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Travels and Other Books from Librairie Thomas-Scheler Books exhibited in San Francisco by Librairie Thomas-Scheler. By Michael Stillman Librairie Thomas-Scheler recently published a List of the Books Exhibited at the recent California Antiquarian Book Fair. These are certainly works of importance, as one does not bring books all the way from Paris to San Francisco if they are not significant. Thomas-Scheler offers mostly books that more than qualify for the label "antiquarian," including some items of incunabula. As expected of very early items, most are European in origin. However, Americana collectors are not ignored as they offer books of early European Americana. Following are a few of the books that recently made the journey to the New World. Captain Cook made the trip to America's west coast a couple of centuries before the Clavreuils of Librairie Thomas-Scheler. It was considerably more difficult and time-consuming in those days, though at least dinner in San Francisco was not yet so pricey. Unfortunately, Cook was killed by locals in Hawaii on his way back, unlikely to be the fate of current visitors to the fair who stop at those islands on their return. Item 45 is the very rare first French edition of Heinrich Zimmerman's account of Cook's third and final voyage. This book gave the world an advance look at this trip as it was published in 1782, prior to the official account. Zimmerman served on the lower deck of the Discovery, but was sufficiently literate to keep a shorthand account of what he saw. His account, which first appeared a year earlier in his native German, preceded the official account by three years. It includes descriptions of Pacific Indian tribes and an eyewitness account of the death of Cook. The title, in French, is Dernier voyage du Capitaine Cook autour du Monde... Priced at $20,000. There was a French trip to California even earlier, though it did not make it as far north as San Francisco. Jean-Baptiste Chappe D'Auteroche led a French expedition to the Pacific to view the transit of Venus across the sun in 1769. This was the same transit that Cook set out for the Pacific to view on his first voyage. This voyage made it to Baja California just in time to achieve its goal, only to have illness hit the crew a few days later, taking many lives, including that of its leader. The book is Voyage en Californie pour l'observation du passage de Venus...published in 1772. Item 9. $12,000. Of course, the French were active in North America long before this. They were the first to explore much of Canada and the Louisiana Territory in the 17th century. Less well known is their even earlier attempt to settle Florida. In 1564, with the support of the French King, Rene Laudonniere led three ships of French Protestants, not particularly welcome in France, on a voyage to settle Florida. It was a classic example of everything that can go wrong going wrong. It started out auspiciously. The settlers were welcomed by natives, and set up a fort and settlement.
Travels and Other Books from Librairie Thomas-Scheler Heinrich Zimmerman who sailed on and wrote about Cook's final voyage. However, many of the settlers became restless, and with mutiny in the air, one boat was sent back to France with the most unhappy among them. Nevertheless, others became dissatisfied and left with their boats. Local Indians turned against the settlers and refused to continue supplying provisions, leading to near starvation. Next, another fleet arrived from France, and Laudonniere was informed that French authorities now questioned his loyalty and were removing him as Florida Governor. This was followed by the arrival of the Spanish fleet, which attacked their fort and killed many of the settlers. Laudonniere and a few others managed to escape into the woods. They made their way to a French ship, abandoning the colony and attempting to return to France. However, the ship was driven onto the English coast in a storm. Laudonniere had to spend time in England before finally making it back to France, where he was coldly received. He spent the remainder of his life in retirement in France. Laudonniere's book, published in 1586, is L'Histoire notable de la Floride... Item 24. $120,000. From French attempts at colonization we turn to the more successful Spanish endeavors. This title is Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva Espana, by Bernal Diaz del Castillo. Diaz accompanied noted conquistador Hernan Cortes in his sweep through Central America. He was an eyewitness to many historic events, including Cortes' meeting with Montezuma. Thomas-Scheler describes this book as "the most prominent source for all historiographers writing on this subject [Cortes' conquest] ever since its publication." Diaz wrote his book many years after the conquest, but died in 1584 unpublished. The original manuscript was finally published in 1632. Item 17. $30,000. Item 22 is Dell Uso e dell Arco Conduttore nelle Contrazioni dei Muscoli, by Luigi Galvani. Galvani discovered something that every beginning biology student has learned in his or her lab. He discovered that electrical forces could move animal tissues. This is the finding you recreated when you touched a battery to a dead frog and watched its legs twitch. Before Galvani, no one knew about this. Galvani's name is memorialized in the term "galvanize," whose origin you probably did not know until now. His book was published in 1794. $25,000. Librairie Thomas-Scheler can be reached by phone at +33 1 43 26 97 69 or by email at basane@thomas-scheler.fr.

