Bonner, James. A New Plan for speedily increasing the number of bee-hives in Scotland; and which may be extended with equal success, to England, Ireland, America, or to any other part of the world capable of producing flowers.
1st. Ed. Pub. J. Moir, Edinburgh. 1795 pp.[ii], xx, 256. 8vo. Hardback. Half-title, last two pages of index and advertisement absent, provided as loosely inserted facsimiles. Contents in thor. vg. to fine condition. Original marbled boards in vg. condition, showing some wear commensurate with age, with sympathetic more recent, spine in fine condition. Bookplate of David Smith (long-term IBRA Secretary and author) loosely inserted. Harding 151.
‘Bonner who was Bee-Master at Auchencrow, near Berwick-on-Tweed, was the most able and the best known of Scottish bee-men’ (Harding 151).
£250.00 [ref: 54654]

Chomel, Noel. A Dissertation on Bees.
Fac. Pub. Elmwood. 1982 pp.8. 4to. A nr. fine softback. Scarce.
This dissertation by Noel Chomel (1632-1712) first appeared in the ‘Dictionaire oeconomique’ published in Paris in 1709. This extract is based on the English edition which had been revised by Richard Bradley (1688-1732) and published in Dublin in 1727.
£12.50 [ref: 54596]

Columella, Lucius Junius Moderatus. Of Husbandry. In Twelve Books: And His book Concerning Trees.
1st. Eng. Ed. Pub. A. Millar 1745 pp.xiv, 600 plus index. Intermittent foxing. Hinges neatly repaired. Red sprinkle decoration to fore-edges of text block. More recent quarter calf spine added to contemporary boards showing some rubbing. With contemporary armorial bookplate of Thomas Boswall Esq. of Blackadder and with ‘W. Phorson’s Circulating Library’ label (c.1800) to front paste-down. Contents very clean, with a little scattered foxing. Overall a vg. copy. (Harding 98).
Columella is considered the most important writer on agriculture of the Roman Empire. ‘Of Husbandry’ is a fascinating work with chapters dedicated to beekeeping, the husbandry of land, vines, livestock, poultry and fruit growing. ‘Columella, a Spaniard [believed of Roman parentage], wrote about a century after Virgil. He saw service in the East and then settled on an estate near Rome. Probably a commercial beekeeper, he gave very detailed and well conceived advice on many aspects of apiary management, including requeening, uniting and migratory beekeeping’ (Fraser).
£800.00 [ref: 46415]

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Keys, John. The Antient [Ancient] Bee-Master’s Farewell. Or, full and plain directions for the management of bees to the greatest advantage; disclosing further improvements of the hives, boxes, and other instruments, to facilitate the operations; especially that of separating double and treble hives or boxes, with certainty and safety, without injuring the bees.....interspersed with new but important observations.
1st. Ed. Pub. Robinson, London. 1796 pp.xvi, 273 with plate two [of two] present. Contents very clean with the exception of an old stain mark to the bottom right corner of the half-title and the plate, which also has some foxing to the margins. Pages rough-cut as published. More recently rebound in full calf leather binding with raised bands and gilt lettering on spine. With neat signature of a previous owner to ffep. Overall a very good copy.
John Keys was a Welsh Bee-keeper and indeed wrote this work from Bee-Hall near Pembroke.
£400.00 [ref: 46829]

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Keys, John. The Antient [Ancient] Bee-Master’s Farewell. Or, full and plain directions for the management of bees to the greatest advantage; disclosing further improvements of the hives, boxes, and other instruments, to facilitate the operations; especially that of separating double and treble hives or boxes, with certainty and safety, without injuring the bees.....interspersed with new but important observations.
1st. Ed. Pub. Robinson, London. 1796 pp.xvi, 273 with two plates. Contents very clean. More recently a quarter-calf leather binding with marbled boards has replaced an older binding. Leather spine has raised bands and gilt lettering. Binding in fine condition also. A lovely copy. Scarce. (Harding 154).
John Keys was a Welsh Bee-keeper and indeed wrote this work from Bee-Hall near Pembroke.
£700.00 [ref: 45360]

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Keys, John. The Practical Bee-Master. In which will be shewn how to manage bees either in straw hives or in boxes, without destroying them, and with more ease, safety and profit, than by any method hitherto made public.
1st. Ed. Pub. for the author, London. [1780] pp.xii, 390, with one fold-out plate plus 1 leaf errata and advertisements. 8vo. Hardback. Contents leaf bound after title page. Some light off-setting on the fold-out plate and some minor spotting. Old stitch marks evident. Otherwise contents very clean, bright and in near fine condition. Several informed, pencil notes in early hand. More recently, handsomely rebound in full-calf leather binding (marbled end-papers) with gilt lettering and decoration, all in fine condition. (Harding 135).
£625.00 [ref: 53994]

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Markham, Gervase. Cheape and Good Husbandry. For the Well-Ordering of all Beasts and Fowles, and for the generall Cure of their Diseases.
Rep. Pub. Proquest EEBO. 2011 pp.[xxvi],188. Royal 8vo. A fine softback. Harding 19.
A reproduction of the eigth edition, printed in 1653 from a copy held by the University of Illinois. With chapters on the husbandry of cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, poultry and fowls, and bees.
£22.50 [ref: 54617]

Markham, Gervase. Cheape and Good Husbandry. For the Well-Ordering of all Beasts and Fowles, and for the generall Cure of their Diseases.
Rep. Pub. Proquest EEBO. 2011 pp.[xxvi],188. Royal 8vo. A fine softback. Harding 19.
A reproduction of the sixth edition printed in 1637, from a copy held by the Bodleian Library. With chapters on the husbandry of cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, poultry and fowls, and bees.
£22.50 [ref: 54616]

Mills, John. An Essay on the Management of Bees. Wherein is shown the method of rearing those useful insects; and that the practice of saving their lives when their honey and wax are taken from them was known to the antients and is, in itself, simple and easily executed.
1st. Ed. Pub. for J. Johnson and B. Davenport. 1766 pp.x, [2], 157 with 2 pages of publisher's adverts. 8vo. Hardback. Original illus. frontis. and fold-out plate removed, facsimiles of which are loosely inserted. Contents in nr. fine condition. More recently, professionally rebound in quarter-calf over marbled boards, with replacement end-papers, all in fine condition. Scarce. Harding 116.
£450.00 [ref: 54653]

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Thorley, Rev. John. An Enquiry into the Nature, Order and Government of Bees. Those instructive and useful insects. With a new, easy and effectual method to preserve them, not only in Colonies, but common Hives.
4th. Ed. Pub. Johnson, London. 1774 pp. illus frontis., x, 158 with one further engraved plate. 8vo. Hardback. Contents near fine condition. Two neat, early ownership inscriptions (one dated 1787) and bookplate of David Smith (long-term IBRA Secretary and author) loosely inserted. The plates in this edition are especially charming. Bound in handsome original full-calf leather (tree-calf style), showing some wear along spine and to fore-edges, o/w. vg and still very firm internally. Marbled end-papers. (Harding 97).
Thorley’s secret was the puffball narcotic, which he used when uniting colonies; its use was mentioned in 1597 by John Gerard and had long been practised in the Netherlands. Of English writers, Thorley was the first to mention having found wax scales in the pockets of worker bees.
£495.00 [ref: 54001]

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