16th-19th Century Works from Librairie Thomas-Scheler

- By Michael Stillman

Antiquarian books from Librarie Thomas-Scheler.

Bernard and Stephane Clavreuil of Librairie Thomas-Scheler of Paris have just issued a new catalogue:  Livres Ancien du XVI au XIX siecle (Antiquarian Books of the 16th-19th century). As would be expected of such a title, the catalogue is primarily in French. This is true of many, though not all of the books. Older titles, in particular, are often in Latin, and there are a few in other languages, including English. Various subjects are covered by the 70 books offered herein, from science to literature, medicine, art, travel, and more. The common theme is that these are notable works from long to very long ago. Here are a few of them.

Item 14 is one of the scientific works of the 16th century Italian mathematician/physician/scientist Girolamo Cardano:  De Subtilitate. This is a first edition, published in 1550. Cardano was a man of many skills, solving mathematical equations, designing mechanical devices such as the combination lock, and making scientific discoveries. He also dabbled in the occult and alchemy, but this was the 16th century, when belief in such things was practically universal. Among the scientific observations Cardano makes in this book is the difference between the attractive power of rubbed amber (static electricity) and lodestone (magnetic), that natural law could be determined through observation and experiment (something of a radical idea in these rationalist times), and a pre-evolutionary belief in the progressive development of creation. His father was a friend of da Vinci, who may have provided some inspiration for Cardano's learning. Priced at €30,000 (euros, or approximately $41,065 in U.S. dollars).

Tobacco didn't always have a bad press. Centuries ago, it was looked on as something of a cure-all for all sorts of diseases, rather than a cause for them as we now know today. Item 53 is Traicte du Tabac, ou Nicotiane… by Johann Neander. This is a first French edition, published in 1626. It was originally published in 1622 under the title Tabacologia. Neander promoted tobacco not as a stimulant, but as a medicine. This book is noted for containing the earliest illustrations of American natives cultivating the plant. €4,500 (US $6,168).

Item 24 was one of the more popular, scandalous French novels of the 19th century, though not as well known as some others of its genre today. The book's title is Fanny, and its author Ernest Feydeau. It rivaled Madame Bovary for popularity at the time. It was Feydeau's first novel, a tale of adultery and jealousy, but he was never able to improve upon his work in subsequent novels, perhaps accounting for his popularity declining over time. €1,200 (US $1,647).