pdf - Roger Gaskell Rare Books

It is obviously tempting to attribute the portrait of Ridley to Elstrack, but
Hind dismisses this on the grounds that the engraving is not up to Elstrack’s
standard. However the lettering on the titlepage and under the portrait does
seem to have been done by the same hand, but this could have been added by
a specialist letter engraver. The plates of instruments are less Wnely engraved,
and apart from their interest for the history of scientiWc instruments, they
include one with two circular polar maps, one showing Terra Australis, the
other New England and Virginia. The plate on p. 137 has an attached volvelle
in the form of a movable quadrant.
Although the mildew staining is unsightly, this is a good complete copy.
This kind of staining is impossible to remove without bleaching, but the
paper has been stabilised and repaired. The book was apparently originally
stab sewn through three holes in the vellum wrapper. During restoration,
which appears to have been done fairly recently, the text block has been
newly stab sewn through Wve holes and the wrapper glued to the spine. The
mildew staining is quite heavy on the vellum wrapper and the pattern matches
the text block. The wrapper is made from an indenture with a calligraphic
heading concerning the lease of some land to one James Waterman but the
date is missing. It could well have formed the book’s Wrst covering, but it is
now hard to be sure. Survivals of books stab sewn in simple vellum wrappers
like this are rare.
For Renald Elstrack and the attribution of the engraved portrait see Arthur Mayger
Hind, Engraving in England in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (1952) II.
379.40.
162
RIOLAN, Jean (1580–1657)
Encheiridium anatomicum et pathologicum. In quo ex naturali
constitutione partium, recessus à naturali statu demonstratur ad usum
Theatri Anatomici adornatum.
Leiden: ex oYcina Adriani Wygaerden, habitantis e regione acadmiae
[sic], 1649.
8vo: 8 2
* ** A–2C4 (2C4 + 1) 2D–2H8 , 259 leaves, pp. [20] 471 (i.e.
465, 411–416 omitted), [25]. Engraved title on * 1 signed ‘R. a. Persyn
sculp’. Woodcut printer’s device on letterpress title, woodcut head and
tail piece and initials.
24 engraved plates with letterpress explanations printed on conjugate
leaves numbered on the letterpress Tabula I–XXIV (bound at the end,
the engraved leaves folded in).
180 x 118mm. A few spots and light stains, but a very good fresh copy.
Binding: Contemporary vellum boards, yapp fore edges.
Provenance: Signature clipped from free endleaf, neat early annotations
in the prelims and on p. 2 giving biographical notes on anatomists
mentioned in the text.
Second edition (Wrst Paris 1648, unillustrated). There were a number of
later editions, and an English translation, A sure guide; or, the best and