Travels and Other Books from Librairie Thomas-Scheler

Books exhibited in San Francisco by Librairie Thomas-Scheler.

By Michael Stillman

Librairie Thomas-Scheler recently published a List of the Books Exhibited at the recent California Antiquarian Book Fair. These are certainly works of importance, as one does not bring books all the way from Paris to San Francisco if they are not significant. Thomas-Scheler offers mostly books that more than qualify for the label "antiquarian," including some items of incunabula. As expected of very early items, most are European in origin. However, Americana collectors are not ignored as they offer books of early European Americana. Following are a few of the books that recently made the journey to the New World.

Captain Cook made the trip to America's west coast a couple of centuries before the Clavreuils of Librairie Thomas-Scheler. It was considerably more difficult and time-consuming in those days, though at least dinner in San Francisco was not yet so pricey. Unfortunately, Cook was killed by locals in Hawaii on his way back, unlikely to be the fate of current visitors to the fair who stop at those islands on their return. Item 45 is the very rare first French edition of Heinrich Zimmerman's account of Cook's third and final voyage. This book gave the world an advance look at this trip as it was published in 1782, prior to the official account. Zimmerman served on the lower deck of the Discovery, but was sufficiently literate to keep a shorthand account of what he saw. His account, which first appeared a year earlier in his native German, preceded the official account by three years. It includes descriptions of Pacific Indian tribes and an eyewitness account of the death of Cook. The title, in French, is Dernier voyage du Capitaine Cook autour du Monde... Priced at $20,000.

There was a French trip to California even earlier, though it did not make it as far north as San Francisco. Jean-Baptiste Chappe D'Auteroche led a French expedition to the Pacific to view the transit of Venus across the sun in 1769. This was the same transit that Cook set out for the Pacific to view on his first voyage. This voyage made it to Baja California just in time to achieve its goal, only to have illness hit the crew a few days later, taking many lives, including that of its leader. The book is Voyage en Californie pour l'observation du passage de Venus...published in 1772. Item 9. $12,000.

Of course, the French were active in North America long before this. They were the first to explore much of Canada and the Louisiana Territory in the 17th century. Less well known is their even earlier attempt to settle Florida. In 1564, with the support of the French King, Rene Laudonniere led three ships of French Protestants, not particularly welcome in France, on a voyage to settle Florida. It was a classic example of everything that can go wrong going wrong. It started out auspiciously. The settlers were welcomed by natives, and set up a fort and settlement.

Travels and Other Books from Librairie Thomas-Scheler

Heinrich Zimmerman who sailed on and wrote about Cook's final voyage.

However, many of the settlers became restless, and with mutiny in the air, one boat was sent back to France with the most unhappy among them. Nevertheless, others became dissatisfied and left with their boats. Local Indians turned against the settlers and refused to continue supplying provisions, leading to near starvation. Next, another fleet arrived from France, and Laudonniere was informed that French authorities now questioned his loyalty and were removing him as Florida Governor. This was followed by the arrival of the Spanish fleet, which attacked their fort and killed many of the settlers. Laudonniere and a few others managed to escape into the woods. They made their way to a French ship, abandoning the colony and attempting to return to France. However, the ship was driven onto the English coast in a storm. Laudonniere had to spend time in England before finally making it back to France, where he was coldly received. He spent the remainder of his life in retirement in France. Laudonniere's book, published in 1586, is L'Histoire notable de la Floride... Item 24. $120,000.

From French attempts at colonization we turn to the more successful Spanish endeavors. This title is Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva Espana, by Bernal Diaz del Castillo. Diaz accompanied noted conquistador Hernan Cortes in his sweep through Central America. He was an eyewitness to many historic events, including Cortes' meeting with Montezuma. Thomas-Scheler describes this book as "the most prominent source for all historiographers writing on this subject [Cortes' conquest] ever since its publication." Diaz wrote his book many years after the conquest, but died in 1584 unpublished. The original manuscript was finally published in 1632. Item 17. $30,000.

Item 22 is Dell Uso e dell Arco Conduttore nelle Contrazioni dei Muscoli, by Luigi Galvani. Galvani discovered something that every beginning biology student has learned in his or her lab. He discovered that electrical forces could move animal tissues. This is the finding you recreated when you touched a battery to a dead frog and watched its legs twitch. Before Galvani, no one knew about this. Galvani's name is memorialized in the term "galvanize," whose origin you probably did not know until now. His book was published in 1794. $25,000.

Librairie Thomas-Scheler can be reached by phone at +33 1 43 26 97 69 or by email at basane@thomas-scheler.fr.