JOSEPH J. BRAY
4730 Cass Street
San Diego, CA 92109
858-490-1122
email: josebray@yahoo.com

Terms: Prices net and all items offered subject to prior sale. Please remit payment with order. Book-rate postage included on domestic orders (Priority mail is extra). International orders inquire for postage. Institutions will be billed as required. Order early and reserve items by phone or email to avoid disappointment. Payment by check or money order, sorry no credit cards.

VERY SPECIAL DEAL: ACT QUICKLY AND BUY THE ENTIRE LOT at a 40% discount off already marked down prices listed (total as listed: $2670, less 40% = $1602, insured bookrate postage included!)

1. [BEE KEEPING PRINT]. New York: Sackett & Wilhelms Litho. Co., [1881]. 19 x 14 _ inches. Patent beehives on both sides, hand-colored on one side only. The colored side illustrated with 15 different vignettes of bees and beehives, including log, barrel, and early observatory hives. The black & white side shows 12 additional vignettes of patent hives, "artificial comb," and a strange hiving device. Fine vintage beekeeping print, perfect for framing. Was $175, now $100.

2. Butler, C.G.: THE HONEYBEE. AN INTRODUCTION TO HER SENSE-PHYSIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1949. 139pp. 6 plates. Original cloth. Endpapers bit foxed. Good solid copy in nice dust jacket. Inscribed by E.J. Dyce, famous New York state beeman who developed a famous cream honey method. Was $30, now $15.

3. Buttel-Reepen, H. von: SIND DIE BIENEN REFLEX MASCHINEN? EXPERIMENTELLE BEITRAGE ZUR BIOLOGIE DER HONIGBIENE. Leipzig: Verlag von Arthur Georgi, 1900. vi,82pp. Contemporary half cloth and boards. Ex-library cancelled stamp on titlepage. Otherwise very good. The title translates as: Are Bees Reflex Machines? Experimental Contribution to the Natural History of the Honey-bee. $10.

4. [California]: BEE-CULTURE. A CALIFORNIA BEE RANCH. [New York. April 23, 1881]. Multi-image print illustrating beekeeping scenes at a California apiary in Santa Rosa. Eleven separate images on one print, e.g. examining hives, hunting wild bees, processing honey, making boxes for shipment, Santa Rosa Apiary, etc. Extracted from Harpers Illustrated. 9 x 13 _ inches. Fine. Handsome piece suitable for framing. Was $125, now $50.

5. Carter, George A.: BEES AND HONEY. A GUIDE TO THE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF BEES, THEIR DISEASES, AND THE CHEMISTRY OF BEE-KEEPING. Kent, England: Bee Craft, 1946. 112,[1]pp. Frontis. plus plates. Cloth. Very good in jacket. $10.

6. Clark, Kenneth K.: BEEKEEPING. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1951. 222pp. Illus. Paperback. Good. Excellent book. Getting scarce. $10.

7. [Cross, J.H.]: THE HIVE AND ITS WONDERS. London: R.T.S., [1853]. 126pp. Frontis. and other charming woodcut illustrations. Contemporary half calf and marbled boards, font cover completely detached. Minor foxing. Binding could be repaired. Overall clean and nice. $25.

Endearing Victorian bee book for young readers. Mention of bees in Australia and Hobart Town, honey-guide birds in South Africa (with illustration), neatness of bees, honeycomb structure, quotes Bevan.

8. Demuth, George S.: SWARM CONTROL. Washington. 1933. Farmers' Bulletin No. 1198. 30pp. Illus. Wrappers. Fine. Important treatment of topic. $5.

9. Doolittle, G.M.: MANAGEMENT OF OUT-APIARIES, OR, AN AVERAGE OF 114 _ POUNDS OF HONEY PER COLONY, IN A POOR SEASON, AND HOW IT WAS DONE. Medina, Oh.: A.I. Root Co., 1913. 72pp. Illus. Scarce classic. Fourth edition. $25.

10. [Dunbar, William]: THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BEES, COMPREHENDING THE USES AND ECONOMICAL MANAGEMENT OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN HONEY-BEE; TOGETHER WITH THE KNOWN WILD SPECIES The Naturalists Library Vol. XXXIV. Edinburgh: Lizars, 1840. ix,17-301pp. plus portrait frontis., engraved half-title and 30 plates (many colored). Contemporary half green calf, red leather labels, t.e.g. by Root & Son. Handsome binding. Very good. Was $250, now $125.

