Leather backed set of Historie de France comprising 13 volumes. Published in Paris in 1834 by IMPRIMERIE DE CASIMIR, Rue de la Vieille-Monnais, no 12. Edited by L. Mame. Very good condition. No broken bindings or torn pages. Each volume measures 8.5 x 5 inches x 1 inch. From the collection of a retired Yale University librarian and scholar.

Vintage museum quality artisan basket titled "Corn Circle" by renowned basket weaver Joan Brink (born April 11, 1945-), crafted July 22, 2002. Measures 7.5" h x 13 inches in diameter. Dyed and bleached cane with ebonized tropical walnut rim, rim base and lid, with turquoise heishi beads. The following is a quote from Joan Brink: "Each basket I design and create is the result of a particular meditation. This basket marks the first in a series of smaller, highly decorative pieces with lids. I am calling them "Treasure Baskets". The basket design centers around the symbols of corn and crows: corn being the symbol of abundance in the Southwest and crows siginfiying magic. I have used my checkerboard symbol for water as decorative panels to set off the four plain panels of negative space in which I've placed the pairs of corn. Over each corn pair is centered a crow in a upper band of white. The four corn pairs and the four crows mark the four cardinal directions and suggest the dynamics of a medicine wheel. 7/22/2002 Joan Brink"

Vintage museum quality artisan basket titled "Corn Devas" by renowned basket weaver Joan Brink (born April 11, 1945-), crafted May 28, 2001. Measures 6" h x 12 inches in diameter. Dyed and bleached cane with purple-heart rim and base, with turquoise heishi beads. The following is a quote from Joan Brink: "Each basket I design and create is the result of a particular meditation. The abstract imagery of this small octave basket is designed to frame the figures of eight corn devas. A deva is consciousness connected to the earth which holds the pattern of harmony for a specific thing. In this case, the deva holds the pattern for the corn plant. To many indigenous people in the Southwest corn is a symbol for abundance. The relationship between mankind and the devic intelligences is a co-created one. While they hold the pattern integrity, we can manifest the plant. This basket is meant to celebrate that relationship and to symbolize the abundance accorded to those who honor this relationship. For more information on devic intelligence, see publications on Findhorn Garden in Scotland." Joan Brink, 28 May, 2001"

Vintage museum quality artisan basket by renowned basket weaver Joan Brink (born April 11, 1945-), crafted August 1, 2000. Measures 14" h x 17.25 inches in diameter. Dyed and bleached cane with purple-heart rim and base. The following is a quote from Joan Brink: "Each basket I design and create is the result of a particular meditation. This basket was designed following a conversation about wind Kachinas or Spirits. The subject was inspirational as a basket story, and since we were in a serious drought in New Mexico, the "Rain Spirits" were worth invoking in design, thus Rain Dance. In the basket, the vertical figures in black represent the dancers' spirits. Drops of rain fall from the white triangular clouds and above, lighting arrows complete the design." Joan Brink, 1 August 2000"

A limited edition authorized exact reproduction of Russell W. Porter's 1923 telescope, made by The Telescopes of Vermont. In 1923, Vermont artist, Arctic explorer, and amateur astronomer Russell W. Porter created an Art Nouveau style telescope intended to serve as both garden ornament and functional scientific instrument. Cast in bronze, the reflecting telescope was adorned with sculpted lotus petals and curving leaves. The optics were disguised in overlapping bronze leaves, while the motion controls were hidden in a pair of cylindrical flowers. Porter created fewer than 100 of his garden telescopes, according to the Smithsonian, which holds one of these devices in its collection at the National Museum of American History. The rarity of these telescopes was partly due to their cost of around $500, beyond the means of most Jazz Age stargazers. Russell W. Porter's telescope would be a model for the design of the 200 inch Hale telescope in San Diego. Russell Porter was the father of amateur astronomy in the United States, the founder of the Springfield Telescope Makers, an Arctic explorer and navigator, a painter of exquisite Inuit portraits, and an instructor of architecture at MIT. When British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore saw the telescope, he dubbed her “Capella”, after one of the brightest stars, always visible in the Northern hemisphere. To read more about the company The Telescopes of Vermont and its journey to recreate this telescope, please go to: http://gardentelescopes.com/our-story.html. Serial numbered and limited to two hundred, the Garden Telescope is an heirloom imbued with craftsmanship and the cachet of rarity. Four hundred hours of work are lavished on each instrument. A milestone acquisition for the art collector, garden lover, astronomy buff and/or aficionado of fine design and craftsmanship, it will spark conversations and delight those who encounter it. A six inch mirror and eyepieces of 50 and 75 power deliver the moon, Jupiter and its moons, and Saturn with great detail. Currently there are only twenty in the world. The telescope, pedestal and optics case (made by a maker of cases for fine English and Belgian shotguns) comprise the kit. Tech specs: 6" f4 mirror, with 75 and 50 power eyepieces. The Telescope, with its pedestal, is 66" tall, and weighs 110 lbs. This telescope was purchased several years ago for $75,000 and is now selling for upwards of $125,000. Excellent condition. Just in from a CT estate.