A Joint Catalogue from Europe Features Colors, Variety
Being able to see the number "16" indicates an ability to see colors
Jan Engelman certainly assigned himself an unenviable task when he wrote Het regt gebruik der natuurbschouwingen... in 1747. This work was an attempt to categorize snow crystals by their different forms. Didn't poor Engelman know that no two snowflakes are alike? He made drawings of over 400 forms of crystals, and encouraged his readers to provide him with drawings of any he missed. He hoped to provide reader generated addendums to his book, but this never happened. Engelman looked to correlate various forms of snow crystals with such factors as different temperatures when formed. Item 37. €1,750 (US $2,220).
For those who collect the drug culture, item 1 is an early tract. From 1814, it is Considerations Physiologiques et Medicales Sur L'Opium by Frederick Amiel. This is an everything you ever wanted to know about opium book, including the symptoms of taking it, whether it is a medicine or a poison, and how to choose opium of good quality. €600 (US $761).
There aren't a lot of early books on swimming, but here is one: L'Art de Nager....by Melchisedech Thevenot. Now that's an uncommon name. Thevenot was more noted for writing books on early voyages, but this one proved to be a popular exception. Published in 1696, it was a standard teaching guide in the 18th century. Item 118. €5,000 (US $6,342).
Item 150 is one of those tests we have all taken, or at least all of us of the male gender. It is Dr. Shinobu Ishihara's Tests for colour-blindedness. This is a 1975 set of 38 plates used to determine whether a person can see colors. Dr. Ishihara devised a system where numbers, formed from a pattern of circles, are hidden within other circles of a different color. If a person can distinguish between the colors, the numbers will be visible. If not, the page will just look like a bunch of random circles, indistinguishable from one another. You can check the image on this page to test whether you can see the green "16" among the red and yellow circles. However, this should not be considered a definitive test as the reproduction of these colors on your computer may not be accurate. You should see an optometrist if you have any concerns. €50 (US $64).
Frits Knuf Antiquarian Books may be found online at www.fritsknuf.com, phone number +33(0)254-722656.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
