Dictionaries

Biella, Italy: Ignazio Fecia Libraio-Editore, 1839. Hardcover. Good+. Later Printing, with a copyright notice stating 1826; folio, half-leather binding, not original but old today, with marbled boards; good+ (boards rubbed, worn, scratched, and scarred; edges worn, often to boards; spine worn and scarred; spine ends bumped and worn; corners bumped and worn to boards; waterstains to bottom of first thirty and last fifty pages along bound edge; broken at title page; foxing light to moderate throughout, including plates; short tear to bottom of Plate 18; pages toned; eps stained); 202pp incl. index + errata on last page. An instructional dictionary and grammar of Italian, marvelously illustrated with twenty-six lithographic plates (two images per plate) which illustrate the words; for example, one is of a barnyard which names all the animals and another of a kitchen with the utensils named; author Fecia was an abbott, teacher, author, and founder of newspapers and schools, and if this book is any… Read More

Oxford: Oxford University Press [0-19-926389-2] [2005], 1st edition. (Hardcover) 310pp. Near fine in near fine dust jacket. Volume 1 only. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, indices. Publisher series: Structuring Sense #1 In Name Only). (Language, Grammar, Linguistics).

Boston: Hickling Swan and Brewer, 1860. Hardcover. Very Good. lxviii+ 1786 pages. 9 x 12 in. Numerous small illustrations. Black half calf binding on spine and corners, pebbled brown cloth boards, gilt lettering on spine, five raised bands, faded marbled edge of text block, marbled end papers. Condition of the book is VERY GOOD: Wear to spine esp. cover edge, wear and some light soiling to covers esp. bottom corners, a couple of scratches. Edge of text block faded, lightly darkened on top. Marbled end papers very brilliant, title page shows soling and some repair as do first three pages, pages of text clean, binding tight.

Quarto, contemporary quarter continental calf and boards, pp.viii + 299, folding table, printers woodcut to title page, woodcut on page 1, Latin with Syriac type throughout in the text, contemporary ownership in ink on front blank ex libris Bonaventura Guillaume, discreet small oval library stamp on recto of title, the colophon on the final leaf reads: Goettingae, Fr. Andr. Rosenbusch, Acad. Typogaphi, a fine copy.
For a history of Syriac typography see: Dr J.E.Coakley: The Typography of Syriac: A Historical Catalogue of Printing Types, 1537–1958

FIRST EDITION printed at the expense of the Hallesches Waisenhaus (Halle orphanage), which was also an educational institution. Michaelis [1717-1791] was a German theologian and orientalist at Halle. He is regarded as the founder of Syriac philology. This elegant grammar includes Alphabetum vulgare, Mutata literarum, Vocalibus, Ribui, consonants, abjunctives, particples, verbs, plurals, paradigma nominum, suffixes, syntax, etc.

2 volumes bound in one, quarto, contemporary tree calf, rubbed, scuffed and worn, contemporary red morocco label lettered gilt, (6) + (186) leaves; (1) + (153) leaves, printed in double columns, ownership inscription in ink on the first title page of J.Hamilton, with the A List of Subscribers in volume I.
Provenance: John Hamilton 1739-1821 of Sundrum Castle, Ayrshire; prominent in local politics in Ayr, he had enlightenment interests typical of his age, was a friend of James Boswell who introduced him to Samuel Johnson in 1773 which is recorded in Boswell's Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides.
FIRST AND ONLY EDITION OF THE FIRST GAELIC/ENGLISH DICTIONARY.
William Shaw 1749-1831 was born at Clachaig in the Isle of Arran and was a graduate of Glasgow University. He went to London, and there met Dr. Johnson. When he told Johnson
of his great scheme for making a collection of Gaelic words, the old Doctor approved. Sir, said he, if you give the world a vocabulary of that language, while this Island stands,… Read More