First edition of this exquisite bee book, remarkable for its hand-colored plates and the fine engraved portrait of Huber. The plates illustrate bees, hives, bees' enemies, beekeeping tools, swarming, etc. "This book was predominantly scientific, although it had its practical side. Its author had studied Huber, whose life is described in a Memoir at the beginning of the book and whose portrait appears as its frontispiece One hundred pages of Dunbar's book were devoted to the bee itself, especially to the functions of queen, drone, and worker, and various other questions which were engaging the attention of beekeepers at the time The next eighty pages dealt with the practical management of bees and included twenty in which various forms of hives were described. The final forty pages gave some idea of bumble bees and 'foreign bees'"­ Fraser. "The coloured plates are particularly attractive" - IBRA 236. "Dunbar's work was well done, and is still interesting" ­ Col. Walker.

11. Eckert John E.: BEEKEEPING IN CALIFORNIA. Berkeley: Univ. of Calif., Ag. Extension, Revised Oct., 1941. 86pp. Illus. Disbound pamphlet. Clean and good. Excellent California honey plants chart divided by county. Cover photo of sage apiary in Ventura County. $10.

12. Eckert, John E. & Frank R. Shaw: BEEKEEPING. SUCCESSOR TO "BEEKEEPING" BY EVERETT F. PHILLIPS. New York. 1976. ix,[2],536pp. Portrait frontispiece plus many illus. Original green cloth. Spine bit faded, else very good. Excellent textbook, first rate bibliography. Later printing. $10.

13. Hambleton, James I.: THE TREATMENT OF AMERICAN FOULBROOD. Washington. 1933. 14pp. Illus. Wrappers. Fine. Farmers' Bulletin No. 1713. $5.

14. Harbison, W.C.: BEES AND BEE-KEEPING: A PLAIN, PRACTICAL WORK; RESULTING FROM YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND CLOSE OBSERVATION IN EXTENSIVE APIARIES, BOTH IN PENNSYLVANIA AND CALIFORNIA. WITH DIRECTIONS HOW TO MAKE BEE-KEEPING A DESIRABLE AND LUCRATIVE BUSINESS AND FOR SHIPPING BEES TO CALIFORNIA. New York: C.M. Saxton, Barker & Co., 1860. 288pp. Frontispiece plus plates and in text engravings. Original blindstamped cloth, somewhat soiled. Usual foxing to pages. Else very good. Ownership signature and ex-libris stamp of Ambrose Moon, important 19th-century American beekeeping of Paw Paw, Michigan who wrote his own bee book in 1872! Was $625, now $350.

This very rare American bee book is by the lesser known of the Harbison brothers. Both were pioneers in bringing bees to California, but John stayed in the west making headlines while W.C. remained rooted in the east. "It is evident that though the brothers worked together, exchanged letters, and never seemed to disagree with one another, there is no indication that either knew of or had anything to do with the writing of the other's book, though they were written during the same period. J.S. appeared to be the more original mind, but, on the other hand, W.C. wrote in a much clearer style, and his technical descriptions of apicultural artifacts are much easier to follow" ­ Watkins, "John S. Harbison: California's First Modern Beekeeper," in Agricultural History 43:2 (1969). Excellent illustrations of Harbison hives. Extremely rare and never reprinted. This copy with the notable provenance of Ambrose Moon, who published his own bee book in 1872.

15. Hawkins, Kennith: BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTH. A Handbook on Seasons, Methods and Honey Flora of the Fifteen Southern States. Hamilton. 1920. 120,[6]pp. Frontis. plus many photographic illustrations of apiaries in Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Carolinas, Florida, etc. Original cloth. Fine. Ownership stamp of R.O.B. Manley, famous British bee writer. J&J 215. $45.

16. Hodges, Dorothy: THE POLLEN LOADS OF THE HONEYBEE. A GUIDE TO THEIR IDENTIFICATION BY COLOUR AND FORM. Containing a Chart of Pollen Load Colours Recorded in the South of England London: Bee Research Association, 1952. 51,[8]pp. plus 35 plates (5 colored) and 6 leaves comprising the color chart of 120 different pollen plants. Illus. Original cloth. Very good in bit soiled dust jacket. Was $125, now $70.

