A Catalogue for the Ages from the Antiquariaat Forum
On the Threshold of Modern Times from the Antiquariaat Forum.
By Michael Stillman
This is a catalogue from another time. It is unlikely that you have seen one like this in ages, if at all. The Antiquariaat Forum has released its 107th catalogue, On the Threshold of Modern Times. It contains 463 pages, fully one and a half inches thick. Filled with thorough descriptions, historic explanations, and wonderful images, it will itself become a collectible. The catalogue is such a spectacular presentation, it is easy to forget that material is being offered within. That would be unfortunate. There are 506 items from the 17th through the 19th centuries, and they are certainly an unusual and extraordinary lot.
The Antiquariaat Forum is located in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Their catalogue reflects, but is not controlled, by their location. Naturally, there is a concentration of Dutch works offered, but other lands of continental Europe are liberally represented, including some European Americana. To keep the collection from being intimidating, the catalogue has been divided into fourteen sections, each with numerous subsections. Among the main headings are sciences, travel, medicine, history, natural history, fine arts, literature, architecture, philosophy and history of the book. Looking within natural history, as an example, there is general, botany-gardening, zoology, birds-fishes-invertebrates, and stones-mining. It is easy to locate the items you will find of particular interest. Here are a few which most piqued my interest, though undoubtedly there will be others that will most appeal to you.
Christiaan Huygens was one of the greatest Dutch mathematicians and scientists. Living in the 17th century, Huygens discovered Saturn's moon Titan, which has recently been considered perhaps the most likely other place within our solar system to harbor life. The probe which landed on Titan earlier this year was named for Huygens. He also concluded that Saturn's rings were made of rocks (perhaps they are actually ice crystals), rather than being a continuous form. He promoted theories on light as waves and invented the pendulum clock. Near the end of his life, he wrote The celestial worlds discovr'd: or, conjectures concerning the inhabitants, plants and productions of the worlds in the planets. In this work he uses logic to conclude that there is life on other planets, and that this life must not be very different from life on our own. While admitting this is speculation, he deems his beliefs probable.
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A Catalogue for the Ages from the Antiquariaat Forum
Illustrator William Hogarth puts an interesting perspective on this tranquil scene.
Huygens first explains that his views about life on other planets are not contrary to scripture, as the Bible does not mention celestial bodies. This is critical as such views might have been considered heresy in those days and, in some lands anyway, been cause to have him burned at the stake. Huygens next reasons that the Creator would not have made a bunch of deserted, useless planets, so there must be life. He then looks at the various features of plants and animals, and concludes that many are so important that life on other planets must have them too. Therefore, these creatures must have sight and hearing, hands and feet. The highest must have reasoning. He concludes that water is a must for life, but recognizes temperatures on some planets are below freezing, and on others above boiling. So, he deduces that other planets have clear liquids that are similar to water, but with different boiling and freezing points. By the end, he concludes that the planets have reasoning beings, including mathematicians and musicians, that they live in societies, and build houses. It was all very logical, even if not exactly true. This book was finished just before Huygens death in 1695. His brother took over the task of having it printed, but he too died before the project was complete. Once it was finally published, it was very popular, and editions in many languages followed. Item 95 is the first English edition that was printed in England, that coming in 1722. Priced at Euros ?2,250.
Cometischer Gedenckzettel...by Christianus Uranophilus provides descriptions of various comets visible between 14 and 1677. However, this treatise engaged in speculation more worrisome than that of Huygens, as the author describes events that followed them. The Antiquariaat Forum points out that "these include deaths of prominent persons, earthquakes, thunder-storms, pestilences, wars, religious and political change." Of course, these things undoubtedly happened in years when there were no comets as well. Item 111. Published in 1677. ?2,000.
Joshua Kirby wrote a book to help artists entitled Dr. Brook Taylor's method of perspective, made easy, both in theory and practice. This was an attempt to put Dr. Taylor's confusing principles on perspectives into language artists could understand. The book was dedicated to William Hogarth, who created the amusing illustration which accompanies this page. The caption with the drawing says, " Whoever makes a design without the knowledge of perspective will be liable to such absurdities as are shown in the frontispiece." See how many you can find. Item 85. Second edition from 1755. ?8,000.