Frankfurt , Leipzig (Francofurti, Lipsiae), In taberna libraria Ioh. Frid. Gleditsch, 1749. Folio. 2 parts in 1: (X) p.; 1792;1308 columns; (198 index) p. Vellum 39.5 cm (Ref: Brunet 2,2/1146; Ebert 7243: the best edition; Graesse 2,540; Spoelder p. 618/19: Kampen 2) (Details: Back ruled gilt. Red morocco shield in the 'second compartment'. Board with gilt borders, and the gilt coat of arms of Kampen. Woodcut of Pegasus on the title. Printed in 2 columns. At the one finds a 198 p. 'Index germanico-latinus rerum, vocabulorum, phrasium, descriptionum & locutionum proverbialium') (Condition: Vellum slightly soiled, and age-toned. Folds in the half title and front flyleaf. Paper foxed and yellowing. Some faint waterstains) (Note: The German schoolmaster and lexicologist Basilius Faber, born ca. 1520 in Sorau, nowadays Polish Zary, was 'einer der bedeutensten Schulmänner des 16. Jahrhunderts'. He produced a 'Thesaurus' which long survived him. He died in 1576.… Read More

Leiden (Lugduno Batavorum), Apud Johannem Luzac, 1739. 8vo. 2 volumes in 1: (VIII),XXXI,(3),264; (VIII),249,(15 index),(2 blank) p. Vellum 20.5 cm (Ref: Hoffmann 1,125; Brunet 1,239; Ebert 536; Graesse 1,105) (Details: Six thongs laced through the joints. Both titles printed in red & black. Engraved printer's mark on title, designed by F. v. Bleyswyck, depicting a ship heading for Scylla and Charybdis; its motto: 'nec dextrorsum, nec sinistrorsum', or 'Neither to the right nor to the left', referring to Deuteronomium ch. V,32/33: 'Custodite igitur et facite quae praecepit Dominus Deus vobis: non declinabitis neque ad dexteram, neque ad sinistram: sed per viam, quam praecepit Dominus Deus vester, ambulabitis, ut vivatis, et bene sit vobis, et protelentur dies in terra possesionis vestrae') (Condition: Vellum age-tanned and slightly soiled. Small name on the title. Old ink inscription on the front flyleaf. Front hinge cracking, but strong; paper of pastedowns cracking)… Read More

London: James Carpenter et al, 1812. Complete text in 5 volumes. First editions. Published London: James Carpenter et al., 1812 - 1815. 4to's, 8 3/4" x 11", xx+574; 597; 512; 636; xl+462+1+105pp., illustrated with tables (one folding). Bound in embossed glazed half leather over marbled boards with gilt stamped morocco spine labels, all edges specked. Armorial bookplate of Sir Joseph Radcliffe in each volume. First edition in English. First published in Madrid as "Diccionario geográfico-histórico de las Indias Occidentales ó América: es á saber: de los reynos del Perú, Nueva España, Tierra Firme, Chile, y Nuevo reyno de Granada" in five volumes, 1786 - 1789. Sabin 368. Some wear at the tips and along edges, rubbing to the leather glazing, light occasional foxing, else very good plus, attractive set, pages bright, sturdily bound.. 1st. Half-Leather. Very Good. 4to.

London: Longman and Rees, 1800. First Miniature Edition. Tooled leather with gilding. Very Good. Cook. 12mo, tooled and gilt-stamped leather with four hubs, engraved frontispiece of Dr. Johnson by Cook, frontis. & t.p. + [iii-iv] advert. + 284 pages. Very Rare! [Edited by Rev. Joseph Hamilton.] Handy edition of the redoubtable Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary with its marvellous definitions. Published in 1800 during the raging Napoleonic wars with France (see also the somewhat later inscription to a French ship's captain below). Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), or more commonly "Dr. Johnson" or "the Great Cham," was a brilliant English writer, devout Anglican and Tory, who made his reputation as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and most lastingly as a lexicographer. His Dictionary of the English Language is noteworthy for its extent, comprehensiveness, and use of pithy definitions. James Boswell, of course, memorialized the life and… Read More

