Year: 2015

September 21, 2009

The First Work of Fantasy and a Newly Published One- an arc from 1541 to the present

The Book:

Lucian, of Samosata. I Dialogi piacevoli, le Vere Narrationi, le Facete Epistole di Lvciano Philosopho. Di Greco in Volgare tradotte per M. Nicolo da Lonigo: et historiate, e di nuovo… emendate. Published: Venetia : [Giovanni de Farri e Fratelli], 1541. 8vo., 16 x 11 cm., 223 ff., Publisher’s statement from colophon. Signatures: A-2E⁸. Leaves 49, 51, 53, 55, 81, 120, and 221 are misnumbered 17, 19, 21, 23, 80, 121, and 121, respectively. Leaves 9-40, and 57-112 are numbered in roman numerals. Charmingly illustrated with woodcuts depicting a sea monster flanked by the Pillars of Hercules to commence the journey, Charon’s boats loaded with souls destined for hell etc. 18th century full calf binding with marbled endpapers, gilt spine, red morocco spine label, wear to hinges. Internally, some staining to t.p., occasional browning, but generally a VERY GOOD COMPLETE and well-margined copy.

“Lucian of Samosata was an Assyrian rhetorician, and satirist who wrote in the Greek language. Le Vere Narrationi, A True History, parodied some fantastic tales told by Homer in the Odyssey. Lucian anticipated “modern” fictional themes like voyages to the moon and Venus, extraterrestrial life and wars between planets centuries before Jules Verne and H. G. Wells or Douglas Adams. His novel is widely regarded as an early, if not the earliest science fiction work. [Ref: Wikipedia].

Typographically, the book is a remarkable example of the sensitive integration of text and image prevalent in mid 16th century Venetian printing. The fine, delightful and classically inspired woodcuts not only illustrate, but serve as chapter headings to the volgaris text. The Italian vernacular was in fact quickly gaining ground in printing as a language with a new expressiveness and imagery that exceeded the hi-brow scholarly Latin of the day.

The work’s linguistic inventiveness, the placement of its illustrations, as well as the fantastic tale to another world, brought to my mind a parallel with a newly released book by my brilliant neighbor, Daniel Rabuzzi. His work, The Choir Boats, was reviewed as “a significant contribution to the field of fantasy” and I would highly encourage anybody who reads my blog to purchase a copy. Daniel’s wife, the artist Deborah Mills, contributed the lovely chapter illustrations, and I could imagine back in 16th century Venice, the Farri family of scholars, artists and publishers engaged in a similar collaboration to produce a labor of love. The Choir Boats, with its highly imaginative use of language, echoes a style of magical fantasy that was written in centuries past and which is more than worth delving into today.

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And photos from Daniel Rabuzzi’s remarkable work:

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posted in: Rare Books, Recommendations

September 11, 2009

A Gold Mine of early first millennium Gnostic, Jewish and Christian beliefs


PRINTED 1599: THE RENAISSANCE REDISCOVERY OF THE SIBYLLINE ORACLES

Contemporary Mille Fleurs Bookbinding

The Book:

Opsopoeus, Johannes Sivylliakoi chrēsmoi hoc est Sibyllina oracvla ex uett. codd. aucta, renouata, et notis illustrata a d. Iohanne Opsopoeo … Cum interpretatione latina Sebastiani Castalionis et indice. Published: Parisijs. Cum preuilegio regis. 1599. Description: 4 Book in 1; ; 8 p. ℓ., 524, 71 (i.e. 73), [2] p., 1 ℓ., 7-144 p., 1 ℓ., vii-xxiiii, 114, [5] p. illus. 8vo., 18 x 13 cm. Notes: Title engraved within ornamental border containing publishers’ device of the Compagnie de la Grand’ Navire; border signed by K. van Mallery, engraver. (Karel van Mallery was an engraver and printdealer in Antwerp, he was a student of Philip Galle and married his daughter Catharina Galle in 1598) Greek and Latin on opposite pages.
“Oracvla magica Zoroastris” (1 ℓ., 7-144 p.) and “Oracvla metrica … a Iohanne Opsopoeo collecta. Item Astrampsychi Oneirocriticon à Ios. Scaligero digestum & castigatum” (1 ℓ., vii-xxiiii, 114, [5] p.) have secondary signatures, separate paging, and special t.-p. with publishers’ device. Early calf and With elaborate gilt Mille Fleurs design, hinges with some wear as depiected, but holding strong, some bumping to corners, a few spots,
but generally a VERY GOOD COMPLETE COPY.

