around the
windmills were interfering with the wind. The request
was granted by the present ordinance. It gave them the
authority to forbid further planting within 50 roeden
(about 200 metres) of a windmill and to demand the
removal of trees already planted within that distance.
Although the document itself explicitly refers to the
attached seal, no trace of it survives except for the slit
cut through the two layers of parchment below the text.
The document is in very good condition, with only very
minor wear along the folds. An unusually informative
ordinance for clearing trees around windmills.

New designs for a sluice and dredging machine,
beautifully illustrated, presentation copy to Christiaan Brunings,
inspector of the original design and writer of a preliminary text
16. R EDELY KHEID, Cornelis. De nieuw uitgevonden sluis met in- en uitschuivende deuren.
With: (2) R EDELY KHEID, Cornelis. De nieuw uitgevonden diep-machine.
The Hague, Hendrik Christoffel Gutteling; Amsterdam, Jacob Yntema & Jacob Tieboel; for the author, 1774. 2 works in 1 volume. Large 2º
(49.5 × 31 cm). Ad 1 with 6 large folding engraved plates and ad 2 with 3 large folding engraved plates. Contemporary half calf. € 7500
Two rare first editions, in the original Dutch, containing detailed
descriptions and illustrations of two new inventions in water engineering:
a sluice with sliding gates and a dredging machine. They were
designed by the accomplished engineer Cornelis Redelykheid (1728–
1788), well-known in his time, but often overlooked in modern literature.
The descriptions are accompanied by a total of 9 detailed large
folding plates and especially the dredging machine is looking ingenious.
Redelykheid was already working on his sluice with sliding gates in
1772 and a model was built, one fourth its intended size. The model
was inspected and tested by the water engineer Christiaan Brunings
(1736–1805), then inspector general of rivers & waterways, who later
founded the Dutch water management department now known as
“Rijkswaterstaat”. Brunings wrote an extensive and positive rapport on
the sluice, which led Redelykheid to be awarded with 1000 gold ducats
by the States of Holland. The award enabled the inventor to publish
the present two works on his own expense, both including a preface by
Brunings. As a grateful gesture Redelykheid presented the present copy
to Brunings, with an inscription on each of the two title-pages.
With library stamp and tiny bookplate. Only some minor thumbing
in the margins of a few leaves and the leaves facing the plates slight
discoloured where the leaves overlap the fold of the plates, otherwise in
very good condition, text leaves untrimmed, leaving wide margins and
with the plates in very crisp impressions. Binding rubbed, with ends of
the spine slightly damaged, but still firm and otherwise good.
Bierens de Haan 3902 & 3900; Sloos, Gewapend met kennis, pp. 208–209; not in Roberts &
Trent; for the author: NNBW VIII, cols. 1266–1268.

1784 copy of a 1568 manuscript map of Walcheren and Zuid-Beveland in Zeeland
17. RU Y TE, Lieven. [Walcheren ... Zuyt Bevelant].
Tholen, Korstiaen Bestebroer, 1784. Map: 42 × 52.5 cm (frame: 61 × 71.5 cm). Manuscript map in ink and watercolour on paper (map image
37 × 47 cm) at a scale of about 1 : 55 000 with north at the top. Framed. € 1900
A manuscript copy of a 1568 manuscript map of what
were then islands and waterways in Zeeland, covering
the eastern half of Walcheren, most of Zuid-Beveland,
the southern edge of Noord-Beveland and some
smaller islands. It includes the cities of Middelburg,
Veere, Vlissingen and Goes, and about twenty
smaller towns and villages. It is executed in pen and
watercolour in subtle shades ochre, blue, yellow, grey,
green and pink and represents the cities and towns
pictorially (with major churches and sometimes
smaller buildings and fortifications), shows roads, 7
boats and ships in the water and sandbanks.
The map was originally drawn by the surveyor Lieven
Ruyte (ca. 1553–1601), apparently based on his own
survey, and covers an area of about 19×27 kilometres.
The original map of 1568 is said to have been in the
hands of the town clerk of the city of Goes but is now
known only from copies.
With some foxing, mostly in or near the margins,
but otherwise in very good condition. Some minor
tears are confined to the margins and the map is very
slightly worn along an old vertical fold. A detailed
map showing islands and waterways in Zeeland as
they were in 1568.
Cf. Donkersloot-de Vrij, Topografische kaarten 692; Zelandia
illustrata, p. 615.

