Butler, Rev. Charles. (& Owen, John (Ed.)). The Feminine Monarchie or The History of Bees. Showing their admirable nature and properties, their generation and colonies, their government, loyalty, art, industry, enemies, wars, magnanimitie, together with the right ordering of them from time to time: And the sweet profit arising thereof.
Facs. Ed. Pub. Northern Bee Books. 2017 pp.iv, 140 with b/w. photo. and illus. 8vo. A new softback.
This is the first new edition of ‘The Feminine Monarchie’ to be published for over 300 years. It contains a new introduction, as well as annotations and a glossary of the more obscure words used by Butler. The spelling and grammar have been modernised throughout. This edition has been prepared from the 1623 edition, which includes Butler’s famous ‘Bees Madrigal’.
£16.50 [ref: 52275]

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. The content is very charming, talking about honey bees and beekeeping. Chomel talks about hives being led by a king.
£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).
£775.00 [ref: 46415]

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Hill M.D., John. The Virtues of Honey. In preventing many of the worst disorders and in the certain cures of several others.
2nd. Ed. Facsimile. c.1980 pp.54. 8vo. An unbound facsimile copy of the second edition, 1759, corrected by hand where the copying process missed letters/a word. With the title page being a transcript from the third edition of 1760. Fine condition. Harding 113.
This copy is derived from a photocopy of the 2nd edition of ‘The Virtues of Honey’ which was held in the IBRA library. The collator of this copy has added some interesting bibliographical information.
£22.50 [ref: 55760]

Hill, Sir J. The Virtues of Honey.
Pub. Elmwood Books. 2004 pp.40 with line drawings. 8vo. Fine softback.
Sir John Hill was born in Peterborough in 1716. A trained Apothecary, he had shops in London. A noted Botanist, he travelled widely and had interests in many subjects. Eventually, he became Superintendent of the Royal Gardens in Kew. Often involved in controversy, despite his ability, he failed to achieve the recognition he maybe should have.
£7.50 [ref: 63984]

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 fine 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. More recently rebound in full calf leather binding with raised bands and gilt lettering on spine in fine condition. With neat signature of a previous owner to ffep.
John Keys was a Welsh Bee-keeper and indeed wrote this work from Bee-Hall near Pembroke.
£275.00 [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, half-title and full-title. Contents thor. vg. to nr. fine. More recent quarter-calf leather binding with marbled boards. Leather spine has raised bands and gilt lettering. Binding in fine condition. A lovely copy. Scarce. (Harding 154).
John Keys was a Welsh Bee-keeper and indeed wrote this work from Bee-Hall near Pembroke. His book was based on his considerable amount of experience, as he put it his ‘series of experiments of during thirty years.’.
£600.00 [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. Rep. Pub. for the author, London. [1780] pp.xii, 390 with one fold-out plate plus 1 leaf of advertisement, errata and postscript. 8vo. Hardback. Contents leaf bound after title page. Signature excised from front top corner of title page and following leaf (text not effected), o/w. contents in fine condition. Neat signature of 'Wm. Challis, Trafalgar, 1845' to ffep. Contemporary half-leather binding with marbled boards, showing some wear to leather at top of front hinge, all in vg. condition. Harding 135.
This copy contains a more detailed errata and a postscript, thereby making the contents more comprehensive.
£325.00 [ref: 55397]

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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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Rusden, Moses. A Further Discovery of Bees. Treating of the nature, government, generation & preservation of the Bee.
1st. Ed. Pub. printed for the author London. 1679 pp.12 leaves, 143 with 3 fold-out plates and illustrated frontispiece. Small 8vo. Hardback. Contents very clean and in nr fine condition. Several neat, early hand-written notes to margins. More recently bound in half-calf over marbled boards, lettered in gilt to spine, all in fine condition. A very pleasing copy. Scarce. Harding 55.
Rusden was appointed ‘Beemaster to the King’s most excellent Majesty at the instigation of John Evelyn. Written by Rusden who firmly believed that a hive was led by a King and not a Queen. In 1679, Rusden improved Geddie’s hive, and put a frame in it for the bees to fasten their combs upon.
£3,825.00 [ref: 56621]

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