This is the most significant 16th century edition of the Sibylline oracles, who rediscovery in the Renaissance caused a sensation and whose influence upon Renaissance literature has not been fully investigated in modern times. Newfound interest in the oracles has also taken route as they are viewed as valuable sources for information about early first millennium Gnostic, Jewish and Christian beliefs. Notable in the oracles are apocalyptic passages scattered throughout which at times seem like early draft of the Biblical Book of Revelation.

“The Sibylline Oracles (sometimes called the “pseudo-Sibylline Oracles”) are a collection of oracular utterances written in Greek hexameters ascribed to the Sibyls, prophetesses who uttered divine revelations in a frenzied state. Twelve books of Sibylline Oracles survive. These are not considered to be the famous Sibylline Books of Roman history, which have been lost, but a collection of utterances that were composed under various circumstances from the middle of the second century to the fifth century AD.”

“Large collections of these Jewish and Christian oracles are still in existence. When they were recovered in the 16th century, their initial publication caused a sensation among scholars. In 1545 Xystus Betuleius (Sixt Birck of Augsburg) published at Basel an edition of eight books of oracles with a preface dating from perhaps the sixth century AD, and the next year a version set in Latin verse appeared. Better manuscripts were used by Johannes Opsopoeus (Johannes Koch), whose edition appeared at Paris in 1599.” [Ref: Wikipedia]

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posted in: Rare Books

August 25, 2009

A History of the World from 1480


PRINTED 1480; MANY WOODCUTS; COLORED IN A CONTEMPORARY HAND

THE EXTREMELY RARE FIRST EDITION IN DUTCH OF ROLEWINCK’S ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE WORLD

The Incunable:

ROLEWINCK, Werner (1425-1502). Fasciculus temporum, [Dutch:] Dat boek dat men hiet Fasciculus temporum. With additions. Utrecht: Johann Veldener, 14 February 1480.. Chancery Folio, wide margined., 276 x 205 mm., woodcut illustrations printed from 20 blocks, numerous woodcut coats-of-arms, 324 leaves of 338 ff; wanting prelim 8 ff. and viii, xiv, xxxviii, xliv, cccxxx. Numerous woodcuts of towns, personages etc., and over 200 woodcut escutcheons; woodcut illustrations colored by a contemporary hand as depicted. Original wooden boards, stripped of leather with exposed holes for bosses and metal fixtures, front board detached, spine exposed. 13-14th century vellum manuscript pastedowns, with 17th century additional Dutch note pasted to board. First quires browned and wrinkled with wear, some staining throughout, occasional marginal repairs with text loss, some pages detached from textblock., old manuscript t.p., some contemporary marginal notations, two red wax seals affixed to inner boards. Fol. 338 CCCxxix with late 15th/early 16th century marginal manuscript colophon with hand drawn copy of Veldener’s device, stating”: Hier Eyndet dat boeck dat men hiet fasciculus temporum in. houdende die Cro | nijcken van ouden tijden Als van dat die werlt eerst gliescapen is Ende van dat Adam ende Eua eerst ghemaect worden totter gheboert xpristi toe . . line 9: By my volmaect jan veldenar woennende tutrecht opten dam Irit jaer ons he- | ren MCCCClxxx…” Ref: BMC IV; Harvard/Walsh 3868-9; Goff R-278. Despite some faults, a copy imbued with historical authenticity, notably unwashed and unrestored in a contemporary binding. A VERY RARE and early edition of Rolewinck, and a marvel of typographical complexity in the incunable period.

Provenance: Presented by the Uncle of J.G.W. Steffen along with his wife, Ernestine van Badenborg”, as described in 1699 Maestricht note, pasted to inner board; circa 1840 American provenance of Appley, the Philadelphia Antiquary. On the inside of the cover is his label : ” Multce terricolis lingweccelestibusuna. Bought at the Tower of Babel, third story, long cast room, Arcade, where can be had Grammars and Dictionaries in one hundred languages. Luther Appley.” It is quite interesting that the book probably made it to America as part of the 18th century Dutch trade.

FIRST EDITION IN DUTCH of the great and famous history of the world by the erudite Cologne Carthusian. It was the most widely used historical reference work of the incunable period. “This edition contains extensive supplementary chronicles directed to a Dutch and Flemish readership, including histories of the dukes of Brabant, counts of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut, bishops of Utrecht, and the kings of France and England.”