Exploration of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, with 20 maps and charts
18. SHUFELDT, Robert Wilson. Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the practicability of a ship-canal between the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans, by the way of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Washington, Government printing office, 1872. 4º. With 19 large folding and 1 full-page maps and charts (including 6 profiles, 11 river and
coastal maps, 1 geological map (hand-coloured), and 2 meteorological charts) and 11 tinted lithographed views. Light brown goatskin. € 395
Report of a United States’ exploration of the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico. Since
the discovery of America plans were made
to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
by a canal. Robert W. Shufeldt (1822–1895)
headed the surveying mission in 1870–1871
and presented his report to the second
session of the Forty-Second Congress of
the United States. The expedition studied
the terrain beginning at the mouth of the
Coatzacoalcos river on the Mexican Gulf
and ending at the harbour of Salina Cruz
on the Pacific Ocean, a distance of ca. 225
km in a straight line. The report contains
sections on the hydrography, meteorology,
geology, zoology, botany, ethnography,
etc. of this region. The canal would make
partial use of the Coatzacoalcos river and
the largest part would be dug out, containing
locks and even tunnels, the longest
projected tunnel would measure 1265 m.
With some library stamps. Lower corner
title-page cut off, some small tears along
folding lines of some maps, tear in map 11,
otherwise in good condition. Binding also
good, only slightly rubbed.
Palau 312172; Sabin 80759; DAB XVII, pp. 139–140.

Contemporary illustrations
of the Trollhätte Canal
19. SKJÖLDEBR A ND, Anders Frederik. Description des cataractes
et du canal de Trollhätta en Suède; avec un précis historique.
Stockholm, Charles Delén, 1804. 4º. With an aquatint title-page and 12
aquatint plates, including 1 map, all drawn and engraved by the author.
Contemporary grey-blue wrappers. € 850
First and only edition in the original French, of a richly illustrated description of
the waterfall, locks and canal near Trollhättan in Sweden. Although spectacular,
the waterfalls were a great obstacle in the transport of wood from Lake Vänern
in the interior of Sweden, to the port of Gothenburg. To navigate the cataracts
a canal was cut through solid rock. At the opening in 1800, eight locks could
raise and lower a ship 32 meters, making it finally possible to sail past Trollhättan
without reloading goods on horse-carts. The waterfall, canal and sluices became,
and still are, a popular destination for tourists, providing a market for this description
written and illustrated by count Anders Skjöldebrand (1757–1834). The book
describes the countryside, culture and feats of engineering near Tröllhattan,
starting with the etymology of the city’s name and ending with a critique of the
current state of the engineering works. A table gives the amount that passed the
sluices in 1800–1802.
Browned and foxed throughout, especially the plates, with waterstains at the top
and bottom corners. Spine tattered, with the final gathering and back cover partly
loose; otherwise a good copy.
Brunet V, col. 408; Myren, “Det äldre Trollhättan i konsten”, Historia och Historier om “Stranna” XI, pp. 3–32.

Richly illustrated work on hydraulics, with 100 engraved double-page plates
20. STR A DA, Jacobus de [and Benjamin BR A MER]. Künstliche Abriss allerhandt Wasserkünsten auch Wind- Ross- Handt- unnnd
Wasser-Mühlen, beneben schönen und nutzlichen Pompen, und andern Machinen, damit das Wasser in die höhe zu erheben, auch lustige
Brunnen dergleichen vor diesem nie gesehen worden.
Frankfurt am Main, Gerhardo Grevenbruch, 1618. 2 parts in 1 volume. Small 2º (29.5 × 18.5 cm). With 2 engraved title-pages by Matthias Merian,
2 large engraved coats of arms and 100 double-page plates. Contemporary vellum, rebacked. € 8500
Reissue of the first edition of a richly illustrated work on all
aspects of water techniques and hydraulics, with illustrations
by Jacobus de Strada (1507–1588). The work was brought to the
attention of the publisher by his son Octavius de Strada (1550–
1612) and first published posthumously in 1617. De Strada was
active in many fields: he worked as an architect, painter, art
collector, author, publisher, etc, and, judging from the present
work, was technically gifted. He gives a clear exposition of
pumping engines, watermills and all sorts of water-powered
machines, accompanied by short descriptions and an introduction
by the German architect and mathematician Benjamin
Bramer (1588–1652). Due to its delay in publication, some of
De Strada’s designs lost its innovativeness. Nevertheless, De
Strada’s designs appear to be unique and independent of those
by his contemporary, the Italian engineer Augostino Ramelli
(1531–1610), who published around 100 designs of water-raising
machines in his Le diverse et artificiose machine..., 1588.
Some occasional leaves and plates slightly browned, plates with
only a few small spots and some occasional marginal thumbing,
a few plates with waterstains. Binding rebacked, as noted, sides
with only a few small spots, otherwise in very good condition.
GVK (5 copies); VD17 23:645678U (1 copy); Wellcome 1035.

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E-Cat. 2016 No. 7
Autumn Catalogue 2016
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