The scarce first edition of this remarkable work on the pollen loads collected by bees. Only this first edition contains the hand-mounted color squares (over 200 of them) to identify the pollen sources of bees. Later editions of this book have somewhat inferior photo reproductions of the color charts. Hodges was a highly skilled artist and beekeeper. Other plates include large-scale magnifications of pollen grains, and color illustrations of the pollen packing process. Unique blend of art and science in a bee book. This book represents a labor of patience and love.

17. Hubbell, Sue: A BOOK OF BEES, AND HOW TO KEEP THEM. New York: Random House, 1988. 193pp. Illus. Cloth. Very good in slightly worn dust jacket. First edition of modern classic. $10.

18. Hutchinson, W.Z.: ADVANCED BEE-CULTURE. ITS METHODS AND MANAGEMENT. Flint, Michigan. 1905. 330pp. Illus. throughout and beautifully printed. Original pictorial decorated cloth binding. Light wear to spine ends. Ball-point ink note on blank endpaper: "SOLD" (a real genius must have done that). Otherwise a very good plus copy, tight and nice. Scarce third edition, before Root took over publishing this title. A classic on how to be a professional beekeeper, that is, how to make a living with bees. Hutchinson was one of the great Michigan bee men of the Golden Age and his writings are still a worthwhile. $50.

19. Hutchinson, W.Z.: THE PRODUCTION OF COMB HONEY, AS PRACTICED AND ADVISED BY W.Z. HUTCHINSON OF ROGERSVILLE, MICH. Flint, Mich.: Globe Printing House, 1887. 45pp. plus 24pp. of illustrated bee ads. Illus. Original wrappers embossed with honeycomb pattern. Very good. Was $325, now $125.

This extremely rare booklet is one of the earliest American bee books entirely on comb honey production. This is Hutchinson's first bee book, published four years before the first edition of his better-known Advanced Bee Culture. The style of writing and quality of printing are first class. Hutchinson was for many years the editor of his own bee journal, The Beekeepers' Review, which was known for its quality editorial content and excellent printing. The many pages of illustrated beekeeping advertisements at the back of this book are just as interesting as the work itself. Many of these ads feature small regional queen breeders and manufacturers of hives.

20. King, N.H. & H.A.: THE BEE-KEEPER'S TEXT-BOOK WITH ALPHABETICAL INDEX, BEING A COMPLETE REFERENCE BOOK AND ILLUSTRATING THE NUCLEUS SYSTEM OF SWARMING AND ITALIAN QUEEN REARING. Buffalo: Franklin Printing House, 1867. 140,[4]pp. Illus. Original pictorial wrappers. Back wrappers dampstained. Lower corner of front wrapper chipped. Good. Was $150, now $100.

Third edition, revised, of this important early American bee book. H.A. King was the only individual Langstroth actually sued for patent infringement. This edition is particularly interesting because of a footnote on p. 140 in which King states: "we have just secured another advantage by purchasing a general interest for Mr. Langstroth's
territory in his Patent." This arrangement was the beginning of a thorny relationship that led to the lawsuit. Although the King book apparently sold well, having gone through many editions, copies are now hard to find. As early as 1938 Frank Pellett wrote that very few copies were available. Price-list at back offering their American Beehive, township rights for same, Italian bees, etc.

21. Lewis, G.B. Co.: CATALOG OF LEWIS BEEWARE AND DADANT'S FOUNDATION. Albany, N.Y. 1929. 48pp. Illus. Original wrappers (split at spine). Clean and good. Full range of bee supplies. $10.

22. Maeterlinck, Maurice: THE CHILDREN'S LIFE OF THE BEE. Selected and Arranged by Alfred Sutro and Herschel Williams. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1920. 192pp. plus 5 color plates by Edward J. Detmold. Original blue cloth, with color pictorial onlay. A fine copy. Beautiful color plates. $20.

23. Morley, Margaret W.: THE HONEY-MAKERS. Chicago: A.C. McClurg, 1899. 424pp. Illus. Original pictorial cloth, t.e.g. Light soiling along back outer hinge area, else near fine copy. $75.

First edition of this scarce classic of honey and bee lore. Describes ancient customs from Hindu literature, Egypt, Greece and Italy and Mediaeval Europe. A fascinating book. Much harder to find than the same author's popular children's book The Bee People. J&J 355.

24. Miller, C.C.: FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. Medina. [1920]. 328pp. Illus. Original cloth. Near fine. This is the memorial edition issued soon after Miller's death. The most beloved bee book of its day. Classic work full of the warmth and spirit of the author. J&J 339. $50.

