Recent Acquisitions - Richard C. Ramer Old & Rare Books

special list 165 159
191. VANDELLI, Alexandre António. Resumo da arte da distillação. Lisbon:
Na Officina de Simão Thaddeo Ferreira, 1813. 8°, recent green Oasis
morocco, plain spine with horizontal fillets in blind, crimson morocco
lettering piece on front cover, gilt letter, marbled endleaves. Woodcut
Portuguese royal arms on title page. Small blank portion of upper outer
margins of final two leaves clipped, not affecting any text. Title page a
bit soiled. Some small, light stains, occasionally a bit heavier, but never
affecting legibility. Overall in good condition. 82 pp. $600.00
FIRST and ONLY EDITION, rare. On the verso of the title page is a statement by
José Accursio das Neves that the Real Junta do Commercia, Agricultura, Fabricas, e
Navegação had paid for the printing, and that the work was to be distributed gratis.
This might explain why so few copies have been preserved.
There are references to the manufacture of liquor from sugar cane in Brazil, its transportation
to Portugal, its possible sale to Russia, and defects in the Brazilian product (pp.
9, 10, 11, 30). There is also a discussion of a variety of tropical fruits used for producing
liquors in Brazil, such as jaboticaba, tucum, cajú, cacão, jenipapo, geritiba, cambuci, laranjas
and ananaz, as well as beers distilled in Brazil from corn and rice (p. 55). Distillates made
from cashews from India are also mentioned (p. 54), and in a note on the following page
is stated that “J.B. d’Andrada” produced an excellent agua-ardente made from camarinhas
and presented it to the Prince Regent in 1805. Scotch whiskey is noted, as is a distillate
from figs made on the Island of “Ferro” (i.e., El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands). Fig
distillate is also mentioned as being produced on the Island of “Scio” and in the Algarve.
There are also a number of references to the production of the favorite Portuguese grape
distillate, bagaço or bagaceira, in various parts of the country. In the final section of “Notas”
(pp. [59]-82), ten different Portuguese comarcas are analyzed: Villa Viçosa, Elvas, Penafiel,
Moncorvo, Bragança, Alcobaça, Miranda, Coimbra, and Ourem. For each there is a brief
statement regarding quality of grapes and types of wine, followed by an evaluation of
the agua-ardente, and finally a description of the vinegar produced.
Alexandre António Vandelli (Lisbon, 1784-Rio de Janeiro, 1859), was the son of the
distinguished Italian-born botanist Domingos Vandelli. He served as guarda-mór of the
Academia Real das Sciências de Lisboa, Intendente Geral das Minas e Metaes, and was
a member of the commission for the reform of weights and measures. He left Portugal
for political reasons in 1834, entering the service of the Brazilian Empire.
j Innocêncio I, 29; on the author see also VIII, 30. Not in Borba de Moraes (1983).
Not in JCB, Portugues and Brazilian Books. Not in Simon, Bibliotheca Vinaria. Not in Unzelman.
OCLC: 50439464 (University of California-Davis, British Library). Not located in
Porbase. Copac repeats British Library only.
192. VASCONCELOS, Mário Cesariny de. Poesia (1944-1955). Lisbon:
Delfos, (1961?). 8°, original printed wrappers (some minor soiling and
foxing; spine a bit browned). Light browning. A good to very good,
uncut copy. 358 pp., (1 l.), frontispiece portrait. $30.00
FIRST and ONLY EDITION. The author (Lisbon, 1923-Lisbon 2006), is referred to by
Maria de Fátima Marinho in Machado, ed., Dicionário de literatura portuguesa, pp. 487-9, as
“the greatest exponent of Portuguese surrealism.” The portrait is by João Rodrigues.
j Porbase locates only a single copy, at the Biblioteca João Paulo II-Universidade
Católica Portuguesa.