Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - January - 2006 Issue
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.
