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Voyager Rare Books Maps & Prints » Products » Non-fiction

Non-fiction

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  • A Discovery of Subterraneall Treasure, viz. Of all manner of Mines and Mineralls, from the Gold to the Coale; with plaine Directions and Rules for the finding of them in all Kingdomes and Countries

    A Discovery of Subterraneall Treasure, viz. Of all manner of Mines and Mineralls, from the Gold to the Coale; with plaine Directions and Rules for the finding of them in all Kingdomes and Countries

    Super limited facsimile published by Scolar Press Ilkley, Yorkshire for The Institution of Mining and Metallurgy London in 1980. Octavo, 60 pages after significant preliminaries which comprise a dedication “To His Worthy Friendmaster”; a note “To the Reader’’ and a helpful Table which describes succinctly chapter contents. Bound in cloth over papered boards, gilt title to spine. Ownership details of D.F. Fairweather on front end papers … his father was a respected Mine Manager at BHP.

    The original by Gabrial Plattes was first published in 1639 and represents the first serious English language book on Mines and Metallurgy.

    Factual information supported by the authors own experiments … the generation of mountains and metals; the signs of mines of minerals; the smelting and refining of lead, tinn, iron, copper, silver and gold … the first work to describe separating silver and gold with nitric acid. There is also an experiment which claims to make gold but unfortunately at greater cost than the gold produced. Interesting references to gold and silver in Peru, New England, Virginia, Bermuda etc. A section on “How to find Pit-coal”.

    Little is know about Plattes although he was associated with the great mathematician John Pell who, it is suggested, persuaded Plattes to adopt a highly experimental approach to his subject. Plattes did not make his fortune and it is thought that he dropped down dead n London … for want of food.

    Fine facsimile of first English language work on metallurgy.

    SO SORRY SOLD

    $80.00

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    Panarithmologia: or The Trader’s Sure Guide Containing Exact and Useful Tables, Ready Cast Up, Adapted to the use of Merchants, Mercers, Bankers, Drapers, Goldsmiths, Grocers, Brewers, Weavers and Haberdashers, and those that deal by Wholesale, or Retail and All other Mechanicks etc – William Leybourn – corrected and enlarged. 1772

    Published Rivington, Hawes et al, London 1772.

    Small octavo, unpaginated, re-backed in leather over early worn cloth covered boards, raised bands, title and date in gilt.

    Pages showing age and use as usual and, with the ever present annotations and mathematical doodles that are a characteristic of this book. Very popular in business during the 18th Century having been first published late the previous. Then, constantly updated with final editions in the 1820’s.

    The author William Leybourn was an accomplished mathematician and surveyor .. we have had his excellent surveying books before but it was this little delight that made him rich.

    An early and most useful guide for business … and a super title.

    $90.00

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  • The Stars My Blanket [An 8,000 mile journey to find Aboriginal Cave Paintings] – Beryl Miles.

    The Stars My Blanket [An 8,000 mile journey to find Aboriginal Cave Paintings] – Beryl Miles.

    Beryl Miles led a rather dull life in Worthing, England until she gave up what she had to seek adventure in Australia. Once there she met Gordon Donkin and joined his 8,000 miles expedition to find yet unphotographed aboriginal cave paintings in the Northern Territory .. a mission accomplished with lots more along the way. Good sympathetic aboriginal content.

    Published by John Murray, London in 1954. Octavo, 235 pages, illustrated with a good map and numerous photographs from the expedition. A pretty good copy, nice and clean, ownership signature on end paper, near complete dust jacket

    Interesting post war travels to aboriginal cave paintings.

    $35.00

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  • Victorian Microscope Slide – Horse Ant … Whole Insect Specimen – Mounted and dated 1880.

    Victorian Microscope Slide – Horse Ant … Whole Insect Specimen – Mounted and dated 1880.

    Nice condition, quality mount of a whole insect specimen of the Horse Ant, also known as the Red Wood and Southern Wood Ant. Classified by Linnaeus in 1761. Earlier, in 1648 the English Chemist John Ray distilled thousands of these ants to discover formic acid.

    Mounted in gum arabic, with minimal oxidation a super example dated 1880.

    Horse Ant in all its glory over 140 years old.

    $40.00

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  • Further Selection from the Tragic History of the Sea 1559-1565

    Further Selection from the Tragic History of the Sea 1559-1565

    Published by the Hakluyt Society in 1967 as an addition to “Tragedies” published eight years earlier under the editorship of the Esteemed Professor Boxer, Vice-President of the Society.

    The earlier work dealt with shipwrecks on the east coast of Africa. This selection are further east in or on their way to the East Indies. Also, they had never been translated into English before this book .. no mean task translating 16th Century Portuguese and dealing with the lack of proof reading characteristic of the Portuguese publishing world of the period.

    Octavo, 170 pages nicely illustrated with helpful maps and charts. Very good condition with the original dust jacket.

    We have the … “Narrative of the loss of the Aguia and Garca, 1559-60 by Diogo do Couto”; “Shipwreck of the Sao Palo and itinerary of the survivors by Henrique Dias” and “Misadventures of the Santo Antonio and Jorge d’Albuquerque by Afonso Luis”.

    First translations from the original 16thC texts – shipwrecks from the great Portuguese maritime era.

    $40.00

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    The Troublesome Voyage of Captain Edward Fenton 1582-83

    A lesser known but probably one of our favourite Hakluyt productions. Published as part of the Second Series in 1957. Octavo, 333 pages with numerous illustrations. Very good condition and nice to have the dust jacket, often lost with Hakluyt for some reason.

    The author/ editor Miss Taylor with Emeritus Professor of Geography at London University. She may have had some post graduate help as the extent of research and reference material is quite something.

    Edward Fenton was quite a character. Nottinghamshire born he sailed in command of the Gabriel in Martin Frobisher’s second expedition to find the Northwest Passage; and then in the third expedition the following year. In 1582 he was put in charge of a special expedition via the Cape of Good Hope to the Moluccas and China … the subject of this book. He got no further than Brazil with lots of goings on with the Spanish and Portuguese. He had a tough time with his crew (some were ex Francis Drake’s recent circumnavigation) and he came back with the nephew of Sir John Hawkins in irons … not to be done without careful thought. The book contains the previously unpublished journal of Fenton, that of the Richard Madox, the diary of John Walker and a wealth of documents/ correspondence of the period.

    Fenton later commanded a vessel … the Mary Rose against the Spanish Armada.

    Fenton before the Armada … on one of his more “Troublesome” voyages.

    $50.00

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