25. Miner T.B.: THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER'S MANUAL; BEING A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE HISTORY AND DOMESTIC ECONOMY OF THE HONEY-BEE, EMBRACING A FULL ILLUSTRATION OF THE WHOLE SUBJECT, WITH THE MOST APPROVED METHODS OF MANAGING THIS INSECT THROUGH EVERY BRANCH OF ITS CULTURE, THE RESULT OF MANY YEARS' EXPERIENCE. New York: C. M. Saxton, 1857. 349,[10]pp. Illustrated with woodcuts. Original cloth. A very good copy. Was $375, now $175.

Fourth edition of this early American bee manual, rare in any edition. Miner, a resident of Clinton, New York, was editor of the Northern Farmer and later of the Rural American, two prominent 19th-century agricultural journals. A recent article by Toge Johansson reveals some interesting points about Miner. His book includes an engraving of the cross-bar hive described by Bevan. Miner's patented "Equilateral Hive" utilized a 3/8-inch space between special guide plate openings. From this it is clear that Miner understood the importance of bee space quite early. Langstroth owned a copy of this 1849 first edition of Miner's book, and was probably influenced by it. The book went through at least ten printings by 1859, but for some reason very few copies survive today. Col. Walker called this the "best all-round American bee-book till then published." Rare and significant. See The Beekeeper's Quarterly (spring 1993) for Johansson's article. J&J 344.

26. Morrison, W.K.]: BEEKEEPERS' DICTIONARY. Medina: Root Co., [1922]. 32pp. Original printed wrappers. Fine. Scarce early effort toward a definition of beekeeping jargon. $15.

27. Phin, John: A DICTIONARY OF PRACTICAL APICULTURE. GIVING THE CORRECT MEANING OF NEARLY FIVE HUNDRED TERMS, ACCORDING TO THE USAGE OF THE BEST WRITERS. INTENDED AS A GUIDE TO UNIFORMITY OF EXPRESSION AMONGST BEE-KEEPERS. New York: Industrial Publications Co., 1884. 80pp. Illus. plus [8]pp. bee-related ads and [32]pp. publisher's ads. Original cloth, gilt bees on cover. Clean copy. Very good. Was $375, now $175.

A very rare early dictionary of beekeeping terminology. Phin wrote books on educational subjects. He claims to have taught the first beekeeping course in the United States (Pennsylvania State in 1867). This is the first time I have handled this title and it is rarely seen for sale. Interesting beekeeping related ads at back of book. J&J 427.

28. [PHOTOGRAPH OF LARGE APIARY in Adams or Adams Center, New York]. No date, but ca. 1900. 5 x 7 inches on 7 x 9 card mount. Condition is fine. Sharp original vintage photograph of over 100 Langstroth hives in a single apiary, with beekeeper's home in background. Pride of industry in the Golden Age of American beekeeping. Nice image for historical display. $45.

29. Rauschenfels, Andrea de: ATLAS D'APICULTURE-ANATOMIE-HISTOLOGIE, PATHOLOGIE & PARASITOLOGIE DE L'ABEILLE. Tamines: C. Duculot-Roulin, 1905. [4]pp. plus 30 fine chromolithograph plates each with page of descriptive text. Original textured wrappers. Very good. Was $275, now $125.

A rare atlas of thirty fine color lithograph plates showing bees, bee anatomy and bee enemies. The impressive plates are by F. Clerici and based on microscopic preparations by Comte G. Barbo (president of the Central Apicultural Association of Italy). This French edition was translated from the Italian by A.J. Vandenberghe. A beautiful work illustrating the Italian bee. Rare. Not at Cornell. Casteljau 1337.

30. Ribbands, Ronald: THE BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIAL LIFE OF HONEYBEES. London: Bee Research Association Ltd. [with printed cancel slip:] Hapeville, Georgia: Hale Publishing Co., 1953. 352pp. plus plates. Original cloth. Very good in original pictorial dust jacket. Scarce first American edition of this essential book. $30.

31. Root, A.I. Co.: BEES & HONEY, ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE AND PRICE LIST. Medina, Ohio. Aug. 1890. 42pp. Illus. Very good. Full line of Root apiarian supplies. Elaborately illustrated. Queen cages, foundation mills, hives, extractors, gadgets too. Golden age American beekeeping by the firm that facilitated it. $40.

