AE Monthly

Article Archives Search

AE Reviews


An Exquisite Catalogue from Phillip J. Pirages An exceptional catalogue from Philip J. Pirages. By Michael Stillman For January we review our first catalogue from Phillip J. Pirages of McMinnville, Oregon, and this one is a gem. Since the pages are not numbered, and there are far too many for me to count, we will tell you the book is almost 3/4 of an inch thick, contains 584 items, is richly illustrated with photographs of the items worthy of the works themselves, and contains some of the best and most thorough descriptions I have seen anywhere. Amazingly, Pirages provides complete descriptions not only for the $69,000 item, but for the $50 one as well. This is truly a gorgeous catalogue, and a most informative bibliography of the works within its pages. Pirages' Catalogue 52 covers a wide variety of topics. It is broken down into sections on manuscripts, documents and printed leaves, and books before and after 1800. Pirages notes that all leaves they offer are either acquired individually or taken from fragmentary books. They do not take apart complete books. In an era when an increasing number of complete texts are being broken apart for their maps or plates, we cannot help but appreciate this respect for the book. Among the types of books offered are incunabula, color illustrated, travel and exploration, natural history, Americana, medicine, science and technology, works from fine presses, golf and angling, children's books, fine bindings, and many more. Virtually any serious collector has a good excuse for seeking a copy of the Pirages catalogue, itself a fine addition to your collection. Here is a sampling of the items you will find within. The most expensive item in the catalogue is also the smallest. It is a single leaf from the Gutenberg Bible. Printed in Mainz, Germany, circa 1455, the Gutenberg is generally considered the first book ever printed. There is no other printed work as desired by collectors as a Gutenberg. However, complete Bibles are essentially unobtainable, with leaves being the only way collectors can own any part of this progenitor of all books. There are 48 copies of a believed initial run of 160-180 Bibles still known to be in existence, and all but three are now held by institutions. The last such public sale, which consisted of volume one only of two, was held in 1987, when this incomplete copy sold for $4.9 million. In recent years, the value of individual leaves has been rising as fast as the Bibles did in the years when one occasionally was still available. Pirages' leaf comes from what is known as the "Trier II" copy, once held in a monastery plundered by Napoleon. The book was evidently broken apart in the years leading up to the Second World War, with individual leaves being sold from a portion of the book Charles Scribner's Sons acquired. This leaf is taken from the Book of Baruch and it comes with an exceptionally nice facsimile of the Gutenberg and a descriptive book about this Bible. Priced at $69,000. Even with Gutenberg's amazing invention, some people continued to produce books the old way. Item 2 is a handwritten, signed manuscript Psalter completed by a Florentine nun in 1476. It contains 172 leaves (a few of the original leaves are missing). The scribe identifies herself as "Sister G," and she served in the monastery of St. Peter Martyr. Named for a local martyr killed in 1252, the monastery had a short but significant life in Florence during the 15th century. $33,000.
An Exquisite Catalogue from Phillip J. Pirages An in utero drawing from the 18th century (item 171) Item 163 is one of the most important British histories. It is a first edition of ...The Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande, by Raphael Holinshed, published in 1577. It covers British history from the earliest times to the Elizabethan era. However, it is best known as being the sourcebook for ten Shakespearean plays, including Macbeth. The copy Pirages offers was previously owned by Frank Bemis and Bradley Martin, two of the foremost collectors of the twentieth century. Naturally, it is an exceptional copy. $58,000. One of the most important studies leading to the theory of evolution came over a century and half before Darwin's work, by a man who probably never even contemplated such a theory. The book was Orang-Outang, Sive Homo Sylvestris: or, the Anatomy of a Pygmie Compared with that of a Monkey, an Ape, and a Man; its author Edward Tyson. In this 1699 work, Tyson describes the many bodily similarities between various ape species and man. He observed, "from Minerals to Plants; from Plants to Animals; and from Animals to Men; the Transition is so gradual, that there appears a very great Similitude." He described this as the "great chain of being" (from which arose the concept of the missing link). It would be these similarities which would lead Darwin to develop his theory of a common ancestor, but for Tyson it would still simply be part of a deliberate, divine plan. Item 264. $16,000. For another anatomical work, there is William Hunter's The Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus Exhibited in Figures. This 1774 work looks inside the human womb to observe gestation at various points. The illustrations by Jan van Rymsdyk are, at times, stunning (see image this page). The book has been described as one of the great artistic achievements in medicine. Item 171. $19,000. Pirages' catalogue writers knew how to make sure we would read this listing when they added the heading: "A Very Well-Preserved Contemporary Copy of A Book that Cost its Author his Ears." Listen up. The book is Hystrio-Mastix. The Players Scourge, or the Actors Tragaedie. The unfortunate author of this 1633 work was William Prynne. Prynne must have been a barrel of laughs. This work is described as a diatribe against the theater, which he evidently found to be a den of immorality. Among the subjects Prynne attacked were stage plays, cross-dressed male actors, mixed dancing, maypoles, wakes, rural festivals, sports on the Sabbath, and stained-glass windows. Women of the stage were labeled "notorious whores." Unfortunately, some of his venom came too close to the King and Queen who had been known to dance. As a result, Prynne was sentenced to life in prison, stripped of his academic credentials, disbarred, fined, forced to watch his books burned, and had a portion of his ears cut off. Sounds like just punishment for being such an unpleasant individual. Item 236. $3,250.
An Exquisite Catalogue from Phillip J. Pirages Various fore-edge paintings offered by Pirages. Item 516 is an 1845 argument for British sovereignty over the Oregon territory. It is The Oregon Question; or, a Statement of the British Claims to the Oregon Territory, in Opposition to the Pretensions of the Government of the United States of America, by Thomas Falconer. Falconer lists various treaties along with George Vancouver's explorations to back the British claim. He describes arguments by American Thomas Farnham as "ridiculous, unproved trash." It was all for naught. A year later, the British and Americans signed a treaty giving Oregon to the United States in return for recognizing British sovereignty over Western Canada. $475. Some old remedies are still useful today; others, however, are less appealing. The Art of Distillation...by John French provides instructions on the use of distillation equipment and some of the medical cures that can be effected. Some medicines sound acceptable, but others, such as distilled cow dung to aid "inward inflammation," sound far less appealing. Then there is a recipe for "vomiting water," made from green walnuts, radish root, and vinegar. Sounds like it would make you vomit, but why would you want to? Or, if you really do want to vomit, why not just pull down the container of distilled cow dung? Item 108, published in 1653. $3,200. Dr. John Bond tried to deal with the phenomenon of nightmares a century and a half before Freud started meddling with our dreams. His book, An Essay on the Incubus, or Night-Mare, published in 1753, provides an attempt to give a rational, even if inaccurate, explanation for them. Rather than looking for supernatural demonic causes, or psychological ones, he tried to find physical explanations. That was certainly a rational approach to the issue, though it seems his answers were more arbitrary than based on evidence. Bond was impressed by recent discoveries concerning the circulation of the blood, so he attributed nightmares to problems with the circulatory system. He concluded such bad habits as overeating, drinking too much, and being slothful led to stoppages in that circulation, which in turn caused nightmares. Of course, it has long been said that eating before bedtime can lead to active dreaming, so perhaps Bond was on to something. Item 70. $2,500. Items 410-414 are books with fore-edge paintings. Fore-edge paintings are those which have been painted on the edge of a book, visible only when the book is closed. There is not much more that can be said about them, but take a look at the accompanying picture to see these works of art for yourself. Philip J. Pirages may be found online at www.pirages.com or reached by telephone at 503-472-0476.

