Hay (David Ramsay) Original Geometrical Diaper Designs, accompanied by an attempt to develope and elucidate the true principles of Ornamental Design, as applied to the Decorative Arts, 57 lithographed plates, some tinted, 1844; The Geometric Beauty of the Human Figure Defined..., 16 engraved plates, ex-library copy with stamps, Edinburgh & London, 1851; The Natural Principles and Analogy of the Harmony of Form, engraved frontispiece and 18 plates, presentation copy from the author to Thomas Hamilton inscribed on front free endpaper, Edinburgh & London, 1842, first editions, some light foxing or soiling, original cloth, rubbed, the first and last damp-stained, the first two with spines ends worn, the last defective, oblong folio & 4to (3)

⁂ David Hay was a successful house-painter in Edinburgh who specialised in marble and wood effects and decorated Holyroodhouse for Queen Victoria. He published several books on design and colour theory, studying design from a scientific angle. The first is his most original book, inspired by Owen Jones's Alhambra of 1842 and its Islamic patterns. He also refers to his admiration for Sir David Brewster, inventor of the kaleidoscope, an influence evident in the plates.