Recent scholarship has drawn attention to the connection between Jan Veldener, this book’s printer, and William Caxton, the first English printer,
during their formative period in Cologne in the early 1470s. It seems likely that Caxton acted as the publisher, financing Veldener’s printing.
It is also very likely that Veldener was chief compositor of the first book printed in the English language, the Recuyell of the Histories of Troy, and further, that he helped Caxton set up his famous press in Bruges. [Ref:  Blake, Norman Francis. William Caxton and English literary culture, 2001]

Interestingly, the Dutch Fasciculus temporum for sale here also contains one of the earliest references to the history of printing and the spread of the printed book. On leaf Cxci we find the statement, between the two dates of 1450 and 1453, that ” die boeckprinters worden seer vermenicht in alien landen.”: (trans.) “The printers of books are increasing in all countries.”

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posted in: Rare Books

August 17, 2009

1579: THE PRECURSOR OF THE AUTOMOBILE & THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE TELEGRAPH

PRINTED 1579: 43 FULL PAGE WOODCUTS

ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE ENGINEERING TREATISES OF THE 16th CENTURY

Isacchi, Giovanni Baptista. Inventioni, nelle quali si manifestano varij secreti, e utili avisi a persone di guerra, e per it tempi di piacere.Parma : appresso Seth Viotto, 1579. Signatures: a-b4,A-Y4,Z2. Title vignette (publisher’s device mirroring colophon) Description: [16], 170, [10] p. : ill., port. ; 19.5 cm. (4to), first blank flyleaf loose, t.p. with small marginal repair, dampstain affecting a-b4. Early Italian mottled boards. 43 full-page woodcut illustrations cut with thick black line. Overall, a COMPLETE and handsome copy. Ref: Mortimer 242.

This work certainly stands as one of the most remarkable 16th century illustrated works of engineering. It primarily contains inventions 50 inventions and ‘secrets’ related to weapons and firearms, fireworks and other mechanical contraptions. The book is well known for its strikingly early description of the “horseless carriage”: “Far caminare una Carrozza senza Cavalli, ma con industria di Ruote ò Molinelli”. “Isacchi da Reggio in his Inventioni 1579, a very rare volume, describes and illustrates in great detail a means of propelling a carriage without horses by means of the hand labour of four persons applied to spoke-wheels; he gives instructions for making the steering-gear and proposes to run at the rate of two miles per hour [Ref: Hodgkin , John Eliot. Rariora: being notes of some of the printed books, manuscripts, historical …1902]

The work also explores modern day principles behind the telegraph with a machine (p.59) that codes and transmits letters and words over distances.

Finally, the book holds an important, yet overlooked part in the history of theater with descriptions of devices used in contemporary festivities and theatrical productions. Isacchi, born at Reggio Emilia, is in fact recorded as being in charge of the decorations for festivals in Bologna, Mantua, Novellara and Reggio before becoming chief artilleryman for Duke Alfonso II of Mantua.

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posted in: Rare Books

June 29, 2009

THE MATH PROBLEM LEONARDO COULDN’T SOLVE

The artist Uffenbach’ss extremely rare tract on squaring the circle

UFFENBACH, Philipp. De Quadratura circuli mechanici. Das ist: Ein newer Kurtzer, hochnützlicher und leichter mechanischer Tractat und bericht von der Quadratur dess Circkels, etc. in Verlegung dess Authoris: Franckfurt, 1619. 19th cebtury marbled boards. VERY RARE.  No copies in 30 years of the ABPC auction records.

Philipp Uffenbach (1566–1636) was a German painter and etcher. He was born in Frankfort-on-the-Main, and trained under Hans Grimmer. One of his pupils was Adam Elsheimer.

This very rare tract attacks the great Renaissance problem of squaring the circle. Squaring the circle is a problem proposed by ancient geometers. It is the challenge of constructing a square with the same area as a given circle by using only a finite number of steps with compass and straightedge. In 1882, the task was proven to be impossible, as a consequence of a theorem which proves that pi (π) is a transcendental number.

That an artist and engraver like Uffenbach would be interested in this mathematical problem is not unusual and is in keeping with a tradition of other great artists attacking this important philosophical conundrum.  Dürer in his treatise, Unterweisung der Messung mit dem Zirkel und Richtscheit, the first mathematics book published in German, provides approximate methods to square the circle using ruler and compass constructions.  Also, Klaus Schröer (Das Geheimnes der Proportionsstudie, Waxmann Publisher, Germany, 1998) recognized that Leonardo, in his Vitruvian Man, is actually attempting to square the circle and establish the rational proportional relationship that was a favorite obsession of Renaissance mathematicians for use in painting and architecture (hence the name Vitruvian).  It must have been frustrating for Leonardo not to solve a problem whose solution would have crowned him as the greatest mathematician of the Renaissance.   Well, at least it was a problem that actually had no solution.

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posted in: Rare Books