An Exquisite Catalogue from Phillip J. Pirages

An exceptional catalogue from Philip J. Pirages.

By Michael Stillman

For January we review our first catalogue from Phillip J. Pirages of McMinnville, Oregon, and this one is a gem. Since the pages are not numbered, and there are far too many for me to count, we will tell you the book is almost 3/4 of an inch thick, contains 584 items, is richly illustrated with photographs of the items worthy of the works themselves, and contains some of the best and most thorough descriptions I have seen anywhere. Amazingly, Pirages provides complete descriptions not only for the $69,000 item, but for the $50 one as well. This is truly a gorgeous catalogue, and a most informative bibliography of the works within its pages.

Pirages' Catalogue 52 covers a wide variety of topics. It is broken down into sections on manuscripts, documents and printed leaves, and books before and after 1800. Pirages notes that all leaves they offer are either acquired individually or taken from fragmentary books. They do not take apart complete books. In an era when an increasing number of complete texts are being broken apart for their maps or plates, we cannot help but appreciate this respect for the book. Among the types of books offered are incunabula, color illustrated, travel and exploration, natural history, Americana, medicine, science and technology, works from fine presses, golf and angling, children's books, fine bindings, and many more. Virtually any serious collector has a good excuse for seeking a copy of the Pirages catalogue, itself a fine addition to your collection. Here is a sampling of the items you will find within.

The most expensive item in the catalogue is also the smallest. It is a single leaf from the Gutenberg Bible. Printed in Mainz, Germany, circa 1455, the Gutenberg is generally considered the first book ever printed. There is no other printed work as desired by collectors as a Gutenberg. However, complete Bibles are essentially unobtainable, with leaves being the only way collectors can own any part of this progenitor of all books. There are 48 copies of a believed initial run of 160-180 Bibles still known to be in existence, and all but three are now held by institutions. The last such public sale, which consisted of volume one only of two, was held in 1987, when this incomplete copy sold for $4.9 million. In recent years, the value of individual leaves has been rising as fast as the Bibles did in the years when one occasionally was still available. Pirages' leaf comes from what is known as the "Trier II" copy, once held in a monastery plundered by Napoleon. The book was evidently broken apart in the years leading up to the Second World War, with individual leaves being sold from a portion of the book Charles Scribner's Sons acquired. This leaf is taken from the Book of Baruch and it comes with an exceptionally nice facsimile of the Gutenberg and a descriptive book about this Bible. Priced at $69,000.