Item 261 is a wonderful catch for namedroppers and autograph collectors. It is the marriage contract of two members of French nobility in 1784, Augustine Olympe Sophie de Besiade d'Avaray and Antoine-Rene d'Escoubleau, Marquis de Sourdis. It was signed by everyone who was anyone in the French court during the dying days of the old regime. Leading the signatories are King Louis XVI and his lovely wife, Marie Antoinette. It is very unlikely that Marie Antoinette ever spoke the callous line "let them eat cake," but she surely did get her head chopped off at the guillotine nine years later. So did Louis. Hard times were coming for royalty, but in 1784, the deluge had not yet arrived. Among the other signers were Louis Stanislas Xavier, the king's brother who would rule as Louis XVIII, Charles Philippe, another brother who would rule as Charles X, and Le Duc d'Angouleme, Charles' son who would rule for twenty minutes as Louis XIX in 1830. Add to this various aunts and a sister of the king, wives of his brothers, and Louis Philippe Joseph, whose son Louis Philippe would rule France from 1830-1848. And, there are more. ?22,750.
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A Catalogue for the Ages from the Antiquariaat Forum
Roesel von Rosenhof's work on frogs is one of the many beautifully illustrated books offered.
Here is a book that is positively mesmerizing: Memoire sur la decouverte du magnetisme animal, by Franz Mesmer. The "mesmerize" comes from Franz Mesmer, but he called the phenomenon "animal magnetism." Mesmer believed that there was a magnetic force that could be used to effect human behavior. Apparently what he was really dealing with was hypnotism, which can indeed induce people to act in unusual ways. King Louis XVI (the same Louis mentioned in the previous item) set up a committee including American representative Benjamin Franklin, to study the phenomenon. They condemned the theory, but it didn't matter, as Mesmer's fame spread throughout Europe. Item 126 is the first publication of his ideas, from 1779. ?6,000.
A remarkable, yet sadly forgotten man was the author of this next book. Jean Henry Dunant was a Swiss banker who happened to witness the suffering that resulted from the battle of Solferino in 1859 during the Franco-Prussian War. He was moved to write this book, Un souvenir de Solferino, which called for the declaration that wounded soldiers were neutral parties, and the creation of a society which would provide aid to them. This call would lead to the Geneva Convention of 1864, which recognized the duty of warring nations to care for the wounded soldiers of their enemies. This in turn led to the creation of the organization which would assist this process, the Red Cross. Sadly, Dunant's focus on his humanitarian aims distracted him from his personal businesses, which would soon go broke. He would spend most of the rest of his life, which lasted until 1910, in poverty, obscurity, and the last two decades, in ill health. However, he would occasionally receive some of the recognition he deserved, most notably in 1901, when he shared the first Nobel Peace Prize ever awarded. Item 177 is the rare limited edition published in 1862 for distribution to Dunant's friends. ?16,500.
Item 323 is an interesting collection of rare European Americana. It is a bound collection of six articles about the "Societe de Fraternity," better known as the Icarian Society. They were written by society founder Etienne Cabet or his follower Louis Krolikowski. This was a utopian society, formed in France, which purchased land in Texas to set up their commune. The members left for Texas in 1848, but conditions there proved inhospitable for the idealistic community. As a result, they upped and moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, where they purchased the property formerly held by the Mormons, who themselves had recently moved to Utah. The Icarians, unlike their Mormon predecessors, managed to establish good relations with the local community, but hard times led to their breaking into conflicts among themselves. Cabet and his closest followers would be forcibly removed from the commune in 1856, but two years later, the community itself would fold. The six items herein offered are from 1849-1851, and some concern conflicts Cabet had with the French government, which thought he had fraudulently obtained funds to support the community. ?14,500.
Many of the books in this catalogue come with beautiful illustrations. Item 220 is Historia naturalis ranarum....by August Roesel von Rosenhof, a work on German frogs and toads. See the image accompanying this article. ?28,620.
The Antiquariaat Forum may be found online at www.forumrarebooks.com. Their phone number is +31 (0)30 6011955.
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