Philadelphia: Printed by James Kay, Jun. & Brother, 1837. Near Fine. [1], 250-296 p.: tables; 29 cm. Disbound from a larger volume. "Communicated to the American Philosophical Society, 6th March 1835." Includes Errata on p. 296. Father Najera (1803-1853) was a linguist who was in exile in Philadelphia from his native Mexico in the 1830s when he presented his important study of the Otomi language. the study was first published separately in 1835, prior to its appearance in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. In Near Fine Condition: disbound from a larger volume; clean and bright.

The cover of this book has much wear. A binding was added later as well as pads for the corner's of the book. the previous owners names are written on the inside of the front cover and on the top of the third blank page. The pages are yellowing and tanning. The edges of most of the pages are worn. This is a rare book and dates 147 years old.."There are three books which ought to be found in every household - the Bible, an English dictionary, and a Bible dictionary. The necessity of the first two is universally admitted; and a moment's consideration will show the almost equal importance of the third." - Preface to the edition by the publishers

This book is in good condition. There is some wear and discoloring on the front, back, spine and edges of the cover boards. The corners are bumped. The pages are yellowed and tanned. There are no markings on the pages. "Because this volume represents a new idea in dictionaries, an explanation of its purpose may be helpful. In nine cases out of ten when you go to the dictionary it is to find how to spell a word or how to divide it at the end of the line. If you do want to uncover some of the finer shades of meaning, usually only the unabridged dictionary will answer...." - Foreword from 20,000 Words: Dictionary, Spelling, Divided, Accented, Reference, 20,000

Vol I: 799p, 31 pl. [i]; Vol. II: 799p, 60 pl. Pp 594-600 tear into text without loss; Vol III: 806p, 20pl.; Vol IV. 793p, 26 pl.; Vol V: 807p, 24 pl.; Vol VI: 794p, 22 pl.; Vol VII: 797p, 38 pl. Neatsfoot oil stained pages,; Vol VIII: 800p, 18 pl.; Vol IX: 800p, 31 pl. lacking plate 260; Vol X: 788p, 22 pl.; Vol XI:814p, 19 pl. Several neatsfoot oil stained pages, plate 299 bound in Vol XII on page 78; Vol XII: 799p, 35 pl.; Vol XIII: 799p, 32 pl.Deep neatsfoot oil stains to fore edge, ; Vol XIV: 797p, 16 pl.Initial and last pages with neatsfoot oil stains ; Vol XV: 799p, 41 pl. Several pages detached but present; plates 433-434 bound in Vol XVI; Vol XVI: 799p, 12 pl.; Vol XVII: 827p, 37 pl.Several pages detached but present,; Vol XVIII: 945p, 59 pl. 486 placed at end. Despite internal oddities, a handsome set in the original sturdy calf. Sabin 22555

New York: S. Converse, Printed by Hezekiah Howe, New Haven, 1828. First Edition. Very Good. First edition, first printing. Complete in two volumes. Contemporary mottled calf with black morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, with the "Additions and Corrections" leaf bound at the end of Volume II; November 28 Advertisement absent, as is nearly always the case. Engraved frontis provided in sympathetic facsimile, lacking tissue guard. Internally Very Good with offsetting and several instances of penciled marginalia. Previous owner name in light pencil on title page. One of only 2,500 copies. An extremely important early declaration of American cultural identity, which heralded the nation's linguistic independence from Britain, inspiring the many dictionaries that to this day carry Webster's name.

Comprising: Besides the ordinary and newest words in the language, short explanations of a large number of scientific, philosophical, literary, and technical terms. 386 pp. 5,8x4,5 cm. David Bryce and Son, Glasgow, n.d. (1890-1900)
--- Full leather, gilt lettering on front cover. Some edgewear. All edges gilt, pages bright.