Even with Gutenberg's amazing invention, some people continued to produce books the old way. Item 2 is a handwritten, signed manuscript Psalter completed by a Florentine nun in 1476. It contains 172 leaves (a few of the original leaves are missing). The scribe identifies herself as "Sister G," and she served in the monastery of St. Peter Martyr. Named for a local martyr killed in 1252, the monastery had a short but significant life in Florence during the 15th century. $33,000.

An Exquisite Catalogue from Phillip J. Pirages

An in utero drawing from the 18th century (item 171)

Item 163 is one of the most important British histories. It is a first edition of ...The Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande, by Raphael Holinshed, published in 1577. It covers British history from the earliest times to the Elizabethan era. However, it is best known as being the sourcebook for ten Shakespearean plays, including Macbeth. The copy Pirages offers was previously owned by Frank Bemis and Bradley Martin, two of the foremost collectors of the twentieth century. Naturally, it is an exceptional copy. $58,000.

One of the most important studies leading to the theory of evolution came over a century and half before Darwin's work, by a man who probably never even contemplated such a theory. The book was Orang-Outang, Sive Homo Sylvestris: or, the Anatomy of a Pygmie Compared with that of a Monkey, an Ape, and a Man; its author Edward Tyson. In this 1699 work, Tyson describes the many bodily similarities between various ape species and man. He observed, "from Minerals to Plants; from Plants to Animals; and from Animals to Men; the Transition is so gradual, that there appears a very great Similitude." He described this as the "great chain of being" (from which arose the concept of the missing link). It would be these similarities which would lead Darwin to develop his theory of a common ancestor, but for Tyson it would still simply be part of a deliberate, divine plan. Item 264. $16,000.

For another anatomical work, there is William Hunter's The Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus Exhibited in Figures. This 1774 work looks inside the human womb to observe gestation at various points. The illustrations by Jan van Rymsdyk are, at times, stunning (see image this page). The book has been described as one of the great artistic achievements in medicine. Item 171. $19,000.

Pirages' catalogue writers knew how to make sure we would read this listing when they added the heading: "A Very Well-Preserved Contemporary Copy of A Book that Cost its Author his Ears." Listen up. The book is Hystrio-Mastix. The Players Scourge, or the Actors Tragaedie. The unfortunate author of this 1633 work was William Prynne. Prynne must have been a barrel of laughs. This work is described as a diatribe against the theater, which he evidently found to be a den of immorality. Among the subjects Prynne attacked were stage plays, cross-dressed male actors, mixed dancing, maypoles, wakes, rural festivals, sports on the Sabbath, and stained-glass windows. Women of the stage were labeled "notorious whores." Unfortunately, some of his venom came too close to the King and Queen who had been known to dance. As a result, Prynne was sentenced to life in prison, stripped of his academic credentials, disbarred, fined, forced to watch his books burned, and had a portion of his ears cut off. Sounds like just punishment for being such an unpleasant individual. Item 236. $3,250.

An Exquisite Catalogue from Phillip J. Pirages

Various fore-edge paintings offered by Pirages.

Item 516 is an 1845 argument for British sovereignty over the Oregon territory. It is The Oregon Question; or, a Statement of the British Claims to the Oregon Territory, in Opposition to the Pretensions of the Government of the United States of America, by Thomas Falconer. Falconer lists various treaties along with George Vancouver's explorations to back the British claim. He describes arguments by American Thomas Farnham as "ridiculous, unproved trash." It was all for naught. A year later, the British and Americans signed a treaty giving Oregon to the United States in return for recognizing British sovereignty over Western Canada. $475.

Some old remedies are still useful today; others, however, are less appealing. The Art of Distillation...by John French provides instructions on the use of distillation equipment and some of the medical cures that can be effected. Some medicines sound acceptable, but others, such as distilled cow dung to aid "inward inflammation," sound far less appealing. Then there is a recipe for "vomiting water," made from green walnuts, radish root, and vinegar. Sounds like it would make you vomit, but why would you want to? Or, if you really do want to vomit, why not just pull down the container of distilled cow dung? Item 108, published in 1653. $3,200.

Dr. John Bond tried to deal with the phenomenon of nightmares a century and a half before Freud started meddling with our dreams. His book, An Essay on the Incubus, or Night-Mare, published in 1753, provides an attempt to give a rational, even if inaccurate, explanation for them. Rather than looking for supernatural demonic causes, or psychological ones, he tried to find physical explanations. That was certainly a rational approach to the issue, though it seems his answers were more arbitrary than based on evidence. Bond was impressed by recent discoveries concerning the circulation of the blood, so he attributed nightmares to problems with the circulatory system. He concluded such bad habits as overeating, drinking too much, and being slothful led to stoppages in that circulation, which in turn caused nightmares. Of course, it has long been said that eating before bedtime can lead to active dreaming, so perhaps Bond was on to something. Item 70. $2,500.

Items 410-414 are books with fore-edge paintings. Fore-edge paintings are those which have been painted on the edge of a book, visible only when the book is closed. There is not much more that can be said about them, but take a look at the accompanying picture to see these works of art for yourself.

Philip J. Pirages may be found online at www.pirages.com or reached by telephone at 503-472-0476.