32. Samuelson, James & J. Braxton Hicks: THE HONEY-BEE; ITS NATURAL HISTORY, HABITS, ANATOMY, AND MICROSCOPICAL BEAUTIES. WITH TINTED ILLUSTRATIONS. London: John Van Voorst, 1860. xvi,166pp. plus 8 fine tinted lithograph plates. Original cloth, stamped in blind and gilt. A bright, fine copy. $150.

This book is illustrated with eight beautiful tinted lithograph plates of bees and their "microscopical beauties" (i.e. bee anatomy). "the illustrations were chosen with skill and care, and as many as possible were placed on each plate[the book] is written in a systematic manner, and shows great skill in covering much ground in a small compass" ­ Fraser. An elegant Victorian natural history.

33. Sechrist, Edward L.: TRANSFERRING BEES TO MODERN HIVES. Washington. 1933. Farmers' Bulletin No. 961. 9pp. Illus. Wrappers. Fine. $5.

34. Taylor, Richard: THE COMB HONEY BOOK. Interlaken, N.Y. 1996. 124pp. Illus. Softcover. Very good. Classic comb honey book. $5.

35. Thacher, James: A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE MANAGEMENT OF BEES; AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF APIARIES, WITH THE BEST METHOD OF DESTROYING AND PREVENTING THE DEPREDATIONS OF THE BEE MOTH. Boston: Marsh & Capen, 1829. 162,[4]pp. Original cloth backed boards (with typical moderate soil and staining to boards, but spine tight and nice), original printed spine label. Lower fore-edge corner of pages clipped, but no text is affected. Usual scattered foxing (seen on all copies of this book). Overall a nice very good copy. $350.

A rare early American beekeeping manual by a surgeon who served in the American Revolution. Thacher is mostly remembered for his memoirs of the Revolution, which were widely read and highly praised. "Small of stature, light and agile in movements, Thacher was fond of social intercourse, yet regularly studious. His patriotic spirit and sterling integrity endeared him to many; his well-disciplined mind and productive antiquarianism led to literary endeavors of enduring worth" ­ DAB. Thacher exhibited a refined sense of observation with respect to the honey bee, and his treatise was probably the best American bee book of the time. He was familiar with a number of early writers, including Swammerdam, Huber, Huish, Bromwich, Bonner, as well as little-known American contemporary Mrs. Mary Griffith of New Brunswick, New Jersey, whose Charlieshope hive seems to have sparked Thacher's interest. "Thacher (1754-1844) was one of the geniuses of New England in the years immediately following the Revolution" ­ Hendrick, A History of Horticulture in America. Col. Walker, writing in 1929, called this book "very scarce" and today it is among the most elusive of early American bee books. J&J 561. RINK 1622. AMERICAN IMPRINTS 40627.

36. Vansell, G.H.: BEEKEEPING FOR THE BEGINNER IN CALIFORNIA. Berkeley: Univ. of Calif., Ag. Extension, November 1929. Circular 36. 52pp. Illus. Self wrappers. Clean good plus copy. $15.

37. Walker, H.J.O. Lt. Col.: DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF A LIBRARY OF BEE-BOOKS COLLECTED AND OFFERED FOR SALE BY LT.-COL. H.J.O. WALKER, (NOW OF) WESTHOLM MAINS, BUDLEIGH SALTERTON, DEVON. Sept., 1929. 144pp. Original cloth-backed gray printed boards. Near fine copy. Was $350, now $200.

Very scarce original printing of a great bee book collection catalogue. Col. Walker's collection, including bee books in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Latin, was sold en bloc to the University of Wisconsin shortly after this catalogue appeared. The entries by Col. Walker include useful bibliographical information, and also his value for each item, with the total collection valued at £347 or $1,735.

38. Watkins, Lee H.: "John S. Harbison: Pioneer San Diego Beekeeper" in: THE JOURNAL OF SAN DIEGO HISTORY. Fall, 1969. pp. 17-26. Illus. Color cover with honey bee. Article about pioneer California beekeeper. Complete issue. $10.

39. Zinn, Henry J.: OUR MARTHA. In Domesticated and Wild Life and Their Magnetic Wireless Communication. [Dunmore, Pa.] 1945. iv,152pp. Illus. Original cloth. Very good. $25.

Interesting and rather eccentric book comprised of humorous letters relating to beekeeping and many honey recipes. Martha Nelkey is the granddaughter of a Pennsylvania beekeeper, and herein collects the correspondence resulting from her weekly radio broadcasts on beekeeping topics. Well printed and bound. Scarce. J&J 613.